Two distinct musings today, perhaps not related...
Last Sunday I listened in Sunday school as we talked about Proverbs. One of the point made is that in the OT times, the heart was not the emotional center, but rather the mental center of the body.
So when the proverb states, "guard your heart..." its actually speaking about guarding your mind. Hmph. How many times have we heard this proverb misused, usually in the context of some woman talking about not loving a man too quickly, or vice versa.
Perhaps this would be better thought of in this context, "Guard your mind, for it is the wellspring of life." Wow, to me this makes more sense. I was watching some sci fi type show, I think something to do with zombies, and they showed how the brain stem acts when the person is alive. It vibrates with electricity, thousands of connections made per second...when the brain is dead, i.e. has no more activity, we pronounce the person dead, even though the body may continue to breathe for a time, eventually it cannot sustain itself.
So, my question is, how do I guard my mind? Do I let it go where it wanders, or do I bring it back into submission, thus creating a well for my life to draw upon?
Another thought this week has to do with Revelation 7. This is a most glorious and beautiful picture of worship before God's throne. As my mind thought on this, I saw this for the first time. (Bold phrase my emphasis)
9 After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. 10 And they were shouting with a mighty shout,
“Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne
and from the Lamb!”
11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living beings. And they fell before the throne with their faces to the ground and worshiped God.
My eyes had never seen this before. The saints and the angels started it all off standing. Hmmm...we don't usually picture Revelation this way when it comes to worship, we usually see it as everyone face down before God.
However, God sanctifies us and gives us the priviledge of standing. Wow. And the text states that the angels start out standing, but I"m unsure as to if the entire multitude or just the angels fall to the ground. Wow. What an honor. A year ago, when my mother in law passed away, her funeral was a very powerful one. During one point, as the choir sang, all we could do was stand and honor our God. It was the first time I realized that our act of worsip was to stand in His powerful presence. It was a moment I will never, ever forget.
My last question. When was the last time you and I stood and honored God? When did we last realize He saved and sanctified us so that we could stand in His presence, and not have to shield our eyes from His glory? Wow.
Last Sunday I listened in Sunday school as we talked about Proverbs. One of the point made is that in the OT times, the heart was not the emotional center, but rather the mental center of the body.
So when the proverb states, "guard your heart..." its actually speaking about guarding your mind. Hmph. How many times have we heard this proverb misused, usually in the context of some woman talking about not loving a man too quickly, or vice versa.
Perhaps this would be better thought of in this context, "Guard your mind, for it is the wellspring of life." Wow, to me this makes more sense. I was watching some sci fi type show, I think something to do with zombies, and they showed how the brain stem acts when the person is alive. It vibrates with electricity, thousands of connections made per second...when the brain is dead, i.e. has no more activity, we pronounce the person dead, even though the body may continue to breathe for a time, eventually it cannot sustain itself.
So, my question is, how do I guard my mind? Do I let it go where it wanders, or do I bring it back into submission, thus creating a well for my life to draw upon?
Another thought this week has to do with Revelation 7. This is a most glorious and beautiful picture of worship before God's throne. As my mind thought on this, I saw this for the first time. (Bold phrase my emphasis)
9 After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. 10 And they were shouting with a mighty shout,
“Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne
and from the Lamb!”
11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living beings. And they fell before the throne with their faces to the ground and worshiped God.
My eyes had never seen this before. The saints and the angels started it all off standing. Hmmm...we don't usually picture Revelation this way when it comes to worship, we usually see it as everyone face down before God.
However, God sanctifies us and gives us the priviledge of standing. Wow. And the text states that the angels start out standing, but I"m unsure as to if the entire multitude or just the angels fall to the ground. Wow. What an honor. A year ago, when my mother in law passed away, her funeral was a very powerful one. During one point, as the choir sang, all we could do was stand and honor our God. It was the first time I realized that our act of worsip was to stand in His powerful presence. It was a moment I will never, ever forget.
My last question. When was the last time you and I stood and honored God? When did we last realize He saved and sanctified us so that we could stand in His presence, and not have to shield our eyes from His glory? Wow.
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