| Welcome. We hope you enjoy your visit. You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free. To speed up the registration process, please email admin at: stace@eaglewayministries.com If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features. |
| What is the Question? | |
|---|---|
| Topic Started: May 4 2004, 01:47 PM (39 Views) | |
| Barb | May 4 2004, 01:47 PM Post #1 |
|
Member
  ![]](http://209.85.12.237/static/1/pip_r.png)
|
What is the Question...Again? Like the man who James speaks of in James 1:23 who listens to the Word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his own face in a mirror and after seeing himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like, this man is always asking God “What is the question again?”. It is this man who walks in deception, unwilling to ‘see’, or acknowledge the reflection, staring back at him from that mirror. This is the man who denies that he is wicked and full of all sorts of evil and who declares his own righteousness before God and His people. This is the man who is deceived by his own arrogance and pride and this is the man who is capable of deceiving others likewise; leading not only himself but also many others astray and away from the truth. This is a man who thinks he is what he is not and is not what he thinks he is. It is this man who refuses correction and seeks to blame others for his own wrong doings. It is this man who when he looks in the mirror of God’s Word refuses to understand that he too is found among those God calls wicked. This is the man who refuses to accept his own frailty and humble himself before the Lord. He who walks in arrogance and pride, not of what Jesus did in his own humility and willingness by covering his sin with His own blood, but in his own pride believing that because Jesus was humiliated for him he is not required to humble himself before the Lord, nor is he required to put aside his own ambitions. It is this man who continues to save his own life despite the lives of others. Don’t be deceived the question is asked of all men and God is just. He pours out on the righteous and the wicked alike in hopes that all men will come to Him. Not one of us is upright before the Lord and each of us has a responsibility to humble ourselves before Him, no one can do this for us. It is up to us; each of us individually. Although God’s call to mankind is universal it is also unique to each of us in that He calls specifically to each one of us, to each man individually. God spoke to Jeremiah concerning the wickedness of mankind and He used Jeremiah to express His heart to those who would hear. God gives Jeremiah the ‘big’ picture and Jeremiah is to deliver this to the people. For those who will say this is not for those who are believers, born again, in the Church etc I say Wake up! Gain understanding and wisdom; break away from your own deceptions; hear and see what God is saying and doing. This same message is brought through to the New Testament through Paul. In Jeremiah 5:26 God says: “Among my people are wicked men who lie in wait like men who snare birds and like those who set traps to catch men. Like cages full of birds, their houses are full of deceit; they have become rich and powerful and have grown fat and sleek. Their evil deeds have no limit; they do not plead the case of the fatherless to win it, they do not defend the rights of the poor. Should I not punish them for this?” declares the Lord “Should I not avenge myself on such a nation as this?” “A horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land; The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way. “MY PEOPLE LOVE IT THIS WAY” God is telling Jeremiah that this is His own people, this is NOT those who are unbelievers, not those who are outside the Church. God is speaking of the brethren. Those who are His own. Those who believe, those who say they know Him, those who profess Him. That means US; “THE CHURCH”. God is speaking about His own, those who are called by His name. He is sharing His heart with Jeremiah concerning us. He is revealing His distress with us and our continual wickedness. He is lamenting with the very thought of bringing punishment upon us and yet He knows it must be; because He is just. God is giving warning of impending judgment and disaster that is coming upon His own. Knowing that He will have to punish those who continue on in their wickedness, choosing their way above His way, in His mercy he also reveals a way out of judgment for those who will listen and hear and obey. He asks one simple question and leaves it at that. This question is as true now as it was then. It is the question that rules our daily life and determines our paths. For when all is said and done and we stand before God all will know and see how we answered this one question and it is the basis for us to hear those words we each long to hear; “Well done good and faithful servant”. That question is this: “WHAT WILL YOU DO IN THE END?” Dear ones, this is the continual question to us. With every moment of every day we are faced with a choice. Will we choose God or will we choose self. Will we choose to live by giving our own lives and denying our own hearts to choose His way or will we allow our own hearts to deceive us at all costs. Will we choose to love others as He does or will we choose to love ourselves and all we have above all else? Each time we choose to cover the sin of another we choose Him. Each time we embrace those who harm us we choose Him. Each time we expose our own shortcomings, admit we made and error, show our human frailty, lift up the life of another beyond ourselves, and each time we refuse to allow others to be hurt by our hand or harsh words we choose Him. Each time we choose Him, we kill self. Each time we choose His ways above our way we move closer to Him and each time we choose Him our character becomes more like Him, our wisdom increases and His love grows within us. Each time we choose Him He shines through us more and as we continue to choose Him the more He is revealed in our hearts and lives and ALL we had to DO was choose Him. IT IS THAT SIMPLE! As the words to the question sink deep into our spirits we learn to choose against that which is false and turn towards that which is true, despite what we see in the natural. Despite our current ‘temporal’ circumstance we learn to speak to things that are not as those they are. We learn to walk by faith and to trust Him, step by step, choice by choice as we seek His kingdom above our own. So unlike that man who looks in the mirror