“Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights above. Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his heavenly hosts. Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars. Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies. Let them praise the name of the Lord, for he commanded and they were created. He set them in place for ever and ever; he gave a decree that will never pass away. Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding, you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds, kings of the earth and all nations, you princes and all rulers on earth, young men and maidens, old men and children. Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens. He raised up for his people a horn, the praise of all his saints, of Israel, the people close to his heart.” (Ps. 148:1-14)
In the story of creation we see God resting on the seventh day. He then consecrates the seventh day and considers it holy. What exactly does it mean for God to rest? In the biblical definition of rest it is defined as “to desist from labor”. Any other definitions of rest entail a cessation of existence or qualities of destruction. Since on this seventh day we see no cases of ceased existence or destruction we can safely assume that God was merely ceasing labor. What does that mean for God? He does not cease to exist. He does not change form. Did He stop giving and position himself in a state of reception? When we think of paradise and rest much of the time we envision ourselves being ministered to. In movies or books you always see men’s fantasies involving a “harem” type of administration to their needs and this is how a lot of men picture rest. So does God resting mean that he puts himself in a state of openness to the ministering of gifts? And what exactly are the types of gifts God likes to receive? What pleases God? Praise, thanks, tithing, devotion and love are all attributes of giving to God which man is capable of and which the Holy Spirit prompts in us. Hebrews chapter 4 mentions the rest of God in great detail.
In Hebrews 4:7, Paul quotes a saying of David which when put into parallel with the eternal rest that God offers tells us not to “harden your hearts”. So hardening our hearts and not remaining open to God is a type of inhibitor to entering into His rest. We can only enter God’s rest when we remain open to Him and allow ourselves to be ministered to. Now as far as the Sabbath goes, today we have made it a day of praising, thanking, and giving to God. The Sabbath is a day where God has commanded us to cease from working and to allow ourselves to be completely open to his ministering. When we come before God, his Spirit indwells us encouraging and allowing us to become open in His presence. God made it a point to designate a day where we would be required to assume a position of openness to him so that he could minister to our spirit. One might say that we should be in a state of openness at all times; that is eternal rest and that is exactly where God wants us to be.
The term “harden your hearts” is in reference to the children of Israel who were led out of Egypt. They were freed from slavery just as we are freed from the slavery of sin by our deliverer, Jesus. But the children of Israel refused to believe that God could provide them with true freedom and they rebelled against him. It was in this instance that God declared they would not enter into rest. In this sense he meant that they would not experience the peace of settling down and they would have confusion and wandering. The same can be said of us as Christians. We may receive Christ and be freed from slavery but unless we believe, “combine it with faith”, that God has truly freed us from all the power of sin we cannot truly enter into his rest and peace either. If we continue to believe in the lies of Satan that we are not worthy in spite of our worth given through Christ then we can never truly open ourselves up to God for the healing and freedom he has to offer us.
When God rests, it is not an act on his part to cease being or cease acting; it is his positioning of himself into a place of openness to receive our praise, worship and ministering through the Holy Spirit. The Father enters into the rest provided by the Holy Spirit. When God was finished creating the world, he entered into the rest of the Holy Spirit as He was ministered to by the worship from His creation.
God’s rest is simply taking in the exaltation of His entire creation which is accomplished by the surrounding, encompassing and ministering nature of the Holy Spirit. And we should also enter into that rest by our exaltation alongside the rest of creation of the One True God – it is through our praise that we are allowed to partake in God’s rest. The only way we can properly praise God is through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. God is still fulfilled within Himself, yet He chooses to include us in the interaction between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We are privileged to partake in His divine nature.
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11
Growing up never more than an hour away from the coast, I thought I would never be at home anywhere but by the sea. Well that has changed as I have grown. The most comforting and beautiful place I have ever lived is at the foot of the great Colorado Rocky Mountains. Every day (that I make it outside) I look up at those mountains and I praise God for his beautiful creation and the wonder of his creativity in all things.
