MONDAY MORNING BLOG

Chapter 51

Good Monday Morning to this week 52 of 2020

Last week I felt unjustly treated and got only a glimpse of the hunger and thirst of righteousness. How much more those who over a long period of time hunger and thirst for this righteousness.

The Bible takes this many steps further. Quina Aragon shares with us:

God’s great story of redemption is filled with irony. Even as Matthew emphasizes that Jesus is the promised Messiah by virtue of his Scripture-fulfilling birthplace, he also introduces his Jewish audience to a mysterious group of foreigners: Magi from the East. Look at the Christ child already causing the nations to “rally to him”.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled,” the Bible tells us in Matthew 2: 5:6. This is the reality we see embodied by the Gentile Magi. Their joy overflowed into worship when they saw that shining sign of hope rest over the home of Hope himself. They traveled from afar to gladly bend the knee to the “king of the Jews” who, it turns out, is also the “King of the nations”.

The love of God is a scandal—too full to contain, too shocking to predict. It makes Christ-worshipers out of pagans, faith heroes out of foreigners. Are we willing to learn from these unlikely leaders and their generous, humble worship? If we are, perhaps we too will embody a beautiful irony—a disruptive joy, a bright hope, piercing through the darkness of our times.

Wishing you a good start into this week.

Philemon

Chapter 50

Good Monday Morning to this week 51 of 2020

There are just so man good writers and texts out there. This one I just delight in sharing with you this Monday Morning. It’s out of a devotional of Luke written last week by Catherine McNiel; Finding God in His messy abundant world.

It was said that the gods of the ancient world lived outside time and space, on a different plane from our mortal existence, unreachable. On earth, in the hopes of glimpsing divinity, the ancients established hallowed places—a sacred tree or mountain, a holy temple or city—which they believed existed in both spheres, like a window to heaven. The people traveled to these holy places on holy days, believing the divine and mundane might nearly overlap for one reverent moment.

Luke takes pains to communicate that this story, this God, this mingling of divinity and humanity are altogether different. The Creator is arriving here, to our muddy, dusty, physical, emotional, beautiful, terrible world. Like a midwife carefully noting the time and place of birth, Luke clarifies that God’s birth interrupts a particular event—the Roman census—in a particular place—the town of Bethlehem—in a particular family—the house of David. Jesus is born into history, to a specific woman, exactly here and exactly now. We might gloss over these local details, but to Gentile readers Luke’s statement would be jarring.

On this night, God does not come like the gods of old, on a cloud or a storm, his untouchable power barely glimpsed through a holy mirror. No, God falls into the arms of his mother, arriving on this earth the way we all do. For months she carried him, for hours she labored with pain and blood and struggle, pushing until God was born on earth among us, an infant, vulnerable, wrinkled, and wet. Exhausted from the ordeal and sleeping now but soon to awaken, howling and hungry.

This is Luke’s unbelievable news: The true God came near to us physically, tangibly, in a way that we can see with our eyes and touch with our hands. God arrived in a village we could walk to, during a year we can remember. Divinity took on flesh in a mother’s womb, interrupting a marriage, a night, and a village like any other birth. We no longer meet God in sacred places and spiritual spheres but here on the ground, in the dirt, in our families and flesh and blood.

It is a shocking idea, even for us so many centuries later. There is no longer a separation between sacred and mundane. Our messy, daily lives are exactly where God is found, where God is at work. This is a God we can touch.

Catherine McNiel

I wish you a wonderful morning to exactly this messy and abundant World of His!
Philemon

Chapter 49

Good Monday Morning to this week 50 of 2020

Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. Isaiah 60: 1-2

Each year, God asks us to shed one more coat of awareness, one more dream state and come alive to the vision of God’s plan for each of us and the world-at-large.

The older we get, the harder this is to do. As children we had a sense of wonder. Our eyes were wide open and drinking in the fascinating gifts we beheld, our thirsty souls could not have enough of the wonders of creation.

Then, somehow, we grew too old to dream. We, tired of the abundance of the world, or at least grew weary of keeping up with the feast of life, and stepped away from the banquet of life.

The natural gift of wonder God gave us as children was meant to be kept alive, instead we let wonder go to sleep. We entered the typical dream state of most humans.

Why else does Jesus tell us today, ‘Stay awake!’
Advent says, ‘Wake up and realize the gifts of love you have received.’

Psychology says, ‘Let go.’
Spirituality says, ‘Wake up.’

