Partaking of the divine nature

Realise that my recent post is really a repeat of the original purpose for this blog. Still it's good to deuteronomise the life-practice which enable us to partake of the divine nature to grow in life and become God in life and nature.

Back again, in the wake of the first weekend into the Crystallization Study of 1 and 2 Peter and Jude. A sobering yet encouraging word from the outset concerning the Christian life under the government of God within the context of God's eternal economy as it's central focus and the operation of the Triune God (the Father's selection, the Spirit's sanctification and the Son's redemption) as it's basic structure.

As a consequence of the above training I was pray-reading 1 Peter 2:2-3 this morning and had the realisation that to "grow unto salvation" we have to feed on the "guiless milk of the word" (v.2), the emphasis on "eating" the word indicated by "If you have tasted..." (v.3). Although we may read, study the Word of God, unless we eat it by pray-reading, as did Jeremiah in the Old Testament (Jer.15:16) and Paul in the New Testament (Eph.6:18) we will not grow unto salvation!

Currently reading through the Book of Job and beginning to appreciate God's purpose in dealing with His holy one - the subject of this book as indicated in the Recovery Version. Job's sensitivity contrasts markedly with the apostle Paul's responses in the New Testament ("Always rejoice"; "Rejoice in the Lord, always, again I say "Rejoice!"). Right now I know with whom I identify in my experience - Job! Not that it's where I should be...

The Wise and Foolish in Matthew 25

Appreciated a sobering reminder this morning from the Gospel of Matthew 25. In the parable of the "ten virgins" (representing Christian believers) who await their coming Lord ("the Bridegroom") verse 5 reveals that "they all became drowsy and slept"; but "at midnight" they heard the cry and went forth to meet him. So, "all those virgins arose". Yet, five were foolish and five were prudent. The succeeding verses reveal the nature of their condition at the Lord's return. Unlike the prudent virgins the foolish did not have the "oil [Spirit] in their vessels [soul]. While they had received the Lord's salvation freely (Rom.6:23) they had not paid the price to buy the oil - allowing the Lord through prayer - to saturate their being.
While they had anticipated the Lord's coming there had not, in their lifetime, been the accumulation of the oil deposited into their being. Therefore, today we must be "watching unto this" (Eph.6:18) in terms of maintaining our prayer life which necessitates paying the price, instead of indulging in worldly excesses.

This morning I had the realisation of the need to live a life of rejoicing, praying and giving thanks to the Lord as indicated in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. Paul exhorted the Thessalonians to "Always rejoice...unceasingly pray, ...in everything give thanks...". The keywords here were "always", "unceasingly" and "everything". In other words this should be a matter of our daily, moment-by-moment living! We should ALWAYS rejoice (in the Lord; Phil.4:4), and pray WITHOUT ceasing (as in footnote one to 1 Thess.5:17: "...to have ininterrupted fellowship with God in our spirit") and thank the Lord for EVERYTHING (Phil.4:5; Rom.8:28-9). So, the Christian life is not a once-week religious duty but a matter of our daily living!

I've been enjoying the experience of Abram (Abraham) recently as related in Genesis 12. This is someone whom I used to consider one of the spiritual giants as cited in Hebrews 11 but his experiences of life are not dissimilar to ours. Having initially lived a life of the "tent and altar"--a life of living by faith--"calling on the name of Jehovah" (Gen.12:8), Abram's departure to Egypt in response to a famine sees him tested by God (v.9-10). Fearing that the Egyptians would kill him to take his "beautiful" wife, Abram encourages her to pose as his sister to save his life. The plan works but his conduct brings plagues upon the Egyptians which in turn causes Pharaoh to send Abram and Sarai out of the land.

In actuality, the famine was a test from God to see whether or not Abram would depend on God for his daily necessities (see, v.10, RcV, footnote 1). Unfortunately, he failed this test, deciding to go to Egypt to escape the famine rather than to look to Jehovah to provide for him in it.

Nevertheless, while in Egypt he was kept by God's grace: "By this experience in Egypt Abraham learned that God who called him also took care of him and that everything was in His sovereign hand" (v.20, footnote 1, Rcv). Furthermore, in His sovereign care for Abram God also brought him back to the life of the tent and altar and recovered the matter of calling on Jehovah (Gen.13:3).