O' How He Loves Us So!


"That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me." John 17:21

I was awaken much earlier than usual this morning with thoughts of Jesus Christ - the Son of God and His eternal relationship with and to the Father.  The Holy Spirit began to cleanse my mind with the precious thought of the closeness - the interconnectedness that the Father has with His beloved Son.  Suddenly, as if rapture to the third heaven, my mind was flooded with the intimacy of oneness shared lovingly between Father & Son.  I began to experience the delight that the one had for the other, and my soul was suddenly apprehended by the beauty and splendor of this most holy union of oneness.  It was as if I had been invited in to receive bursts of perfect love and unspeakable joy which strenthened my soul. The purity of Love discovered within that moment became my reality, and suddenly I was consciously aware that His love became my love! His everlasting joy became my strength! His surpassing peace became my peace!  Everything that I was lacking, had been given to me in that moment.  And, though the experience had only last but a second, it seemed timeless - almost as if I had experienced a glimpse of eternity.  Then my soul exclaimed, to wit: O' How He Loves Us!

I then turned my attention to Holy Writ: NT John 17, which is the Priestly Prayer that Jesus prayed during the moments before the events which lead to his passion and subsequent death upon the cross.  He had given to those of whom He loved so dearly, the Father's words.  Words that are life-giving when it is received.  Words that cut, cleanse, cloth and lift the lowly into realms of splendor and glorious bliss!  The blissful place of true harmony and expressions of love... that sacred dwelling place where Jesus IS - so that we might be... above all sicknesses, dis-ease, doubt, and fear - the secret place - the inner sanctum where our Savior awaits!  What a precious and glorious gift in itself  because contained within the Word of God are realms of wisdom which can only become life-giving through revelatory knowledge given freely to us by the precious Holy Spirit.  Look!  The Holy Spirit, whom is distinctive in his person, but is also a giver!  How can He, in all of His splendor, not reflect the true essence of our gracious God?   Therefore, I have resolved in my soul that the Word of God must be known on several levels - intellectual, experiential and spiritual - for these three, in my opinion, equals the totality of the person!
In the Gospel of John, Chapter 17, Jesus prayed that we might be one just as He is in the Father and the Father is in Him, so shall we be one with them.   He prays that the expressions of our life would be a revelation of the Oneness of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit!  Three distinctive personalities, but of one essence moving in syncopated rhythm - one with the other!!!  Why?  So that the world would have known the Father & his beloved Son, Jesus Christ.  O' How He Loves Us!
If ever you should experience the supreme oneness of God, you would want to dwell in that place of oneness always.  And, to think that Jesus consecrated himself - living a life in holiness always in subjection to the Father and therefore obedient to the Father's will above His own, so that we might see his glory - and not just see with the eye of the spirit, but that his glory might manifest in us and become a reality for the world to see!    O' How He Loves Us!
 
 Gracious God - Eternal Father Divine,
Thank you for Christ and his cross; for self-sacrificial love, for the precious life-giving gift found in the Word of God made flesh!  There is no other love that fills our every need, but you.  May the expressed image of Jesus Christ be manifest in your people so that the world might see - How He Loves Us So!

David Crowder - "How He Loves Us"  http://youtu.be/GzfPHnoT0-0

Treasures of Darkness (Introduction)

"I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name." (Isaiah 45:3)

Yesterday, I received a courtesy notification from Amazon recommending a list of books for my consideration.  There was one book of interest which lead me to the author's website.  While browsing the pages, I discovered a host of videos in the archives of which, one was titled, Treasures of Darkness.  The title alone was captivating!  Instantly, my soul was flooded with memories of God's divine intervention during a season of darkness that almost seemed to mock  the desperate cries of my soul.  But, in the providence of God's divine order, He manifested his glory in what was seemingly a dark and deserted place.  I recently learned that God's purpose for intervening on my behalf - far exceeded the depth of my cries and the darkness which held me bound.  And, what I had perceived to be an eternity of despairing darkness was revealed by our gracious  Lord as holy ground that had been cultivated during the night seasons which now, yields the Treasures of Darkness. 

If you are acquainted with Holy Writ, you would know that these precious words are traced back to the Hebrew Bible (OT), in Isaiah's prophecy about Cyrus.   Cyrus was a pagan king, whose destiny was foretold by the Prophet Isaiah at least 150 years prior to his birth, while Jerusalem was a prosperous city that would not be destroyed over 100 years by a Babylonian king named Nebuchadnezzar.  In the fullness of time, the prophecy concerning the ultimate destruction of Jerusalem was fulfilled.  Because of their rebellion, God allowed the enemy to break Judah's defenses, destroy the land and stripped Judah of her finest choice of  men/women/children, forcing them into captivity in Babylon under the rule of King Nebuchadnezzar. As an African-American, I can imagine the emotional turmoil  that the Jews experienced when they were being separated from their homeland, and how their captivity would impact future generations.   There is no doubt in my mind that the devout amongst them viewed their captivity as times of darkness and great despair, as there is biblical evidence  that they turned their hearts to God.  But, God had a plan!   In the midst of a dark and hopeless situation, God raised up a pagan king who would be (sort of) a messiah (anointed by God) to fulfill God's intended purpose for the Jews. Cyrus was destined  to be born at a time that was providentially choreographed and orchestrated by God for an established purpose, which ultimately lead to the release of the Jews from their captivity in Babylon.  In short, by the power & protection of Almighty God, Cyrus was used to dismantle and demolish the kingdoms of the world, and with their destruction came the spoils of war. The great riches that were hidden in secret places were revealed and laid at the feet of Cyrus.  The Babylonian Empire was one of the kingdoms that fell at the hand of Cyrus the Great!  The Biblical account of the prophecy and fulfillment  are recorded in the Hebrew Bible (OT) books.  Isn't it awesome how God will raise-up whomever He pleases as an instrument to assist with fulfilling His divine purpose in the earth?   

