Choosing Humility Will Produce Astonishment in Others

 Humility was expressed in Jesus : Matthew 13:54-58… NKJV 54 & when He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished & said, "Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? 55 Is this not the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary? & His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? 56 & His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?" 57 So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country & in his own house." 58 Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief. 

As unbelief, not trusting in God causes us to not hear. Harboring anger, resentment, jealousy and un-forgiveness causes the fruit to develop deafness or the hardness of our hearts. A spirit of deafness, an insensitivity,  is one of hardness and refuses to comply to the Word of God. (from Preparing to Hear)           

     **The people of his hometown knew him so well, being puzzled by His wisdom and His works done in God……they were going to hold Him in their own eyes as they knew Him, the carpenter’s son and in….that they rather cling to ignorance. The people in which He knew as neighbors, had no real need for healing or anything else.  They did not recognize Who He was & they held NO VALUE FOR HIM!

 

·         In His wisdom: Jesus spoke in Matthew 7:24-29….24 "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, & does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 & the rain descended, the floods came, & the winds blew & beat on that house; & it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. 26 Now everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, & does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 & the rain descended, the floods came, & the winds blew & beat on that house; & it fell. & great was its fall." 28 & so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, 29 for He taught them as one having authority, & not as the scribes.  NKJV  the scribes were echoing what they had heard …possibly boring and without power, but Jesus spoke with intensity, passion and power. He had authority in the situation

 

·         Christ’s works (3913) John 10:25-30…… 25 Jesus answered them, "I told you, & you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me. 26 But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. 27 My sheep hear My voice, & I know them, & they follow Me. 28 & I give them eternal life, & they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; & no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand. 30 I & My Father are one." NKJV

Bearing witness of Me..Jesus was bearing a good report of the Father God…..

Jesus held not as an echo but a TRUE VOICE!

James 3:9-18 Amplified Bible…………….9 With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse men who were made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come forth blessing and cursing. These things, my brethren, ought not to be so. 11 Does a fountain send forth [simultaneously] from the same opening fresh water and bitter?

12 Can a fig tree, my brethren bear olives or a grapevine figs? Neither can a salt spring furnish fresh water. 13 Who is there among you who is wise & intelligent? Then let him by his noble living show forth his [good] works with the [un-obstrusive] humility [which is the proper attribute] of true wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy (envy) and contention (rivalry) selfish ambition in your hearts, do not pride yourselves on it & thus be in defiance of and false to the Truth.

A person with the heart intent of envy, rivalry, that selfishness will be found in pride with lies. Everything he touches will be the “FALSE”, THE PHONEY, THE FAKE... WILL NOT BE REAL.

15 This [superficial] wisdom is not such as comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual (animal, even devilish (demonical). 16 For wherever there is jealousy (envy) & contention (rivalry & selfish ambition) there will also be confusion (unrest, disharmony, rebellion) & all sorts of evil and vile practices. 17 But the wisdom from above is first of all pure (undefiled) then it is peace-loving, courteous (considerate, gentle). [It is willing to] yield to reason, full of compassion & good fruits: it is wholehearted & straightforward, impartial & unfeigned (free from doubts, wavering & insincerity).  It is God’s Word that propels us into TRUTH…..

18 And the harvest of righteousness (of conformity to God’s will in thought and deed) is [the fruit of the seed] sown in peace by those who work for and make peace [in themselves and in others, that peace which means concord, agreement and harmony between individuals with un-disturbedness in a peaceful mind free from fears and agitating passions & moral conflicts.

C - 1: εἰρηνικός  James 3:17..is peace…without this peace….of God you will have no wisdom of
God.                 

When Jesus prayed, and met with people, lives were changing. In Jesus’ time and as in today’s culture, the world sees the “wise man” as one who will live for the moment, always living by sight, and is devoted to self.   For Jesus, His own neighbors rejected Him. They saw interruption in their lifestyle, in their own thinking, but chose to carry on in their unbelief. The Sadducees’ did as did the Pharisees! Ego will kill you! Some people just want to be right all the time. But we cannot be that way ….we must have God guiding us with His eye. Certainly those who were astonished also became those who were ready to kill Him. They wanted Jesus gone however they had to do it. But truth ruled Jesus’ life. The truth of God carried Him to the Cross and then to the right hand of God in Heaven.

