Is Our Motive Love ?

1 ¶ Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
4 ¶ Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

I believe that His love is at the very centre of who He is. His loved, rooted within us, expressing itself bountifully in all that we are and are yet to become.

It seems that unfortunately man at times (including myself) has sought to try to separate His Love from His Truth.

Thankfully, I have learned, and am learning, that there is no value in terms of spiritual life & union with Him, when that is done - because God is love. Yes God is Truth but He said Himself that He is love, ... therefore Love is at the very centre of His Truth, expressed to us and in us.

I think it's a peculiar thing that roaming around the internet on forums and blogs, we see often that those who are the most passionate about doctrines and theology, can be the ones who seem to love the least. Even if I can and often do agree with their doctrines, (doctrine which is often very correct) the lack of love displayed by them, as described above in 1Cor 13 shows how easy it can be to be doctrinally correct in a religious sense, but to at the same time be devoid of the pure love of God.

I would even take it one step further than that. It seems often they are in an 'attack' mode, a 'crushing' mode. They fail to see what spirit they are truly of. It's a very selfish thing to lash out and attack people - people who we do not know anything about in many cases. We can know so very little of their heart, where they've been, what trials and mountains they have had to climb. Yet in a very selfish and self righteous way, without any humility, we would rather make assumptions.

Reading these verses this morning, I just feel so challenged in my walk with Him. What kind of a great love - that never fails, that endures all things.

Externals vs the Inner Life of Christ

Looking back over my walk with Jesus, I just saw something today about myself.

Its my thought that there seems to be two groups of people following after Jesus. We all are at one time or another - in either of these groups.

There are those who are - or were - constantly interested mainly in the externals of following Jesus (such as the miracles, & the many external aspects of being a Christian, when -where - how - etc, - the blessings of perhaps being a Christian and how to obtain them, whatever externals they value .)

... and then there are those who are primarily interested in the internal life of Christ (Christ in you or more precisely: the union that we have with Christ ) more so than they are in the externals, though they would have at one time or another been external. Perhaps a better way to say this would be that they have graduated from being primarily externally focused to being mainly aware of the internal or inner life within or union they have with Christ, and the transformation that is taking place.

Now I have to say that I learned very quickly the externals of religion. They are very easy to obtain, and I was very easily able to find many people who would instruct me exactly on what those externals were. But the interesting thing was, most of these people including myself at one time, were not really interesting in fellowship around Christ, just fellowship around all the externals.

But graduating to internal or inner life was not so easy to grasp.Because of all the focus on the externals for one thing. But once you become of aware of the internal, you are less comfortable with all the externals because the Holy Spirit is working within you and you are very often 'uncomfortable' because you find the externals shallow compared to Christ in you. I still tried to go along with all the externals/external focus and remain in that place, but the problem was I had to pretend that everything was fine & dandy with the inner life, (because of all the externals) but in reality it was a desperate struggle at most times. And no one else (either had any struggles ) or else they weren't aware of it.

For myself, I have to say as of now, I have so little interest in the externals. I am more interested in the internal life of Christ, in myself, and in others. It is what I look for and love to find in someone else. The hunger for Christ and the beautiful presence of His Spirit deep inside of them. You know, someone softly broken over their sin and wanting so much to be transformed and changed from the inside out. But as far as the externals in my life go (or lack of interest in them) I believe and hope that if the inner life of Christ is transforming me, then the externals will correspond and change. As the Spirit works it all out from the inside.

My Friend Dale's First Post to my Bog ! (on the Bride of Christ)

The new Jerusalem is his bride and eternal companion -Jerusalem being the chosen one of Israel. Jesus called the natural Jerusalem and said this

Lu 13:34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!

Isn't He issuing the same call today to His spiritual Jerusalem. Are you seeking the safety of His wing? Will a chick survive amongst the wolves without this protection of the divine wing? I hope our response will be that we “would” come to his safety behind His shield of faith. So I have delved a little more into this relationship between Christ and His true bride. Please eat the hay and spit out any sticks that you find.

The Holy Spirit through Paul points out a “great mystery” in Ephesians 5. This is the message of Christs eternal love. His choice for eternal union. His love lavished upon the ones who will take a hold of all of His love to be and yield to His tender touch. This is Christ and his “real” church. If Jesus is truly the second adam then this too is the second eve. The one that he died for. No wonder the first instruction for husbands is to love your wife as Christ loves the church and gave His life for her. This eve will overcome where the first eve failed because she is truly abiding in the truth Himself. This eve will over come because she is a doer of the word and not a hearer only. This Eve will overcome because she has truly died to all that she is and has taken on His nature in all things. This is true union -to come into line with the heart of another. Trust is built with those you love. True faith works and operates from the source of the one you love. Lasting faith comes from knowing everlasting love. That is why He has promised never to leave us or forsake us -to implant an everlasting trust in us as a response to that love. Even that response of faith in us is His faith -so there is nothing of ourselves and all of Him -least any man should boast. So that in the end all things will be summed up in Him.

21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

All of the animals were created male and female and had their counterpart. But Adam had none. Surely Adam knew this and longed for his companion and very close friend. When Jesus dies for the joy set before Him He endured the cross despising the shame -so that His bride could come forth. Adam was put into a deep sleep. It is in a place of rest that brides are formed. When we strive to enter the rest then wonderful things will come forth as we cease from our labours and enter His. Adams bride came from within him. Jesus (the second adam) bride will come from in Him. All we are as His bride will come from Him. His Wisdom, His love, His spotlessness and His radiance.

