Wednesday, June 20, 2012

EYE WITNESS

Today on the first day of Spring 2012 we join in as EYE WITNESSES of the world gone mad! Together we HEAR the DAILY NEWS and as humans we may tremble at what we see and hear! We might choose to feel alone, discouraged or worried. We might unwisely isolate from family or friends who can help us . "HOLD ON TO WHAT YOU HAVE" and be at peace with the truth of what is yet to be seen and heard! Be encouraged by the story of a simple fisherman named John. This guy was placed in solitude on a tiny island, a barren rock in the middle of the Aegean Sea. Without a phone, a computer or any possibility of escape or communication, this spirit filled man submitted to God's will and accepted the blessing of a time in prison, alone with God. John knew what day it was and celebrated it! "On the Lord's day, I was in the Spirit." REV 1:10 ~ John was in a sweet spirit, he had a right attitude and he was thrilled to spend time, alone with the Lord. He did not spend time in self-pity for his circumstance, he did not complain, he did not resent the happiness of those who had the warmth of family and home. The interior man, the integrity of his soul did what it always did, it longed for more of Jesus. We are a chosen people, and with our eyes we get to witness the Jesus in John and the by the same Spirit, we experience the Presence of Jesus is us. Revelation is the unveiling of the Truth in us, the Jesus alive in us by the perfect will and purpose of God ~ "IT IS WRITTEN: Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God." Matthew 4:4 ~ Allow the Word of God to light up your soul with a glimpse of His glory in what John wrote that he saw and heard from the Lord. "Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, Who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession - to the praise of His glory." Eph 1:14 ~ "I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? Does God give you His Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?" Galatians 3:2 ~ Look in the mirror and be the EYE WITNESS to the truth ~ Speak this fact
"I am God's possession, and I am filled by the Holy Spirit." Now release the Teacher within to speak to your soul and unveil the mystery of Who Jesus Christ is. ~ Paul wrote "But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me that I might preach Him among the gentiles, I did not consult any man, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went immediately into Arabia (Chapala) and later returned to Damascus (Stockton)....As for those who seemed to be important - whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not judge by external appearance - those men added nothing to my message." Galatians 1:15 - 2:6 ~ Read the Word of God and ask the Holy Spirit what is the lesson in this holy sentence for me to apply personally. OKAY, back to the Reveal of Jesus to us, His beloved! ~ In a Patmos prison John wrote that he heard God's voice loudly "I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet" Rev 1:10b When we set aside what we want, expect, need and feel we deserve, when we choose to soak our minds with the living Word of God, we are blessed and our hearts are uplifted when we hear and obey the Word of God. God takes away our burdens when we let go...and let God fill us with His peace. What the EYE can see, the mouth can testify and God shows us His mighty ways as He reveals, unveils and blesses us with a fresh vision of His glory in the book of Revelation! "You will show me the path of life; in Your Presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore." Psalm 16:11 NKJV "Christ in you the hope for glory." Colossians 1:27 ~ Hopelessness is a desolate place where people feel insecure, unwanted, forgotten, starved for affection and tortured with pity me thoughts like "how small is my cry within a world of people praying to One God". What hope can one possibly find in a future that is shared with millions of abandoned, lonely, desperate people? Do you or someone you care about ever feel invisible, too ordinary, too insignificant, too unworthy of God's attention? Why would God's hope for glory through you be a part of His divine plan, His purpose, and His unfailing, unmatched promise? Ponder these scriptures and consider the theme of the last book of the bible which is stated right up front: "The revelation of Jesus Christ." It is our Father's purpose to reveal, to unveil the glory of His Son Jesus in the past, in our history, in our present, in our presence and in our future. Today in 2012 we are the lucky believers because we get to watch more prophecy unfold, and to SEE Jesus in a way that the early saints could not. When Jesus walked among us, He was so veiled that His mother, His brothers, His disciples and the Pharisees did not fully understand Who Jesus was and is today. Before the foundation of the world, God gave us all the spiritual blessings, and the wisdom of the Holy Spirit to unveil Jesus Christ through prophecy in the past, and in last book of the canon, God's plan is that Jesus is unveiled as the HOPE for our future. God told John to write down what he saw and John wrote "I SAW" almost 50 times. John also encourages us in the book of Revelation that he heard God's voice more than 30 times. HOPE ignites our hearts to live and we can BE STILL and know that we are loved by God as we LISTEN for HIS voice ~ as we read His love letter to us. The vision of Jesus gives hope to the hopeless, to those depressed by their circumstance, to all those who are deceived by their own importance, or by their insignificance, to all those who are discouraged by the majority of the ungodly, to all those distressed by evil choices, to all those defeated by life...GOD IS FAITHFUL to his Word, to His work, to His plan, to His purpose, and to those who witness His glory in the Revelation of Jesus Christ. Through a vision Isaiah worshiped Jesus as the "wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace and as the Lamb by Whose wounds we are healed. Micah worshiped Jesus as the Baby born in Bethlehem. Zechariah worshiped Jesus as the King of kings and Lord of lords Who would rule the world. Those who walked in Old Testament times did not fully understand Who Jesus was and is, but to us in this generation ~ Revelation is thrilling because it is better than a hopeful weather forecast of what may come - But God assures us in His Word "Yes, I am coming soon." Revelation 22:21 ~ Imagine living on earth with Jesus as the visible Ruler. Living as the eye witness of NO MORE: fear, dishonesty, civil unrest, prejudice, sex traffic, lies, wars, poverty, crime, homeless, taxes, hunger, anger, prisons, sickness, murder, hospitals, foreclosures, discrimination of any kind, hatred, jealousy, evil spirits, depression or broke people! Lord Jesus I long for the day when I can see you face to face, when I will see ONLY followers of Jesus, not just the majority, but the entire population! When death does not separate me from my loved ones, and when the entire world is filled with Your joyfilled glory! "I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the HOPE to which He has called you." Eph 1:18 ~ "But now that you know God - or rather are known by God - how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? --- What happened to your JOY? I can testify that if you could have done so, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me. Have I become your enemy by telling you the truth? Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good. What they want is to alienate you from us, so that you may be zealous for them. It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good....tell me, you who want to be under the law, are you not aware of what the law says? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. His son by the slave woman was born in the ordinary way; but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a promise.....we are not the children of the slave woman, but of the free woman." Galatians 4:8-31 (Paul's concern for us)

