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What a quandary! We fly our flag high today in the USA. As we should. But the importance of inner dependence upon God escapes us, shore to shore. We fight against the very dependence that offers us independence. The daily walk with God gives us the ability to know who we are as His children. God's guidance, total dependence, is paramount to our becoming independent from slavery. Without God we are slaves to every selfish desire known to man. Without recognizing our need to seek Him we flail in this world that casts shadows of hope but never delivers. Hope cannot be placed on another person, a job, a move, an income, or even a nation. Our hope can only be built on the firm foundation of the Rock of Jesus Christ. And even more tragic, what I detect in our world today, the largest travesty, the greatest farce: The commercial of Hope Within Self. The Hope that is built on Jesus, the GUIDANCE available to us every day, the peace that comes as I walk this life with my husband — this is the way to independence. When I know who I am in Him, I make moment by moment decisions that open my mouth to words of love and close them to words of hate. I protect my heart from being darkened by evil and turn into the Light. When I know who I am in Him, instant gratification is unnecessary as I realize He gives in His timing what is best for me. When I know who I am in Him, lies, theft, murder, broken commitments, even self importance all become painful in my mind and in my heart; moving me down the road to healing. Healing relationships, ethics, and nations one person at a time. Healing and Wholeness. These are the offerings we receive as we enter into dependence on the Great God Who Is. OH IF ONLY! If only our communities could understand the benefits of being in relationship with Him. If only our communities could understand the glories He desires to share of Himself as we enter into dependence upon Him. Love, Joy, Peace, Longsuffering (patience), Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-control. All of these are the benefits of dependence upon God. When I am dependent upon God
Please seek Him before that doorway is forever closed. Paul says this so well in Galatians 5. Here it is from the Amplified Version of the Bible: Copied from Bible Gateway 5 It was for this freedom that Christ set us free [completely liberating us]; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery [which you once removed]. 2 Notice, it is I, Paul, who tells you that if you receive circumcision [as a supposed requirement of salvation], Christ will be of no benefit to you [for you will lack the faith in Christ that is necessary for salvation]. 3 Once more I solemnly affirm to every man who receives circumcision [as a supposed requirement of salvation], that he is under obligation and required to keep the whole Law. 4 You have been severed from Christ, if you seek to be [a]justified [that is, declared free of the guilt of sin and its penalty, and placed in right standing with God] through the Law; you have fallen from grace [for you have lost your grasp on God’s unmerited favor and blessing]. 5 For we [not relying on the Law but] through the [strength and power of the Holy] Spirit, by faith, are waiting [confidently] for the hope of righteousness [the completion of our salvation]. 6 For [if we are] in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but only faith activated and expressed and working through love. 7 You were running [the race] well; who has interfered and prevented you from obeying the truth? 8 This [deceptive] persuasion is not from Him who called you [to freedom in Christ]. 9 A little [b]leaven [a slight inclination to error, or a few false teachers] leavens the whole batch [it perverts the concept of faith and misleads the church]. 10 I have confidence in you in the Lord that you will adopt no other view [contrary to mine on the matter]; but the one who is disturbing you, whoever he is, will have to bear the penalty. 11 But as for me, [c]brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision [as I had done before I met Christ; and as [d]some accuse me of doing now, as necessary for salvation], why am I still being persecuted [by Jews]? In that case the stumbling block of the cross [to unbelieving Jews] has been abolished. 12 I wish that those who are troubling you [by teaching that circumcision is necessary for salvation] would even [go all the way and] castrate themselves! 13 For you, my brothers, were called to freedom; only do not let your freedom become an opportunity for the [e]sinful nature (worldliness, selfishness), but through [f]love serve and seek the best for one another. 14 For the whole Law [concerning human relationships] is fulfilled in one precept, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself [that is, you shall have an unselfish concern for others and do things for their benefit].” 15 But if you bite and devour one another [in bickering and strife], watch out that you [along with your entire fellowship] are not consumed by one another. 16 But I say, walk habitually in the [Holy] Spirit [seek Him and be responsive to His guidance], and then you will certainly not carry out the desire of the [g]sinful nature [which responds impulsively without regard for God and His precepts]. 17 For the sinful nature has its desire which is opposed to the Spirit, and the [desire of the] Spirit opposes the [h]sinful nature; for these [two, the sinful nature and the Spirit] are in direct opposition to each other [continually in conflict], so that you [as believers] do not [always] do whatever [good things] you want to do. 18 But if you are guided and led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the Law. 19 Now the practices of the [i]sinful nature are clearly evident: they are sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality (total irresponsibility, lack of self-control), 20 [j]idolatry, [k]sorcery, hostility, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions [that promote heresies], 21 envy, drunkenness, riotous behavior, and other things like these. I warn you beforehand, just as I did previously, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the [l]sinful nature together with its passions and appetites. 25 If we [claim to] live by the [Holy] Spirit, we must also walk by the Spirit [with personal integrity, godly character, and moral courage—our conduct empowered by the Holy Spirit]. 26 We must not become conceited, challenging or provoking one another, envying one another. Galatians 5 If we helped you in any way share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.
