Is He all to me?

Matthew 12: 43-45
But when the unclean spirit has gone out of a man, it roams through dry [arid] places in search of rest, but it does not find any.  Then it says, I will go back to my house from which I came out. And when it arrives, it finds the place unoccupied, swept, put in order,  and  decorated.  Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and make their home there. And the last condition of that man becomes worse than the first. So also shall it be with this wicked generation.




As I observed what was being drawn out of her, I reflected on what comes out of me.  In an effort to have her understand what she was undergoing,  I revealed to her my most intimate struggles.  Nothing before its time, right?  Wrong.   There never is a perfect time to be obedient to the Holy Spirit, and there never is a cost to count or a loss to consider.

We are over comers by the Blood of the Lamb, and the word of our testimony.   We are uniquely prepared by our free will choices, His divine plan for our lives, and His Amazing Grace!  How can we hide so precious a treasure, so brilliant a light, and so incredible a talent - when that is our only purpose in this life?

The Road Not Taken

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood, 

And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler,long 

I stood And looked down one as far as I could 

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other,as just as fair, 

And having perhaps the better claim, 

Because it was grassy and wanted wear; 

Though as for that the passing there 

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay 

In leaves no step had trodden black. 

Oh,I kept the first for another day! 

Yet knowing how way leads on to way, 

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh 

Somewhere ages and ages hence: 

Two roads diverged in a wood,and 

I—I took the one less traveled by, 

And that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost (1874–1963). Mountain Interval. 1920.

I was never a scholar of poetry.  I believed I was and am a poet, but was never interested in reading other writers' works.  That poem, however, resonated in me subconsciously, for most of my life.  I must have read it somewhere, and even got the last part wrong: 'and that has made all the difference in the world'.

When she first appeared in my life, I began to have that poem surface in my thoughts.  Dutifully,  I looked it up, examined it from all angles, and shared it with her.  She apparently skipped over it (at that time, we hurled poetry at each other - and she was not yet saved).  As she struggles with her sanctity now, the poem returns.  I love her completely, and fear her heartily. 

Sharp doesn't begin to describe her blades.  It reminds me of that movie -'ALIEN'.  As many weapons as the alien queen had in her disposal, the worst was her acidic saliva.  That burning, agonizing death is harder to imagine than any other - and when she hurts, I burn. 

I do not digress, the question remains the same - am I His?
Would she or anyone be able to affect me if I truly died to self and abided in Him?  We love each other, but our love for Him should be greater.  Our love for each other should then reflect that greater love.

The second dimension of intelligence within the heart is Love.

"Love is the power of the universe. Therefore, your greatest defense in life is to protect, honor, and respect love in its many forms. When you maintain this principle with clarity, your life purposes will come into view. This is because all of your purposes are etched in love. Love is beyond just a feeling or an orientation. It is a dimension of intelligence and purposeful living. Above all, it is the essence of beingness. A person who is operating with a commitment to purpose has higher intelligence than one who is not. A person who is operating on his true purpose is then able to assign values to life. The heart’s intelligence is cumulative. Through perceptions of unity, priorities are established. Then love assigns the purposes. Furthermore, love heightens a person’s instinct to nourish, enhance, and apply those purposes. Love is both a way of being and also a pathway for becoming. Love ignites life. Love savors life and sustains faith and hope. Even though life often brings lessons in hard packages, learning happens only when forgiveness has occurred and love is restored. It is love that ignites the learning. Only with love can learning occur. That is how you take something from the school of hard knocks and transmute it into a permanent attainment. You can then say, ‘I don’t have to do this again. I have completed the lesson. I know the meaning behind the experience.’ Love brings certainty to life, and when your love is clear and unpolluted with regrets or false desires, you will have the confidence to live your life with passion. When you are certain of your love, there will be fuel for passion. With passion, there will be fuel for life. Meditate upon love as the power of your beingness and the essence of who you really are. Earnestly apply its principles and you will be successful in love and life."

“Love Without End Jesus Speaks” by Glenda Green, Chapter 7 p. 183-184

Asked and answered

Last night, my Pastor preached on:

2 Corinthians 6:11-18 GNT

Dear friends in Corinth! We have spoken frankly to you; we have opened our hearts wide.  It is not we who have closed our hearts to you; it is you who have closed your hearts to us.  I speak now as though you were my children: show us the same feelings that we have for you. Open your hearts wide!
Do not try to work together as equals with unbelievers, for it cannot be done. How can right and wrong be partners? How can light and darkness live together?  How can Christ and the Devil agree? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?  How can God's temple come to terms with pagan idols? For we are the temple of the living God! As God himself has said,

“I will make my home with my people

and live among them;

I will be their God,

and they shall be my people.” And so the Lord says,

“You must leave them

and separate yourselves from them.

Have nothing to do with what is unclean,

and I will accept you.
I will be your father,

and you shall be my sons and daughters,

says the Lord Almighty.”

Two things stood out last night.  The first was that he read from a similar translation to what I just used (as opposed to KJV).  The second was that he kept mentioning false Boaz along with false idols.  I paid keen attention because of all that happened to me these last few days. 

Thinking about what you said - I caused you to stumble, and what I did - Imade you an idol, made me realize God had something to say about the matter.   I thought about how I helped nurture you back to sanity.  Of all the assurances I gave and the promises we made.  Then I thought of Ruth and Boaz - how he came to her rescue.  His motivation was to help his kinsman, and while I felt I was doing the same - i guess we're not kinsmen (related).

You should watch 'The Notebook'.

Today though, I thought of their kinsman - their grandson, David. 

In 2Samuel 11 & 12, the story of David in the height of his sin against God. God shows his love for David by sending Samuel to deal with David. He reminds David that David has all he wants and needs. That if David was even greedy for more, he only had to ask God, and it would be done. Instead, David stole what he wanted, and killed the rightful owner to cover up the crime. I too, like David, am a friend of God. The one great difference - i have David's example, and therefore no excuse for my actions.