BEHOLD, The LAMB+ .... #6 ... Passover Meditation

A Meditation for the Passover Season ....

Photo by www.flickr.com

A Meditation from the Invitatory

from the Morning Guided Meditation Prayers...

Let us hear the Words of Our LORD CHRIST :

" Come unto ME+ , 

all ye that labor and are heavy laden, 

and I+ will give you rest, 

For I+ 

am meek

and lowly in heart, 

And ye shall find rest unto your souls.

For My+ yoke is easy

and My+ burden is light. " 

Matthew 11 

HE+ is meek and lowly in heart, HE+ said. 

That very fact enables the least little trembling soul...  one who is "nothing" in the eyes of the world, "nothing" in the eyes of his friends or family, and "no-where" in regards to the values or standards or possessions of Middle-Class civilization...  to COME UNTO CHRIST JESUS.  

Little souls are afraid of the eyes of the world. They have felt first-hand the scorn of Middle-Class civilization who "have it altogether" and seem to have it ALL. The Little Lesser-than's cannot compete in any area at all, simply to even maintain their dignity. 

CHRIST JESUS, however, RECEIVES SUCH PERSONS !  HE+ is meek, just as HE+ said... so they have a Brother Who+ is ignored and trodden under foot, just like the world has done unto them. 

HE+ is lowly, just as HE+ said... so they have a Brother Whom+ the world has stripped of dignity, just like the world has done unto them. 

Those who are meek, down-trodden, and powerless in this world and at the mercy of others, are delighted to find the Savior+ of the World with them in their earthly struggles. 

Those lowly ones who are treated with contempt by clerks or officials or all with whom they must deal, are delighted to find the Savior+ of the World receiving them with love and joy, restoring to their hearts the dignity refused by this world. 

If we want to reach the little, hungering souls for CHRIST JESUS, then we too need to don the mantle of meekness, taking care that we do not make the little, unfortunate people of this society "afraid" of  unrighteous worldly judgment or  material standards which crush them and make them appear "value-less," robbing them of dignity.  

If we want to reach the little, struggling souls for CHRIST JESUS, then we too need to don the mantle of lowliness that Our LORD had and maintain a humble and low position of ourselves. We need to be convinced that our worldly standards are more despised in the eyes of Our LORD than any hapless poverty-stricken individual.

The little needy ones will flee from the successful, superior "Christian" and hide to protect their dignity. 

Let us therefore IDENTIFY with CHRIST JESUS in meekness and lowliness of heart so that we may BE LIKE HIM+ and win others to HIMSELF+. 

And, when we IDENTIFY with CHRIST in meekness and lowliness of heart on a continual basis, we will have communion with Our LORD on a continual basis. 

Let us pray: 

O FATHER, I am so, so little. I am so very helpless to change anything... even my own wretched self. 

Hide me under the folds of Thy+ Garments, O LORD, and receive me unto ThySELF+. 

This I pray for His+ sake, Who+ was meek and lowly and broken for me, that I need not be afraid of my welcome with HIM+... The LORD and SAVIOR+ of the World, JESUS CHRIST. 
Amen

Behold, The LAMB+ ... #2

Preparation for the Passover Season

Behold the LAMB+ of GOD 

that taketh away the sin of the world !

Photo by    Sonomachristianhome.com

The Invitatory

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

in heart.

And ye shall find rest

unto your souls.  

For My+ yoke is easy

and My+ burden is light. 

Matthew 11

Rubric:  

This is the Invitation to Come to CHRIST and sit with HIM+ in stillness and quietness of heart. 

Pray this aloud, very slowly, with pauses between the phrases. 

Do this 3 x until His+ Invitation becomes REAL to you. 

During this part of your daily Guided Meditation,  lay down your burdens and your yokes of bondage, and see CHRIST HIMSELF+. 

Since it is an invitation, do this near the beginning of your Guided Meditation time this Passover Season, to start out your Time with CHRIST in stillness. 

Advent Meditations 2012



Oh, Come! Let us adore HIM+ !

 Meditation  11

And Mariam said, Behold the handmaid of the LORD; be it unto me according to Thy Word. And the Angel departed from her. Luke 1:38 

Behold, a true Servant of The LORD.  Called to receive ignominy, condemnation, and accusations , the Hebrew virgin Mariam gave herself over to do The LORD'S Will.

Her intent:  to please The LORD... no matter what happened to her in the future. Stoning. Rejection. Loneliness. No home of her own amongst "decent" society. No husband. No income. Raising a child who would be an outcast, also... even among family.

Yes, The Holy CHILD JESUS growing in her womb as a normal baby would become  The Outcast+ of all outcasts.  

That is why HE+ could say :

 "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 in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls."

Meditation

O Chief SHEPHERD and BISHOP+ of our souls, form in me an unshakable intent to please THEE+, no matter the cost to Self.

Remove from me the lust to control. Make me soft and pliable in Thy Hands. Thy+ Will, O LORD, Thy+ Will ... my goal in Life.

Bless THOU+ O Perfect Savior, Who+ learned obedience by the things THOU+ didst suffer.

Bless THOU+, O Holy ONE+, Who+ was an outcast so that THOU+ couldst welcome all outcasts  unto THEE+.

Bless THOU:  O FATHER, SON+, and HOLY SPIRIT.

Passover Meditation #16 for the Lenten Season 2012

~ ~ ~  The Door of the Cross ~ ~ ~

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 of heart:

and ye shall find rest

unto your souls.

For My+ Yoke is easy,

and My+ burden Light.

