Clear - Part 2

The Father has a plan for removing the 'black velcro' from our lives.

It's called the Wilderness.

Egypt specializes in teaching us about hurt, rejection, mistrust, fear, loneliness and every other negative emotion.

I was talking with the kids and telling them that when we are freed from Eqypt, we leave that sphere of pain, only to be introduced to a different type of pain.

I asked them 'why do we have to be taken from one form of pain to this new type of pain?'

The next to the oldest said, 'so we can enter the Promised Land'

Good answer.

I told them that when we enter the wilderness, it's like we have entered in with a body riddled with cancer tumors.

We are unfit for immediate entrance into the Promised Land.

The wilderness serves as the surgeons's knife to begin to cut away the malignant tissue. It hurts but it is a healing pain.

If we cooperate.

I told them, 'can you imagine the patient wriggling around on the operating table, trying to keep the surgeon from doing what needs to be done "No! Stop! It hurts too much!" 'Yet that is what we often do as Dr. Jesus tries to remove the black velcro from our lives.'

Let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

Clear

I want to be a 'Clear'

A Clear is not self consumed. A Clear walks through this earth with freedom and ease.

Children, young children, are Clears.

I think that is why Jesus said the Kingdom of Heaven is made of such.

Jesus said the prince of this world is coming but has nothing in me - He was the ultimate Clear.
Not ruled by the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye or the pride of life.

I often tell the kids that I imagine that the 'stuff'' the evil one finds in us is like velcro.

Black velcro.

 And as we move through the world, the stuff of this world and of the
evil one is also made of velcro as well. Whatever our hangups, sinful dispositions, lusts,
fleshliness, etc ( black velcro strips) they get snagged on the worldly/evil stuff
around us.

I want the Father to take away those black velcro strips. Help me cooperate with you Lord

Good People, Bad Things

I was musing over the difficulties that so many people I know are experiencing: health problems, rebellious children, financial difficulties, relationship problems etc.

I thought of how we call out to the Father 'Help us! Change this situation!' Yet, many times it seems like things not only aren't changed but get worse.

Then I thought of these verses:


Luke 13:1-5, KJV:
There were present at that season some that told him of the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans, because they suffered such things?
I tell you, Nay; but , except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you,  Nay; but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

If you think about it, it seems like Jesus was being awfully callous regarding these tragedies.

As I write this, the U.S.A is just coming through the wake of the Northhampton, Ct tragedy where
a lone gunman killed 20 children and 6 adults. Can you imagine the public outrage if the media had
caught Jesus saying this?! "And you call yourself a Holy man? God's son?!"

Be that as it may, we innately know the answer to Jesus' question as to whether or not these slain people were the worst people, but that's kind of the point isn't it?

It's not that only the wicked will have bad things happen to them - how would we judge that anyway? We can't, really.  Yes, we say that we would save the most heinous judgement for the Hitlers of the world, and we probably would, but when someone cuts us off on the highway, making us almost have an accident, if we had the power we would deem them wicked and immediately have them destroyed.

To sit down and rationally and meticulously go through a person's life, thought life included, and decide what degree of 'punishments' in the way of trials a person deserves according to how they are living (and how they will live in the future) is far beyond our flawed, human abilities.

The converse is true as well.

To hand out the blessings on the same type of sliding scale is too much for our limited insight.

The reality is, we ALL are going to perish in some manner. The reality is, we ALL will face the outworkings that the curse has on the world. And, the reality is we ALL need to repent - none righteous, no not one.

What about the innocent children? It's those that are left behind that are suffering. I believe those below the age of accountability will be with the Father. The families that are suffering are like those whom the tower fell on  - are they worse than any other family?

 I am unable to judge that but chances are, they probably aren't. But they ARE the run-of-the-mill, garden variety sinner, just like the rest of humanity.

 The Word of God says they must repent (turn from their sins).  Turning from sin and to the Father through Christ is the only way from 'perishing' and receiving eternal life.