THE PARABLE OF LOST THINGS by Earl Thurner 4/27 on: April 27, 2007, 05:00:56 AM
The Parable of Lost Things
Rev. Earl Thurner
Apr 27 2007 01:10AM
The Parable of Lost Things
Father, break our hearts with the things that break Your heart. We worship You and yearn to treasure Your affections for us and for everyone You gave Your Son for. Truly, You are moved with compassion and are deeply stirred to reach every single person with Your love and shatter the works of the enemy in each life.
Lord, we cry out to experience what You feel, what You go through over those that do not know You. We love You God, we really do, and want to fill Heaven with souls and fill the souls on this earth with the reality of Heaven. Tenderize our hearts in Jesus name so we can fellowship with You, release Your presence at this moment and draw near to us. Let Your tears become ours, we pray.
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Years ago I heard the story of a Christian who visited a leper colony in India. It was not the final place for those with the disease. As the disease intensified in the lepers, they would board a train to go to another place where they would live until they died.
This Christian minister made his way through the camp and spoke with different ones who were suffering. As his time there was coming to an end, he stopped by a leper and after speaking a bit to him, he said, "Jesus loves you" and then turned around to leave. He was startled by a voice as he was walking away. It was the voice of God speaking to him. "GO BACK AND LOVE THAT MAN!" The tone of God's voice made him realize that he had not really shown the love of God at all but just said the words without any depth of feeling or reality. The minister was smitten and went back to the man.
He looked at him and said, "I really did not express what I wanted to say to you" and picked the man up and drew him to his bosom. "What I wanted to say, was that Jesus REALLY loves you" and he began to tell him how valuable he was and how much God loved him and many other words as he embraced the man with all of his heart. As he did so, the blood and the pus of the man’s sores ran down his white garments which were now stained with blood and pus from the suffering man. He wept over him and loved him and when it was all over, he gently placed him on the ground and walked away with tears still streaming down his face as he left the colony.
It was months later, as he was sitting in his office, that his secretary knocked on the door and said that there was a handsome Indian man wanting to see him. "Do I know him?", the minister asked. The secretary said that the man said he knew him and came by to visit him. So the man was ushered in to see this minister. "Do I know you?", the minister asked. "I do not recall having met you". The Indian man replied, "Yes, we have met before. I was the man in the leper colony that you visited and picked up that day. You told me how valuable I was and how much Jesus Christ loved me. When I went on the train I cried out and said I wanted to know this Jesus this man who held me in his arms told me about. Then and there God revealed Himself to me and Jesus Christ became real and I became His. I was supernaturally healed of my leprosy and my entire body was miraculously restored and made whole. I am on my way to study for the ministry and I came by to thank you".
The minister sat in stunned silence, overwhelmed by what he had heard. God cries out to all those who have become righteous through faith in Jesus Christ, "Stain your righteous garments with pus!!"
In Luke 15:2 we read a remarkable verse:
"And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, this man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them"
Jesus then goes on to share a parable of a lost sheep, a lost coin and a lost son, the parable of lost things. In this parable He reveals the heart of God whom the Pharisees and scribes did not know. The Pharisees represent the religious leaders and those who represent God while the scribes are those who were responsible for the Scriptures that tell about God.
They "murmured". The Greek word means to grumble, to complain, to mutter in disgust. What was Jesus doing that caused such a reaction among the religious ones, those that supposedly knew and represented God to this world?
He was receiving and eating with sinners. Sinners were those that were sinful, moral failures, violators of God's will or law and in some contexts those that do not keep orthodox traditions and behaviors. They were like the leper, full of blood and pus, while the Pharisees were like one who had the white garment and the flippant ‘God loves you’. But without any proximity of the heart that would cause their life to be troubled in any way by the defilement or association with the impure or sinful lost of this world.
