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2 Corinthians 12:7-10
And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.
Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.
And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.
And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Discussing various statements made by the Apostle Paul, my mother and I often alighted on these verses in 2 Corinthians. The Lord brought me back to them recently and while researching the subject, I came across this Times Square Church video featuring renowned preacher, Dr R T Kendall. It cannot be bettered in my view, so we present this to you now…
THORN IN THE FLESH — R T Kendall
MEDITATE ON THESE THINGS
ISAIAH 55:12-13
"For you shall go out with joy,
And be led out with peace;
The mountains and the hills
Shall break forth into singing before you,
And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree,
And instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree;
And it shall be to the LORD for a name,
For an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off."
"For you shall go out with joy,
And be led out with peace;
The mountains and the hills
Shall break forth into singing before you,
And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree,
And instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree;
And it shall be to the LORD for a name,
For an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off."
THERE’S A THORN IN MY FLESH — A Ruth Porter
— LOVE with all your SOUL --
IF MY LOVE is first of all for God, I shall take no account of the base ingratitude of others, because the main-spring of my service to my fellow-men is love to God.
[from ‘Biblical Philosophy’ by Oswald Chambers]
[from ‘Biblical Philosophy’ by Oswald Chambers]
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Exodus 3:18-22
Then they will heed your voice; and you shall come, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt; and you shall say to him, 'The LORD God of the Hebrews has met with us; and now, please, let us go three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.'
But I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not even by a mighty hand.
So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My wonders which I will do in its midst; and after that he will let you go.
And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be, when you go, that you shall not go empty-handed.
But every woman shall ask of her neighbour, namely, of her who dwells near her house, articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing; and you shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians."
But I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not even by a mighty hand.
So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My wonders which I will do in its midst; and after that he will let you go.
And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be, when you go, that you shall not go empty-handed.
But every woman shall ask of her neighbour, namely, of her who dwells near her house, articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing; and you shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians."
Having said that He will send Moses to Pharaoh, our Lord follows up with the statement but I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not even by a mighty hand. What does this tell us? To some it might seem that God is playing games. Why send Moses to Pharaoh only to find that Pharaoh, the king of this world, is not going to listen?
I believe that God works in the reality of His creation; He is not a magician who will sprinkle ‘oofle dust’ on a problem and make it go away. No, He guides and reveals the nature of things that will aid our understanding, while showing that He is to be trusted in all things.
What we see here is Moses receiving a Spirit Word that will give him the sure way ahead. Our Lord leads each of us in the same way — to take us out of bondage and into the Promised Land; from looking to the world, to living in the Kingdom.
It should be obvious that Pharaoh will not release us. Pharaoh is stubborn and wilful, and it will be his way or no way. As born again into the Kingdom of God, this is a lesson to us that spiritual discernment will show us the spiritual reality, and indeed that the things of earth are not growing strangely dim anytime soon without The Lord’s intervention. We can try on our own but only the Lord can make a difference between [His] people and [Pharaoh’s] people. We must be patient and it shall be that, when you go, you shall not go empty-handed. Wait for your reward.
I believe that God works in the reality of His creation; He is not a magician who will sprinkle ‘oofle dust’ on a problem and make it go away. No, He guides and reveals the nature of things that will aid our understanding, while showing that He is to be trusted in all things.
What we see here is Moses receiving a Spirit Word that will give him the sure way ahead. Our Lord leads each of us in the same way — to take us out of bondage and into the Promised Land; from looking to the world, to living in the Kingdom.
It should be obvious that Pharaoh will not release us. Pharaoh is stubborn and wilful, and it will be his way or no way. As born again into the Kingdom of God, this is a lesson to us that spiritual discernment will show us the spiritual reality, and indeed that the things of earth are not growing strangely dim anytime soon without The Lord’s intervention. We can try on our own but only the Lord can make a difference between [His] people and [Pharaoh’s] people. We must be patient and it shall be that, when you go, you shall not go empty-handed. Wait for your reward.
MEDITATE ON THESE THINGS
EXODUS 8:20-24
The Fourth Plague: Flies
And the LORD said to Moses, "Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh as he comes out to the water. Then say to him, 'Thus says the LORD: "Let My people go, that they may serve Me.
Or else, if you will not let My people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants, on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand.
And in that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there, in order that you may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the land.
I will make a difference between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall be."'"
