Knowledge or Wisdom?

The Holy One calls to me this morning.  Thoughts of lost loved ones fill  my mind with deepest sorrow for their ignorance.  "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge."

We have such a privileged  place in God's created universe.  We are the pinnacle of all that God created.  We are the epi-center of His Eternal plan. Yet people, the human, the Beloved of an Almighty Creator, wallow in ignorance.  People have their minds saturated with the lies of an antagonist whose goal it is to separate us from the love of our God.  Those who are captives in the camp of the enemy, pride themselves in their intellect and fail to grasp the fact that a higher mind created their mind.

I think of the Sci-Fi movies that promote the stupidity of thought that the machines man created can ever rise above the one who created them.  It is sheer stupidity to think that the machines can , out-think, out-wit, or out-smart their creator.  Even as we look at our computers and how they can "calculate" or "prognosticate", and take formulas beyond our mental ability to solve,  all I have to do is pull the plug and all that knowledge ceases. 

What manner of lie do we accept that causes us to ignore that our plug can be pulled at any moment and all that amazing knowledge will cease.   Yet that is not addressed by our "institutions of higher manipulation", and quite the opposite, our students are trained to ignore such a devastating truth.  It's called propaganda and it creates a distraction from the wondrous relationship available with the Infinite Mind Who created all that exists. 

"You are gods" they tell our kids in the classrooms.  "You can do anything", they preach from the lectern.  "Everything depends on you" they proclaim from their rooftops, while lives are being destroyed and eternal destinies are being changed.

To add insult to injury, the worst thing about what is going on in the manipulation of our beloved children away from the absolute truth of God's Word,  is the reality that Godly parents are paying big bucks to these institutions only to have all they have worked to establish in their children's hearts and minds regarding faith in the One True God, destroyed through "higher" education.  These very institutions that were founded and established to prepare Pastors to teach the Word of God to the masses has been hijacked to destroy the Knowledge of Holiness rather than teach it.

To say that education has become a "god" is an understatement.  I listen to the arguments the Politicians find to make for their (re) election and I hear them promote "education" as the only hope for success in the world.

There is a vast chasm between knowledge and wisdom.  One can have knowledge without wisdom and have a collection of data with no way to make it work.

Proverbs 1:7 tells us, "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline".  The fear of the Lord is described as "a loving reverence for God that includes submission to His Lordship and to the commands of His Word".

All that our knowledge can accomplish is to build pyramids that honor those who have died with no hope or assurance of the after life.  Wisdom on the other hands, build hearts and minds that honor the One who conquered death and rose again.  Wisdom honors the One who is called the Savior of man, Christ Jesus.  No "human" can claim such power over death.  And only the Almighty Creator of all that exists, can award to us the promise of eternal life with Him.

Knowledge can only take us to the gates of eternity, but wisdom gives us the key and grants access.

If all you care about is this temporal life, then knowledge alone is OK.  It is no guarantee for success but it will get you through some things here.  But if the questions you have in your heart takes you to desire the understanding of true life from origins to the eternal place beyond our human comprehension then wisdom is required. 

Proverbs 2:6, "For the Lord gives wisdom and from His mouth comes knowledge and understanding. "
Proverbs 3:5, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and He will make your paths straight.  Do not be wise in you own eyes.   Fear the Lord and shun evil".

It's time to stop worshiping at the altar of the "gods" of learning that are taking us away from the One True God and His wisdom.

The Spirit is calling.  Can you hear Him?

The Holy Make-Over

The Spirit calls to me today. Out of the sleep zone of the early morning darkness, He speaks so softly, yet I hear His voice.  "Jesus is remodelling lives".  In one short sentence to my conscious mind, I get the greatest visuals to think about.

Jesus comes onto our lives and begins this huge make-over. It is true that were were created in God's Glorious image, but that doesn't mean we reflect that image when we are first born, nor that we necessarily reflect that image on the day we check out of our earthy existence.

Being conformed to the image of Christ Jesus is a life long process that can only begin on the day we realize the depth of our own depravity, and invite the Son of Holiness into our lives. 

It is not a matter of our being "good natured", or having a "sweet" personality generally speaking.  Our ungodly depravity is the truth about the nature we were born with.  It is a nature so potentially corrupt that it is only a matter of time and circumstance that we all become the epitome of wickedness even to ourselves.

It is written:  There is no one righteous, not even one."  Romans 3:10.

The truth stands, and we must accept that indictment as it comes from the One who holds the standard of righteousness, God Himself.

