Hymns! (republished)

... the first I'm posting, having skipped November. What can I say but they are late! But a good thing is never too late. :)

Today I am posting "As the Hart, About to Falter", a rendition of Psalm 42, and also the advent hymn "Comfort, Comfort, Ye My People", reminiscent of Isaiah 40. I am putting them together since they share the same tune and because they are both beloved to me. I love music that, when read, makes the best poetry. Actual musical roots creates the best meter to read and remember. You can be anywhere and say it or sing it.

Enjoy!


Psalm 42

As the hart, about to falter,
In its trembling agony,
Longs for flowing streams of water,
So, O God, I long for Thee.
Yes, athirst for Thee I cry;
God of life, O when shall I
Come again to stand before thee
In Thy temple and adore Thee?

Bitter tears of lamentation
Are my food by night and day.
In my deep humiliation
"Where is now your God?" they say.
Oh, my soul's poured out in me,
When I bring to memory
How the throngs I would assemble,
Shouting praises in Thy temple.

O my soul, why are you grieving,
Why disquieted in me?
Hope in God, your faith retrieving:
He will still your refuge be.
I again shall laud His grace
For the comfort of His face:
He will show His help and favor,
For He is my God and Savior.

From the land beyond the Jordan,
With my soul cast down in me,
From Mount Mizar and Mount Hermon
I will yet remember Thee.
As the waters plunge and leap, 
Deep reechoes unto deep:
All Thy waves and billows roaring,
O'er my troubled soul is pouring.

But the Lord will send salvation,
And by day His love provide.
He shall be my exultation,
And my song at eventide.
On His praises e'en in the night
I will ponder with delight,
And in prayer, transcending distance,
Seek the God of my existence.

I will say to God my fortress,
"Why hast Thou forgotten me?
Why must I proceed in sadness,
Hounded by the enemy?"
Their rebukes and scoffing words
Pierce my soul like pointed swords
As they say with proud defiance,
"Where is God, your firm reliance?"

O my soul, why are you grieving?
Why disquieted in me?
Hope in God, your faith retrieving,
He will still your refuge be.
I again shall laud His grace
For the comfort of His face:
He will show His help and favor
For He is my God and Savior.



Comfort, Comfort, Ye My People,
Speak ye peace, thus saith our God;
Comfort those who sit in darkness,
Bowed beneath their sorrow's load.
Speak ye to Jerusalem
Of the peace that waits for them
Tell her that her sins I cover, 
And her warfare now is over.

Yea, her sins, our God will pardon,
Blotting out each dark misdeed;
All that well deserved His anger
He will no more see nor heed.
She has suffered many a day,
Now her griefs are passed away;
God will change her pining sadness
Into ever-springing gladness.

For the herald's voice is crying
In the desert far and near,
Bidding all men to repentance,
Since the kingdom now is here.
O that warning cry obey! 
Now prepare for God a way!
Let the valleys rise to greet Him,
And the hills bow down to greet Him.

Make ye straight what long was crooked,
Make the rougher places plain:
Let your hearts be true and humble,
As befits His holy reign,
For the glory of the Lord
Now o'er earth is shed abroad,
And all flesh shall see the token
That His Word is never broken.



Have an excellent advent season, y'all! Joy and goodwill abounding, first between God and man because of Jesus Christ, and so, between men on earth as well.

1 John 4:8
He who does not love, does not know God, for God is love.


Peanuts Christmas song quote: "Oh that we... could always see... such spirit through the year..."

ESSENCE... and a contented artist (republished)

What follows below was originally written in a post-share, but it kept growing until I just wanted to post it here!

Habits.

Heavy things, aren't they?

Worry. Paranoia. Perfectionism. Superciliousness. Complaining. Insecurity. Selfishness. Self-image.

I would tell myself to just act natural but then I'd have to worry about it.

I think it's definitely time for a new approach. I need to shake off this old man of "act natural", "go with the flow", "see where it's going", "what does it mean". The impetuous, purposeless, passive curiosity. The desperation for newer, better, truer, more authentic, essential, the real thang. And yet implementing good habits makes new problems to watch for, like pride... it makes me fearful. Of screwing up.

