Coming Into The Light

I wonder if we view our Father's correction through the eyes/mindset of shame, how can we not perceive Him actually rejecting us?
Without the needed ongoing correction being brought into our lives (the proof of His love is in fact, Him correcting us) we will have His image in us but not His likeness.

Hebrews 12:7-9 (The Message)

In this all-out match against sin, others have suffered far worse than you, to say nothing of what Jesus went through—all that bloodshed! So don't feel sorry for yourselves. Or have you forgotten how good parents treat children, and that God regards you as his children?
My dear child, don't shrug off God's discipline, but don't be crushed by it either. It's the child he loves that he disciplines; the child he embraces, he also corrects.
God is educating you; that's why you must never drop out. He's treating you as dear children. This trouble you're in isn't punishment; it's training, the normal experience of children. Only irresponsible parents leave children to fend for themselves. Would you prefer an irresponsible God? We respect our own parents for training and not spoiling us, so why not embrace God's training so we can truly live? While we were children, our parents did what seemed best to them. But God is doing what is best for us, training us to live God's holy best. At the time, discipline isn't much fun. It always feels like it's going against the grain. Later, of course, it pays off handsomely, for it's the well-trained who find themselves mature in their relationship with God.

Maybe it's because of not knowing/seeing the truth of who we are (how we ARE accepted in Him) and who we are becoming, that the only recourse for so many is in trying to obey the rules, making the outside of the cup to look so pretty, while all the time hidden inside is one cowering in shame.
Without coming to know of our acceptance in the Father's love, we will work hard at being known for who we're not....'If folks really knew me, they would reject me.' If we believe God (the Father) sees us as losers, then why try to be someone we're not?

One of the greatest benefits of walking free of this shame, is being set free to BE the person He has called us to be, before sin ever entered the world.

Rich

Not Kingdom People, But Family

Many Christians speak of being "kingdom people."
The point of Christianity, as many see it, is to get into the kingdom of God, or to take hold of the kingdom.
This mistaken idea is another offshoot of the lack of clear understanding about not only who we are, but also about relationship. Many in the body do not understand their true relationship with the Father. God has only two roles--that of King and that of Father. What many Christians do not understand is that the role of Father is more precious to God than the role of King. God is King over all creation. Every person on the face of the earth will one day acknowledge God's sovereignty. However, only God's children can call Him "Father." We often do not understand that the kingdom refers to the nation of Israel, not to Christians. It was never God's intention that we were to become kingdom people. Our relationship is deeper and more intimate than a kingdom relationship.

Many of Jesus' teachings show that there is a definite difference between the kingdom people and the children of God, for example, "I say unto you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 8:11-12)
How can Jesus say both that many will come to the kingdom and that the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown out? Obviously, Jesus speaks here of two different kingdoms.

The first kingdom Christ refers to in this passage is the kingdom of heaven. This kingdom is the family of God. The second kingdom mentioned is the kingdom of earthly people, or Israel. Being members of God's family is a relational matter which is not dissolvable. Membership in an earthly kingdom is a temporary state of affairs and can change with changing situations. It is for this reason that when a Jew accepts Christ, he is reborn and ceases to be a Jew. Just as anyone who accepts Christ ceases to be who they once were and becomes something new--a Christ-person (2 Corinthians 5:17).
If the idea of loosing your national, racial, or cultural identity is offensive to you, there is a question you need to ask yourself. You need to ask yourself, "Is my culture or racial identity more important to me than Christ?"

Too often, the people of the family of God are trying to establish themselves in a lower place that God would have for them. Often the Father's children try to be citizens of an earthly nation or God's employees or to engage in some other non-personal relationship. God's desire, however, is that we should have a personal relationship with Him. God seeks from us intimacy in our relationship with Him. God desires the intimacy of family relationship, because this is a permanent state of relation. It is because God is eternal that He desires permanence in His relations with us. Employees are hindered and fired. Citizens can be exiled or banished. But children are children forever. It is the permanent family relationship that God desires to have with us.

Rich

Excerpt taken from my good friend Bill Lnadon, from his book, Life In The Leper Colony

Darkness, Trying To Be Light

In my opinion, what was offered in the garden of Eden, was a heart relationship with God the Father. That was not fully realized in that they (man) choose to accept the lies of another father, the 'father of lies' as Jesus referred to him.

There is no sense in trying to copy something that has no intrinsic value, you won't see any bogus brown paper lunch bags being made, why, they are of little worth.

What was being offered on the baited hook of the serpents offer to Adam and Eve was in its purest form, nothing but religion, in fact I see Satan disguised as the serpent being the father of all religion. Could the heart beat of religion be, that Satan wanted to be worshiped as god?

In giving man the freedom to choose, i.e. the two trees in the garden,God was setting man up so that he could serve somebody....Bob Dylan sang a song about that I think?
Man was created to be dependent upon another for the impetus to be propelled forward in his living, the lie or at least part of it was that he, in listening to the serpent, thought he could be self-propelled. (self-governed)

Question, how can that which was created to be dependent upon another ever become independent? Man choosing to imbibe in the lie, saw himself becoming what appeared to be, independent.

Is it a religious contract the Father offers to us today, our is it to know Him? I am come that you might have Life!!

Rich

He is the Life-Way-Reality

It's not our ideas that define the truth-reality, it is Him in us wanting to bring us into the Truth, defining that which is real.
This realness (reality) will be the only thing that can transform us-set us free..free from what, evil, bad stuff? No, more often than not what I see Him setting me free from is anything that has tried to take the place of knowing Him as my all.

Is it possible to have a 'faith' passed down to us by others, as it was in the case of Job..the basis of his faith hinged upon the repeated oral teachings from father to son.
It was only after all hell was loosed upon Job that he was brought into contact with the One who allowed this hellish nightmare to be unleashed in his life.
His faith-relationship was now dependent upon the truth of seeing God for himself.

Job answered God: "I'm convinced: You can do anything and everything. Nothing and no one can upset your plans.You asked, 'Who is this muddying the water, ignorantly confusing the issue, second-guessing my purposes?'I admit it. I was the one. I babbled on about things far beyond me, made small talk about wonders way over my head.You told me, 'Listen, and let me do the talking. Let me ask the questions. You give the answers.'I admit I once lived by rumors of you; now I have it all firsthand—from my own eyes and ears!I'm sorry—forgive me. I'll never do that again, I promise! I'll never again live on crusts of hearsay, crumbs of rumor."

Who do you say that I AM?

Rich

His Life, The True Matrix

After reading something from another blog, I would like to share my thoughts here.

‘Once you’ve stepped out of the bonds of organized religion and come face to face with the fresh reality of your relationship with your Father, something slowly begins to happen.’

I’m wondering about your thought here? Is/was ‘organized religion’ restricted/confined within a set place/building/program etc?
Where it talks about not letting the world squeeze us into its mold, (but be transformed by the living breathing Matrix of Christ in you) maybe speaks of the fact that all/the whole world outside of knowing Christ as our only Life is religion in one form, flavor or color?

I often see this kind of thinking, that it all ends by stepping away from the building/temple worship and all that clings to that one expression of religion, but in fact the father of religion is resident within all flesh, relentlessly appealing to our yet imperfect soul to imbibe in something not necessarily bad/evil, but in fact a mere substitute for Him as our All.

Rich