Hi!
We are not born to serve ourselves... we are born to be servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.
We are born to be faithful, to be loyal, which is to say, to be what is not so common in our current day.
Proverbs 20:6 says,
"many a man proclaim his loyalty, but a faithful man, who can find?"
We are born to be loyal to someone else. Today, I was reflecting on Ruth 1:16, one of the key verses in my life. So I went online to see what the various commentaries had to say, and I just loved what I found in the Clarke's Commentary.
Here goes.
Baraka
......
The Targum adds several things to this conversation between Naomi and Ruth. I shall subjoin them:
"And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee," for I desire to become a proselyte. And Naomi said, We are commanded to keep the Sabbath and other holy days; and on it not to travel more than two thousand cubits.
And Ruth said, "Whither thou goest, I will go."
And Naomi said, We are commanded not to lodge with the Gentiles.
Ruth answered, "Where thou lodgest, I will lodge."
And Naomi said, We are commanded to observe the six hundred and thirteen precepts.
Ruth answered, What thy people observe, that will I observe; as if they had been my people of old.
And Naomi said, We are commanded not to worship with any strange worship."
Ruth answered, "Thy God shall be my God."
Naomi said, "We have four kinds of capital punishment for criminals; stoning, burning, beheading, and hanging."
Ruth answered, "In whatsoever manner thou diest, I will die."
Naomi said, We have a house of burial.
Ruth answered, "And there will I be buried."
....
Our destinies, whether destiny in time or destiny in eternity, is determined by who we choose to not only ally with or pledge alligence to, but who we are joined to by covenant.
May we, like Ruth, know when to say thus to the right person.
And stick to it.
Shalom.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Kim Clement: This is the Year of the Youth
Hi!
Hope y'all have had a wonderful February, as i have.
Now, the following is a prophetic word by Kim Clement I just came across...
(Yep, i have just cut and pasted it...)
I praise God for the truth he shares.As he says, this is your year to do it and this is your time...
Baraka!
.........
Kim Clement: This is the Year of the Youth
Throughout Biblical history you will see that God used young people, even children, especially when adults became spiritually redundant and the only progress was to recreate history, or "bring back those good old days." Looking back has its rewards but unfortunately creates feelings of nostalgia and morbidity.
Imagine that you are driving a car up a hill... what happens to the car if you stop halfway up the hill and put the car in neutral? You slide back down the hill, erasing all your progress. No matter how many times you re-run this routine, you get the same result. What it means to be neutral, instead of engaging, is that you either stay in one place or you begin to slide down backwards, in this instance. In order to create a future for yourself and your children, you have to engage, and at times make war in times of peace. In other words, when things are stagnant and there is no progress in sight, someone has to complain and disrupt the mundane with a challenge.
A story that comes to mind from the Bible is the story of the king of Israel who was besieged by Samaria. They were eating the bare minimum, stuck behind walls and in a grip of stagnation. Anything that is stagnant contains death. Elisha the prophet disrupts their stagnancy with a word of hope and life. He claims that they will have an economic revival and breakthrough within 24 hours. This word not only receives criticism, but also a sarcastic remark from a top authority figure.
Nevertheless, someone had to respond, and it took four lepers outside of the gates of the city to decide that enough was enough, and if the prophet said it, let's move toward the promise. They walked toward the camp of the very enemy who was surrounding the Israelites, and as they got there they found that there was an empty camp with food, supplies and riches. The rest is wonderful history. You can't change your present by neutrality, and certainly not stagnancy.
You have to be dissatisfied with your present conditions, surroundings and supply of joy, peace, happiness, etc. before you will really look forward.
So inevitably, God will allow things to run their course and people will become dissatisfied. Suddenly what was once exciting, fresh and tantalizing is now boring and repetitious. You are dull and the self-environment is uninteresting, dim and blunt. You can either sit and complain for as long as you can, or you can CHANGE IT.
Make war with repetition, be at odds with dullness, spit out lukewarm-ness and start a fight with blah, blah, blah. You weren't born to be satisfied with "just enough" to keep you going. Once you've tasted of the better that is to come, YOU NEVER WANT TO GO BACK.
Imagine driving a car forward, while looking in the mirror, hoping that what is behind you will assist your progress.
Positive Velocity
If the velocity of the past is negative, then what you will experience is deceleration – something a young person does not want to experience. Retirement is not in the mind of a young person. They are constantly looking for the fruit of HOPE, in order to be nourished by it, not the seeds of fruit that have been consumed. They want to experience for themselves that they may also observe the invisible, and in so doing begin to create the image (armor, suit of clothing) that fits their makeup and personality.
King Saul of the Bible, the strong, tall adult king of Israel, stood in amazement as David, a young shepherd boy, used a simple stone and sling to destroy Israel's greatest enemy – a Philistine giant named Goliath. Prior to that happening, King Saul had commanded that his suit of armor be placed onto David, but David could not fit it onto his body. It wasn't suitable for this rugged young boy. Saul had lost the prophetic edge being rejected by Samuel the prophet, and therefore a young person had to use his childlike faith to bring excitement and morale back into the nation of Israel.