And the LORD did so. Thick swarms of flies came into the house of Pharaoh, into his servants' houses, and into all the land of Egypt. The land was corrupted because of the swarms of flies.
HEBREWS 11:24-26
By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.
The Fourth Plague: Flies
And the LORD said to Moses, "Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh as he comes out to the water. Then say to him, 'Thus says the LORD: "Let My people go, that they may serve Me.
Or else, if you will not let My people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants, on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand.
And in that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there, in order that you may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the land.
I will make a difference between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall be."'"
And the LORD did so. Thick swarms of flies came into the house of Pharaoh, into his servants' houses, and into all the land of Egypt. The land was corrupted because of the swarms of flies.
HEBREWS 11:24-26
By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.
THE PRAYER — Charlotte Church
LOVE with all your MIND
THE BIBLE RECORDS that "God is love"; but it must be borne in mind that it is the love of God, and that love is inexpressible bliss to a Being like Jesus Christ, or to a being like Adam as God created him.
[Oswald Chambers from ‘The Philosophy of Sin’]
[Oswald Chambers from ‘The Philosophy of Sin’]
Listen to this meditation by clicking on the download file below
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Exodus 3:7-10
And the LORD said: "I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.
So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites.
Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.
Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt."
So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites.
Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.
Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt."
Come now, therefore follows on from the previous verse, which begins now therefore. Both beginnings seem to say, ‘in the light of what has been revealed, we see that …’. However, come now, therefore, suggests a step higher, a moving closer and alongside, so that, when The Lord says that He will send Moses to Pharaoh, it strongly suggests that The Lord will be there also, alongside as a guide and protector.
The Lord has a plan for His people — to take us out of captivity and bondage to the things of this world (represented by Pharaoh and Egypt) that trap us and separate us from true freedom in Christ Jesus, and lead us to a land flowing with milk and honey — a sweet and pleasant land, nurturing and maturing, a fine place to live a good and righteous life. Except … it will be the land of six other peoples, who will challenge, upset and provoke, because they already inhabit that ‘promised land’. It is a picture of the life we all lead, speaking of the everyday challenges which we all face. This is the battle we must face, and why we must be released from Pharaoh’s grip.
The land, the dwelling-place, the life that The Lord has for us now is always going to have its difficulties, and we will be surrounded by many spirit forces that want us out and gone. The milk and the honey speaks of The Lord’s provision for the journey, to sustain us as we labour to possess our promised land — an internal struggle within each one of us, but with an assurance of success if we will but hold fast to Him. He will surely never let us go.
But first, He leads us to face Pharaoh. What does that mean for each of us? All I can surmise is that it is different for me than it will be for you. However, Pharaoh is a type for the ruler of this world, and Jesus said “Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.” [John 12:31] So, when we come face to face with Pharaoh, we only do so with the Christlife already securely held within us. We cannot stand against The ruler of the world unless we are clothed in the holiness and righteousness of Christ, and all this takes is abandoning ourselves to Him. Easy to say, but not always easy to do. But He is able, and we must have faith.
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it. [1 Thessalonians 5:23-24]
The Lord has a plan for His people — to take us out of captivity and bondage to the things of this world (represented by Pharaoh and Egypt) that trap us and separate us from true freedom in Christ Jesus, and lead us to a land flowing with milk and honey — a sweet and pleasant land, nurturing and maturing, a fine place to live a good and righteous life. Except … it will be the land of six other peoples, who will challenge, upset and provoke, because they already inhabit that ‘promised land’. It is a picture of the life we all lead, speaking of the everyday challenges which we all face. This is the battle we must face, and why we must be released from Pharaoh’s grip.
The land, the dwelling-place, the life that The Lord has for us now is always going to have its difficulties, and we will be surrounded by many spirit forces that want us out and gone. The milk and the honey speaks of The Lord’s provision for the journey, to sustain us as we labour to possess our promised land — an internal struggle within each one of us, but with an assurance of success if we will but hold fast to Him. He will surely never let us go.
But first, He leads us to face Pharaoh. What does that mean for each of us? All I can surmise is that it is different for me than it will be for you. However, Pharaoh is a type for the ruler of this world, and Jesus said “Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.” [John 12:31] So, when we come face to face with Pharaoh, we only do so with the Christlife already securely held within us. We cannot stand against The ruler of the world unless we are clothed in the holiness and righteousness of Christ, and all this takes is abandoning ourselves to Him. Easy to say, but not always easy to do. But He is able, and we must have faith.
