Living in the Kingdom of Heaven While We are on Earth
So, it has been a really, really long time since my last post! Much of it due to being ill and yet needing to continue on as a Mother. What do you let go? Well, the blog of course! But, in addition to that I just did not feel like I had anything to SAY. Period. So, I didn't... say anything.
I attended a Created For Care retreat this past weekend in Atlanta for Adoptive and Foster Moms. It was my first year attending and I was so blessed by the speakers, the music and the ministry! God spoke to me so clearly all weekend long through an incredible speaker named Beth Guckenberger. She and her husband have served as missionaries in Mexico for the last sixteen years.
She opened the weekend by speaking on Mathew 11. Are you tired? Well, I think everyone in the room could say Yes to that, all 450 of us! How does one have Shalom while we live on this fallen earth? We are not in heaven yet,but is it possible to have that peace while living on earth? She continued the message on Saturday by showing us Joshua 1:8.
This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good [a]success.
The Hebrew word for meditate in this passage is hagah. It is the sound a lion makes when he consumes his prey! So, we are to consume Gods Word as a lion would its prey. Think of how a lion needs it's prey! It will not survive without it! Such is the lions dependence on his food and we should mirror that dependence and desperation for Gods Word! My take away from this is that it is
impossible to have the kingdom of heaven on earth without knowing and trusting Gods Word. We are to go to God first before we go to our friends, consult our books, or our own wisdom.
What is shalom? Beth would say that shalom is more about the status of our relationship with God than it is a reflection of our circumstances. The imagery she used was of sheep following a shepherd. When sheep follow the shepherd they walk in a straight line. I'm sure that the early Christians understood this which is why this imagery is used so often in scripture. The Hebrew word for this straight line is translated literally as "path of righteousness!" The shepherd then shows the sheep where the food is and they eat it. Once again , this is imagery that shows our dependence on God. To have shalom we must be on the path of righteousness being totally dependent on God.
Then she spoke about Moses dealing with Pharaoh during the plague of the frogs in Exodus 8.
She used the frogs as a metaphor for sins or lies that we hold onto. When Moses asked Pharaoh to choose WHEN the frogs would depart, he said Tomorrow! Not today, but tomorrow! Isn't it just like us as people to want to hang onto our sins? Her final remark to us was, "Get rid of your frogs so that they don't get on your children!" This reminded me of the generational sins that we pass down to our children. Exodus 20:5
I attended a Created For Care retreat this past weekend in Atlanta for Adoptive and Foster Moms. It was my first year attending and I was so blessed by the speakers, the music and the ministry! God spoke to me so clearly all weekend long through an incredible speaker named Beth Guckenberger. She and her husband have served as missionaries in Mexico for the last sixteen years.
She opened the weekend by speaking on Mathew 11. Are you tired? Well, I think everyone in the room could say Yes to that, all 450 of us! How does one have Shalom while we live on this fallen earth? We are not in heaven yet,but is it possible to have that peace while living on earth? She continued the message on Saturday by showing us Joshua 1:8.
This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good [a]success.
The Hebrew word for meditate in this passage is hagah. It is the sound a lion makes when he consumes his prey! So, we are to consume Gods Word as a lion would its prey. Think of how a lion needs it's prey! It will not survive without it! Such is the lions dependence on his food and we should mirror that dependence and desperation for Gods Word! My take away from this is that it is
impossible to have the kingdom of heaven on earth without knowing and trusting Gods Word. We are to go to God first before we go to our friends, consult our books, or our own wisdom.
What is shalom? Beth would say that shalom is more about the status of our relationship with God than it is a reflection of our circumstances. The imagery she used was of sheep following a shepherd. When sheep follow the shepherd they walk in a straight line. I'm sure that the early Christians understood this which is why this imagery is used so often in scripture. The Hebrew word for this straight line is translated literally as "path of righteousness!" The shepherd then shows the sheep where the food is and they eat it. Once again , this is imagery that shows our dependence on God. To have shalom we must be on the path of righteousness being totally dependent on God.
Then she spoke about Moses dealing with Pharaoh during the plague of the frogs in Exodus 8.
9 Moses said to Pharaoh, “I leave to you the honor of setting the time for me to pray for you and your officials and your people that you and your houses may be rid of the frogs, except for those that remain in the Nile.”
10 “Tomorrow,” Pharaoh said.
Moses replied, “It will be as you say, so that you may know there is no one like the Lord our God.
10 “Tomorrow,” Pharaoh said.
Moses replied, “It will be as you say, so that you may know there is no one like the Lord our God.
She used the frogs as a metaphor for sins or lies that we hold onto. When Moses asked Pharaoh to choose WHEN the frogs would depart, he said Tomorrow! Not today, but tomorrow! Isn't it just like us as people to want to hang onto our sins? Her final remark to us was, "Get rid of your frogs so that they don't get on your children!" This reminded me of the generational sins that we pass down to our children. Exodus 20:5
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