This last week has been a hard week for me. I literally accomplished nothing yesterday because I was so depressed. As some of you know we are a military family and so are subject to the whims of assignments. I found out yesterday that I only have a year and a half left in Colorado and then we must move on to another assignment. Where? We're not sure yet... but the prospect of leaving this place has thrown me into utter turmoil.
Whenever I get in one of these moods I always think of that scene in Anne of Green Gables where Anne is in utter despair after learning her adoption was a mistake and she says to Marilla, "Can't you even image you're in the depths of despair?" Marilla turns to Anne and says, "No, I cannot. To despair is to turn your back on God." And so... I am doing my best to not despair.
I know that God cares for me and He will watch over me, providing new opportunities to grow in Him wherever I may be but it is hard to see past the immediate hurt to the comfort of His arms as He awaits, coaxing me forward into the future. I will probably be just fine in a week but having only 24 hours so far to process the information... well... I'm still processing. So if you're wondering why I haven't posted much this week... that's why.
But I am holding on to the promise of Jeremiah 29:11, that no matter where we go, God has plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us hope and a future.
"When you are feeling fit and the sun is shining and you do not want to believe that the whole universe is a mere mechanical dance of atoms, it is nice to be able to think of this great mysterious Force rolling on through the centuries and carrying you in its crest. If, on the other hand, you want to do something shabby, the Life-Force, being only a blind force, with no morals and no mind, will never interfere with you like that troublesome God we learned about when we were children. The Life-Force is a sort of tame God. You can switch it on when you want, but it will not bother you. All the thrills of religion and none of the cost. Is the Life-Force the greatest achievement of wishful thinking the world has yet seen?" - C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
I am sure some of you may know that Oprah has been on a spirituality kick as of late. She is beginning a new series on the Oversoul and how she views the divine nature. The Oversoul is nothing but this same Life-Force mentioned by C.S. Lewis and is a depersonalization of our heavenly Father. If our souls cry out for unity with the Divine Being then this is man's solution to reach that Divine Being without having to be accountable to it at the same time. This is not a progression in Christianity, as some have been led to believe, but a digression in Christianity. The relationship Christ introduced to mankind with the "Oversoul" was one of intimacy and personal relationship with a Father. We are already past the impersonal stage of not knowing who God really is and we are already partaking in the divine nature as an intimate part of it. Why would one wish to digress from intimacy into a vague and distant relationship offered by the transcendentalism of the Oversoul? Do we really wish to stretch out our arms and instead of embracing God, hold Him at arms length. I have news... there is no "bubble" space when it comes to God. You either partake and allow Him to enter into you or you cannot be a part of His divine nature.
A belief in the Oversoul would be something expected of a person on their way to discovering truth - a step in the right direction to learning more of God. But as Christians we have already discovered truth and have progressed further into an actual relationship with God and not a mere questioning into an impersonal Deity. "When I was a child I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me." 1 Corinthians 13:11. The spiritual maturity available through Christianity and an intimate relationship with our heavenly Father is what makes us "men" in this sense. We do not digress to childish ways but move forward into the spiritual adulthood offered through Christ.
Christians, do not be fooled by this seemingly harmless philosophy. It will eventually strip you of your relationship with God and you will become one of the many to which Christ must deny knowing. "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!" - Matt. 7:21-23. Our relationship of intimately knowing Christ is what allows us to be enveloped into the divine nature. Desire to be part of the Oversoul is pure in intent but blemished in that it cannot be done of our own efforts. There is only one way to partake in that nature. "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.'" - John 14:6-7. See Christ and see the Father. Intimately know Christ and know the Father. This is the only way to reach the Father - the ultimate divine supreme being.
