Who are You?

“They say, ‘If a man divorces his wife,
And she goes from him
And becomes another man’s,
May he return to her again?’
Would not that land be greatly polluted?
But you have played the harlot with many lovers;
Yet return to Me,” says the LORD.
Jeremiah 3:1 (NKJV)

I know of such a woman currently. She is dear to my heart and part of my family. I never thought that I would be able to understand this in truth and as a reality outside of the context of my relationship with God.

As I see this woman though, and the wounded individual whom she has left(granted he is not perfect or innocent) and has given her self not only to another man, but to many other men, my heart cries out to her and is broken in two. My relative says that it is impossible for him to return to her because she has already given herself to others.

So what is God saying here?!? Who but a husband and wife could understand the full implications of what the Lord is saying?

I am this harlot of course in many ways. Wandering from here to there almost daily in my relationship with Jesus. Here is His response, "Yet return to Me."

This compels me to return- His response to my unfaithfulness, His great mercy, that while I was a sinner, He laid down His life for me of His own will. I imagine Him saying, "Don't you see that I'm here for you! Don't you see? All that is mine is Yours. I'm waiting for you to return to me here. I have never left you. I will never leave you. You are mine. When you return, you will find that I am here with arms wide open. I will pick up my garments, run to you, embrace you, fall on your neck and kiss you, saying, "My daugher was lost, but now she is found."

Let us not wait to return to the Lord as a pure Bride. Let us return as the harlot and He will purify us.

Will I...?

Will I seek You if You withhold the things I deeply desire?

Will I be Yours when I cannot feel Your presence?

Will I love and trust You when I am disappointed by circumstances?

I'm working my faith muscle today to grow in love in the midst of difficulty.

I am His inheritance and I'm in it for it- to the end.

Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall[a] on me,”
Even the night shall be light about me;
Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,
But the night shines as the day;
The darkness and the light are both alike to You.

Psalm 139:7-12

Julia

His Gaze

It is sometimes difficult to keep our heart in the holy place of the fire of GOd's gaze. But... it is the short path to the place of sureness of our truly being the child of God.

:)

I always knew....

I always knew that God is love but I never thought that God is lover.
-Joseph from Onething 08'

At home from IHOP (Prayer, not pancakes :)...

Where has the time gone? In 2 days I will start working at Steak N'Shake as a MIT (Manager-in-Training).

I'm verrryyy excited! I've had some questioning looks,and unspoken concerns that imply the question, "Why would someone with a degree from U of I work at such a place?"

I know that this is where the Lord wants me and I'm only following Him where He wants me to go. I'm finding that I care less and less about the place I'm in as long as I'm with him.

This does not negate the need for a close group of believers wherever you are either. We need other Christians because without them "I" am just a foot, or ear, or eye that is incomplete without the rest of the body parts. We need people who provoke us. I once heard a wise man say that the friend who loves you the most is the one who tells you the most truth.

I like that saying and I desire to be a friend like that.

I've been asking to see my life from the Lord's perspective lately. I complain a good deal less and being to see that everything I do matters to Him. It's funny how much we emphasize that following Jesus is about having a relationship with Him and yet how little time we take to talk with Him. I believe it's because we either think He's upset with us, or He really isn't listening. I know that is certainly true for me.

I make myself as busy as possible and start to realize that I'm not giving Him the one thing He desires: to be apart of everything I do. I'm trying to 'practice His presence.' Oh, Jesus that you would not only be apart of everything I do but that it would be all done as if I was doing it for you.

I feel like I can identify more with Abraham, who knew He was looking for a city that endured, whose builder and Maker is God. I really "can't wait" until He returns.

The Spirit and the Bride say, "Come." (Rev. 22:17)

Julia

Revelation of the Day

Since I've been in Kansas City, MO, I've had limited access to the internet and so I am currently writing from a friend's computer- praise the Lord!

I figure that I will start writing a revelation of the day for my sake as I look back over my time here and for those of you who are interested. :)

Revelation of the Day:
Some things are automatically given in the Kingdom; with other things, God waits until the violent ( in spirit) take it by force.

Spiritual violence is not conditional.

Blessings.

Citizen from what Country? Part 2

There is a difference between living in a nation where you have only heard about your president/King/ruler and those who actually have contact with him or her on a regular basis, such as his or her wife. You may repeat what others have said about the Head/King/President of the country, but they can tell you what he did yesterday and why they did it. There is *usually* a pride and confidence that goes along in saying that you are very close to that governing force.

As Christians we are apart of a Kingdom where each one of us is offered to know our King personally. Not only are we citizens of this Kingdom, each of us are ambassadors sent from the King Himself! And not only ambassadors, but we are apart of a Kingdom where this is our King's offer: "To him who overcomes, I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne."Rev.3:21

This is a mind boggling statement!


Now I'm still in the kingdom on the earth that still is under the dominion of an evil ruler. I as a citizen of the Kingdom of God am not only supposed to tell others about the rightful King who is coming back to His home but I have the authority and power, as granted by the King, to demonstrate glimpses of that coming Kingdom.

The government will be upon His shoulder and His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, and there will be no end to the increase of His government and peace. He will order and establish it with judgment and justice of those who oppose His rule. (Isaiah 9:6-7)

Citizen from what Country?

This will be one post of a series.

When you interact with a citizen of another country, you will usually note what is obvious: different dress, language,culture, and customs. You also note the omission of certain things: they may speak your language, but their syntax conforms to their own language, they do not react the same way you and others of your nation/culture do in various situations, and they may not grasp how to work within the parameters of systems that operate in your country.

Eventually though, if they spend enough time in your country, they may speak your language well enough that you don't notice the difference any longer, and they become familiar enough with your systems to operate and live in the country. They may partially or completely assimilate to your culture and perhaps apply for citizenship.

As a Christian, I am a citizen of the Kingdom of God. Not when it arrives in fullness here on the earth, but right now. I ask myself how familiar I am with the ways of the King and the Kingdom to which I belong.

How much have I assimilated to the nation in which I live, and how do others know that I am a citizen of the Kingdom of God first and foremost?

The Last Hoorah

Here I am again. In the middle of finals. 2 papers to go. Shouldn't be writing right now, but I can't think clearly. So much to say, but I guess I'll just leave it at this:

Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the whole duty of man.
For God will bring every deed into judgment,
including every hidden thing,
whether it is good or evil.

Eccl. 12:13-14