Light and Truth

Psa 43:3  O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles.

"O send out thy light." The Psalmist desired that light might be sent out, that
is, that there might be an appearing, an arising of it in some tangible, soul-felt way. The soul, lost in darkness,
and crying out after light, is not satisfied
with a simple conviction, however deep, that with God is light. The thirsty man, parched for water, is
not allayed by knowing that there is water in the well; nor is the miner who
has been trapped in a cave-in, content with knowing that there is light above. One
faint ray of light gleaming through a small crack in the rocks will be worth more to him than a thousand suns,
unseen by him, blazing away, high in the sky.

And thus the struggling lamb will not rest, can not rest,
in the bare knowledge that "God is light, and in him is no darkness at all,"
but his sigh and cry is that this light may be sent out of the fullness of
God into his soul, so as to shed abroad His glorious inward light in his heart,
whereby he may see the truth of God; whereby he may see the glory of God, whereby he can see the full love of God
in the sacrifice of His Holy Lamb; and know that his name is written in the book
of life. That he may see  his own eternal union with Jesus, and in seeing his own eternal union with the risen Lord,
he might enjoy communion with Him, and know presence of Almighty God in his soul,
to have His glory revealed, and made manifest in his heart.

This was the cry of David's heart that night, as he sought the face of God. He wasn't
looking for help or sympathy from men or their traditions. He needed, as we all do,
that which only God could provide: Light and Truth.

It is a picture of a tempest-tossed soul. Sun and stars beclouded, compass
lost, chart useless, pilot absent, and breakers ahead. Lost in a storm of guilt,
despondency, gloomy forebodings or dismal, dreary apprehensions.

How many of us can see ourselves here? Driven from our course;  sun and stars all obscured; no clear
evidences, no bright manifestations; darkness above, and a raging sea
beneath; no harbor in sight, and hope of reaching home, fading fast. I think this describes
everyone that I know of, at one time or another.

Yet David knew in His heart where to find the light, as do all lambs.
You find the Light in the Truth.

He says, "O send out thy light and
thy truth." What was "the truth" which he sought to know? The truth of Messiah; the truth of His
sacrifice; the truth of His justifying blood, the truth of His righteousness;
the truth of deliverance from the curse and condemnation of men, that
truth whereby the soul is set free, according to the words, "Ye shall
know the truth, and the truth shall make you free;" the truth whereby the
affections of the soul are separated, and set free from the things of time and sense, and fixed on the
realities of eternity; in a word, to know the Truth, Himself, and to discover the Light, in Him
who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

It is clear from his words, that David could not be
comforted by any other than God. This is the witness, my friends,
of the work of God's grace upon his soul. When a man
is so distressed in his feelings, so cast down in his mind, and so troubled in his
conscience, that none but God can comfort him, he is at once on the
footsteps of the Spirit. We do not find hypocrites on this ground.  Zion's special mark is that she,
His beloved, can not be comforted by any other than her Lord, her wounds are too deep for human balms, her
sickness too sore for the medicines of men. Almighty God has reserved her comfort for His
hands alone; from His lips only, can consolation be spoken into her soul.

Through the grace of the Spirit of God, David saw the Truth, and received the Light; much
the same as Job, Abraham, Jacob, or Moses. How can this be? You ask. How could David have seen the Truth and received the Light a thousand years before Messiah would come? Because in the Eternal Realms of God, where time has no presence or meaning, Messiah is the Paschal Lamb of God, slain before the foundation of the world.
The power of His sacrifice flowed backward, as well as forward across time. How else could Job sing out that
He knew his Redeemer lived and would resurrect him at the last day; how else could Abraham see His
day and be glad therein? You can see from the second part of our verse, that David, as Job and Abraham
before him, knew the Truth, and had seen the Light, in the power of the Spirit of the Living God.