Because He is the I AM, i am robyn rochelle cox Robyn & Biff Cox pray that He becomes your ALL. RR&BC,LLC © all writings are protected by copyright laws Please contact the author for any reference. Thank you El Roi.
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This is a repeat of a blog written earlier. I am thankful for your visits. It makes me aware that God is not finished with me yet. There are people, YOU, that are reading and being encouraged by the words of this simple missionary/mentor/lover of God. Please feel free to comment. Weekly posts are returning. Right now, I work very hard on the daily writings for our members, blog posts, and short inspirational autobiographical stories. I write Miracles and AHA moments from a life of loving God. I am self-publishing and these will be available here in our store soon. I am also writing a new novel. I lean into Jesus for restoration of my body. Severe heart attack means rethinking priorities in one's life. I live here now. I am so thankful for God who is not finished with me yet. Robyn please ponder over the blogpost below  I Keep Coming Back to This Picture. It is Appropriate and Real - Do You Believe? Respectful and relational knowledge and usage of the names of God removes us from being psychologically indifferent to the great I AM. Books and studies on the names of God range from difficult and theologically driven to simple definitions. From The Power of God's Names by Tony Evans, Minister of Oak Cliff Bible Church in Dallas, Texas, to Lord I Want to Know You Precepts Ministries founded by Kay Arthur. And even Pinterest posts listing and defining the Names of God. Just do a search on Pinterest, Google or Amazon and you will see a plethora of books, studies, blogs dealing with this topic. These are usually powerful and helpful, if not for the writing of the author, the simple truth that studying God's names is a powerful concept. However, I bring this before you, not to talk about the different meanings and insights of God's character through His name. Instead, I would like to take a look at how we as a culture have desensitized ourselves to God by removing His name and or defaming His name in our vocabulary and in our daily lives. In the psychology of dehumanization we see two dynamics being twisted:
Could we take this one step further and think about how we view God's name? You as an employee on a job, a family member, a neighbor. Us as a culture. As a country. As a world. How do we view God's name? How do we relate to Him? First, I wonder if our world has not come to the place where we have so desensitized ourselves to the names of God we are deaf to the still small voice that calls out in us? Do we understand God's essence is as El Elyon (the God Most High)? Second, I wonder if our world has not come to the place where we have so desensitized ourselves to the names of God we are raising our own importance by degrading His Name in curse words, degrading comments. Even simply a word of exclamation destroys the importance of the name? How would you feel if every time your husband smashed his hand with a hammer he shouted out in frustration and anger your name? By doing either of these, and not taking His Name as important, nor personal, nor powerful, nor worthy, we stand on the brink of travesty. Instead of learning His names and using His names to communicate with Him we show that we are not desiring to know Him intimately. What a shame. What sadness. He desires to be known. After all one of his names is Abba, Daddy. There is a little story I've heard about John John, President John F. Kennedy's son. When President Kennedy was in office there was a photograph taken of JohnJohn playing underneath his desk in the Oval Office. President Kennedy was meeting with important people. Think about it. These very important people had to walk through all sorts of check points to be validated before moving into the Oval Office for a meeting with the President. But JohnJohn, President Kennedy's little boy, had sped past them all. Running down the hallway, he entered with abandon into his father's lap and slipped down under the desk to play with his father's shoelaces. There was no hesitancy, no fear, no anguish. Not one person tried to stop him. They couldn't. He, little JohnJohn, belonged. He was playing at his daddy's feet. And because JohnJohn knew President Kennedy as Daddy, JohnJohn got preferential treatment. What we are missing by desensitizing ourselves from God's intimate names. Even as believers we are negligent in learning them, sharing them, calling out to El Roi, the God who Sees. Or Jehovah Jireh, The God who Provides. How many of us seeking peace cry out to Jahweh-Shalom, or healing ask our precious Great Physician, Yahweh Rapha? And when we think of Jesus do we understand that the name Jesus means the God who Saves? And Immanuel means God with us. Oh how even His names cry out to us for relationship. Take some time to get to know God. Take some time and get to know His Names. They are powerfully personal. He waits patiently for you to call Him. If we helped you in any way share your thoughts by leaving a comment below. Because He is the I AM, i am robyn rochelle cox Robyn & Biff Cox pray that He becomes your ALL. RR&BC,LLC © all writings are protected by copyright laws Please contact the author for any reference. We appreciate your honesty. RR&BC,LL© All writings protected by copyright laws.
