With ALL thy STRENGTH

REMEMBER: You are dust, 

and to dust you shall return.

REPENT, and believe the GOSPEL+. 

+  +  +

Most HOLY and Most Merciful ABBA... 

We confess to THEE and to one another and to the whole communion of saints in Heaven and on earth and before Your Heavenly Host... 

that we have sinned

by our own fault

in thought, word, and deed; 

by what we have DONE

and by what we have

LEFT UN-DONE. 

 As it is written:

Thou shalt love The LORD thy GOD, The ELOHIM, with ALL thy heart, with ALL of thy soul, and with ALL  thy mind, and with all of thy strength.  

This is the first and great commandment.

So now, we confess to THEE, O LORD:

We have FAILED to love THEE 
with ALL of our strength.

+ + + 

We all want to be "strong" , not weak, in mind, in spirit, in heart, and in body. 

However, human strength at its best is sheer weakness in the eyes of The ELOHIM. We are only strong in the eyes of weak men who are naturally-minded, focused on this transitory and temporary life. Natural strength passes away with the sunset. 

Scripture tell us: 

HIS+ Strength is 

made perfect

in weakness. 

Therefore, the sooner we accept this TRUTH, the more we may draw upon HIS+ Strength.  

The more honest and humble we become about our own natural power,  the more joyous we grow in our weakness. 

 

  And HE+ said unto me,

My+ Grace is sufficient for thee: 

for My+ Strength is 

made perfect 

in weakness. 

Most gladly 

therefore will I 

rather 

glory in my infirmities, 

that the power 

of  CHRIST+

may rest upon me.

  Therefore I take pleasure 
in infirmities, 
in reproaches,
 in necessities,
 in persecutions, 
in distresses 
for CHRIST'S+ sake: 

for when I am weak, 
then am I strong.

2 Corinthians 12: 9-10

+  +  +

 Let us pray:

O LORD My+ GOD, I have been on the wrong track; I have sought human strength and prowess.  I have foolishly set my energies to achieve all that my natural man could achieve in my own strength. 

Help me to forsake the zest for fake, transitory strength and set my energies towards KNOWING YOU+,  instead.

Change my view of weakness. Change my idea of REAL STRENGTH. 

Melt me. 

Mold me.  

Fill me with Your+ Strength.

Use me. 

In my weakness, I come to YOU+.  Establish Your+ strength in my weakness, O LORD,  however it pleases YOU.+   

 In The Name of The LORD JESUS CHRIST I pray .

Amen. 

+  +  +

 Create in me a clean heart, 

O GOD and renew a right spirit within me. 

Cast me not away 

from Thy+ Presence; 

and take not Thy HOLY SPIRIT

from me. 

Restore unto me 

the joy of Thy+ SALVATION; 

and uphold me with Thy free spirit.

Psalm 51

+  +  +

Ashes to Ashes,

Dust to Dust

in sure and certain hope

of the Resurrection

unto Eternal Life

through

JESUS CHRIST

our LORD.

+ + +

With ALL our MIND

REMEMBER:

You are dust, 
and to dust you shall return.

REPENT,

and believe the GOSPEL+. 

+  +  +

Most HOLY and Most Merciful ABBA... 

We confess to THEE and to one another and to the whole communion of saints in Heaven and on earth and before Your Heavenly Host... 

that we have sinned

by our own fault

in thought, word, and deed; 

by what we have DONE

and by what we have

LEFT UN-DONE. 

 As it is written:

Thou shalt love The LORD thy GOD, The ELOHIM, with ALL thy heart, with ALL of thy soul, with ALL of thy mind, and with ALL  thy strength.  

This is the first and great commandment.

So now, we confess to THEE, O LORD:

We have FAILED to love THEE 
with ALL 

of our Mind.

+ + + 

Where do we stop stray dogs from entering our home?

  AT THE DOOR of our house.  

Likewise, our MIND is a DOOR.  We stop temptations to sin, derogatory thoughts, urges to rebel against rules --- domestic home rules, public ordinances, and GOD'S HOLY ways --- at the DOOR of our MIND. 

But The LORD has given us a WATCH-DOG :  His+ Word. It will keep the "stray dogs" of the world away from  our MIND.   Let us honor this Divine Protector well, and set it to WATCH OVER THE ENTRANCE.

  Casting down imaginations, 

and every high thing 

that exalteth itself 

against the knowledge of GOD, 

and bringing 

into captivity every thought 

to the obedience of CHRIST;

 2 Corinthians 10:5

Let us Listen to the Apostle's admonishments about what to DO with our MIND:
  

 Let this mind be in you, 

which was also

 in Y'SHU+ the M'SHIKHA:

Who+, being in the form of GOD, 

thought it not a thing to be held onto 

to be equal with GOD:

But made HIMSELF+ of no reputation, 

and took upon HIM+ the form of a servant, 

and was made in the likeness of men:

And being found in fashion as a man, 

HE+ humbled himself, 

and became obedient unto death, 

even the death of the cross. 

Philippians 2: 5-8

+  +  +

 Let us pray:

 Heavenly FATHER, take my mind away from worldly concerns. YOU already know the things I have need of  before I ask. 

Your Word is TRUTH.  Sanctify my mind, so that I agree with Your Word in thought and in purpose and in deed.  


Grant me an understanding of Your Word so that I can replace my earth-bound thoughts with Your Word. 

I ask to have the Mind of CHRIST, as promised, so that I may perfectly love YOU and worthily magnify Your Holy Name, through The LORD JESUS CHRIST. 

Amen. 

+  +  +

 Create in me a clean heart, 

O GOD and renew a right spirit within me. 

Cast me not away 

from Thy+ Presence; 

and take not Thy RUACH ha KADOSH 

from me. 

Restore unto me 

the joy of Thy+ SALVATION; 

and uphold me with Thy free spirit.

Psalm 51

+  +  +

Ashes to Ashes,

Dust to Dust

in sure and certain hope

of the Resurrection

unto Eternal Life

through

JESUS CHRIST

our LORD.

+ + +

ASHES to ASHES...

REMEMBER:

You are dust, 

and to dust 

you shall return. 

Repent, 

and believe the GOSPEL+. 

+  +  +

In the Name of Our LORD JESUS CHRIST,  the invitation is extended to each and every one, to a season of self-examination and repentance. The Season of Preparation for the remembrance of the Great Passover, the Great Pascha, is upon us. 

Let us therefore spend time in  thinking upon the Mirror of GOD'S HOLY WORD ... and the reflection we see of ourselves in it.

All are invited to make a right beginning of repentance and to COME at the Invitation of Our HOLY LORD JESUS CHRIST WHO+ said:

Come unto ME+

all ye that labor 

and are heavy laden

and I+ will give you rest.

Take My+ Yoke upon you 

and learn of ME+, 

for I+ am meek and lowly, 

and ye shall find rest 

unto your souls. 

For My+ Yoke is easy, 

and My+ burden is Light.

Matthew 11: 28-30

+  +  +

Have mercy upon me, O GOD, 

according to Thy lovingkindness: 

according unto the multitude 

of Thy tender mercies 

blot out my transgressions.

Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.

Against THEE, THEE only, have I sinned, and done evil in Thy sight: that THOU mightest be justified when THOU speakest, and be clear when THOU judgest.

Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. 

Behold, 

THOU desirest truth 

in the inward parts: 

and in the hidden part

THOU shalt make me 

to know wisdom.

 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which THOU hast broken may rejoice.

Hide Thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.

 Create in me a clean heart, 

O GOD; 

and renew a right spirit 

within me.

Cast me not away from Thy presence; and take not Thy HOLY SPIRIT from me.

 Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation; and uphold me with Thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors Thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto THEE.

 

Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O GOD, THOU, GOD of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of Thy righteousness. O LORD, open THOU my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth Thy praise.

 For THOU desirest not sacrifice; 

else would I give it: 

THOU delightest not 

in burnt offering. 

The sacrifices of GOD 

are a broken spirit: 

a broken 

and a contrite heart, 

O GOD, 

THOU wilt not despise.

 Do good in Thy good pleasure unto Zion: build THOU the walls of Jerusalem. Then shalt THOU be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon Thine altar.

 Psalm 51

+  +  +

 

Passover Meditation #18 for the Lenten Season 2012

~  ~  ~  The Door of The Cross ~  ~  ~

The SPIRIT is the ONE making life; the flesh profits not, NOTHING!

The Words which I+,

I+ speak

unto you

are Spirit

and are Life. 

John 6:63 Green's Greek Interlinear

The LORD knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity. (Psalm 94:11).  

Vanity... fantasy... emptiness... un-profitable...  useless... futile... the thoughts of man are fantasies... here today and gone tomorrow. 

Every person who has "fallen in love"  discoveres an end to that fantasy, sooner or later. "Love" , for the Christian soul, means taking Self to the Cross. 

Every person who buys a house or land, works a career, invests funds knows a certain amount of fear.  

Why?

Because EVERY LIVING PERSON knows these earthly things last for only a temporary amount of time.

Like youth.

Like health.

Like our bodies of clay.

The only thing that is NOT TEMPORARY is death. Our "changed state" lasts forever.  All else are subject to vanity, to fantasy.

A person wears fashionable clothes, buys the "in" vehicle and gadgets, and lives in a certain neighborhood.  

Why ?

To feed his fantasy of how great, knowledgeable, cute, or secure he is... in this world.

In whose eyes? Mankind? Nobody really cares, beyond a passing thought. His own eyes ? What good is a pile of chaff on Judgment Day ? 

All... yes, all... temporal things will eventually burn. All ashes look alike: the rich houses and the poor houses all look alike when reduced to ashes.

BUT... the Good News is there is a better way ! The LORD JESUS said.

His+ Words

are not simply marks

on  paper.

NO.

His+ Words are SPIRIT-filled... meaning, His+ Words have power to give Life, to feed your soul, to nourish your innermost being.

His+ Words are un-like any other words spoken on this planet.  His+ Words attract that hungry, empty heart like a powerful magnet. That hunger fastens itself with great gladness upon those Anointed Words because HE+ is there. 

HE+ can be found in His+ Words. His+ heart is revealed in His+ Words. His+ Life is shared through His+ Words. His+ Will is discovered through His+ Words. 

His+ Words... and His+ Words alone... are SPIRIT and they are Life.

O LORD JESUS, O THOU+ Who+ art the very WORD of GOD-Made-Flesh and dwelling  among us, bring forth in me New Life every day. I love THEE+ , LORD ; help me to attach myself to THEE+ , Who+ art Reality and Truth. 

Strengthen me to forsake all fantasy of this life, of my emotions, of my heart... all fantasies which have one thing in common: they pull me away from THEE+.

Bless my struggle, O LORD, and hear the cry of my heart. And, should I fainting be, LORD let me never, never outlive my love for THEE+.