For a long time I've wanted to get two tattoos: one of the word "Justice," and one of "Mercy." I don't know why, I've just always wanted to. While in Thunder School I began asking the Lord why I wanted these two specific words. He gently prompted me to begin studying the words in their biblical context. So I began to write very simple document containing "biblical truths" associated with all the scriptures I could find concerning justice and mercy. Here is a very basic document with these biblical truths.
I am going to begin reading literature about the two concepts, but as of now I am just mediating on the words in their pure scriptural form.
Justice and Mercy
Biblical Truths
Mercy:
-God desires Mercy from us.
Matthiew 9:13
-Mercy is stronger than judgment.
James 2:13
-God is merciful, so therefor he commands us to be as well.
Luke 6:36
-Part of God's new covenant is His unconditional mercy toward His peoples' sins. * Jeremiah 31-31-34 and Hebrews 8:12
-God has general mercy over all that He has made.
-Psalms 145:9
-Outside of Christ we cannot receive God's mercy.
1st Peter 2:10
-God is merciful, and He loves mercy!
Ephesians 2:4, Exodus 34:6, Psalms103:8, James 5:11
-If you do not show mercy, you shall be judged without mercy.
James 2:13
Justice:
-There are elements of justice that only men who seek the Lord can fully understand. Proverbs 28:5
-The Lord requires us to do justice.
Micah 6:8
-God hates our worship if we do so without also doing justice.
Amos 5:24
-We have been justified by the Lord's grace; we are also justified by faith. Titus 3:7, and Romans 5:1
-If you fear the Lord, and seek wisdom and knowledge, you will understand justice. Proverbs 2:9
-We must guard the “paths of justice.”
Proverbs 2:8
-We are called to keep justice and do righteousness.
Isiah 56:1
*Just allowing all His people to know Him, and writing His law on their hearts, is a great act of mercy.
-John
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
My current spiritual predicament
A very wise man once said that "The seeds of destiny are watered by the storms of adversity."
My name is John. I'm currently 18 years old, living in Rhode Island. I am a born-again Christian, and have been for almost my entire life. As of September '08, I was enrolled in a three-month music school/program based in Nashville, Tennessee, provided by a ministry called Provision International. The base church (HQ), called The Foundry, is lead by two incredible people, Pastor Scott and Sarah Macloed. In fact, you may have read some of Pastor Scott's books, Snakes In The Lobby, Diamonds of Brazil; or listened to some of the CDs his record label has produced, Pure Life Revolution, Tranquility, Foundry Songs Volume 1 & 2, Fathers of Thunder, amongst others. The school they run, called Thunder School, is basically a fulfillment of a prophetic dream delivered by James Ryle to raise up and equip evangelistic musicians (called "musicanaries,") and send them out into the harvest. Geared toward a personal and cooperate understand of God and His sacred Word, this school is a completely Pentecostal and evangelical practicing church/ministry. The gifts of the spirit run rampant through the school's staff and students. Intense prayer, prophesy, laying on of hands, and speaking in tongues are normal occurrences through the property. For an 18 year-old who has been raised evangelically but never really lived evangelically, it was an amazing experience. However, this fantastic, God saturated experience ended along with the school December 12th, 2008.
Now I'm back home, in Rhode Island, and everything is completely different.
My father is a very wise, spirit filled professor of electrical engineering. My mother is also a strong believer. Our church is an extremely very small house church that my parents started five years ago. It has seen fruit in its day, but as of late (the past 7 months) it has been dry, fruitless, and ultimately very painful. Most of the members have left for various reasons, leaving just me, my parents, a couple with two small children, that couples parents, and an foreign man. This makes eight adults including myself. The spirit does not flow during our meetings, there is no prophesy, intense prayer, laying on of hands, or speaking in tongues.
Coming back from such a drastic, brutal contrast has taken a hefty toll on my "spiritual demeanor." I have lost interest in all things Holy, and have fallen back into my old routine of listless squander. Watching movies, chilling with friends, all things spiritually unproductive. I like to blame it on the fact that I have no other individuals my age that are on fire for God, therefor no synergy to keep me going. Whatever the reasons, I am in a sick and dry place, void of the spiritual splendor that was so common at Thunder School. Everything that happened there seems null, in another world, caught in time forever, just to be remembered, just to be looked back upon.