Contact author or link to this page or website if you use or reference. “What shall I say? Father, save me, from this hour? But for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy name.” John 12:27-29 RV “My attitude as a saint to sorrow and difficulty is not to ask that they may be prevented, but to ask that I may preserve the self God created me to be through every fire of sorrow. Our Lord received Himself in the fire of sorrow; He was saved not from the hour, but out of the hour. We say that there ought to be no sorrow, and we have to receive ourselves in its fires, If we try and evade sorrow, refuse to lay our account with it, we are foolish. Sorrow is one of the biggest facts in life; it is no use saying sorrow ought not to be. Sin and sorrow and suffering are, and it is not for us to say that God has made a mistake in allowing them. Sorrow burns up a great amount of shallowness, but it does not always make a man better. Suffering either gives me my self or it destroys my self. You cannot receive your self in success, you lose your head; you cannot receive your self in monotony, you grouse. The way to find your self is in the fires of sorrow. Why it should be so is another matter, but that it is so is true in the Scriptures and in human experience. You always know the man who has been through the fires of sorrow and received himself; you are certain you can go to him in trouble and find that he has ample leisure for you. If a man has not been through the fires of sorrow, he is apt to be contemptuous; he has no time for you. If you receive yourself in the fires of sorrow, God will make you nourishment for other people.” By: Oswald Chambers My Utmost for His Highest I sit on the windowed porch in the deep East Texas woods, watching the yard bunny hop in its leisure across the yard as the squirrel waits patiently on the chain-link fence to dash across the yard and fill up, as he did yesterday, in the birdbath. The bird feeder and the hummingbird feeder have been left for me to enjoy nature through these windows. Ebenezer watches and enjoys the movement and I snuggle into the overstuffed couch with my feet up on the ottoman to read the Word and Oswald on this day. To read, to meditate, to write, to pray – that is my task for this morning. One would never guess that this soul has been through any pain at all as I sit in such luxury, blessed by generosity. And yet as I listen to my life’s days, sorrows are the marrow of them. I often say that I have been called to minister to women because I have experienced most of the pains/sorrows/injustices/abuses a woman can experience and God has been faithful in allowing me to heal and find Him in those places. He has not only seen me through them, but in His faithfulness, He has allowed me to find joy in the midst of many of them, and definitely find joy and healing in the ending of them. And they have ended. I am blessed to have had these sorrows enter my life and then be removed. I am amazed as I look back and realize that. And yet, was that the purpose from His beginning? I have lived where the women I have ministered to live. I have seen God’s hand and I share His faithfulness with them. I share with them His desire to hold them in the midst of the chaos and pain. I am a traveler on the other side of the chasm that shines a light in the darkness and cries, “Follow Jesus.” I am blessed to be “nourishment” for the women that come across my life-path, as I am blessed by the people that have been “nourishment” for me on this life-path. How will I encourage them in this place that God has them? I cry: Follow Jesus.  Because He is the I AM, i am Robyn Rochelle Cox Biff and I are thankful you are here. If you want to join our membership community, daily readings and commenting available: click here RR&BC, LLC Drop by and see us anytime: Website: www.readthebiblewithrobyncox.com Email: rrandbc@readthebiblewithrobyncox.com GO WITH GOD.   In seeking His guidance I wander through the fields of my soul. These planted fields are growing in the Word of God. But? Do I bend my heart to Him? Do I stand and question against His hand? Do I look for the promises that He has given and fulfilled or question why others are still not completed? Do I glory in the miracles He alone has placed me in and through, am I aware of the miracles awaiting me in this very day? What do I do in the in-between times? These times when I am waiting for answers? Why do I even seek? Could it be that I am walking in this world simply aware that I want to be more in tune to Him? Is questioning 'How can I get there?' the goal? Is it possible that simply coming to Him and crying out "I want to know YOU better. I want to listen as You guide me. I want to be aware of You." Could it be that these are the most important