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Shout

Ivey Rorie On January 16, 2017 / Word of the Day / Leave a comment

Zephaniah 3: 14 -15

Shout for you, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away His judgments against you, He has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you will fear disaster no more.

Jesus is the Word. He is the gospel. The gospel is the good news of Jesus, the Christ. So, every word in the Bible is a potential source of good news for you, you who are in Jesus. That includes the Old Testament. While you may not typically spend a great deal of time in the book of Zephaniah, it is good to see that God always had good plans for freedom and victory for us.

We have been adopted in the kingdom which was formerly the tribe of Israel. We are members of this family. So, who is the daughter of Zion? The daughter of Jerusalem? Who is Israel? It is you, of course. Some of you know that I frequently line through Israel and write in my own name. This is especially the case when it comes to a promise because every promise God has ever made belongs to me.

I want you to receive today’s passage with the soft tissue of your heart. Here the exultation and the longing for the family. You have good news, you should have a good expectation in all things because the King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst. He is in your breath. Shout in triumph! Rejoice! He, your Father and King, has vanquished your enemies.

However, that is not all. He has put your just judgment behind Him. He has taken it away. People get so hung up on judgment but, let us not. The Word is quite plain about judgment. Jesus bore our judgment so that we can live as God desired, in perfect union with Him. We are made clean by the blood so that no veil of sin separates us from the love of God. We are now positioned where He can pour out His goodness upon us.

Now if that isn’t shouting ground, I clearly don’t know what is. Shout in triumph, the triumph of our Lord Jesus. Glory to his most holy name!

Ears On

Ivey Rorie On January 13, 2017 / Word of the Day / Leave a comment

John 10: 27

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.

Get ready for a year of lots of good news. That is what the gospel is afterall, right? So let us begin here. God has opened your ear (Isaiah 50: 5). So, now you can hear Jesus’ voice. Our challenge for this year is believing what Jesus said. Could he tell a lie? Do you think he did even if he could? So what did it mean when he said his sheep hear his voice? It seems pretty plain, doesn’t it? The next question is, “Are you his sheep?” I like to think you are and if you do answer this question in the affirmative, then I have some good news for you. You can hear Jesus’ voice! I take that back – it’s not good news, it’s great news!

Let me ask you a question. Do you ever tune out your spouse or a co-worker? That ability to tune out background sounds can be very beneficial. However, your spouse probably isn’t all that excited about your gift. That ability may well operate to tune out Jesus’ voice as well. Everyone who is part of Jesus’ flock has the ability to hear him speak. However, some people hear him and others don’t. Why? Some people have cultivated the ability to tune out much of their sensory data. In order to hear Jesus’ voice many of us have to learn to listen. I will confess it took me some time to hear him speaking to me regularly. Even now, my ability to hear him is dependent on my surroundings. If I do not slow down and pay attention, I will miss his communications.

The good news, though, is that we all have the ability to hear Jesus speaking to us. We just have to develop our listening capacity. We have to turn on and tune in our ears. Journaling is one way to help focus your attention and your tuner. It makes it easier to block out the noise so that you hear Jesus more clearly and even easier.

Let’s put this on our goal list for the New Year, to plainly and clearly hear the voice of God!

Answer the Phone

Ivey Rorie On January 12, 2017 / Word of the Day / Leave a comment

Isaiah 42: 9

“Behold, the former things have come to pass, now I declare new things; before they spring forth I proclaim them to you.”

It seems like every time I have opened my Bible this week, my eyes have fallen on Isaiah 43: 19, which reads, “Behold, I will do something new, now it will spring forth.” Today I found Isaiah 42: 9 quite by accident. Do you think God is trying to say something? Are you the person to whom God is speaking; for whom God’s insistence is palpable?

God has a message for you. Behold, old things have passed away. He is doing a new thing in you and with you. It is the beginning of a new year and your Father has good plans for you. He wants to do something new in your life this year, something grand. There is more for you, bigger and better things.