I realize what I must do. I must seek the Lord with a new passion. I must cultivate that same relationship I had at Thunder School in my quiet time. For if He is with me, who can be against me? This is my reason for starting this blog. I am going to start studying the word and praying. I am going to write about my trials and triumphs here. I don't care if not even one person ever reads one of my posts, I am doing this because I must. I am attempting to cultivate synergy with myself and the Lord. Then, perhaps, the Lord will bring me into a better place.
As I was typing this last sentence, Ecclesiastes 3 came to me. It speaks of there being a time and a season for "everything under heaven." Going on from verses 2 - 8 to describe all types of seasons. I am determined to praise God in all seasons. Weather they be seasons of life, or seasons of death; seasons of laughing or seasons of mourning, I still still praise Him, for He is good and His mercies endure forever.
Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
(Doxology, Thomas Ken, 1674)
Sincerely,
John
My name is John. I'm currently 18 years old, living in Rhode Island. I am a born-again Christian, and have been for almost my entire life. As of September '08, I was enrolled in a three-month music school/program based in Nashville, Tennessee, provided by a ministry called Provision International. The base church (HQ), called The Foundry, is lead by two incredible people, Pastor Scott and Sarah Macloed. In fact, you may have read some of Pastor Scott's books, Snakes In The Lobby, Diamonds of Brazil; or listened to some of the CDs his record label has produced, Pure Life Revolution, Tranquility, Foundry Songs Volume 1 & 2, Fathers of Thunder, amongst others. The school they run, called Thunder School, is basically a fulfillment of a prophetic dream delivered by James Ryle to raise up and equip evangelistic musicians (called "musicanaries,") and send them out into the harvest. Geared toward a personal and cooperate understand of God and His sacred Word, this school is a completely Pentecostal and evangelical practicing church/ministry. The gifts of the spirit run rampant through the school's staff and students. Intense prayer, prophesy, laying on of hands, and speaking in tongues are normal occurrences through the property. For an 18 year-old who has been raised evangelically but never really lived evangelically, it was an amazing experience. However, this fantastic, God saturated experience ended along with the school December 12th, 2008.
Now I'm back home, in Rhode Island, and everything is completely different.
My father is a very wise, spirit filled professor of electrical engineering. My mother is also a strong believer. Our church is an extremely very small house church that my parents started five years ago. It has seen fruit in its day, but as of late (the past 7 months) it has been dry, fruitless, and ultimately very painful. Most of the members have left for various reasons, leaving just me, my parents, a couple with two small children, that couples parents, and an foreign man. This makes eight adults including myself. The spirit does not flow during our meetings, there is no prophesy, intense prayer, laying on of hands, or speaking in tongues.
Coming back from such a drastic, brutal contrast has taken a hefty toll on my "spiritual demeanor." I have lost interest in all things Holy, and have fallen back into my old routine of listless squander. Watching movies, chilling with friends, all things spiritually unproductive. I like to blame it on the fact that I have no other individuals my age that are on fire for God, therefor no synergy to keep me going. Whatever the reasons, I am in a sick and dry place, void of the spiritual splendor that was so common at Thunder School. Everything that happened there seems null, in another world, caught in time forever, just to be remembered, just to be looked back upon.
I realize what I must do. I must seek the Lord with a new passion. I must cultivate that same relationship I had at Thunder School in my quiet time. For if He is with me, who can be against me? This is my reason for starting this blog. I am going to start studying the word and praying. I am going to write about my trials and triumphs here. I don't care if not even one person ever reads one of my posts, I am doing this because I must. I am attempting to cultivate synergy with myself and the Lord. Then, perhaps, the Lord will bring me into a better place.
As I was typing this last sentence, Ecclesiastes 3 came to me. It speaks of there being a time and a season for "everything under heaven." Going on from verses 2 - 8 to describe all types of seasons. I am determined to praise God in all seasons. Weather they be seasons of life, or seasons of death; seasons of laughing or seasons of mourning, I still still praise Him, for He is good and His mercies endure forever.
Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
(Doxology, Thomas Ken, 1674)
Sincerely,
John
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