In both cases there is a withdrawal from the busyness of daily life and a waking up to the subconscious and spiritual depths of ourselves and Him within us!

Rev. Alfred McBride, O. Praem., THE PRIEST, Gift of Wonder

Wishing you a good start to this week!
Philemon

Chapter 48

Good Monday Morning to this week 49 of 2020

It seems apparent from the scriptural record that the third day was selected for a given activity or matter at hand for some distinct purpose and attendant emphasis, which those who were involved in the situation understood.

Third day. And God said: ‘Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear. And it was so. And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters called He Seas; and God saw that it was good.

The apostle Peter denied knowing Jesus three times following the evening of his arrest. Jesus was resurrected from the grave three days after his death and burial.

The abundant use of the third day argues for viewing the third day as a literary motif that could be employed for several reasons.

Indeed, the number three or its compounds occurs hundreds of times. Noah had three sons and Job had three daughters. The Ark of the Covenant contained three sacred objects ‘The gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant” Solomon’s Palace of the Forest of Lebanon was designed with windows “placed high in sets of three facing each other. Likewise, in John’s vision a triple entrance way marked all four sides of the city of the New Jerusalem. David “bowed down before Jonathan three times, with his face to the ground and Daniel regularly prayed three times a day giving thanks to God. Israelite men were required to appear before the Lord three times in a year: “Three times a year all your men must appear before the LORD your God at the place he will choose.

The number three appears often in measurements of time as well. For example, Moses and Aaron petitioned Pharaoh, “Now let us take a three-day journey into the desert to offer sacrifices to the LORD our God. The fleeing Hebrews went three days without finding water in the Desert of Shur. When the Hebrews neared the Jordan River they were informed, “Three days from now you will cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession of the land the LORD your God is giving you for your own.

In some contexts the third day appears to emphasize the presence of new information that will generate further activity. The third day and number 3 mean divine wholeness, completeness and perfection in the context of many biblical stories.

Thus on the third day Laban learned that Jacob had fled with his wives and property. The entire episode thus contains not only historical information, but the presence of the third day at the outset of the narrative alerts the reader to expect that the account will contain more details.

Similarly, on the third day Joshua and the Israelites learned that the Gibeonites had used deception when Israel made a treaty with them and so set out for their cities. Once again it is likely that the mention of the three days that had elapsed after making the inviolable treaty before the Israelites gained information of their being duped and the attention drawn to the third day alerts the hearer/reader that something out of the ordinary was about to happen.

When David was not allowed to accompany the Philistine forces to the battle. Upon reaching there on the third day, he learned that an Amalekite group had raided and burned the city. The presence of the third day motif at the beginning of the narrative not only reinforces David’s expected reaction but points to the probable success of his mission.

In an interesting case of the occurrence of three days and the third day motif together, Joseph instructs his brothers as to what they must do in order to verify that they had been telling the truth to the one whom they understood to be a powerful Egyptian official rather than their brother. Here again the third day motif may well send a signal that important developments are to follow. Indeed, the third day here reflects the fact that after the prescribed waiting period, important decisions were to be made on the third day.

This year we’ve been waiting for this third day. We often look to the next day to make ends meet. On the the second day we hope for better change or an ending to current situations. I think we should start looking, waiting and longing for the third day. Hosea writes: After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him.

Lets pray for this third and new day together. Let’s pray for the many situations in which not even the second day wants to come. Let’s pray for this third day for the compassion of the Lord to come to our neighbourhoods and surroundings. Let’s pray for this third day for many personal areas in our lives that are needing to transition from the 1st to the 3rd day.

I wish you the words for your prayers and for us to see this miracle of the third day happening in our lives and in the lives of many around us.

Philemon

Chapter 47

Good Monday Morning to this week 48 of 2020

Seven quotes and verses that blow my mind. God’s word blows my mind a lot. It is so full of wisdom, truth, hope, and encouragement, and I am inspired every time I read it. Nonetheless, there are certain passages that are extraordinarily incredible, so here are my big six Bible verses and one great quote to start this new week!