The word "receiveth" is rich in meaning. It means to receive, to accept, to welcome. The thought is to bring to oneself, not shun in any way, not avoid, not turn away from, but have a heart that creates an atmosphere of welcoming. The word also means to wait for, to anticipate, to be looking for. It is from two Greek words, "towards" and "receiving". Leaning towards is the idea, moving towards and also bringing to yourself is implied in this word.
In other words, the Pharisees and scribes were offended by Jesus receiving sinners unto Himself. Not only that, he was eating with them. This Greek word is more than just eating food with someone, it speaks of fellowshipping and associating with those you are eating with, which in many cultures what sharing a meal is all about. It is being in the company of someone you want to be with. Obviously, the Pharisees and scribes thought that religious people should be spending their time with each other and avoiding close proximity or heartfelt discourse around a meal with "sinners".
The Response of Jesus
Jesus sees this muttering and complaining rape of the heart of God and begins to deliver the parable of lost things. In this parable we see the bent of God that should be directing our lives as well. A shepherd with one sheep missing out of a hundred, a woman with one coin missing out of 10 and a father with one son missing out of 2. The entire emphasis is to find the sheep, the coin and the son and once found, there is "joy in heaven" and the cry to everyone around which came from the lips of the shepherd, the woman and the father, "REJOICE WITH ME"!! What was lost was found.
If you were looking at 100 sheep, would you be able to look at another flock of 99 and know the difference? Of course not. You see a cluster of that many sheep and would be aware of the entire flock together. Yet Jesus was aware of the ONE that should have been there and was not. Not only that, he expects that sheep to be searched for until it is found. The emphasis was on the one and shepherds "leave" the 99 to find the one. It doesn't mean to not care about the 99. It simply means we are to do all we can to find the ONE.
In Ezekiel 34:4, God reveals His expectations of shepherds, pastors, spiritual leaders. They are to strengthen the diseased, heal the sick, bind up the broken and ALSO bring again that which was driven away and seek that which was lost. This is the assignment of every believer, the mindset of Jesus Christ who "went about doing good and healing the oppressed" (Acts 10:38). It is the normal Christian lifestyle. You are gripped by the heart of God that is stretching and yearning to draw men to Himself. Jesus found fishers of men not keepers of the aquarium.
The heart of the true shepherd is always aware of those in the flock that are diseased, broken, weak, sick and whatever has been lost physically, emotionally, spiritually is to be restored to wholeness. It is all about people. There should always be the awareness of who is not there being cared for. The structure of ministry ought to originate from the heart and focus on creating a culture of Kingdom minded people who are laying down their lives for one another and know that each one is his "brother’s keeper". We must bring back what has been driven away whatever the cause and live in the celebration of, "Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost". Every struggling backslider, lost sinner and erring brother is to be yearned for and searched for as a daily breathing out of the Great Shepherd wanting all to be safe and secure in the flock of heaven.
One day, as we were staying at the home of a Marquesan woman in Tahiti, Jana found a beautiful pearl on the bathroom floor. We thought it must have belonged to Titinaei or perhaps her daughter. Titinaei had never seen it before and did not know how it got there. She gave it to Jana. That evening I joined some others going about in Papeete doing good and healing the oppressed. At one point we met a man on a mat in the marketplace. He was very resistant to the Gospel and did not show any sign of openness or receptivity. Somehow I could not get away from him and I did not know why. As we kept talking I happened to ask him where he was from and then what kind of living he did. He had come from the Tuamotu Islands and he worked in the pearl farms. It was then that I realized why the pearl was found in the bathroom. I began to talk about the pearl, whose value he knew full well and then our discussion turned to Jesus Christ, the pearl of great price and then to the man himself as a pearl, a person of great value and worth to God. It was not long before his hand was in mine and he gave his heart to the Lord. This man was so valuable and costly to the heart of God that somehow that very day, a pearl had been found in a bathroom in order to convey a message which was to open up a heart. That man had indeed found the "pearl of great price" as he was found by the Lord.
