Monday, February 18, 2008

Meditating on Scripture

I don't really know how to describe my recent times in the Word. Sometimes I think I'm doing well by how much I read or how much I journal. Lately I haven't done much of either one - but I think my times in the Word have been real rich. I seem to (only by the grace of the Holy Spirit) be meditating on, claiming, and memorizing more of Scripture.
Here is what I mean. I just randomly started reading 1 Corinthians the other day at the dining room table (I love having a dining room table, partly for that reason). The last two verses really caught my eye - and I've been re-reading and meditating on them ever since. Just really soaking them in. Here they are: (1.30-31)
And because of him (God) you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.
So: Christ Jesus is my wisdom (I have known of it on my own), my righteousness (I have no good thing or good works on my own, my sanctification (He continually makes me more into His image, one that is pleasing to His Father), and He is my salvation (Praise God!). Then - Paul has to kind of rub it in my face - really clarify what He is saying (I love Paul!) - Hey you - Jesus is all that for you - it is nothing you can do - so don't even start your boasting in yourself.
What does it look like for Christ Jesus (Messiah, human, perfect, Lord) to be my wisdom, perfectness, holiness maker, and Redeemer? I am not any of these in myself - none of it. I am worthless without Christ.
Then, I heard these verses read aloud tonight at a women's event I attended. I love hearing the Word read. To be honest - I want to hear it read with some excitement. The hearing of the word, the preaching of the Word, the proclaiming of the Word, should not be boring. I get that from my Young Life days - it is a sin to bore a kid with the gospel - how true. The gospel is our LIFE! Anyway, I digress:
Ps 145.15-19:
The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works. The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them.
Here is what these verses are saying: (and the you is God) - You give food, You open your hand, you satisfy, you are righteous, you are kind, you are near, you answer, you fulfill desires, you hear, you save. God does all these things for us - His children. He loves us! He loves me. He wants me to be intimate with Him. He wants me to cry out to Him. He wants me. He loves me. Have I said that enough? I'm saying it because I am need of hearing it. God is so good. God loves me. God loves me. God loves me. God loves me. God fulfills my desires - God cares for me - God is my perfection when I fail and mess up and fail again. When you think you don't believe - tell Satan to get away from you and repeat things to yourself: God loves me, God loves me. God loves me! This should make us excited! This should make us want to love Him in return and to love other people and to obey His Word and to tell others and to sing and cry out to Him even more.
I say what I type in my head -its really funny. Some of my girls say, I can hear you saying that. I can hear myself saying this and I love hearing those words but it is so hard to hear sometimes. It is so hard to believe. How arrogant of me that I think I'm too good for the love of God - or too bad for the love of God. God's arm is not too short that it can't save. JD always reminded me of that passage.

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