Pre-Passover Meditation ~ ~ ~ The UN-distracted Mind of CHRIST

Photo by The ORDER of The GOOD SHEPHERD+
Crown of Thorns bush

The Invitatory

 CHRIST JESUS 

came into the world to save sinners,

Of whom I am chief. 

LORD, 

be merciful to me, a sinner.

O Come, Let us Adore HIM+ . 

Old Testament Lesson: Leviticus 26, 

selected verses ,
 courtesy of  www.Biblegateway.com

Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I AM THE LORD THY GOD.

Ye shall keep my sabbaths, 

and reverence my sanctuary: 

I AM THE LORD.

If ye walk in My statutes, and keep My commandments, and do them;
⁴ Then I will give you rain ...
⁵ And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage ... 
⁶ And I will give peace in the land ... .
⁷ And ye shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword.
 ~ ~~ ~~ 
⁹ For I will have respect unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and establish my covenant with you.

¹¹ And I set my tabernacle among you: and My soul shall not abhor you. 

¹² And I will walk among you, and will be your GOD, and ye shall be My people.

¹³ I AM THE LORD THY GOD, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that ye should not be their bondmen; and I have broken the bands of your yoke, and made you go upright.

¹⁴ But if ye will not hearken unto ME, and will not do all these commandments;

¹⁵ And if ye shall despise My statutes, or if your soul abhor My judgments, so that ye will not do all My commandments, but that ye break My Covenant:
~ ~ ~

¹⁹ And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass:

²⁰ And your strength shall be spent in vain... 
~ ~ ~ 


³² And I will bring the land into desolation ...

~  ~  ~

³⁴ Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies' land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths.

³⁵ As long as it lieth desolate it shall rest; because it did not rest in your sabbaths, when ye dwelt upon it.

Epistle Lesson: Colossians 1: 19-23

Courtesy of Biblegateway.com

For it pleased The FATHER that in HIM+ should all fulness dwell; And, having made peace through the Blood of His+ Cross, by HIM+ to reconcile all things unto HIMSELF+; by HIM+, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in Heaven.

And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath HE+ reconciled in  the body of His+ Flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in His+ sight:

if ...if ... if ...

ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the Gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under Heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;

The Gospel Lesson: Luke 10: 38-42

Courtesy of Biblegateway.com, NKJV

Now it happened as they went that HE+ entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him+ into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His+  word. 

But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him+ and said, “LORD, do You+ not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? 

Therefore tell her to help me.”

And JESUS answered and said to her, “Martha! Martha! 

You are worried and troubled about many things. 

But ONE+ THING is needed, 

and Mary has chosen THAT GOOD PART+, 

which will not be taken away from her.”

Meditation ~ ~ ~

The Old Covenant was established to show Israel ... and thus, all mankind...  HOW TO PLEASE GOD. It was established to show us what things are acceptable to GOD and what things HE hates. ( HE still hates those things listed as "sin" in the Law, by the way.)

Breaking GOD'S laws under the Old Covenant brought certain, swift, and awful consequences. That was the way The LORD trained mankind to savor righteousness with HIM. 

When Our LORD JESUS walked the earth, HE+ did not "un-do" the laws, HE+ actually

extended them to encompass more.

Back then, adultery was punished by stoning to death the transgressors. Under the covenant of JESUS' BLOOD, adultery of the heart, done secretly was severely condemned. Our LORD JESUS HIMSELF said that if our EYE offended us... that is, made us to sin... to pluck it out.

HE+ was not joking. Under the New Covenant, once JESUS' BLOOD was shed to cover us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness, the punishment for willfully-practiced sin IS... IS... IS... (!)  Eternal death.  

Unfortunately, sin occurs in the HEART of man. However, one is not able to pluck out one's heart.  

So, we flee unto JESUS our SAVIOR+ for cleansing and help against sin. 

One of the best strong-holds against sin is to focus on JESUS without distraction of thought, like Martha's sister Mary chose to do.   

Let Us Pray ~ ~ ~ 

Gracious Heavenly FATHER, I have forsaken following Thy Word meticulously. I have done whatsoever I have "thought" to be right... instead of following Thy Holy Words given and preserved for me at great price. 

Help me not to cast ANY of Thy words aside and establish my "interpretation" of what THOU dost require of me... instead of what is clearly written. 

O LORD our GOD, help me to stand firm against temporal values within me, values that focus on my own home, my own family, my own life constantly. 

Help me to strive for that undistracted mind, focused upon CHRIST, so that I may know what pleaseth THEE. Give me Singleness-of-Eye, that I become a GOD-pleaser and not a man-pleaser, that I learn to please THEE+, my LORD, and not myself. 

O, Help me to do this SO MUCH SO that even my undistracted focus upon THY HOLY SON+ JESUS becomes my only identity in this world... that I might choose the BETTER+ part, like Mary. 

