Have I mentioned that I'm loving the Beth Moore series "Stepping Up"? The Lord has me in the perfect place so I can grasp this and let it change me. It's an interesting 'journey'...
In week 4 day 2 of this study the focus is on blessing and I particularly enjoy some of these quotes:
"The Hebrew word asher... encompasses both, suggesting both a condition (blessed) and a human reaction (happy)" p. 99
"Biblically, one is pronounced blessed when God is present and involved in his life." p. 99 quoted from Zodhaites, 1996
So, it's not just a case of getting what I want, making God into a spiritual vending machine!
"Blessedness describes the condition of a person who reveres God, steeps her life in Him and follows His ways. She doesn't just look to God in spiritual or religious matters. she looks to Him in every matter. He's not just the most important part of her life. He is her life. The result of this divine invasion is that the life operates overall at optimum earth-satisfaction, joy and purpose without the crushing burdens of self-glory and sin. In other words, her life actually works."
Amazing! I have lived in so much dysfunction at times that reading this amazes me! When my life "works", even though it's difficult, I know that it is a direct result of God's presence in my life.
I work in a place where people hope for blessings and miracles everyday. But what does it look like? Is the blessing in recovery or in going home without he Lord? I like some of her quotes defining blessing:
"...walking in God's ways is its own blessing." p. 100
"Sometimes the blessing resides in what we avoided, not just in what we gain." p. 100
Lord, You are my blessing. More than good health, more than financial stability, loving family, success in weight loss or fulfilling all of my dreams. It is You! You are already present in the hard times to come and in the fun times. Let my focus be continually on You and not on the circumstances.
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On a side note:
There are a lot of what I consider to be "fluffy" terms in the English language, particularly in women's ministry. The Lord is slowly teaching me (or, actually, I'm slowly learning) to love and accept whatever terminology people use in their walk with Him (like the term 'journey'). I know some of what bugs me is due to the fact that I'm a linguist/translator/interpreter and words are my life (well, the Word is my life, you get it). I constantly analyze what people say, how they say it, what they mean by it and whether I could find a good translation for it. Terms like 'journey' are so hard! They don't just mean a trip, voyage, vacation, etc. They imply so much more emotionally that's hard to explain. So, sometimes I gloss over things if I think they are too fluffy, or don't appear to have much meaning. I used to be like that with 'journey', but I now embrace it as an all-encompassing word to express a purposeful movement away from one thing and toward another.
Forgive my ranting...
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