3 comments:

  1. Those who have affected my life most deeply for good have seldom, if ever, been aware of the fact. On the other hand, people who think themselves a blessing seldom are.

    Jesus told us in Matthew 25 that at the final judgment, He will separate the people one from another, as a shepherd would divide sheep and goats, sending the sheep to the right and the goats to the left.

    “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance,” He will say to the sheep. “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, … I was a stranger and you invited me in, … I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me” (Matthew 25:34-36, NIV).

    But to the goats He will say the opposite, commanding, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). The goats will have ignored His every need, which, He explained, are the needs of the least of His brethren.

    Those who minister to His needs are as unaware of their goodness and kindness as those who are indifferent are unaware of their indifference.

    Ruth Graham

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  2. "You were running a good race. Who cut in on you from obeying the truth? ----A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough. I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion will pay the penalty, whoever he may be...You, my brothers, were called to be free." Gal 5

    Try to live SAFE and keep the LAW, and be PERFECT, and expect others to obey God without grace is FOOLISH! Why did Jesus die for us? HOW did the sinner who lived a full life of disobedience get taken into glory with Jesus? BY GRACE we are saved AMEN! Living LIFE by the unmerited, unearned, unquestionable GRACE of GOD is why our Father sent His son - As Christians, we do Jesus justice by admitting our DAILY need of His grace, then as the world of the lost watch, we do not intimidate, but we invite them to partake in His grace.

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  3. Good morning Michael - once again your generosity
    was received and I am blessed! Thanks for taking
    the time to pack a pic-nic basket sufficient for a
    German princess ~ who thrilled with a chicken chair
    dance POLKA! Yeah, I see that smile...and I dare
    say your new "do" reflects the "joy" in you!

    We are in agreement that our relationship is tracking
    along with the Spirit of God...He that knows our
    unseen, unspoken intimacy needs...took great care
    in our divinely arranged meeting. Give me a sign Lord,
    okay - The Word, Little rock, Coos Bay, Boating,
    and then to top it all off on our 10th date ~ PEACH SNAPPLE.

    As His EYE WITNESS - and scribe...a blog of Revelation - and it is very good, as God would have me at the FRONT DESK to greet each citizen with HOPE and a smile!

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