One
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can and wisdom to know the difference.  Dave Tomlinson

Two
How then does a man gain the essence of wisdom? We cross the threshold of true knowledge when we live in complete awe and adoration of God. Stubborn know-it-alls will never stop to do this, for they scorn true wisdom and knowledge. Proverbs

Three
You clothed me with skin and flesh, and knit me together with bones and sinews. You have granted me life and steadfast love, and your care has preserved my spirit. Job

Four
Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you! See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands. Isaiah

Five
Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning. Lamentations

Six
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Hebrews

Seven
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Wishing you a blessed start into this new week!
Philemon

Chapter 46

Good Monday Morning to this week 47 of 2020

“The wind blows where it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” – John 3:8

Recently I was asking God to speak to me and was so sure that it would be in words, in a book or in a message. The sentence with the expected words didn’t arrive, I started to get impatient and continued my journey to work. Then something strange happened, a new song started on my playlist, it played with a very slow beautiful pad of a synthesizer and bass introducing the tune. It was as if God was way saying, I have many dwellings – I will speak to you through music and tunes! Listen in! I was greatly humbled and moved. Then a friend asked me to send the song to him, but I can’t find it on my playlist anymore.

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever. John 14:16

The Paraclete means advocate or helper and comes from the Koine in Greek. It’s a combination of “para” (beside/alongside) and “kalein” to call, the word first appears in the Bible in John 14:16. John Muddiman explain; The word parakletos is a verbal adjective, often used of one called to help in a law court. In the Jewish tradition the word was transcribed with Hebrew letters and used for angels, prophets, and the just as advocates before God’s court. The word is filled with a complex meaning: the Spirit replaces Jesus, is an advocate and a witness, but also consoles the disciples.

Keener, Craig, Gift and Giver, writes about John 14:2–3. In the passage, Jesus assures his disciples that he is going to the Father’s house to prepare a place for them among the many dwellings “mansions” He promises that he will return to them and that they will be with him forever in his Father’s house. It is not surprising if we are unsure what Jesus was talking about, for even Jesus’ original disciples were confused. First, Jesus explains what he means by his coming again to his disciples after the resurrection. At that time he will give them his Spirit, through whom they will experience his presence and resurrection life. Second, Jesus explains what he means by the “dwellings” in the Father’s house: our current dwelling in God’s presence. Through the Spirit, Jesus and the Father will come and make their dwelling within each disciple, thus making them temples of the Lord (the Father’s house). The term dwell, or abide, which is the verb form of dwelling, appears several times in John 15, where Jesus talks about dwelling with us and we with him.

In the description of Paul Young in “The Shack” The Holy Spirit appears as a semi-transparent Asian woman named Sarayu. Young explains in his interview with Kim Gravel that this name, which is a Hindi word for a refreshing wind, was suggested to him by an Indian friend. He had been looking for a word that carried a sense of the Spirit as a wind, which is a biblical image of the Spirit’s activity.  In fact, the Greek word for spirit, pneuma, also means wind. The derivation of the name and the ethereal nature of Sarayu make this depiction of the Spirit relatively easy to accept, especially since most Christians are unlikely to conceive of the Spirit as either male or female. In fact, the clear depiction of the Spirit as a person is probably a healthy redress to the tendency some believers have to think of Him as merely an impersonal force to be referred to as “it”.

That means we seek not a single experience but a continuing relationship, daily encountering our master in the power of his Holy Spirit, living out of the power already imparted to us when we became followers of Jesus Christ. But if we become more yielded to his power in our lives through such experiences as Acts describes, then by all means we should be ready to encounter God in many different dwellings.

To the rational mind, the things of the Spirit often seem like foolishness. We can trust our heavenly Father to give us good gifts when we ask for them. So let us be unafraid and press in to ask Him for more of his wonderful Holy Spirit, more of his Dwellings, his Comforter, his Pneuma, His Sarayu – all that we may abide in Him!

Wishing you blessed week, dwelling in His wind!
Philemon

Chapter 45

Good Monday Morning to this week 46 of 2020

John 11:35 – “Jesus wept.”

Many of us have been following tweets sent out in the last days and weeks. Here a few nice ones from #realbibletweets