Going back to Luke 15, the woman represents the church and every human being is a coin, with purchasing power through his or her life for the King of Kings. All the talents, abilities, destinies, callings and anointings inherent to every soul belongs to God and must be found. The Church lives in order to find that which has been lost and robbed from God so it can be spent as it was meant to be. Yes, we are thankful for the coins already found and we must also identify and release that which has been damaged and lost in the destiny of each one. We are called to passionately receive and embrace those that do not know him and through our lives speak into the destiny of each one and bring it back to and for God.
The real party starts in heaven in the presence of angels over lost souls being found and lost destinies being recovered. We experience the heavenly here on earth as we co-labor with the man who receiveth sinners and eats with them, living life with a clear purpose of welcoming into our affections the human beings we are in contact with everywhere. his man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.
He is the friend of sinners. He remained undefiled while embracing the human race. He was the gaze of the Father scanning the horizon for the first inclinations of a son who was no longer in the house of His Daddy and wasting away his inheritance. He was ever looking for the first rays of the dawn in the heart of a lost son saying "I will arise and go to my father". Deep within the soul every human being has the cry like that of a pastor I met recently in a restaurant, "Where is my father"? Suddenly the cry broke forth because that is really what all of us, saved and lost need, our Daddy, not the earthly one, but our heavenly Father. We need to be in His arms and feel His smile, and rest in His unconditional love.
There is no joy like the joy of Father God who hears the "I will arise" and running across the years of estrangement He comes until He falls on the son’s neck and weeps with amazement that he is in His arms again. "Let's party, let's celebrate this son of mine who is back in my arms." Yes, Jesus is talking about a backslidden or unsaved one and they are everywhere, lost and heavenly homeless. But many of those who are born again need to be restored to the "Abba", the papa, daddy God and become a child to enter into heavenly reality now and experience the smile of daddy God every day.
God's heart was not beating in the Pharisees and the scribes and they could not understand Jesus, the one who genuinely enjoyed being in the company of sinners. Isn't that where He was supposed to be, so He could bring His world to them and welcome them to the realm of His Father through the gospel of the Kingdom? Is God's heart beating in us today? Did we wake up ready to be the embrace of God to those in our sphere of influence? Anticipating the "I will arise" in some man, woman or child? Finding the destiny in someone’s life?
Years ago, a brother and I were tired after spending a day ministering in Seattle. We saw a hitchhiker and to be honest, we just weren't in the mood to pick him up. We did, and an hour or so later he repented of his sins and gave his life to Jesus Christ. The next day I spoke with him and he had decided to go to Oregon and be a Christian disc jockey. I gave him my address and kept in touch. Over the years, we touched base a couple of times and one day I happened to be in the area where he was then residing. He invited me over to his house and I decided to go. When I got there I knocked on the front door and when it opened there was the man with his wife and 3 lovely girls. They were all staring at me and the man said, "This is the man who led me to Jesus Christ". The girls ran into my arms and I was stunned and overwhelmed. The brother and his wife just grinned at me.
During dinner that night he told me all that happened since we met and it was remarkable. Then he told me the story of how God led his family to give up their Christmas and go to minister on Christmas day in the Middle East in a town on the Israeli border. They went through seven checkpoints and, to make a long story short, they ended up sharing the gospel to the inhabitants of the whole town and all of them responded to the message of salvation. At first he was not sure if they heard him right, so he preached again and really explained the cost of following Jesus and again they all wanted to respond. Still not convinced, he preached one more time and made the claims of discipleship strong and clear, "You must be willing to be martyred if need be to follow Jesus".
Again, they all responded and were saved, many filled with the Holy Spirit and blessed with the Christmas gifts.
Shortly after, there was a bloodbath in that town and many were killed, something that never was the news here in America. This incident took place over 25 years ago. One man, a lost son, now a sheep that was found and a coin that was spent and "it was meet that we should make merry". Blessed be the day we were called to walk in the love of the Lord, seeking and finding that which was lost.