I guess as we make plans, even if our hearts are still inescapably twisted while we set out to do so, and we may plan astray (after all, God is laughing), we need to understand that in being faithful and setting out to obey, if we do make honest mistakes (which we are sure to)... It's not the end of the world. Ouch. There, I said it. God forgives a broken and contrite heart, but there's extra grace fro its inevitable ignorance. Ouch. Ouch. Ouch. This is because his MERCIES are not merely tantamount, they are not just an effective dose, but they are abundant: eternal. Infinite. Never-ending. He overflows for you. So stop worrying. Work, but don't worry (how often we confuse the two). Stop trying to measure up. You -- alone. Never. Will.

Ouch.

Retraining doesn't take worldly strength, strength in all the ways we are likely to picture it, or as we might imagine or fear, but rather a strength which is humility. It knows it will not be perfect but tried anyway. It has an obedient spirit, not a desperate one. As someone else posted today from Spurgeon, "Be content to be nothing, for that is what you are." Ouch. You don't have an essence somewhere out there, waiting to be collected, that fits only your individual soul that you must then seek like a starving dog. The jigsaw pieces of your heart are not scattered over the ocean to be sought. 

Habits.

Heavy things, aren't they?

Worry. Paranoia. Perfectionism. Superciliousness. Complaining. Insecurity. Selfishness. Self-image.

I would tell myself to just act natural but then I'd have to worry about it.

I think it's definitely time for a new approach. I need to shake off this old man of "act natural", "go with the flow", "see where it's going", "what does it mean". The impetuous, passive curiosity. The desperation for newer, better, truer, more authentic, essential, the real thang. And yet implementing good habits makes new problems to watch for, like pride... it makes me fearful. Of screwing up.

I guess as we make plans, even if our hearts are still inescapably twisted while we set out to do so, and we may plan astray (after all, God is laughing), we need to understand that, in being faithful and setting out to obey, if we do make honest mistakes (which we are sure to)... It's not the end of the world. Ouch. There, I said it. God forgives a broken and contrite heart, but there's extra grace for its inevitable ignorance. Ouch. Ouch. Ouch. This is because his MERCIES are not merely tantamount, they are not just an effective dose, but they are abundant: eternal. Infinite. Never-ending. He overflows for you. So stop worrying. Work, but don't worry (how often we confuse the two). Stop trying to measure up. You -- alone. Never. Will.

Ouch.

Retraining doesn't take worldly strength, strength in all the ways we are likely to picture it, or as we might imagine or fear, but rather a strength which is humility. It knows it will not be perfect but tries anyway. It has an obedient spirit, not a desperate one. As someone else posted today from Spurgeon "Be content to be nothing, for that is what you are." Ouch. You don't have an essence somewhere out there, waiting to be collected, that fits only your individual soul that you must then seek like a starving dog. The jigsaw pieces of your heart are not scattered over the ocean to be sought. He has made and is making your heart whole. I was reading in Colossians 2, about "the elemental spiritual forces of this world". I don't know if it's the artistic temperament in me, but I tend to always be seeking the authentic, the pure, the essence, the forms... The element of the spirit. It drives me nuts. And it makes me careless, and therefore actually losing the very thing my empty soul seeks to gain. Is it because it is an essence apart from the living God that I seek? Why yes it is. I said it above. I am looking for an essence to fill "my individual soul." Myself. My flesh. My sin nature. And that's the problem right there.

So in seeking this ideal, this perfection, this art, this pretty picture, we can't trust our actual actions and our knowledge, but rather that God has us in a place where we are making actions at all, that we are alive, and receiving His common grace at the least, which is not common at all but wonderful, and that He has entrusted His actual actions and His substance knowledge unto us, in the appropriate amount according to His wisdom for the passage of each of our lives. Therefore there must be a reason. For everything. You did, at most, your best that you were honestly aware of and that's what God requires. Yes there are should-haves and wish-I'd-have-knowns and how-couldn't-I-have-realized. But the truth is, you didn't. You didn't know: you didn't know because you aren't all-knowing: you may have known once and even forgotten, mentally or spiritually or emotionally whatever it was, and feel even worse for that: having it taken away so... Quietly. But to angrily say, "I should have had this knowledge" "how could I have been so blind" -- these are deeply prideful statements (not to mention despairing and holding onto guilt that has been paid). And pride is uncontented and untrusting, deeply rooted in self and an exploration to fulfill self. Fulfill self in looking for images all around us in all we do or say or think or are... That look like ourself. Little idols of ourself. But rather than these self-destructive reactions, and these desperate searches, know that God provided you with what He is using to accomplish HIS will, HIS essence. HE will make HIMSELF known. So, yes we ARE broken and incomplete from day to day, especially in hindsight: we lack this essence we imagine, crave and picture, our inflated image of ourself. Yes, we do everything all wrong and screw up constantly, even when we think we finally understood and we're going to... Accomplish!!! We wanted to be accomplished. We wanted to be the essence. Our own essence. We wanted to be perfect. We wanted it to be all in ourself. We wanted to be complete. We wanted working parts. We wanted to have it all. We wanted control. We wanted to be... God.

