FROM: Banbury, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
ABOUT ME: Living the highs and lows of life in the adventurous pursuit of God Himself and of who I'm meant to be as the Bride of Christ.
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Thursday, May 31, 2007,8:25 p.m.
NOT HIDING
So I have officially become "one of those people" who are quite sporadic about updating their blog. Partly to do with being busy, but then I'm always busy, so...... And partly to do with not having much to say.
Here's a concept to chew on: My friend Jill said this quote in a conversation the other day and I made her e-mail it to me. It's apparently from the book Captivating, and says this:
Just stop and think about that for a moment. Stop and think about the places we hide. Maybe we are hiding from something. Maybe we are hiding a piece of ourselves away where no one can get at it and mess with it.
I've just written about four different things and erased them all. The truth is that I'm still chewing on this myself. The concept has a lot of different angles and requires a lot of introspection. It's provoking too much thought for me to attempt some "boil-it-down" paragraph or two.
Take the time with Jesus to figure out what it means for you. Dig in.
Here's a concept to chew on: My friend Jill said this quote in a conversation the other day and I made her e-mail it to me. It's apparently from the book Captivating, and says this:
"We don't get to stay hiding until we are whole."
Just stop and think about that for a moment. Stop and think about the places we hide. Maybe we are hiding from something. Maybe we are hiding a piece of ourselves away where no one can get at it and mess with it.
I've just written about four different things and erased them all. The truth is that I'm still chewing on this myself. The concept has a lot of different angles and requires a lot of introspection. It's provoking too much thought for me to attempt some "boil-it-down" paragraph or two.
Take the time with Jesus to figure out what it means for you. Dig in.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007,10:24 p.m.
MISSING FULLNESS?
First off let me say, if you're reading this, thanks for having enough fortitude to keep checking in! I'll first claim that the end of April was tax season, then I'll claim that I had a house guest last week, then.....then I think I officially got lazy. Or busy.....yeah, I got busy..... :)
Well, it appears that fullness is not just a buzzword between the Lord and me. The idea of fullness is buzzing everywhere. Many of us from Vancouver here have been going to prayer and fasting conferences called "Fullness" for three or four years. Friends tell me that the Lord has promised them fullness. In our congregation we've been preaching on fullness the last couple of weekends. The Lord has consistently spoken to me about fullness. Frankly, in His word, the Lord speaks to all of us about fullness - that "full measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over" that we hear about so often.
So why aren't we full already?
As I was chatting with my mom and dad about King Saul a couple of weeks ago, my mom showed me something in 1 Samuel that she hadn't taken much notice of before, and I had to admit that I had never really taken it in either. It was this scripture (Samuel is speaking to Saul):
"You acted foolishly," Samuel said. "You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. 14 But now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people, because you have not kept the Lord's command." (1 Samuel 13:13)
Saul missed the fullness that the Lord had set aside for him. He missed it because he was disobedient. I think he also missed it because he wasn't looking for it. He didn't search out the fullness of God and seek to do his part in it, which is to be in a worship filled relationship with God, seeking everything for His glory and also receiving everything that He has promised. Saul missed his fullness.
Moses missed fullness, too. He bashed his staff against a rock in frustration and anger, disobeying God's instructions for his leadership, and so missed out on the promised land. Moses missed his fullness - the fullness of the abundant land that God had promised Israel as a dwelling place. In fact, all of that first generation of Israel missed it - the only ones who received the fullness of that promise from that group were Joshua and Caleb.
So why them? Because they pursued it. God spoke, and they not only believed, they stepped forward in faith and obedience. And they received the fullest measure of every good thing the Lord had for them.
For what are you seeking the fullness of the Lord? It is not a pick-and-choose kind of promise that the Lord gives. He desires us to find the fullness of everything that He has promised and given.
Healing
Salvation
Life
Inheritance
Freedom
Power
Intimacy
Knowing Him
And as the King of Siam would say, "Et cetera et cetera, et cetera." And if that king would say it, can you imagine what our King would want?
Dive in.
Pursue.
Fullness is for you.
And fullness is for now.
Don't miss it.
Well, it appears that fullness is not just a buzzword between the Lord and me. The idea of fullness is buzzing everywhere. Many of us from Vancouver here have been going to prayer and fasting conferences called "Fullness" for three or four years. Friends tell me that the Lord has promised them fullness. In our congregation we've been preaching on fullness the last couple of weekends. The Lord has consistently spoken to me about fullness. Frankly, in His word, the Lord speaks to all of us about fullness - that "full measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over" that we hear about so often.
So why aren't we full already?
As I was chatting with my mom and dad about King Saul a couple of weeks ago, my mom showed me something in 1 Samuel that she hadn't taken much notice of before, and I had to admit that I had never really taken it in either. It was this scripture (Samuel is speaking to Saul):
"You acted foolishly," Samuel said. "You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. 14 But now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people, because you have not kept the Lord's command." (1 Samuel 13:13)
Saul missed the fullness that the Lord had set aside for him. He missed it because he was disobedient. I think he also missed it because he wasn't looking for it. He didn't search out the fullness of God and seek to do his part in it, which is to be in a worship filled relationship with God, seeking everything for His glory and also receiving everything that He has promised. Saul missed his fullness.
Moses missed fullness, too. He bashed his staff against a rock in frustration and anger, disobeying God's instructions for his leadership, and so missed out on the promised land. Moses missed his fullness - the fullness of the abundant land that God had promised Israel as a dwelling place. In fact, all of that first generation of Israel missed it - the only ones who received the fullness of that promise from that group were Joshua and Caleb.
So why them? Because they pursued it. God spoke, and they not only believed, they stepped forward in faith and obedience. And they received the fullest measure of every good thing the Lord had for them.
For what are you seeking the fullness of the Lord? It is not a pick-and-choose kind of promise that the Lord gives. He desires us to find the fullness of everything that He has promised and given.
Healing
Salvation
Life
Inheritance
Freedom
Power
Intimacy
Knowing Him
And as the King of Siam would say, "Et cetera et cetera, et cetera." And if that king would say it, can you imagine what our King would want?
Dive in.
Pursue.
Fullness is for you.
And fullness is for now.
Don't miss it.