2 PROPHECY: / Daily Prophecy Corner / LIFT UP YOUR VOICE by Patricia Hamel 4/27 on: April 27, 2007, 04:58:46 AM
Lift Up Your Voice by Patricia Hamel
Lift up your voice My people.
Praise My name for I am worthy to be praised.
Exalt Me above all names for I am glorious and so
worthy to be praised.
Exalt Me. Exalt Me. Exalt Me.
As you exalt Me you shall be lifted up and the valleys
that you have been in shall be turned into lush green valleys.
You shall know that I am the Lord as you praise My name.
Sing to Me a new song.
I love to hear your voice.
Each of My children have a beautiful and distinct sound and
as I hear your voices they make beautiful sounds together.
Sounds of praise go heavenward and come before My Throne.
How I love to hear your praises.
Magnify Me. Magnify Me. Magnify Me.
I am so worthy. I am so worthy. I am the Lamb and I am so
worthy.
I am the Lamb that takes away the sin of the world.
I have taken away your sin.
Rejoice beloved. Rejoice. You have been set free from sin.
You have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
When you fail come quickly before Me and repent and I am faithful
and just to forgive you from all unrighteousness.
Children this is so important. Little children come before Me often
and be cleansed from your sin for I am your Father.
I am your Father. I say unto you I am your Father.
Hear Me. I am your Father. I love you. I love you. I love you.
I am you Father and I know all about you.
I still love you.
Ponder My love. Examine it for it will stand. It is too awsome for you
to be able to comprehend My love. While you were yet sinners I died
for you and redeemed you with My precious shed blood.
How awsome. How truly wonderful beloved. How truly wonderful
for each and every one of you.
You are truly special. Your hairs are numbered.
Your days are numbered and in My hands.
Hear the sound of heaven. Hear the sound in heavenly places. Hear
the movement of heaven.
You are seated in heavenly places.
Hear heavenly sounds.
You were redeemed and sit here with Me in heavenly places.
Realize this.
Acknowledge this. Know it in your heart.
You are no longer a citizen of the earthly but a citizen of heaven.
Rejoice in this for you are no longer a natural man but a spiritual one.
The natural man does not understand the moving of My Spirit. You have
been given the secret to understanding the things of the Spirit of God.
What a priviledge. What a priviledge to know Me.
Do you truly know Me as deeply as you desire to?
Come closer. Come closer. Yes, come a little closer.
You will know more of Me as you come closer.
I am calling you as your Father and saying child come running to Me.
Run to Me for I will receive you with open arms.
Even now My arms are wide open.
Come closer. I long for your presence.
I long for you.
My heart is just waiting for you.
Come beloved and see your Father.
Come. Come. Come.
Take hold of all I have taught you and run with it.
Run with it into the world and give out the living bread.
It is so good that many souls are just wating to taste it.
Share Me. Give Me out. Shout it out.
I Jesus am alive and I live forever more.
I am the first and the last and I am coming
quickly. I am coming back for My beloved Bride
invite them to be a part of My glorious returning.
For it shall be as it was in the days of Noah and when they
least expected it the unexpected happened.
Invite them into the Ark of My protection.
Invite them in.
Send out the invitation and invite them into My
Kingdom where they will never thirst again.
3 PROPHECY: / Daily Prophecy Corner / 2007 IS BRIGHTER THAN YOU EXPECTED by Sandy Warner 4/27 on: April 27, 2007, 04:57:25 AM
2007 Is Brighter Than You Expect
by Sandy Warner
www.thequickenedword.com
1/01/07 2007 IS BRIGHTER THAN YOU EXPECT
I had been praying about 2007.
VISION: I saw people crossing over a body of water. I could see that it was flooded and it was not crystal clear water, so I knew it did not represent God’s Ezekiel river. They were pulling themselves through water that was up to their ribs. I believe the river is the river Jordan, after the priests have left the water and crossed over themselves. These were people who came over after the line was drawn and the demonic flood waters returned.
