Comments on November 21st readingsTypePad2005-11-21T07:01:00ZOne Year Biblehttps://www.oneyearbibleblog.com/tag:typepad.com,2003:https://www.oneyearbibleblog.com/2005/11/november_21st_r/comments/atom.xml/Jan commented on 'November 21st readings'tag:typepad.com,2003:6a00d8341c5ebf53ef00d834983c8e69e22005-11-22T00:41:03Z2007-08-19T08:20:21ZJanMike, that is one of my favorite scenes in "Schindler's List," & it also pricks my heart heavily. But, the...<p>Mike, that is one of my favorite scenes in "Schindler's List," & it also pricks my heart heavily. But, the thing is...I don't seem to keep that "prick" for very long & I wish that I could. How do we keep that prick/passion that affects our hearts so for perhaps a week. I know (have actually heard) about many people going on mission trips & coming back changed. Some of them stay changed & them some of them don't stay changed after they get back to the comforts of the US. SO...how do we keep that passion, that prick in our hearts alive???</p>
<p>jano</p>Vance Brown commented on 'November 21st readings'tag:typepad.com,2003:6a00d8341c5ebf53ef00d8349823c669e22005-11-21T14:58:30Z2007-08-19T08:47:23ZVance BrownCHARLES FINNEY – REPENTANCE “We cannot say: ‘Now I will feel so-and-so towards such an object.’ But we can command...<p>CHARLES FINNEY – REPENTANCE </p>
<p>“We cannot say: ‘Now I will feel so-and-so towards such an object.’ But we <br />
can command our attention to it, and look at it intently, till the proper <br />
feeling arises.”</p>
<p>“So if a man thinks of God, and fastens his mind on any parts of God’s <br />
character, he will feel—emotions will come up by the very laws of the mind.”<br />
<br />
“If he is a friend of God, let him contemplate God as a gracious and holy <br />
Being, and he will have emotions of friendship kindled in his mind.”<br />
<br />
“If he is an enemy of God, only let him get the true character of God before <br />
his mind, and then his bitter enmity will rise against God, or he will break down and give his heart to God.”</p>
<p>“You must take them [sins] up one by one. It will be a good thing to take a <br />
pen and paper, and as you go over them, and write them down as they occur to <br />
you.”</p>
<p>“General confessions of sin will never do. Your sins were committed one by <br />
one; and as far as you can come at them, they ought to be reviewed and repented <br />
one by one.”</p>
<p>~~~</p>
<p>HEART </p>
<p>Mark 7:6, 7; 20 – 23; 25, 29, 30; 32 – 35; 37 (NASB) </p>
<p>And He [Jesus] said to them, ‘Rightly did Isaiah prophecy of you hypocrites, <br />
as it is written, <br />
“THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME. BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.’ ” (Isaiah 29:13)… </p>
<p>And He [Jesus] was saying, ‘That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts…”</p>
<p>~~~<br />
a. <br />
EVIL<br />
Greek: KAKOS – evil in character which can include PONEROS...</p>
<p>Greek: PONEROS –evil in influence and effect, MALIGNANT </p>
<p>b. <br />
THOUGHTS <br />
Greek: Dialogismos – Inner Dialogue<br />
INNER:<br />
disputation,<br />
disputing <br />
doubting <br />
imagination <br />
reasoning <br />
thought</p>
<p>PRAYER:<br />
LORD, I give up and ask You to exchange:</p>
<p>my mind for Your mind<br />
my thoughts for Your thoughts<br />
my way for Your way<br />
my will for Your will</p>
<p>Vance</p>Ramona commented on 'November 21st readings'tag:typepad.com,2003:6a00d8341c5ebf53ef00d8349cc03e69e22005-11-21T11:07:37Z2007-08-19T08:44:53ZRamonaMike, I agree with you that the measurements God showed Ezekiel are very important and I’m not saying this to...<p>Mike,</p>
<p>I agree with you that the measurements God showed Ezekiel are very important and I’m not saying this to help form a chorus of mental assenting but because the Word says they are.</p>
<p>"Son of man, show the temple by your description of it to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and let them measure accurately its appearance and plan. And if they are ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the form of the temple and the arrangement of it--its exits and its entrances and the whole form of it--all its ordinances and all its forms and all its laws. And write it down in their sight so that they may keep the whole form of it and all the ordinances of it and do them. This is the law of the house [of the Lord]: The whole area round about on the top of the mountain [Mount Moriah] shall be most holy, separated, and set apart. Behold, this is the law of the house [of the Lord]. (Ezekiel 43:10-12 AMP)</p>
<p><br />
There must be something in the numbers and the details that would, or should convict Israel of her sin. Maybe the reason we don’t get it is because we are outside of that culture today and we are missing a “key” understanding to put this together. If the description of the Temple is, “the law of the house of the Lord,” then there is a form, a pattern to it that speaks out to us. We may not understand the description this side of heaven but I believe it is important for us to understand that the description is important even if we don’t get it yet.</p>
<p><br />
And about what it means to be “worldly.” I think our worldliness depends on where our thoughts and ideas come from as well as our motivation. Remember Jesus said he only did what he saw His Father do, He operated from the point of obedience to the Father’s Will not His own will. (John 5:19,20). I believe God ask of us to do the same thing. If we our operating from the “Will of God,” then we are acting completely in Holiness. Most of us reserve some side of ourselves, either a little or a lot, that adheres to God’s Laws and Will, and so we divide ourselves into holy and non-holy.</p>
<p>It is good to do a check on our motivations. Why are we doing what we are doing? Is it something that Jesus would do? Are we doing things to get the glory and to be patted on the back by humans, or are we doing because God has directed us? In truth we don’t like to do, or don’t want to do what God is telling us to do because that will make us unpopular real quick by those in the “world” and those in the church. Our example for that outcome is what happened to Jeremiah when he spoke the Truth in love and to what happened to Jesus. O, we say we admire someone who does things for the right reasons but we really don’t like them because we feel convicted, and we don’t like to feel that way do we? So, we would rather work on changing them then changing us. </p>
<p><br />
And about Happiness:</p>
<p>I just heard someone preach this, well not just, about two months ago. “Stop trying to be happy by doing and getting things. God never promised us happy but He did tell us to be Holy. I have never met an unhappy holy person. Become holy and you will find happiness in your holiness.” In truth, he was talking about people who look toward marriage as a future source of happiness and who think God designed marriage to make us happy. His take was that God designed marriage to make us holy not happy which is a byproduct or fruit of holiness. </p>
<p>And that’s all for now.</p>
<p>Grace and peace,<br />
Ramona <br />
</p>