Let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles. He asks that Truth and Light bring him to the
holy hill of God. In the days before the building of the Temple in Jerusalem, there was no permanent sacred
or holy hill, or place in Israel; he could only be talking about the holy hill of Golgatha, the place of sacrifice,
the holy hill of God, where the Light and the Truth was made manifest in the flesh; slain; and in His resurrection, made available
to all who would seek It. And he asks to be brought into God to celebrate the feast of tabernacles with the rest of God's
redeemed lambs through all eternity.

This was the cry of David's heart, and the longing of his soul as he penned these words. This too is the cry
of our heart, and the longing in our soul as we sail these stormy waters of life, often alone and in distress.
If this is where you are, if you have lost your bearings, or the sight of shore; the same God that came to comfort David
will also bring His refreshment and His renewal to you. Simply follow the path David has laid out for you;
seek the Truth with all that is within you, and you will find the Light; and once we have seen the Light, the journey home is all laid out
for us. We simply need to follow the Light.

Softer Moods

There are softer seasons,
Sprinkled among the years:
Times when the springs
Of life are unsealed,
And heavenly purposes
Come into birth.
We speak of being refreshed,
As though the rain had fallen;
As indeed it has:
Turning the hard ground,
Into forcing beds,
Of luxurient growth.
"I will come down as the rain"
Says the Lord of Hosts;
And like the mist He comes.
Creating softer moods
In the old stony ground;
Causing it to be fragrant,
With the budding fruit
Of His Kingdom of Righteousness.

New Homeland Security Laser Scanner Reads People At Molecular Level

The Department of Homeland Security will soon be using a laser at airports that can detect everything about you from over 160-feet away. Gizmodo reports a scanner that could read people at the molecular level has been invented. This laser-based scanner – which can be used 164-feet away — could read everything from a person’s adrenaline levels, to traces of gun powder on a person’s clothes, to illegal substances — and it can all be done without a physical search. It also could be used on multiple people at a time, eliminating random searches at airports.
The laser-based scanner is expected to be used in airports as soon as 2013, Gizmodo reports.
The scanner is called the Picosecond Programmable Laser. The device works by blasting its target with lasers which vibrate molecules that are then read by the machine that determine what substances a person has been exposed to. This could be Semtex explosives to the bacon and egg sandwich they had for breakfast that morning.

The inventor of this invasive technology is Genia Photonics. Active since 2009, they hold 30 patents on laser technology designed for scanning. In 2011, they formed a partnership with In-Q-Tel, a company chartered by the CIA and Congress to build “a bridge between the Agency and a new set of technology innovators.”
Genia Photonics wouldn’t be the only ones with similar technology as George Washington University developed something similar in 2008, according to Gizmodo. The Russians also developed something akin to the Picosecond Programmable laser. The creators of that scanner claim that “it is even able to detect traces of explosives left by fingerprints.”
But what makes Genia Photonics’ version so special is that the machine is more compact compared to the other devices and can still maintain its incredible range.
Although the technology could be used by “Big Brother,” Genia Photonics states that the device could be far more beneficial being used for medical purposes to check for cancer in real time, lipids detection, and patient monitoring.

?

Have you ever groaned
In bleeding lamentations?
Has the iron never
Entered your soul?
The lamb comes to Truth,
Only through a bitter draft;
He arrives at the banquet,
Weathered by the pangs of hunger;
He lays hold of the
Robe of Righteousness,
While yet chilled
In his own nakedness.

from Consumed

It is said of life in the flesh that you are what you eat. So it is with life in the spirit:

To eat His flesh, and to drink His blood,
Is to become broken bread and poured out wine;
To eat His flesh, and to drink His blood,
Is to consume His righteousness,
And thereby become the sons of God;
To eat His flesh, and to drink His blood,
Is to partake of His holiness,
And thereby become the priests of God;
To eat His flesh, and drink His blood,
Is to be filled with His glory,
And thereby become the call of God;
To eat His flesh, and drink His blood,
Is to be consumed by His love,
And thereby become the hand of God.

A Distinctive Loveliness

Light is sown steadily,
Within the righteous:
A seemless, sequential,
Laying of seed;
That the garden
He has prepared,
Is never without flora
In radiant bloom;
They build, and amplify,
One, upon another,
In invitive succession;
Adorning each new dawn,
With its own
Distinctive loveliness.

