Seeking Wisdom

Lord,
Please give me the knowledge and wisdom to say & do the things You need me to. Grant me the opportunities to see and acknowledge Your will in my life & those around me. Help me keep a clear, focused mind on You and the path You have chosen for me. Amen

After this week of ups & down, full moon, and quite a bit of inner turmoil/confusion; I was excited to be able to sit & read from my actual Bible (not my Bible app, which most of my studies have been from lately).
I started in Hebrews 12 - It's titled the Race of Faith:

The Race of Faith

12 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, ² looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

The Discipline of God

³ For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. ⁴ You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin. ⁵ And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons:
“My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord,
Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;
⁶ For whom the Lord loves He chastens,And scourges every son whom He receives.”This passage has been used several times in sermons I've heard. Race of faith = competition in my mind.. however it's usage could be an awesome uplifting message of encouragement for endurance.. Running the good race, keep pace and don't give up. Cool!! right?!

I saw it differently today..
In the very first verse: God revealed to me that THIS passage, THIS event was in a crowd of BELIEVERS: witnesses of Christ. HELLO?!!! would they not then be called a "race of faith"??
are we not, as believers, a part of that "race" - a different breed, set apart to do His works, descendants of Abraham - the holy chosen???  where we do - as that race - look upon Christ as the example (author and finisher) ?!
Ok.. so did He not just change the dynamics of this passage??? whoa!!! Sure did for me.

Next, verse 3  - alerts us to the fact that NO MATTER how much we suffer in Christ- persecuted by our peers, etc.. HE PAID THE ULTIMATE PRICE. We should not feel discouraged b/c His suffering was beyond our comprehension greater than ours.
Makes my little worries, problems, and playground drama moments feel that much smaller.
***do you not feel peace and joy from that???!!!! ***

The final verses (5-6) come from Proverbs 3.. It's verses 11-12
This verse follows one of my all time, go to verses where God wants us to "lean not on your own understanding, but in all things acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." (5-6)

So, the verses 11-12 in Proverbs directly says when we feel chastened (or simply put: correction) from the Lord, we should delight in it - God is our FATHER and we, as His children, definitely do need direction. PERIOD.

AWESOME MESSAGE!!!!

Uh oh?!!! What's this???
Proverbs 3: 13-18
** I've seen this before.. There's this new up-springing of  Proverbs media. This is a verse commonly used to encourage women to be more virtuous so their husbands find more favor in them..ya know.. a marriage strengthening.. thing **
I'm really sorry, but if I'm going to strive to be a virtuous woman - I'm doing it for the LORD, not to gain a husband...

Still, the verse is God's Word and I read it -- Proverbs 3:13-18

¹³ Happy is the man who finds wisdom,
And the man who gains understanding;
¹⁴ For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver,
And her gain than fine gold.
¹⁵ She is more precious than rubies,
And all the things you may desire cannot compare with her.
¹⁶ Length of days is in her right hand,
In her left hand riches and honor.
¹⁷ Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
And all her paths are peace.
¹⁸ She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her,
And happy are all who retain her.

Do you see what I see ???
Happy is the man who finds WISDOM  & the man who gains understanding. Man, ie MANKIND; being a loose term for a person (doesn't matter woman or man) who finds God's wisdom and understanding is HAPPY. WOW!!!
Now.. wisdom becomes the "she, her" that this verse is speaking of...

Wisdom's proceeds are better than the profits of silver, gain of fine gold, more precious than rubies, and ALL the THINGS you may desire cannot COMPARE with wisdom. So, think of the thing most precious to you. Finding wisdom & understanding in God's Word and Way are even more precious than that!

SHE (wisdom) is the tree of life to those who take hold of her and happy are all who retain her.

SERIOUSLY???!!! Did we not just go ADAM & EVE here???
Did Eve not take of the 'fruit' of the 'tree of life' ? She was NOT supposed to partake of that.. why?? because God had plans for it. Eve rushed God's timing.

Seriously - in Genesis 3 it says

⁶ So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. ⁷ Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.
So, shame came from knowing too much too soon!

Knowing right/wrong - understanding God's plan for us -we should obtain all the wisdom from His word we possibly can. We are now permitted and accepted into His way and encouraged to do so.
Jesus made that possible. Eve tried.. but couldn’t fully because it was NOT the right time.

If you finish Genesis 3 you can see - GOD CORRECTS HIS CHILDREN.
He didn't kill them. MIRACLE!! b/c in those days sin = death. no joke!!! Old Testament. VERY gruesome stuff!!!
No, but He allows pain and strife into their life. Why?! So they are exiled from the Garden of Eden (which I believe is in Heaven - it's ok if you don't believe that) for them to fulfill  the holy lineage of Jesus.
TALK ABOUT AMAZING HERITAGE!

²⁰ And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.

²¹ Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.
²² Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— ²³ therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. ²⁴ So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.Eve's name - means living..
Why is she the mother of all living? Because she obtained wisdom from the fruit of the tree of life.
Because from her the lineage follows a HOLY DESTINY for Jesus to come and bring salvation.
Because of that lineage we're accessible to eternal LIVING.
B I N G O !!!

**God knew the whole time!**

A good friend of mine spoke at a local church recently.. The title of his message was Thinking Magnificently. It was a challenge to us to thinking BIGGER PICTURE when it comes to God.
We are unable to comprehend it all. His magnitude is so great - there is NO WAY for us to fully understand. However, He does allow us from time to time - feel validated by the messages He brings us in His word. Why?? because His word says so. If it's not there - it's wrong.

