martha-kim or mary-kim

only 1 thing matters

 

just one

 

how many of us want to be Mary, but feel way more like Martha pretending to be Mary?

 

we are busy

we put so many things above Jesus

our relationship with him

jobs, relationships, prayer rooms, conferences, motherhood, facebook

 

I want to be "Mary-Kim"

but I probably act more like "Martha-Kim"

 

visionary, planning, schedules

 

how do you get there

to the one thing?

 

how?

is it like Nike' ...just do it?

but how

how do you just do it?

 

I think He tells us..from the ancient words

 

love God

love neighbor

 

You shall love God, your God with everything you have, all your heart, all your soul, all your strength and all your mind

AND

love your neighbor AS yourself

 

we have spent a lot of time and attention defining who is our neighbor

the people around us,

the lost, poor the broken

like in Luke 10,

I probably feel more like the one beaten laying on the side of the road 

but did you catch that tiny little word

that powerful little word

as

love as

as yourself

 

is it possible we spend so much time trying to love God from being busy,

from outside of our heart

not from All my heart?

inside

 

is it possible that I try to stay busy to keep from loving myself?

or am I trying to prove how much I love God by being busy?

or do I really not love myself and if I keep busy I won't have to worry about that one thing

 

one thing

as

 

I am to love you as much as I love myself

is this the sting?

do I really love me?

 

if I don't love me, myself, I have nothing to love you with

 

if I feel so busy, a cover for shame

am I rally finding the one thing that kept Mary at his feet?

 

she was a woman

she had the same responsibilities that Martha had, a you and I have

 

did you catch her name

a woman named Martha, but a sister called Mara.

Mara means bitter

what happened that they called her bitter

yet she knew

she knew how to love herself

give up the striving

and sit

rest

 

she knew only 1 thing matters

 

in motherhood, business, running churches and programs..still

only 1 thing matters

 

can you imagine a whole church service just sitting at his feet

 

one thing

there will always be millions of details to our lives

but only 1 , one thing

 

2 very short scriptures

that lay a foundation for life

 

one thing

only one thing really matters

and that will not be taken away ...

 

I want to be a Mary-Kim

 

 

 

 

the deep

I wonder if this is what eden is like?
sitting on the deck with coffee and bible...listening to the waves crash..the sunlight breaking over the clouds...
maybe?
did they have coffee in eden?
they probably didn't need coffee...

is this the sound of peace?
water rushing, birds singing,

as I sit here and listen, really listen..its like a symphony of praise,
quiet yet loud

the ocean is so powerful, beautiful, endless, forgiving yet unforgiving
but I must admit
i'm scared of it
the waves crashing on me
the depths
the sharks?
are there sharks in this ocean?
why would anyone want to go into water where there are sharks!

but this is where God calls us isn't it
deep calls out to deep
he calls us into this shark water
where we just don't know

Luke 5 Jesus tells us: move out into deeper water

move out
into
deeper...
deeper...
he calls me
he calls you
deeper

is it possible we are all still splashing in the shallow end?

just playing in the sand where the waves meet the shore line?
just sitting there wanting...
but not going?

did you notice he is there with you in the deep
he is with them in the boat, as he says, almost demands
move out into the deep

he is there
his presence is there
he even has you in a boat
it's not about being there alone

it's about His deep calling out to depths of me
move out..
move out
there is more for you in the deep
is he calling you also
do you hear the sound of the deep calling you

my friends, it is time
to move out
into
the deep

reverent and worshipful

Reverence for the Eternal bring bold confidence

in the reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord there is strong confidence

proverbs 14:26

 

this is what I have been reading today

along with Joshua 23 and 24

(if you want to follow along, you can get one of our 'encounter the word' a daily bible reading experience)

 

there is a strong confidence

a bold confidence

when you have reverent worship and awe of God

 

couldn't we all use a little confidence ?

bold ?

strong?

 

I don't think this is the brash, loud, overpowering people confidence but the meek, humble I can do all things through Jesus confidence

 

as I began reading in Joshua, I saw a correlation between these blessings of God

and our receiving these blessings

 

a promise

 

seeing all promises were fulfilled.

Joshua was reminding us, that as we keep our end, God always keeps His end

 

He made, he gave, he sent, he brought, he handed, he destroyed, he delivered

and we get to choose

choose this day

 

if we choose God there is a condition

 

did you ever stop to think about that?

 

in 24:14-15 we see Now therefore, reverently fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and in truth

 

put away from you any gods (idols - anything that keeps you from him)

 

today is the day for you to choose whom you will serve

 

we always have a choice

 

God

God and

God

God and

 

It seems we have created a religion where we can choose God, but never serve Him in sincerity or truth. we choose him, but serve ourselves.

do you see that?

are you living that?

 

so we can see that proverbs is saying the same thing

reverence

fear

 

serving him from that place of choosing Him

only him

 

verse 19 really hits home

 

if you choose God.

he is a jealous God He will not tolerate your shortcomings and your sins.

