the 3 R's

Luke 15:11-32

(I will not type the whole passage but the synopsis is the prodigal son.)

several months ago the Holy Spirit had me read this passage at the beginning of a trial period in my faith. at that time I was shown something that would get me through the trial. it did, praise the Lord, along with other scripture texts. the trial was directed at my faith, & the devil used the “hath God said” tactic he so clearly overuses. hey, it worked on Eve. by the middle of June I was shown that my loving Savior was carrying me through the trial. I’ve always loved the poem “Footprints” but never expected to be in the poem. one finds they love their Savior all the more when shown that aspect of Him.

onto the topic… once the trial was completed, & yes I passed, I reread many of the passages read at the beginning. lo & behold the Holy Spirit showed me something between the lines! Amen!

in verses 13 & 14 we read that the younger son “wasted his substance” & “had spent all” on riotous living; i.e.: he spent it on pleasure & partying or things the world dupes people into believing will bring joy. but notice verses 22 & 23 where the father replaces all the things his younger son had wasted.

R #1: Replaced. I myself was that younger son. I chose to spend all I had spiritually accumulated on the things that the world duped me into. yes, I knew it would never bring me true joy yet I vexed myself daily in striving to attain what I could never achieve alone. it is only through God’s mercy & compassion that He is giving me another chance to replace what I lost. I truly do NOT want to get to Heaven empty handed! through His grace, it will not happen.

second, in verse 15 we look at how the younger son “went and joined himself to a citizen of that country.” oh the numerous times that I did that! it sickens me! James 4:4 says, “know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?” I clearly CHOSE to hook-up with the world thus placing myself in the bull’s-eye of God’s Brillo pad (Hebrews 12:6).

R #2: Rejoined. verse 27 tells of the joy when a lost sheep is rejoined safe & sound into the fellowship of the Believers. I praise the Lord for the scourging, purging, rinsing & repeating until He decided I was fit for use. I am by no means finished but from now until death visits me, my Lord is showing me it is better “to be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.” Amen!

lastly, verse 17 tells how he caught a glimpse of himself in a mirror, “when he came to himself.” he finally saw how dirty & filthy he had become. for me it was realizing my hand had been caught in the proverbial cookie jar (see post #23 Journalizing). it wasn’t just on the outside but also on the inside. this caused him/me to seriously exam his/my heart & see that his/my only hope was truly in returning to the Father.

R #3 is Regenerated. verse 32 proclaims how the father lifted up his voice in praise as his son, “was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.” July 26, 2010 is the date that the Holy Spirit opened my eyes to the fact that I was truly converted. not just outwardly as a show to men but inwardly to my Heavenly Father. of course I had to travel through the trial, endure hardship as a good soldier & yield to my Father’s will to find this out. my sole purpose on this earth is to carry out God’s plan for this life that HE designed long before I was in my mother’s womb (Jeremiah 5:5). ALL GLORY GOES TO GOD!

one thing I must mention: if you are a Believer & still in the hog pen of this world, PLEASE come back before its too late! not only does your Heavenly Father desire the fellowship you both once had but your brothers & sisters-in-the-Lord have been praying that you return. several were praying for me. we will not debate the attitude of the elder brother in the passage, but verse 26 says that a servant told him what the commotion was about! as a child of God we are all servants. please don’t let time run out! yield to the chastening!

the seeds of just imagine

my mother had not one but two green thumbs. growing up I honestly believed she even had green toes as her silk plants would bud and blossom. alas I only have one green thumb as even my silk plants will die. as with all life, plants start as a seed. they are germinated, bud and eventually bloom into the beautiful flowers or foliage we admire and adore.

such is the case with our thoughts. a “seed” called imagine is planted within our head. it’s where we store our dreams and fantasies; this land of imagination. our head is fertile soil in which to plant our thoughts and ideas. Genesis 8:21c says, “for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth.” hmmm seems one obtains this fertile soil at birth. not like we get an option.

now how we germinate those seeds is left up to us. see the devil would like for us to germinate his way. evil, wicked, sinful thoughts and ideas are his specialty. God, on the other hand, wants them to be pure and pleasing. Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

sounds good but how does one think this way? glad you asked. James 4:7, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” DON'T LET THE DEVIL GET ANYWHERE NEAR YOUR FERTILE SOIL WITH HIS SEEDS! you by no means can do it alone! so you must submit your thoughts, mind, ideas, imaginations, dreams, fantasies and even your thought process to God. the whole bundle just wrapped up and handed over.

a few posts ago I mentioned that my mind is one area that I battle in. God and I are going to war with the devil in this arena. it won't be easy but I know that “Greater is he that is in me, than he that is in the world.” bring it on.

ground

II Peter 1:10
“Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make sure your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall;”

now that the lost is Found, and in thus we Abound, God tells us we now have solid Ground. here's the good part! God will not only save us and guide us through this life, but will also keep us grounded daily while we walk! Hallelujah! the verse says, "for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall." WOW, I would say that God is pretty powerful to make that claim. I'm glad He made it and not me as I know my weaknesses. good thing about my weaknesses is that God knows them as well.

cross reference verses: Romans 8:13-15, Romans 6:18, I Corinthians 6:17, II John 9 and James 1:27.