❦Andrew – A storm’s coming toward our boat & we FORGOT TO BRING JESUS!!! #doomed
❦Philip – Get bread for 5,000 men? Sure, Jesus. Good thing I have a wheat field in my pocket. #sheesh
❦Mark – The look on Peter’s face when he took 2 steps on water & then started to sink? #priceless.
❦Moses – Thought for sure “Thou shalt not be a jerk” was gonna make the Top Ten.
❦Jesus – The Baptists are going to HATE my first miracle. #IKnowTheFuture
❦God – Every week, I’m reminded that the best idea I ever had was making everyone take a day off. #RestIsVeryGood
❦Jabez – Said a little prayer, & out of the blue I get a surprise delivery of a gigantic tent! #PrayAndReceive
❦Peter – Crushed it. #OneSermonThreeThousandConverts
❦Mary – I know every mom thinks her kids are perfect, by my 1st born son really is perfect. Like, divine without sin perfection. #boom
❦Gideon – Put fleece out 3rd time. No dew anywhere. Just a message written in the sand: Don’t push your luck.
❦Lazarus – Guess I can throw away this YOLO shirt. #youonlyliveonce #livingtwice
❦Peter – Jesus wants us to stay awake while he prays. This from the man who slept through a storm!
❦Noah – I can’t help but get a little bit nervous every time it starts raining.
❦Jesus – Love singing praises with my disciples… but I still sometimes secretly hum “How Great Is Our God.” #IKnowTheFuture
❦Paul – Whenever things get boring, I like to toss out a resurrection question then sit back & watch the Pharisees & Sadducees go at it.
❦RichYoungRuler – Luckily, I’m rich enough to build a gigantic needle that camels can run through. #boom
❦Eve – Adam thinks he’s soooo funny asking me to bake an apple pie.
❦Moses – To this day, I refuse to carry anything in a basket or ride on a raft.
❦God – I gave Jesus the keys ❦Satan. He can walk in your place any time he wants.
❦Peter – Greatest. Comeback. EVER! #MyJesus
❦ShepherdSam – Hearing angelic choir? Priceless. Having that beautiful tune stuck in my head ever since? Driving me insane.
❦Jesus – Please stop tweeting end time questions at me. I PROMISE I DO NOT KNOW THE DAY OR HOUR!
❦Solomon – “To everything there is a season. Now is the time to heal!”

What is your tweet this week?

Wishing a blessed week!
Philemon

Chapter 44

Good Monday Morning to this week 45 of 2020

Soli Deo Gloria! For the Glory of God Alone!

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

Poverty of spirit (Matthew 5:2) is the Spirit emptying the heart of self that Christ may fill it: it is a sense of need and destitution. A. W. Pink

According to Philip Melanchthon, 31 October 1517 was the day German monk Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-five Theses on the door of the All Saints’ Church in Wittenberg, Historians and other experts on the subject argue that Luther may have chosen All Hallows’ Eve on purpose to get the attention of common people, although that has never been proved.

The five solae (from Latin, sola, lit. “alone”; occasionally Anglicized to five solas) of the Protestant Reformation are a foundational set of principles held by theologians and clergy to be central to the doctrine of salvation. More recently, certain scholars have suggested that there should be additional solas on the list: Sola ecclesia (“the Church alone”), Sola caritas (“Charitable-love alone”) and Sola Spiritus (In the “Spirit alone”).

Soli Deo gloria is a Latin term for Glory to God alone. It has been used by artists like Johann Sebastian Bach, the Baroque composer wrote the initials “S. D. G.” at the end of all his church compositions and also applied it to some, but not all, his secular works to signify that the work was produced for the sake of praising God. As a greeting, it was used by monks in written communication. As a doctrine, it means that everything is done for God’s glory to the exclusion of mankind’s self-glorification and pride. Christians are to be motivated and inspired by God’s glory and not their own.

For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen Romans 11:36

God has surely promised His grace to the humbled: that is to those who mourn over and despair of themselves. But a man cannot be thoroughly humbled till he realizes that his salvation is utterly beyond his own powers, counsels, efforts, will and works, and depends absolutely on the will, counsel pleasure and work of Another – God alone.” – Martin Luther

Wishing you a week “Soli Deo gloria” with this quote:

I have a great need for Christ; I have a great Christ for my need.
Charles H. Spurgeon

Philemon

Chapter 43

Good Monday Morning to this week 44 of 2020

Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
Proverbs 27.6

We just about all knows Cory Asbury as the guy who sings “Reckless Love”
Remember the lyrics with “leaving the 99”:

“Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Oh, it chases me down, fights ’til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine
I couldn’t earn it, and I don’t deserve it, still, You give Yourself away
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God, yeah”

Yesterday evening I heard the song “Faithful Wounds” on a livestream and it truly got me by surprise. We’re so used to the smashing hits coming out, packed with hope songs, upbeat texts. Then comes an album packed with deep, thoughtful songs as if not caring for this previous mega-hit or much for his record company as a whole.

