With All our SOUL ...

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 Soul.

We have failed to remove the LEAVEN as commanded us in Thy HOLY WORD.  Our "temple" is far from being "holy", ( worship services notwithstanding). 

We are content to KEEP ON GATHERING MANNA even when we have our allotted pot full. Nay, we are MORE than content to spend entire days with our eyes on the earthly concerns which our Soul savors.

Our Soul, our Nephesh,  is interested in our Daily Bread more that we are interested in The Living BREAD+ from Heaven. 

We say, "Can GOD know this? Is there understanding in the Most High ?" 

GOD'S UNDERSTANDING

IS NOT LACKING;

OURS IS.

+ + +

   

TAKE HEED:  Scripture ASSURES US ... 

 For the word of GOD is quick,  

and powerful, 

and sharper 

than any two-edged sword, 

piercing even to the dividing 

asunder of soul and spirit,  

and of the joints and marrow,  

and is a discerner 

of the thoughts and intents 

of the heart.  

Hebrews 4:12

 Let us pray:

O HOLY FATHER, I have played fast and loose with THEE.  I thought Thy SON+ was such a one as myself. 

I have forgotten the sharpness of Thine eyes ... and of Thy Divine Sword, the HOLY SPIRIT.

Thy forgiveness I need; I dare not raise my eyes to Heaven.  My soul, my Nephesh, has gone astray from Thy Word.  It has gone astray from Thy Ways.  

I have long savored the things of this world more than things of  Thy Kingdom. I have offered THEE a pittance of my soul, a corner of it, that's all.

Cleanse me by The BLOOD+ of Thy HOLY SON+ JESUS CHRIST. I now yield the contents of my soul to THEE. Empty it. Shake it down. Scrape it out and help me start a-fresh.

 Help my soul to adhere to THEE, as the ONLY ARK of safety.  Help me to monitor all things which I allow into my soul,  in order to please THEE ... unto WHOM my soul must make an account. 

This I ask in the Name of The ONE+ Who+ redeemed my soul from destruction, and crowns me with mercy and loving-kindness,  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 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.

+ + +

HE+ Shall PURIFY the Sons of LEVI

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 not loved THEE with our whole heart... 

NO RATHER,

we have set our hearts on other things, other persons, other loyalties. We are divided in our loyalty to THEE; only a "part" do we give to THEE, alas. 


Yes, we love THEE and Thy Holy SON+ JESUS,  ... but we have mingled our love of THEE with strange things that are NOT of THEE+.  We have placed strange fire upon Thy Altar, the altar of our hearts. 

Cleanse our hearts, O HOLY ONE+ of Israel, by the in-breathing of Thy Precious HOLY SPIRIT.  Help us to separate ourselves unto THEE+ during this season of the Preparation for the GREAT PASCHA, the Great Passover. 

O HOLY FATHER, HOLY ABBA... we ask Thy help to find all the leaven in our house, in our temple, that we may make an offering to you in Righteousness ... after we remove those hateful things from our midst.   

What? know ye not .  .  .

 that your body is the temple 

of the HOLY SPIRIT
which is in you,
 which ye have of GOD, 
and ye 
are not your own?


For ye are bought 
with a PRICE+.


Therefore glorify GOD 

in your body, 

and in your spirit, 

which are GOD'S.
1 Corinthians 6: 19 -20

 +  +  +

 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. 
+  +  +

Amen, and thankfully so !

Pre-Passover MEDITATIONS for the Lenten Season

Photo by The ORDER of The GOOD SHEPHERD+
 Azaleas Hidden in the Woods

The season known commonly as Lent in the Christian church calendar is the season of fasting and repenting of one's sins during a 40-day period preceding Holy Week and The Resurrection.  

The word "lent" itself is from the German, according to Wikipedia, and it simply means "spring" ~ ~ ~ derived from the Germanic word "long" , relating to the "longer" days when springtime arrives after winter. 

Thus, the word "lent" or "lenten" is a secular term and the name LENT has nothing to do with Christianity, in and of itself, nor does it even mean "repentance." 

Therefore, we at the Order of the GOOD SHEPHERD+ have re-named this season of repentance with a term associated with What Happened at this season of the year in the ancient Holy Calendar: "Pre-Passover Preparations."    

Repentance --- removing the old leaven as was commanded before the Passover Season --- is certainly the central theme of this important Christian season leading up to Holy Week.

During Holy Week, we remember Our LORD'S death and sacrifice for our transgressions, HIM+ being bruised for our iniquities. We remember the chastisement of our peace was upon HIM+, and that with HIS+ stripes --- not ours --- we are healed.

During this season in which we remove the old leaven of malice and wickedness, we search our hearts before GOD, asking HIM+ to show us areas hidden to our own deceitful hearts, areas where we need to repent.

It starts with Ash Wednesday, with the acknowledgement that WE INDEED ARE SINNERS... and have need of a SAVIOR+. 

CHRIST OUR PASSOVER 

IS SACRIFICED FOR US

THEREFORE, LET US KEEP THE FEAST. 

Not with old leaven, 

neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness

but with the un-leavened bread 

of purity and Truth. 

Let us search our hearts... beginning now.  

Pre-PASSOVER Preparation....

Sweep the House.... Remove the Old Leaven  of Malice and Wickedness... Replace it with the Unleavened Bread of Purity and Truth.. Prepare Ye the Way of the LORD.

  

Exhortations from the Pre-Nicene Christian writer Cyprian, Ante-Nicene Fathers , Vol. 5, Epistle 7, Sections 5 and 6, p. 286-287. 