Allow me, please, to remind you of Psalm 46: 10, which says, “Cease striving and know that I am God.” The King James says, “Be still.” If I were in your shoes, I would very much want to hear what these new things are that Jesus wants to proclaim to you. The best ways I know to hear these plans and revelation is to slow yourself down, be still and let your heart and mind ruminate over the scriptures. The Word gives you a foundation, a structure for your musings. Without it your mental wanderings will sometimes be vague and unanchored. I also find that the Word helps me to be still and ponder God.

I know from Jeremiah 29: 11 that God has a good plan for you this year; a plan for your well-being. He wants to encourage you and give you a hope for new and great things. Get alone with your Father and ask Him what it is that He wants to tell you, show you. He is loudly calling you. Are you listening? Answer the phone!

(See also Isaiah 48: 6, 2nd Corinthians 5: 17)

In Jesus’ Shoes

Ivey Rorie On January 11, 2017 / Word of the Day / Leave a comment

Luke 2: 41 – 49 God’s Word translation

Every year Jesus’ parents would go to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. When he was 12 years old, they went as usual. When the festival was over, they left for home. The boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents didn’t know it. They thought that he was with the others who were traveling with them. After traveling for a day, they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. When they didn’t find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. Three days later, they found him in the temple courtyard. He was sitting among the teachers, listening to them, and asking them questions. His understanding and his answers stunned everyone who heard him. When his parents saw him, they were shocked. His mother asked him, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been worried sick looking for you!” Jesus said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Didn’t you realize that I had to be in my Father’s house?”

I know this story is long but don’t you think it is great? Jesus was incredulous at his parents’ question. How did they not know where he was? The King James version says Jesus was about his Father’s business. He was right where they should have expected to find him. You’ve just got to love that.

Do you know that we are supposed to be able to do everything that Jesus did? We are supposed to walk in this world as he did. He is our model. But wait, shall we embrace the entire truth? Jesus said that not only would we do the things he did but that we would do greater works, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father” (John 14: 12). Get out! We are actually supposed to eclipse Jesus. Isn’t that what this passage says? Well that is a tall order to fill.

So here is what has been rolling around in my head this year so far. Jesus was about his Father’s business. He was almost incensed, certainly surprised that his parents didn’t know where to find him. While everyone else was eating and drinking, partying with their friends at the feast, Jesus was communing with his Father. He was hanging out in the synagogue learning and growing in wisdom. Now, I want to be like Jesus. Query: If I wish to walk in the earth as Jesus did, if I want to do the works he did, then isn’t it reasonable to speculate that I am going to have to learn and grow as he did? You see, Jesus emptied himself of his deity when he came here (Philippians 2: 7). He grew in wisdom by busying himself with his Father’s business.

I contrast my life. I am more proficient in computer games than Jesus and I watch much more television than he. If my goal is to eclipse him in computer games and TV watching, then I am on the right path. If, however, I really do wish to be like him, I think I am going to have to shift my priorities a bit. I presume Jesus had leisure time also and am not suggesting that we need to be workaholics. I am merely setting my sights for this year and attempting to determine what actions will yield the results I wish. It is pointless for me to set lofty goals if I do not proceed to break down those goals into action steps and decide if I am willing to do that which is required for the attainment of my goals. If I truly want to be like Jesus, what am I willing to do to position myself to receive the answer to this prayer? Shall I pray and ask the Holy Spirit to lead me and then turn a deaf ear when he tells me what things will help me?

What would you like God to do in your life this year? What is He speaking to you?

No Death in Truth

Ivey Rorie On January 10, 2017 / Word of the Day / Leave a comment

John 8: 31

Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.

We say, don’t we, that we believe in life after death. That’s unfortunate and this verse explains why. Jesus does not believe in life after death. He believes in life. We get these little ideas in our heads that we think are Biblical but upon closer examination we discover that they are actually misstatements. Reorienting our thinking so that it aligns with the Word of God is how we release freedom in our lives.

