Sunday, April 17, 2011

Heaven's Provision

I was reading Genesis 22 after praying one day about provision. The word provision was highlighted to me. Pro-vision. I looked up the word and saw it meant foresight. To look ahead.

In the story of Genesis 22, we see that the provision for worship was already provided. God had arranged for what is known in eternity to break into earth's time-line.

Abraham packed up his provisions for worship. He packed the donkey and gathered and split the wood. He then set out towards a predetermined mountain set up by the Lord. God already had in mind what he was about to do. Issac asks, “We have the wood and the fire, but where is the sacrifice?”

Abraham prophetically declares, “God will provide a lamb for Himself.”

If you are wise, provision is something you have in your possession on the outset of the journey, not something you come into along the way. With every turn in the journey you acquire provisions for the days ahead. That is why the word means foresight. You look ahead and see what is going to be needed and you pack it and take it with you.

When I used to fight forest fires, we would take our provisions with us when we were flown into a fire. Those provisions enabled us to work for a set period of time. On one occasion the job was longer than what we had provisions for, so we had provisions flown into us via helicopter.

I see that God sent Abraham on a journey of worship in which heaven already possessed the provision. The Lamb that was slain. Abraham was about to unlock and come into the knowledge of that provision.

Through Abraham's obedience heaven's provision was released. The provision for the journey is given to you before the journey begins. God saw fit to look ahead and in grace satisfy our needs with well thought out provisions, which He hid in Christ. We now have Christ, which means we are not coming into provisions with don't yet have, but that we are on a journey to discover the provisions we now possess.

mjh

Friday, April 15, 2011

Seek First...the Spirit

Psalm 1

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord,

and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

Joshua 1:8

Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

Matthew 6:33

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Here are some thoughts on the passages above for your consideration. I believe David picked up on key points of the life of Joshua and took them to heart. Both equated a blessed, prosperous and successful life with the delight and meditation of the Book of the law. How do we come into a lifestyle and capitalize on the benefits of law mediation?

God's law is His sovereign rule. Law has to do with government. We know that His government is one with a King and a Kingdom. To meditate on the ruling of God (his law) is to understand the kingdom. We know that the kingdom of God has everything to do with the Spirit. I believe that by mediating on the rulings of the King against the kingdom of darkness and making decrees in the Spirit (prophecy) is one aspect of seeking first the kingdom. I also believe that mediating on the law day and night can now be done by praying and speaking in tongues. Speaking in tongues is done by the Spirit which is kingdom. Another aspect of seeking first the kingdom is to make a concerted effort to speaking in Spirit (kingdom) speech, which must include prophecy. Cheers.

mjh