"...the older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father,'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!' 'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'" - Luke 15:28-32
We are all the prodigal son. There is not one of us that is without sin and therefore there is not one of us who has at one time or another not been separated from the Father. But so often we take on the air of the older brother in relation to those in the body of Christ around us. We assume that since we have given longer years of service or have not been lost in the same manner that we are due a greater pleasure or service from God. When we enter into this mindset we lose sight of the Spirit of grace. Grace is that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, and loveliness; to have favor, elegance, and acceptance.
The bitterness of the older brother ran so deep he would not even recognize the prodigal son as his brother. Do we do this? Do we acknowledge some fellow believers as children of the Father but fail to accept them as our brothers and sisters, harboring instead resentment and jealousy? I see this attitude a lot in the organized church - the spirit of eliteness. It is nothing other than pride and is a foul and evil spirit.
Romans 5:20 tells us that "where sin increased, grace increased all the more." Grace can be measured in the distance covered in the return to the Father. The passage goes on to explain that this does not mean we continue in sin. But where sin has been dealt with and forgiven it is not our job to dig it back up. This is also a result of an evil spirit. The Holy Spirit is a spirit of conviction, not of guilt. Conviction leads to repentance but there is no place in God's family for guilt.
We have all experienced grace and should take joy with our fellow brothers and sisters when they too can experience and partake of the grace of God. Acts 20:32 defines words of grace as words which build up and give an inheritance. Instead of being selfish with our inheritance let us share in the inheritance by building each other up. This is the true Spirit of Grace and a spirit we should all desire greatly to have in our lives. The next time you find yourself wanting to bite with words that hurt and question the validity of a brother or sister's experience with grace, remember your spirit of grace - it is the most valuable gift God has given anyone, and it is meant to be shared. We are all prodigal sons. There is no one who is self-righteous. Jesus came to us in grace and truth. We should aspire to be full of grace and truth as well.
"However, as it is written: 'No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him' - but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us." I Corinthians 2:9-12.
When I watched the movie "A Beautiful Mind" I can remember weeping at the moment I realized his genius mind was falling apart. In the movie "The Notebook" my heart was wrenched from my chest when I realized who this elderly woman was and that her mind was truly escaping her clutches. But I did not realize how truly precious my own mind was to me until recently.
I came home one day from an extremely enlightening seminar in which I had discovered my spiritual gifts and how I was to use them in the body of Christ. I was so excited I wanted to share my thoughts with anyone who would listen. I called my mother and told her of my elation. I was so excited I even wanted to tell my husband. You may think it odd that I say even, but if you knew the relationship it would not be so odd. Spiritual matters are not something my husband takes much interest in and whenever I approach the subject of spiritual matters he tends to shut off and become frustrated with me. So I have learned over time to not bring up spiritual conversations but to instead live out my spirituality in my every day life.
But at this moment I was so excited I did not even care... I wanted to share it anyway. When I recognized the blank tuned out expression my heart fell. I was devastated. Over the past year, my spiritual journey with God has skyrocketed and I love the thoughts and moments I receive from God. Sometimes I am so excited I burst at the seams to tell the world - and I usually do. But the more I have grown, the more my mind has turned towards God and most of the things it produces are in relation to spiritual matters. I have a beautiful mind and the person I felt I should be closest too did not care to know my beautiful mind. I was heart broken. I did not voice these sentiments, I kept them to myself and pondered and cried over them. Over the next two days I hurt so deeply but I did not know how to put a voice to it. I crawled into my closet one morning and I told God my feelings - how hurt I was. And in the stillness of the morning He spoke. "Do you know my mind?" What? "Do you know my mind?" ...uh... "I have an exquisite and beautiful mind too. Do you know my mind?"
