Project 5782 | Day 11

Dwelling Our Thoughts Aright

Scripture Portion

Deuteronomy 33.26-29

26 “There is none like God, O Jeshurun,
     who rides through the heavens to your help,
     through the skies in his majesty.
27 The eternal God is your dwelling place,
     and underneath are the everlasting arms.
And he thrust out the enemy before you
     and said, ‘Destroy.’
28 So Israel lived in safety,
     Jacob lived alone,
in a land of grain and wine,
     whose heavens drop down dew.
29 Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you,
     a people saved by the Lord,
the shield of your help,
     and the sword of your triumph!
Your enemies shall come fawning to you,
     and you shall tread upon their backs.”
– The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®) Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved.

Quote from Reading

“On January 7, 1855, the minister of New Park Street Chapel, Southwark, England, opened his morning sermon as follows:

‘…No subject of contemplation will tend more to humble the mind, than thoughts of God…

But while the subject humbles the mind, it also expands it. He who often thinks of God, will have a larger mind than the man who simply plods around this narrow globe. … The most excellent study for expanding the soul, is the science of Christ, and Him crucified, and the knowledge of the Godhead in the glorious Trinity. Nothing will so enlarge the intellect, nothing so magnify the whole soul of a man, as a devout, earnest, continued investigation of the great subject of the Deity.

And, whilst humbling and expanding, this subject is eminently consolatory. Oh, there is, in contemplating Christ, a balm for every wound; in musing on the Father, there is a quietus for every grief; and in the influence of the Holy Ghost, there is a balsam for every sore. Would you lose your sorrow? Would you drown your cares? Then go, plunge yourself in the Godhead’s deepest sea; be lost in his immensity; and you shall come forth as from a couch of rest, refreshed and invigorated. I know nothing which can so comfort the soul; so calm the swelling billows of sorrow and grief; so speak peace to the winds of trial, as a devout musing upon the subject of the Godhead. It is to that subject that I invite you this morning.’

These words, spoken over a century ago by C.H. Spurgeon (at that time, incredibly, only twenty years old) were true then, and they are true now.”

Packer, J.I., Knowing God: 20th-Anniversary Edition, InterVarsity Press: Downers Grove, 1973:1993, pgs. 17-18

Provocative Language

Go, then, earthly fame and treasure
Come disaster, scorn and pain
In Thy service, pain is pleasure
With Thy favor, loss is gain
I have called Thee Abba Father
I have stayed my heart on Thee
Storms may howl, and clouds may gather
All must work for good to me

Soul, then know thy full salvation
Rise o’er sin and fear and care
Joy to find in every station
Something still to do or bear
Think what Spirit dwells within thee
Think what Father’s smiles are thine
Think that Jesus died to win thee
Child of heaven, canst thou repine
 – Francis, Lyte, Henry. Jesus, I my Cross have Taken.. Print

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Journey of Words

As I embark on this journey,
Into the unknown I depart,
I endeavor to be smart,
Relatable and cleaver.
Speaking with pen –
Your spirit and soul, the mark;
Ink spilling in linguistic art.

I yearn for my words to sing,
Lives to guide and forge.
To your life I hope to bring Love & Light –
Majesty & Peace like a Lion and a Dove.
“God, shove my pen to the bend of your Spirit’s sway.”
Like teeth on a comb, to part the way,
I hope to make you feel warm, like home.

“Father, please allow my words to engage,
To be full of life, truth and be sage.
Stage I do not need, just for words like these
To flow with ease and for you
To take them to the ones that need them, please.”
On my knees, “May my words always bring you praise; …
I’m awestruck as you leave me left in a state of amaze…”

© Joshua Curtis, 2020

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Introduction | Threads of the Divine Nature of Jesus

As a Christian, I believe whole-heartily that Jesus is the Son of God, the promised Messiah, the Incarnation of God who is fully God and fully man. The reason I believe this: personal testimony and the authority of Scripture. When is comes to the witness of Scripture, there are numerous places in the Gospels where Jesus comes right out and says who he is, and other places the Scriptures testify directly to the fact that he is God.

However, there are also several places in Scripture where the message is still quite clear, but it’s not quite as obvious. In other words, there are times when the proclamation of Jesus’s divine nature are present, but more hidden in the actions – or taken for granted by those present in the story, but we miss in our cultural shaping – than obvious in the words spoken. These are the types of instances I would like to look at more closely together. Over the next 12 weeks, I will be posting about instances like these I see unfolding in the Gospels.

 

newtestament book

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I hope you join me on this journey. If you are a Christian, I hope that this will provide you some encouragement and maybe some new insights into our Lord. If you are not a Christian, but following this anyway – thank you! I hope that this will provide a spark for you to consider again the claims of Jesus and the hope of his mercy.

Thank you for your time in reading this. I hope to hear from you soon and look forward to your insights along the way. Let us grow together and I will see you back here next Saturday for the first look into the “Threads of the Divine Nature of Jesus.” 

 

 

Published in: on 7 AMpSat, 04 Jan 2020 10:00:05 -050000Saturday 2016 at 10:00 am  Comments (2)  
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Homily | Installment 3 | “God’s Presence”

Hello everyone! Sorry for being so late with this one!

 

I’m here!

 

I am finding my job makes it difficult to write after being there for a few days. Too much energy is gone; tying to figure this thing out!