HEARD: It’s brighter than you expect.
SUMMARY OF THE LIGHT FROM BOB JONES SR 2007:
http:www.bobjones.org
1. This is the Day of Lights
2. This is the Day that Cities that Welcome the Heavenly Realm will Have a Great Light over Them
3. This is the Day that Saints who are Crying out to God Continually will Become Light.
4. This is the Day that the Blind Can Cry out to God and Receive Their Sight.
5. This is the Day that Those who Seek Understanding From a Place of Meekness will be Taught by the Holy Spirit.
6. This is the Day Intercessors Have Been Waiting for. They Shall go to Their Knees and God will Answer Them
7. This is the Day that Blind Will See and Deaf Will Hear for Themselves and Accomplish the Things the Lord Has Appointed for Them to do.
8. The Day That Many "Stiff-Necked" Christians will Learn to Bend Their Neck to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
9. This is the Day that Spiritual Discernment Shall Increase in the Body of Christ to Know and Recognize Truth from Falsehood
10. This is the Day Many Minds shall be Delivered from the Stupor and Gloom that Hangs over their Heads like a Dark Cloud.
11. This is the Day that the Saints who have Watched their Words will Bring Forth the Good things of God; Their Mouths shall be like Honey from the Rock
12. This is the Day that the Spirit of Religion Shall Become too Hard for Many People to Walk in it. They Shall Seek Grace and Find it in the Holy Spirit and it Will be an Easy Walk.
13. This is the Day for Those Who Have Been Faithful in a Few Things Will be Entrusted With Much More.
14. This is the Day That the River of Compassion Shall Come Forth out of Those Who have Learned to Love.
15. This is the Day Marking the Beginning of Creative Miracles in America. This Shall be a Year of Great Deliverance for Those who are Troubled in Mind and Cry out for Mercy.
16. This is the Day that the Evangelists Who Have Sowed in Tears Shall Come Forth in Abundant Harvest Waving Their Sheaves Before Them Reaping Joy.
17. This is the Day That Those Who Exchange Their Mind/Soul Power for Holy Spirit Power Will Find Their Spiritual Barrenness Come to an End and Their Lives Will Become Fruitful in the Kingdom.
18. This is the Day Great Inspired Teachers Shall Expound on the Written Word by the Spirit of Truth and set People Free in Unprecedented Ways.
19. This is the Day that the Holy Spirit Will Anoint People to Strengthen Feeble Knees and Downcast Hearts to a Healthy Place and They Shall Know Joy and Gladness Again.
20. This is the Day that “Golden Voices” Shall be Heard in the Body of Christ and Songs of the Lord Shall Come Forth in Power.
21. This is the Day for the Shining Forth of His Glory; The Radiance of His Beams to Behold.
CONFIRMATION
QUOTE FROM BOBBY CONNER'S SHEPHERD ROD
Posted on Elijah List 1/08/09
http://bobbyconner.org
"...Last year's Day of Atonement, commenced with my quiet waiting upon the Lord. Suddenly, the silence was broken by a loud swishing sound. Quickly turning to look over my right shoulder, I am blinded by an intense, bright light.
The rays of this light are more powerful than the noon day sun. Standing in this brilliant light, I see the Lord grasping in His right hand a gleaming, razor-sharp, drawn sword. He lifts it high above His head. A bold clear command sounds from His lips,
"Forward--advance to victory!" His voice is so powerful that it shakes the ground and vibrates the Heavens.
4 PROPHECY: / Praise and Devotionals / SHAKE IT OFF 4/27 on: April 27, 2007, 04:54:21 AM
SHAKE IT OFF
Author Unknown
Apr 27 2007 05:00AM
A parable is told of a farmer who owned an old mule. The mule fell into the farmer's well. The farmer heard the mule 'braying' - or - whatever mules do when they fall into wells. After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer sympathized with the mule, but decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving. Instead, he called his neighbors together and told them what had happened...and enlisted them to help haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put him out of his misery.