Our trichotomous nature consists of body, mind, and soul. In our romantic relationships we focus on knowing each others bodies. We search, explore and take delight in the body. We know each other's souls - the seat of our emotions. We know what makes the other person angry, sad, or happy and we learn how to cultivate our actions to stimulate those emotions. But do we ever know each other's minds. Do we search to know the mind as we do the body and soul? I have a beautiful mind. I realized over the course of those several days how much I yearned for my husband to know my mind and how much it broke my heart that he did not care to know my mind. And in my pain, God showed me His soul, His hurt when we do not yearn to know His mind. We focus on the body of Christ, getting to know each other and becoming Christ-like. We focus on the soul - the seat of emotions, the sentiments and elations of the Spirit. But we do not place an even amount of focus on the thoughts and mind of the Father. We fear to know the mind, because to know the mind takes us to an all new plateau of intimacy and relationship. It is also a level of higher accountability. When we truly know the mind, we cannot ignore the motives and intimate desires of God. 1 Corinthians talks about how to know the mind of God. Only the Spirit knows the thoughts of God and He has given us His Spirit so that we may know His mind and thoughts. Know the Spirit and know the mind of God. It is a beautiful mind.
Over the past several years there has been an increasing interest in the work of Leonardo Da Vinci. Much of this attention is due to the controversy which arose out of the fictional claims of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code. Lately I too have taken an interest in Da Vinci's work. I researched many views on what his work entailed. One of the favorite things people like to do is to impose mirror images of Da Vinci's work on top of the original and make images out of those results. They claim that these images are what Da Vinci was attempting to hide in his work. I am not convinced. I think a lot of times people assume since what they put together was so easily accomplished on a computer then naturally it could be accomplished just as easily in hand. But this is not so. In order for Da Vinci to impose mirror images on top of each other he would have had to create his masterpieces several times to accomplish this. I don't see him going through all that trouble. What did spark my interest is that Da Vinci enjoyed mirror writing. Which was simply writing backwards. This he could easily have accomplished by placing a mirror directly beside his notebook. And then I began to wonder... what if he did this with his paintings. What if instead of imposing images... he simply mirrored a story - a story that could only be finished when aligned with its mirror reflection. And so I began to twist and turn his photos aligning them in mirror forms...and here is what I found.
This is the painting known as the "Virgin on the Rocks". This is only one mirror image of the painting. When reversed to view the opposing mirror image a different picture takes form. But focus a minute on this painting and see if you do not find something rather odd about the formations as they come together. If you are female and you feel the need to blush then you have indeed found the hidden image. In the reverse mirror image a different picture emerges.
So my question I pose to anyone who will take the time to analyze is this: What was Da Vinci intending to convey in these paintings? I do not think the images emerging are accidental. I attempted the same thing with remakes of his works and the pictures do not form as they do in his originals. Many of his paintings yield results in coming together to form interesting new stories. This is the only one I will focus on today but what do you think he intended the viewer to find? This painting in particular was contracted by the Roman Catholic Church to depict the Immaculate Conception. Does it do that? Or does it tell a different story? There is no right or wrong answer; I am merely curious as to how others would interpret this.
P.S. No, there is no spiritual take away from this. It is merely the result of an extremely boring day.
"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing." 1 Corinthians 13:1-3
Objectification is a term which refers to behavior in which one person treats another person as an object and not as a fellow human being with feelings and consciousness of his or her own, in other words, as without agency. Sexual objectification occurs when a person is seen as a sexual object; when their sexual attributes and physical attractiveness are separated from the rest of their personality and existence as an individual, and reduced to instruments of pleasure for another person. This is a disregard for personal abilities and capabilities.
The lure of physical pornography is in the passivity it allows in one’s sexual life. There is no commitment required. We allow ourselves to circumvent the demands of the relationship for respect, giving, and interaction and yet still experience the sexual sensations and releases of true physical contact. We objectify each other as human beings. In doing this we are lulled into addiction and a false representation of physical pleasure; a rush of euphoric sensations without the committal of intimately knowing another individual. As a part of God given to the church to come alongside in our aid as the Great Paraclete, we know surprisingly little concerning the person of the Holy Spirit. As a body we are torn between extremes of sensation and cessation of the works of the Holy Spirit. In our resistance to know the true nature of the Holy Spirit we allow ourselves to remain distant from the consequences of relationship.
