Musings with PWC

We are a society that avoids pain--which is good!  I'm a fan of pain-less living!  I usually do not go out of my way to find pain. However, in our spiritual lives--all advancement require pain. pain of endurance pain of ego pain of pride pain of denial Jesus understood this and lived it!  Jesus' battle was certainly ON the cross--but a huge battle took place prior to the cross.  Jesus was walking in the perfect will of the Father--doing only those things that pleased the Father.  Jesus predicted three times in Matthew's gospel that he would be killed and rise again the third day.  The most intense battle took place in the Garden of Gethsemane where he fought for his very life.  It was there--in that garden--that the real choice was made. endure pain--walking in the perfect will of the Father endure pain--walking into the realm of glory Jesus remained focused--working towards the goal:  the completion of the mission!

Awesome words! Eleanor Hull: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qatBrbqoUdY Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart; Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art; Thou my best Thought, by day or by night, Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light. Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word; I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord; Thou my great Father, I Thy true son; Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one. Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight; Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight; Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tow’r: Raise Thou me heav’nward, O Pow’r of my pow’r. Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise, Thou mine Inheritance, now and always: Thou and Thou only, first in my heart, High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art. High King of Heaven, my victory won, May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heav’n’s Sun! Heart of my own heart, whate’er befall, Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qatBrbqoUdY

The Scriptures—The Bible—is a book that tells a story.  There are things allowed, permitted, or excused throughout the entire scripture because of the following. 1.  Revelation was progressive:   No one writes a book with all the plot, climax, and story on page one.  Well, neither does the Bible.   It comes together piece by piece. No book comes with all the plot, climax, and story on page one.  Well, neither does the Bible.   It comes together piece by piece. It takes a long time to work through the entire plot. This was written by about 40 authors over a period of  about 1500 years.  But, there is a point to the story.  It is not answered on page one.  Think of it.  No one writes a book with all the plot, climax, and story on page one.  Well, neither does the Bible.   It comes together piece by piece.  The biggest piece is in the person of Jesus Christ!  Hebrews 1:1,-2 “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various

My sin: Do I beat myself endlessly? Do I perform penance?  Works?  Weep more?  Confess more?  Perform some righteous acts to prove how sorry I am? Do I read more Bible?  Go to church more?  Refuse the fellowship of the Lord's Table? Do I fast? Do I tell everyone about how awful I am--what a rotten sinner I am--how much I have failed? What can I do? What must I do? From The Valley of Vision A collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions As the Hymn Writer Elizabeth C. Clephane (1830-1869) wrote: Beneath the cross of Jesus I fain would take my stand, The shadow of a mighty rock Within a weary land; A home within the wilderness, A rest upon the way, From the burning of the noontide heat, And the burden of the day. O safe and happy shelter, O refuge tried and sweet, O trysting place where Heaven’s love And Heaven’s justice meet! As to the holy patriarch That wondrous dream was giv’n, So seems my Savior’s cross to me, A ladde

A couple of months ago I was at a conference where Rev David Hazzard ( https://paoc.org/family/who-we-are/officers/rev.-david-hazzard) presented the participants of the conference with the following challenge.  Where are you on the grace or truth spectrum? Here’s the background:  Jesus—according to John—came full of grace and truth   John 1:14 * The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth . John 1:17 * For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. John tells us Jesus was ‘full’ of grace and truth.  Being full of grace and truth implies a perfect balance between them.  Jesus was FULL--or better,  ‘filled with’ grace—Jesus was ‘filled with’ truth. We however—tend to be wired toward one end of the spectrum.  The Truth end of the spectrum tends to be defined almost in terms of legalism.  It is almost as