Initially, the old mule was hysterical! But as the farmer and his
neighbors continued shoveling and the dirt hit his back...a thought
struck him. It suddenly dawned on him that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back...HE SHOULD SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP UP! This he did, blow after blow.
"Shake it off and step up...shake it off and step up...shake it off and step up!" he repeated to encourage himself. No matter how painful the blows, or distressing the situation seemed the old mule fought "panic" and just kept right on SHAKING IT OFF AND STEPPING UP!
You're right! It wasn't long before the old mule, battered and
exhausted, STEPPED TRIUMPHANTLY OVER THE WALL OF THAT WELL! What seemed like it would bury him, actually blessed him...all because of the manner in which he handled his adversity.
THAT'S LIFE! If we face our problems and respond to them positively, and refuse to give in to panic, bitterness, or self-pity...THE ADVERSITIES THAT COME ALONG TO BURY US USUALLY HAVE WITHIN THEM THE POTENTIAL TO BENEFIT AND BLESS US! Remember that FORGIVENESS -- FAITH -- PRAYER -- PRAISE and HOPE...all are excellent ways to "SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP UP" out of the wells in which we find ourselves!
5 PROPHECY: / Daily Prophecy Corner / BEAUTIFUL by Ras Robinson 4/27 on: April 27, 2007, 04:53:00 AM
WHAT THE LORD IS SAYING TODAY - April 27, 2007
Ras Robinson
Apr 27 2007 07:01AM
April 27, 2007 Beautiful. In the darkest of night, the planet in the southern sky from our home never fails to shine brightly. Daily it inspires and comforts me by its consistency. The Lord would say unto you this morning, I have not changed My mind about you. I created and formed you beautiful, a delight to My heart. You are both lovely and handsome at the same time. My eyes feast upon you because I made you special just for Me. Every beat of your heart is important to Me because it means the breath of life is still within you. It means I have yet another day to enjoy your beauty. Beautiful.
Song of Solomon 4:7 "You are altogether beautiful, my darling, And there is no blemish in you."
Arise!
Beauty, Arise! It is time to rise up from your grave and shake off the dirt. Break the chains that bind you and arise for the Glory of the Lord is risen upon you. Isaiah 60-1.
Arise Beauty, for His kiss is upon your lips. Come to the living streams and drink. Drink deeply of the resurrection power that flows from His throne. Let the living water cleanse you from within.
Arise! This is a day of salvation! This is a day of His Kingdom advancing. This is a day of power.
Get up on your horse and prepare to ride! The Captain of the Hosts is done with waiting. He is done with waiting. It is time to ride.
This is a day of decision. To ride or be left behind...
Hebrews 12:1,2 "Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
We are in transition and it will not be a long transition. We are moving quickly from an intense time of pruning (Hebrews Chapter 12) to a time of walking out those things which He has shown us (Hebrews Chapter 11).
Paul wrote first of the great faith of those who have gone before. Then followed the chapter on the discipline of the Father, who is seeking to perfect our faith. Now we move into the time where; Amos 9:13 "the plowman shall overtake the reaper".
Psalm 4:4
Be angry, and do not sin.Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still. Selah
Psalm 4:3-5 (in Context) Psalm 4 (Whole Chapter)
Psalm 46:10
Be still, and know that I am God;I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!
Psalm 46:9-11 (in Context) Psalm 46 (Whole Chapter)
Mark 4:39
Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.