By not coming to know the person of the Holy Spirit we are allowed this same sense of false pleasure. We objectify the person of the Holy Spirit, abusing the gifts and sensations without truly understanding or intimately knowing the depth of the power God has made available to us. We come to church every Sunday expecting man’s orchestration of spiritual programming to invoke for us that “feel good” experience. We fail to recognize the divine nature within us and to regularly cultivate that in growth and instead content ourselves with “quick fixes” of the Holy Spirit. Through the objectification of the Holy Spirit we are allowed a level of passivity in our spiritual lives. Our reluctance to delve into the actual person of the Holy Spirit enables us to treat this precious gift of God as impersonal. The moment we recognize the uniqueness of the person of the Holy Spirit we are called into accountability to respect, and intimately know God in order to partake of His nature. We are forced to let go of our view of the Holy Spirit as a means of bending God’s will to our own and must instead acknowledge the power which partners with us, alongside of us instead of the power we wield. The Holy Spirit is a person who comes alongside of mankind, demonstrating power in proportion to our faith. Much in the manner that we sexually objectify women, we spiritually objectify the Holy Spirit.
Our desire of the Holy Spirit is pure in intent but just like our earthly relationships there are conditions and requirements for a healthy relationship. Exercise of the gifts without love for the Spirit is pointless and futile. We cannot love what we do not know; therefore we must know the Spirit. When a breakdown of relationship happens, or when there is never a relationship developed to start with, then a depersonalization of the individual occurs. We begin to place value only on what can be done for us; how we can benefit from the other person instead of appreciating the actual person. When is the last time we thanked, praised, cherished or loved the Holy Spirit for the gifts and works done on our behalf?
This week I'm receiving my first full feedback on my book, so I am going to be taking a little break to make some adjustments and such. I have also decided to add a new portion on "Objectification of the Spirit". For those of you familiar with the content of the book, this new portion compares the experience we have in the physical realm of objectifying human beings to what I feel some extreme (and sometimes not so extreme) charismatic groups do to the Holy Spirit. We recognize the extreme beauty and power of God in the person of the Holy Spirit but we never go far enough to discover that person thereby allowing us to objectify the Spirit and abuse the gifts. The same thing happens in our human relationships. When we do not put in the effort to really get to know people, we end up only valuing them for what they can directly offer us. Sometimes it is intentional, other times not.
Some of the things I will be looking into are the charismatic movements over the last one hundred years. I will also be studying 1 Corinthians 12-14 in some depth. It always struck me as odd that wedged in between two powerful chapters on the gifts of the Holy Spirit is a random chapter on Love. I do not think this is an accident and may have deeper implications for warning us of the dangers involved in exercising gifts of manifestation without really getting to intimately know the person of the Holy Spirit. By remaining "distant" in our relationship to the Holy Spirit we allow ourselves to objectify both the Spirit and the gifts. Anyway... much more to come on that. If you have opinions or comments on the topic or if you'd like to join me in researching on the subject I would absolutely LOVE that. If you are not comfortable posting publicly on the matter, then feel free to email me your thoughts.
Much Love,
Debbie
P.S. For those wondering what the heck the picture of the shamrock is... it is the cover I chose for my book. Since my book is about being created in the image of the Trinity I chose the shamrock (St. Patrick used shamrocks in his analogies of the Godhead as three in one.)
