The Holy One calls to me this morning. Two days in a snowy wonderland brings a sweet peace and relief that has us in a forced lock down from the busyness of life. This has been a time to get out of the fast lane and enjoy the moment and beauty of winter.
Part of the snowy scenario reminds me of a movie called "Red Dawn" when the USA was invaded and overrun by a communist country who wanted to destroy our way of life. This morning with those thoughts framing our conversation, the Holy One reminds me of the importance of knowing his voice and in that 'knowing", yielding to His wisdom apart from the written Word.
The Holy Spirit takes me back in history. "I spoke to Noah before a blueprint could be put on paper. I spoke to Abraham before My promise was written. I spoke to Moses before the law became the law."
His reminder fits right into the important lesson I have been learning in this season of my journey with Jesus: God reaches out to His Creation first.
It is almost funny how we scurry around looking for fig leaves when we first realize we are naked. There is something that clicks off in our head when it's our time to "find God". We know we are missing something in our life and it is something big. That moment hits and we suddenly realize we are naked and empty handed.
The shock of that self-awareness drives some to look around for fig leaves and offerings to make ourselves acceptable to the Sovereign God "we find". Religion enters into our bag of tricks as the fig leaves to cover our nakedness, and good works become our offerings.
If we would take a look back to the Garden before the fall, we would find 2 naked people in a sweet fellowship with the Creator delightfully unashamed and empty handed. The pair were created empty handed. The benediction over them in Gen 1:28-29, tells us that God gave...... The Lord God brought all things to the man even the animals to see what he would name them. Gen 2:19
The knowledge we have about our origins in creation were passed from the beginning through oral communication, from God's lips to Adam's ears, and from Adam's lips to his children's ears and on and on until one day much later, the Word was written. The relationship with the Creator began intimately and was sustained orally before one word was written.
We can chart man's separation and distance from the Creator due to the fall but there is still Noah, Abraham and Moses who are examples of men who were searching for the One True God and found Him personally and apart from the written Word.
This is not to de-value the precious, priceless, powerful written Word of God, but the Holy One makes His point that true fellowship is personal and just like any other love relationship conversational inner-action is required.
We who live on this side of the Cross have the unspeakable gift and privilege of intimacy with our Creator unlike the ancients we read about. We have been given the bridge that connects us with the Trinity. The Holy Spirit is our indwelling connector. Just like we are created in God's image and 3 parts in design as Body, Soul and Spirit, we, by the Holy Spirit, are mysteriously connected with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit BY the Spirit.
So here we are: Spirit to spirit in the fullness of a love relationship together with the Savior God of all Creation and by His Spirit we are eternally connected regardless of how we all may "feel" on any given day. Trying to find ways to be acceptable in and of ourselves is a pointless waste of time and energy. It doesn't diminish the need to do good works, it just defines the reason.
Religion calls for good works in an effort to earn God's favor that we already have. If God had such disfavor for us He would not have sent His Son who laid down His life to bring us back into relationship. Love on the other hand calls for good works to share the wonder of God's favor to the ignorant world around us who still in their own way are searching for the One True God that we have already found.
Religion also misses the point that God moved in our direction first. Religion prides itself on having "found God" while relationship humbly acknowledges that God found us.
Back to the point of today's conference with Holiness. Days like today with all the world at a standstill offers a perfect time to sit and listen for the voice of the shepherd. Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice and they follow Me". I laugh to myself at the irony of being called a "sheep" knowing full well that sheep can't read.
The hard reality and subtle point of the movie, "Red Dawn" is that there may come a day when Bibles are burned and the written Word is taken away. If we have come from the place of realizing we are naked and empty handed and completely comforted in our relationship with our God, knowing His voice will sustain us. Religion cannot offer that. On that day we might all have to say, "Speak Lord your servant is listening". I Samuel 3:10.
The question becomes, "On that day, if it were to ever come to pass, would we recognize His voice?
The Spirit is calling. Can you hear Him?
Part of the snowy scenario reminds me of a movie called "Red Dawn" when the USA was invaded and overrun by a communist country who wanted to destroy our way of life. This morning with those thoughts framing our conversation, the Holy One reminds me of the importance of knowing his voice and in that 'knowing", yielding to His wisdom apart from the written Word.
The Holy Spirit takes me back in history. "I spoke to Noah before a blueprint could be put on paper. I spoke to Abraham before My promise was written. I spoke to Moses before the law became the law."
His reminder fits right into the important lesson I have been learning in this season of my journey with Jesus: God reaches out to His Creation first.
It is almost funny how we scurry around looking for fig leaves when we first realize we are naked. There is something that clicks off in our head when it's our time to "find God". We know we are missing something in our life and it is something big. That moment hits and we suddenly realize we are naked and empty handed.
The shock of that self-awareness drives some to look around for fig leaves and offerings to make ourselves acceptable to the Sovereign God "we find". Religion enters into our bag of tricks as the fig leaves to cover our nakedness, and good works become our offerings.
If we would take a look back to the Garden before the fall, we would find 2 naked people in a sweet fellowship with the Creator delightfully unashamed and empty handed. The pair were created empty handed. The benediction over them in Gen 1:28-29, tells us that God gave...... The Lord God brought all things to the man even the animals to see what he would name them. Gen 2:19
The knowledge we have about our origins in creation were passed from the beginning through oral communication, from God's lips to Adam's ears, and from Adam's lips to his children's ears and on and on until one day much later, the Word was written. The relationship with the Creator began intimately and was sustained orally before one word was written.
We can chart man's separation and distance from the Creator due to the fall but there is still Noah, Abraham and Moses who are examples of men who were searching for the One True God and found Him personally and apart from the written Word.
This is not to de-value the precious, priceless, powerful written Word of God, but the Holy One makes His point that true fellowship is personal and just like any other love relationship conversational inner-action is required.
We who live on this side of the Cross have the unspeakable gift and privilege of intimacy with our Creator unlike the ancients we read about. We have been given the bridge that connects us with the Trinity. The Holy Spirit is our indwelling connector. Just like we are created in God's image and 3 parts in design as Body, Soul and Spirit, we, by the Holy Spirit, are mysteriously connected with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit BY the Spirit.
So here we are: Spirit to spirit in the fullness of a love relationship together with the Savior God of all Creation and by His Spirit we are eternally connected regardless of how we all may "feel" on any given day. Trying to find ways to be acceptable in and of ourselves is a pointless waste of time and energy. It doesn't diminish the need to do good works, it just defines the reason.
Religion calls for good works in an effort to earn God's favor that we already have. If God had such disfavor for us He would not have sent His Son who laid down His life to bring us back into relationship. Love on the other hand calls for good works to share the wonder of God's favor to the ignorant world around us who still in their own way are searching for the One True God that we have already found.
Religion also misses the point that God moved in our direction first. Religion prides itself on having "found God" while relationship humbly acknowledges that God found us.
Back to the point of today's conference with Holiness. Days like today with all the world at a standstill offers a perfect time to sit and listen for the voice of the shepherd. Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice and they follow Me". I laugh to myself at the irony of being called a "sheep" knowing full well that sheep can't read.
The hard reality and subtle point of the movie, "Red Dawn" is that there may come a day when Bibles are burned and the written Word is taken away. If we have come from the place of realizing we are naked and empty handed and completely comforted in our relationship with our God, knowing His voice will sustain us. Religion cannot offer that. On that day we might all have to say, "Speak Lord your servant is listening". I Samuel 3:10.
The question becomes, "On that day, if it were to ever come to pass, would we recognize His voice?
The Spirit is calling. Can you hear Him?
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