There is a wonderful star configuration on the Australian flag (yeah I am an Aussie). It is the copy of a constellation of stars that we can see in the southern hemisphere. It is called the southern cross and we have those five stars on our flag. They show the five wounds of Christ. There are also two pointing stars but I will not talk about them today. These five stars show clearly the wounds in his hands -the one through his feet and the crown on His head. But the smallest star and yet probably the most important (isn't that God! -the last shall be first) is what I call the painless wound of Christ. After all the pain the second Adam has a wound in His side while in the deep sleep of death. Does that sound familiar? Was the first Adam put into a deep sleep? The FIRST thing that happens after him dying for His beloved is the revealing of the things closest to His heart! The water and blood (another message entirely) that flowed came from his peritoneal cavity revealing His heart for his those he died for. His heart poured forth. Five is the number of grace. While his heart broke for the sins of those who nailed Him there -the fifth wound was painless (after death). As the first eve was brought forth from the wound in Adams side you too are born of the water and blood and things that come from close to His heart. This second overcoming Eve is to be formed from things closest to His heart. Why have so many missed that Jesus died for His woman? What really is the spiritual longing in His heart revealed in John 17 ? This is a great mystery. Arise new Eve from the depths of His heart and shine with the radiance of His righteousness and Glory. I ask you -are the following words a prayer for His new Eve? Will you abide in Him?

John 17: 20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
21 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.
22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.

His love to all -from Dale

Recall What God Remembers

"I remember . . . the kindness of thy youth." Jeremiah 2:2 Am I as spontaneously kind to God as I used to be, or am I only expecting God to be kind to me? Am I full of the little things that cheer His heart over me, or am I whimpering because things are going hardly with me? There is no joy in the soul that has forgotten what God prizes. It is a great thing to think that Jesus Christ has need of me - "Give Me to drink." How much kindness have I shown Him this past week? Have I been kind to His reputation in my life? God is saying to His people - You are not in love with Me now, but I remember the time when you were - "I remember . . . the love of thine espousals." Am I as full of the extravagance of love to Jesus Christ as I was in the beginning, when I went out of my way to prove my devotion to Him? Does He find me recalling the time when I did not care for anything but Himself? Am I there now, or have I become wise over loving Him? Am I so in love with Him that I take no account of where I go? or am I watching for the respect due to me; weighing how much service I ought to give? If, as I recall what God remembers about me, I find He is not what He used to be to me, let it produce shame and humiliation, because that shame will bring the godly sorrow that works repentance. (Oswald Ch)

And You Think You Had a Bad Day ??

Getting There

It's seems things have been up and down for me as I still am in recovery mode. I am certain I am not the most pleasant to be 'around' these days, especially when I start to get taken up with worries and concerns over the state of my recovery process. I find myself easily wandering off into 'possible scenarios' of 'what ifs' and 'complications' due only to one thing: the primary reason being that I am a nurse. Every little setback, no matter how small or big it is, causes a shift as I immediately feel the 'nurse' inside of me kick into overdrive as I begin to theorize & put a nursing process / plan into gear.

Thankfully Father hasn't let me meander in that place too very long. I asked my husband just this morning hesitantly, "Am I sounding paranoid?" Thankfully he responded to me gently, but honestly & graciously with his response being "a little". I think I am just a little vulnerable these days, and apparently Father knows that quite well, as well as my husband, children, and friends. Everyone has been so very patient with me. I would like to think that I too could be so gracious. I think of the compassion Jesus had and has over the multitudes who were sick, invalid, somewhere perhaps in a state of recovery, (or perhaps they weren't even yet in recovery), but whatever their particular problem was and wherever they found themself, I am truly convinced that His heart never failed to be moved deeply and compassionately towards their entire well being, no matter what had befallen them.

Maureen's post got me thinking this morning of Jesus. (If you haven't read it yet, you may want to pop over there & check it out, thanks Maureen). Jesus truly is the very center of our life, and wherever we are, He is getting us closer to Him. It's been a very good thing that He has chosen to strip ever so gently the layers away that have clouded this Truth (Himself) within us. Much like an onion, layer by delicate layer, the process is always ongoing. It's so amazing and He is the joy, our joy giver and the One who has invited us to share the very love that He and the Father share. That is what it's all about. That's what is happening to me through my recovery. He's reminding me over and over again that He is the centre of me. He lives in me. It's His wonderful pleasure to be a part of us, bringing us back to this Truth all the time. Loving us in our day to day ups, downs, circumstances.

Take Possession of our Hearts Lord

Why do I feel simple sharing and partaking is so important? Because deep within us, what we all truly long for in other human beings is Christ. Being honest about this and willing to see this is good because it's then and only then that we can be truly motivated in the right direction: to begin to experience what Christ has already prepared for us and supplied for us, which is Christ.

We can throw away the weight of whatever else is offered up to us and spit it out. We can be vulnerable and honest about the simplicity of Christ in our lives with others. What great joy that brings to be available on that very simple honest level to one another. We are looking for Him! It's all about Christ. That is the good news entirely (that Christ is all in all) and that is what is truly great about being His Child and a member one of another in His Kingdom.

Even as experiencing Christ in this simple way is so exciting and refreshing, I am absolutely aware that this is only possible through our steadfastness in relationship with Him. On that note I will post something which I read today that stood out to me:

"Can it be true, as so many maintain, that there is no time for communion with God? Is not the most important matter for which we must find time, fellowship with God, in which we may experience His love and His power? Give God time, I beseech you. . . . Dear child of God, it is of little use to speak of the deeper, more abundant life of Christ as our life, if we do not daily, above all things, take time for intercourse with our Father in heaven. The life and love and holiness of God cannot be ours amidst the distractions and temptations of the world, unless we give God time to reveal Himself to us and to take possession of our hearts."

– Andrew Murray