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ECCLESIASTES 9:3-4
This is an evil in all that is done under the sun: that one thing happens to all. Truly the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil; madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead.
But for him who is joined to all the living there is hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion.
But for him who is joined to all the living there is hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion.
The Bible has a different perception of living and dead to the one that you and I were raised to understand. It looks at the soul and considers whether a soul is spiritually alive in Christ or not. It gives rise to the notion that though we be alive, yet we are dead, that is, not alive to the Spirit of the Living God.
This idea is explored in a previous meditation from 2021, ‘The Living And The Dead’. However, here we wish to look at this from a slightly different perspective. In Genesis 2:7-8 we read:
And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. (KJV)
The spiritual man that God created was a living soul, and having known God’s spark within, wishes to cling to it. Psalm 16:10-11 shows us the cry of one such…
This idea is explored in a previous meditation from 2021, ‘The Living And The Dead’. However, here we wish to look at this from a slightly different perspective. In Genesis 2:7-8 we read:
And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. (KJV)
The spiritual man that God created was a living soul, and having known God’s spark within, wishes to cling to it. Psalm 16:10-11 shows us the cry of one such…
For You will not leave my soul in Sheol,*
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
*Sheol = the world of the dead
The images of lion and dog conjure up thoughts of opposites. The dog is often depicted as venal and unsavoury — As a dog returns to his own vomit, So a fool repeats his folly. [Proverbs 26:11] — whereas the lion is more often seen as the king of beasts, a creature of great strength, even if not always a picture of goodness and often of evil. Christ is described in the book of Revelation as the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, so the lion can be used to show both good and evil.
How does this help us in our daily struggle; in our walk with God? It is simply this — remembering that Ecclesiastes is the book of clear-sightedness, of reality and truth — it is better to be a sinner saved by grace (a living dog) than a proud and boastful man of great strength who knows not the Lord (a dead lion). Remember also that a family of lions is known as ‘a pride’.
So why is Christ known as The Lion of Judah? He is the King of the family of Praise. Be joined to that family and you live amongst all the living. Hallelujah!
How does this help us in our daily struggle; in our walk with God? It is simply this — remembering that Ecclesiastes is the book of clear-sightedness, of reality and truth — it is better to be a sinner saved by grace (a living dog) than a proud and boastful man of great strength who knows not the Lord (a dead lion). Remember also that a family of lions is known as ‘a pride’.
So why is Christ known as The Lion of Judah? He is the King of the family of Praise. Be joined to that family and you live amongst all the living. Hallelujah!
MEDITATE ON THESE THINGS
And God said: “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:
I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.
It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud;
and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.
The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”
And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.”
GENESIS 9:12-17
I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.
It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud;
and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.
The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”
And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.”
GENESIS 9:12-17
LIVING ON THE HALLELUJAH SIDE — Cloverdale Bibleway
PRAYER REQUIRES SILENCE
THINK OF THOSE days of absolute silence in the home at Bethany! Is there anything analogous to those days in your life? Can God trust you like that, or are you still asking for a visible answer? His silence is the sign that He is bringing you in to a marvelous understanding of Himself. If God has given you a silence, praise Him, He is bringing you into the great run of His purposes. The manifestation of the answer in time is a matter of God's sovereignty. Time is nothing to God.
[from ’My Utmost For His Highest’ by Oswald Chambers]
[from ’My Utmost For His Highest’ by Oswald Chambers]
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COMING NEXT… #517 COME TO THE WATERS
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1 PETER 4:12-13
Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you;
but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.
but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.
We know that God is testing us with the natural upsets and vicissitudes of this life, to strengthen and raise up our faith in Him, to reveal to us His presence, His comforting and realise Him as our only refuge in a time of trouble. The apostle Peter tells us that we should not find these troubles in any way unusual — indeed, such things should be expected.
The implication then, is that none of this is strange at all. In point of fact, it should all be very familiar — because it is what we have discovered by faith in Him. Our Lord deals with harsh reality, not wish fulfilment, and that is a truly wonderful thing, because it means that He is in charge; He is in control, and one above and beyond all that we are. Hallelujah!
Strange things do not happen to us. The things that the Holy Spirit — the Christ within us — recognises as ‘the fiery trial’ happen to us and these are the things we fear and that is when the challenge hits. Are we going to submit to the fear, the anxiety, the distress, or will we look to the heavenly realms and seek our Father who knows every hair on our heads — meaning every strand of thought that fills our minds — and is able to create those thoughts anew, turning them inside out to reveal the only way forward — His way!
The problem for us all is that we do think it strange. His way is not what our intelligence tells us is true, but as we know from Isaiah 55:8-9 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.” The problem for each one of us is that our intellect steps forward first and seeks to push the Spirit out of the way.
For myself, these are words that have returned to me again and again — the revelation that He is higher than I. Of course He is. The challenge is always to accept it and make it the essence of your faith, so that we can all say, “Thank you, Lord, for loving me.”