Cry

Prayer, is in
The intimate breathing
Of the heart
After God;
There is more
Depth, power,
And fertility,
In the inward sigh
And groan
Of a broken heart;
Than in any
Expression
Of the lips.

After All

The Light,
So magical
In its morning beauty,
Has lost none
Of its Luster:

The River,
Which flows
Through past ages,
Has not dried-up
In the sands of time:

The Fire,
That blazed so clear,
As life itself,
Has not died
Down to ashes:

The Living God,
In all His majesty,
Is still our refuge;
As He has spoken it;
So it will be.

Air Force Document: Drones Can Be Used To Spy On Americans

A newly discovered Air Force intelligence brief states that should fleets of unmanned drones accidentally capture surveillance footage of Americans, the data can be stored and analyzed by the Pentagon for up to 90 days.

The instruction, dated April 23, admits that the Air Force cannot legally conduct “nonconsensual surveillance” on Americans, but also states that should the drones”incidentally” capture data while conducting other missions, military intelligence has the right to study it to determine whether the subjects are legitimate targets of domestic surveillance.

“Collected imagery may incidentally include US persons or private property without consent,” the instruction states.

The Air Force can take advantage of “a period not to exceed 90 days” to use the data to assess “whether that information may be collected under the provisions of Procedure 2, DoD 5240.1-R and permanently retained under the provisions of Procedure 3, DoD 5240.1-R.” it continues.

The Pentagon directives cited authorize limited domestic spying in certain scenarios such as natural disasters, environmental cases, and monitoring activity around military bases.

Should the drones capture data on Americans, the Air Force says that it should determine whether they are, among other things, “persons or organizations reasonably believed to be engaged or about to engage, in international terrorist or international narcotics activities.”

The instruction also states that the Pentagon can disseminate the data to other intelligence and government agencies, should it see fit.

“Even though information may not be collectible, it may be retained for the length of time necessary to transfer it to another DoD entity or government agency to whose function it pertains.” the document reads.

The document was discovered by Steven Aftergood of the Federation of American Scientists.

Worlder

A restless craving,
Churns in his heart;
For a light he cannot see,
A warmth unknown;
There are aching voids:
Yawning chasms
Within his soul,
That tinsel pleasures
Can never fill.
His hope is ever
Gilding a future,
That the present denies;
Lured and bedazzled,
He pursues the phantom;
Never coming to know,
The object of his search,
Is as far from him
As ever!

The Joy

The joy
Of the morning
Dries
Life's bitterest tears
The heart
Of the child
Leaps
At the sight,

Of his Father's house.

Wander

As in water;
Face answers to face:
So the heart of
Man to man.
The winds will blow,
And the rains will fall;
The sirens are subtle,
And the heart of man
Is winsome and flirtatious.
The excursions of a lamb,
Are from a God
He has known --
From a Savior
He has loved --
From pastures he has
Roamed with delight.
We have tasted of the Lord;
Heard His voice;
Fed from His hands;
And yet we wander.

Fathoms

A night of woe,
Spreads a heavy drape:
A harbinger - a prelude;
A forecaster of shadow,
Yea, dark things loom
In the deep mists.
Amid the somber hues
Of time and sense,
There is a Garden,
And One who prays.
Faith embraces the
Mystery of Godliness;
Hope casts its anchor
Within the veil;
And Love gently lifts,
To His Eternal shores
Of wholeness.

The Dream

A white line -- delicate,
Yet so intricately woven,
Suddenly pierced
The black nothingness:
A singularity of light;
Then another -- square unto it,
Sprang into perspective;
Then a third,
Perpendicular to all,
Shined into existence.

Then, with
The lightest touch
Of His Word,
The space created
Leaped into life,
With delicate, wondrous
Patterns of light:
Lines, circles, and curls;
Filled with color,
All intertwined;
Like the crescendo
Of a visual symphony.

