I am so enjoying the book He Loves Me, by Wayne Jacobsen, the words from so many different songs are chiming within me, “Love is all you need.”
As Father continues doing what he alone does best, opening eyes to the reality of Him being Love, suddenly we begin to discover in Him in us as us a substance/evidence (Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen) we tried to obtain in having the right terminology/theology/facts!
As Jesus was soon approaching why he came, the cross, he succinctly and clearly pours out his heart to his disciples/friends about the necessity/urgency of his soon departure. Here is a sample of Jesus not wanting to leave them in the lurch. “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”
From He Loves Me: “Could the invitation be any clearer? Jesus told his followers about a house, with a Father who waits for them to come and take their place in his home. Does this sound familiar?
We so easily miss the point of his words when we mistakenly relegate them to the distant future involving a second coming and mansions in heaven.”
The cross stands as the pivotal event in opening the door for us to dwell in the Father’s love.
He was going to open a door and return after the Resurrection to show them how to live in his Father’s house-the place in the Father’s heart he’s prepared for each one of them.
The disciples, however, couldn’t make sense of his words.
He went on to tell them they knew the way and where he was going. One of the disciples spoke up, “we not only do not know where you are going, but how can we know the way?”
The quick to the heart comment by Jesus: I am the way and the truth and the life!
He knew they were confused. He knew they didn’t understand all that he spelled out for them. But he cut through their fear based paralysis by saying, “You know me! I will get you there.” Notice how he focused not on the process they would have to follow, but on a person they would need to know. He took it right back to relationship again. “Stay with me; you’ll know everything you need to know.”
Is it really any different this side of the cross/resurrection, meaning if we do NOT know we are loved, is it any wonder that we resort out of fear and cling to establishing the right answers, theology having a great form but experiencing little to no substance?
Maybe it has never really changed, Him calling us into a living vibrant growing learning of him relationship. See the following.
Without knowing the author of the scriptures, is it any wonder why we flounder like fish out of water merely quoting what He said verses hearing Him the true and lasting Peace in us as us, in a world of turmoil/trouble?
Peace I give unto you!
Rich
Taken from, The Life That is Real Life
The plan and purpose of the entire creation is about life. To put it another way, we do not do to be—we do what we do out of our surrender to our being (nature). What I mean by this is that the life we are submitted to determines our actions and not the other way around. Every living thing produces actions that are consistent with the nature that operates in them. The born again are a little different in this aspect of living because of our free will. We still produce actions consistent with a nature; however, we can choose a nature to obey.
With the born again, we choose to either follow a false life nature (the flesh) or our true life nature (Christ in our spirit). The important point here is that we never produce a nature by doing. Rather, our nature dictates the doing of our life. You cannot grow in the life of the Father by doing. You can only grow in the Father’s doing by growing in your living by the Father’s life.
The problem with the view of much of Christianity in this topic suffers from an error in sequence. Our doing can only properly come out of the life we have in us. We do the work of the Father only as we let our doing flow out of the influence of the life of Christ in us.
This is the doing that arises out of the spontaneous living of the Father’s life. This kind of living cannot be directed by an external organization or by another individual or even by oneself. When we are engaged in the Father’s business we are letting the life of Christ rule over us. The important thing to remember is that our doing comes out of our life and not our life coming out of our doing. This is why you cannot work your way into God’s favor.
In this we see the same principle at work in each individual as it is at work in the universe. Remember, God will correct the problems of the world by replacement and not by repair (Revelation 21:1). The father does the same thing with each person. We are saved from our original life condition by replacement. Every person comes into the world with a flawed life—a life directed by the flesh. When we accept the gift of life through Christ we are made new by the transforming power of a new life in our spirit: (2Corinthians 5:17). In salvation we have a replacement of our old life situation by a new life opportunity. This is entirely Christ’s work and none of our own.
The only thing that is acceptable to the Father is the Son. This is why every born again believer is right now totally and eternally acceptable to the Father. Do what you will; you will never be more acceptable to the Father than when you consented to let Christ become your only life. If you have never submitted to letting Christ live in you then the converse is true. Without the life of Christ in you no amount of works or doing will make you acceptable to the Father. Your acceptability to the Father is a result of the life that now operates in you. This is exclusive of any doing.
Rich
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