11-15-2007, 05:56 PM
Hi there everyone! :D What a WARM day today ... 70 degrees!! :prop::sweat:
The Scripture for today is a comforting one from Matt. 28:20 ...
Look! I am with you all the days until the conclusion of the system of things.
Watchtower comments ...
''How is Jesus Christ with his followers in this time of the conclusion of the system of things? ''The helper, the holy spirit, which the father will send in my name.'' said Jesus, ''that one will teach you all things and bring back to your minds all the things I told you.'' (John 14:26) The holy spirit, sent in Jesus' name, guides and strengthens us today. It enlightens us spiritually and helps us to understand ''even the deep things of God.'' (I Cor. 2:10) Moreover, the godly qualities of ''love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, mildness, self-control'' are ''the fruitage of the spirit.'' (Gal. 5:22,23) With the help of the holy spirit, we can cultivate these qualities. And holy spirit also helps us to endure temptations and trials.''--I Cor. 10:13; 2Cor. 4:7; Phil. 4:13. w9/15/05 5-7a
My thoughts ...
I cannot help but think of how comforting it is know and belief that Christ Jesus is to be with us until the 'end of this wicked system of things' ...:friends:
And boy do we NEED him don't we ... :thumbsup:
In the beginning of the verse ...
20 teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded YOU.
When we heart the 'commands' of Jesus ... what do we think of ...? :scratchhead:
Do we think of a 'harsh taskmaster' ...? Do we think of all kinds of 'rules and regulations' ...? Do we think of an 'exacting autoritarian' ...? :huh:
I personally don't think that way ... as I'm sure most of us here don't either! ;):happyheart:
Any 'command' that our Lord gave was always based, as his Father, on LOVE ...:heartbeat:
Love of GOD
and
Love of NEIGHBOUR and/or BROTHER
We were commanded to ...
Matt. 22:36-40 ...
36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?†37 He said to him: “‘You must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind.’ 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 The second, like it, is this, ‘You must love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments the whole Law hangs, and the Prophets.â€
Yes, by Jesus summarizing the WHOLE law into just TWO he was IMHO ... trying to indicate that it isn't by 'rules' that we are now to be guided ... but rather by LOVE and PRINCIPLES ... using our 'minds and hearts' to DISCERN what the loving course of action would be for us to follow ... one that would encompass the above two ...
The 'law' was now being written on HEARTS :heartbeat: coming out of a WANTING TO ... as Jesus taught ... a WANTING to show love to God and man ...
Yes, it was a 'command' ... but a command that Jehovah and Jesus want us to follow out of a WILLING heart ... and NOT under 'compulsion' ...
So, now Jesus said that HE was going to be with us ... but is that ALL the help or comfort that we have...?
Not sure about this application as this thought has only NOW occurred to me ... so some input would nice ... :giverose:
Jesus said he would ALSO send ANOTHER 'helper' (isomam has written something really lovely on this ... 'paraclete' ... hopefully he will stick up a link here so you can read it ... hint hint nudge nudge my brother ... ;):whistle::siskiss:)
John 14: 15,16 ...
15 “If YOU love me, YOU will observe my commandments; 16 and I will request the Father and he will give YOU another helper to be with YOU forever,
Sooooooooooooooooooooooooo :love:
New thought to me :questioning: ... and kind of a 'contradiction' to the text above ... :huh:
Not only do we have Christ Jesus ...
Look! I am with you all the days until the conclusion of the system of things.
BUT ...
We have the HOLY SPIRIT ...
(BBE) And I will make prayer to the Father and he will give you another Helper to be with you for ever,
We have BOTH ...
Jesus is 'IN' us ... as he prayed to his Father to be 'in' his followers as they were 'in' each other ... thus being 'connected' to Christ Jesus in a bond of love ... a comfort for us when we need it ...
However, it seems that the 'holy spirit' helps us AS WELL ... helps us to 'recall' things ... gives us 'strength' and 'endurance' to cope with all the things these 'critical' last days will bring upon us ...
So, is Jesus really 'only' with us in the 'sense' of us having the 'holy spirit' helping us ...?
Hmmmmm ...:thinking: I am now thinking that perhaps not ... :giverose:
That we have TWO helps ... well really 'three' for isn't Jehovah always with us as well ... ;) but Christ Jesus AND the holy spirit as well are helping us ...