It is in the stillness that Holy Spirit speaks and moves. IN THE beginning God (prepared, formed, fashioned, and) created the heavens and the earth.The earth was without form and an empty waste, and darkness was upon the face of the very great deep. The Spirit of God was moving (hovering, brooding) over the face of the waters. (Gen. 1 AMP) In the stillness - spiritual birthing happens. Be still and know...KNOW that He is - Hebrews 11:6
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
SELAH
Father, we ask forgiveness this day! We choose to willingly forgive all who we perceive to have offended us. Heal our hearts of hurt. Give us peace as we strive to walk in your way, LORD! Hallelujah! AMEN
I saw two cups. One cup was arrayed in gold and precious stones. The cup was highly esteemed for its beauty. On it was the name of every person who wanted to be associated with that cup. If your name was found on that cup, you were esteemed like the cup for its beauty. If your hands were dirty, you could not touch this cup, nor could you drink from this cup lest you taint its image.
The other cup was not a beautiful cup. It was the cup of a young boy. It was simple, worn, and its appearance dirty and unremarkable. It was the boy’s favorite cup, but it was also the only cup the boy had. He would have gladly shared his cup with anyone who wanted a drink, but no one was found who wanted a drink from his cup.
One day a stranger to the area came, and seeing the boy, he stopped. “Young man, do you have something I may drink?” he asked.
“Who am I that you would ask me for a drink? Seeing that I only have this one cup, and it is not beautiful.” the boy being puzzled by the stranger who asked him for a drink. Surely, he thought, the stranger would rather drink from a cup that everyone has esteemed as the most beautiful cup in town. Surely he would want his name on it, he thought.
As if the stranger knew his thoughts spoke, “Young man, I know of the beautiful cup in town that everyone esteems, but since I have returned from helping the poor and the fatherless, I cannot place my name on that cup. The fact is I love your cup just the way it is. When I place my name on your cup, it is the only name people see.”
“You want your name on MY cup?” the boy questioned, trembling as he handed the stranger the cup.
The stranger smiled, warming over the cup as if it was a rare treasure. In tears, the stranger, taking a drink, placed his name on the boy’s cup. “It’s beautiful. It’s beautiful,” exclaimed the stranger with tears of joy.
“How can this be? How can my cup be beautiful?” questioned the boy.
“You don’t understand?”
The boy shook his head.
“You see,” said the stranger. “I am the King. All that you see, I own. Even the golden cup is mine. But, it has been tainted by other names. Your’s on the other hand is the most beautiful because there is no other name on it but mine. I have seen your heart, that you would give any who is thirsty a drink, but you never thought your cup was beautiful. But beauty is not in what you see. It is in the heart. Now, that no other name on your cup, when you give a drink to the poor and the fatherless or any who are thirsty, they will see no other name but mine. The beauty is that all who see my name on your cup, will wonder if my name is on the golden cup, and not find it among the other names. All shall see my heart on your cup, and in shame will remove their names off my golden cup until the only name that remains is mine.
When no other names are on my golden cup but mine, any who is thirsty shall be able to drink from it.
“You mean I will be able to drink from your golden cup too?”, the boy asked in disbelief.
“Yes. You will be first, and anyone who is not ashamed to use their cups with my name on it to give drink to the thirsty shall follow. What you do not know is…”, the stranger paused… “I have a cup that is more beautiful than all other cups in my Father’s Kingdom. On it, I write the names of all who give a drink to the least in my kingdom in my name. When I drink with my Father, that is the cup I use. Can you keep a secret?” the stranger asked.
The boy turned his head, not knowing how to respond fearing what may come should he fail in any way.
The stranger seeing the fear in the boy, smiled and said, “Don’t be afraid. You may come to my house anytime. There is a special cup that is equal in beauty as the finest cup in my Father’s house. Your name is the only name on that cup, and when you come, I will show it to you. Bring your cup with my name, and I will drink from it, and the beautiful cup I have with your name, you may drink from it. Any who come to me having a cup with my name, I have a beautiful cup with their name, and together we drink.”
“What is the secret?” the boy asked.
The stranger doing his best to contain his smile replied, “The secret is…if I told you… you could not keep it secret. But when you come, and you see what I have prepared for those who love me. Let’s just say… everyone in my kingdom will hear the sound of your joy. Until I see you again, you have my blessing.”