But you know, what's there?  That pathetic mistake-making fool who is -- more frequently than you like to accept -- yourself? That's enough.

We don't make ourselves gods.

Can we do better if we try? Certainly, if we are asking God's help to guide our fumbling heads. Do we see improvements in all manner of things, despite ourselves and our actions, every day and every hour? Yes. Did the plan for the Lord's whole kingdom fail because you were wrong? No.

No. That's right. We don't get to make ourselves gods. As Jesus said, God makes us gods. ("I said, "You are 'gods'." John 10:34, Psalm 82:6) After HIS image. To follow in HIS footsteps. In HIS essence. "Heat was in the very sod, which the saint had printed" to borrow an illustrious illustration from the song "Good King Wenceslas."

You are not the balancing center of the universe, but a subject of the One who is.

Yes. Wow.

With that, I have peace. God is enough. If I crave an essence? A spirit? A true _____? That intangible but real sense of beauty? The "je ne sais quoi", if you will? He is the best there is. I am content. I have to be. Not because I have found the limit but because I have found the limitless. A form, an essence, my brain cannot comprehend. A holy mystery. I absolutely have to be content. There is no other happy alternative.

Are you treading water, struggling, gasping for air, roping the sails, seeing the waves? Yes. We sure do. But are you drowning? Are you dead? No. You're not. You are alive in Christ, and any dying you do today is the part that is already death to you itself. The very essence of death, the thing you craved for so much. Evil. All that you are ultimately seeking if you are seeking apart from God.

Death is swallowed up in death. Where now, death, is thy sting? Dear twisting thorn, you can bring me only joy since I know you are a gift from my Father.

"... the author and finisher of our faith... who for the joy set before him, endured the pain of the cross... scorning its shame... and sat down at the right hand (most important place!) of the throne of God"

The struggle is part of the story.

If you crave majesty, just look at His. It is enough. "The right hand of the throne of God."

So, no longer do we cry sadly, mournfully, pridefully, helplessly, despairingly, "How can I have been so blind?!?!" 

Rather, we look at the Lord's grace calmly and peacefully, saying, "I was blind... but now I see. Thank you God. Thank you for showing me; I pray you will show me even more, as I am still in the storm, though you are with me. Help me to obey better next time: or, right now! Your will be done. How high are your ways above our ways."






(Ouch!)

Poem that happened on Mother's day (republished)

New ways
To praise
The God of all
Abound with
Each new day

So lift
A gift,
A glorious call,
And let Him
Hear you say...

God is glorious
And victorious,
And keeps His good from none
Who call on Him;
He'll not let dim
The ones who love the One

Jesus, He died,
The Spirit outcried,
To punish One so loved
But love, that love,
It was the same
Why Christ needs be crucified

And descend
Where I should be,
He gave His high throne up
For me
Oh glory this!
How silently
The King goes forth so brave...
His ones to save.

And can it be,
That I through He,
Be chosen -- what makes me great?
Naught, but the glory of
His gracious love,
Despite my cruel hate.

They would not see,
He saw them blind,
And ope'd their eyes to see.
They would not hear,
Would not give ear:
But deaf, He heard them to be

And that Word,
His people heard,
That truth was plain to see;
Now they saw,
And attentive in awe,
And there lies the mystery.

What mercy there!
Pow'r beyond compare!
To use my sin
For such grace;
The very things,
Those condemnings,
Become the way
I at last hold His face

He turns all poor
to be the best,
A noble change He does make:
Sweet mystery,
For only He
Can nature's nature so overtake

God is glorious
And victorious,
And keeps His good from none
Who call on Him;
He'll ne'er let dim
The ones who love the One


Jessica Moore (c) 2013

"Jesus Wept" (republished)

Don't get caught in the death cycle: overwhelming grief and unrighteous anger vs. repentance and righteous living

Hi there! Actually using my blog for my thoughts -- amazing, I know. But good habits are made, not brought on by osmosis.  :) It's probably better that way. More memorable.


