dreams and where i am today.
Monday, September 29, 2008 12:04 AM
Isaiah 29:13 And the Lord said:
“Because this people draw near with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,
while their hearts are far from me,
and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,
14 therefore, behold, I will again
do wonderful things with this people,
with wonder upon wonder;
and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish,
and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.”
15 Ah, you who hide deep from the Lord your counsel,
whose deeds are in the dark,
and who say, “Who sees us? Who knows us?”
16 You turn things upside down!
last night God gave me a dream.
it was a wedding, all the lace, flowers and candles one could ask for.
i realized it was mine.
so often the bride and groom are all the fuss: all shiny, glossed and curled, white and gleaming.
but we're only fooling ourselves.
God's the star of this show. God must be honored in this place. it's God who's orchestrated all of this from the beginning. that has never changed.
(in my life who is the star?)
i turned 23 last month. i'm getting to that point where i'll be seeing all my friends at weddings, funerals and the like.
and yes, there is immense pressure to be married in the next few years.
but is my relationship with God strong enough?
if i'm given a godly man to share my life with, will i continue to seek christ with my whole heart?
if i'm in love... if i'm really in love... it'll be all i can talk about and all i can see. where my treasure is, there my heart will be also.
i turned and the groom was coming... tall, dark.
and it impressed on me... hosea 2:19-20: "I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. 20 I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord."
how could i pretend to be devoted to someone i didn't open my whole life to? that i didn't communicate with regularly? that i didn't consult when i was struggling? that i didn't laugh with in all joy?
if i claim to love jesus, i sure don't act like it sometimes.
/ / /
thought #2:
buying the field.
when i first thought about going into ministry this parable pushed me off the edge.
yes, we are ALL called into ministry when we receive the holy spirit.
but each one of us is created specifically, for a specific purpose and with a specific passion that becomes what we give our life to and for.
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
there's some unbelievable depth here:
treasure: defined as "a concentration of riches." can mean autonomy, freedom, wealth, life for an indescribable amount of time, depending on who you ask.
hidden: many will look; not all will find. "for the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. for the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few."
man found and covered up: haha, i guess he was protecting his own investment. but anyway, he saw this treasure and figured out its value would be like nothing else he might ever find.
in his joy: i find this the most profound part! at times it actually makes me tear.
another version could be: "well done, good and faithful servant. you have been faithful over a little; i will set you over much. enter into the joy of your master."
goes and sells all that he has: again, you don't do this on a whim. it isn't SUPPOSED to come easy! but here it does. what kind of treasure this might be! who IS this king of glory? also note... he sells all he has. not a little bit. not in part. all. maybe he doesn't have much, but he knows this will demand all he has (and, may i suggest, all he is).
and buys that field: again, wow. he's invested all he is because the kingdom of heaven is apparently that great.
Isaiah 29:13 And the Lord said:
“Because this people draw near with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,
while their hearts are far from me,
and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,
14 therefore, behold, I will again
do wonderful things with this people,
with wonder upon wonder;
and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish,
and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.”
15 Ah, you who hide deep from the Lord your counsel,
whose deeds are in the dark,
and who say, “Who sees us? Who knows us?”
16 You turn things upside down!
last night God gave me a dream.
it was a wedding, all the lace, flowers and candles one could ask for.
i realized it was mine.
so often the bride and groom are all the fuss: all shiny, glossed and curled, white and gleaming.
but we're only fooling ourselves.
God's the star of this show. God must be honored in this place. it's God who's orchestrated all of this from the beginning. that has never changed.
(in my life who is the star?)
i turned 23 last month. i'm getting to that point where i'll be seeing all my friends at weddings, funerals and the like.
and yes, there is immense pressure to be married in the next few years.
but is my relationship with God strong enough?
if i'm given a godly man to share my life with, will i continue to seek christ with my whole heart?
if i'm in love... if i'm really in love... it'll be all i can talk about and all i can see. where my treasure is, there my heart will be also.
i turned and the groom was coming... tall, dark.
and it impressed on me... hosea 2:19-20: "I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. 20 I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord."
how could i pretend to be devoted to someone i didn't open my whole life to? that i didn't communicate with regularly? that i didn't consult when i was struggling? that i didn't laugh with in all joy?
if i claim to love jesus, i sure don't act like it sometimes.
/ / /
thought #2:
buying the field.
when i first thought about going into ministry this parable pushed me off the edge.
yes, we are ALL called into ministry when we receive the holy spirit.
but each one of us is created specifically, for a specific purpose and with a specific passion that becomes what we give our life to and for.
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
there's some unbelievable depth here:
treasure: defined as "a concentration of riches." can mean autonomy, freedom, wealth, life for an indescribable amount of time, depending on who you ask.
hidden: many will look; not all will find. "for the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. for the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few."
man found and covered up: haha, i guess he was protecting his own investment. but anyway, he saw this treasure and figured out its value would be like nothing else he might ever find.
in his joy: i find this the most profound part! at times it actually makes me tear.
another version could be: "well done, good and faithful servant. you have been faithful over a little; i will set you over much. enter into the joy of your master."
goes and sells all that he has: again, you don't do this on a whim. it isn't SUPPOSED to come easy! but here it does. what kind of treasure this might be! who IS this king of glory? also note... he sells all he has. not a little bit. not in part. all. maybe he doesn't have much, but he knows this will demand all he has (and, may i suggest, all he is).
and buys that field: again, wow. he's invested all he is because the kingdom of heaven is apparently that great.
posted by steph at
6:55:00 PM
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