Patrikin - Kinship through The Father

Uncensored Praying

Fritz — Thu, 31 May 2012 05:01:31 +0000

Mark D. Roberts

I often want to censor what flows from my heart because it’s so messy.

In times of fearful desperation, I’ve wanted to cry out to God, “Rouse yourself! Why do you sleep, O Lord?” But then I catch myself. Of course God isn’t sleeping, I reason. He doesn’t need to wake up. Besides, who am I to say such things to the Lord?

So I end up with some insipid confession of God’s care for me, rather than the fearful and frustrated but altogether genuine cry of my heart.¹

The Psalmist prayed this way:

“Get up, God! Are you going to sleep all day?
Wake up! Don’t you care what happens to us?
Why do you bury your face in the pillow?
Why pretend things are just fine with us?
And here we are—flat on our faces in the dirt,
held down with a boot on our necks.
Get up and come to our rescue.
If you love us so much, Help us! – Psalm 44:23-26 (Message)

Uncensored prayer may not be polite — but at least it’s heart honest, and that’s appreciated more by the one who counts and gets better results.

– fritz
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1. Roberts, Mark D. (2010-06-18). No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (Kindle Locations 550-553). Random House, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

All Except One

Fritz — Thu, 24 May 2012 05:01:21 +0000

“Every human being who has ever lived has suffered from a messiah complex—except one.”

— John Ortberg¹

1.The Life You’ve Always Wanted: Spiritual Disciplines for Ordinary People (p. 126). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

No Grandchildren

Fritz — Thu, 17 May 2012 05:01:40 +0000

Medieval stained glass depicting Daniel, Job and Noah being crowned by angels.

“These three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, … should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness … they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they only shall be delivered themselves. — Ezekiel 14:13-16

God has no “grandchildren”.

Every person can become a child of God through faith in Christ but no one can depend on their parent’s faith to get them into heaven nor obtain God’s blessing here.

– fritz

Reading Between The Lines

Fritz — Thu, 10 May 2012 05:01:08 +0000

Medieval stained glass depicting Daniel, Job and Noah being crowned by angels.

“If I make wild animals go through the country … or bring war … or visit a deadly disease … pouring out my lethal anger, killing both people and animals, and Noah, Daniel, and Job happened to be alive at the time … not a son, not a daughter, would be rescued. Only these three would be delivered because of their righteousness.” — Ezekiel 14:12-20 (MESSAGE)

A sobering message through Ezekiel (the prophet best known for strange visions of wheels and eyes) — but for those who read between the lines there’s a message of hope!

There is protection from the wrath of God, a promise of deliverance for those who, like Noah, Daniel, and Job, live by faith and follow God’s righteousness.

“God knows how to rescue the godly from evil trials. And he knows how to hold the feet of the wicked to the fire until Judgment Day. — 2nd Peter 2:6-9 (MESSAGE)

– fritz

Love and Loneliness

Fritz — Thu, 03 May 2012 05:01:05 +0000

Funny how literary works and old sayings get stuck in the back of the mind and we accept wrong ideas without thinking!

James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938)

Benjamin Franklin said, “God helps those who help themselves”, and over the years most think that is in the Bible. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism says, “Cleanliness is next to godliness”, and we think that’s somewhere in the Bible, too.

James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938) wrote a poem in 1922 called, “The Creation”,

AND God stepped out on space,
And He looked around and said,
“I’m lonely—
I’ll make me a world.”

And it filters down that God was somehow lonely — creating us to keep him company.

While it is a great poem (I presented it in high school drama) it is not very accurate. God was NOT lonely, did not create us from a sense of need, and has never depended on us for anything.

Why is that important? Because there is a difference between Love and Loneliness.

Loneliness focuses on self whereas Love is selfless. Ever known someone who “loved” you because they were lonely? How about someone who really loved you (regardless of what it did for them)? Notice a difference, did you?

God created through selfless love even though he knew it would cost him what was most dear (Rev. 3:8). He gave his eternal Son because he Loved (John 3:16) though most would reject (John 1:11). And throughout eternity he shall demonstrate that selfless love by pouring grace and blessing on those who enter the “secret place”¹ (Ephesians 2:7)

No, God is complete within himself needing nothing but decided to share that love with the universe so they could enjoy it, too.

– fritz

1 See “A Secret Place” — April 22, 2012