The boy, still in wonder of the stranger’s kindness, looked at his cup again as the stranger rode off. All of a sudden, he saw something he never seen before. He saw a beauty in his simple cup, unmatched by the finest cups in the world. He saw only one name, and that name was the only name that made his cup beautiful. He needed no other name, and no other name mattered because on his cup was a name clearly displayed that was the most beautiful name above every name….Jesus.
Blessings,
Wade Balzer
MARY CLARK
Marianna, Florida
True
April 13, 2007
true – 1. factual, accurate, right, spot on, correct, proper, exact
2. real – genuine, actual, valid, authentic, veritable, bono fide, rightful, sincere
3. faithful – dedicated, constant, loyal, firm, stanch, confirmed, dutiful, devoted*
antonyms: false, fake, unfaithful
I am the One Who is true. I am true right down to My innermost parts, beloved – My innermost parts. Believe Me when I tell you that nothing is too difficult for Me, nothing. I am capable of doing all that I have told you. I will carry My will forth, according to My timetable, in a way that will satisfy the deepest part of your heart.
I want you to know that the verdict has been reached. The enemy is doomed, but you, beloved, are rising high into the plans and will of your Father in a most extraordinary fashion. Be of good cheer. Be of the greatest cheer, dear one, because the One Who is righteous and true is offering you a way of escape. It is a happy place in Me, a place where you will know the essence and wonder of My strength and power.
I am pleased to make this announcement. I am pleased to have you draw near into that place in Me where you will prosper in wondrous ways. I want you to know that all the aforementioned words* are true. They all represent the character of your God. I want you to ponder them, and thank Me for all that I am to you, and for all that I am doing to make My will shine forth brightly in your life, more brightly than you could ever imagine.
So great ready to soar with your Beloved and to know the essence of My love for you. I am eager for you to arrive to a new place in Me where your sense of well-being will be most pronounced. I am eager for you to rise to a new level of wonder and to know things about My plans with great certainty.
This is the hour of new beginnings, beloved. This is the hour when I will explain Myself to you in words too wonderful for your heart to contain. This, beloved, is the hour when that word “true” will be made alive to you where I am concerned, and you will see Me take shape in your life in a way that will bring deep, sweet, rich happiness to your heart.
Yes, dear one, I am about to show Myself in all of My truth. Stand fast in all of your tomorrows for this all adds up to a grand time of wonder, a grand time of the impossible being performed before your very eyes, a grand time of getting to know Me and the wonder of My love, expanding your vocabulary in a way that will be suitable for one conversing with the One Who is love, the King of glory Himself, and Who is the essence of the spoken truth, whether it is shouted from the rooftops, or whispered as one lies silently in the arms of his Maker, Creator, speaking to Him words of appreciation and of the deepest devotion.
I am making Myself known to you in all of My truth. The hour of wonder is upon you, beloved. The hour of truth will prevail and you will know with a certainty that the One Who is true, real, and faithful is a God of love, and His requirement of you in this hour is to just love and trust, beloved, just love and trust Him with the deepest of devotion to One Who is worthy, worthy of all of your love and trust. Amen and amen. So be it! So be it! So be it!!!
Beautiful words for us watchers and followers of Yeshua Jesus Christ.
Arise!
Beauty, Arise! It is time to rise up from your grave and shake off the dirt. Break the chains that bind you and arise for the Glory of the Lord is risen upon you. Isaiah 60-1.
Arise Beauty, for His kiss is upon your lips. Come to the living streams and drink. Drink deeply of the resurrection power that flows from His throne. Let the living water cleanse you from within.
Arise! This is a day of salvation! This is a day of His Kingdom advancing. This is a day of power.
Get up on your horse and prepare to ride! The Captain of the Hosts is done with waiting. He is done with waiting. It is time to ride.