Heart of Kim

I just finished reading the fiction, “The Shack” by William P. Young.  It was definitely ”off the wall” and “out of the box”.   I found it rather amusing and full of insight into the secret places of thought and internal discourse that are common to the  human condition. Tragedy, pain or loss usually lead to eternal questions and  the emotions that accompany those questions.   I thought the writers imagination in characterization and discourse uniquely used earthly things and people to convey spiritual truths to a vast range of potential readers. I did not necessarily agree with every single word or sentence of every doctrinal issue that was touched on in the fictitious story,  but I did agree with the overall concept of the book which was  that God is a good God who loves us,  He never leaves or forsakes us and that He is just and kind and can be trusted even in the midst of sadness and tragedy. 

  But, what amazed me is the reviews I found after I read the book.  Reviews of distrust and accusations of heresy were easy to be found on the internet.    Once again I found the “Religious Watchdog” mentality had emerged with all its fury and opinion and divisive language. I am absolutely amazed at the policing of the Gospel.  There are those who believe they have been made law enforcers and trial judges of anyone proclaiming the Gospel.  Yes,  there is error and many times gross error that is mixed in with the proclaiming of the Gospel.  However, the proclaimers and the hearers are each responsible for their proclamation and the hearing of it, respectively.  There will be no excuses on judgement day.  We cannot stand before God and say, “well that’s not fair, cause so and so said………………..”.   Each person has a right to seek truth.  Jesus said He was Truth.  Each person has the opportunity to go to the scriptures  and acquaint themselves with the Truth.  I for one will NOT base my eternal destiny just on what someone says!   Each and every person has a free will and each person is free to choose  or reject Jesus as their Saviour and Lord. God is just.  God is faithful.  God will honor each persons choice. Each and every person will stand face to face with God one day and those who have accepted that Jesus Christ died for them will have no record of sin because the blood of Jesus has completely washed it away.  Those people will have used their free will and accepted the free gift of salvation. 

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

 Romans 10:9-10 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

There are many sources of input coming from every kind of direction.  We live in “the information age”.   Each time we hear anything we should be well versed in scripture so that we may be able to discern what is being said and we should have established a relationship with the Holy Spirit so that He can help witness truth and error to us personally.   What a mess it is to absorb “everything” you hear.  If you do you will end up in confusion.  We are to “rightly divide the Word of God”.  We are to pray and believe we receive a “spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, that the eyes of our understanding is enlightened”!  There is plenty of deceit to go around where spiritual issues are concerned.  That’s why it is absolutely imperative that we forever settle once and for all the basic doctrinal issues put forth in the Word of God.  We should not let others do all of our thinking for us.  We should become familiar with the Truth so that we can “eat the chicken and spit our the bones”.   Learn to converse with the Spirit of God yourself.  Yes, we can learn from each other, yes, we should be planted and submitted to a pastor, however, don’t just  swallow everything you hear without checking with the Word of God and the Holy Spirit.  There you will find safety.

The Word is “line upon line, and precept upon precept”.  We are transformed from “glory to glory”.  In other words, there are somethings that we cannot understand unless we have built a foundation to support the understanding of that concept.  I appreciate the Lord building safety valves into our christian growth process.  He is a loving Father and just as we would not ask a third grade student to understand and comprehend a tenth graders geometry or calculus or literature, etc.,  nor will God.  The key here is to study to show “yourself” approved, a workman unto God, not being ashamed.  If you don’t understand something then ask the Lord for revelation of that thing.  He will reveal unto you comprehension of that thing in a way that you can understand.   

Everytime you read a book or an article, watch a television program or movie or even listen to a preacher or teacher…… it is wise to weigh everything that is said with the Word of God.  Allow the Holy Spirit to shine His light of understanding into your heart and mind about such things. The Word of God and the Holy Spirit are trusted companions to keep you out of error.  

Proverbs 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

2 Timothy 1:13  Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.

There is one sure-fire way to go on an emotional roller coaster ride;  it’s called Contrast and Comparison. 

C&C has many friends that hang around with them:  jealousy, envy, hurt, bitterness, depression, pride, arrogance…….  and on and on. 

Contrasting and Comparing ourself with others is one of the most sublte ways that satan  uses to  take our focus off of Jesus.

2 Corinthians 10:12-13 (King James Version) 

 ¹²For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.

 ¹³But we will not boast of things without our measure, but according to the measure of the rule which God hath distributed to us, a measure to reach even unto you.

