Fairy Tales

Often new understandings are not entirely new facts but are rather, corrections of previously held errors. This is why going outside the body of traditional, accepted understanding is dangerous and not particularly popular. This brings us face to face with two uncomfortable issues. The first is that there is always a group of people who have built a reputation or livelihood on the existing understandings. These people are not particularly pleased with the prospect of these understandings being shown to be in error or even held up as being incomplete.

The other issue is one of stability and comfort. Inside the established understanding box we know how things are. Inside the box we have the comfort (although it may be a false comfort) of stability and predictability. It may be a limited system but it is our system. This is often one of the founding principles of denominational religion.

Sadly, if we have a true desire to grow we must be willing to receive correction.
This is not nearly so painful if we stop and consider the alternatives to growth. As I am fond of thinking of it, people are like trees in this regard. A tree exists in only one of two states--it is either growing or dying. We too, are either growing or dying. I would rather be corrected and be alive and growing spiritually than to live in a false stability of spiritual death (stagnation).

It is not a mark of shame that we have a set of misconceptions incorporated in our basic understanding. This is not evidence that we are stupid, immoral or slow-witted. Think of where we came from. We all have come out of the world.
This is a world that is awash in misconceptions, ignorance and outright dishonesty. You must always keep in mind that the world is under control of the evil one: “We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.” (1John 5:19) So we all come into the life of Christ with an impressive set of fairy tales about the way things are. This reality is difficult to accept, especially for us who are convinced that we are pretty savvy about how things are. It is, nonetheless, true.

We need to consider some things. What is more important—coming to a deeper understanding of the Father, His world and ourselves or preserving our own foolish pride? To me, there is nothing sweeter than coming to know the truths of God. I am practical enough to realize that this sweetness may be too esoteric for many people. Then consider the pragmatic advantages of growing in the understanding of the truth.

Rich

I Want To See

What you see is different from what you look at!

I find it fascinating, when we loose sight of Him, as it were in loosing our bearings, our spiritual equilibrium how easy it is try and see through what Father is doing in the life of another.
Without embracing the process of being processed of the Father we will only live vicariously with the Lord. Damn, and there it is again, "Who do you say that I AM?"

It is through this inner correcting that our Father is accomplishing the opposite of this; “Where there is no vision [no redemptive revelation of God], the people perish.”
The lie of ‘blind faith’ has kept us groping in the dark for far too long. The just living by faith is not talking about going for broke, a last ditch effort, a leap into the unknown, or walking blindly. All of that is describing in my opinion us still trying to live apart from Christ in us as us.
If it is no longer I that lives, never the less I do live, but my living is now because of the Life of Another, then maybe I have at my disposal in Christ the ability to SEE!

The famine we are experiencing in the body of Christ has nothing to do with a shortage of bread or water, but something far more substantial, the Word of God Himself, and that Word being revealed to and in us as our ONLY life!
Man shall not live by bread alone, but by feeding on Him our true bread from heaven. A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven.

I encourage you in Christ to choose to embrace the loving correction He is bringing into your life, so that you will have a living hope that you are abounding in, and not a substitute hope trying to live it out because of what He is doing in another’s life.

Rich

Conclusions

I find it truly amazing how stunted and short sighted I am, and how this is no longer filling me with despair or dread. We’ve all heard the expression, “You’re only seeing the tip of the ice-berg,” because the other nine tenths (of the story) is out of our range of vision. How many might have unknowingly within them this reactionary mindset of a mental gymnast, you know, the ones who “jump to false or erroneous conclusions.”

Hopefully this will be self explanatory. Most folks would easily bring in their own for sure definition of what a ‘sinful act’ would comprise of, usually some demented, sorted, dark, putrid and despicable action or behavior, but maybe not everything is as it appears to be?

I am beginning to grasp the reality of the, “why are you doing what you’re doing’ much more than what I am doing, meaning, I would ask you to consider that anything a ‘good’ person has done, you name it, apart from the Father’s leading and direction may in fact be but wood, hay and stubble.
Is that why Jesus emphasized that as the son of man, he could do nothing in and of himself, and it was equally made clear that what he said and did was only out of that being initiated by His Fathers’ actions?

We have been fully and eternally accepted into the Father's family through Christ. This does not mean that everything we do in this life isn’t necessarily acceptable to the Father. Any of us who have families know that we do not approve of everything our children do. This fact does not cause our children to cease being a part of the family however. It is these unacceptable things that must be destroyed for us to be fully suited for an eternity in the Father’s house. God is NO respecter of our efforts apart from His life leading.

The word ‘judgment’ for me is taking on a whole new understanding, as in, the ongoing refining work of His grace in our continued transformation. It is NOT for the purpose of punishment, but in fact is for the purpose of correction and purification.
As our vision is adjusted and things come into a sharper and clearer focus it becomes so blatantly obvious this too is but an extension of his fervent and stubborn love for us.

The good news is those whom the Father loves, he corrects, and without His involvement the bible calls us bustards. Isn’t it wonderful we have a say in this as to whether we’re going to frustrate His grace or, cooperate with it!

I thought I would add this comment I made on another post as I think it adds some additional consideration.

I see it being perfectly unaturally natural for us to see just about anything Father is saying through the scriptures as a "to-do" list, in that we have never experienced unconditional love and acceptance apart from Him, and even those who profess to Be His are having this old economic mind set addressed/undressed as He simply continues to lavish His love upon us. Much like the younger son who when he came to his senses came home and tried to win, earn work for His father's heart, when in fact the Father NEVER stopped loving him!

Rich