What is the divine nature? This phenomena is only mentioned twice in the New Testament. The first time it is mentioned is in the book of Romans. "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." - Romans 1:20 The divine nature is again mentioned in 2 Peter. "Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires." - 2 Peter 1:4
What we do know is that the divine nature that we partake of is somehow wrapped up in our salvation. So then, what does the act of salvation entail. Salvation occurs when we come alive spiritually; when we are born of the Spirit. So salvation is surrounded by the concept of new life. With that in mind, let's explore the concept of new life in the world as Romans 1:20 advises us to do. New life in the world comes about through the seed. In the story of creation, the seed is mentioned six times alone, placing a significant amount of importance on where each creation contained this seed of life. But what we know of seeds is that they do not exist alone. New life within the seed cannot begin until there is a meeting between the masculine and feminine entities. At this meeting new life is quickened within the seed. This is not only confined to plant life but is evidenced in all life. The masculine gives birth to thought - the decision to act. The seed is then given of the masculine. The feminine receives the seed and within her is new life quickened and awakened and begins to grow.
So how do we see this occur in the divine nature? Well, we have the Father. The Father gave of himself, his only begotten Son. The Spirit within us enables us to proclaim that the Seed, Jesus Christ, is Lord. When we come to that profession of faith, new life is quickened and given birth to in us. We see the phenomena evidenced all throughout nature, take place in our very own spiritual life. As new life is born within us we allow the work and presence of God within us to grow and take shape. The more fertile we allow ourselves to be the more fruit we bear. Our fertility and openness is cultivated by the Spirit at work within our lives. As we grow in this divine nature we take on the likeness of Christ; we become more like him. The food that is used to nurture our spirits is that of faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and finally love. (2 Pet. 1:5-7) When we possess these nutrients in increasing measure, we become effective and productive in Christ (2 Pet. 1:8) (paraphrase mine).The divine nature is none other than the process required for all new life to begin. The difference being that the source is directly from God and is evidenced spiritually within each and every one of us who are "saved". When we come to accept God's presence within us for what it truly is then we can partake of the divine nature as God intends. As seen in all new life, the conception is only the beginning and first steps. We must then continue on allowing the Spirit to nurture us and stimulate growth within us. It is a continual process of maturation until we reach our fullness in Christ.
“Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights above. Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his heavenly hosts. Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars. Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies. Let them praise the name of the Lord, for he commanded and they were created. He set them in place for ever and ever; he gave a decree that will never pass away. Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding, you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds, kings of the earth and all nations, you princes and all rulers on earth, young men and maidens, old men and children. Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens. He raised up for his people a horn, the praise of all his saints, of 
"When you are feeling fit and the sun is shining and you do not want to believe that the whole universe is a mere mechanical dance of atoms, it is nice to be able to think of this great mysterious Force rolling on through the centuries and carrying you in its crest. If, on the other hand, you want to do something shabby, the Life-Force, being only a blind force, with no morals and no mind, will never interfere with you like that troublesome God we learned about when we were children. The Life-Force is a sort of tame God. You can switch it on when you want, but it will not bother you. All the thrills of religion and none of the cost. Is the Life-Force the greatest achievement of wishful thinking the world has yet seen?" - C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
"...the older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father,'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!' 'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'" - Luke 15:28-32
"However, as it is written: 'No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him' - but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us." I Corinthians 2:9-12.
"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing." 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 
This week I'm receiving my first full feedback on my book, so I am going to be taking a little break to make some adjustments and such. I have also decided to add a new portion on "Objectification of the Spirit". For those of you familiar with the content of the book, this new portion compares the experience we have in the physical realm of objectifying human beings to what I feel some extreme (and sometimes not so extreme) charismatic groups do to the Holy Spirit. We recognize the extreme beauty and power of God in the person of the Holy Spirit but we never go far enough to discover that person thereby allowing us to objectify the Spirit and abuse the gifts. The same thing happens in our human relationships. When we do not put in the effort to really get to know people, we end up only valuing them for what they can directly offer us. Sometimes it is intentional, other times not.
What is the divine nature? This phenomena is only mentioned twice in the New Testament. The first time it is mentioned is in the book of Romans. "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." - Romans 1:20 The divine nature is again mentioned in 2 Peter. "Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires." - 2 Peter 1:4
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6-7