So that, when I come face to face with our SAVIOR+,  I can honestly say, "I have loved THEE+ with my whole heart."

Grant these things, for Thy SON+'s sake, our only SAVIOR+ and MEDIATOR, the only name given under Heaven among men, whereby we must be saved... Our LORD JESUS CHRIST.  

Amen.

Pre-PASSOVER Meditation ~ ~ ~ The Perfect LAW of The LORD

Photo by THE ORDER OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD+

The Invitatory: 

CHRIST the KING+ has suffered for us; 

O Come, Let us Adore HIM+.

Old Testament Lesson: Psalm 19: 7

Scriptures courtesy of Biblegateway.com

The law of the LORD is perfect, 

converting the soul: 

the testimony of the LORD is sure, 

making wise the simple.

QUIETUDE: 

A time to Reflect about the Perfect LAW of The LORD. 

RESPONSE: 

Holy art THOU, 

LORD GOD of our fathers; 

THOU art worthy of praise, 

Holy art THOU. 

Lesson from the Epistles: Hebrews 10:26-27

Scriptures courtesy of Biblegateway.com

For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.

QUIETUDE: A time to repent.

RESPONSE:

LORD JESUS CHRIST, LAMB+ of GOD, 

Who+ taketh away the sin of the world,

have mercy upon us.

LORD JESUS CHRIST, LAMB+ of GOD,

BEARER+ of our sins, 

have mercy upon us.

LORD JESUS CHRIST, LAMB+ of GOD, 

SAVIOR+ of the world,

grant us Thy+ Peace.

AMEN.

The GOSPEL Lesson: Luke 6:46

Scriptures courtesy of Biblegateway.com

The Words of  Our LORD JESUS CHRIST ~ ~ ~ 

And why call ye me, 
LORD, LORD, 

and do not the things 
which I+ say?

+  +  +

The WORD of The LORD.  

THANKS BE TO GOD !

Meditation ~ ~ ~

Yes, The Law of The LORD is indeed perfect. It was perfect when it was given to Moses and perfect when The LORD JESUS CHRIST lived it, as our EXAMPLE+ set before us.

The LAWS were not established to benefit GOD, but for the benefit of man... so he could avoid the destruction besetting the human race from the fall of Adam. 

Nowadays, we cast away those LAWS as "restrictions" upon our modern life-style and we proclaim loud and long that "we can please GOD" by living freely, as we see fit. 

But reading carefully the New Testament, we find that the LAWS done away with by Our LORD were those LAWS dealing with the Blood Sacrifice for sins. 

Furthermore, the reason  the sacrifice LAWS are over is because The LORD JESUS CHRIST fulfilled those requirements for a Blood sacrifice for sins.  

The LAW, itself, is good ~ ~ ~ because by The LAW we gain a concrete knowledge of what constitutes SIN, what actions and behaviors are repulsive to GOD. 

How else would we know which of our actions and behaviors GOD records as our sin ?

Has GOD changed his definition of SIN ?  

Remember this: The LORD said yes to the tithing of little mint and rue and all manner of herbs when he chided the Pharisees ( Luke 11:42 ) for passing over judgment and the love of GOD.  HE+ reminded them NOT to forget the love of GOD and judgment... but to also do what was written in the LAW !

But woe unto you, Pharisees! 

for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, 

 and pass over judgment and the love of God: 

these ought ye to have done, 

and not to leave the other undone.

The LAW of The LORD, as seen throughout both the Old and New Testaments, is indeed perfect. It shows us what SIN is. 

Let us re-read it to find out what pleases ~ ~ ~ and displeases ~ ~ ~ GOD, and ask The LORD to show us how it applies to our lives today. 

Let us make our amendment of life after conviction falls. Then we will see how the perfect Law of the LORD converts the soul.    

Let us pray: 

Our FATHER Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name and holy art Thy ways. 

O LORD, I have cast aside Thy Words and have done what pleased me; I have substituted society's ways for Thy rules of Holy living. I have not laid Thy ways to heart. 

I repent for casting aside Thy instructions and commands. I repent for thinking they are not important "nowadays," and thinking I could please THEE living my own way, by my own standards, with my own values.  

I repent for not attributing to THY HOLY CHARACTER Thy loving-kindness and tender mercies towards mankind as the reason why THOU didst make those rules. Yes, it was Thy LOVE that determined those LAWS to protect us from the evil within... and the evil without.

Cleanse me, I pray, and grant me a renewed mind to do Thy Will... in all areas... as guided by Thy Holy Word.

This I pray in The Name of  JESUS CHRIST our LORD, The Eternal SON+ and WORD+ of GOD our FATHER, through the Blessed HOLY SPIRIT. 

Amen.   

Hide Not THY+ Face...