The cup of my dream
Then ran over,
Like a river that
Overflows her banks:
For I dreamed
An infinity of dreams
In an instant;
And this infinity;
Multiplied by Infinity,
Created all possibilities,
In one magnificent Now.

It was a perfect realm,
Whose ever changing patterns,
Resonated in the eternal now:
A blend of sounds, textures,
Colors, and dimensions;
Seeding new patterns
Into countless infinities;
All dancing to the absolute,
Perfect control of
God's eternal awareness.

**there is, my friends, one more verse
always in my dream; but at the conclusion of this scene
I always awake with a consciousness and a
dread of destruction and oblivion, and can see no further. **

Into this perfect realm,
He created reflections
Of His awareness,
And gave them purpose:
He brought into the dream;
Beings of beauty,
And intellect, with
A sense of self.
Set, at their creation,
To share the dream;
He sent their ken
Into His infinities,
To peer into possibility;
And to manifest reality.

** Here the dream ends; always **

Arizona Passes Sweeping Internet Censorship Bill

The state legislature of Arizona has passed a bill that vastly broadens telephone harassment laws and applies them to the Internet and other means of electronic communication.

The law, which is being pushed under the guise of an anti-bullying campaign, would mean that anything communicated or published online that was deemed to be “offensive” by the state, including editorials, illustrations, and even satire could be criminally punished.

The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund breaks down Arizona House Bill 2549:

“The bill is sweepingly broad, and would make it a crime to communicate via electronic means speech that is intended to ‘annoy,’ ‘offend,’ ‘harass’ or ‘terrify,’ as well as certain sexual speech. Because the bill is not limited to one-to-one communications, H.B. 2549 would apply to the Internet as a whole, thus criminalizing all manner of writing, cartoons, and other protected material the state finds offensive or annoying.”

First Amendment activist group Media Coalition has written to Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, urging her not to sign the legislation into law.

The letter notes that the terms used in the bill are not defined in the statute or by reference, and thereby the law could be broadly applied to almost any statement.


“H.B. 2549 would make it a crime to use any electronic or digital device to communicate using obscene, lewd or profane language or to suggest a lewd or lascivious act if done with intent to ‘annoy,’ ‘offend,’ ‘harass’ or ‘terrify,’” the letter notes. … ‘Lewd’ and ‘profane’ are not defined in the statute or by reference. ‘Lewd’ is generally understood to mean lusty or sexual in nature and ‘profane’ is generally defined as disrespectful or irreverent about religion or religious practices.”

“H.B. 2549 is not limited to a one to one conversation between two specific people. The communication does not need to be repetitive or even unwanted. There is no requirement that the recipient or subject of the speech actually feel offended, annoyed or scared. Nor does the legislation make clear that the communication must be intended to offend or annoy the reader, the subject or even any specific person.” the letter continues.

In this respect the law could even technically be applied to someone posting a status update on Facebook.

“Speech protected by the First Amendment is often intended to offend, annoy or scare but could be prosecuted under this law.”The Media Coalition letter continues.

“A Danish newspaper posted pictures of Muhammad that were intended to be offensive to make a point about religious tolerance. If a Muslim in Arizona considers the images profane and is offended, the paper could be prosecuted. Some Arizona residents may consider Rush Limbaugh’s recent comments about a Georgetown law student lewd. He could be prosecuted if he intended his comments to be offensive. Similarly, much general content available in the media uses racy or profane language and is intended to offend, annoy or even terrify.”

“Bill Maher’s stand up routines and Jon Stewart’s nightly comedy program, Ann Coulter’s books criticizing liberals and Christopher Hitchens’ expressions of his disdain for religion, Stephen King’s novels or the Halloween films all could be subject to this legislation. Even common taunting about sports between rival fans done online is frequently meant to offend or annoy, and is often done using salty and profane language.”

This type of legislation is far from unprecedented. Last year, former president Bill Clinton proposed a law to censor internet speech. “It would be a legitimate thing to do,” Clinton said in an interview that aired on CNBC. Clinton suggested the government should set-up an agency that monitors all media speech for supposed factual errors.

