Chapter Fifteen "Objections to Our Experience"

CHAPTER 15

OBJECTIONS TO OUR EXPERIENCE

As of late, I have had a change in view of the affairs of this life; the world’s expressions and ideas of the words, hope, peace, happiness etc.  I hold these ideas as well, yet in a different way.  I seek to express these ideas and others, yet from an Eternal view not a temporal view.  All these ideas, if only in this life, come to an end as we have all experienced; brief moments that peak then fall.  It appears to be set up this way for a reason.  It has become something to be expected. 

There is a negative side to this I know.  Pessimistic is the word we use.  Kind of like the expression...”I feel sad when I feel glad, because I know I will feel sad again.”  So, my use of the word “expected”, I am not imply what this phrase is saying. We come to expect it, yet none of us want it.  It puts a damper on our world view, and is felt as hopelessness. “Why bother!”  You hear it said in these moments when things appeared to be going so well, then from that peak we head for yet another valley. 

Of course you have those that would give you the impression that everything in their experience is just honky dory.  Well, believe you me, that’s a lie.  That is someone not facing the reality of this experience.  It just doesn’t work that way.

Listen to what scriptures says of these.....  “Have you forgotten the exhortation which is of such a nature as to speak to you as to sons, “Son of mine, stop making light of the Lord’s discipline, correction, and guidance.  Stop fainting when you are being effectually rebuked by Him.  For the one whom the Lord loves, He disciplines, corrects, and guides, and He scourges every son whom He receives and cherishes.  It is for the PURPOSE discipline, correction, and guidance that you are enduring.  As those who by nature are sons is God dealing with you.  For what son is there whom the Father does not discipline, correct, and guide?  But “IF” you are without discipline, correction, and guidance, of which all sons have been made partakers, it follows therefore that you are bastards and not sons.  Furthermore, we have been having indeed fathers of our flesh as those who disciplined, corrected, and guided us, and we have been in the habit of giving them reverence.  Shall we not much rather put ourselves in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?  For on the one hand, they disciplined, corrected, and guided us for a few days upon the basis of that which seemed good to them, but HE disciplines, corrects, and guides for our PROFIT, TO THE END that we might partake of His holiness.”(Get pass this old idea of holiness.  What God is saying is, He desires for us to partake of an experience that this experience falls short of; you aren’t getting the WHOLE PICTURE –wholeness-holiness; so much depth to this thing of holiness which does include this idea of behavior but that behavior coming from see what God has to offer over and above what this world is offering).

 

So, we will have troubles in this life as well as good times.  It largely depends upon our relationship to this Father of ours.  Who is your father?  Is it this temporal relationship we call mother and father?  Well, we do listened to them for a time and adjusted to what they wanted us to be, kind of.  Yet, here is someone who is claiming to be our Eternal Father, what kind of relationship are we having with this Father?  What do we expect from Him?  To WHAT END does he discipline us?  The answer is above....TO OUR PROFIT.  Think of the text...”What’s a man to profit, if he gain the whole world, yet lose his soul?”

 Our fathers of this experience, did they have something to gain from our obeying them?  Sure, they could boast in your success.  Take credit for rearing you right etc.  You saved them a lot of headaches and expenses (money)...if you listen to their corrections and guidance; and if you didn’t follow the way of the Lord?  Well, we know the rest. 

So, what does God, as our Father, get out of this?  He gets US.  Think about it.  Who is getting the short end of the stick?  If we are honest, the answer is He is not getting much; it is we who make out like a bandit.  What has it cost Him for us to gain?  His Son and His wealth...”though He was rich, He became poor, that we might be made the righteousness of God through His property.”   

Do we have any idea of what is being offered here?  Will we let any light affliction that appears to come from this God turn us off to Him, throw Him out and any revelational word as stated above in exchange for what this world might offer in His place?

This revelation not only states that we have this Eternal Father but also states that we have a Mother who is Mother of us all.  Getting past our ideas of Mother and Father, and seeing it for what it is, IT IS NOT anything we have thought with the limited experience we have had with these two terms.  You can catch the jest of what Jesus had implied when he gave the warning to call no man your Father.  Our limited idea of Father has distorted this image of God which He originally intended.  As good as our natural parents were or were not, it misses the mark.  And many are simply throwing out this intended Original Image of God the Father, because of a mistaken idea of that which they have experienced.  Equally so, this idea of discipline, correction and guidance has been distorted making God our Father out to be someone to be feared, hated, rejected.  Paul knew this and thus begged to differ with this view and said it in this fashion...”For you have not received the spirit of bondage again to FEAR, but you have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry “ABBA FATHER”...(DADDY).....The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirits, that WE ARE THE CHILDREN OF GOD.  And if Children, then HEIRS; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ: if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be glorified together.  (Though He were a Son, learned He obedience by the things He suffered.)......Welcome to the club