(06/04/2014) The Inward Man Renewed?

A brief Scripture study is shared today focused upon the renewal of believers through the operations of the Holy Spirit, and by praise, prayer, and service.

SOME THOUGHTS ON

15 For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.

16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;

18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen:  for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.  (2nd Corinthians 4:  15-18, KJV)


2nd Chronicles 15:  7-9 (KJV)  7 Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak:  for your work shall be rewarded.  8 And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from mount Ephraim, and renewed the altar of the LORD, that was before the porch of the Lord.  9 And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and the strangers with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon:  for they fell to him out of Israel in abundance, when they saw that the LORD his God was with him.


Psalms 51:  6-12 (KJV)  6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts:  and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.  7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean:  wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.  8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.  9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.  10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.  11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.  12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.


Psalms 103:  1-6 (KJV)  1 Bless the LORD, O my soul:  and all that is within me, bless his holy name.  2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:  3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;  4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;  5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.  6 The LORD executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.


Psalms 119:  74-76 (KJV)  74 They that fear thee will be glad when they see me; because I have hoped in thy word.  75 I know, O LORD, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.  76 Let, I pray thee, thy merciful kindness be for my comfort, according to thy word unto thy servant.


Isaiah 40:  28-31 (KJV)  28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.  29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.  30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:  31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.


Isaiah 41:  1 (KJV)  1 Keep silence before me, O islands; and let the people renew their strength:  let them come near; then let them speak:  let us come near together to judgment.


Jeremiah 31:  32-34 (KJV)  32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:  33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.  34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD:  for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD:  for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.


Lamentations 5:  19-21 (KJV)  19 Thou, O LORD, remainest for ever; thy throne from generation to generation.  20 Wherefore dost thou forget us for ever, and forsake us so long time?  21 Turn thou us unto thee, O LORD, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old.


Romans 12:  1-2 (KJV)  1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  2 And be not conformed to this world:  but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.


Ephesians 4:  22-27 (KJV)  22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;  23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;  24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.  25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour:  for we are members one of another.  26 Be ye angry, and sin not:  let not the sun go down upon your wrath:  27 Neither give place to the devil.


Colossians 3:  9-11 (KJV)  9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;  10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:  11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free:  but Christ is all, and in all.


Titus 3:  3-7 (KJV)  3 For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.  4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,  5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;  6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;  7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.


Hebrews 6:  4-8 (KJV)  4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,  5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,  6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.  7 For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God:  8 But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.


Luke 11:  2-4 (KJV)  2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.  Thy kingdom come.  Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.  3 Give us day by day our daily bread.  4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us.  And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.


There is far more to be said, properly shared, and spiritually understood.  Most of you have not yet responded, however, I again invite readers to add any verse or passage from Scripture that they would like to share in the comments area (see below).  Even so, I trust this fragment will be useful.  Be it unto you according to the workings of the Spirit of Prophecy, the Spirit of Truth, and the Testimony of Jesus in you.  Grow in grace.


Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.  (Philippians 4:  6-7, KJV)


THE BLACK PHOENIX
Washington, DC

(03/02/2013) Where The Eagles Are Gathered

THE ROOFTOP AERIE photo taken with Blackberry Curve 8330 Smartphone, Silver 2.0 Mega pixel digital camera.  I hesitated, at first, because of the blinds, candlesticks, and obstacles.  Remembering Josef Albers and Piet Mondrian, I decided this could be a good capture.  (Michael Andrew Williams, February 16, 2013)

I am startled by life on the Sabbath day
The Cooper’s keep alive
Himself exposed on rooftop
The breeze browning and spotting the wing
While the finch was pursued only by sunlight
Unafraid, the black and gray curious drew near
Poking about the aerie
As if it were their home
And the unseen roost is totally unoccupied
Even the casual viewer finds movement
Among branches that were dead
Before winter fell
And the remaining evergreen that opposes
Proclaims there is yet a Creator.
Wait for it.  For the jay has visited this very spot
Seeming to be alone, also.  Invisible by stillness
She will move.  He will move.  One will move
And the other will continue sight unseen
One will leave.  One will return.  Two will disappear.
Two will examine all things slowly.
The talon unstained and glorious
The day of rest in peace
The power of the hawk in husbandry
Bespeaking the lives that are to come
Making bold those who otherwise are prey
and humble those who otherwise are faithless
The discovered entanglement
A wild and natural provision
Building and nesting suspended
A city of acknowledgment and praise.
                          