“That is, it would be like, I don’t know, National Public Radio or BBC or something like that, except it would have to be really independent and they would not express opinions, and their mandate would be narrowly confined to identifying relevant factual errors” he said. “And also, they would also have to have citations so that they could be checked in case they made a mistake. Somebody needs to be doing it, and maybe it’s a worthy expenditure of taxpayer money.”

Cass Sunstein, head the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, has also proposed banning speech on the internet that  the government disagrees with. Sunstein proposed the creation of an internet “Fairness Doctrine” similar to the one that was used for years to limit and eliminate free speech on the radio.

This legislation represents yet another move to police and control freedom of expression via the internet. Once again it grants the state and the government the direct right to determine what is and is not “offensive” on a whim. It then allows for the prosecution of individuals and organisations based on such summations – an extremely dangerous precedent to set.

Homily

The witness
Of the Spirit,
Is that first
Streak of light,
Bringing the promise,
Of the coming day.
A pouring within,
Of the grapes
Of Eschol.
Showing what
The vintage will be.

Tiniest Puppy

WEST SACRAMENTO — A puppy named after one of the world's biggest pop stars could set the world's record for tiniest dog.

Animal rescuers in Northern California say the female Dachshund mix, named Beyonce, was so small at birth that she could fit into a spoon. At two weeks, she's about the size of a business card.
The Grace Foundation, based in El Dorado County, says animal control picked up Beyonce's pregnant mother, and she gave birth to a litter of five on March 8.
Beyonce was the last one delivered, and was born without a heartbeat. Veterinarians managed to revive her through chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
The foundation says she'll be ready for adoption in about two weeks.
Meanwhile, it has submitted an application to Guinness World Records for world's smallest dog.

Peace

John 14:27  Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.

Here, in John 14, our Lord was about to leave this world; and He knew it. So on this night, in His high priestly prayer, He makes His last requests known; kinda like a living will -- the world's first living will. His soul he committed to his Father; His clothes, He knew would fall to the soldiers; His mother, He would leave in the care of John: but what did He leave to His disciples, and all those who would believe on Him through them? Silver and gold He had none; but He left them, and us, something infinitely more valuable, His peace. "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you." I not only give you a title to it, He said, but I give you possession of it.  As a dying father leaves his portions to his children; so His peace is a part of our inheritance as lambs of the Living God; and it can never be taken from us if we do not give it up.

This peace is a harmonic rightness with God implanted deep within our hearts, it is also a budding union with all of God’s universe. Natural forces are at our back, when we are right with God and walk in His peace;  as it is written “The whole creation groans and waits for the manifestation of the children of God.” When a man is one with the Maker he has the co-operation of all that the Maker has made. The winds and currents are his friends, and  the heavens fight on his side -- even the stones of the field lay in covenant with the lamb living in the flow of God's peace.

Most people, when they think of a peaceful setting, would seek it near some secluded mountain-lake, nestling quiet and untroubled far from the beaten path, and where even the cry of a nature is only rarely heard. It is by these “still waters,” and in these deep silences, that they call to mind the gift of peace. Others may see visualizations of a different sort, a beach, a boat, it could be anything; but for me when I think on the peace of God, I think of the verse from Isaiah: thy peace is like a river. this may seem, at first glance, like an odd choice, but for me, the peace our Lord bequeathed to us is a peace of motion and fulfillment, not one necessarily of quiet and stillness.

How prescient and thoughtful was the prophet’s choice of a river as his figure of peace.  Not a lake, not a pool, not a scene of quiet and stillness, but a river. He is not necessarily deriding the idea of a peaceful quietude; he is trying to point to a quality of life and movement:  peace is not motionless quietude, but quiet motion. Peace has its appropriate figure in the brimming river,  quiet because of its steadiness and depth. God's peace in our souls, my friend,  is liquid, frictionless motion, in the midst of the chaos that surrounds it. What he was trying to get across to us is that  this perfect peace is found in a lamb's life only when that life moves and breathes in God’s life without complaint, without fret,  and without friction. It is not so much found in the absence of sound as in the absence of any discordant notes. The peace of Christ is musical movement, it is a divine harmony of spirits.

