spiritual lessons – Page 166

Mannequin Logic

For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.

1 Corinthians 15:22

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

Ephesians 2:4-5

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins.

Colossians 2:13

Mannequins have always have had a odd effect on me– somewhat similar to clowns (which really make me uneasy.) I also had a small artist’s mannequin–it was flexible and the theory was you could pose it. And of course there is the story of Pinocchio, a puppet who became a boy (I wonder if he regarded “toothpicks” as his cousins? LOL)

The Bible uses this imagery to explain exactly what happens when we first believe. His Spirit works on us, or in us, to bring us back to life. Talking with any sincere Christian and they’ll describe their repentance/conversion using a remarkable metaphor–resurrection of the dead! Now that is dramatic.

We the “cast-off” mannequins have suddenly come to life. We understand things from a revolutionary new way. Jesus has worked and crafted his new children and brought them to life. The Holy Spirit has done something so radical that it defies any explanation except through the Word.

Life is so very different now. I see it through new eyes. I am no longer seeking to be energized by drugs, alcohol or a selfish lifestyle. The emptiness of that past life no longer disturbs me.

I still have problems. There are difficult issues of depression and BP that challenge me. Somedays I can’t get out of bed and life is hopeless. Meds help me work through this black mood. I pray and worship and I am lifted up from my dark pit. Friends who understand are a blessing.

But this wonderfully radical truth of coming to life is by far-and-away the most awesome thing that has ever happened to me. I was like that mannequin in the mall, vacant and empty. Not alive. But Jesus touched me, and now I live.

“It stands to reason, doesn’t it, that if the alive-and-present God who raised Jesus from the dead moves into your life, he’ll do the same thing in you that he did in Jesus, bringing you alive to himself? When God lives and breathes in you (and he does, as surely as he did in Jesus), you are delivered from that dead life. With his Spirit living in you, your body will be as alive as Christ’s!”

Romans 8:11-12, The Message

Mannequin logic can only be understood when the Holy Spirit moves in!

The Importance Of Our Resurrection (pastorpaulvbsblog.blogspot.com)
Rise In The Name of Jesus! (seashoremary.wordpress.com)

Safe in the Mouth of Danger

In my dream, I had a vision.

An angel of the Lord led me down to the depths of the sea.

“What do you see?” the angel asked.

I said, “I see a boy, a child, in the mouth of a shark!”

“Yes,” the angel said.

“But, he is terrified!” I said.

“He will be grateful,” the angel said. “Watch.”

As I gazed upon the frightened child, a great white suddenly attacked the shark. The child began to climb out of the mouth of the shark, but he had set his leg upon its jaws and the shark bit down and took off his leg. The child, however, was able to swim away safely because the great white was devouring the shark.

“How is this possible?” I asked the angel.

“Do you not know?” the angel responded. “Have you not heard? With God, all things are possible.”

“But,” I said. “Why was the child not spared this danger in the first place?”

“You will see,” the angel said. “Come.”

A moment later, we were on dry ground.

“Was that real?” I asked. “I am disillusioned.”

“What do you see?” the angel asked.

“My leg is gone!” I proclaimed. “I was the child!”

“Yes,” the angel said.

“But,” I said. “How can I live without my leg? I lost my leg!”

“But, you did not lose you,” the angel said. “And that is precisely what would have happened had you not lost your leg. If the shark had not swallowed you whole, the great white would have attacked you from the side. You would have been devoured and destroyed. Instead, you have been spared.”

“Why?” I asked. “Why have I been spared? Why am I still here? Why must I suffer so much?”

“You suffer,” the angel said. “Indeed, you exist, to give hope. Now, go. And teach God’s children how to walk with a limp. Strengthen your brothers. Encourage your sisters. Show them how to survive A Dark & Stormy Night.”

“Yes, my lord,” I said, bowing my head in respect as the angel vanished from my sight.

When I woke up, I recorded my vision, that my brothers and my sisters may yet understand why they, too, must walk with a limp.

“Do you not know? Have you not heard?
“With God, all things are possible.”

Waiting, for More?

“but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.”

Isaiah 40:31, ESV

This is a well worn scripture, and it gets much attention from commentators. This is good. But there are certain things that still go unnoticed. These will prove themselves as critical, especially as we press into an understanding.

It starts with understanding the Hebrew word “kawvah.” We translate this into English as “waiting” or “hoping.” Certainly that is quite reasonable. But this Hebrew word has a definite complexity which we really must look at. “Kawvah” literally means “to bind together by twisting.”

It carries with an idea of binding. This alone carries out the concept of connecting and uniting. It strongly suggests a unity and securing. It most certainly stresses a deep sense of intervening into things beyond us.

When you bind something, it is like ‘handcuffing” someone to another. This is an attachment, which can’t be broken. Where one goes, the other must follow. But there is an idea of being pliable. And soft, and tractable, and quite reasonable considering.

This idea, “to bind together by twisting,” intrigues me. It is a lot like a rope, and the strands weave. Two strands aren’t enough. But three strands woven together starts the idea of a rope. Your effort to combine these different strands will make things quite amazing.

What is it like, to be intertwined with the Holy Spirit? We wrap into Him, and He follows suit. We get connected with Him, and we start to realize we have become completely different people. Twisting and winding, we incorporate us into the Father. We wait. And twist. And then blend right into this special place.

There is a certain softness we absolutely must enter into. A certain flexibility. We wind into Him, and we come to a point of not really knowing, where we are and were He begins. And that is a wonderous place to be.

“Waiting” on Him brings us strength. Isaiah anticipates the deep need of people. We are only strengthened when we decide to “wait” on Him. And remember dear one, to wait means we are now woven into Him. And that changes everything.