Tag Archives: feast

Best life possible

 

What will be my core message to those I am discipling and teaching on how to follow Jesus. It will simply be that following Jesus is the best life possible.

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as[f] the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” – John 7:37-38  ESV

Martin Luther had some great thoughts on this when he commented on Psalm 126:2.

Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
    and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then they said among the nations,
    “The Lord has done great things for them.” – Psalm 126:2  ESV

Then our mouth was filled with laughter, etc. We must earnestly endeavour to learn this practice, or at the least to attain to some knowledge thereof; and we must raise up ourselves with this consideration—that the gospel is nothing else but laughter and joy. This joy properly pertaineth to captives, that is, to those that feel the captivity of sin and death; to the fleshy and tender hearts, terrified with the feeling of the wrath and judgment of God. These are the disciples in whose hearts should be planted laughter and joy, and that by the authority of the Holy Ghost, which this verse setteth forth. This people was in Zion, and, after the outward show of the kingdom and priesthood, did mightily flourish; but if a man consider them according to the spirit, he shall see them to be in miserable captivity, and that their tongue is full of heaviness and mourning, because their heart is terrified with the sense of sin and death. This is Moses’ tongue or Moses’ mouth, full of wormwood and of the bitterness of death; wherewith he designs to kill none but those which are too lively and full of security. But they who feel their captivity shall have their mouths filled with laughter and joy: that is, redemption and deliverance from sin and death shall be preached unto them. This is the sense and meaning of the Holy Ghost, that the mouth of such shall be filled with laughter, that is, their mouth shall show forth nothing else but great gladness through the inestimable consolations of the gospel, with voices of triumph and victory by Christ, overcoming Satan, destroying death, and taking away sins. This was first spoken unto the Jews; for this laughter was first offered to that people, then having the promises. Now he turneth to the Gentiles, whom he calleth to the partaking of this laughter.—Martin Luther.

Standard

Feasting on God’s kingdom

 

Bob Bennett “Moveable Feast”

 

About six days ago I was meditating on the fact that the law was a great gift while I was reading Joshua 1:8.  In reading Psalm 1, I found a lot of things there that correlated with Joshua. The person in Psalm 1 was feasting on God’s kingdom. That’s what the law is there for – to point me to the kingdom of God. When I approach the law, I think my problem is that I create obligations that do not exist where Jesus uses it to penetrate my heart and wants to set me free from those obligations. Most of my obligations come in the form of me wanting to get along with others and I see the same taking place with them towards me.

I am reminded again that I live dependent on meditating on the word of God.

Being a disciple means that I will not listen to a voice that does not line up with that Word. For in rejecting the truth and disregarding what I read, I will end up doing my own thing. Without a standard for living, I will end up with a lifestyle separated from God. Separated from Him, I reject His love and His gift of eternal life.

I usually find myself getting “dry” when I am not listening. The illustration of a tree is a good one because a tree without moisture will have its leaves wither and fall.

The shift takes place when I make the decision and maintain the habit of seeking Him every day.

I need to be in a position where I can continually take on nutrients. When issues of life come against me, my roots grow deeper and stronger.

It may be an ancient text but it is a message, both about an infinite God and from an infinite God. Eternity itself would be insufficient for us to exhaust its depths. It is something we need to concentrate on, consider it from every angle and allow it to transform us.

Blessed is the man[a]
    who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
    nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
 but his delight is in the law[b] of the Lord,
    and on his law he meditates day and night.

 He is like a tree
    planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
    and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers. – Psalm 1:1-3  ESV

 

 

Standard