The implication then, is that none of this is strange at all. In point of fact, it should all be very familiar — because it is what we have discovered by faith in Him. Our Lord deals with harsh reality, not wish fulfilment, and that is a truly wonderful thing, because it means that He is in charge; He is in control, and one above and beyond all that we are. Hallelujah!
Strange things do not happen to us. The things that the Holy Spirit — the Christ within us — recognises as ‘the fiery trial’ happen to us and these are the things we fear and that is when the challenge hits. Are we going to submit to the fear, the anxiety, the distress, or will we look to the heavenly realms and seek our Father who knows every hair on our heads — meaning every strand of thought that fills our minds — and is able to create those thoughts anew, turning them inside out to reveal the only way forward — His way!
The problem for us all is that we do think it strange. His way is not what our intelligence tells us is true, but as we know from Isaiah 55:8-9 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.” The problem for each one of us is that our intellect steps forward first and seeks to push the Spirit out of the way.
For myself, these are words that have returned to me again and again — the revelation that He is higher than I. Of course He is. The challenge is always to accept it and make it the essence of your faith, so that we can all say, “Thank you, Lord, for loving me.”
MEDITATE ON THESE THINGS
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials,
that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honour, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,
whom having not seen you love.
1 PETER 1:3-8a
to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials,
that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honour, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,
whom having not seen you love.
1 PETER 1:3-8a
THANK YOU JESUS, THANK YOU JESUS — Divine Hymns
PRAYER REQUIRES PURPOSE
We take for granted that prayer is preparation for work, whereas prayer is the work; and we scarcely believe what the Bible reveals - That God's chosen way of working is through intercessory prayer. We lean unto our own understanding, or we bank on service and do away with prayer. Consequently, by succeeding in the external we fail in the eternal, because in the eternal we succeed only by prevailing prayer.
[from ‘Christian Discipline Volume 2’ by Oswald Chambers]
[from ‘Christian Discipline Volume 2’ by Oswald Chambers]
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COMING NEXT… #516 JOINED TO ALL THE LIVING
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DEUTERONOMY 13:1-3
If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods’—which you have not known—’and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the LORD your God is testing you to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
This is a timely reminder that we should test the Spirits, because The Holy Spirit is not the only spirit in the heavenlies.
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,
and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. [1 John 4:1-3]
We have to test the spirits, because our God is testing us. This sounds condemnatory, but in fact is no such thing. Our reading says clearly that The Lord does this so see where we are with Him. ‘Testing’ here means to try, to prove us. Do we love Him, heart, mind and soul? Our Lord already knows exactly where we are, so the test is for our benefit, not His. Only you and I will learn anything from this test.
And this is very much a learning process — bringing us to maturity in Him. We need to distinguish between truth and lies and it can be astonishingly difficult, until The Holy Spirit works that discernment into us. God puts us to the test because of His great love for His people. He wants us to be the best — as we read in the Book of James,,,
Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. [James 1:16-18]
Our Lord desires that we be in the vanguard, those who have proven worthy to be the best of the best. It sounds like a tall order, but we must understand that we are incapable of such a thing as an exercise of human will and strength. Amazingly it requires only one thing — abandonment. We must each one abandon ourselves to God, and He will work all into us. Thus there is no condemnation.
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,
and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. [1 John 4:1-3]
We have to test the spirits, because our God is testing us. This sounds condemnatory, but in fact is no such thing. Our reading says clearly that The Lord does this so see where we are with Him. ‘Testing’ here means to try, to prove us. Do we love Him, heart, mind and soul? Our Lord already knows exactly where we are, so the test is for our benefit, not His. Only you and I will learn anything from this test.
And this is very much a learning process — bringing us to maturity in Him. We need to distinguish between truth and lies and it can be astonishingly difficult, until The Holy Spirit works that discernment into us. God puts us to the test because of His great love for His people. He wants us to be the best — as we read in the Book of James,,,
Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. [James 1:16-18]
Our Lord desires that we be in the vanguard, those who have proven worthy to be the best of the best. It sounds like a tall order, but we must understand that we are incapable of such a thing as an exercise of human will and strength. Amazingly it requires only one thing — abandonment. We must each one abandon ourselves to God, and He will work all into us. Thus there is no condemnation.
MEDITATE ON THESE THINGS
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,
knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
JAMES 1:2-8
knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
JAMES 1:2-8
PURIFY MY HEART — Brian Doerksen
PRAYER requires PURPOSE
GOD HAS SO constituted things that prayer on the basis of redemption alters the way a man looks at things.
[from ‘Our Brilliant Heritage’ by Oswald Chambers]
[from ‘Our Brilliant Heritage’ by Oswald Chambers]
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COMING NEXT: #515 DO NOT THINK IT STRANGE
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DANIEL 4:7-9
Then the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers came in, and I told them the dream; but they did not make known to me its interpretation.