Samuel
The story of Samuel is as fascinating. He was born during a time of acute spiritual famine and corruption. Eli, the high priest of the day, had lost all connection with God and his entire household was corrupt, causing the people of Israel to sin in the temple and at the altar. The Word of God even says that "there was no open vision" in Israel due to this. Samuel, as a young boy, ministered to the Lord in the presence of Eli, and during that time, the Heaven opened up and God's voice was once again heard clearly. While Samuel lay sleeping in the temple in the presence of Eli, God spoke to him and called his name, "Samuel!" Samuel thought that it was Eli calling him so he ran to Eli and inquired what he wanted. Eli said, "GO BACK to sleep." It's amazing how dull and dim-sighted a religious spirit makes men. Eventually, when Samuel did hear God's voice, what he heard was shocking. God basically informed Samuel, the young boy, that He was going to destroy Eli and his family in order to bring an end to the stagnancy and the spiritual lack in Israel.
You have to destroy every present hindrance before you can move to your next level.
I want to give you a task to do:
Take a pen and write down every hindrance that you can see is stopping you from moving to your next level of freedom, liberty and happiness.
Spirit of Daniel
As prophesied at the beginning of the year, this is the "Year of the Youth," and the year for us to conquer our mountain. Many mountains were conquered because of youth. The mountain of religious corruption and stagnation was conquered by Samuel, in the presence of the corruption – the high priest Eli. The mountain of manipulation, intimidation and fear was conquered by young David in the presence of Goliath and King Saul. The mountain of slavery and bondage was conquered by young Daniel in the presence of the King of Babylon, as Daniel stood surrounded by hungry lions and courageously survived.
The list goes on and on. But what is important for us to understand is that if God revealed to us that He is about to cast a mantle upon the youth, then we must suppose without a doubt that there is deliverance from a certain corruption, stagnation, religious witchcraft and the grip that humanity has found itself in at this present time. We are about to conquer many mountains. What is the mountain that you wish to conquer?
This is your year to do it and this is your time.
Kim Clement
Prophetic Image Expressions
Email: hope@kimclement.com
Hope y'all have had a wonderful February, as i have.
Now, the following is a prophetic word by Kim Clement I just came across...
(Yep, i have just cut and pasted it...)
I praise God for the truth he shares.As he says, this is your year to do it and this is your time...
Baraka!
.........
Kim Clement: This is the Year of the Youth
Throughout Biblical history you will see that God used young people, even children, especially when adults became spiritually redundant and the only progress was to recreate history, or "bring back those good old days." Looking back has its rewards but unfortunately creates feelings of nostalgia and morbidity.
Imagine that you are driving a car up a hill... what happens to the car if you stop halfway up the hill and put the car in neutral? You slide back down the hill, erasing all your progress. No matter how many times you re-run this routine, you get the same result. What it means to be neutral, instead of engaging, is that you either stay in one place or you begin to slide down backwards, in this instance. In order to create a future for yourself and your children, you have to engage, and at times make war in times of peace. In other words, when things are stagnant and there is no progress in sight, someone has to complain and disrupt the mundane with a challenge.
A story that comes to mind from the Bible is the story of the king of Israel who was besieged by Samaria. They were eating the bare minimum, stuck behind walls and in a grip of stagnation. Anything that is stagnant contains death. Elisha the prophet disrupts their stagnancy with a word of hope and life. He claims that they will have an economic revival and breakthrough within 24 hours. This word not only receives criticism, but also a sarcastic remark from a top authority figure.
Nevertheless, someone had to respond, and it took four lepers outside of the gates of the city to decide that enough was enough, and if the prophet said it, let's move toward the promise. They walked toward the camp of the very enemy who was surrounding the Israelites, and as they got there they found that there was an empty camp with food, supplies and riches. The rest is wonderful history. You can't change your present by neutrality, and certainly not stagnancy.
You have to be dissatisfied with your present conditions, surroundings and supply of joy, peace, happiness, etc. before you will really look forward.
So inevitably, God will allow things to run their course and people will become dissatisfied. Suddenly what was once exciting, fresh and tantalizing is now boring and repetitious. You are dull and the self-environment is uninteresting, dim and blunt. You can either sit and complain for as long as you can, or you can CHANGE IT.
Make war with repetition, be at odds with dullness, spit out lukewarm-ness and start a fight with blah, blah, blah. You weren't born to be satisfied with "just enough" to keep you going. Once you've tasted of the better that is to come, YOU NEVER WANT TO GO BACK.
Imagine driving a car forward, while looking in the mirror, hoping that what is behind you will assist your progress.
