How DOES one reconcile this?

Mat 22:37
Acts 9:31

The Love of God, and the Fear of God. There IS a reason why I'm picking on 2 NT entries, and that's primarily because some perhaps might think that the Fear of the Lord is some OT concept which is not appicable under the Covenant of Grace. Nup. The NEW TESTAMENT church lived in Fear of the Lord too.

In saying and learning about acceptance before performance but no without performance, in understanding that love should motivate why I do what I do. Where does fear come in?

Part of me says that this is one of those mystery before mastery but not without mastery things. That in part, I WILL have to accept that you serve the Lord out of fear AND love. That I will never quite ever be able to figure this concept in words to explain it clearly, and it's one of those things that just... IS.

Is it wrong to serve out of reverent respect for God, certainly not. Is it wrong to serve out of love, also not. So how DOES it happen? To be honest, I don't really know. The Greek word for fear used here is phobos, from which we get phobia. Now there might be an alternate meaning which is: reverence for one's husband. But honestly, Saul still falls smack down to the ground and calls out Lord. John in revelation does the same and this is the disciple that Jesus loved k, if ANYONE was a friend of Jesus, John was. And Jesus has to tell John, Don't be afraid (phobou).
There is something about GOD which you just will have to reverently respect. PERHAPS interestingly John actually doesn't cry out that he has unclean lips aka a few peeps including Isaiah. So I don't know. Maybe this: Just because you can boldly approach the throne of grace, makes it not less the throne of the MOST HIGH GOD. To have love for someone in no way means that it diminishes your respect for that person's authority and wisdom. In fact, if you love someone, and you know that person well, all the more you should hold respect and reverence for who they are and what they have done. The fact is, I hold the opinions of Mom, Dad and Karen higher because I love them, what they think matters to me. One way that love is shown IS to have respect for someone.

So... perhaps this, and I have no doubt I will have to come back to this post again and again since me human and me like to swing one way or the other between love and fear. Love not in the sense of just cuddles and sugar high love, and fear not in the sense of He's gonna scorch me to bits in His holiness and lightning and thunder and glowy scary eyes (which all Three Of Them probably have anyway), but... a mature love which knows and understands and respects Who He is. One which views Him as greater, and yet has come down to have great, great intimacy with us.

Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, help me in this. So often I put you in a box of how I should relate to You, sometimes not even giving You the due honor of relating multifacetedly with You. Please enable me to mature and grow in my relationship with all of You. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.

So why DO we give thanks for food?

Seriously, why do YOU give thanks?
Are you REALLY thankful?

Why should we even care to ask this? Well, quite simply, giving thanks for food is something which is so automatic, so INGRAINED, we just do it. I once had a comment that I ALWAYS started my thanks with the same words, and it's true!

BECAUSE it's so ingrained, we DO need to think about our motivation, or we could just be perpetuating an underlying lie. For instance, appeasement. If I don't give thanks, God will not love me. LIE! But if you DON'T think about it you reinforce this thought EVERYTIME you give thanks. Another - ritual. It's what I've always done, so do it lor. LIE! If you're doing it for the sake of doing it, you're basically also feeding to yourself that God isn't actually personal. After all, He doesn't care about these little prayers of thanks, when in actual fact, God is EXTREMELY personal.

So why DO we give thanks? I'll leave YOU to think about it. =)

Meditation Vs Brainwashing

Now that I have your attention =P

In the Bible we're often told to meditate on the Word, that is, chew on it, slowly, over and over, play it back to yourself again and again. Which really sounds like brainwashing ain't it? In fact aren't you just psyching yourself which is why things change?

It's easy to think that way, and in a manner, meditation IS brain washing, you're washing your brain of lies, and letting it soak in the TRUTH.

So in essence? The difference is the content. Meditation works because you meditate on the TRUTH. So if the enemy comes and whispers to you: "You're just psyching yourself, that's why it works." You can go tell him: "Well, you're just afraid because I'm sharpening my Sword." =)

Perhaps confusing post ahead...

Free streaming thoughts, so you have been warned. =P

Something which has always sort of nagged at me is how I generally pray to God the Father, not Jesus. And perhaps at a deeper level, I'm not really so sure I necessarily know Jesus all that well.

Now I don't mean academically, but, there is something of it that I KNOW Daddy, I kind of know the Holy Spirit too, but Jesus, hmmm... Not really, or perhaps, the Jesus which I really know seems to be just His human side. The Jew from Nazereth in history in skin.

Which I think (MY OWN OPINION!) is an issue, which I DO have to change.

If you don't know God and only know Jesus and the Holy Spirit, something is WIERD, cause Jesus says that if you know Him, you WILL know Daddy.

If you don't know Jesus and know God and the Holy Spirit, something's wierd too, cause salvation is ONLY through Jesus and, well, yeah, it's just wierd.

If you don't know the Holy Spirit and know only Daddy and Jesus, then well, you're missing out, cause you don't have power.

It's kinda like knowing someone who is a father, cricketer and piano player. They're ALL him, but you kinda can't really say you know KNOW him if you only know 2 aspects of him.

So well, yeah...

Jesus, I WANT to know you, to get to know you as ALIVE and as God. Please help me and speak to me. In Your Name I pray, amen.

P.S Paul knew all three, so that's good enough reason for me too also! =P

P.P.S If there's some major theological flaw in this post, PLEASE get back to me k all you regular readers (if I actually have any =P)

Need a dose of thankfulness and joy?

Consider this excercise:

Go through a list of things that you have, and consider carefully whether having them is a priviledge or a right.

Thank you Father, that I am priviledged to be able to call you just that: "Father".
Thank you so very much.

The Holy Spirit...

...is like and engagement ring. =D

No, serious - 2 Cor 5:5 Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

The fact is, those of us who now have the Holy Spirit, have a guarantee, a 'visible' sign that we ARE going to be married to Christ our bridegroom. If ever anyone questions us, "How do you know Jesus is actually coming back for you?" We can point to the Holy Spirit, much as a bride-to-be can point to her engagement ring. A sign which says: "Already promised to someone"

We are already promised to Jesus, take heart, take comfort, be encouraged, and live as His bride-to-be!

What do YOU have?

Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”

Peter KNEW what he had, what was it I wonder? What was Peter thinking that he had? A relationship with God? Power from on high? The presence and the power of the Holy Spirit? Authority in Jesus' name to heal the sick?

Perhaps all of the above. But do we know what we have? Not on some theoretical level, but Peter knew it, KNEW and it was a deep knowing much as you know that you have $50 dollars in your wallet. It was something which Peter had a clear understanding of possessing. He did not second guess or think about it. (Which is quite like Peter's personality, but still =P)

Peter was certain about his inheritance and position and possession. What do YOU have?