The Never-ending Circle
Just to update you from my last post, my car was officially deemed totaled and has been taken away to a far away land never to be seen again, well something like that. So my husband and I decided that we could get along with one car for a few months while we save up for another one. This has worked out for the most part and has actually been kinda nice riding in the car together more often. Well, except for the time when he almost hit a lady walking by our alleyway in the pouring rain, oh and the time he was swerving in and out of heavy rush hour traffic that made me want to yell, "Let me out!"
In all seriousness my husband is a better driver than I, though I don't like to admit it because he can get a little prideful about it. However, lets all admit it, there is something challenging about being in close quarters with someone for what sometime feels like too long!
Speaking of this my husband and I were having a discussion about an important decision that I had to make. I was feeling very overwhelmed and emotional at the time. In efforts to help me in this decision he shared his thoughts on what he felt I should do. Well, I don't know about you, but I don't like being told what to do (I confess) so I snapped back at him and said I didn't need him to tell me what to do. You can maybe guess what happened next, he felt bad and then awkward silence. I realized that my words had not been constructive to the situation and so I apologized and thanked him for supporting me and loving me.
This is the essence of relationship isn't it? We embrace with love and compassion and even empower one another to do more together than we could apart. Then we do something or say something that breaks down the relationship in someway and we have to confess and ask for forgiveness and the cycle continues. This is just like our relationship with the triune God.
I have been reading Matthew 12 for the last couple of weeks and today I focused on verse 30-32,37
"He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters. And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come."
"For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned." (NIV)
This verse has always been a bit mysterious to me and I think that is because the Holy Spirit is a very mysterious being that is hard for us to comprehend. It seems to me in this verse that the Holy Spirit is getting special treatment. Thinking back to the major prophets, God ordained it from the beginning that Jesus was going to be ridiculed, beaten, and killed. It was in His redemptive plan. However, the Holy Spirit was never given such a purpose. It seems to me that there are parts of God that are compassionate and willing to forgive and there are other parts of Him that are intolerant of our misbehavior and will not be approached in a way other than reverence and awe. We experience all of these attitudes of God in our relationship with Him.
An image comes to my mind of a circle with three sections each leading to the other each one being an experience with the triune God.
Circle Part 1: We beat up Jesus. Like the Israelites, they transfered their sins onto an innocent animal and then killed it. Sin equals death. Jesus our priest, holy and blameless, takes our filth and shame. He forgives us and welcomes us into relationship.
Circle Part 2: God opens up his up his arms of love, compassion and healing. Like the father of the prodigal son He puts on a party for us and nurtures us, He heals us and takes us into his family and calls us His own.
Circle Part 3: The Holy Spirit fills us. Scripture reveals this at Pentecost. We have been forgiven of sin adopted into the Gods kingdom and now He tells us to go, be filled with the power of God and further His kingdom!
This three sided circle is a never ending circle. As we go in the power of God, we may get injured and may need to run back into the arms of God for healing and restoration. As we go into the world we may begin to rely on our own power instead of the Holy Spirit and we may get caught up in sin and destructive behavior, then we will need to go back to the cross ask for forgiveness so we can once again be in relationship with the Father.
So where are you at in the circle with God? Are you even on the circle? Do you need forgiveness? Do you need restoration? Do you need empowerment? Where are you at on this circle with the people you love? Often times where we are at on one circle determines where we are on the other.
In all seriousness my husband is a better driver than I, though I don't like to admit it because he can get a little prideful about it. However, lets all admit it, there is something challenging about being in close quarters with someone for what sometime feels like too long!
Speaking of this my husband and I were having a discussion about an important decision that I had to make. I was feeling very overwhelmed and emotional at the time. In efforts to help me in this decision he shared his thoughts on what he felt I should do. Well, I don't know about you, but I don't like being told what to do (I confess) so I snapped back at him and said I didn't need him to tell me what to do. You can maybe guess what happened next, he felt bad and then awkward silence. I realized that my words had not been constructive to the situation and so I apologized and thanked him for supporting me and loving me.
This is the essence of relationship isn't it? We embrace with love and compassion and even empower one another to do more together than we could apart. Then we do something or say something that breaks down the relationship in someway and we have to confess and ask for forgiveness and the cycle continues. This is just like our relationship with the triune God.
I have been reading Matthew 12 for the last couple of weeks and today I focused on verse 30-32,37
"He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters. And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come."
"For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned." (NIV)
This verse has always been a bit mysterious to me and I think that is because the Holy Spirit is a very mysterious being that is hard for us to comprehend. It seems to me in this verse that the Holy Spirit is getting special treatment. Thinking back to the major prophets, God ordained it from the beginning that Jesus was going to be ridiculed, beaten, and killed. It was in His redemptive plan. However, the Holy Spirit was never given such a purpose. It seems to me that there are parts of God that are compassionate and willing to forgive and there are other parts of Him that are intolerant of our misbehavior and will not be approached in a way other than reverence and awe. We experience all of these attitudes of God in our relationship with Him.
An image comes to my mind of a circle with three sections each leading to the other each one being an experience with the triune God.
Circle Part 1: We beat up Jesus. Like the Israelites, they transfered their sins onto an innocent animal and then killed it. Sin equals death. Jesus our priest, holy and blameless, takes our filth and shame. He forgives us and welcomes us into relationship.
Circle Part 2: God opens up his up his arms of love, compassion and healing. Like the father of the prodigal son He puts on a party for us and nurtures us, He heals us and takes us into his family and calls us His own.
Circle Part 3: The Holy Spirit fills us. Scripture reveals this at Pentecost. We have been forgiven of sin adopted into the Gods kingdom and now He tells us to go, be filled with the power of God and further His kingdom!
This three sided circle is a never ending circle. As we go in the power of God, we may get injured and may need to run back into the arms of God for healing and restoration. As we go into the world we may begin to rely on our own power instead of the Holy Spirit and we may get caught up in sin and destructive behavior, then we will need to go back to the cross ask for forgiveness so we can once again be in relationship with the Father.
So where are you at in the circle with God? Are you even on the circle? Do you need forgiveness? Do you need restoration? Do you need empowerment? Where are you at on this circle with the people you love? Often times where we are at on one circle determines where we are on the other.
May the power of God fill you with the power to keep moving forward in relationship with Him!
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