Grief~

   It is interesting and pertinent to note that our sins (and all that comes from sin) grieve God. They are not something He gleefully pounces on in order for to teach us a real good lesson, to knock us over, throw us off balance (though He may allow them to do just that to get us to realize who IS like that -- Satan). Instead, although they DO anger him because He is just, they also cause grief -- mourning, sadness -- because He is merciful. Your sin is SAD to God. Pitiable. He is a tender Father, a compassionate God, slooooow to anger, and abounding in mercy. If rejection -- insult -- is a valid emotion in humans, it certainly is in God, who has SO much more reason to be accepted, as reigning King and Lord!*
*(parable of the wedding banquet, Matthew 22:1-14)

- Genesis 6:6
- Judges 10:16
- Isaiah 7:13
- Isaiah 43:24
- Isaiah 63:10
- Psalm 78:40
- Mark 3:5
- John 11:35
- Acts 13:18
- Romans 8:11
- 1 Thessalonians 5:19
- Ephesians 4:30
- Hebrews 10:29



Think about this.


   I think the direct consequence for sin is righteous indignation and discipline and vengeance, but the truly lasting knife in the back is grief over our sin: although, unrighteous anger and lasting grief go hand in hand as well. Jesus bore both our grief and God's wrath; God bore grief for Jesus, and all the chastisement really for us for being the cause of Jesus' death was also borne by Jesus. Incredible mystery. Our sins grieve God because each one was ultimately another piece of wrath inflicted on His guiltless Son; and remember too, that now we are part of that same Son's body. Therefore to grieve the Spirit is to anger God is to inflict the Christ in whose body we share is to hurt our own flesh, our own Head, and commit spiritual suicide in spite to One who loves us and sustains us. Thus any sin is not only against God, but against those who belong to God: ourselves and those around us.

   But we just keep on sinning. So what's to be done? Well, we need to look at why to anger God is to inflict suffering on Christ. So... Why?

 Love. Mercy. Compassion. Forbearance.

  It seems contradictory, to punish one in order to save others the punishment, but if we know the full depth and seriousness of our sin, we can be sure it most certainly isn't. And if we realize that Jesus was completely in tune with God's purpose: righteousness, blamelessness, uprightness. And if we realize that Jesus is bigger than our sin. Proverbs 3:27. If the Father and Christ decide we miserable beings are due mercy according to the law of His love, and it is in Their power to give it, than He will not withhold His goodness from us. He hasn't held it from us! Amen!

   For only a righteous man can bear a punishment for crimes and still be considered righteous when he comes out of the time of punishment. But if an unrighteous man commits a crime, and is punished for it, he will always have been guilty of that crime, and bearing guilt for it, if not legally than in his heart: even if he doesn't realize it. But if the righteous man takes on the guilt and punishment, then he has hidden the ungodly man's crimes in the sight of the Father and the Spirit. And they will not condemn Him either though, once the punishment is borne, because they know of His valiant, compassionate deeds; and They are all in Unity; and what's really wonderful? After all this, Jesus takes us. He TAKES us. We are now His. We belong to the most awesome person ever, the One who saves us. A holy life-debt of blessing. So are we going to spit in His face and refuse His salvation by continuing in sin and the wallowing in sin that is technically done away with by His grace; and commit that spiteful spiritual suicide in further wrathful grief? Will we hang ourselves after we betrayed him, like Judas? Or will we humble ourselves before Him, listen to His rebuke, three-fold restoration and redemption, and follow Him after we betrayed Him, having faith in our salvation despite ongoing sin, like Peter???

   You need only be still. The Lord will fight your battles for you. In fact, you will feel His Spirit doing that increasingly so in a lot of areas of your life. Does this mean you are condemned, because you are being molded? Certainly not! Inward spiritual battles, and their -- albeit, it seems to us, only occasional -- outward after-effects, the fruits of the Spirit, are proof of God's salvation and grace and inheritance bestowed to us! A part of Him! Amazing love, how can it be.


More Concerning Human Grief and the Condemnation Arises Forth-whence;
A Case for our Guilt thereof; :P

 1. Because we are children of unrighteous wrath, we anger a God of righteous wrath: because this is blatant hypocrisy, even mockery, on our part. Playing God, and making Him out to be something He isn't, all the while complaining about Him, and doing the same thing we insist He does that we supposedly hate so much.

