John Eight Thirty Two
• Jun. 28, 2008 - update and deep thoughts for my 200th entry
It is a cool and misty morning here in my part of the Middle East. This means that it is going to be very hot in a couple of hours. We have had temperatures as high as 42*C which is very unpleasant when you combine that with humidity. I have been sick and am still on the mend. The children got the bug too but they are more resilient than their old mother  . This virus was vicious.
The children have been a wonderful help and support while their amazing father has been away. It is so good to have him home after a very stressful, long haul for him. Neither he nor I sleep properly when we are apart. It borders on ridiculous!!! He got home just before 2am this morning and he was off to work before 7am. We will catch up on sleep in the next few days. Things with his job seem more secure now and as the wife that makes me feel more secure!! 
Two days ago while he was away and I was sick, I was jolted by a loud commotion from downstairs. There was thudding and banging and the sound of smashing accompanied by lots of shouting. I dragged myself out of bed (it was mid-morning) and saw police and a demolition crew disassembling and destroying our neighbours' home. They removed roof tile after roof tile and ceiling beam after ceiling beam. Then on the next section they tore up the protective pitch layer, insulation and more beams revealing kitchen complete with food, dishes in the sink waiting to be washed and appliances getting covered in dust and debris. Then the master bedroom and children's rooms with stuffed toys on top of wardrobes now totally buried in rubble. There are interesting building laws here. You need to follow very strict rules and you also have to have very good relationships with your neighbours. Because of bureaucratic red tape, most people apply for permission to build and start building right away knowing that the permission will come in a few years. I kid you not. During this time you hope that your neighbours won't report you to the authorities. These neighbours applied for permission and started building right away. Their direct neighbour literally hates them and went out of his way for the past year to make sure that justice would be served. As a result a father, mother and 4 young children are displaced. At the end of this month they will also be fined. There is so much more I could say but I won't. I threw myself downstairs and wailed and lamented to the police. I am literally stunned. Believe me, all manner of evil is alive and well in the hearts of men - even those with 'religious' leanings.....
This kind of leads to the next section of this entry. Well sort of.... I have been wanting to say something about the culture of today's society. Well more about how it seems that "blending in" to the society is what some of us who are 'called out' seem to do. Many people have written about this subject and far more eloquently but nevertheless, I wanted to pen my thoughts.
John 15 is a great chapter but I am choosing these 2 verses to concentrate on to start off this entry.
18"If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. 19"If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.
I get from the above passage that we are going to be hated because we are His. That means that we are going to be identified as His. In my opinion it is far more than looking at our clothes and seeing that we stand out in a crowd although that can be a starting point. I am surrounded by all manner of religiously dressed people but they are capable of much yucky behaviour. I believe it is far, far more than covering up our heads and bodies - that identifies us with a certain religion, but does it make us 'holy'?. All through the Word, God says that we are to 'be holy' as He is 'holy'. What does 'holy' mean?
For a start here are some synonyms: blessed, hallowed, sacred, sacrosanct.
From Dictionary.com I copied and pasted this:
| 1. |
specially recognized as or declared sacred by religious use or authority; consecrated: holy ground. |
| 2. |
dedicated or devoted to the service of God, the church, or religion: a holy man. |
| 3. |
saintly; godly; pious; devout: a holy life. |
| 4. |
having a spiritually pure quality: a holy love. |
| 5. |
entitled to worship or veneration as or as if sacred: a holy relic. |
| 6. |
religious: holy rites. |
John Milton wrote:
Set apart to the service or worship of God; hallowed; sacred; reserved from profane or common use; holy vessels; a holy priesthood. "Holy rites and solemn feasts."
The word 'holy' appears nearly 570 times in the KJV of the Bible so I am going to choose just a few of the references to talk about.
The first mention of 'Holy' in the Bible is in Exodus 3:5 And He said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. It seems that Moses understood what 'holy' meant.
In Hebrew 'Holy' literally means 'set apart/different'. I'm sure this is not new to you. But what does it MEAN to be 'different' and 'set apart'? I believe it is the complete opposite of 'blending in'.
1 Peter 2: 9But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
Of course there is more to this chapter of Matthew 5 but look at these verses.
14"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;
15nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
16"Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
So, knowing that we have a command and a calling to be a light in the darkness and knowing we were created to glorify Him, what are we to do??
After Exodus 3, we jump ahead to chapter 12 to see the next few places where we have instructions about being 'holy' (setting things apart and making them different). It is in the area of 'days'.
So, there are some days in our year that need to be holy. These days are to be set apart because God says they are to be. If we set them apart it identifies us with Him. If our days are different and our whole calendar is different, our days should not just blend in with everyone else's. Here is a good example.....
Exodus 31:15'For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a sabbath of complete rest, holy to the LORD; whoever does any work on the sabbath day shall surely be put to death.
The next thing I want to talk about is well 'talking' - our 'speech'. God's Words identify Him and likewise our words define us. This is why I believe David wrote this in Psalm 19:14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.
The theme continues in the Greek scriptures....
Matthew 12:34"You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.
Luke 6:45"The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.
Mark 7:14After He called the crowd to Him again, He began saying to them, "Listen to Me, all of you, and understand: 15there is nothing outside the man which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man.
Really, this is a HEART issue. Being 'holy' is about the condition of our heart! Proverbs 4:4 Then he taught me and said to me, "Let your heart hold fast my words; Keep my commandments and live;
Proverbs 16:23The heart of the wise instructs his mouth And adds persuasiveness to his lips. 24 Pleasant words are a honeycomb, Sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.
Sometimes I hear things coming out of people's mouths or out of the ends of their fingers when they are typing that make me cringe. Sometimes I look back at what I have written and feel the same way, or remember something I have said..... 
One of the things I hear a lot is 'OMG', and some other words that in the 'old days' were recognised as vulgar and inappropriate but now are so much part of the culture people say it without batting an eyelid. James 3 is a very familiar passage - 8But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. 9With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; 10from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. 11Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water?
I believe quite strongly that some folks act a certain way once a week and then blend in with everyone else the rest of the week. I think that we are supposed to be HOLY all the time. Our speech should always be pleasing to Him.
Proverbs 4:23Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life. 24Put away from you a deceitful mouth And put devious speech far from you. 25Let your eyes look directly ahead And let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you. 26Watch the path of your feet And all your ways will be established. 27Do not turn to the right nor to the left; Turn your foot from evil.
You get the idea I'm sure. Of course most of what we say is because we heard it ourselves. It either came in through our eyes or ears.
Colossians 3:1Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.
So what's the big deal? Why does all of this matter?
I want to be ready.......
2 Peter 3: 10But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. 11Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! 13But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. 14Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, 15and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation;
Proverbs 9:10The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
I started writing this on the 20th of June........ it is even hotter now than it was then. Summer is here!!! |
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We are a homeschooling family in the not so peaceful Middle East. Every day is an adventure and a blessing. We could do with a dull moment every now and then.
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JoAnn