In closing: His prayer time brought power, looked like grace, and caused reactions. In His teaching  the EXTREME was heard, His prayer was for ADVANCEMENT OF THE KINGDOM!

Jesus’ Prayer: John 17:3….(3)& this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, & Jesus Christ whom You have sent. Advancement of the kingdom.                                                                                                                                   

John 17:6  .(6) "I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.

John 17:11…(11) Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, & I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.

John 17:26 ...(26) And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."  NKJV

THE IMPORTANCE in this prayer was that   Jesus spoke what He spent His ministry revealing to us about God His Father. It is in this, that He keeps us through His name, both by our trusting in what it means & by the evidence revealed by living this life in obedience!  This obedience to fellowship, communion, God’s Word in teaching & prayer gives us VOICE! 

In John 17 & verses 6 & 26….the Greek word for Name is onoma. When Jesus spoke this: He was speaking God’s  authority, His character, His  very majesty, & the power of His excellence which belongs to God HIMSELF. Jesus was expanding & advancing God’s name on the earth & in the earth.

When we can see with our eyes & understand in our hearts that being united with the Father presents to us the opportunity to participate with the Son as the Son did with the Father, how much more should we expect to see the astonishment in the faces of those God is touching by His presence in us? Before we go to participate out there, we should have the intimate time to know our Father’s heart.

Father, like Jesus spoke in John 17, I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Jesus through this word given. That they all may be one as You, Father are in Jesus & in me, that the world may believe You sent Jesus. The glory which You gave Jesus I have given  them, that they may be one just as We are one.(John 17:20-23)   Father, thank you for bringing health & healing revealed in Your peace & truth. Captives have been set free to pray.  Thank You for salvation!  For all Your goodness & prosperity You provide, may it be to YOU God a name of joy, praise & an honor before all nations of the earth who hear all the good that You do to them. May they fear & tremble before You in humility knowing that hypocrisy is far & away from You. May we be that voice to carry Your glory forward.

For those who abide in You will have the voice of joy, & the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom & the voice of the Bride, the voice of those who will say:"Praise the LORD of hosts, For the LORD is good, For His mercy endures forever"- Oh holy Father, at this juncture of choosing to pray, may we be truly be those who will not find excuse to put off prayer. For those who EMBRACE  the relationship with YOU will know THE VOICE of truth. They will walk TOWARD HOLINESS finding power in prayer! Oh it is in Jesus’ Name we prayer……………… Amen.

 

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Loving by Subduing, What?

Psalm 115:16-18..................16 The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD's;
But the earth He has given to the children of men.
17 The dead do not praise the LORD,  Nor any who go down into silence.
18 But we will bless the LORD
From this time forth and forevermore.        Praise the LORD!    NKJV

The LORD God gave us the earth to subdue. In thinking on scripture I had thought on it for awhile. I took it to heart. I found some teachings on it. And then prayed over it..........wow, Lord, subduing!

Well, the years have come and gone and still I meditate this word.

Oh, well, I have to get down to business here:

WAS thinking on what I needed to do for the day. I like to plan out the week in regards to cleaning THE HOUSE, LIKE ONE DAY FOR THE LIVING ROOM, ONE DAY FOR THE OFFICE, ETC.
Was working on this project today and it really wore me out! Seriously, all that moving of the rugs and wiping and cleaning! But we just cleaned in here and it needed it again. Yes, it is something that must be done.
We had done some spring cleaning awhile back, but I sensed we needed to clean the carpets again. So I started moving one thing out, and the next, and the next!

We could see the weather warming up, and that triple number in measuring the heat, is more than I want to think about. Today, seemed like the best day because of the cooler temps. Okay, let's get moving here on some carpet cleaning and furniture moving. As I was moving things around, and wiping the dust, I had this thought. Or I should say, I know the Lord gave me the thought. This is how you love each other! SUBDUING!