 2. Because of our wrath, we cause grief to many we meet, and so, not only is God grieved for them: but also for us. For those who hurt others for pleasure are the most to be pitied, for as I said above, God does not pounce on wrongdoings with joy, and so nor should we, and those who do are guilty.

 3. When we cause other's undue grief (whether they are truly grieved or using it "grief" as an excuse for their own wrath), not only are we guilty of being wrathful, but we are guilty of giving opportunity and temptation for other's to begin a path of unrighteous anger. We are building a brick road for them to do this as well, though they are not obliged to take it: but many will. (Matthew 18:7)

 4. And we know everything we do to even the least of these, is literally as if we had done it to God Almighty Himself. (Matthew 25:31-46)

Some answers?

 1. Don't get angry about wrong, selfish, badly rooted, evil-motived things of any kind, even and quite possibly especially regarding spiritual matters and religious conflicts. (Galatians 6:1; Matthew 18:15; Leviticus 19:17)

 2. Don't take pleasure in rejection of God or others. ("My delight is in the Lord and in His Holy law" -- including His law regarding others.)

 3. Forgive, resist and love those who present you with opportunities to become wrathful at them by their wrath towards you. ("Love your enemies")

 4. Respect, love and do not harm your own body, Christ's body, and all who were created in the image of God. For we are members of one another. For you are God's temple, and your sins there are also against you.

 Yet we know we will break these rules. Continually. A good deal of the time without realizing till too late.

So again... what is to be done?

Same as before. To quote an auspicious one-eyed pirate most scandalously: "It's the Bible. You get credit for trying."

*ANH!*

Nope. Not quite so, Raghetti. More like: "It's the Spirit, and if you're aligned with the Spirit by the power and will of the Spirit, and if there is a war going on, then God gets the credit and you get blessings in spite of yourself. How does that sound? You just will learn love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control on the side. That's not so bad, is it?"



While such a way to put it is actually rather repellent (I'm only fallen, people!)... you still get the idea. He sustains us and carries us: He will give you wings of eagles to fly. Of course, it's not always 'ups', but then again neither was Christ's life here. Remember, the world hated Him, and it will hate you because of Him. Everyone hates that salvation which reminds them of their need for it. We'd rather commit more of that profitable spiritual suicide, wouldn't we? :P But God doesn't allow that for His sheep. He prods them away from cliffs on high bluffs, but leads us to lush valleys instead. And He will spread a table for us in the sight of our enemies and those who hate us, while their bellies growl until with any hope they can't stand it any longer and are drawn to the food for their own good. And that food before us is the salvation of Christ, and the tantalizing aroma is the power of the Spirit.



ANYWAYS>>>

Back to point 4. We do and for awhile will continue to inflict because of our sins. We'll inflict ourselves, inflict others and ultimately, inflict Christ.

The difference, between us all and Him however, is key here. The difference is, when we inflict God, directly or indirectly with grief by our rebellious actions, He, unlike us, responds with righteous anger. Oh, terrible awesome wrath of perfect justice: who can stand, O Lord?

The difference is also that, when we are wrathful, instead of responding with unrighteous grief, which really just leads to more unrighteous anger, He grieves for us. Grieves for us because of His righteous anger headed in our direction, and because of our own pathetic spiritual suicide. Mercifully, tenderly, He cares.




So back to the Cross.

Because God was righteously grieved and righteously angered at all our antics and the grief it caused (leading to more wrath leading to more grief leading to more wrath, etc., etc....), He sent His son to die... hold on back-up, back-up. Because curses were in full cycle, and thorns and weeds reproducing like rabbits, God changed the pattern and sent a Blessing. And the Blessing seed died in the earth. But after a little while, it popped up out of the ground and grew and grew into a big, healthy vine. It was not choked out by thorns of curse, but will eventually overwhelm them all. And some of the Blessing seed landed on the path, and some landed in the weeds, and some on the fertile ground, and some one the stony ground, and... You know the rest of the story.*
*(Matthew chapter 13:1-23)