 

whaat?

 

if I choose God AND..then what am I really choosing?

it has to be God

only God

only reverence

only awe

 

verse 22 hits even harder

 

all right then, you are a witness against yourself. if it come to that, you have made this choice to serve the Lord

 

do you see that?

do you hear that?

did you ever hear that at any altar call?

choose God, give your life to God and you are a witness against yourself.

 

I become my own witness against myself by my choices

 

if I say God, but don't serve Him

 

kinda puts a whole new slant on the 'come up front and give your life to Jesus' doesn't it.

God takes this choice very serious

he is jealous

he warns us

 

is this what that strong confidence is for?

that bold confidence..

that I choose God, and give up any other god, idol, game, person, hobby,

dream, vision...

and am filled with the confidence of God

the boldness of God

 

 reverence and worshipful fear are what keep me choosing him

 

 

cause and effect....the mountain code...

I am going to write about a series I am teaching on cause and effect, the mountain code ,the sermon on the mount, the beatitudes...the most known teaching, but the least understood. I am hoping to shed some light on it for you. If this is the first thing Jesus taught, and the beatitudes are the first thing, from the first thing, than we should really pay attention to this teaching on lifestyle. Blessed are the poor in spirit, is the first mentioned, so we should really take a closer look at what and why.

We know that the beatitudes form the text of Jesus sermon, meaning they are his outline of everything else he is about to share in the code.  The rest of the sermon is His application of the beatitudes

Jesus taught these things and expects us to live them.

It is a teaching on living in the Holy Spirit. Why? because none of it is possible without the Holy Spirit. If you think you can be 'poor in spirit' without the Holy Spirit, then its just reverse pride, or the 'I am a worm' syndrome.

The Kingdom is: invisible - everyone thought it would be visible
                inhabitable - you can actually live in it
                internal - residing in the heart and inherited
                (rom 14:17)because the kingdom of God is not about eating and    
                                                                 drinking. When God reigns, the order of the day is
                                                                 redeeming justice, true peace, and joy made possible
                                                                   by the Holy Spirit.
                                       inherited - no one could inherit until Jesus died
                             and rose again.
                   (heb 9:15)This is why Jesus is the mediator of the new covenant:
                                                                    through His death, He delivered us from the sins that we
                                                                  had built up under the first covenant, and His death has
                                                                     made it possible for all who are called to receive God’s
                                                                  promised inheritance.

  The Kingdom is inseparable  from the Spirit

okay, enough for back ground

Matt 5:3 Blessed are the spiritually poor—the kingdom of heaven is theirs


this is the first. this is the key to all that follows
we cannot be filled until we are first empty

look up psalm 51:17
read Matt 23:12

who is this first talking to ? about ?
them, me, you..

what is poor in spirit?

did you read psalm 51? What sacrifice I can offer You is my broken spirit
    because a broken spirit, O God,  a heart that honestly regrets the past, You won’t detest.

it's not financial, having no money or job.
it isn't even about spiritual awareness
it's about lowly
humble
humility
upside down Kingdom


it's the acknowledgement of spiritual bankruptcy
it's our confession or unworthy before God
it is NOT self hatred.

its that place that I know I need or want Him, more than the things of him.
recognizing spiritual helplessness, want, needy, destitute, humble, low, spiritually incompleteness.
Blessed are those who are know they are wanting, needy, helplessness without me...
do we know that?
do we know how helpless we are without him? or do we go about our day always doing our own thing?

it shatters your pride.
the divine surgery cuts away false illusions you had about yourself.

if you are poor in spirit then God got to you
if you feel totally lost without hope, God will find you

He is looking for the weak, those who know their true need.
do we know how much we need him? do we? do you need Jesus?
do you, do I know how spiritually incomplete we are without Him? without the Holy Spirit?

So why is this one listed first?
it demonstrates the upside down kingdom.
 For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. (matt 23:12)

we must never outgrow our brokenness. it is our foundation.
I think most of us refuse to be broken.

being poor in spirit is the absence of defensiveness. ouch.
being poor in spirit is the absence of being judgmental. double ouch.
there is no pointing the finger when you are broken.
the one who points the finger needs to be broken.

being broken, poor in spirit is our foundation and superstructure. it is the first mentioned to build upon,
if you don't recognize our own brokenness, poorness, we will never see meekness or self control..

then comes the blessing
the effect of the cause
the immediate consequence of brokenness is the Kingdom of Heaven.

the blessing comes after the obedience.
we want the blessing without the cause. we even make conferences and seminars around the blessing, without the brokenness.

Is this why we don't see the Kingdom of God at hand here?
we aren't truly broken.

we want the icing without the cake. icing without cake is just a pile of lard.

take time today and search it out. don't move on until you feel ready.
embrace the brokenness
then the blessing will come
cause and effect