 



 

I am going to change the format up just a bit for this week compared to the last couple of weeks. At first I was struggling with picking the topic of drawing these verses together. I then saw the string of God’s Presence in specific ways through each passage. I am going to pick a few of these ways and highlight them in different colors.

Before getting into it, consider the following. What would you do, how would you respond, what would you say if God himself came to be in your presence? What would his presence demand out of you? … We all will be in that position one day; what are we doing about this fact today? This is all about his presence – a presence we will encounter at some point.

 

priest holding hostia

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Scriptures for this week:

  • Acts 16.16-34
  • Psalm 97
  • Revelation 22.12-14, 16-17, 20-21
  • John 17.20-26

A few aspects we see in his presence:

  • Freedom/Freedom in Living
  • Fear/Trembling 
  • Judgement/Justice 
  • Praise/Worship

Acts 16.16-34

16 As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling. 17 She followed Paul and us, crying out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” 18 And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour.

19 But when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers. 20 And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men are Jews, and they are disturbing our city. 21 They advocate customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to accept or practice.”22 The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods. 23 And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. 24 Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, 26 and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened. 27 When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” 29 And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas.30 Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. 34 Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God. (Personal note here: Notice the true freedom happening here. Most of us in this position, when the chains broke and the door opened, we would have bolted! However, Paul and Silas remained in there in their true freedom which brought true freedom to the jailer and his entire household.) 

 

Psalm 97

The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice;
    let the many coastlands be glad!
Clouds and thick darkness are all around him;
    righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
Fire goes before him
    and burns up his adversaries all around.
His lightnings light up the world;
    the earth sees and trembles.
The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,
    before the Lord of all the earth.

The heavens proclaim his righteousness,
    and all the peoples see his glory.
All worshipers of images are put to shame,
    who make their boast in worthless idols;
    worship him, all you gods!

Zion hears and is glad,
    and the daughters of Judah rejoice,
    because of your judgments, O Lord.
For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth;
    you are exalted far above all gods.

10 O you who love the Lord, hate evil!
    He preserves the lives of his saints;
    he delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
11 Light is sown for the righteous,
    and joy for the upright in heart.
12 Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous,
    and give thanks to his holy name!

 

 

Revelation 22.12-14, 16-17, 20-21

12 Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” 14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. … 16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” 17 The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. … 20 He who testifies to these things says, Surely I am coming soon.”Amen. Come, Lord Jesus21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.

 

 

John 17.20-26

20 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one,23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly oneso that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. 24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I amto see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. 26 I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

 

Thank you for reading. May the Scriptures bless and encourage you. Remember to ask yourself, what will happen when I encounter God? Will you be like the slave girl, the melting mountains, an adversary meeting his fire, or one that is one with him rejoicing in the longing response of “Come!” He gave it all for you to have the choice. Come to him on his terms and receive grace or come to him on your last day on your own terms. The choice is ours, but the weighty reality that we will not always be permitted to avoid him is his choice. Choose wisely!

 

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“Ms. Luna”

22 May 2019

img_20190518_232733445373511971.jpg

© Joshua Curtis, 2019

 

“Ms. Luna”

Solidly smooth
Liquid ice
As you adorn the night sky
With your silky
Shimmering, dazzling,
Silvery gown
Your beauty, wondrous woman,
Arrests the breath
From men’s lungs
For each dazzle
Eyes captured – hung –
As the stars gaze upon you

 

afterglow backlit beautiful crescent moon

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For me, often you have been
A comfort in the dark; when lost
Ease the pain and plight,
Strength in the fight;
Guidance in flight
As my life twisted and turned;
Shambles – smokey and burned –
Heart so knotted, and,
Stuck in my throat,
Words couldn’t pass
No matter how well plotted

 

Tears filled every crevasse,
Anointing my beard like Aaron’s oil
Emotions boil
Life foils

 

My baby girl. Why?!
Is she going to be alright?!
Was she…? How did this…?
Her, in … …

words fumble
chocked up … …

no ! … …

I … … can’t breathe,
Babe, I’ll hold you! …
Hold me … This doesn’t make any …

cence!

I try to work through
The – pain – so – deep
Still working both jobs

 

After the night job –
I know my wife needs me, but
I just need time –
I drive back to the first
Sitting in a dark parking lot
A mermaid looks down upon me
Sitting on the hood of the car,
World upside down,
Tears stream relentlessly,
I look up

 

astronomy cloud clouds cosmos

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Ms. Luna, shining so bright,
How can this beauty exist
As I persist in this muck and mire
I am reminded of past Sukkots
Community strong as your soft glow
Blows through each lattice hole

~

Weeks later, lying on an unfamiliar floor,
At the feet of my children – fast asleep –
Soul’s so heavy I can barely breathe,
I  –  can’t  –  sleep
I pray and I pray
Yearning for comfort
Then you peak, epic-ally,
Through the slit in the blinds –
Mind – for a moment – unwinds.
We serve the same Master
I see the light you reflect
As you bring comfort

beautiful beauty blue bright

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So many other times you have been there
In my lowest points … …

Father, thank you for your gifts.
Ms. Luna, thank you for your beauty
That has turned my tides …

 

© Joshua Curtis, 2019

Published in: on 7 AMpThu, 23 May 2019 10:08:15 -040008Thursday 2016 at 10:08 am  Leave a Comment  
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