"I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever....Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death." (John 6:51 & 8:51)
I read this every quarter and never grow tired of the "voice" of Jesus to me.
We hear much of depression, particularly this time of year. Depression is a disease of me-ism. Now I do not for a moment take it lightly; I have seen what it does to people. But I can tell to you that when we think of ourselves we can very easily get depressed; when we think of Jesus, His Words and great Promises, we can very easily get blessed.
If depression ever reared its ugly head in my life, I could always trace it to thinking about me, usually what I did not have or was not "experiencing." This will lead to divorce in marriages, estrangement from family, friends, and just deeper and deeper depression. There are many drugs out there upon which millions of people around the globe are depending. Whatever those medications do, they are like the "fools gold" of the old West America. One of the realities of "fools gold" is that it will be attracted by a magnet. "Real gold," however, "will show no effect when placed next to a magnet." Interesting. When we are "attracted" by some thing which we do not have yet greatly desire, we are drawn to it like a magnet. The only problem is that when we analyze it, as the analysis of fools gold, we discover it is not "the real thing;" it's unreality. Chasing unreality will feed depression. Such a life style will find us attracted to that which is false, worthless, empty, unfulfilling.
There is a "magnetic" effect in unreality. The sin nature will always desire something more which we do not have, but greatly want. When Jesus said, "if anyone keeps My word, he will never see death," the word for, "see," means to "contemplate, gaze on for the purpose of analyzing." This is promise of great deliverance from uncertainty, fear. Yet we can also say that if we, "contemplate, gaze on for the purpose of analyzing," Jesus Christ, we will not, "gaze on," that which feeds fear, anxiety, depression. Quite simply, when you and I, "....fix (gaze) our eyes on Jesus," they cannot be "fixed" or "gaze" on anything else. Jesus' Person, His Power, Presence, release, "joy unspeakable and full of glory." This is "gold medicine." All else is "fools-gold-medicine."
Father, in Jesus' Name, You and Your Words are my continual deliverance. Amen.
*******************
Please pray for tomorrow's DC Mission. I will be getting back fairly late.
I read this every quarter and never grow tired of the "voice" of Jesus to me.
We hear much of depression, particularly this time of year. Depression is a disease of me-ism. Now I do not for a moment take it lightly; I have seen what it does to people. But I can tell to you that when we think of ourselves we can very easily get depressed; when we think of Jesus, His Words and great Promises, we can very easily get blessed.
If depression ever reared its ugly head in my life, I could always trace it to thinking about me, usually what I did not have or was not "experiencing." This will lead to divorce in marriages, estrangement from family, friends, and just deeper and deeper depression. There are many drugs out there upon which millions of people around the globe are depending. Whatever those medications do, they are like the "fools gold" of the old West America. One of the realities of "fools gold" is that it will be attracted by a magnet. "Real gold," however, "will show no effect when placed next to a magnet." Interesting. When we are "attracted" by some thing which we do not have yet greatly desire, we are drawn to it like a magnet. The only problem is that when we analyze it, as the analysis of fools gold, we discover it is not "the real thing;" it's unreality. Chasing unreality will feed depression. Such a life style will find us attracted to that which is false, worthless, empty, unfulfilling.
There is a "magnetic" effect in unreality. The sin nature will always desire something more which we do not have, but greatly want. When Jesus said, "if anyone keeps My word, he will never see death," the word for, "see," means to "contemplate, gaze on for the purpose of analyzing." This is promise of great deliverance from uncertainty, fear. Yet we can also say that if we, "contemplate, gaze on for the purpose of analyzing," Jesus Christ, we will not, "gaze on," that which feeds fear, anxiety, depression. Quite simply, when you and I, "....fix (gaze) our eyes on Jesus," they cannot be "fixed" or "gaze" on anything else. Jesus' Person, His Power, Presence, release, "joy unspeakable and full of glory." This is "gold medicine." All else is "fools-gold-medicine."
Father, in Jesus' Name, You and Your Words are my continual deliverance. Amen.
*******************
Please pray for tomorrow's DC Mission. I will be getting back fairly late.
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