The truth is, you will never die. From this side of heaven it appears like death. In truth, your spirit will just take up new residence. People in heaven and other heavenly beings see this truth. They don’t believe in death either because they see a person step out of their body and step into the mansion Jesus prepared for them. They see that person’s life continue.

Jesus said that he came to give us abundant life. The devil comes to steal, kill and destroy (John 10: 10). We hear about eternal life. We even talk about eternal life but somewhere the wires have gotten crossed and we have begun to think that the path to eternal life is through death. In other words, that in order to have eternal life, we must die. In a metaphorical sense this is true. We have to die to ourselves in order to live to Christ. That is not what I am discussing though. We think that people die but I say that they don’t. Jesus said that if we keep his word we shall never see death. It just doesn’t make sense to me that in order to accept and receive this eternal life Christ has won for us that we have to die. He came to earth to give us life. If we have to die in order to receive this life, why not just wait until we die to give it to us?

The real point, though, is that this thought process, this seeking, pondering and discovery comes through believing what he has said. He is the one who said if we keep his words we shall not see death. I choose to believe what he said so that launches me into an examination of my own beliefs and assumptions. You will be amazed at what God will reveal to you if you take Him at His word. When you read His Word, if you take Him at face value, illumination will fill your mind, heart and experience. Isn’t that cool? Perhaps you also feels a renewed sense of confidence. There is so much the Lord would like to show you. First, we have to accept what he has already said.

Bible Challenge

Ivey Rorie On January 9, 2017 / Word of the Day / Leave a comment

Psalm 82: 6

I said, “You are gods, and all of you are sons of the Most High.”

We are all children of the Most High. Did you also know that we are all gods? Is that a difficult thought? For most of us the answer is probably, “yes.” This is the challenge of the gospel, we must learn to except God’s Word even when it challenges our thinking. The task is to come to understand what God is saying to us. Our first reaction to challenging passages may be to shy away from them or even disregard them completely. Hey, that is only natural. However, we don’t want to be natural people. Right? We want to live in the supernatural.

My prayer for all of you is that 2017 eclipses any previous year; that you have more interpersonal experience with God than ever before. I pray that this year brings you unparalleled interaction with the Holy Trinity. In order for us to receive and understand revelation from God, we must be open to ideas we have not encountered before. We have to accept God’s teachings and trust that in time He will show us the fullness.

So we begin this year being told we are gods. What does this mean for our lives? We shall accept that it is true and we have all year to learn how this truth impacts our daily lives. It should be a fascinating journey.

Walking and Talking

Ivey Rorie On January 6, 2017 / Word of the Day / Leave a comment

John 3: 34

For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure.

John the Baptist was the speaker of this passage. He was talking about Jesus, letting all know that Jesus speaks the words of God. There is comfort in that, is there not? We saw yesterday that Yahweh described His word as like fire and a hammer strong enough to crush stone. Now we find that Jesus did not come speaking his own words but rather the words of God, the words of great power and strength. John the Baptist also said that what Jesus saw and heard from God is what he subsequently shared with us.

That is only half of the good news of this verse though. John also reveals that God gives the Spirit without measure. That means that God does not dose out the Holy Spirit. He gives the fullness of the Spirit. Each one of us is entitled to the full measure, 100% of the Holy Spirit. All of who God is and all He has said is embodied in the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit knows every word God has ever spoken and he has witnessed all of the glory, miracles and workings of the Father. Of course, Jesus came speaking the words of God because the Father gave him the Spirit without measure just as He gives also to us. Does that mean that we can walk as Jesus did? I think it does. We have to get the revelation that Jesus had though. Jesus believed the words of God to such a degree that they manifested everywhere he went.

Jesus walked in perfect union with the Holy Spirit. He knew the mind of God because he woke up with the Spirit every morning and walked and talked with him all day. We can do that too and I think this would make a great goal for each of us for 2017.

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