We were on the road all day today, So, I had a lot of time to study. I am reading Anne Graham Lotz book "I Saw the Lord." My Bible chart has me reading in Luke and Ephesians and they all tie together.
Her book is a wake up call for the heart based on Chapter six of Isaiah. In Chapters 1-5, Isaiah is a preacher pointing all the ways his nation sins against God and what they should do. Chapter 1:16-19 gives these instructions: Wash yourselves
Make yourself clean
Cease to do evil
Learn to do good
Seek Justice
Reprove the Ruthless
Help the oppressed
Defend the Orphans
Plead for widows
Isaiah was a good preacher and moral man who knew the problem facing his nation SIN
and urged them to repent and get right with God. But something was missing and He did
not realized it until Chapter 6
When He Saw the Almighty Lord sitting on
His Throne and His robe filling the temple
In the light of The Holiness of the Almighty God, he saw himself and was destroyed and undone,
Job did the same thing when he was confronted by God
Moses face shine so much after an encounter with God that He had to wear a veil.
Just reading chapters 7 and 8 of Luke we find these encounters with Jesus. The Bible is full of them
The faith of the centurion caused him to see Jesus for who He was and realized that he was unworthy
He trusted Him to heal with just a word and Jesus praised him for his faith.
When Jesus brought a widows son back to life, the city was gripped with fear, and they glorified God.
There was a group of ladies who recognized who Jesus was and ministered to Him
Jesus stopped a storm causing his disciples to wonder who was this man
He brought Jairus daughter back to life
He healed a woman with a 12 year disease with just a touch of his hem and her faith
Jesus sent demons out of a man and into pigs causing the city to come out and ask Him to leave
AND the King of the universe, got into a boat and left ( I hope that we are not rejecting Him)
Then there is the sinful woman who wept tears all over his feet and poured perfume and wiped
his feet with her hair. Such humility..Do you think that she realized who He was?
This story made me think of one of my favorite songs that I had not heard it a long time.
"I can only imagine"
A little later that song came on the radio (God's timing)......a few verses I like
"Surrounded by His glory
What will my heart feel
Will I dance for you Jesus
or in awe of you be still
Will I sing for you Jesus
or on my knees will I fall
Will I sing _H_______
or be able to to speak at all
I can only imagine"
Saul saw the light of Jesus and it changed the course of his life forever. Even changed his name
to Paul and he wrote most of the new testament. In the first chapter of Ephesians we see the redemption story of salvation through Jesus Christ by the will of the Father. His grace freely bestowed on His beloved...us. Sealed by the Holy Spirit that He promised to send.
In verse 18, He prays that the eyes of our heart may be enlightened so that we can know.
Let's move from head knowledge to heart knowledge.
I know that this is a lot, but I guess, I am just trying to say is, we need to really see God through Jesus and the word and have what Ann Lotz calls a personal revival.
Be still and know that I am God Psalms 46:10
She suggest we make two list and to mediate on them
List 1)
Examine our self against this list of Sin and be honest and add more as needed
In gratitude
neglecting Bible study
Envy
critical spirit
unbelief
unconcern for lost
hypocrisy
pride
family neglect
slander
lying
cheating
robbing God
anger
Jealousy
gossip
worry
doubt
immorality
Then all the things we should do that we do not do
List 2)
make a praise list of every characteristics of Jesus
This should help us see Jesus and self
I want to see Jesus.
"
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