Our Master’s conception of this peace is given in His often repeated words, “I and My Father are one.” When one life flows into another life with seamless perfection; commingling—will with will, soul with soul, heart with heart, the two become one, this is the the essential secret of experiencing and living in His peace. And when that perfect commingling is between the the lamb's heart and God, he will have learned the secret of perfect peace. That was the peace our Lord enjoyed -- His peace, and this is the peace He  has promised and provided, “My peace I give unto you.”

Communion

Communion;
Communion with God:
The words fell freely
Through my lips;
But the savor,
Where was the savor?
"Oh, what a stranger am I
To the Living One, and all
That I flattered myself
To be acquainted with.
What do I know of
His transforming vision?
Of His inexpressible love?"
I, who could not abandon
My lust, and my shame.
Trapped in the flaming passion
Of performance, and duty:
I begat Him with my lips,
Yet saw Him not in my life.
Oh, that I might love Thee,
Let all else flee, and fall away;
That I might love Thee.

Out on the campus lawn,
Under a willow;
Almost unable to speak:
Little did I know
The power and the prophesy,
Of those words; those words
I had so longingly uttered;
And which had been
So lovingly heard;
That lonely midnight prayer,
That changed my life forever.

Amen; and praise
His Mighty Name!

Dying; We Live

After the Lord has quickened our souls, and we try to get serious about our spiritual life; we tend to think that from here on in, our way of life is to keep God's commandments — obey the law — cleanse ourselves from sin — reform our lives — cultivate universal holiness in thought, word, and action — and so we go — blundering and stumbling on in darkness — and all the while never get a single step forward.

We are ever looking for something in self to make ourselves acceptable to God. We are often sadly cast down and discouraged when we cannot find in ourselves — that holiness — that obedience — that calm submission to the will of God — that serenity of soul — that spirituality — that heavenly-mindedness — which we believe to be acceptable in His sight.

Our quick tempers — our fretful, anxious minds — our rebellious thoughts — our coldness and barrenness of heart — our constant struggle with the darkness within us — with the daily feeling that we get no better, but often worse — make us think that God views us just as we view ourselves -- as utter failures. And this brings on great darkness of mind and bondage of spirit — until we seem to lose sight of our acceptance in Christ — and get into the miserable dregs of self — almost ready to quarrel with God over our state of grace, because we seem so vile to ourselves, and only seem to get worse as we go along.

Now the more we get into these dregs of self — and the more we keep looking at the dreadful scenes of wreck and ruin which our heart presents to our daily view — the farther do we get from the grace of the gospel — and the more do we lose sight of the only ground of our acceptance with God.

Hear the words of Paul from the Letter to the Ephesians:

Eph 1:4  According as he hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love:
Eph 1:5  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
Eph 1:6  To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the beloved.

It is in His righteousness; His sacrifice; His mercy; and His love that we are accepted into His beloved — and not for any good words — good works — good thoughts — good hearts -- or, for that matter, any good anything of our own. If there be any righteousness in us; it is only because He has placed it there -- not because of any natural seed within us.


But the Lord will allow us to wear ourselves out worrying about our own righteousness -- we all do at one time or another -- and after He has let us sink lower and lower into the pit of guilt and ruin, from feeling that all our attempts to extricate ourselves have only plunged us deeper and deeper into the mire. Here, in this deep pit of shame, as we abandon ourselves, our Lord opens a door within our hearts, and His Spirit floods our soul with a witness to keep us from sinking altogether into despair, without hope or help, without an understanding; and He immerses our soul in a vital discovery of Jesus, who He is, why He came, and of His glorious sacrifice thus making it known -- and clear to us, that there is a Savior, there is a Mediator, and there is a way of escape provided — this is a grand turning point in our walk with God, when we finally see the Opening in the valley of Achor (trouble), a way of life; a door of hope; a way out.