But where were we? Oh yes. He sent His Son to die -- surely enough to cause any good Father grief! -- and to bear His Father's anger. But because the Father was grieved and angry, and the Son was so in tune with the Father's wishes and the Father's deeply troubled heart, that the Son in love to the Father, was faced with betrayals and tortures that would cause anyone grief. But not just this. Someone also had to face the punishment for the big betrayals, for all sins committed: my Lord, He was paying and praying for sins as they were happening to Him. So you know what else? In the face of grief to Himself, Jesus still had infinitely more grief for others: for those who caused His own grief. And in this incredible way conquered the griefs of the ages: and so it is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He canceled them out by the joy, love and purity of His own willing heart. And there's more! Jesus conquered DEATH, we know! So in addition to comforting the mourners, He turned the whole funeral around. His propitiation of all God's huge perfect wrath. For only infinity can consume what may as well be infinity, it's so big. In this way, Christ my God is bigger than Sin. Literally. There wasn't just an equal exchange of vile for blameless, so that there was left a void in the wake of great battle -- no! Victory, my friends! There was more innocence in Christ than guilt in us, and so there is such thing as fulfillment: left overs; spoil; there is a cup running over instead of a cup of woe. The cup of woe was all drunk up by Christ -- a deep, sour, bitter cup, who can drink it? It is Marah to us as it was to the Israelites in wilderness days gone by -- that is until God does something miraculous. In the same way, this cup was drunk by Christ, but the cup that He gives never runs dry, we will never thirst again: it continually runneth over. Endlessly, like the Zarephath widow's oil and flour.

Anyway. We know what this means for us who are now no longer under the condemnation of the Law. It means we are alive to freely live the Law. We runneth over in Jesus and the Counselor He sends to our hearts. More is gained in the days of plenty than is lost in the days of famine. We are alive because Christ bore God's wrath.

But the point of my post was not so much focused on the conquering of death, as with another facet of it: of conquering what death produces. And this fills my heart immensely.

Guilt. That dreadful feeling.

Hear me out, I'm almost done wind-bagging! ...not only does God our Father throned above no longer condemn to death, but nor does the Holy Spirit dwelling within you. ***See bottom note please*** You DO have peace through Christ. So, not only are we legally pardoned for sin, but we are freed from the feeling it gives us: the feeling it incurs, that it lays on us like a shroud of death: of grief. Of guilt. Of shame. Of despair. Of fear. Of worry. Of exposure and nudity. Of a bad taste. Of everything that feels like a twisting knife in the back. But beloved ones, He not only swallowed up death but also the pain it brings.


"O Death, where is thy sting?"

It is GONE. It is DONE. Instead of grief we rejoice. Instead of guilt, we boast in our God. Instead of shame, we give -- and receive -- new honors. Instead of endless despair, we have infinite hope. Instead of the tyranny of fear, we are given a Master of love to lead us and care for us. Instead of worry, we are given perfect peace. Instead of exposure, we are given rich royal robes. Instead of a sour existence, we are given the fatted calf and wine and bread. And instead of a knife in the back, we are given a sword in the hand. Etc. Etc. You think up the rest. :)

Here's some inspiration.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2061&version=ESV

A View from the Window... (republished)

...my first and only attempt at free verse... a little too avant garde for my taste, really, but there it is.

Some days

We find ourselves

Shut up in

A room, alone.

Our room,

Where Emotions and

Thoughts

Swell by the

Locked door, just

Daring to eye

Through the keyhole;

There's no escaping.

They knock and

Bang the door:

No one opens

Or answers.

Just when

The lights

Are about to

Die, we make

One more

Try at the door, just

Crying.

His Voice

Answers, saying

                Take a View from the Window

Suddenly, we

Feel a cool

Breeze, a little uninvited

Exposure.

At first it's

Too chill, but

Then we realize it

Is coming from

An open window,

Shedding warm light

That we

Only now notice

Because our

Own lights have

Burnt out.

Drawing a heavy

Curtain,

I open the window

All the way--

A thousand foolish

Thoughts escaping, hand

In hand with some

Emotions, all jumping

To their deaths.

"Oh well,

They were poor

Company anyway," said

A remaining Thought

To me.

He and I leant

Out, and beheld

Far below, a golden

Fair city, flooded with

Light and joy.

Voices,

They sang

Of holiness, they

Rang of it!

Yet join them,

I could not,

For were I

To jump

From the window, I

Too would surely

Die.

Yes, patiently

Must I remain in

My room, hosting better

Company till my

Door is suddenly,

Or perhaps

Expectantly opened, that

I might

Simply

Use the stairs.

Sometimes, the

Lights do come

Back on, but we

Hardly notice; our

Light we

Take with

A view from the Window.

~ Poem by Jessica Moore, (c) 2010

John 8:12

Then Jesus spoke to them again: "I am the Light of the world. Anyone who follows Me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life."