It is to our relief and God's great glory that He sent His Son to stand in our place, to take all the wrath that must destroy all the ungodly that opposes the Holy.  In the place of ex halted self-assessment, we may not agree with that Holy judgment, but our legalistic standard of relative comparison must end at the Throne of our Creator.

Today the Holy Spirit makes the point that all who call Jesus "Savior", are undergoing a life changing make-over.  The truth that we are once saved doesn't make us instantly conforming to our Lord's image.

Day by day surrender is the requirement of Holiness and the only way we can even begin to reflect His Glorious Image to the world around us. (Romans 8)  We miss the point and the mark when we complain that we are too set in our ways or that we have effortlessly moved on to the perfect image of Christ when we first got "saved".  Salvation should make notable changes, but lots more must happen as our "reconstruction" gets into full swing.

One moment and the most important eternal decision we will ever make, doesn't end our humanity that has been ruled by our flesh since birth.  True transformation, true reconstruction,  a true make-over takes time and effort, trials and trust.

The process is life long and sometimes so slow it drives me crazy.  Shedding the old and wrapping myself in the new while dealing with life's challenges is daunting.  Yet, according to God's wisdom, it is in the very place of life's daily challenges that we get the greatest opportunities to let go of our old self, surrender to the Holy Spirit within and die to that which once controlled our being.

It is in those places of life's challenges where we can consciously surrender to the ruling authority of Christ within, that our transformation, reconstruction and make-over makes the 6:00  news.  An uncommon reaction to a common challenge marks the changes Jesus is making in our lives.

That totally justifiable "way that I am", must give way to the totally righteous way that Christ is.  I can hear Holiness say, "stop fighting Me.  In and of yourself you are not that good, but in surrender to Me you can be stellar".

The Spirit is calling.  Can you hear Him?

The Peace that Passes All Understanding*

The Holy Spirit calls to me this morning. His voice speaks comfort in the rest He not only provides but also commands.  I hear Him say, "Be still and know that I am God". To be still is to be quiet, to be calm, to be tranquil.

Jesus has said, "behold, I am making everything new."  Everything Jesus promised was something new: A new covenant, a new birth, a new nature, a new relationship with Holiness, a new heart, a new command and a new Spirit.  He even promised to put a new song in our hearts and ultimately give us a new name.

The new Spirit He promised is the Holy Spirit.  In the stillness, I find I can more clearly hear His voice.  The attack of busyness always tries to take us into chaos and away from God's command that we "be still".

Activity in and of itself is not the problem because we have duties to perform each and every day, hour by hour.  What is the problem, it seems, is the mental chaos that we fall victim to when trying to meet the challenges we face in our own strength.

I have found than an hour in the peaceful Presence of the Holy One translates to hours of peace in the world I physically inhabit.  Absent my time in the counsel room of the Holy One, confusion and chaos dictates those same hours in my physical world.

We cannot undo the fall of man and the affects of the fruit of that "damnable" tree from whence comes the knowledge of good and evil.  It was there for a purpose and to give man and woman a choice.

That choice was made for all of us by our earthly parents, Adam and Eve.  It is good for me to know that I was not created in design to handle all of that "good vs evil"  information  Our original human design was to remain innocent as we don't seem to be wired with the ability to properly judge the difference between good and evil.

Life on earth presents choices by the minute that require decisions and our inability to discern what is or will be found to be good or bad for us is the crux of the chaos and confusion that fills our lives hour by hour. While we cannot undo history and the conflict to our creative design, there is a provision made by our Creator God to return to a place of original peace and that place is in fellowship with Himself.

The Gospel is how we get there, but more must be understood in order to apply all the benefits of our Salvation.  The call of the Holy Spirit when answered by our heart, mind and soul is the only place of peace this side of Heaven.

To know Jesus as Savior is the  one thing necessary for our eternal security, but to know Jesus as Lord is the mandate for anyone who desires  peace in the journey we must go through on planet earth.

The Word of God is a mystery in that it is a living Entity.  Everything we can or need to know is embedded in it's pages. However, we need an "Interpreter" to glean the truths contained therein.  The Holy Spirit is called "the Spirit of Truth".  In John 14:17, Jesus said that, "the world cannot accept Him because it neither sees Him nor knows Him.  But you know Him for He lives with you and will be in you."

It's pretty clear to me, that the one thing that separates me from the world around me is the Holy Spirit in me.  All my opinions and thoughts apart from the Spirit of Truth who dwells within my being are just flesh arrogance and will produce the same chaos and confusion the world operates under.