SERIOUSLY, LOVE IS SUBDUING THE EARTH, REALLY?

Now, I had never thought of it in those terms. I always thought of it as just doing "my duty" for those of my family and those I know. But it is more than that according to what I am hearing from the Lord. Every time I killed a spider in the bathroom, and every time I shampooed the carpet I was expressing love. What? Well, our grand-daughter does not like spiders, not in the house or in the bathroom she chooses to use! Every time I wiped a spill off the floor or removed a light bulb that burned out was an act of subduing.

Well. that seems simple, right? And then He talked more about every time we move a piece of furniture, every time we clean up a mess, every time we prepare something for others, as in food or sewing or repairing, we are expressing love to another. Every time we make a pitcher of ice tea, or a pot of soup, we are subduing!  It is not just about eating or washing dishes, but actually doing something for someone and not expecting to receive anything back. As the Lord spoke to me while I was cleaning and doing, I saw the magnitude this represents in His kingdom. So I gained wisdom from God and see with new eyes.  It is something to me that gives me a smile on my face  and  that my family will have a sanitized home tonight!

Yes, how much do we love those closest to us?
Well, how much clutter do you see around you? Is the place spotless? How about that office space at work or in the home? Does it look like someone moved in and is setting up housekeeping with things that belong in a "kitchen"?
How about the rest of the house....does it look like a bomb went off in it?

The earth has been given to you and me. This small piece of reality is located on a block, on a street, in a town. Within all this I (we) have a car, a truck, and a small pet! Although our pet is family, we regard her care as we do ours.
Yes, this ruling in the earth is an exact place where I reside. It has been given to me since birth. When I was given life, I had a room that I shared with a sister. My mother was prompting us always to dust, to keep our clothes picked up and and keep the bed made up. Yes, we got the idea pretty fast and our mother was one who would look at the drawers of the dresser and make sure every thing was neat and in its place. In regards to cleaning, we always saw our parents cleaning the vehicles we owned. That outside of the vehicle was as clean as the inside was! Those white walls on those tires looked like showroom beauty!  You could give it the "white glove test" and it would win 1st place!
As a rule, we could not eat in that vehicle unless at a drive-in movie. Can anyone remember those?  Then each of us were responsible for whatever mess we made. That is one teaching that has carried me through life. WHAT MESS HAVE I MADE? How much do I love my husband or my neighbor?

In regards to their dressing, my parents looked like they stepped from the cover of magazines. Seriously, my mother reminded me of a model. She cared for herself and she looked good doing it. My dad looked like a "Country Style" theme. He wore the nicest western shirts and jeans. Anyone who knew him, knew he would have on Tony Lama boots. He did not own a faded pair of jeans nor a faded shirt or wore out boots. His wear for the barn certainly looked better than some I have seen in the past. Their shoes had a shine whether they just came from the store or were three years old. They cared for everything they had bought.
Our home was one that was remodeled and it look wonderful and was kept in immaculate shape. Yes, I had many examples to follow when I was growing up.

IN writing this, I think of so many who go places to rule and they cannot clean their car! I always think of Pigpen from the Charlie Brown cartoons.
HOW many want to rule in other places and their car looks like the dump ground or their bathroom looks like hurricane Andrew went through it? Well, Shelley, I was not here when Hurricane Andrew went through Florida! Well, you are here right now.  And you have now heard of Hurricane Andrew. And you are responsible to subdue the earth, right?

Genesis 1:28-31.................28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

29 And God said, "See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. 30 Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food"; and it was so. 31 Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.    NKJV

And God blessed them.........."be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves on the earth."
SUBDUE!
Be fruitful and produce! I believe that means more than children. I believe it means we are to care for this earth as God did when He created it in beauty! I believe the more we care for something............that means "KEEP IT CLEAN" AND "TAKE CARE OF IT", THEN fruit is multiplied on that one thing. The more we work in caring for our pet "poodle", the more God brings to us in information in caring for her. The more we put into caring for our bodies, the more God brings information on good foods and those which bring energy and long life to them. The more I focus on the Word of God, the more Word He gives me pertaining to life, and godliness.