Matthew 27:50-53

And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook; the rocks split and the tombs were broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs after Jesus' resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

Colossians 3:1-4

So if you have been raised with the Messiah, seek what is above, where the Messiah is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on what is above, not on what is on the earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with the Messiah in God. When the Messiah, who is your life, is revealed, so also will you be revealed with Him in glory.

Galatians 2:19-20

For through the law I have died to the law, so that I might live for Christ. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Oh, Forgiveness' Sake! (republished)

It caught my eye, and so I once read the following words on Pinterest:

The first to apologize is the bravest.

The first to forgive is the strongest.

The first to forget* is the happiest.

*In my opinion, "forget" does not necessarily imply total lack of physical remembrance, but of forsaking your anger, hurt and grudges.

THE PROBLEM

Let's examine that list. To begin, speaking quite personally, I find apologizing the most doable of the three. At times, I feel myself to be quite sincere as humanly possible; but there are more often times when I am probably not -- even decidedly not sorry (yet!) -- and yet still apologize. Is this indeed bravery? Or is it fearful, insincere, self-centered appeasement-making? Or even yet, am I apologizing on something trivial in order to fish out an apology I'd like to hear?

   What about you? Do you find forgiving people easy? Is that possibly ever because we don't really mean it (though we may think we do); is it that we are simply taking a detour -- perhaps for convenience -- by bottling it up for later? Is that strength?

   And how about forgetting? Is this action because of our deep love for our brethren which covers all their past faults from our eyes, or do we forget a misdeed only to avoid having to confront it, apologize for it, and/or forgive it? Is this happiness (or better yet, is this loving), to avoid addressing the problem at all costs?




INSEPARABLE

 Ideally, we want to be able and whole-heartedly willing in all three; I would even say one can't truly have one without all three.

   For how can we sincerely apologize and seek forgiveness -- how could we dare to? -- unless at the same time we each in our own heart knew that we would be willing to accept with purity and grace the apology of another? How can we forgive whole-heartedly if we ourselves would be unwilling to bow and ask forgiveness in the same situation? How can we forget: forsaking all malice, condemning all grudges and move on again, except that we repent and forgive these things which we have malice over?

Apology + forgiveness + moving on (for both repenter and confronter, offender and defender)  =  recipe for reconciliation :)


But there's more.

WHAT DOES SCRIPTURE SAY?

[All Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, Holman Christian Standard Version (HCSB), unless otherwise specified.]


James 5:16 (NKJV) 
Confess your faults one to another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

^We must acknowledge our faults and lift them up together to God.


Matthew 6:14-15
For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

 ^It doesn't get much clearer than that.


Ephesians 4:32  
And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.

Colossians 3:12-17
Therefore, God's chosen ones, holy and loved, put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, accepting one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a complaint against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must forgive. Above all, put on love -- the perfect bond of unity. And let the peace of the Messiah, to which you were also called in one body, control your hearts. Be thankful. Let the message about the Messiah dwell richly among you, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, and singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word and in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

 ^Actions and attitude equally required, are they not?



   Now here's the bomb... Gotta love that Jesus.

Matthew 18:21-35  
Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how many times could my brother sin against me and I forgive him? As many as seven times?"

"I tell you, not as many as seven, "Jesus said to him, "but 70 times seven. For this reason, the kingdom of heaven can be compared to a king who wanted to settle accounts with his slaves. When he began to settle accounts, one who owed 10,000 talents was brought before him. Since he had no way to pay it back, his master commanded that he, his wife, his children, and everything he had be sold to pay the debt. 
"At this, the slave fell facedown before him and said, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you everything!' Then the master of that slave had compassion, released him and forgave him the loan.
"But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him 100 denarii. He grabbed him, started choking him and said, "Pay what you owe!"*
"At this, his fellow slave fell down and began begging him, 'Be patient with me and I will pay you back.' But he wasn't willing. On the contrary, he went and threw him into prison until he could pay what he owed. When the other slaves^ saw what had taken place, they were deeply distressed and went and reported to their master everything that had happened.
"Then, after he had summoned him, his master said, 'You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Shouldn't you also have mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?' And his master got angry and handed him over to the jailers to be tortured º until he could pay what was owed. So My heavenly Father will also do to you if each of you does not forgive his brother from his heart."



 ^Gulp!