Many of us have had to face moments of darkness and we despair over our circumstances as a human response to what we do not understand or what we cannot control.  Our precious Lord tells us today that when we pass through the waters, and through the rivers, we shall not drown! When we walk through fiery trials we shall not be burned; neither shall the flames have power over us, because He is with us! (Is. 43:2) And, if God be for us, it is more than the trouble that has pierced our hearts!

God is that sacred place that we may run into and find security, rest and strength to endure the testing of our faith!  While He is protecting us, He is also working all things together for good of those who love Him, because we were called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).  In other words, God's divine providence is working & His Spirit is working together to bring us into His purpose.  God has a purpose and a plan, and no matter what the situation or circumstances, His purpose and plan for our life is far more greater than the momentary darkness that seem to cause us to despair.  He has a plan when we are going through times of struggle, moments of insanity, sickness, abandonment and even when we go through the valley of the shadows of death.   He is not only working all things together for us, but also for those persons who will interact with us in our communities - wherever we may travel on a daily basis.    God grants unto us His grace and wisdom to use our experience with pain to assist others who are finding it hard to understand why they are having to go through such turbulent times.   There is a meaningful purpose for the pain that we endure.  But, it is a wonderful comfort to know that our gracious God & Father, who is Love, would go to the extremes to express His love for us, to us,  and through us, hence, Treasures of Darkness!

Jesus, who is the expressed image of God, demonstrated God's unwavering love for the world when he humbled himself to become "like" us, in order that the mystery of the darkness he had to endure (suffering & death) would save us from everlasting damnation in hell - separated from the graciousness of Almighty God for all of eternity; and,  the event of his blessed resurrection would justify us in the sight of God! Whereby the creature & the Creator is united in indissoluble union for all eternity!

Who, being in very nature[a] God,
    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
    by taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
    being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death —
        even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:6-8)

...and for this cause we are made to discover the Treasures of Darkness!
"This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jer. 29:10,11) 

A-Treasure-in-the-Darkness--The-Slaight-Family--Part-I
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/Exile.html
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2848 
Hebrew Bible (OT): Book of Ezra 1:1-4, 7, 8;3:7;4:3. 2 Chronicles 36:22,23
Isaiah 44: 26-28; 45:4, 5. Jeremiah 24:6; 31:28 & 40; 29.

God Cares!

Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. (Ps. 46:10)

I was awaken this morning to ponder the meaning of this particular verse.  Of course, I looked to my commentary for understanding the context of the verse (historical background/Hebrew Lexicon/ interpretation, etc.).  While relaxing at my desk, and pondering all that I had gathered concerning the text, I began to hear the Holy Spirit whisper gently these words, "God Cares." 

Like most of us, I typically turn to the Book of Psalms after I have exhausted all my strength and am on the verge of throwing up my hands and giving up!  To the religious, this is blasphemy!  Giving up means not trusting in God! But, as usual, I beg to differ!

In this particular verse, I believe God is speaking to two groups: 1) those who oppose his power by attacking his people; and, 2) those He deems as His beloved possession

(for lack of a better description). 

1.  To those who oppose his mighty power to protect His own, he commands to BE STILL! Drop your weapons and be weak! & know that I am God! In other words, Enough Is Enough! Isn't it a wonderful comfort to know that God is our great Defense!  He is our place of refuge!  But then, God says to the enemy, '...and know that I am God."  Wow! It almost appears that He is throwing out the lifeline to those who contends against Him!  How gracious is Our God?  While we were yet sinners/enemies of God, Christ Jesus died on our behalf!

(Romans 5:8)

2.  To those who are His own, He commands to BE STILL! Stop stressing out over your circumstance and draw nearer so that you might draw your strength from communion with your God!  Actually, he is telling us to become weak!  To throw up your hands and give up your striving/struggle to bring resolution and trust in His power to perform!  This is what it means to trust in God.  We must discover the deficiency in our self-sufficiency!  In other words, we must come to the end of 'self', and submit to God's way above our own way.

   Surely! God cares about both groups!

Prayer:

King of Glory - Lord God Almighty, thank you for being that place that we can run into and find rest for our souls; for reminding us not to get caught up in our strength for resolve, but to draw our strength from an intimate relationship with you. Thank you for granting us courage to trust in your power to perform! Gracious God - Our Most Holy Father! Thank you for commanding the enemy to drop their weapons and back off your people; and for your grace as you allow those who oppose your power & might the opportunity to know you - even the most wretched amongst us - in this we see your salvation. Thank you, Lord for your mercy and for your grace on this blessed Day which you have made. In Jesus precious name - Amen

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