and forgets what he has seen and those who love self above all else we become as He and our reflection is of Him and not us. Unlike the one who is full of arrogance and pride we learn to walk in humility doing all that we do as unto the Father and in doing so we also walk in humility one to another. We learn to cover one another’s sin and shortcomings and not expose it through the pain of our own offenses. We learn to see others as He does. We learn to love one another through difficulties always speaking to one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs encouraging one another as we all grow up together in Him. We learn to hate the sin and love the brother or sister. We learn to do as He does and bring glory to His name above all else as we all run the race longing to hear the same words from our Father; “Well Done!” Press on dear ones. For great is our reward as we journey together towards the goal that is Him, and Him alone, in ALL His glory and fullness. May He receive ALL the glory of our lives and live through us touching the lives of others so that they too can glorify Him. Choose this day whom you will serve. I pray you have courage to seek life and serve the living God! Blessings to you! |
 |
 
|
| Bill and Joan | May 4 2004, 02:39 PM Post #2 |
|
Administrator
|
Amen and praise be to God! Barb, these words that you have written touch the heart of those who long after Him, who desire His will above their own. There is so much wisdom and truth revealed in your post and I thank God for how He has spoken through you. There is much to reflect on in those words and I will go back to it again and again, striving to allow the Holy Spirit to reveal any sin and short coming in my life as I press in to the heart of my Lord, desiring Him above all else, to be with Him and to be like Him. Yesterday during our prayer time together Billy was praising the Lord and thanking Him for all that He has given us, stating how God has given us trees, flowers, animals, etc. having created them for our good pleasure just as He created us for His good pleasure. Those words have taken on new meaning and I've been thinking on them every since. I think about all the beauty and things God has given us to bless us, to be used for our good. Just as we have these things available to us, God created us, people, to be for His good pleasure, to be there for His good purposes. For too long we think about God being there for our good pleasure rather than the other way around! It's like a teenager thinking their parents owe them just because they were born! But the truth is, we are not our own. We have been purchased with the blood of the Lamb. We are His. The thing is, He doesn't want to "own us" in the sense we think of but He does want us to be one with Him as He is one with the Father reflecting Who He is upon the earth. We are to be like the virtueous woman who brings honor to her husband. If we are not being faithful to Him then we are dishonoring Him and bringing shame to Him and His household. Oh Lord, forgive us! Help us. Remind us that judgement first comes to the house of God. We see the judgement that come of Your churches as noted in Revelation. Open the eyes of Your people that they not be deceived in thinking that You will overlook their sin. Help us, Holy Spirit, that we would recognize the error of our ways, repent of them and turn to our Lord's ways instead, in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Thanks for bringing this forth, Barb. Arise people of God with open eyes and hearts before our King!!! Pressing in, Joan |
|
|
|
| Stace4Jesus | May 4 2004, 03:44 PM Post #3 |
Administrator
|
 Amen Barb, amen Joan. He, our beloved, is easy to take advantage of, as He is faithful in everything. Lord, help me to be as faithful, and to never bring shame to Your household. shalom stacie 
|
| |
|
|
|
| WaitingforJesus | May 4 2004, 03:58 PM Post #4 |
Administrator
|
Thank you Barb for posting... This does leave you much to ponder.... It does hurt to watch others striving aimlessly for goals without looking toward our Father who is in control of all things.... When Paul spoke "..to die is to gain.." Oh how I in such small ways have walked through the dying process, thinking that it would be easier if He would just come get us now and get us outta here  But as times past, I could see the fruits of the things I once held so dear aren't that important anymore. I can look back and see how much precious time was wasted following after things that to the Lord didn't help me at all and only caused me to hang onto the temporal things... For example...The Lord once told me to get rid of my car and ride a bicycle. I thought the would was gonna end. But ya know what? He made the bike fun. I didn't even miss the car, and sometimes people would say things like.."You don't have a car? I couldn't live without mine." But now, I have a car again, and I don't "have" to have one or have to go everytime something comes up. If the Lord so blesses me with one, Praise the Lord, if not, I can do without. So ya see? I lost a car but gained such a freedom. So, as the times are getting more evil, may we all begin to die to our own ambitions and what we think we have to have. To die to them now, will cause you to gaim a freedom, only God can give. Blessings to you all, Reaching Higher  Kay |
|
|
|
| MommaLion | May 5 2004, 08:08 AM Post #5 |
|
Unregistered
|
THank yawl !! I needed those words of wisdom. I started this post and somehow lost it. lol So I'll start over. The phrase "We become what we see" has come up in my life over and over lately in my daily life. I have to ask myself "What am I lookin' at?" I want to see HIM everywhere so that I become like HIm. Love you all, thanks again. PEACE AND WISDOM , Linda |
|
|
|
| Barb | May 6 2004, 05:53 AM Post #6 |
|
Member
|
Well Momma you are no different than any one of us who begins and then finds themselves 'off track'. The BEST thing IS....we can start again and when we do we don't have to go back to the beginning, we start right where we left off! Ha Ha ! The important thing is to 'never give up' and keep on seeking Him and His ways, we can never exhaust these resources because they are eternal and the more we seek the more we grow and the more He is revealed through us, Hallelujah! So you go girl and it's ok if you stumble....just get back up and keep on going! Just like the energizer bunny! Be blessed! Barb |
|
|
|
| 1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous) | |
| « Previous Topic · General Discussions · Next Topic » |
11:08 PM Nov 26
