Lots of Words Talking about Words

I'm re-reading A.W. Tozer's book, “The Pursuit of Holiness” and these words provoked some thought in me this week: 

“It is probably impossible to think without words, but if we permit ourselves to think with the wrong words, we shall soon be entertaining erroneous thoughts; for words, which are given us for the expression of thought, have a habit of going beyond their proper bound and determining the content of the thought.”

The mouth is the gate from which the fruit of thought proceeds. 

Words, weather few or many, are devices of purpose.

They are: 

uniting, healing, attesting, hurtful, 

accusing, loving, defending, hateful, 

encouraging, careless, vain, or fruitful.

Spoken - or enclosed in the protection of thought-  

we are without the ability to reject the use of them in our daily lives. 

Words are the framework for meaning and understanding. We use words to define ourselves, communicate our beliefs and emotions, and set our world views.

Words are power. The greatest display of this was God's use of words to speak the creation of the world. God said light, darkness, day, night, water, land, plants , and animals and they existed. John 1:1 states, 

“In the beginning was the WORD, and the WORD was with God, and the WORD was GOD.”

Our use of words only mirror that freedom of speech the Lord only holds. Every poem, song, monologue, play, movie, book, blog, or speech given by man holds a limit of expression. A painter may paint their imagined world to life on their canvas; but, it would only mirror that which already existed by the words of God.

True creativity is the Lord's. Therefore, to take pride in that which we form is empty.

There is nothing new under the sun.

Famous authors, theologians, and philosophers have prominance through History due to their eloquence of speech. It's understood by all that the words of some hold more power in the eyes of man than that of the average joe shmo. Our president for example, He speaks and the world hears. Or my comment to matt the other day was, as of yesterday, John Foreman has 89, 361 people following the every day events in his life on twitter. (I wonder what his wife thinks about that, haha) As stressful as that would be, we all desire that same aspect of recognition.

There is nothing new under the sun.

In Genesis 11 the whole earth was unified in language and in thought.

“Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the whole earth.” Genesis 11:4

Contrary to the pursuit of God they entertained the erroneous thought of being their own, and aspired with determination to bring it about.

Further reasons why God was given no part in this venture of man: God commanded them to be fruitful and “fill the earth” in (9:1). Therefore, man was working against the will of God. Secondly, if He had been an active participant, He wouldn't have to “come down to see it” (11:5). In the end, the words of man hold no authority against the Lord and that which the people would not do out of obedience, God did for them in judgement. He confused their language, thus disturbing their unity in thought, and dispersed them.

We hear a different desire in the cry of the psalmist, 

Psalm 19:14: "Let the [WORDS] of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart [THOUGHT], be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.” 

What purpose is there in speaking if I can only repeat the empty echo of passing syllables? What is it to speak worthwhile words? I think it is well put by Oswald Chambers when He says, 

“If we preach the effects of redemption in human life instead of the revelation regarding Jesus Christ, the result in those who listen is not new birth, but refined spiritual culture, and the Spirit of God cannot witness to it because such preaching is another domain.”

She is so wise! He has the best personality! You are so deep, so insightful, so creative, so beautiful and eloquent!  --- what meaning do these things hold when you face the inevitable fact that there will always be another who could match or exceed your abilities and talents? And all the while, all their efforts are but a recycled product of what has already been. 

There is nothing new under the sun.

Here is the conclusion. New life - beyond the sun - is in ---> the son.

Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on the cross are the only subjects of conversation that will never diminish or pass away for the rest of eternity. His perfect life, his sacrificial death, his powerful resurrection, and freedom from sin are the only worthwhile and substantial places of investment.

"I did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom, for I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified." - Paul the Apostle. 

 To know what words are well to speak
 is to know the God who first spoke them. 

.Faith. As in the days of Noah.

“By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.” 

Hebrews 11:7

In the company of a defiled human race, stood one with the audacity to give their all to God. He was sure of his hope and entirely certain in his uncertaint. Through his deepest imagination he would not have the ability to create for himself a picture of rain.

The idea was Absurd.

The population of the earth had grown so degraded and base that the Lord was “grieved to His heart” and "sorry that He had made man on the earth.”

But.

