...and the dust returns to earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
Vanities of vanities, says the Preacher; all is vanity.
ecclesiastes 12:7-8
Friday, 17 June 2011
Thursday, 16 June 2011
washin my feet, washin my mind
I was just reading my Bible this morning and God revealed a new meaning in some Scripture, which I just think is so beautiful...
(Jesus is washing the feet of the disciples, and comes to Simon Peter to wash his feet)
SP:"You shall never wash my feet"
J: "If I do not wash you, you have no share with me."
SP: "Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!"
J: "The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean..."
John 13:6-10
And then it struck me as I read this that Jesus has already cleansed us, by the sacrifice He made for our sins. He has wiped us clean. We are clean.
But.
Our feet.
What about our feet?
Well, our feet is what touches the world. Our feet is what keeps us "grounded", so to speak, and is evidence of our human flesh. We cannot fly. We are not fully spiritual beings. We are needy, we have to walk, we have to touch the ground, connect with the earth. And all of this is necessary (obviously, because if I could choose to fly I would), but it requires something of us. If the rest of my body is clean, but my feet are dirty, how am I to walk on the Holy Ground of God, without leaving footprints?
So Jesus meets me at the front door every day, and says,
"Will you allow me to wash your feet for you this day? I have made the rest of you clean already, but the world has left its mark on you."
What a beautiful picture of
G R A C E.
So, realistically speaking now: what are my feet? Well, I would have to say its my mind. My feet is my mind. Does that make sense? Gimme a sec. So, my eyes see things that they weren't meant to see (murder, sex, immodesty), my ears hear things that they shouldn't hear (gossip, cursing, rage, slander), and I feel things in my heart that I shouldn't feel (anger, lust, jealousy, conceit)... and all of this funnels into the resting place of my mind. The place where I should understand the peace and holiness and goodness and glory of God, my Father. I don't want that all there, muddling up my understanding of God: my ability to hear Him, to see Him, to feel Him. I want it to be washed out. I need my mind to be washed clean.
But I don't know how.
I can close and squeeze my eyes real hard, wishing those thoughts and feelings and visions and voices out my head... but they just don't go.
Jesus needs to clean my mind out Himself. And He will, too, if we give Him entry to do so.
The Word explains it better than I do:
"..assuming that you have heard about Him and were taught in Him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness." Ephesians 4:23
"Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison..."
2 Corinthians 4:16
"Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who hae been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments of righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under Grace." Romans 6:12-14
WOW.
How cool is that? He will clean us. Jesus is eager to clean us.
Because we need to be cleansed.
Sorry if you thought that you were perfect.
News flash: you're not.
Look at your "feet" if you don't believe me
(and by feet, I mean mind... what do you think about? what do you say? what do you see?)
(if you're like me-- human, that is-- it's not all good and dandy. you'll need some Help too).
Pray that Jesus would renew your mind today (and everyday). I sure will be.
(Jesus is washing the feet of the disciples, and comes to Simon Peter to wash his feet)
SP:"You shall never wash my feet"
J: "If I do not wash you, you have no share with me."
SP: "Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!"
J: "The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean..."
John 13:6-10
And then it struck me as I read this that Jesus has already cleansed us, by the sacrifice He made for our sins. He has wiped us clean. We are clean.
But.
Our feet.
What about our feet?
Well, our feet is what touches the world. Our feet is what keeps us "grounded", so to speak, and is evidence of our human flesh. We cannot fly. We are not fully spiritual beings. We are needy, we have to walk, we have to touch the ground, connect with the earth. And all of this is necessary (obviously, because if I could choose to fly I would), but it requires something of us. If the rest of my body is clean, but my feet are dirty, how am I to walk on the Holy Ground of God, without leaving footprints?
So Jesus meets me at the front door every day, and says,
"Will you allow me to wash your feet for you this day? I have made the rest of you clean already, but the world has left its mark on you."
What a beautiful picture of
G R A C E.
So, realistically speaking now: what are my feet? Well, I would have to say its my mind. My feet is my mind. Does that make sense? Gimme a sec. So, my eyes see things that they weren't meant to see (murder, sex, immodesty), my ears hear things that they shouldn't hear (gossip, cursing, rage, slander), and I feel things in my heart that I shouldn't feel (anger, lust, jealousy, conceit)... and all of this funnels into the resting place of my mind. The place where I should understand the peace and holiness and goodness and glory of God, my Father. I don't want that all there, muddling up my understanding of God: my ability to hear Him, to see Him, to feel Him. I want it to be washed out. I need my mind to be washed clean.
