Jesus followed the law, and was a joyful Jew.
He walked this walk because he knew
That these laws weren't meant for just the chosen few.
He was privy to the knowledge of the ages;
He had probably studied with many great sages,
And of the world's scriptures, he knew all the pages.
He knew that we were meant to live in peace,
Every part of creation, rock, man, and beast
And that the image of The Almighty is clearest in the least.
Every bit of creation holds a bit of The Light.
That fills all the universe with pure delight
Until others convince us that their might makes them right.
Instead of celebrating pure joy, we pursue pleasure and pain;
Fearfully, we wait for The Light to come again.
But our connection to The Almighty already is like the rain.
The Light permeates our souls, our bodies, and our minds.
Those who turn away, choose to be left behind
Because they prefer earthly pleasures to The Joy of The Divine.
The path of The Light is an unbroken loop.
By the blessings of Love we are given the fruit
Of Wisdom which makes names for The Almighty moot.
We are not The Light, but The Light is in us;
The Light does not suffer from jealousy and lust;
We reclaim The Joy as we reclaim our childlike trust.
That theme of "light" keeps coming up. Reminds me of one of my pet peeves, which is to hear people quote and speak from Proverbs 29:18 - but only quote the first part (Where there is no vision the people perish). They don't quote the full verse - nor take it's modifying quality under consideration. I've attended seminars which were intended to inspire me but came away discouraged because they did not consider the whole verse. "Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. Vision is often described as the ability to "plan big"...to "think in a grand manner". With that understanding of "vision" they urge people to stretch themselves bigger than God - or to clain "by faith" that they can do the most unlikely things. It's like a cook saying, "I'm going to prepare a banquet meal. It will be a five course dinner with all the trimmings. We'll have apple pie a-la-mode for dessert." But they only have the budget for a hamburger and fries. Yes, there are chef's who can do wonders with a hamburger and fries budget - but it will NOT be all the things that a well heeled chef who can stock the pantry can prepare and put on the table.
ReplyDeleteWhere does the vision come from? The light! When you have light (or vision), it means you can see the dangers that would otherwise be un-avoidable in the dark. O.K.? Lets go back now and consider the rest of that verse. It says, "...but he that hath the law, happy is he." In other words, having (and understanding) the law gives us guidance (light). God's laws are often interpreted as "too harsh" or "too restrictive". Men look at God's law as something that will hinder them from complete joy! While God's law does restrict us and point us away from the pleasures (of sin), ultimately the light of God keeps us from the pain that follows disregard for God's law.
It is in this light that God speaks some words to Jeremiah, the prophet. When God told him, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end" the context reveals that the people were thinking that to walk in God's light was too hard. They rebelled against God's way because they sought the calm and pleasurable sensations of doing their own thing. Having vision (ability to see and walk in the light) will not allow us to say things like, "Well, God told me to do this - but I can't see how I can do it." No! If you can't see how to do it - you do not have vision. You just said, "I can't see" how to do it.
OMG! I've gotta stop. My fingers like it when thougts come fast like this. ☻