The fruit and the effect of this divine illumination is to cut in pieces, and root up all our fleshly wisdom, strength, and righteousness. God will never patch a new piece upon an old garment. All our wisdom, our strength, our righteousness must be torn to pieces. It must all be ripped out by the roots — that a new wisdom, a new strength, and a new righteousness may arise upon its ruins.

But until the Lord is pleased to drive us to this moment, to our own point of despair, and teach us through His Spirit of Illumination, we never can part with our own righteousness — never give up our own wisdom — never abandon our own strength. These things are a part and parcel of ourselves — they are who we are; so ingrained and innate within us, that we cannot willingly part with them until the Lord Himself demolishes the house we have built up in our own strength. Then, as He flashes into our souls  the vision of our corruption and our folly in a thousand ways, and our blindness to all things of the spirit — our wisdom fades away. As He shows us our inability to resist temptation and overcome sin, by any exertion of our own — our confidence in our own strength and righteousness dissipates, and dies, as we begin, at last, to put on the new man.

Upon the bleached remains, then, of our own wisdom, righteousness and strength, does God build up Christ's wisdom, Christ's righteousness, and Christ's strength. But only so far as we are filled with His Spirit can a death sentence be carried out  upon our own wisdom, strength, and righteousness — and a new life in our risen Lord begin.

"As dying, and, behold, we live." 2 Corinthians 6:9

Though we die, and die daily — yet, behold, we live. And in a sense, the more we die, the more we live. The more we die to self — the more we die to sin. The more we die to pride and self-righteousness — the more we die to creature strength. The more we die to sinful nature — the more we live to grace. This runs all the way through the life and experience of a believer.

Nature must die, that grace may live. The weeds must be plucked up, that the crop may grow. The flesh must be starved, that the spirit may be fed. The old man must be put off, that the new man may be put on. The deeds of the body must be mortified, that the soul may live unto God. As then we die — we live. The more we die to our own strength, the more we live to Christ's strength. The more we die to creature hope, the more we live to a solid hope through grace. The more we die to our own righteousness, the more we live to Christ's righteousness. The more we die to the world, the more we live to and for the Kingdom of Heaven. This is the grand mystery — that the believer is always suffering, yet always joyful; always emptying himself, yet always full; always dying, yet eternally alive — and the more he dies, the more he lives. For the death of the flesh, is the life of the spirit, and the death of sin, is the life of righteousness. The death of the creature, is the very life of God in our souls. And this, my friends is our only way of escape; our only way out: "As dying, and, behold, we live."

Driving Through The Storms

Driving through the storms;
My wits hover,
In the consciousness
Of His loving presence;
And all unrest is soothed:
The heaving ocean,
Lodged high in my throat;
Is as an untroubled bayou;
Charmed, and glistening,
In the evening sun.

Yesterday was quite a day on the road for me. I was right in the middle of the Kentucky/Indiana/Ohio tornado outbreak. I was in Ky, across the Ohio River from Indiana & Ohio when the first group went through; I could see the clouds across the river; storm sirens were going off everywhere in a driving rain and emergency vehicles were flying down the road toward the blackest part of the clouds. It didn't iake a rocket scientist to see that this was a ferocious storm; yet it came no closer to me. The second storm was a different matter; it was much closer, and on a normal Friday, would have been directly in my path. I was southeast of Cincinnati on route 125, and I could see the storm move in and hit directly in front of me, Bethel was only a few miles ahead of me on this same road, but on this night, a regular customer in Georgetown -- further up this same road, the other side of Bethel -- did not order, so I headed north instead of further southeast. Had I gone to Georgetown, as usual, I would have been directly in its path at almost exactly the right time. As I headed home; and dozens of emergency vehicles passed the other way by me towards the storm damage; Psalm 91 echoed over and over again in my mind: Marysville, Indiana was on my right -- Bethel, Ohio was on my left -- yet did I pass through it all untouched. Who can understand or know His ways?