Honestly, Lord, could You be any more awesome?!!
Nah.. I think not.

Peace be with you all <3

Great Mystery

I'm still reading Ephesians. It's Paul's letters to the churches of Ephesus.
I was reading Chapter 5 yesterday where he starts the chapter about walking in love in faith.
Gives us examples of walking properly in Christ and what to avoid as Christians so we may keep or guard ourselves from entering into activities that make us stray from the will of God.

Then I got to verses 22-33
This part is titled Marriage - Christ & the Church.  It takes great strength for me to read passages that deal w/ marriage. Really. It's a bit of a thorn in my side, much like Paul describes his thorn (which I believe to be his past as a murderer of Jews). It's a subject that no matter how much you love Christ, no matter how much you've changed, are doing things differently, believe differently, and pray that people just can't seem to leave you alone about it.

That's a thorn.
You know it's there but it only pricks you when you're forced to touch it.

I read through it once - gathered a thought.
Read through a 2nd time - gathered a new thought.
THANK YOU LORD for Your awesome knowledge. I was excited.
For the 1st time in a long time, I read a scripture dealing w/ marriage and didn't feel ashamed or sad or like I should be ashamed that I'm not married and failed miserably to live up to these standards while I was married. **sorry. it's true. I told you--> it's my thorn**
Let me show you what I'm talking about..

Ephesians 5:22-33 (NKJV)
Marriage—Christ and the Church

²² Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
²³ For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.
²⁴ Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.
²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, ²⁶ that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, ²⁷ that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. ²⁸ So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself.
²⁹ For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. ³⁰ For we are members of His body,^[d] of His flesh and of His bones.
³¹ “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”^[e]
32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. ³³ Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.


Upon 1st reading I see: ok.. husbands, love Christ. He's the head of the household. Wives, love Christ, submit to husbands - because a Godly husband will grow in the Lord with you.
Husbands, act respectable towards your wife, so she may act respectable towards you.
We are members of Christ's body - once we take it on - act like it. Whether individual or coupled. Doesn't matter.

Seems pretty simple right?! Yes. Too simple. I took another look.

In verse 29 - 32 in particular.²⁹ For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.Love yourself. Love the creation that is anew in Christ. You can't love others as the Lord does w/out loving yourself.  Grow your love for Christ and yourself in Him. *this is an instruction more so than just a statement of how Christ loves the church* ³⁰ For we are members of His body,^[d] of His flesh and of His bones.

This means-> He knew me when He hung for me. HE died and was raised up because of ME! We were part of HIM when He completed the mission and shed His blood.

³¹ “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”^[

This is scripture (Old Testament) found in Genesis 2:24.
What I say this 2nd time around was that not only was this scripture about marriage but THIS is Jesus.
ok.. bear with me.. I know it's deep and I may not have all my ducks in a row scripture wise to back it all up but I dug really deep on this one and I can't keep it inside.

man = Jesus, left the Father (Spirit), into the mother (flesh), then left her - into the world as ONE {Spirit + flesh} to strike out and be the One: the King of kings, Lord of lords:::> the HEAD OF THE HOUSEHOLD. (household being the world) **WOW!!**

Basically proclaiming the actual power and might of God the Creator joining the Word(as Spirit) into flesh (as Jesus) and creating a MARRIAGE that is the holiest of all.
Jesus was married!!!!! Jesus was married to the work on earth, His disciples, His followers, and EVERYONE that comes to Him. **HE IS MARRIED TO US**
That was, is, and forever more will be His commitment.  EVERLASTING.
*boom* seriously--did your mind just explode like mine did?!
³² This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

Paul is saying -- look deeper people. This isn't just for an instruction for married people.
It's an understanding for the commitment of Christ.
For this - analogy IS the great mystery. (YES, speaking of Christ & the church.)

**personal note** I felt like exploding. WOW!!! I felt overwhelmingly thankful to be blessed w/ this revealing power in the scripture. I still don't know that I'm 100% accurate on whether this is the way it was meant to be written, but honestly - I felt blessed.

³³ Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.This part made me laugh. I could almost relate to Paul.. like he's saying.. "ok, if you don't get my drift, here's the last bit of info you can take with you so you kinda understand."

"nevertheless" - - meaning, ok.. take this instead.
let each one of you - in particular - (meaning, those this applies to)
love your wife as yourself, let the wife see & respect.
** this also being a reference to Jesus. He being the husband and we should SEE His love and respect the husband, His teachings, and His examples.**

Can I get an AMEN?!!!
I know that it was God that brought this to my attention. Yes, marriage is to be Holy and everlasting commitment and if the husband submit to Christ, the wife submit to husband (and also to Christ) and their relationship will be blessed and etc etc etc..

**this is not the focus I found in this scripture. I was allowed to see it in a whole new way. I was not upset or found myself feeling the same way I used to when coming upon these things. I actually felt excitement! a sense of adventure! and almost a sense of achievement for seeing past the 'thorn' and getting to a real root. THANK YOU GOD!!! **


I pray, Lord, let my mind continue to be open to Your Word so that I may have better understanding and protection against the evil of this world. I pray, Lord, that my actions be pleasing to You and that You reveal to me the people, places, and ways to do Your will according to the plan. _Amen.

Peace be with you all <3