It makes sense to me that, without the wisdom, counsel, and Truth given me by the Holy One, I simply cannot escape the deception and distorted perspective of a fallen world.  This is why the early morning conferences with the Spirit of Truth must be a top priority.  Without the ability to handle the knowledge of good and evil, due to my original design, and, absent the only provision given by my Creator to have that deficit made up for in my being, I am helpless to find any peace.

The glorious truth is that the "peace that passes all understanding" is available to every person born into the chaotic fallen world.  However there is only one way to gain it.  The only way to the peace we all long for is through the Prince of Peace Himself, Jesus Christ. 

To come to the Creator God, from whom all blessings flow, we must come on His terms.  We read in His Word to us, that there is no other name by which any of us can be saved from the effects of the fall.  Only through the Son of God, Jesus Christ,  and the Cross where He shed His blood for us can we be restored to  relationship with  our Creator and begin to find the peace we all seek.

Once we accept the Son of God as our Savior, and the only Provision our Creator has made for a restored relationship, not only do we gain our place in Paradise for all eternity, but we also gain the Spirit of Truth.  The Holy Spirit takes up residency within our being and provides the wisdom, counsel, joy, peace and every good quality and blessing that we lack in our flesh.

His Presence is promised so we don't have to look for Him, but we do have to  listen for and to His voice.  "Be still and know that I am God".  "My peace I give to you"

The Spirit is calling.  Can you hear Him?

The Last Dance

The Holy One calls to me this morning and His voice is so clear and gentle.  It is the voice of my Beloved, "Save this last dance for me."

There was  a song long ago when I was a young woman and the high school dances were so much fun.  It was the last song the band would play.   At the end of all the change and exchange of dance partners throughout the evening, people would find their one special person and keep that last dance for just the two of them.

The Holy One brings that to my mind today and speaks so softly to my soul, "Save this last dance for Me.  Don't let anyone cut in, I want this time to be just us".

It is an emotionally powerful thing to be chosen.  To know that you are loved and chosen exclusively by someone is the best feeling in the human world of relationships. Jesus speaks this wonderful and mysterious message to us in His Word through John 15:16, "you did not choose Me but I chose you".  The choosing has to do with a Sacred Romance, because Jesus, the Son of God, is the Bridegroom and we, who make up the Body of Christ, are the Bride.

He goes on to say, "and (I) appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last."   We have been chosen by Holiness for relationship and to bear the fruit that identifies Holiness to the world that our life touches.  We have been chosen and appointed by Jesus, for fruit bearing which means to live out the character of our Beloved.

The Bible speaks of this fruit in Galatians 5 and Paul exhorts us to "live by the Spirit".   He identifies the fruit that is "of the Spirit"; that which is made manifest by the Spirit.  This fruit (how we act and relate to our world)  reveals the life of our Beloved within our hearts as His Presence transforms us from inside out. We are to live out His love, His joy, His peace, His patience, His kindness, His gentleness, His goodness, His faith, and His self control.

Just as in a human marriage where the two become one flesh, so it is in our Sacred Romance with the Son of God. We become one in Spirit, united with our God.  Human marriage doesn't change the uniqueness of who I am individually but it does alter the way I live my life in corporate unity with my husband as we are bound together in flesh and spirit.  Living together in marriage, we change.  We are, in effect, transformed by the other person's powerful influence over our individual life. 

The mystery of the marriage union becomes even deeper and more profound if we violate our covenant and seek to live separated or divorced from the husband or wife we were once committed to in the one flesh relationship.  In a mystery too deep to fathom,  no one walks away from a broken covenant without deep scars.  Lives are changed and some forever destroyed when we break covenant with our marriage partner in life.

So it is if we break covenant with Jesus, our Beloved,who chose us, once we declare to have chosen Him in return.The Sacred Romance/Marriage is sealed by His Spirit.

"I am my Beloved's and my Beloved is mine"...Song of Songs.

The Sacred Romance is available for each one of us. This may be the last dance for some and a time to find Him again. Or this may be the very first time you hear Him calling to you, inviting you into His arms.  Wherever you are, look around for the One who is looking at you.

As the Holy One calls to me today, I begin a new season and I trust Him. I know that in this next season of my human widowhood, our Sacred Romance will flourish under His protective love

He calls to me today, to remind me that He has always been my Beloved.  Just like the words of the song He brought to my attention this morning, He speaks to my heart, "Don't forget whose takin' you home and in Whose arms you're gonna be. Oh Darlin, save the last dance for Me."

The Spirit is calling. Can you hear Him?