Positive Velocity
If the velocity of the past is negative, then what you will experience is deceleration – something a young person does not want to experience. Retirement is not in the mind of a young person. They are constantly looking for the fruit of HOPE, in order to be nourished by it, not the seeds of fruit that have been consumed. They want to experience for themselves that they may also observe the invisible, and in so doing begin to create the image (armor, suit of clothing) that fits their makeup and personality.
King Saul of the Bible, the strong, tall adult king of Israel, stood in amazement as David, a young shepherd boy, used a simple stone and sling to destroy Israel's greatest enemy – a Philistine giant named Goliath. Prior to that happening, King Saul had commanded that his suit of armor be placed onto David, but David could not fit it onto his body. It wasn't suitable for this rugged young boy. Saul had lost the prophetic edge being rejected by Samuel the prophet, and therefore a young person had to use his childlike faith to bring excitement and morale back into the nation of Israel.
Samuel
The story of Samuel is as fascinating. He was born during a time of acute spiritual famine and corruption. Eli, the high priest of the day, had lost all connection with God and his entire household was corrupt, causing the people of Israel to sin in the temple and at the altar. The Word of God even says that "there was no open vision" in Israel due to this. Samuel, as a young boy, ministered to the Lord in the presence of Eli, and during that time, the Heaven opened up and God's voice was once again heard clearly. While Samuel lay sleeping in the temple in the presence of Eli, God spoke to him and called his name, "Samuel!" Samuel thought that it was Eli calling him so he ran to Eli and inquired what he wanted. Eli said, "GO BACK to sleep." It's amazing how dull and dim-sighted a religious spirit makes men. Eventually, when Samuel did hear God's voice, what he heard was shocking. God basically informed Samuel, the young boy, that He was going to destroy Eli and his family in order to bring an end to the stagnancy and the spiritual lack in Israel.
You have to destroy every present hindrance before you can move to your next level.
I want to give you a task to do:
Take a pen and write down every hindrance that you can see is stopping you from moving to your next level of freedom, liberty and happiness.
Spirit of Daniel
As prophesied at the beginning of the year, this is the "Year of the Youth," and the year for us to conquer our mountain. Many mountains were conquered because of youth. The mountain of religious corruption and stagnation was conquered by Samuel, in the presence of the corruption – the high priest Eli. The mountain of manipulation, intimidation and fear was conquered by young David in the presence of Goliath and King Saul. The mountain of slavery and bondage was conquered by young Daniel in the presence of the King of Babylon, as Daniel stood surrounded by hungry lions and courageously survived.
The list goes on and on. But what is important for us to understand is that if God revealed to us that He is about to cast a mantle upon the youth, then we must suppose without a doubt that there is deliverance from a certain corruption, stagnation, religious witchcraft and the grip that humanity has found itself in at this present time. We are about to conquer many mountains. What is the mountain that you wish to conquer?
This is your year to do it and this is your time.
Kim Clement
Prophetic Image Expressions
Email: hope@kimclement.com
Monday, February 13, 2012
Will you be my Valentine?
Hey!
Its valentines!
I know i know, I work so hard to come off as a prude, but hey, this one I think I will celebrate.But not in the ancient Lupercalia way...
Why the change in heart?
No, I'm not in love, not just yet.
I understood something yesternight as I was walking home (in the moonlight): my classes had been O-so tiring, my workplace o-so-new, but as I drew near to the gate of my home, I recalled this phrase by my All-together-Lovely:
"No greater love has no man than this, than a man lay down his life for his friends."
That's better than any bouquet of roses,or a box of chocolates or exclusive company of the opposite sex...
That's why I'm in red: My Saviour and King shed his read blood to cover my sin-induced nakedness with His garment of Salvation and his Robe of Righteousness...
No greater love.
As he raised his cup during Holy Communion, he was proposing to his Bride, to you and me: "I love you more than my life, I lay it down to pick you up. Will you be my Valentine, not just for the 14th of February, but for eternity?"
I know no greater love...
So,as I celebrate, my focus is on He who made red matter- My Jesus.
Happy Valentines!
Its valentines!
I know i know, I work so hard to come off as a prude, but hey, this one I think I will celebrate.But not in the ancient Lupercalia way...
Why the change in heart?
No, I'm not in love, not just yet.
I understood something yesternight as I was walking home (in the moonlight): my classes had been O-so tiring, my workplace o-so-new, but as I drew near to the gate of my home, I recalled this phrase by my All-together-Lovely:
"No greater love has no man than this, than a man lay down his life for his friends."
That's better than any bouquet of roses,or a box of chocolates or exclusive company of the opposite sex...
That's why I'm in red: My Saviour and King shed his read blood to cover my sin-induced nakedness with His garment of Salvation and his Robe of Righteousness...
No greater love.
As he raised his cup during Holy Communion, he was proposing to his Bride, to you and me: "I love you more than my life, I lay it down to pick you up. Will you be my Valentine, not just for the 14th of February, but for eternity?"
I know no greater love...
So,as I celebrate, my focus is on He who made red matter- My Jesus.
Happy Valentines!
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