5. Let us urgently pray and groan with continual petitions. For know, beloved brethren, that I was not long ago reproached with this also in a vision, that we were sleepy in our prayers, and did not pray with watchfulness;

and undoubtedly GOD, Who “rebukes whom HE loves,” when HE rebukes, rebukes that HE may amend, amends that HE may preserve. Let us therefore strike off and break away from the bonds of sleep, and pray with urgency and watchfulness, as the Apostle Paul bids us, saying,

“Continue in prayer, and watch in the same.”

For the Apostles also ceased not to pray day and night; and the LORD also Himself+, the Teacher+ of our discipline, and the Way+ of our example, frequently and watchfully prayed, as we read in the Gospel:

“HE+ went out into a mountain to pray,

and continued all night in prayer to GOD.”

And assuredly what HE+ prayed for, HE+ prayed for on our behalf, since HE+ was not a sinner, but bore the sins of others.

But HE+ so prayed for us, that in another place we read, “And the LORD said to Peter,

Behold, satan has desired

to sift you as wheat:

but I+ have prayed for thee,

that thy faith fail not.”

But if for us and for our sins HE+ both labored and watched and prayed, how much more ought we to be instant in prayers; and, first of all, to pray and to entreat the LORD Himself+, and then through Him+, to make satisfaction to GOD The FATHER!

We have an Advocate+ and an Intercessor+ for our sins, JESUS CHRIST the LORD and our GOD, if only we repent of our sins past, and confess and acknowledge our sins, whereby we now offend the LORD, and for the time to come engage to walk in His+ ways, and to fear His+ commandments.

The FATHER corrects and protects us, if we still stand fast in the faith both in afflictions and perplexities, that is to say, cling closely to HIS CHRIST; as it is written,

“Who shall separate us from the love of CHRIST?

Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution,

or famine or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

None of these things can separate believers, nothing can tear away those who are clinging to His+ Body and Blood.

Persecution of that kind is an examination and searching out of the heart.

GOD wills us to be sifted and proved, as HE has always proved His people; and yet in His trials help has never at any time been wanting to believers.

6. Finally, to the very least of His servants although placed among very many sins, and unworthy of His condescension, yet HE has condescended of His goodness towards us to command: “Tell him,” said HE, “to be safe, because peace is coming; but that, in the meantime, there is a little delay, that some who still remain may be proved.”

But we are admonished by these divine condescensions both concerning a spare diet and a temperate use of drink;

to wit, lest worldly enticement should enervate the breast now elevated with celestial vigor, or lest the mind, weighed down by too abundant feasting, should be less watchful unto prayers and supplication.

WORTHY IS THE LAMB...

...that was slain

to receive power and riches

and wisdom and strength and honor

and glory and blessing !

+ + +

During this season of the preparation for the GREAT PASSOVER of The LAMB+ of GOD, all serious-minded Christians clean house. We search our hearts for the leaven of the world that has crept in unawares. We search our hearts for the leaven of Self-will that has insidiously re-established itself in our lives. In doing this, we honor The LORD JESUS CHRIST, for HE+ was GOD of the Old Testament as well as GOD of the new, The LIVING WORD+ made flesh Who+ dwells among us.

+ + +

In the Old Testament, The LORD instructed the Israelites to carry a paddle with them in the wilderness. It was to bury their waste products, so that it would be "clean" when HE walked among them (Dt. 23:13-14). In addition, HE instructed them to rid their dwellings of leaven during the Passover season. They assiduously did this because... NOT TO DO IT MEANT THAT THEY WOULD BE CUT OFF FROM THE PROMISES GIVEN TO ISRAEL (Ex. 12:15).

+ + +

Likewise, we must do the same today.

We must make our camp during our earthly sojourn clean,

both from "waste" products ~ what comes out of us ~

and

from what is taken inside of us, what we "eat."

Some like to reinforce both the purging and the consumption

by a strict or restricted form of eating, disciplining the flesh.

It is quite fruitful and very Scriptural to bring the flesh

under submission to the HOLY SPIRIT in this manner.

SOME have found this to be so VERY fruitful

that they have made this a Way of Life.

It draws them closer to The LORD.

+ + +

So, where do we want to go ... closer or farther from The LORD?

If we want to come closer to HIM+ [and we are not currently being persecuted and tortured for knowing HIM+] , we must practice a disciplining of our flesh in order to accomplish the goal to draw closer to CHRIST JESUS Our LORD.

+ + +

During this season, we refrain from saying "glory" and "HalleluJAH" or "AlleluJAH." We substitute instead: "Worthy, Worthy is The LAMB+ that was slain! " We substitute, "Blessed be GOD: FATHER, SON+, and HOLY SPIRIT, and Blessed be HIS+ Kingdom, both now and forever, Amen" for the Gloria Patri. To replace the HalleluJAHs, we say instead: "Bless GOD!" These are little disciplines which serve to remind us of the great sacrifice of Our SAVIOR+ for the sins of the whole world... specifically, ours.

+ + +

Let us pray:

O LORD our GOD, we say we want to walk with THEE+... but we shy away from Self-denial. Help us to value TRUTH so much that we will embrace the discipline, the cross, in order to come closer to HIM+ Who+ is all Truth, Thy Beloved SON+ JESUS CHRIST, The ONE+ Who+ denied HIMSELF+ even HIS+ life's blood in order to give us Life Eternal. Help us to deny our Selves and show us the right way to do it. In the Holy name of Our LORD JESUS we pray. Amen.

+ + +