But at last Daniel came before me (his name is Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god; in him is the Spirit of the Holy God), and I told the dream before him, saying:
“Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the Spirit of the Holy God is in you, and no secret troubles you, explain to me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and its interpretation.
But at last Daniel came before me (his name is Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god; in him is the Spirit of the Holy God), and I told the dream before him, saying:
“Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the Spirit of the Holy God is in you, and no secret troubles you, explain to me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and its interpretation.
Nebuchadnezzar asked the question to which many of us might well look for an answer — explain to me the visions of my dream. Daniel had the gift of answering that question, of interpreting visions, but also of explaining the visions (and note that there is a distinction between the two). Explaining is not interpreting and vice versa. Nebuchadnezzar wanted Daniel to explain the visions — to break them down and relate the signs there and then give the interpretation, the meaning behind the words.
As we discover in the Book of Joel (see below), there are prophecies, dreams and visions and each has a specific function in the realm of the Spirit. There is a conception that dreams and visions are both prophetic, and although they can be prophetic in part, this is not always so. An exact definition of each is not always easy, but it is safe to say — in the same way that an Apple is a fruit, but not all fruit are apples — that a prophecy is not always a vision or a dream. It may be, but more often than not we find that a prophecy comes as a word from God.
A vision is perhaps best described as a revelation from God, which can also have a prophetic aspect to it. Dreams, on the other hand are more difficult to describe. In Joel 2:29, we read that while young men will see visions, old men will dream dreams, which rather confirms the revelatory aspect of visions. ‘Old men’ represent mature believers, whose waking and sleeping hours are closer to the heavenly realms through many years experience of prophecy and vision. The Lord speaks then whether awake or asleep. The ‘young men’ to which Joel refers are inspired to continue in faith by the revelatory visions shown to them.
The prophet Jeremiah says:- The prophet who has a dream, let him tell a dream; And he who has My word, let him speak My word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat?” says the LORD.
”Is not My word like a fire?” says the LORD, “And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces? (JEREMIAH 23:28-29)
In other words, a dream is only a dream unless it has The Lord’s Word at its root, and then His Word will reveal the veracity of the dream. Daniel was an interpreter of dreams. This was The Lord’s gift to Daniel, and dreams have to be interpreter to judge their provenance. Daniel’s name means ‘God is my judge’.
So we come to this:-
As we discover in the Book of Joel (see below), there are prophecies, dreams and visions and each has a specific function in the realm of the Spirit. There is a conception that dreams and visions are both prophetic, and although they can be prophetic in part, this is not always so. An exact definition of each is not always easy, but it is safe to say — in the same way that an Apple is a fruit, but not all fruit are apples — that a prophecy is not always a vision or a dream. It may be, but more often than not we find that a prophecy comes as a word from God.
A vision is perhaps best described as a revelation from God, which can also have a prophetic aspect to it. Dreams, on the other hand are more difficult to describe. In Joel 2:29, we read that while young men will see visions, old men will dream dreams, which rather confirms the revelatory aspect of visions. ‘Old men’ represent mature believers, whose waking and sleeping hours are closer to the heavenly realms through many years experience of prophecy and vision. The Lord speaks then whether awake or asleep. The ‘young men’ to which Joel refers are inspired to continue in faith by the revelatory visions shown to them.
The prophet Jeremiah says:- The prophet who has a dream, let him tell a dream; And he who has My word, let him speak My word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat?” says the LORD.
”Is not My word like a fire?” says the LORD, “And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces? (JEREMIAH 23:28-29)
In other words, a dream is only a dream unless it has The Lord’s Word at its root, and then His Word will reveal the veracity of the dream. Daniel was an interpreter of dreams. This was The Lord’s gift to Daniel, and dreams have to be interpreter to judge their provenance. Daniel’s name means ‘God is my judge’.
So we come to this:-
- A dream is a narrative — a story — in the mind which needs unravelling, interpreted by someone empowered by God to do so, such as an experienced believer walking with The Lord.
- A vision is a Spirit revelation, which can be prophetic also. It can be general or specific, like a Word of Wisdom.
- A prophecy is a direct word from God, a divine utterance or pronouncement.
MEDITATE ON THESE THINGS…
And it shall come to pass afterward
That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your old men shall dream dreams,
Your young men shall see visions.
And also on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days.
JOEL 2:28-29
That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your old men shall dream dreams,
Your young men shall see visions.
And also on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days.
JOEL 2:28-29
BE MY VISION — Planetshakers
PRAYER requires PURPOSE
PRAYER ALTERS A man on the inside, alters his mind and his attitude to things. The point of praying is not that we get things from God, but that we learn by prayer to detect the difference between God's order and God's permissive will. God's order is no pain, no sickness, no devil, no war, no sin; His permissive will is all these things. What a man needs to do is to get hold of God's order in the kingdom on the inside, and then he will begin to see how to handle the riddle of the universe on the outside.
(from ‘Still Higher For His Highest’ by Oswald Chambers)
(from ‘Still Higher For His Highest’ by Oswald Chambers)