Uni-verse 223/10,000 For better through verse Hebrews 11 v 3
Heb 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
Faith is the ability to see the things that cannot be seen with such clarity that the things that can be seen either pale into insignificance or take on its full meaning in its light. All is in vain unless faith imparts a meaning to it. The world is a beautiful and complex painting framed by the Word of God. A painting is surrounded on all sides by the frame. The frame protects, preserves and enhances the value of the painting. Similarly, everything that exists is surrounded by the Word of God. We need to live and move and exist within the framework of the Word. The frame is as beautiful and valuable in this case as the painting. Our lives of faith prove the Word, the Word prunes our lives.
Our days should be framed by the Word of God in the sense that we must live our days according to the Word of God. All our relationships must be framed by the Word of God. Our work must be framed by the Word. Our lives must be surrounded by the Word. We must be cocooned in the Word. The Word enables us to see or to perceive and understand the invisible world.
Life is all about the interface or interplay between the visible and the invisible. The visible declares the glory of the invisible. The invisible enables the visible to realize its purpose and potential. The Word of God is the bridge between the visible world in which we live and the invisible world of God. Every day we take a step on this bridge towards the invisible world. We need to pray, " Lord, frame this day with your gracious Word." The Word will give us the wherewithal, the guidance and the support to take the step of faith this day. The Devil operating through the world's systems,philosophies, ideologies and practices wants to frame us. Don't get framed but be framed by the Word of God.
Prateep V Philip
Showing posts with label Word. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Word. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
The principle of cleaving
Uni-verse 179/10,000 Deuteronomy 4 v 4 For better through verse
Deu 4:4 But ye that did cleave unto the LORD your God are alive every one of you this day.
In the context of marriage, a wife is instructed to leave her family and to cleave to her husband. Similarly, we must leave the world of our anxieties, fears, doubts, hopes, dreams and ambitions and cleave to the Lord. "To cleave" means to be devoted to, to cling to, to be attached to, to depend upon. The best image of cleaving perhaps is that of a baby monkey clinging to the underside of the mother. Everything in that baby's monkey is upside down but it trusts the mother enough to cling to her for dear life even as she negotiates dangerous leaps and jumps or climbs to great heights. Similarly, we must cling to the Lord even though everything today might seem upside down, not the way we would like it to be. We must be grateful that our Lord allows us to cling to Him in this manner. What if He disowned us and distanced Himself from us? Would we have the privilege to cling to Him? The baby monkey knew instinctively that its mother was competent enough and loving enough to see it safely through life. It is certain that it would land safely on the other side. We, too must believe that our God is competent enough and loving enough to see us through the ups and downs of life as we cling to Him. Those of the ancient Israelites who clung to God remained alive through the long walk in the wilderness to the Promised Land.
Cleaving to the Lord our God means that we must cleave to His Word and cleave to the Holy Spirit. We must cleave to His Name and His promises. We must cleave to a lifestyle marked by prayer, fellowship, worship and witness. Cleaving to His Word means we hold on to scripture. We must never forget what He has spoken to us in times past and what He has spoken to us now. These are the words of eternal life, a guarantee of salvation in all matters spiritual, physical, emotional, financial, relational, professional and temporal. Cleaving to the Holy Spirit means we must constantly rejoice in His presence, listen to His still voice and stirrings of our spirit. Cleaving to His Name and His promises means claiming our inheritance in Christ Jesus. Cleaving to our walk with God means enjoying our quiet times with God, setting aside regular and multiple times of meeting with God as one would seek out a lover. It means relishing times spent with other believers in fellowship and worship. It means loosing no opportunity to share the love of God with others who do not believe that they too can cleave to Him.
When we cleave to God in this manner, we will not only be alive but we will be fully alive. We will live out the God- intended full length of our days and our years. We will live life to the hilt of the Sword of God- the Word and experience of the bliss of communion with God. We will find God's purpose for our lives and receive power to fulfill that purpose. While we are cleaving to God, we will also have fun even as the baby monkey feels the thrill and excitement of the upswings and downswings of the mother's torso. Just as the baby monkey hears the heartbeat of its mother, we must cling to God so close we hear His heart beat as it were.
Prateep V Philip
Deu 4:4 But ye that did cleave unto the LORD your God are alive every one of you this day.
In the context of marriage, a wife is instructed to leave her family and to cleave to her husband. Similarly, we must leave the world of our anxieties, fears, doubts, hopes, dreams and ambitions and cleave to the Lord. "To cleave" means to be devoted to, to cling to, to be attached to, to depend upon. The best image of cleaving perhaps is that of a baby monkey clinging to the underside of the mother. Everything in that baby's monkey is upside down but it trusts the mother enough to cling to her for dear life even as she negotiates dangerous leaps and jumps or climbs to great heights. Similarly, we must cling to the Lord even though everything today might seem upside down, not the way we would like it to be. We must be grateful that our Lord allows us to cling to Him in this manner. What if He disowned us and distanced Himself from us? Would we have the privilege to cling to Him? The baby monkey knew instinctively that its mother was competent enough and loving enough to see it safely through life. It is certain that it would land safely on the other side. We, too must believe that our God is competent enough and loving enough to see us through the ups and downs of life as we cling to Him. Those of the ancient Israelites who clung to God remained alive through the long walk in the wilderness to the Promised Land.