GARDEN CROSS
Photo by
ORDER OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD+
Year of Our LORD, 2007

Hide not Thy+ Face

far from me; 

Put not Thy+ servant away in anger. 

THOU+ hast been my help; 

leave me not, neither forsake me, 

O GOD of my salvation. 

Psalm 27:9

When do you "see" GOD ?  When do you "look upon" HIS+ Face ?  Is not this the desire of your heart ?

YES!

For you know this, if you could only see HIM+ face to face, all would be well. Your hurts would cease in His+ Presence, your fears be gone, your body healed, and the empty places in your heart filled. 

When THOU+ saidst, 

"SEEK YE MY+ FACE;" 

my heart said unto THEE+, 

"Thy+ Face, LORD, will I seek." 

You are enabled to SEE HIM+ by the HOLY SPIRIT, the Paraclete, The Divine SPIRIT of GOD Who comes alongside of you to help.  

When does this happen?

This happens when your heart lines up with His+ Will.

What is HIS+ Will for your life?  

      His+ will for your life is simply this:

  

Do not hide your face from HIS+.

When you are angry, go to HIM+... do not carry that burden yourself. Bring your intense concerns and upsetnesses to HIM+. 

HE+ sees them coming, before you do.

But, something CHANGES when you do not hide your angry face from HIM+.  

This is what changes:  You put yourself under HIS+ Divine Covering, His+ Divine Protection from your own angry flesh... and from satan using your anger to beget sin.  

Be angry, but sin not, Scripture teaches.

That sin, even if it does not immediately hurt others, will be an open door that satan will use to hurt... YOU!   

The evil one will send oppression, torment, unhappiness, agitation, and fear in to hurt YOU, through that door you have left open to him. The evil one does not know everything... but he knows what will hurt you and REST ASSURED, he will send it your way through every open door you give him. 

When you bring your anger to HIM+, HE+ will hear you out. HE+ will tell you to sit still for awhile with HIM+. Then HE+ will lead you through that awful valley of anger, until you can see: 

1. the hurt that made you angry 

and 

or

2. the pride that made you angry 

( when pride is stepped upon)

At that point, you must put it ALL on His+ altar, of His+ Will, to do with it all as HE+ sees fitting. 

When you surrender and completely yield to HIS+ Will, you will SEE HIS+ FACE shining towards you!

This is "seen" by the eyes of your heart .... usually !

Therefore, to live a peaceful, secure, and happy life: 

Hide not your face from HIM+ Who+ loves you best...

even when turmoils

beset your heart.

IN HIS+ IMAGE...

If one receives Genesis 1:26-27 as Truth,

one is able to understand sin.

.

"And GOD said,

Let US make man in OUR image,

after OUR likeness...

So GOD created man in HIS own image,

in the image of GOD created HE him;

male and female created HE them."

No-one wants to be thought of as being truly and totally "bad." Every person clings to the self-illusion that there is SOMETHING worthwhile about himself... enough good to "out-weigh" the bad.

.

I discovered this when I worked in a prison. From the boy-rapist to the double-ax murderer and all those in-between, each man thought he was not totally bad and that his "good" self out-weighed the bad he might do or have done... or would do in the future !

.

SIN'S nature is deceitful,

.

Scripture says,

.

and it lies to one's heart.

.

The LORD JESUS, however is TRUTH+ and there is no unrighteousness in HIM+. GOD is not a man, that HE+ should lie.

.

In light of that, how is it that we... who are so sinful...

are made in the image of GOD ?

What does that mean ?

.

SIN is when we don't look like Who+ GOD is.

.

SIN is when we don't reflect HIS+ character.

.

SIN is when we bear witness to the flesh,

the world, and the devil ...

instead of to Our Holy FATHER,

Who art in Heaven.

.

.

This is the resounding reason why fornication, adultery, and homosexuality is forbidden in Scriptures and by all the Holy Men of old. Those sins especially BREAK the image of GOD that mankind was created to reflect TO OTHERS, both visable and invisable, as a testimony to HIS+ purity and holiness.

.

.

Those who participate in SIN become abusers of GOD's image in front of others. They have broken the true reflection of GOD's character and are giving forth a wrong image of WHO GOD IS. Thus, the judgment of GOD falls upon them now with diseases and many, many social and spiritual consequences... and it will fall upon them throughout eternity.

.

Some Christians of old warned against

"breaking the type."

.

What they meant is that there were always severe consequences in Scripture when one broke the type... the type of CHRIST, that is, the image of GOD, that man was created to reflect, untarnished.

.

.

"Breaking the type" is why Moses couldn't enter into the Promised Land after he disobeyed The LORD and smote the ROCK+ twice. He broke the type, the pattern, the image of CHRIST in front of the congregation when he became angry.

.

.

