This is in response to the assignment given me in a dream 3/24. I was to be alert to the meaning of 2 things – Messenger and Well-being. This morning in my meditations through Isa. 51-53 I suddenly came across both of them quite unexpectedly.
It might help to explain the context. I have been feeling somewhat despairing lately about my lack of progress in personal spiritual growth. My head is filling with wonderful truths but my heart (and its seems my household) seems to be quite unfruitful and unchanged. We are all suffering very strongly under the addiction to TV which consumes a great portion of our attention. This baffles me as to how to relate to the problem both myself and how to relate to the rest in my home also caught in this trap. It feels like a catch 22. If I talk about it a feeling of condemnation and strong resentment immediately rises up in our minds. If I keep my silence the damage continues to our spiritual sensibilities and probation time is squandered away. I feel damned if I do and damned if I don't. This has all the hallmarks of a trap designed by Satan himself.
I do not want to react in legalism like as was done to me as a child. I now know this is one of the old problems God brought me back here to face and be repaired. But I have been baffled as to any other options since my mental solution database is empty of appropriate and God-like responses to this situation.
That is the context. I cannot claim to have a complete grasp on an answer but something is emerging from the fog and taking shape from what I observe in Isaiah. I have been trying to perceive with my heart and mind and spirit all working together to perceive what God may be really trying to convey to us in these ancient revelations. Particularly in the light of recent reworking of the big picture of the Great Controversy I am alert to observe and pick up on passionate expressions of God's heart and desires. The book of Isaiah seems to be full and throbbing with these kind of communications and it is exciting to uncover and decode them with the guidance of His presence.
I have been compelled to make notations in the margins to flush out the underlying emotions and messages from the heart of God to humanity. I see God's great frustration in trying to reorient our thinking and paradigms and try to overcome or undermine our religious bigotry and our angry assumptions about Him. Repeatedly He returns to two main things – the great and final resolution at the end of the millenium (but enacted in various degrees at different times before then), and His trump card to bring this about – Jesus.
Isa. 50:1-3 The rift between you and Me was not my idea.
Verses 4-8a Jesus – the One who clings to God while receiving abuse from us.
Verses 8b-11 You can still come to Me even if you hate Me and have issues about Me. You have a choice and here are the consequences.
51:1-3 Focus on Me more than your ancestry.
Verses 4-6 Focus on Me more than your physical surroundings.
Verses 7,8 Focus on Me more than social intimidation.
Verses 9-11 I am the God of mighty acts of power and deliverance.
Verses 12-16 I am the Creator God who comforts you, not your oppressor.
Verses 17-20 Our concept of God falsely views Him as angry, the source of our disasters, the one who afflicts us.
Verses 21-23 God will cause us to realize He is for us, not against us. Then we will not be tormented by what we perceived as His anger but those who still believe the lies about Him will suffer in their perception of His “wrath”.
52:1 Wake up and realize who you are in Christ. Don't be self-actualized in lies about God but be Christ-actualized.
Verse 2 Loose yourself from the chains of lies about God that bind your neck.
Verses 3-5 My people were innocently made slaves without even being paid for. They were oppressed and deceived by the enemy without cause and the result is My reputation is continuously maligned and slandered.
Verses 6-10 Here is what God wants – people who know the truth about God through intimate relationship with Him will be His Messengers to bring good news, peace, happiness, salvation, joy... (peace in the margin is Well-being) His messengers will shout joyfully together the truth about God. The revelation of God's ARM (51:9, 52:10, 53:1) is the truth about how God exercises power – not using force on our wills but using skill to coordinate everything to finally work together for our best and to vindicate His reputation before the whole universe – God's salvation.
Verses 11,12 These messengers need to distance themselves from everything that confuses them about the truth about God. They are vessel-bearers for God. They will walk in very close synchronization with God's walk. God will walk both in front and back of them as they learn to walk in lockstep with Him. They learn not to walk too fast or too slow or in fear.
52:13 through chapter 53 Jesus is the model demonstration of walking in perfect lockstep with God. He is also the Saviour and Redeemer who is completely devoid of external beauty so we would focus on God's real beauty of character. Further than this, He took on all our oppression and all the consequences of our separation from God and our lies about God. The punishment that undeservingly fell on Him that was destined for us empowers us to have the Well-being, the peace of God. This enables us to be His messengers to expose the truth about God to others while enjoying the fruit of Jesus' righteousness because He ate the fruit of our rebellion.
If God had not given me this assignment in my dream 3 nights ago I might never have seen much of this. I am amazed that He desires to talk about these things with me when I don't deserve the time of day from Him.
God, Your gentleness is making me great – and opening my heart. Thank-you!
The life of Christ was an ever-widening, shoreless influence, an influence that bound Him to God and to the whole human family. Through Christ, God has invested man with an influence that makes it impossible for him to live to himself. Individually we are connected with our fellow men, a part of God's great whole, and we stand under mutual obligations. No man can be independent of his fellow men; for the well-being of each affects others. It is God's purpose that each shall feel himself necessary to others' welfare, and seek to promote their happiness.
Every soul is surrounded by an atmosphere of its own – an atmosphere, it may be, charged with the life-giving power of faith, courage, and hope, and sweet with the fragrance of love. Or it may be heavy and chill with the gloom of discontent and selfishness, or poisonous with the deadly taint of cherished sin. By the atmosphere surrounding us, every person with whom we come in contact is consciously or unconsciously affected. (COL 339)
Mystifying Beast - Rumor notes 185
9 months ago