Nothing without the Father

Hello friends, I have a few things I wanted to share with us from the time I spent with church this evening.

It has never really struck me about Christ being always in the Father as it did today. Everything Jesus did, He did through His Father. In essence, Jesus never healed anyone, it was God who was healing through Jesus.

Joh 5:19  Then Jesus answered and said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, The Son can do nothing of Himself but what He sees the Father do. For whatever things He does, these also the Son does likewise. 

Joh 5:30  I can do nothing of My own self. As I hear, I judge, and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of the Father who has sent Me. 

It made more sense to me when Christ on the cross wailed saying - "My God My God why have you forsaken me?" He wailed for in that moment, His oneness with God, His Father was no longer there. The life of the Father was no longer in Him. He mourned being a moment without His Father's indwelling life!

I think of it now and wonder, why don't we wail the same way? Are we living life each moment from the life of Christ?

Are we truly hemmed in? Do we abide? Is the life we live ours or that of Christ? Joh 15:5  I am the Vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 

I dearly pray as John prayed - Joh 3:30  He must increase, but I must decrease. 

That we stop living life led by formulas, equations, shadows, laws, emotions, notions, desires and start living directly off the indwelling life of Christ.

That we can learn to wait upon this Lord. Live His life instead of ours. That we can come to this point - Gal 2:20  I have been crucified with Christ, and I live; yet no longer I, but Christ lives in me. And that life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith toward the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself on my behalf. 

For we are nothing without Him as Christ is nothing without the Father.

Shalom.

 For I have died, and my life is hid with Christ in God. [Col 3:3]

Fathers and Sons

I had a very interesting evening yesterday. It was my nephew's birthday party and we had invited some kids from the neighbours over.

Children are quite a handful! And they are also quite different from each other. The quiet ones, the noisy ones, the shy ones, the proud ones. One thing that is sure, a little time spent with each gives you an idea on how to individually deal with each.

I had the opportunity to be called "Teacher". Not that it is something I aspire to but it was quite interesting while I was. I led the kids into several games; name games, cat and mouse games etc and I was quite spent at end of day.

I am not a father. I hope to be at one point; how soon? God knows.

In my culture, my brothers' children are as good as my children and so far, one can say I have two sons and a daughter, the latest being Nathan whose birthday we celebrated. Giving time to children while seemingly inconvenient does a lot to shape them and place them upon their destiny.

I asked one of my "sons" to always remind me to read him a Bible story. The first time I thought he would forget but yesterday, after all the festivities were done, he asked me to read. At this point he cannot readily do English but he tries and it is only a matter of time till he is good at it.

So I read, in the simplest ways possible the story of David the Lionhearted from Arthur S Maxwell's Bible Stories book. For now it would seem he knows that there was a war and the boy killed the giant. So boys who have God's help kill giants. This is the second time I am telling it. (Just now do I see the lesson for myself.)

I pray that by God's grace, this son of mine grows into these beautiful truths. I don't know how much time it will take, but if faithfulness is present I believe it will happen.

I am taking advice lately. From a lot of people but it is amazing how the advice which makes most meaning is that from men that are fathers. I have been dealing with some issues lately and yes talk to people about it but recently I talked to a father and the amount and quality of wisdom he presented me has given me a good amount of cud to chew on.

"There are no short-cuts" . He said. Yet all along I have been trying to use short cuts, pathways that have brought me to the common place of confusion again. When you hear a truth that cuts between flesh and bone you know it. And as he advised me on this issue, I sensed there was a route for healing.

I do not talk very often to him but when I do, I hear wisdom. Not sensationalism, but wisdom. He won't say much. He asks the right questions as an expert Doctor would to find out the problem and when he sees it, the rest is history.

I am thankful for sons, that are not mine, for opportunity to be a father but I surely thank God for fathers who have mentored sons, those that are theirs and those that are not theirs.

It is something not entered into by knowledge but I believe by the very heart that is cut after the cloth of the father in himself; Abba.

Pause.

Longing (Edited)

Razing through my mind
Are memories...
Serene meadows, big yellow sun flowers
Flashes of smiles chain me
I want more than intangible images.

Walks through the park at sunset
The sun hesitated to set-
When it did, the stars kept winking 
But my tummy is empty; my heart is starved
I want more than formless memories.

I need more than  blurred dreams
Dried rose petals,
More than long sleepless nights
More than the endless beat of rain upon corrugated heart.
I need more than the vapour of mystery love.

I long for the juice of fresh love
For the sweetness of a tender heart,
I do not need cotton candy- it is empty
I long for a heart that longs for mine
I long for a heart concentrated with true love.

Past pains rivet me, I'm writhing for an angel's touch
Longing for a soothing touch, a real smile, a honeyed kiss,
I am sure angels exist as devils do
And when you show up darling-
I want to spend my whole life with you. 

Nothing you find

See, you have found nothing valuable
It is all as good as stubble
No glory herein
And your actions do prove it.

Twenty weeks have passed here
And I have poured my libations-
Devotions seen and breathed
Actions now and tomorrow.

These you have looked upon
With grey and pink face
Black and white smirk
Devoid of direction.

Twenty weeks now set upon me
And I have not seen your Sun;
My libations still flowing
My prayers still chanted
Still you withhold your Sun.

Indeed, you have found no value;
For flowers, olive oil, whole grain have I poured,
Even the red blood and flesh that goes with it
You answer still with the black of night.

Trying to conceal

You sit,
Alone in the corner of the room
Looking out of the window
With your back to the conversation.

Your ears cannot pick up a sound
And your thoughts peal away in the recesses of your mind,
You have no care right now
Except that anvil in your chest...
(Its back to the conversation)

...And the hammer that beats upon it.
Yet you would that the sound muffle out,
That the silence of this stable
Can be as that of the grave.

But it hurts, with its bangs
It releases heavy pangs,
They cannot be dulled,
These sounds of burden.

Even though your tried, to conceal it, you tried,
You blew your nose, your flu-less nose;
And the sounds began to break
The pangs hurt the more,
Your anvil couldn't withhold it
And out came the tears.

Wasn't there then but I am now

Forgive me,
I knew but I did not care to care;
I did not invite consideration for a minute
To understand the kind of pain you were going through.

My eyes may have beheld the horror,
My ears hearing the screams,
But my heart seemed to slumber
In my own present safety.

Only now do I taste the bitterness
Of the memories that remain,
Oh that you would not remember,
Yet the images refrain.

Your words are as brief as an ode
Yet they raise this heart from the dead,
I wasn't there then
But I am now.

I will pray for you and the kin that you know
Ask the dear Lord, to send a comfort to your souls
You've been through the fire, indeed the valley of death
But the Shepherd has been with you, and will never go away.

 A Psalm of David.

Jehovah is my Shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.  You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of Jehovah forever.