The LORD Who+ loved Moses would not permit HIM+ to enter into the Promised Land, regardless of whether HE+ loved Moses or not.

.

.

FRIGHTENING !

.

Thus, when we are tempted to sin, we should lay to heart the seriousness of breaking the image of GOD in which we were originally made and have been RE-BORN into through the Blood of CHRIST JESUS.

.

Let us walk in HIS+ image.

.

+ + +

LENTEN MEDITATION 28 ~~~ Iniquity of My Sin

Lenten Meditation 28 ~ ~ ~The Iniquity of My Sin
for the Year of Our LORD, 3.4.2008

I acknowledge my sin unto THEE+,
and mine iniquity have I not hid.
I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD;
and THOU+ forgavest the iniquity of my sin.
Psalm 32:5




Gross injustice and wickedness… is the definition of iniquity.
An offense against GOD… is the definition of sin from Webster’s[1].
The violation of Divine law, going out of bounds or limits…
is the definition of transgression.




Our sin is a stench in His+ nostrils.

Furthermore, The LORD does not play “favorites” among His+ children. When we come to grips with this truth, we develop a healthy fear of The LORD: what HE+ has done to others who did not take His+ Word seriously, HE+ will do to us. The same standard is put upon each one of us and that standard does not bend. This standard is CHRIST JESUS and His+ Holiness… without which no man shall see The LORD.



Acknowledging our sin pleases The LORD. Admitting that our offenses are always done against HIM+, even if others are involved, is truth. As soon as we are aware… as soon as conviction falls upon us for serving Self… we do not run AWAY from GOD but rather run UNTO the LORD.

We do not hide our sin nor do we cloak it with an excuse. We simply and honestly admit it. The LORD knows what we’ve done anyhow; it is from ourselves that we are hiding it or dissimulating.

Thus, admitting our sin is the first step. Then we must go one step further and recognize our iniquity, our lack of innocence, in what we have done or thought.

Our iniquity shows itself when we know better, but go ahead anyhow and do things that are wrong. When we persist in holding opinions contrary to HIS+ word, this constitutes gross wickedness because stubbornness is as the sin of iniquity and idolatry. (I Sam. 15:23)

We have all tasted the loving-kindness of Our Savior. When we refuse to issue that same forgiveness and loving-kindness to others who have offended us, we are in trouble with GOD HIMSELF. (See the prayer The LORD taught His+ disciples when they asked HIM+, “Lord, teach us how to pray.” Luke 11). We have transgressed His+ Holy law of forgiveness… to forgive as CHRIST has forgiven us.

We simply cannot afford to sin against GOD. We cannot afford to practice stubbornness in any area. We cannot afford to excuse ourselves when we persist in our own thinking regardless of what The WORD of GOD says plainly.


HE+ will richly pardon and forgive us if we come clean before HIM+. HE+ will forgive, not only the sin itself, but also the presumption, the stubbornness, the taking advantage of His+ Grace and the violation of His+ Person… when we confess our sin and the iniquity underneath our foul behavior.


But, be careful. GOD cannot be tricked nor mocked.

Even honest confession and admittance of sin can be perverted by our deceitful, human hearts. Here is a true story. One man defiled his marriage bed by bringing other women into the place reserved for his wife. After many struggles, a divorce ensued. In time, this wayward man grew lonely for more stability, a home with a decent wife, and his children. So, he repented and wanted to “return home.” Yes, his repentance was for destroying the marriage and sinning against his wife and children.

But unfortunately, he only wanted the home to be regained for himself. He did not want The LORD JESUS to rule his life nor did he want to promise to abstain from affairs. This is not true repentance. This is expediency. He was ready to make only the outward changes to remove the press of being uncomfortable. Worse, he demanded his Christian ex-wife to take him back into the marriage bed because it was “the will of The LORD.” But the marriage covenant had been broken.

Yes, she forgave him but did not take him back into the covenant relationship of marriage. He hadn’t become that new creature in CHRIST yet. He refused to enter into the covenant of CHRIST and therefore, she could not be yoked unto someone outside of the Covenant of CHRIST. The marriage would have still been unclean. Wise woman!


Dear Gracious Heavenly FATHER, in the name of Thy holy SON JESUS CHRIST I come to You. I confess my sins and abhor the iniquity of them. Keep me from presumptuous sins. I am sorry for taking advantage of Your Goodness. I am sorry for persisting in my thoughts when I do know better. Forgive me for my stubbornness and let not any Self-will take root in my soul.

Now unto HIM+ Who+ is able to do abundantly above all we ask or think, I offer up these my imperfect prayers.

In the name of the FATHER, the SON, and the HOLY SPIRIT. Amen.
+ + +



[1] All definitions come from Webster’s Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, based on Webster’s Third New International Dictionary (A Merriam-Webster Dictionary) , 1965. Lenten Meditation