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it. [1 Thessalonians 5:23-24]
MEDITATE ON THESE THINGS
EZEKIEL 29:2-3
"Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him,
and against all Egypt.
Speak, and say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD:
"Behold, I am against you,
O Pharaoh king of Egypt,
O great monster who lies in the midst of his rivers,
Who has said, 'My River is my own;
I have made it for myself.'
"Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him,
and against all Egypt.
Speak, and say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD:
"Behold, I am against you,
O Pharaoh king of Egypt,
O great monster who lies in the midst of his rivers,
Who has said, 'My River is my own;
I have made it for myself.'
EGYPT — Cory Asbury (Bethel Music)
A HOLY COMMAND
- Love with all your SOUL -
IF THE MAINSPRING of your service is love for God, no ingratitude, no sin, no devil, no angel, can hinder you from serving your fellow-men, no matter how they treat you. You can love your neighbour as yourself, not from pity, but from the true centring of yourself in God.
[Oswald Chambers from ‘Biblical Philosophy’]
[Oswald Chambers from ‘Biblical Philosophy’]
Listen to this meditation by clicking on the download file below
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Exodus 3:1-6
Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian.
And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed.
Then Moses said, "I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn."
So when the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, "Moses, Moses!"
And he said, "Here I am."
Then He said, "Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground."
Moreover He said, "I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.
And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed.
Then Moses said, "I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn."
So when the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, "Moses, Moses!"
And he said, "Here I am."
Then He said, "Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground."
Moreover He said, "I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.
I was in prayer a few days ago and waiting on The Lord, when I heard His response, “Look to the burning bush.” Now this was possibly the first Bible story that I — and many of us — had heard, and God’s message to Moses from the midst of the Holy Fire was “Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground."
This was God’s personal message to Moses, but it becomes a personal message to each of us — He calls us by name — and what it speaks to you or me is as personal and individual as each of us are. Take off your shoes; let nothing come between your walk with The Lord and His Holy Ground. What that means for you will no doubt be different from what it means to me. The when and the where will enter in also. The why is simply that each of us needs The Holy Spirit passionate fire speaking to us.
We are the bush, the wood — natural living beings; prickly and stubbornly clinging to our spiritual desert — and His Holy Fire in us does not burn or consume us, for it is gentle, yet giving new life; speaking wisdom and truth, discernment and guidance, even without our realising the fact. He wishes to lead us out of that desert, and into holy ground, into His life.
Moses was set a task by the Angel of The Lord (The Messenger), and each one of us will also be given direction in this way. Open yourself to His Voice in the midst of the fire — His Holy Spirit speaking to you in your innermost being.
This was God’s personal message to Moses, but it becomes a personal message to each of us — He calls us by name — and what it speaks to you or me is as personal and individual as each of us are. Take off your shoes; let nothing come between your walk with The Lord and His Holy Ground. What that means for you will no doubt be different from what it means to me. The when and the where will enter in also. The why is simply that each of us needs The Holy Spirit passionate fire speaking to us.
We are the bush, the wood — natural living beings; prickly and stubbornly clinging to our spiritual desert — and His Holy Fire in us does not burn or consume us, for it is gentle, yet giving new life; speaking wisdom and truth, discernment and guidance, even without our realising the fact. He wishes to lead us out of that desert, and into holy ground, into His life.
Moses was set a task by the Angel of The Lord (The Messenger), and each one of us will also be given direction in this way. Open yourself to His Voice in the midst of the fire — His Holy Spirit speaking to you in your innermost being.
MEDITATE ON THESE THINGS
ACTS 2:1-4
When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
SEND THE FIRE — Spring Harvest
A HOLY COMMAND
— Love with all your SOUL --
THE REVELATIONS MADE by Jesus Christ reveal that the right centre for self is God — personal, passionate devotion to Him; then I am able to show to my fellow-men the same love that God has shown to me. Until I get there, I take the position of the Pharisee or of the publican; I either thank God that I am not an out-and-out sinner and point out certain people who are worse than I am, or else I grovel to the other extreme. Both attitudes are wrong because they are not truly centred.
[from ‘Biblical Philosophy’ by Oswald Chambers]
[from ‘Biblical Philosophy’ by Oswald Chambers]