This is long, but maybe worth it to read.
I'm not going to LJ-cut this, even though it might warrant it.
God, it hurts me to see so many people bashing their heads, spirits, and hearts against the wall again and again, either forgetting the knowledge of You that they have, or without knowing You for who You are. God, I believe that if we could truly come to know You that all of our fears and troubles would fade away. Maybe not cease to occur, but cease to trouble us. I believe that if we truly knew You, we would know that secret of being perfectly content in all situations.
God, reveal Yourself to these who are hurting, who are lost, who are blind, and who are lame. Please, that Your glory may be made known to them and Your love might be known for what it is.
Lord, who is not lost and blind and confused? Who is not sleeping? Who is living the life you have created them to live? I feel burdened, God. I feel trampled beneath the weight of all these broken beings. Lord, is it my place? Where is my place in your service? I see people hurting, and I want to ease their hurt. I see people broken, and I want to point them to You, who heals the brokenhearted. Sometimes this pushes me to do things that cause more pain, because I try to get them to where they need you. Am I wrong? Please lead me with your Spirit, Lord.
"To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm-neither hot nor cold-I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
Revelation 3:14-22 (NIV). Written to the Church of God in Laodicea. How many of us do these words apply to who claim to be of the Church of God in San Angelo, Texas? How many of us in Texas? How about the United States? I see lots of blind people who have gone to church all their lives.
These are the words of him who holds the seven spiritsof God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Revelation 3:1-6.
The answer is Jesus. He holds the entire world in His hands, and He is bigger and more powerful, and greater than anything that can come against any one of us! Why don't we believe it? Why don't we run to Him when we're hurting, why don't we trust God when we've seen His power in our lives and in the lives around us?
Today, on Good Friday, we remember that Christ died for us. Why do we keep living in the tomb, when Christ is not there, but living and active and ALIVE in the real world in the present? Why do we wallow in the self-pity? Why do things hurt us to the point that we don't know what is up and what is down? Why do we let ourselves get so low when salvation and joy and peace is no more than an honest prayer away?
I'm not trying to say that it's easy. But it is damn simple.
"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
Matthew 6:28-34
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
Matthew 11:28-30
"I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ-the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained."
Philippians 3:8-16
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and selfcontrol. Against such things there is no law."
Galatians 5:22-23
God, please fill me with Your love. And please, please, help me to transmit the Good News of Your Love to those around me who do not know it and understand it. Or use someone else. I don't care who You use, I just want You to change lives from death to life and from pain to peace. Please do a huge work in this time of ours. Please, God. I am desperate for you to change these people, to bind up these brokenhearted, ugly, whores and transform them into members of Your Bride.
Please, Jesus. There is no hope aside from You, God. Holy Spirit, please change lives. Please, please, please.
I'm tired of doing nothing, or less than nothing. But I don't know what to do.
Galen
God, it hurts me to see so many people bashing their heads, spirits, and hearts against the wall again and again, either forgetting the knowledge of You that they have, or without knowing You for who You are. God, I believe that if we could truly come to know You that all of our fears and troubles would fade away. Maybe not cease to occur, but cease to trouble us. I believe that if we truly knew You, we would know that secret of being perfectly content in all situations.
God, reveal Yourself to these who are hurting, who are lost, who are blind, and who are lame. Please, that Your glory may be made known to them and Your love might be known for what it is.
Lord, who is not lost and blind and confused? Who is not sleeping? Who is living the life you have created them to live? I feel burdened, God. I feel trampled beneath the weight of all these broken beings. Lord, is it my place? Where is my place in your service? I see people hurting, and I want to ease their hurt. I see people broken, and I want to point them to You, who heals the brokenhearted. Sometimes this pushes me to do things that cause more pain, because I try to get them to where they need you. Am I wrong? Please lead me with your Spirit, Lord.
"To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm-neither hot nor cold-I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
Revelation 3:14-22 (NIV). Written to the Church of God in Laodicea. How many of us do these words apply to who claim to be of the Church of God in San Angelo, Texas? How many of us in Texas? How about the United States? I see lots of blind people who have gone to church all their lives.
These are the words of him who holds the seven spiritsof God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Revelation 3:1-6.
The answer is Jesus. He holds the entire world in His hands, and He is bigger and more powerful, and greater than anything that can come against any one of us! Why don't we believe it? Why don't we run to Him when we're hurting, why don't we trust God when we've seen His power in our lives and in the lives around us?
Today, on Good Friday, we remember that Christ died for us. Why do we keep living in the tomb, when Christ is not there, but living and active and ALIVE in the real world in the present? Why do we wallow in the self-pity? Why do things hurt us to the point that we don't know what is up and what is down? Why do we let ourselves get so low when salvation and joy and peace is no more than an honest prayer away?
I'm not trying to say that it's easy. But it is damn simple.
"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
Matthew 6:28-34
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
Matthew 11:28-30
"I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ-the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained."
Philippians 3:8-16
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and selfcontrol. Against such things there is no law."
Galatians 5:22-23
God, please fill me with Your love. And please, please, help me to transmit the Good News of Your Love to those around me who do not know it and understand it. Or use someone else. I don't care who You use, I just want You to change lives from death to life and from pain to peace. Please do a huge work in this time of ours. Please, God. I am desperate for you to change these people, to bind up these brokenhearted, ugly, whores and transform them into members of Your Bride.
Please, Jesus. There is no hope aside from You, God. Holy Spirit, please change lives. Please, please, please.
I'm tired of doing nothing, or less than nothing. But I don't know what to do.
Galen