Friday, December 31, 2010

The Original Me

I remember in those early days of my Christian walk how preoccupied I was with what Jesus did and my desire to emulate His works. I got all fired up when it came to the healing of the sick. I wanted to see sign and wonders in our midst. I wanted to be as holy and righteous as He was. I wanted to be as good as He was. More than anything I wanted to do what is right, just like I perceived He did.


Now I find to my great amusement that I am more interested in who He was, that is, a perfect example of me. I recognize that He had a different ministry from mine. However, I am filled with the same Spirit as He was. The oneness He spoke about in relation to His Father is an established fact in my life too. I lack nothing compared to Jesus. I am just as righteous and holy. I can say as He did: If you have seen me you have seen my Father. He was a perfect expression of our original design which everyone who has accepted Christ has regained!


Jesus wasn’t an underling. He was so wonderfully full of Himself. There is not even a hint of false humility in how He viewed Himself. I am the way and the truth and the life, He said. What a bold statement! I do only what my Father does, He said at another occasion. No double mindedness in Him. He knew He was a perfect expression or manifestation of God. So am I! He never thought He had two natures that were in opposition to one another. There were no cracks in His understanding of oneness, that some part of Him was not of God – that there was a part of Him that merely was Himself doing all those stupid things we assign to ourselves. No! Everything is God! And this is the mystery: Everything is me as well! Here I am full of myself and at the same time an expression of God! Only God could come up with a scheme like this!


What a fascinating and intriguing Father we have – never afraid to associate Himself with us. What generosity! What humbleness! My father is definitely not ashamed of me! No reason for me to be either. I am, that is, I exist – here I am! I can sense myself with everything I am. I am not afraid of myself. No need to be. I can safely trust all those emotions, desires and thoughts that swell up in me trusting God by faith regarding everything I am, because I am the original me created in His likeness!

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Nothingness Supplanted by the Knowledge of God

Scientists have discovered that the universe is expanding. What does the universe supplant when it expands? It supplants nothing. This is nonsense to our minds – it is incomprehensible. Who can imagine nothingness supplanted by something else?
In the same manner our inner universe is ever expanding.  Nothingness is supplanted by an awareness of God who has taken complete possession of us. Fleshy thought patterns inherited from the fall – they are of course nothing – are supplanted by recognition of the indwelling God. We do not understand this either, but we can experience it as we increasingly settle in His rest. This is the mystery revealed: Christ in us. Flesh and blood hasn't revealed this to us - every revelation comes from our Father in heaven. By virtue of that He indwells us heaven is in us. Our spirit is the conduit through which He speak those words almost too grand to utter and which made the religious scold and hate Jesus. In the same manner they will scold and hate us because of our testimony. However, nothingness will ultimately be supplanted by recognition of God as the One who is all in all. As the time draws close towards the consummation of time nothingness will be more and more visible - another paradox - when it is contrasted with the knowledge of God. At last everything which remains is God when the nothingness is done away with.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Sow to the Spirit

Paul wrote to the Galatians: ”For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.”


The first man to sow to his own flesh was Adam when he attempted to become like God by eating from the wrong tree. In reality this is the whole enchilada. Anyone who tries to improve himself according to a fixed set of laws, ordinances or whichever system that is based on the tree to knowledge of good and evil is in reality attempting to become like God. The corruption Paul speaks about is the curse that Adam faced after his fatal decision not to believe that he was created in God’s likeness and hence perfect in Him.


God said to Adam: “Cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you.” Ever from the beginning God has said that self-improvement is impossible; the ground is cursed. Attempt to please God by your own efforts and all you will bring forth are thorns and thistles. The thorns and thistles will sting you as condemnation and disappointment in yourself. Slowly but surely you are lead to the end of yourself. When the scripture speaks about carnal minded believers it refers to those who haven’t grasped who they are in Christ through faith, and thus struggle in their own powers to become righteous, that is, meet the standards they believe God has set up for them.


Those who sow to the Spirit are those who have embraced the truth and entered His rest where they rest from their own works. They know who they are in Christ and hence by faith daily experience the powers of the age to come, that is, eternal life.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

The One Who Dwells in Me Does His Work

As new creations we can trust all our emotions. We are created in His likeness and thus all of our emotions are made holy and righteous in Him. To classify our emotions in good and bad is one of the enemy’s tricks and a residue from the fleshy mind patterns that were engraved in us when we fed from the tree to knowledge of good and evil. We are made whole and perfect in Christ and since He now lives in us we can accept all our emotions as a manifestation of Him. We do not have to understand all of the emotions that surge to the surface in our soul life. God is mighty to use all of them to His glory or to His purposes. We are never exhorted to question our emotions, but to enter His rest. In His rest there exists merely one reality: Life at its fullest and that includes all our soul reactions. God is our keeper and He has promised that all things work together for good. All things mean all things. No exception! Our spirit center, however, where we are joined one spirit with God is perpetually fixed in Him. The author of the epistle to the Hebrews wrote: “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” The word of God is Christ and by virtue of the fact that He lives in us He helps us to discern between what is our calm and peaceful spirit-center and the emotions which so often confuse and confound us. We are who we are by His grace and that includes our soul. As we mature we cease nagging God about fixing us, because by faith we know that we are forever made perfect in Him. I can’t add one iota to His generous work in me. If He wants to change me that is His privilege. Remember what Jesus said; the Father who dwells in me does his works. He still does His works in you and me. You can behold it with your single-eye of faith. Don’t forget that He has accepted and chosen us and included us in His family. Personally, I don’t doubt His choices!