Anyway ... I'm not sure if I am applying this 'accurately' ... so some feedback would be nice ... :love: :post:
Luv to all ... a pondering BR :sheepy: :bouncyhearts:
The Scripture for today is a comforting one from Matt. 28:20 ...
Look! I am with you all the days until the conclusion of the system of things.
Watchtower comments ...
''How is Jesus Christ with his followers in this time of the conclusion of the system of things? ''The helper, the holy spirit, which the father will send in my name.'' said Jesus, ''that one will teach you all things and bring back to your minds all the things I told you.'' (John 14:26) The holy spirit, sent in Jesus' name, guides and strengthens us today. It enlightens us spiritually and helps us to understand ''even the deep things of God.'' (I Cor. 2:10) Moreover, the godly qualities of ''love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, mildness, self-control'' are ''the fruitage of the spirit.'' (Gal. 5:22,23) With the help of the holy spirit, we can cultivate these qualities. And holy spirit also helps us to endure temptations and trials.''--I Cor. 10:13; 2Cor. 4:7; Phil. 4:13. w9/15/05 5-7a
My thoughts ...
I cannot help but think of how comforting it is know and belief that Christ Jesus is to be with us until the 'end of this wicked system of things' ...:friends:
And boy do we NEED him don't we ... :thumbsup:
In the beginning of the verse ...
20 teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded YOU.
When we heart the 'commands' of Jesus ... what do we think of ...? :scratchhead:
Do we think of a 'harsh taskmaster' ...? Do we think of all kinds of 'rules and regulations' ...? Do we think of an 'exacting autoritarian' ...? :huh:
I personally don't think that way ... as I'm sure most of us here don't either! ;):happyheart:
Any 'command' that our Lord gave was always based, as his Father, on LOVE ...:heartbeat:
Love of GOD
and
Love of NEIGHBOUR and/or BROTHER
We were commanded to ...
Matt. 22:36-40 ...
36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?†37 He said to him: “‘You must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind.’ 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 The second, like it, is this, ‘You must love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments the whole Law hangs, and the Prophets.â€
Yes, by Jesus summarizing the WHOLE law into just TWO he was IMHO ... trying to indicate that it isn't by 'rules' that we are now to be guided ... but rather by LOVE and PRINCIPLES ... using our 'minds and hearts' to DISCERN what the loving course of action would be for us to follow ... one that would encompass the above two ...
The 'law' was now being written on HEARTS :heartbeat: coming out of a WANTING TO ... as Jesus taught ... a WANTING to show love to God and man ...
Yes, it was a 'command' ... but a command that Jehovah and Jesus want us to follow out of a WILLING heart ... and NOT under 'compulsion' ...
So, now Jesus said that HE was going to be with us ... but is that ALL the help or comfort that we have...?
Not sure about this application as this thought has only NOW occurred to me ... so some input would nice ... :giverose:
Jesus said he would ALSO send ANOTHER 'helper' (isomam has written something really lovely on this ... 'paraclete' ... hopefully he will stick up a link here so you can read it ... hint hint nudge nudge my brother ... ;):whistle::siskiss:)
John 14: 15,16 ...
15 “If YOU love me, YOU will observe my commandments; 16 and I will request the Father and he will give YOU another helper to be with YOU forever,
Sooooooooooooooooooooooooo :love:
New thought to me :questioning: ... and kind of a 'contradiction' to the text above ... :huh:
Not only do we have Christ Jesus ...
Look! I am with you all the days until the conclusion of the system of things.
BUT ...
We have the HOLY SPIRIT ...
(BBE) And I will make prayer to the Father and he will give you another Helper to be with you for ever,
We have BOTH ...
Jesus is 'IN' us ... as he prayed to his Father to be 'in' his followers as they were 'in' each other ... thus being 'connected' to Christ Jesus in a bond of love ... a comfort for us when we need it ...
However, it seems that the 'holy spirit' helps us AS WELL ... helps us to 'recall' things ... gives us 'strength' and 'endurance' to cope with all the things these 'critical' last days will bring upon us ...
So, is Jesus really 'only' with us in the 'sense' of us having the 'holy spirit' helping us ...?
Hmmmmm ...:thinking: I am now thinking that perhaps not ... :giverose:
That we have TWO helps ... well really 'three' for isn't Jehovah always with us as well ... ;) but Christ Jesus AND the holy spirit as well are helping us ...
Anyway ... I'm not sure if I am applying this 'accurately' ... so some feedback would be nice ... :love: :post:
Luv to all ... a pondering BR :sheepy: :bouncyhearts: