Meditations
for Pascha
(The Passover Season, 2016)
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Meditations for the Monastic-At-Heart
Now is My+ soul troubled;
and what shall I+ say ...
FATHER,
save ME+
from this hour ?
but for this cause
came I+ unto this hour.
FATHER,
Glorify Thy Name.
Then
came there a Voice from Heaven, saying,
I have both glorified It,
and will glorify It again.
John12:27-28
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Meditation Verse
Ephesians 1:8
Wherein HE hath
abounded toward us
in all wisdom and prudence;**
Analysis: HE, again,
is referring to The FATHER WHO has
given us the fullness, the riches, of HIS
Grace ... through HIS SON+ JESUS CHRIST.
**
This is part of one LONG sentence,
extending from verse 4 to verse 10. The
subject, the one doing all these things for us THROUGH HIS BELOVED
SON+ ... is The FATHER !
Let us look closely at that word prudence.
Vine's calls prudence "practical
wisdom." It is a thoughful use of that wisdom and
understanding granted unto us. It involves a discretion in applying what we
know.
Prudence, in
Webster's, is the ability to discipline and govern oneself with the use
of reason.
Thus, this verse is telling us
that we have HELP in developing prudence in our
daily lives We have HELP to make
decisions that are Right in His+ eyes.
We have HELP by means of this prudence so that
we do not stumble into a trap.
So read:
[The FATHER
WHO has given us the fullness, the riches,
of HIS Grace through HIS SON+
JESUS CHRIST...] Which HE abounded
unto us in all wisdom and practical understanding.
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Meditation
Our Heavenly
FATHER made a way for us to walk in the fullness of Grace, no matter
what our level of education might be.
This fullness of Grace comes
through HIS SON+ JESUS CHRIST. In JESUS our LORD, we
have already received all wisdom and the knowledge of how to
apply this Divine Wisdom in our daily lives. This prudence is
readily available for the asking.
Marvelous ! Marvelous provision for our life here on
earth ! A marvelous promise to conduct our lives around the pitfalls of
life.
Through JESUS our
LORD, we can now avoid the regrets in life that most human beings
make... provided, of course, that we
follow CHRIST JESUS with our whole hearts.
If we ignore Our LORD, if we
ignore His+ Words, if we ignore the words His+ hand-picked disciples wrote
under the inspiration of The HOLY SPIRIT, we will
assuredly pierce ourselves through with many arrows of regret.
We will make decisions based on
our flesh and our emotions instead of His+ Divine Wisdom and we will reap
sorrow for decisions that cannot be changed.
The consequences will be ours to
live with... a broken marriage that never should have been in the first place,
an illegitimate child who is in our lap for the rest of our lives, a constant
reminder of our sin.
Perhaps there was a suicide
which could have been prevented, or a soul with whom we neglected to
share the Gospel message... and then he suddenly died.
These regrets would have been
avoided if we had walked in Divine Wisdom and applied Wisdom's discipline
and governing of our emotions and fleshly man.
These regrets would have been
avoided if we would have submitted our Self to His+ Words.
These regrets would have been
avoided if we would have allowed His+ Spirit to rule us instead of our
emotions.
This verse in Ephesians 1:8
tells us that GOD has granted us the POWER to walk in Divine, practical
Wisdom guiding our life ... through JESUS
CHRIST when we follow Him+ seriously.
In other words, Divine Wisdom is
totally available to us in all matters. As a matter of FACT, this Divine
Wisdom is not only given to us freely, it abounds towards
us !
It comes to us in GREAT ABUNDANCE
for the asking !
How do we receive it ?
WE QUIET OURSELVES
BEFORE CHRIST.
We humble ourselves when we read
our daily Scripture passages and ask: LORD, am I doing this? LORD JESUS, how do I apply this in my walk
with THEE+ ?
If we are SERIOUS about it, The
LORD JESUS will show us how to empty our Self of our own values and ways and
replace them with His+ values and ways, as stated in Scriptures.
Is Divine Wisdom still
elusive?
Then, we must seek His+ Face
more deeply.
We ONLY will experience Divine
Wisdom, though, if we are good stewards of it.
Sadly, Divine Wisdom and
understanding do us NO GOOD if we refuse to let it govern us... in all things.
Do we WANT
His+ Divine Wisdom
to govern us ?
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Let us pray:
O Gracious and Life-Giving
LORD, I thank THEE for providing for me a way to walk without regrets in my
life.
I know that Way+ is through
JESUS CHRIST our LORD.
I thank THEE for granting me
Divine Wisdom and the ability to apply it in my life.
I have no excuse for my
regrets I have reaped following my own flesh and my emotions, trying to make my
happiness my own way.
THOU, O Righteous FATHER,
have no fault in the matter. My unhappiness is my own fault, for THOU hast
promised to heal me of every wound.
It is all mine for not
following Thy Beloved SON+ JESUS CHRIST and letting Him+ govern me, instead of
my flesh and emotions ruling my life.
I confess that I have not
been a good steward of the abundance of Wisdom and discernment granted to me in
CHRIST JESUS.
I lament some of my choices,
my self-made prison of regrets. I repent of taking advantage of Thy "mercy
and grace" in order to walk my own way, to do my own will.
O Righteous Redeemer+, I ask
for forgiveness and cleansing.
Take not Thy HOLY SPIRIT from
me.
I forsake my ways and will
wait upon THEE+, now. I will learn to be a good steward of Thy Wisdom.
Do with me as THOU+ choosest,
and I will be blest.
In the Name of Thy Beloved
SON+ JESUS CHRIST I offer these my imperfect prayers. Amen.
+ + +
Worthy is the LAMB+.
Worthy is The LAMB+
that was slain.
Worthy is the LAMB+,
slain
from the foundation
of the earth.
Revelation 13:8
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PRAISE and THANKSGIVING
be to The FATHER,
and to HIS
Beloved SON+
JESUS CHRIST,
and to
the Blessed HOLY SPIRIT.
ONE GOD:
FATHER,
SON+,
and HOLY SPIRIT,
both now and forever,
world without end.
Amen.
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Worthy is the LAMB+.
