Showing posts with label definition of idolatry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label definition of idolatry. Show all posts

Sunday, 16 October 2011

A Man's Conversation with God After His Wife Leaves - Nick Cabbiness

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by Nick Cabbiness on Saturday, 15 October 2011 at 02:44
Papa, I feel lousy, what do I do?  Feels like She rules my life—her opinions of me, her acceptance of me.  I don’t know how to get out from under it, can’t think of anything else, what do I do?  What do you say?

My dear son—you know I love you.

I do, Papa, I really do, but why isn’t it helping?  Your acceptance matters so much more than hers, so why can’t I seem to live by that?  Why does she tower over me with her “less than acceptable” evaluations?  I’m too old, not attractive enough, not good enough in bed, not masculine—take charge—enough.  I’m not enough.

Yes, you cannot be enough when she’s looking for me.

But if I were better looking, younger, ambitious, attentive . . . ?

It wouldn’t be enough.  All of them, each of them, would fall short.  For you are not God and neither is any man.  But you are my image and for a while the image, the reflection of what She seeks, satisfies.

But it’s hard, Papa.  When we stand before a mirror, it’s easy to tell which is the image and which is the real.  But if we’re the image, where do we look back to in order to see what’s being reflected?  Do you see how easy it is for us to think what’s standing in front of us—this beautiful creature—is what we really want?  After all, I can hold her; she can speak to me intimately and wonderfully . . .

Yes, my ‘images’ are better than yours.  When you stand before a mirror, it only does what you do, what you ‘tell it’ to do.  But my images are living; they can interact, as you say, “wonderfully.”  But they are images, nonetheless, and never ends-in-themselves.  To make them an end, however dear, is to make them an idol.  It is to ask from them what they cannot give, and just like the idols of old, they will stand there motionless and mute.  They will not have power for you, and they will not interact.  You were such an idol for her.

Well, I’ve thought a lot more about her being my idol . . .

And one by one, you became motionless and mute—she could no longer hear you speak and your power over her ceased.

She realized I was an idol?

No, you were just the wrong god.  She went to look for another.

But not you . . .

She is just as you—both of you do not believe that I AM what you seek.

Ok, Papa, part of me really feels drawn to what you’re saying, but another part wonders how practical and realistic it is.  I’m not trying to be picky, but I can’t see you . . . ?  And if I could, something tells me you wouldn’t look like her.  I’m being serious.  How can I know the same kind of intimacy with you? 

My son, I made her . . . as my image.  The power of that intimacy that you had with her (and if you think about it—that you have with her now, now that you can’t see her) is me.  There was never a close moment that you had with her that was not my closeness.  When she searched your eyes, so wanting to know you, I was the One searching and the One sought, but neither of you knew.  And so you fell from each others’ hands, lifeless and dumb.  My dear son, do not fear this time.  I am cleansing you from your idols as I am cleansing her from hers.  Do not be afraid.  I will only take from you what is lifeless and what has no power.  But I promise—and I cannot lie—I will never take from you that intimacy that you most desire—yea, I will only increase it.  I am the fountain and I am the source, have no idols before me, but come to my waters and find all you desire.

You’re having to pry my fingers away, but I know you’re right.  Papa, what about  . . . her . ?  Can you cleanse me . . . enough . . . ?  You know what I’m asking . . .

My son, trust me.  I am not lifeless and dumb.  I AM.  And the wife of your youth is safe with me.  Now—rest.  For I am doing a wondrous work, one that you will by no means believe, though it will happen in your midst.  But for now—rest.  Rest in my love.

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Sunday, 24 January 2010

ETERNAL LIFE IS A PERSON..by..Sylvia Pearce



Sylvia put this up on Facebook with the words "I call the book of John the "I Am Book""


ETERNAL LIFE IS A PERSON.... "He that hath the Son hath (Eternal) Life;"
(I John 5:12) I call the book of John the "I am" book. Jesus never said that He would give us a little piece of himself called "the way, the truth, and the life." He didn't say he would give us a little bit of bread and it would be life to us. He didn't say that he would give us resurrection, or life, or living water, and these would help is have more of God. No, what he did strongly and emphatically declare was this: "I am the Word, I am the Light of the world, I am the Living Water, I am the Bread of Life, I am the Resurrection and the Life, I am the Way, I am the Truth, and I am Eternal Life." God's name always has been "I AM," not, "I have it to give." We do not have a distant God, dishing out to us humans, little bits of himself to live on. No, He has given us the fullness of Himself. The mystery of the gospel is, "Christ in you, our only hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27). He is the deity in the temple, He is the contents of the vessel, He is the vine of the branch, He is the husband of the wife, and He is the head of the body. He firmly announced to all His creation, "My glory will I not give to another"(Isaiah 42:8). Therefore, salvation is a Person, Love is a Person, the Truth is a Person, Peace is a Person, Righteousness is a Person, and Eternal Life is not just a place we go after death, but it is a Person! His plan from the beginning was to create a family of sons who would freely contain and express His deity nature throughout eternity. It takes a great blow to our egos to really know that we are only the clay pots and not the glory of the contents. Christ is the content, it is He that fills the temple. Yet we have been falsely taught that we are the one who should fulfill the law and try to fill our temples with good works.