   How stingy are we! "As many as... seven times, Lord?" *pats self on shoulder*

   "Oh no, not that many times," replies Christ...

   "Infinitely more!" :D



Some notes on Matthew 18:21-35:

 *I just want to point out the possible irony of this slave's actions, besides that which is already apparent; that perhaps the first slave was wanting the money from the second one in order to unnecessarily pay back the debt which he has already been forgiven! Reminds me of us trying to regain our salvation by worthless works when we already have salvation through Christ! But of course, I'm only supposing...

 ^Here's looking at you to require accountability, fellow Christians, when you see a brother wrong another brother! Run and tell if you love your brethren.

 ºThis happened to Christ, by the way, instead of us who are hidden in Him; because He alone could pay what we owed, He was handed over to the Roman jailers and torturers and to the wrath of Almighty God.




REPENTANCE AS PROOF OF SINCERITY

 Another point I would like to make is this:

   What quality do we grant to he who is first to change his future actions based on his past experiences (eg. the fruit of repentence)?????

   The humblest? The most loving? Maybe both, as dying to self often promotes love; as humility's only true motive can be out of love.

 Let's see how that looks on the list.

  The first to apologize is the bravest.

  The first to forgive is the strongest.

  The first to forget is the happiest.

  The first to change is the truest of heart.


Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self control. Against such things there is no law. 





PURE MOTIVES IMPOSSIBLE TO HAVE OF OURSELVES, BUT ONLY OF GOD!

Also, maybe we find it hard to have pure motives in our hearts, and so that is why we refrain from apologizing, forgiving, reconciling...

Isn't that rather a lame excuse?

    No worries, my friend, for if we keep the Lord's commands, He will bless us with a right spirit; and if we don't "feel it", know that God has fulfilled it where you lack it! His Spirit covers yours if you are covered by Christ!

From 1 John 3:15-24...

  Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him. 
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
This is how we know we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in His presence:
If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything. Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from Him anything we ask, because we keep His commands and do what pleases Him. And this command: to believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as He commanded us. The one who keeps God's commands lives in Him, and He in them. And this is how we know that He lives in us: We know it by the Spirit He gave us.


   If God is in you, you should, you can, you will obey His commands for your relationships regardless of how you in all your mortal flesh feel about it. For it is not for you to fulfill all things but for Him!

  http://bible.cc/john/14-16.htm  < Here are a few really good verses about the Counselor, the Holy Spirit as regarding us, that I came across. JUST FOR FUN!




CHRIST AS THE EXAMPLE

 And in such view, may we together set our eyes upon Christ! That Son of Man and Son of God, whose act of giving up His WHOLE BODY AND SOUL TO UTTER DAMNATION was an act of ULTIMATE HUMILITY. That Christ Who therefore points to us that we likewise should be willing to give up all that which is of us and not of God, in all humility for obedience and fellowship's sake. That Christ, who:

1), had no need apologize for Himself, as He never sinned. But look at the verse below! He apologized on our behalf, as a priest and mediator! And I might add, while we meanwhile were (are!) heartlessly claiming and clamoring for our own rights over filthy rags, arguing among ourselves: "You did that, so..." or "I deserve this because..." and "You owe me since..."  Gambling on worldly reasons no better than chance.

 Luke 23:24 
Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they were are doing." And they divided His clothes and cast lots.


2), God forgave us, of course! His endless abounding mercy through salvation is only possible by the righteous death of Christ, because that righteousness which is Christ is even more endless. "There is more mercy in Christ than sin in us." God really went above and beyond in His removal of our trespasses, didn't He?

 Psalm 103:12 
As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us."


Finally 3), God forgets our treachery against Him, praises be!

 Hebrews 10:17 
He adds: I will never again remember their sins and lawless acts.

 God moves on, you see, when all is said and done. After all, in Christ's dying words: "It is finished!" 

 Jesus moved on, too, after He took on the extreme chastisement of brutal, shameful death on earth and a time in Hell: He moved on when He rose again in glory to reign at the Father's right hand. Let us be filled with the Holy Spirit in all we do as we follow the example of Father and Son, to Whom be all credit and glory, into the very day we join Them there in Heaven.

Be brave. Be strong. Be happy. Be humble. Be loving. God in you, and you covered in God.

Repent, forgive and forget,


 Jessie ♥


(apology) (forgiveness) (70 x 70) (infinity) (wisdom) (moving on) = X
X = eternal joy and fellowship