tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5693617853908508572.post872818544647560365..comments2023-10-22T06:42:51.797-04:00Comments on Students of Jesus: Monday's Meditation: The Cosmic SitComRay Hollenbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08035600094853593399noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5693617853908508572.post-53851945663461707602011-07-05T21:16:45.585-04:002011-07-05T21:16:45.585-04:00I've had this post open in a tab since Monday,...I've had this post open in a tab since Monday, waiting for a spare moment. I love this analogy:<br><br>"We are the screw-ups in a mad-cap cosmic comedy: eating, drinking, messing up and covering up."<br><br>And I can relate to the "miserable sinner" trap. This really hit me hard when I was suddenly immersed in Reformed theology as a student at Calvin College (Total Depravity, anyone?). Thanks for the scripture passages, and this reminder:<br><br>"When we limit the work of Jesus to nothing but forgiveness, we lose sight of the possibilities of experiencing a new kind life with him here and now."Kristin T. (@kt_writes)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14716636710128806747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5693617853908508572.post-81537016159481566642011-07-05T21:16:42.351-04:002011-07-05T21:16:42.351-04:00Ray--I'm convinced that God designed us from t...Ray--I'm convinced that God designed us from the beginning to be completely dependent upon Him--hence the fact that we were made of dust (showing our fragility) and of His breath (where our strength lies). <br><br>It seems that with The Fall, the dust seemed to outduel the breath and the Old Testament became one big "miserable sinner" story after another. Thankfully, the Lord took it up a notch with His plan shown in Ezekiel 36:26-27: " I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws." <br><br>With the baptism of the Holy Spirit (which is coincidently included in the Great Commission), that plan became a reality...and we now have access to His Spirit inside of us. This allows us to be obedient. The catch goes back to the beginning--the degree to which we are dependent upon His spirit inside of us is the degree to which we will be able to obey Him. <br><br>Praise God that he devised such a wonderful plan and that He has placed His Spirit inside of us to do the obeying for us--as long as we learn to depend on Him. ISN'T HE GOOD?The Dawson 5http://www.blogger.com/profile/09631713433152464133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5693617853908508572.post-29275768708429813042011-02-12T17:32:19.381-05:002011-02-12T17:32:19.381-05:00I've had this post open in a tab since Monday,...I've had this post open in a tab since Monday, waiting for a spare moment. I love this analogy:<br /><br />"We are the screw-ups in a mad-cap cosmic comedy: eating, drinking, messing up and covering up."<br /><br />And I can relate to the "miserable sinner" trap. This really hit me hard when I was suddenly immersed in Reformed theology as a student at Calvin College (Total Depravity, anyone?). Thanks for the scripture passages, and this reminder:<br /><br />"When we limit the work of Jesus to nothing but forgiveness, we lose sight of the possibilities of experiencing a new kind life with him here and now."Kristin T. (@kt_writes)https://www.blogger.com/profile/14716636710128806747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5693617853908508572.post-18661512082932236472011-02-09T18:46:22.626-05:002011-02-09T18:46:22.626-05:00Thanks, Ed: perhaps the way to win the battle is ....Thanks, Ed: perhaps the way to win the battle is . . . surrender?<br /><br />Dawsons! Always good to hear from you all. Yes, to answer your question, he is VERY GOOD. I'm working on the next post, in which perhaps we can discover a word less grating than "Obedience?"Ray Hollenbachhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08035600094853593399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5693617853908508572.post-70855152822326325702011-02-09T09:03:21.701-05:002011-02-09T09:03:21.701-05:00Ray--I'm convinced that God designed us from t...Ray--I'm convinced that God designed us from the beginning to be completely dependent upon Him--hence the fact that we were made of dust (showing our fragility) and of His breath (where our strength lies). <br /><br />It seems that with The Fall, the dust seemed to outduel the breath and the Old Testament became one big "miserable sinner" story after another. Thankfully, the Lord took it up a notch with His plan shown in Ezekiel 36:26-27: " I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws." <br /><br />With the baptism of the Holy Spirit (which is coincidently included in the Great Commission), that plan became a reality...and we now have access to His Spirit inside of us. This allows us to be obedient. The catch goes back to the beginning--the degree to which we are dependent upon His spirit inside of us is the degree to which we will be able to obey Him. <br /><br />Praise God that he devised such a wonderful plan and that He has placed His Spirit inside of us to do the obeying for us--as long as we learn to depend on Him. ISN'T HE GOOD?The Dawson 5https://www.blogger.com/profile/09631713433152464133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5693617853908508572.post-38647490306097120482011-02-07T12:11:40.434-05:002011-02-07T12:11:40.434-05:00Great post Ray. The two keys for me have been:
1. ...Great post Ray. The two keys for me have been:<br />1. Understanding the relevance of the resurrection today.<br />2. Learning to pray with God's power and authority. <br /><br />It's still a battle some days, but I feel like I'm far less of a lost cause of late because God is teaching me to apply what I know. It's encouraging to see progress, even if it isn't all I'd hoped it would be.ed cyzewskihttp://www.inamirrordimly.comnoreply@blogger.com