Noah.

Was.

The.

Only.

Exception.

           

A.W Tozer begins his book “Knowledge of the Holy” with this statement: 

“What comes into our minds when we thing about God is the most important thing about us.”             

When Noah turned his thoughts toward the Lord his response was the fear. 

 The beginnings of wisdom.

Wisdom is discernment and discipline co-existing. 

Noah understood what He was supposed to do (Discernment) 

and he acted accordingly (Discipline).

And the Lord’s response? “Noah, you find favor in my eyes.”

The Lord established a covenant with Noah, 

He rescued Him from His wrath on the earth, 

and gave him the promise of a new beginning - rid of all sin and wickedness. 

(Sound familiar to the covenant promises we have in the Lord as believers today?)

But, nothing of great value comes without cost. 

In scripture, when a promise is given, there is a sacrifice. 

An act of surrender. 

A death.

And what was Noah’s price he paid?

A man who made the choice to live for the glory of a God the whole world blasphemed must not have been the most popular guy on the block. I’m positive that he was shamed by the world around him.

His reward? – God’s covenant

God gave warning to Noah of the flood, but He didn’t just pick him up with a divine hand and hang him in the abyss above the waters. 

No, Noah had to build an Ark, a labor costing Him the majority of His life.

His reward? – Salvation from the floods of Gods wrath

“Noah did this: he did ALL that God commanded him.”

When the time came for the first drop of rain ever to fall, Noah packed up his family and two of every kind of animal according to its kind and embarked on a 150 day journey.

150 days.

That’s like… 3,600 hours.

or, 21,600 minutes.

In an ark, sailing on a never-ending ocean among the company of multitudes of animals and all the smells, sounds, and discomforts that came along with them. You can take your imagination as far as you desire with that one. 

I’m sure that wasn’t a pleasant experience.

His reward? – new beginning

God’s sovereignty works in perfect harmony with the responsibility of man. 

In our pursuit of obedience, let us walk with the realization that the road to eternity isn’t paved with gumdrops and lollipops. You climb the peaks of victory and joy then find yourself hidden in the valleys of loneliness and frustration.

So, therefore, depend on Jesus, our God of perfect obedience. 

The One who authored faith then perfected it through His holy life. 

The One who saw the Joy of salvation before Him 

and continued, according to the will of His Father, to endure the cross.  

He suffered shame and died in order that He may bring us life. 

The One who is seated at the right hand of the throne of God 

in all power, majesty, and glory.

And for His name sake, leave a legacy of faith. 

Thelonius Monster's Sky-High Fly Pie

This is one of my new favorite kids books... 

when you read them 10 times a day,

 its nice to have one you actually enjoy alright? 

.....totally normal. 

THELONIOUS MONSTER'S SKY-HIGH FLY PIE 

A revolting rhyme by JUDY SIERRA 

with delicious drawings (not included in this blog) by EDWARD KOREN 

THELONIOUS MONSTER 

once swallowed a FLY,

and decided that flies would taste GRAND in a P I E 

that silly guy! 

THELONIOUS urgently 

e-mailed a spider. 

He wanted advice from a savvy insider. 

"You'll need something sticky" was her reply. "To catch a FLY" 

THELONIOUS MONSTER concocted a goo

of molasses and sugar and honey and glue, 

and he rolled out a crust of astonishing S I Z E 

Now for the flies...  

THELONIOUS stelthily followed 
                         a horse 
                       and a dog 
                                            and a cat 
                                       and a cow
                                                      ... and of course, 

he dived in a Dumpster, 

he circled a sewer, 

and spent several hours near 

a pile of manure

He lured H U N D R E D S and 

T H O U S A N D S 

of succulent flies, 

and their footsies all stuck 

to his fly-catching pie. 

THELONIOUS MONSTER addressed invitations 

to all his disgusting-est friends and relations 

PLEASE COME TO MY MANSION 

THIS SUNDAY FOR PIE. 

DON'T WEAR A TIE. 

On Sunday, THELONIOUS OPENED THE DOOR 

To ELENENTEEN  ravenous MONSTERS

or more-----  

his aunties

his uncles

his cousins

his chums

 "How it glistens!" they shouted "And listen - it hums!" 