©Michael Andrew Williams, 2013.  All rights reserved.

(12/29/2012) Purchased With Blood?

     Redemption and the Holy Spirit are topics, today.  The “Yahoo! Answers” writer using the ID “Alex” (Level 2 with 460 points, a member since October 19, 2012) posted the following:

Christians, why does the Bible say God 'bought' the church with his own 'blood'?
Acts 20:28 tells us, “Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.”
Who bought the church—the church of God—with His own blood?

THE BATTLE AXE:  The Dove (12/28/2012)—The standard of the dove signifying peace is lifted up for the kingdom of heaven in contrast to the ensign of the Roman eagle, a bird of prey, that signals conquest, destruction and war.  Like John the Baptist, mature Christian believers proclaim the kingdom, and are endowed with the Holy Spirit (also called the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, and the Spirit of Prophecy).  As one continually nourished by holy offerings, sacrifices and tithes, and who continued upon holy ground until carried to serve as a herald and witness in the wilderness, the Prophet John acknowledged the consecration of Jesus as High Priest, his anointing as king (Messiah), public recognition of his claim as heir to Adam, Abraham, and David (the Son of man) as well as divine confirmation that Jesus is the Son of GOD.  The appearance of the dove as the voice sounded from heaven was in the nature of jubilation, proclamation, revelation, and testimony in judgment.  All the spirit-persons of the GODhead are present in the scene; and each affirms the authority and fullness of the others.  These things were exposed to the Prophet allowing him to identify Jesus as “the Lamb of GOD” to those who had been prepared to become the first followers of Christ.  (See John 5:  33-38, John 1:  29-37 and 1st John 5:  6-12, KJV.)

THE GOLDEN ARROW:  And it shall be, when Jehovah shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanite, as he sware unto thee and to thy fathers, and shall give it thee,  that thou shalt set apart unto Jehovah all that openeth the womb, and every firstling which thou hast that cometh of a beast; the males shall be Jehovah’s.  And every firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb; and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break its neck:  and all the first-born of man among thy sons shalt thou redeem.  And it shall be, when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What is this? that thou shalt say unto him, By strength of hand Jehovah brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage:  and it came to pass, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go, that Jehovah slew all the first-born in the land of Egypt, both the first-born of man, and the first-born of beast:  therefore I sacrifice to Jehovah all that openeth the womb, being males; but all the first-born of my sons I redeem.  (Exodus 13:  11-15, American Standard Version)

THE DOUBLE DAGGER:  The Price of Humanity? (12/13/2012); Remembering the Holocaust (12/14/2012); More Than Salvation (11/27/2012); The Slave to Law and Sin Made Free (11/16/2012); Lawful Divorce (11/17/2012); Divine Self-Sacrifice? (09/30/2012); Jesus Our “Advocate” (08/16/2012); Girdle 14:  Reasonable Service (11/29/2011); Why Sacrifice? (10/13/2010); Appetite (10/14/2010)

     More than merely saving believers in judgment from their sentence of damnation, the birth, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ establishes eternal life through redemption.   Redemption is the provision of divine covenant that allows things dedicated, offered in prayer, and promised to GOD (e.g., oneself, ones firstborn, donkeys, goats, sheep, oxen) to be recovered from the altar of GOD.  All living things delivered to the altar (a holy table that serves as a point where heaven and earth are joined) must be sanctified, sacrificed, and salted (i.e., washed, set apart, slain, and transferred to GOD through holy fire that accomplishes cleansing, judgment and lifting).  The redeemed are recovered from the altar to continue in service as living sacrifices.  Those that cannot be used in sacred service and worship, that would defile and profane the altar when offered, and where no redemption price has been paid (say a mule), the neck is broken, and it is destroyed.

     That Jesus Christ may bestow eternal life to those that are his by their “saving purchase” is a fulfillment of divine law, promise, and prophecy, and constitutes lawful redemption.  The provision of redemption again displays the law as righteous, and in agreement with the mercy found in judgment.

     There is far more to be said, correctly applied, and spiritually apprehended. (For example, less mature Christian believers tend to oversimplify the truths of redemption and salvation, ignore them altogether, or lump them together as though one is no greater than another.  It remains, the devotion, gratitude, obedience, thoroughness and zeal of believers will vary according to their right knowledge and understanding.)  Even so, I trust this fragment will be useful. Be it unto you according to your faith.


THE BLACK PHOENIX
Washington, DC