Genesis 2:18-25...................18 And the LORD God said, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him." 19 Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him. 21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. 22 Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. 23 And Adam said:

"This is now bone of my bones
And flesh of my flesh;
She shall be called Woman,
Because she was taken out of Man."

24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.  NKJV

In scripture we find God assigning men to have a "helpmate". Her worth was to be his help, assist him in accomplishing goals in subduing the earth.......to encourage him, and partner with him in producing children to populate the earth they would subdue.
God did not want Adam to be alone.
Is the man subduing, as to working in the field, the place he is called? If he is taking his role seriously about being the man God created to be, then are you and I, as women, taking our role seriously and filling it?  In working alongside our husbands, we find a relationship and not only that, but we find a man who leaves his mother and father.......joins with his new wife, his partner for life in the grace of God and fulfill the assignment given to them. They join forces! They join together what God had always planned to do. He does not bring along all the ideas or thoughts his folks had...........no, he joins forces to find what God planned for him and his "helpmate"...........they join together. He knows his wife and her family. THE HUSBAND LEADS LIKE JESUS LEADS!

Proverbs 31:10-11............10 A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
11 Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.  NIV

A wife of noble character........who can find?

She is not the woman found on a "stripper pole". She can be found at that Bible study, that prayer meeting, or in church worshiping God.

Where are you the, man looking? Do you have your "helpmate"?

Then give thanks for the helpmate of noble character! If you do not see that "noble character" then profess and confess that you will see it. We must always remember that everything in life begins with us. Life and death are in the power of our tongues!  We have to make the effort, take that step into following God and His commands.

We take those little steps at first and see them grow. We grow and become those men and women of God that follow His instruction and hear His voice when He speaks.

In perseverance, we prove our appreciation to God and for His saving grace.

1 Corinthians 15:56-58............56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 

58 Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. NIV

Our character is revealed the more time we spend with God. We gain strength the more we hear Him and obey. In that intimacy, like the husband and wife, our intimacy with God proves our faithfulness to do all that He commanded from the beginning. It is in that intimacy and connecting, that we find we can speak and be heard. But if I walk around just speaking and not hearing, then I miss everything God is speaking to me. If I think I am right, and just keep mouthing my opinions or thoughts, then I am going to be in a big mess!

I believe that in marriage, we should always reflect on the day we said, "I do", and remember that it is about a relationship of people and of a God. If we understand that the love displayed for all to us came at the darkest time of history, should not our light shine at this darkest time as well?

We can think we have all the answers, but ONLY GOD HAS THEM! OUR faith cannot be in ourselves. It has to be placed in God! His leadership demands us to obey to eat the good of the land.

 Isaiah 1:19-20................19 If you are willing and obedient,

You shall eat the good of the land; 20 But if you refuse and rebel,

You shall be devoured by the sword";  For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.     NKJV

So where you stand today, in a house, on a block, in a town or city, what are you doing to subdue the earth? Have you gathered the clutter and removed it to the trash or the "recycle"?

As the wife, are you available to your husband? Do you seek peace and pursue those things which make a place of comfort for him to come to? (or are you just hot and bothered by everything? ....and just speak your mind?) Remember God's thoughts and ways are higher than ours!

As the wife, do you hear and listen and communicate daily with God and your husband?

As the husband, do you seek that peace with your wife?

Do you hear her and listen by communicating with her daily?

As a couple, a team, do you work together to overlook each other's faults and weaknesses?

Are you goal setters?

Are you together, those worshipers of God?

Are you walking together in unity? Do you look good and sound like God speaking?

If you cleaned the house, take a look at the garage, since that is his domain! What will you find?