Cleaving to the Lord our God means that we must cleave to His Word and cleave to the Holy Spirit. We must cleave to His Name and His promises. We must cleave to a lifestyle marked by prayer, fellowship, worship and witness. Cleaving to His Word means we hold on to scripture. We must never forget what He has spoken to us in times past and what He has spoken to us now. These are the words of eternal life, a guarantee of salvation in all matters spiritual, physical, emotional, financial, relational, professional and temporal. Cleaving to the Holy Spirit means we must constantly rejoice in His presence, listen to His still voice and stirrings of our spirit. Cleaving to His Name and His promises means claiming our inheritance in Christ Jesus. Cleaving to our walk with God means enjoying our quiet times with God, setting aside regular and multiple times of meeting with God as one would seek out a lover. It means relishing times spent with other believers in fellowship and worship. It means loosing no opportunity to share the love of God with others who do not believe that they too can cleave to Him.
When we cleave to God in this manner, we will not only be alive but we will be fully alive. We will live out the God- intended full length of our days and our years. We will live life to the hilt of the Sword of God- the Word and experience of the bliss of communion with God. We will find God's purpose for our lives and receive power to fulfill that purpose. While we are cleaving to God, we will also have fun even as the baby monkey feels the thrill and excitement of the upswings and downswings of the mother's torso. Just as the baby monkey hears the heartbeat of its mother, we must cling to God so close we hear His heart beat as it were.
Prateep V Philip
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Uni-verse 124 A Meditation on Joshua 1 v 8
Uni-verse 124/10,000 For better through verse Joshua 1 v 8
Jos 1:8
This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
Meditation is medicine. When we meditate constantly on the Word of God 24x7x365 , it heals our mouth, it heals our mind, it instills courage and strength in our hearts. Like a compass or a Global Positioning System, the Word of God will give us a sense of our bearings of where we are and where we should go. It heals the deep hurts of our hearts. It takes the poison out of our tongues. Our tongue will cease to be a fiery evil, the spark that can set a forest on fire and foments trouble in our lives. Instead, it will become a rudder that will direct our communication in wholesome ways. Our thoughts will be transformed so that the negative ones are negated and made positive and the positive ones even more reinforced. It teaches us to think on the right lines. The man who bases his life on the Word of God follows a 5-4-3 pattern of living meaning Think, Plan and Act. The result(6) will be prosperity, fulfillment and good success. The world' s patterns will give us an empty, vain or futile success but living in accordance with the Word of God will produce a lasting and fulfilling result.
The Word of God teaches us not to conform to the world but to be transformed by the renewal of our minds-intellect, emotions and will- by continually meditating on what the Bible says on how we need to live and act. When we meditate on the Word of God, we are focussing on the priorities of God. He in turn, will be involved in our thoughts and goals and give us enabling grace to do whatever we think and plan in accordance with his Word. The Word of God has a tremendous transforming effect on our thought, temperament, tongue, talent and time. The result is a life that is pleasing to God.
The Law given through Moses required a complete adherence to ALL that is written therein. This is considered a virtually impossible and unattainable standard. But, the love and grace of Christ Jesus today enables us as He fills up the gaps. Hence, in addition to meditating on the Word, we must meditate on the Person, character and message of Jesus. This is the reason that both in the gospel of John as well as in Revelation, Jesus is called the Word of God. He is the Word of God incarnate and therefore, we too must become the Word of God incarnate. We become so when we meditate on the Word of God and the Son of God all the time, both day and night. Isn't it a mind-boggling thought to think that we are the Word of God in flesh and blood today?
Prateep V Philip
Jos 1:8
This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
Meditation is medicine. When we meditate constantly on the Word of God 24x7x365 , it heals our mouth, it heals our mind, it instills courage and strength in our hearts. Like a compass or a Global Positioning System, the Word of God will give us a sense of our bearings of where we are and where we should go. It heals the deep hurts of our hearts. It takes the poison out of our tongues. Our tongue will cease to be a fiery evil, the spark that can set a forest on fire and foments trouble in our lives. Instead, it will become a rudder that will direct our communication in wholesome ways. Our thoughts will be transformed so that the negative ones are negated and made positive and the positive ones even more reinforced. It teaches us to think on the right lines. The man who bases his life on the Word of God follows a 5-4-3 pattern of living meaning Think, Plan and Act. The result(6) will be prosperity, fulfillment and good success. The world' s patterns will give us an empty, vain or futile success but living in accordance with the Word of God will produce a lasting and fulfilling result.
The Word of God teaches us not to conform to the world but to be transformed by the renewal of our minds-intellect, emotions and will- by continually meditating on what the Bible says on how we need to live and act. When we meditate on the Word of God, we are focussing on the priorities of God. He in turn, will be involved in our thoughts and goals and give us enabling grace to do whatever we think and plan in accordance with his Word. The Word of God has a tremendous transforming effect on our thought, temperament, tongue, talent and time. The result is a life that is pleasing to God.
The Law given through Moses required a complete adherence to ALL that is written therein. This is considered a virtually impossible and unattainable standard. But, the love and grace of Christ Jesus today enables us as He fills up the gaps. Hence, in addition to meditating on the Word, we must meditate on the Person, character and message of Jesus. This is the reason that both in the gospel of John as well as in Revelation, Jesus is called the Word of God. He is the Word of God incarnate and therefore, we too must become the Word of God incarnate. We become so when we meditate on the Word of God and the Son of God all the time, both day and night. Isn't it a mind-boggling thought to think that we are the Word of God in flesh and blood today?
Prateep V Philip
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