But I don't know how.
I can close and squeeze my eyes real hard, wishing those thoughts and feelings and visions and voices out my head... but they just don't go.
Jesus needs to clean my mind out Himself. And He will, too, if we give Him entry to do so.
The Word explains it better than I do:
"..assuming that you have heard about Him and were taught in Him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness." Ephesians 4:23
"Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison..."
2 Corinthians 4:16
"Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who hae been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments of righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under Grace." Romans 6:12-14
WOW.
How cool is that? He will clean us. Jesus is eager to clean us.
Because we need to be cleansed.
Sorry if you thought that you were perfect.
News flash: you're not.
Look at your "feet" if you don't believe me
(and by feet, I mean mind... what do you think about? what do you say? what do you see?)
(if you're like me-- human, that is-- it's not all good and dandy. you'll need some Help too).
Pray that Jesus would renew your mind today (and everyday). I sure will be.
Wednesday, 1 June 2011
hands and hearts
I have a love to give. I have a Love that is already given, a Love that remains in the Hands of the One who has given me more than my worth deserves, a Love that belongs to Him alone. But then there's another love that I have to give. It's simpler. It's human. It's a lovely love. There's another love that I've already given. To the people, to the ones whose wet cheeks and broken hearts and poverty call to me and beckon me to hold and comfort them. And then there's another love that I have already given. To the heart-connected, soul-intwined beautiful friends and family that have graciously been placed upon my path as I walk through these woods, into meadows, through valleys, upon mountains. They are there and I love them. But there's still another love. Too many people give it out to unworthy hands. But it's too delicate to be handled with rough skin and uncontrollable fits. I will hold it within my heart until it chooses to let go of me a bit and hold hands with another. But not before it's ready. And not until it's right. And not before he's worthy. And not before I know that I will be safe. And until all of that, God is my Guardian. He is the Keeper of His Daughter's love, including her heart-love. So don't ask for it if it's not yours to ask for. I'll give you my love, but not that one. Too many give it to unsteady hands.
puppy dreamin :)
i feel like this is turning into a dream blog. but i just wanted to say, that i had the cutest dream last night! I was going to classes, and I had about seven beautiful puppies with me, all on leashes, and they were all different. Oh my goodness I want them in real life, they were all so cuddly and sweet and not obnoxiously crazy or anything of the sort. I got in trouble during lecture because they were all sitting outside of the room waiting for me. And then i went and saw them and they were just sweetly sitting there, not causing any harm, and I just fell in love with them even more and told them that they weren't in trouble, even if they did get yelled at by a mean old lady with big hair and too much pink lipstick on.
daydreaming
Sometimes I really like to close my eyes and pretend like I'm somewhere else. Like my life has fastforwarded to the time when everything is sound. Realistically, I know that there will always be issues and such, but I'm really looking forward to the day when I'm no longer a student, when I have my own home shared with someone that I love, when I'm finally taking an active role in the passions that I have, when I have a dog big enough to cuddle with on my own couch, when I can sit in comfortable silence reading a book, when I can enjoy a chocolate while watching the flames of a wood-burning fire, when I can bake homemade bread in my own kitchen, when I can walk outside to a garden filled with flowers planted my friends and family, when, when, when...
But I'm not there now. I'm here.
And despite my rant, I am still ever-content. My life is swell, and the One directing it is even Sweller.
Sidenote: I don't understand the attraction to 'going out' and drinking and dressing skanky etcetera. I am much more content in the comfort of my own bedroom with cuppa and a book and lazy tunes flowing out of my macbook.
Anyways, just saying. It's just on my mind.
But I'm not there now. I'm here.
And despite my rant, I am still ever-content. My life is swell, and the One directing it is even Sweller.
Sidenote: I don't understand the attraction to 'going out' and drinking and dressing skanky etcetera. I am much more content in the comfort of my own bedroom with cuppa and a book and lazy tunes flowing out of my macbook.
Anyways, just saying. It's just on my mind.
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