Monday, May 07, 2007

Lena's Journalin to Ez 47 Today

Water in the Bible is symbolic of God’s word and of God’s spirit. We are eternal spirit beings living inside of human bodies while we are on the earth for a time period while we are on the earth. If in this specific time we become made spiritually redeemed and alive unto God then we begin to walk in the spirit and we no longer aim to please the desires and dictates of the flesh natured, earth centered, man. Even though we are alive here for a time, we live as though this is not our true home. We believe everything we do here is preparation for how we will live forever with God in and through Christ Jesus who we have willingly received as our Lord while we live here, because we are heavenly beings having an earth experience, and we believe Jesus will rule us forever in eternity.
When we first come to Christ and when we first start to grow in the walk of the spirit nature, it starts small as any other proper growth does. Water to the ankles is a sampling of the kingdom, lordship and walk in the spirit. We like it, but it has not overwhelmed us. IF we continue in this eternal walk while on earth now, we’ll progress. We’ll move and grow towards entering waters that are deeper than ankle depth. This water makes it harder to just walk through as we were before we followed Christ. There is resistance to just being whoever you were in behaviors and thoughts. It takes some effort to jog through, there is a current. One can go against it or go with it, it is still up to the person, the offer is there, given by God’s spirit to being to move us as He so desires.
Water, the word of God, and the Spirit of God, looks for the pathway of least resistance. Notice if we go against what God has said, we feel resistance, if we go with the flow it moves us. This is to show us if we’ve truly yielded or not. Many say with pretty words, Oh Lord I surrender, or I yield to You, but the proof is when the water begins to flow, what happens inside of you?
Knee deep, is still not too intrusive to who you already were, not a whole lot of change happens there. When the river rises up to the loins, one feels the temperature and wonders if they are staying in or gonna get out of this “course” of eternal living while on earth. One may decide, this is NOT what I bargained for, when I was inspired and motivated to be “all in”. I didn’t think I needed to get wet or be pushed and pulled outside of who I had spent a lot of my life becoming. When it touches the loins it touches something considerable, the ability to reproduce self or another. A decision must be made. Spirit life or natural life, which one? It really is a decision making time. We usually either want to go on or pull out at this point.
One of the 10 commandments says, though shalt not make for thyself any graven image after thine own kind….I realized this is water that is loin deep. What am I reproducing or making copies of while I’m on earth? Do I look at my kids and see myself or see Him? Was I a channel of the river of life to my kids, or was I a blocker, a human dam which quite possibly stopped up His reproductive force from influencing them?
It is sin to see self manifested in children. God put parents here to reflect Him to children, both naturally and spiritually speaking. This is our co mission with God. Everyday in our homes and on our jobs we have an opportunity to be as He is on earth and to demonstrate Him, this is our aim. If we remain as we are we sin, for we automatically pass the traits of us into others. God made people to learn easily, merely by copying what they see a lot of. Unless there is a consistent new model, the copy will be what is presented the most regularly. This would be why we set up new patterns in our own lives now that we’ve decided to follow Christ rather than the ways of the world teaching us by regular example, if we want to start to mimic Christ and His ways we must make it a priority to regularly assemble with other Christians, the same ones in the same place, day in and week in and out. This is why older Christians encourage us to read our Bibles daily and to pray often, consistency, continuity and regularity all set us up into a new and successful pattern of living).
We are His image and His likeness. Not our own self made persons to exemplify, though we do easily exemplify that. If we do not set up new patterns willingly we won’t have any good examples to follow.
Water one must swim in. It is no longer I who is alive, looking like my own image and likeness, but Christ that is made to become alive in me. I have yielded and do yield to whatever it is He desires of my life and even my personality. Swimming- floating, is me in a place of no resistance. The current takes me where it is already going. I trust God. I go wherever He desires.
In this place, even on the edge of a river of this type of living there is an amazing resource of health, and life. The best place to be even just close to, is a congregation of peoples who regularly yield. In that yielding there is wellness, and wholeness. Obedience to God is blessed. Even dead stuff can come alive there. Salty stuff can be made useful and sweet again. Nations of people will be affected by a group who swims together in the spirit, yielded to God.
Notice every river has banks and borders. It isn’t let go to cover all of the earth, it is contained and follows direction and flow. It has specific purpose. Rules and directions and instructions are the same way. They lead us into further growth with direction for effectiveness. It is so sad when we see people get offended at instruction or correction. Instruction and correction are for our good, for our growth, to show us which way will be more effective to bring the river where it needs to go and flow.