The essence of all idolatry is trying to be what only God is. This too is the essence of legalism.Trying to be good leaves our hearts empty and still cry ing out for more. For it is Christ who can fulfill the law in us, and it is He that wants the glory.We are His dwelling place, not our own dwelling place. Could this be why Christians are so miserable? We, of all people, who know that our sins are forgiven and our future destination is heaven, should live in the joy of the Lord most of the time.But do we? I dare say that if we are honest, most of us experience the very opposite.I believe that most of us live condemned and frustrated lives, trying to cope with what we have and wonder why faith doesn't work.That is why so many Christians are crying out to Jesus, "Come quickly Lord Jesus," as they wait to be relieved from their misery by the second coming of Christ.Our salvation and entrance into the kingdom of God is wonderful, but it's not good enough to just know that our sins are forgiven. What about now? What about the present tense? Why do we love the Jesus who saves us, but hate the human person that He saved? Did He do only half the work? Maybe we are getting closer to our answer by looking at just that. We think that we are responsible for finishing or perfecting the other half of what doesn't seem complete, namely us.What a job! We are taught to pray more, read our Bibles more, come to Church more, tithe more,and strive to become more like Jesus. Then there is the problem of the world:we should keep ourselves from worldly thoughts and not overindulge in worldly pleasures such as eating, drinking, smoking, and carousing. Then there are our personal shortcomings: tempers, jealousies, pride, and secret sins. The list goes on forever. But most of all we must look good to the world and keep our reputations and God's reputation respectable because we must be good witnesses. I say it again, "What a job!"Why doesn't Christianity work? I'm not happy and I'm not satisfied--God is satisfied because He sees his son in me, but I'm not satisfied. I look most of the time like Paul in Romans Seven--"the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not that I do. For the will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not."Since the problem is exposed in Romans seven,

then the whole solution, which is the missing link in Christianity, is hidden there as well. The real problem and hidden sin of the Christian is self-effort. "I ought to. I should do better by self-effort." It is very subtle, though, for it seems right and good, yet in truth it is the very heart of our problem. The law continually stirs up self-effort because we believe we can and should do it. We are not believing in God, but in ourselves. Colossians 1:27 says, "To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." The mystery of the Gospel is "Christ in you," yet we believe more in our own performance than Christ in us. That is why the third person of the Trinity (the Holy Spirit) is the least known to most Christians. We are provided with the life of Christ by the Holy Spirit, yet we strive in our own efforts to be that life. Paul strongly warned the Galatians against legalism in their church. They began their Christian walk by faith alone, but soon after, added all kinds of laws to live by. Therefore, Paul cried out, "O foolish Galatia ns, who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth.This only would I learn of you; Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now made perfect by the flesh"(Galatians 3:1-3)? Paul's strong warning "Who has bewitched you," implies that the devil is at work. It is devilish to try to become what only God himself is. Let us understand though, that the law isn't wrong in itself, for it is God's perfect picture of His holy nature. Our problem is not God's picture of himself, the problem is how to be like that picture. We can never be like God by self-effort, yet God wants us to come to the end of believing that "WE" can do it.


The only way that we can come to the end is for us to go right on trying. But don't try half way.Try with all your heart. Try until you're bloody from trying.Most Christians settle somewhere in-between; a little bit of Jesus, a little bit of me, a little bit of the law, a little bit of righteousness, a little bit of the devil, a little bit of sin, "Ho hum! God doesn't expect me to be perfect anyway." On the contrary, Jesus demands perfection, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (Matt. 5:48).Jesus says it has to be all or nothing.
It is better to try until we can't try anymore, than to settle somewhere in the middle ground That is why Jesus said to the Laodiceian church in the book of Revelation, that because they were lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, He would s pew them out of his mouth (Rev. 3:15-16). God wants self-effort to become exceedingly sinful. God wants you to be real desperate, so desperate that you can't try anymore.Then you are more than happy for righteousness not to depend on you. It is a desperate, but thankful heart, that knows that righteousness and eternal Life are both a person, and that person is Christ, who lives in us.
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