Harvest Contents

2 Cor. 9 - A description of the harvest and its contents. Generosity unaffected by covetousness, without grudging or compulsion, in cheerfulness. Impossible for me to produce. This is the seed that God provides and multiplies. If I sow it, it multiplies my (unmerited) righteousness. The fruit is thanksgiving by me, then by many, and glory given to God by many because of my consistency between my actions and my confession of words. This causes the “many” to pray for me and yearn for me because of the surpassing (selfishness? no) grace of God they see in me.

Two Realities

2 Cor. 5. Two realities emerging – appearances/flesh/pride vs. heart/reconciled.

v. 16 We knew Christ according to the flesh – the common first reality – impressed with His works and ideals but not recognizing what He was really doing, His perspective, the truth about God and the great controversy that He came to expose.

Father, please convert me – let me live in true reality where all things are new, all things are from God, where I am reconciled to you and your view of life, where there is no condemnation or accusation, where the love of Christ controls me.

Disagreeing With God

1 Cor. 15:15. When I express beliefs or opinions about myself or others that disagrees with God's testimony then I am a false witness of God contradicting His testimony about how He feels about and sees me or others. God, please remove all the lies I still believe about you that oppose the reality of how you feel about us. Thank-you so much for beginning to open my mind and heart to your real feelings – the truth about who you really are and what you are like. You are extremely fond of me.

Thoughts on James 5

James 5 – finding many more connections to the rest of the book. The “sick” among you may well be those he described in other parts of the book – the double-minded, the critical, the boasting, the arrogant rich, the abusive. Instead of criticizing others and condemning their sins (4:11), I should confess my own sins and pray for them (5:16). The righteous man who has effective prayer in 5:16 is the one who is attacked and does not resist in 5:6.

5:13 – when suffering, pray – when cheerful, sing – Paul and Silas proved that out in jail.

Jesus, show me my heart and give me a spirit of confession today.

Show me your heart and give me a spirit of praise today.

Take Up Your Cross

Yesterday the Spirit impressed me with the concept, or definition, of taking up my cross and following Jesus. The cross is naturally associated with pain and that was likely the first impression on everyone who heard Him say those words. They would have been very baffled as to why Jesus would use an illustration of something so denigrating, humiliating, so excruciatingly painful to explain His desire for their lives.

Later when Jesus Himself took up His cross and followed love up the hill to His own death, He infused a whole new dimension into its meaning – forgiveness. The choice to forgive is the only remedy for the pain we carry inside from all the sin and abuse heaped on us by others or incurred by ourselves. To take up our cross means to consciously choose to embrace our pain and release all others, not holding anything against them. To take up our cross and follow is choosing to live in a constant disposition of continuous forgiveness for past, present and future sins committed against us.

Today's reading in My Utmost adds to this. “The cross stands for one things only for us – a complete and entire and absolute identification with the Lord Jesus Christ.” This is found primarily in prayer. Hence, “pray without ceasing” makes more sense.

God, work your amazing thing in Ethelyn's life. Surprise everyone by displaying your glory and power in transforming her far beyond all that we can imagine or think.