Saturday, August 28, 2010

Mysterious Ways Repost

The following is another chapter from [Bittersweet Refinements].  Since each part is connected to the rest, it would do you well to keep reading (and listening for our Heavenly Father's explanations, of course).

Mysterious Ways

Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.  Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts.  Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD.  “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” [Isaiah 55:6-9 NIV]

It is often said that the God works in mysterious ways, which is understandable.  For if His ways truly are much higher than our own, how could we understand them without His help?

What is not understandable is why our Heavenly Father’s ways are still such a great mystery to such a great many.  For if He really does want to have a very close and personal relationship with His children by faith, would He not want them to understand what He is doing to at least a certain extent[1]?

No, this is not to say that it is the same for all.  For it all depends upon what our Heavenly Father wants to accomplish in and through someone that determines when, and to what extent, He will allow and enable them to enter into His absolute truth[2].

In other words, some are given a lot at a very early age, such as in the case of the Prophet Jeremiah[3].  Whereas others will have to wait until just before the end of their time as a part of this world before they are given very little in comparison, which is the way it was for “the thief on the cross[4].”

Tragically, the problem is not that our Heavenly Father has not been forthcoming.  The problem is that far too many just do not want to hear what He has to say[5].

Take the greatest mystery of them all for an example.  For theologians and philosophers have been wondering out loud for thousands of years about what the meaning of life (or the reason for our existence, to get more specific) could possibly be, and He has been giving them an answer too simple for most to accept.  For we were created in order to give our Heavenly Father opportunities to freely receive a very special kind of love from us, and everything about this world is for that purpose.

Alas, there are not any Bible verses that say that.  Well, at least not in so many words[6].

Nonetheless, this is not to say that we are not provided with written confirmation.  For all of our Heavenly Father’s Holy Scriptures testify to who we were all created to be and why this world is as it is[7].

No, that is not good enough for far too many.  For unless they have a Bible verse or passage that says just exactly this or that, they refuse to listen, and even when they are presented with such, if it does not match what they have been taught by others not so unlike themselves, the result remains the same[8].

Yes, it is written that we should not go beyond what is written[9], but then we are faced with those mysterious ways again[10].  For who can understand the ways of the Lord God Almighty without His help, and that means that there must be more than just a long, hard study of a book involved[11].

Thankfully, that is provided, and for those humble enough to learn from our Heavenly Father’s Holy Spirit[12], it should not be very hard to accept what He wants us to.  For aside from His witness, our Heavenly Father also allows and enables us to have some hands-on experience from both sides of the matter[13].

You see, is it not relatively easy for most to love someone very attractive, in one way or another, and always does, or at least tries to do, what is desired of them?  So, it is for this reason that our lives in this world are meant to be full of pain and suffering—even for those whom appear to be absolutely wonderful in our eyes.  For in comparison to the worst of lives in His Kingdom of Heaven, the most wonderful of lives in this world is an excruciatingly slow and painful death.  For it takes a very special kind of love to want to hang in there with someone who appears to be treating us very badly[14].

The reason for why our Heavenly Father partially hid Himself from our sight is also part of that.  For our Heavenly Father has never wanted any of us professing their love for Him because of being either too afraid or too greedy not to[15].

Too afraid?  This has to do with the awesomeness of our Heavenly Father’s glory, and the fact that many would want to bow down and worship Him just because of being too afraid not to[16].

Too greedy?  This has to do with the indescribable splendor of our Heavenly Father’s Kingdom, and the fact that others would want to bow down and worship Him just because of what it could profit them[17].

No, there are not many amongst us (if any at all) who really care about why someone claims to love them, and generally seeks to do what is pleasing in their sight.  For all we usually care about is that they keep on doing what we want them to do[18].

Woe be it to all who never really want to know the difference between what is real and what is coerced.  For a love that is coerced[19] is really no love at all[20].

{1}Jeremiah 33:3; {2}1 Corinthians 2:6-16; {3}Jeremiah 1:4-10; {4}Luke 23:32-43; {5}Jeremiah 6:10; {6}Matthew 13:1-30; {7}Romans 8:18-25; {8}John 5:31-47; {9}1 Corinthians 4:6; {10}Job 11:7-9; {11}1 Corinthians 4:7; {12}John 14:26; {13}Romans 8:28; {14}Romans 11:32-36; {15}1 Corinthians 1:18-31; {16}Exodus 15:9-12; {17}Revelation 21:10-21; {18}Jeremiah 17:9; {19}Psalms 32:8-9; {20}1 Corinthians 13:4-13.
 
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2 comments:

  1. I really must stop reading your posts so early in the morning. Again I sit here trying to think of how to word what my opinions are and again I'm coming up blank. That doesn't mean that I didn't understand or agree with what I read. Oh maybe I should just go back to sleep and try again later?

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  2. Thanks for stopping by again, my dear Ann!!! Would you still want to be married to your husband if he was rarely there when you needed him, and usually treated you very badly when he was around? You would have to have a very special kind of love for him to stay in such a marriage--right? Well, in comparison to how things could be for us (even in this world), our Heavenly Father certainly appears to be most abusive. For aside from Him visibly being in our presence all of the time, He could have created us as perfect in all of our own ways as He is in His, which would include being incorruptible to sin and physical diseases, nor at the mercy of the elements. In other words, He could have created us to be in this world as we will be in His Kingdom of Heaven, and if you really want to get technical about it, there is no reason for why we would have to spend any time at all in this world other than to accomplish His purposes. Hence, a very special kind of love for Him is required when all of that is better understood. Of course, with it being so widely taught that we have brought all of our misery upon ourselves, the absolute truth of the matter is made very difficult to accept, but enough will come to understand before the time for this world to end comes to pass. No, having a clear understanding of this is not something that is required of all, but those who are given more, more is required.

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