Fair warning: this album is not for the weak of heart. To Love a Fool is packed with heavy and raw emotion about encountering God, biblical truths and the messiness sin. The lyrics are not sugar coated  paired with an upbeat poppy sound to make it seem like a happy-go-lucky kind of life; they are honest, and hard to hear sometimes. Of course there is the everlasting truths of God that are more positive and inspiring painted throughout as well, but there is plenty of real-life grit within these stories too.

Let’s look at the lyrics:

Vers 1
God I’m wrestling with the way then again, again
I am patience, a disease, in this cage from mice and men
They say “Boy you better keep running” but this place I can’t sustain
But my head knows to trust you but the heart of me is slain

Chorus
Faithful are the wounds of a friend
Faithful are the dealings of your hand
The troubles and the trials like the gold refining fire
Faithful are the wounds of a friend

Vers 2
God these questions, that just won’t leave me alone, alone, alone
Will this crushing ever end?
Or is this ache now my home?
Am I a prisoner of hope? But just the warden of my pain
When my head knows to trust you but the heart of me is slain

Chorus 2
And faithful are the wounds of a friend
Faithful like the tides pulled by your hand
I’ve learned to piece the wage that pushed my soul into a cage
Faithful are the wounds of a friend

“Faithful Wounds” a very impactful songs. It’s a cry out to God with the reminder that these trials, tribulations and sufferings we encounter in this life are necessary for our growth and sanctification. It also is a reminder that Jesus endured the wounds of the cross to save me and you from our sins and offer us eternal life in the love of Christ.

Songs overflowing with sensitive topics, it seems like the right way to go. Thank you Cory Asbury for not shying away from the tougher and messier things we do experience, feel, think and do, as well as look at the not so pretty parts of ourselves too. It’s very refreshing to hear something so raw, open a dare and convicting shared on an album.

Wishing you a open and honest dialog with God this week!

Philemon

Ps: The Youtube Link to the Song: https://youtu.be/nrO-2RRkLEQ

Chapter 42

Good Monday Morning to this week 43 of 2020

Deuteronomy 11:18 : “You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.

This week we were blessed with an aged person at our home. She keeps repeating verses of all ranges of culture and home and even scripture. When I was young we were also taught quite a few rhimes and bible verses as well and it’s interesting to see how the mind can memorize it for many, many years up into high age.

One way I came across: A prayer method for reading and praying with the Bible:
“Lectio Divina”

Lectio divina is broken down into the following steps named in Latin:

Lectio (reading)
Meditatio (meditation)
Oratio (prayer)
Contemplatio (contemplation)
Actio (action)

Each of these steps together form a process by which we encounter God in his sacred word and respond to his grace. 

Lectio (Reading)

We understand what the passage we are reading says in itself. At this stage we do not yet consider our own lives in connection with the Scriptures. We do not let our opinions influence our reading, but seek to understand the message of the passage.

Meditatio (Meditation)

In the meditation phase of lectio divina, we ask, what does this text say to me, today, and to my life? We allow God to pull up certain memories of people, places, and events in our lives that relate to the passage we are reading. Meditation is also an opportunity to see ourselves in the text. In this way we come to a deeper appreciation of how God is working in our lives through the word. Having entered into the story ourselves, we can return to the present and consider the areas in our own lives that God is calling us to contemplate.

Oratio (Prayer)

Through a meditation on Scripture, we experience an intimate encounter with God that leads us to respond in prayer. Having met our Lord in His word, we courageously speak to him in our own words. In this way we consider prayer to be a simple conversation with God. This conversation that comes in various forms: we ask petitions or requests, maybe intercession, we give him thanks, and we give him praise.

Contemplatio (Contemplation)

A true encounter with the Lord always leads to transformation. Indeed, the Lord God proclaimed, “Behold, I make all things new” (Revelation 21:5). Through contemplation we come to an understanding of the parts of our lives that need to be transformed by God’s grace. We humble ourselves and open our lives up to his transformative power. At this step in the lectio divina process, we ask ourselves: What conversion of the mind, heart, and life is the Lord asking of me? 

Actio (Action)

Finally, although this phase is often not considered to be a part of lectio divina proper, it is an essential result of the encounter with God and His word. We do well to remember that the process of lectio divina is not concluded until it arrives at action (actio), which moves the believer to make his or her life a gift for others in charity. Having received God’s love and grace, we go forth to serve others out of the love we have been given. These acts are done out of the inspiration we receive from the acceptance in faith of God’s love.

Bind them on your heart always; tie them around your neck. When you walk, they will lead you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk with you. Proverbs 6: 21-22

Wishing you a blessed week as you draw from this rewarding Source.
Philemon