 It is absolutely impossible to “contrast and compare” ourself with another without experiencing one of two things:      Exaltation or Abasement.  The reason Paul says it is not wise to do so is because in order to enter into contrast and comparison one must first make “judgement” and in making judgement there usually follows a conviction and verdict.  To place ourself in our own mind either above the other person or below the other person will always bring strife.  Ah, Now we begin to see where all the other emotions that follow come from! 

  The solution is simple:  Fix our eyes on Jesus!  then, we can see ourself and others through the wonderful truth of the Word of God.  Seeing others through the Spirit takes consistent “casting down of imaginations that are attempting to exalt themselves against the knowledge of God”.       The knowledge of God is full of the Gospel of the Grace of God.  Every person has been given an anointing and grace for the measure of rule or call that is on their life.  There is beauty in the different giftings and graces on different people that make up the body of Christ.  No two are alike and each person is as different as their fingerprint. 

1 Corinthians 12:12-27 (King James Version)  ¹²For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. ¹³For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. ¹⁴For the body is not one member, but many. ¹⁵If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? ¹⁶And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? ¹⁷If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? ¹⁸But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. ¹⁹And if they were all one member, where were the body? ²⁰But now are they many members, yet but one body. ²¹And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. ²²Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: ²³And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. ²⁴For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked. ²⁵That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. ²⁶And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. ²⁷Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

Next time temptation comes around and presents the thought of “Contrast and Comparison”.  Laugh at that thought, take it captive, and say NO!  Let’s not allow the enemy to suck us into perceptions that are how “he” wants us to view things.  Realize just how wonderfully different God has made each individual and how precious each person is.  There is no one like me  and there is no one like you!   

  Think about it!

The human eye is amazing!  We are truly fearfully and wonderfully made!  Read the following facts on just the retina and the optic nerve: 

The retina is the nerve layer that lines the back of the eye and senses light and creates impulses. It converts light rays into electrical signals and sends them to the brain through the optic nerve.  The retina is where vision actually takes place. Every single thing we see is projected, upside down and backward, on our retina, onto special photoreceptor cells called rods and cones. There are 6 million cone cells and 120 million rod cells in the human eye. When light falls on one of these cells, it causes a chemical reaction that sends an electrical signal to the brain.  Each microscopic cone cell is connected to a nerve that goes straight to the brain. When a tiny particle of light from an object hits a particular cone, the brain instantly sees it as a particle of color. All the cones together work like the tiny dots on your computer screen. Your brain flips the image and puts all the dots together to tell you exactly what you’re seeing the moment you see it. Each optic nerve has about 1.2 million nerve fibers. This is the cable connecting the eye to the brain. The optic nerve carries the impulses formed by the retina and they are dispatched through the optic nerve to the brain, which interprets them as images. 

  Now that’s amazing to me!  But did you know we also have spiritual eyes that cannot be seen with our natural eyes?  Look at the following scripture –

 John 3:3 says, Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

When we are born again, something marvelous happens!  Other senses outside of our 5 senses (taste, hear, smell, see and touch) are installed in us!  What a download!  We truly have been given ALL things that pertain to life and godliness.   The Word also says - 

Psalms 119:130  The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.

 Without natural light our natural eyes are useless;  so it is with our spiritual eyes!  It is the Word of God that gives light to our spiritual eyes;  without the Word of God there is no light for our spiritual eyes to see!  Look at this:

Matt. 6 –  ²¹For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. ²²The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.  ²³But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

No wonder Jesus said that if we don’t understand the parable of the sower, we cannot understand all other parables!  Wow!  The Word of God being sown into our hearts is of UTMOST importance!   The Word of God truly is the bread of life that we live by. Now let me take you to one more scripture:

Ephesians 1:18 says: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened ; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

The word “eyes” means: the eye,  the eyes of the mind, the faculty of knowing.  And the word “understanding” means: the mind as a faculty of understanding, feeling, desiring understanding mind, i.e. spirit, way of thinking and feeling thoughts, either good or bad.  This sure does begin to explain why it is so important to “renew” our mind with the precious Word of God! 

When the eyes of our understanding begin to be enlightened in different areas, we begin to know about all the wonderful things that have been given to us that Jesus paid such a precious price for.  We begin to understand who we are in Him.  We begin to know Him on a much more intimate basis. We begin to see ourself and everyone around us much differently.  We then begin to realize we are no longer blinded in different areas.  The Light has caused us to SEE.