If your garage looks great, but your house looks like something from "Gone With the Wind"......then some changes must occur!  As for our family, my husband easily moves from the garage to the house at will. He certainly helps in the cleaning of the carpets and moving furniture. I have always said, "you can eat off the floors in our garage"....... as my husband is meticulous about keeping everything spotless. I have to work at it! Yes, I do. I am a work in progress, indeed! 
I better check the office again, and make sure it does not look like a second kitchen in this house!

Where you rule begins at birth? Have you or I graduated yet? 

Take this time to reflect on your marriage or maybe your future marriage. Take into your heart all that needs to be in your heart to receive a good thing. Consider the marriage with no distractions, but quiet time together. Expect to laugh and talk and remember every anniversary. As a person looking to marriage, think on what you desire that this woman/man of noble character would look like. Speak out loud about what you desire today in that godly new wife/husband. Profess those words of life in God for this marriage, whether a future one or an existing one. Profess to the importance of it and ask the Lord how to care for it. Talk about the disappointments you may have had in the past, but remember that you are not ruled by past hurts. Give thanks for your wife/husband or future wife/husband!

Consider these points: should consider to spend time together talking, where it is quiet with no distractions…………just two people…..to laugh and talk, a time to get acquainted again

        To have every anniversary together and remember why you married in the first place and give than always for all the memories you have together as a couple For each to know the kinds of foods and movies each person likes or dislikes………to always be asking questions and to get a reply…………..not JUST a nod of the head!

           To always attend church and pray for each other as well as for others ( pray for other couples as well, knowing they may have problems like you have or have had in the past)

    To do something for someone else that is in your power to help them out

          To minister to other couples the importance of marriage and how to care for it

   To always be open about affection for each other! (to always put away any hurt, anger or disappointment away from you)

          Thanking God for the gift of a wife/ husband and to bless her/him daily with words of power in prayer!

Father, thank You for the opportunity to subdue the earth. We cannot do that without loving the other person. In Jesus' name, we pray to be men and women who will diligently look in faith to hear YOU speak our directives from Your Word of truth. We want to be led in YOUR power and wisdom. We desire to search the Word of Truth and find that place YOU have for us to dwell. We desire not to be the complacent fool, but one who dwells in safety and ease without fear of harm.  We understand that we must subdue the earth and that means where we live, sleep and walk. Our subduing the earth starts with each of us and how we take instruction and how we care for that which You have given us.

Father, our obtaining favor from the Lord and walking in unity is done with NO COMPROMISE! It is our union with YOU is, that we speak as YOU speak, and to do as YOU have done!

Today, we choose to know Your ways and thoughts. They are higher than ours.  YOU created a vast universe that YOU look over, but the earth YOU gave to us to subdue. Father forgive us for thinking that if we cannot clean a commode, or empty out the trash, or take our pet to the vet,  then how can we take our community in prayer and expect YOU to hear. How can we possibly expect to rule in any place if our home looks like a mess, and the garage looks like storage unit for the city! Forgive us for being complacent where we needed to be fire to clean our homes, care for families, clean the garage and focus on taking our community and state in prayer.

It is YOU who sees the hearts of all who read and pray this out. Our desire is to be in unity with our mate, with our God. For those who have no mate, then Lord bring them according to YOUR plan for their lives. Help them receive that new "mate" You are bringing to them. For those of us who have a spouse, we desire that our union would be one that brings glory to God forever!

 WE know that You have given us Your Holy Spirit and according to John 3:34,35 “for since He Whom God has sent speaks the words of God [proclaims God’s own message], God does not give Him His Spirit sparingly or by measure, but boundless is the gift God makes of His Spirit! The Father loves the Son and has given (entrusted, committed) everything into His hand.” By this Holy Word, You gave to Us Your Holy Spirit without measure. I loose HIM now into our lives. Holy Spirit spark our lives with the match of faith. Show us where we have failed and show us how to love by doing good to others even in cleaning our homes, garages, and that car! Show us where we may improve that which we know will bring more favor to us and subdue the earth.

May our lives be dominated by YOUR truth that sets captives free! May we be couples in unity that hold up that Word of God as a standard. We are expectant God to have His will and way in our lives. In Jesus's name, amen and amen!

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