Matthew 11:28-30

HEADSTRONG... an Ugly Word

We put ourselves in harm's way when headstrong . We can know for sure that we are definitely OUT of the LORD'S Will when we are headstrong.  We are moving in DIRECT OPPOSITION to HIM+ when we are moving headstrongly  through life, in our decisions, in our  attitudes. We don't even have to guess if we are doing right or wrong: we are doing wrong.

+  +  +

Do not confuse determination with headstrong. Be determined to move AWAY from being headstrong. Instead, be unshakably determined to move towards ME+ ... and make your unruly flesh and uncontrollable mind MIND ME+ . You will have to deal with yourself as a naughty child.

Operating in a headstrong manner moves you ALWAYS AWAY from ME+. 

I+ was not headstrong.  I+ was determined to do My+ FATHER'S WILL, not My+ own.  I+ will tell you this:

ALL headstrong paths are wrong...

from secret thoughts and accusations

through words spoken in haste,

in anger, and in jest ...

through actions. 

Sanctify you thoughts. Sanctify your words. Be not headstrong, My+ Child. 

NO... you cannot do something because "other Christians" are doing it. I+, I+ AM your Example+ ... not others.

So forsake your headstrongness. Teach your children to forsake their headstrong ways... by both word and example.

COME ! Be like ME+

It takes strength to turn a roaring bull from its path. You are like that bull.

Do you think

it is easy

to be lowly

and meek

?

.

It takes strength to be lowly and meek... more strength than what you've got.  This is one of the hardest battles you will ever fight because the ENEMY IS WITHIN; you have to fight against yourself. But, be of good cheer: I+ will help you !

.

Find your strength

in ME+.

.

COME !

.

Be lowly and meek

. 

.... and STRONG ...

. 

in ME+.

The WORMS of CHRISTENDOM...

The spider taketh hold with her hands,

and is in the kings' palaces.

Proverbs 30:28

Worms are interesting characters. They are lowly... so lowly that they usually slip by UN-NOTICED. They forbear drawing attention to themselves, knowing most people disdain them.

~ ~ ~

Anybody important would not give a "worm" a second glance. Certainly, there is no competition, either, with a worm. A worm just quietly goes about his duties in life ...unhindered because he is unimportant... without trying to take the stage. He has no trumpet to shout out his coming. He is content with being low.

~ ~ ~

In the natural sense, every gardner knows how valuable worms are. They are the living cultivators who digest things and leave valuable soil in their wake. The natural worms loosen the soil so air and water can get through to the roots of plants. A garden without natural worms is woebegone. Worms are so important that many seed catalogues for the home gardener have worms for sale.

In GOD'S Kingdom, the lowly ones, the nobodies, the "worms" of Christendom are important... vitally important.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Worms,

like the spider in Proverbs,

can get in places

and have the freedom of movement

that others more important do not have.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Thus, Christian "worms" can minister to the hidden and hurting ones. Christian "worms" ... simply because they are lowly... are able to be used by The LORD.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

O Christian, is your life empty and seemingly bearing little fruit

for the Kingdom of GOD?

Is life a bit dull and dead-feeling for you?

Are you growing by leaps and bounds

into the likeness and image of

The LORD JESUS CHRIST...

or...

are you barely making it through the day,

facing oppression on one side and depression on the other?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Then, join the Army of Worms that The LORD is calling forth. Take HIS+ yoke upon you. That yoke is light because it is exactly and precisely fitted to worms.

Our LORD JESUS CHRIST cannot ... and will not... use the high-minded, strong-willed Believer because that person refuses the yoke of worms, HIS+ yoke.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Are we content to be a worm...

in the eyes of man...

but precious and beloved

in the eyes of GOD?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

O FATHER of LIGHTS and GOD of All Mercies, FATHER of Our LORD and SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST...

~~~Hear the regret of our hearts, O LORD, for the many, many times we have vaunted our Self, our fleshly attainments, our abilities, and "what we know" in order to make an impression upon someone... our employer, our neighbor, our acquaintances. O GOD, we are so ashamed; no wonder we have no fruit to bring to THEE+. Turn us from this.

.

Help us to be content to do the low-paying jobs, to play the bottom line of the quartet, to take the unimportant postitions and duties at work and home. Help us not to clamor for more but rather to desire to be un-noticed by all but YOU... in order to do Your+ Bidding and work Your+ will. Help us to become privates in Your+ Army of Worms... so that we may indeed be found to be useful to YOU in Your+ Kingdom. Deliver us from illusions of grandeur, O LORD, and make us fit for the Kingdom of GOD .

.

In the Name of Thy dearly-Beloved SON+, Our LORD and Our EXAMPLE+, JESUS CHRIST.

+ + +

by Sister Worm, with many regrets...

Stations of the Cross ...

One Station of the Cross

at the Order of the GOOD SHEPHERD+ Hermitage...

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 in heart;

And ye shall find rest unto your souls.

For My+ yoke is easy,

and My+ burden is light.

Matthew 11

Gracious SAVIOR, My burdens I reliquish unto THEE+. They are too heavy for me. I quit being "my own boss." I'd rather have Thy+ yoke and Thy+ burden. I know THOU+ cannot lie. Show me how to yoke up with THEE+ and grant me Thy+ yoke that is easy. Give me only Thy+ burden which is appointed for me.

Help me to put my hand to Thy+ Kingdom's plow and not look back to this world, this time. Here I stand, empty and waiting, if THOU+ still would want me. I love THEE+, LORD JESUS, my only hope and true Home. Amen.