It's the tunefullest pie that has ever been made. 

we shall march to the buzz 

in a m o n s t e r parade."

As they picked up their forks 

            and circled the room. 

                       the pie full of flies lifted off with a 

                                                      V O O M.  

UP, UP the staircase 

if whirred and it whined 

with all of the monsters galumphing behind. 

it WHIZZED to the sky. 

bye-bey fly pie. 

THELONIOUS MONSTER 

started to cry. 

"Now NO one will taste my 

SENSATIONAL pie." 

(for though it has taken him so long to make it the monster had somehow forgotten to bake it.)

But then, by a stroke of INCREDIBLE luck 

in the sky all the flies' little feet came unstuck. 

When the pie FELL 

to the earth in a 

HUGE 

cloud 

of dust, 

E L E V E N T E E N monsters 

devoured the crust. 

His creepiest cousin declared with a Roar, 

"A DESERT LIKE THIS NEVER EXISTED BEFORE-- 

A PIE THAT COULD SPARKLE, COULD SING, AND COULD SOAR. 

IT'S DESPICABLY SWEET 

(With a slight hint of fly) 

YOU'RE A FABULOUS COOK! 

YOU'RE A WONDERFUL GUY!"  

"wE lOvE yOUr PIE!" 

____________________ 

... Wasn't that great? 

                                           ..... wasn't it? 

Yeah. 

I know. 

Clinging to The Hope- - - - - - 1JN3:3

My pursuit of holiness is

My end and beginning              

My disaster and mending

My lifetime desire

Ill die before rendering 

To Speak of it is much less of an offense than to watch as it 

plays out in my life.

Through my expertise in exaggeration I can confidently say that,

 “I’m doing great in my walk with God.”

But, it’s like deciding one day to play a classical piece of music.

You may have the melody memorized, 

but move your fingers up and down a piano for a while

 and you’ll find the reproduction of the familiar sound 

is much more complicated than you could have ever anticipated.

However, more ridiculous than Beethoven 

to demand a master pianist of me,

is His call on my life to be “Holy as He is”

Reality check.

As long as I dwell in my humanity, 

I’d be deceiving myself - and making God a liar- 

if I said that my pursuit of Holiness was anything but pathetic.

It’s my greatest passion that I fail at daily.  

It’s the light at the end of this never-ending tunnel.

It’s my cookies I forgot in the oven 

and my bulletproof jacket the moths ate up in my closet.

It’s my disappointment.

It’s the standard I’ve not kept

And the validity of my need for Him.

Perfect holiness is not a reality that I could possibly attain.

If holiness were the shore then I’d be a floppin fish 

gasping in my attempts to find my own way to breath.

HIS DIVINE POWER HAS GRANTED --> TO US <--

ALL THINGS THAT PERTAIN TO LIFE AND GODLINESS,

THROUGH THE KNOWLEDGE OF HIM WHO CALLES US TO --> HIS OWN GLORY ANDEXCELLENCE.

BY WHICH HE HAS GRANTED TO US --> PRECIOUS PROMISES <--

SO THAT THROUGH THEM (PROMISES) YOU MAY BECOME

PARTAKERS OF -->THE DIVINE NATURE, <--

HAVING ESCAPED FROM -->THE CORRUPTION <-- THAT IS IN

THE WORLD BECAUSE OF SINFUL DESIRE.

2PT1:3-4

My hope is built on nothing less 

...therefore

My pursuit of holiness is

My end and beginning

For I have been crucified with Christ

it’s not longer I who lives but Christ in me. 

Gal2:20                              My disaster and mending

Make me hear joy and gladness,

that the bones you have broken may rejoice. Ps51:8

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you,

 for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2cor12:9

My lifetime desire

            “Surely I am coming quickly.” 

             Amen. Even so, come Lord Jesus. 

             Rev22:20                   Ill die before rendering 

To live is Christ to die is gain. Ph1:21 

Each note of that classical piece I'm capable 

of performing with excellence for the master musician 

has embodied me and is playing every note.  

And He uses my life to compose a symphony 

for the glory of His Holy name. 

And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as He is pure. 

1jn3:3