actions to take in seeking Him? I will never know His perfect ways. He tells me clearly my ways are not His. But the seeking. The seeking is the juice of the experience. In seeking Him I cry out, I look under and through, I observe and evaluate. I study, and glean truths I would never have seen. I build, one brick at a time, a way to walk that comes with trust and obedience. I once was young and now I am older. I know some ways are not His. I know that some ways are. But there are still caves I am forging through. I am still battling fears. Surely if I was stronger I would not be battling these fears again. But I am not. I am human and frail. And in the midst of my frailty He holds me. He comes with His shepherd's staff and wrestles me out of my distress. He speaks over me with words like: Ps. 46 - He is my refuge and my strength, a very present help in time of trouble. Deuteronomy 31:8 - It is the LORD who goes before me. Zephaniah 3:17 - The LORD my God is in my midst, a mighty one who will save, He will rejoice over me with gladness; He will quiet me by His love; He will exult over me with loud singing. Do I take Him at His word? For you see in Psalms 34:10 His word says: Those who seek the LORD lack no good thing. These words of encouragement are spread throughout His word and I will stand on them in this time of waiting for guidance. Because God's Guidance IS a slow and certain light.  Book recommendation: God's Guidance - A Slow and Certain Light by Elisabeth Elliot Because He is the I AM,
i am Robyn Rochelle Cox Biff and I are thankful you are here. If you want to join our membership community, daily readings and commenting available: click here RR&BC, LLC Drop by and see us anytime: Website: www.readthebiblewithrobyncox.com Email: rrandbc@readthebiblewithrobyncox.com GO WITH GOD. Ive been blessed.
I had a heart attack. No damage to heart. God was gracious. Makes me aware of everything around me. Husband, children, grandchildren, friends, body of believers. I walked the day before they checked out all that could be wrong. In other words: I’m doing great. and here is what God gave me in the midst of the worst of it: My Daddy Who is in heaven. Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give me this day my daily bread and forgive my trespasses as I forgive those who trespass against me. And lead me not into temptation. But deliver me from evil, For yours is the Kingdom, and the Power and the Glory forever Amen. We’ll be looking into more wonderful scripture in the future. Scripture that seals us into the body of Christ. But today. Today. I am simply saying thank You, Abba, for this day. This day Abba! That You have given me. Because You are the I Am, I am, Robyn Rochelle Cox You have confirmed that You are not finished with me here on earth yet. I’m following your lead. You say. Share your word. 22. Then the LORD said to Moses, 23. "Tell Aaron and his sons to bless the people of Israel with this special blessing: 24. 'May the LORD bless you and protect you. 25. May the LORD smile on you and be gracious to you. 26. May the LORD show you his favor and give you his peace.' 27. When Aaron and his sons bless the people of Israel in my name, I myself will bless them" Numbers 6:22-27 NLT Thankful for blessings. Because He is the I AM, i am Robyn Rochelle Cox Biff and I are thankful you are here. If you want to join our membership community, daily readings and commenting available: click here RR&BC, LLC Drop by and see us anytime: Website: www.readthebiblewithrobyncox.com Email: rrandbc@readthebiblewithrobyncox.com GO WITH GOD.  How can we find peace and quietness within our walls and our towers? There are abominable immoralities being legalized. Abortion is viewed as legal. There is no peace for the innocent. There is no safety for the vulnerable within our towers. How can there be quietness? There is shock, fear, anguish, screaming. Abortion. It hurts. I cannot apologize for this view. I have lived in and through it. I have a personal story. I throw no stones. I am in more pain than most. And rejoice in miracles and in God's grace. I ache for not only the aborted, but also for the hands of the mothers that have ended their children's lives. I have a story to tell. It is a miracle story. I have a testimony to God's miraculous power. I have a story to tell of my humanity. I have a story to tell of love, redemption, power and grace.  Because He is the I AM, i am Robyn Rochelle Cox Biff and I are thankful you are here. If you want to join our membership community, daily readings and commenting available: click here RR&BC, LLC Drop by and see us anytime: Website: www.readthebiblewithrobyncox.com Email: rrandbc@readthebiblewithrobyncox.com GO WITH GOD.   It is cold where I live! Things are happening here from roof problems, to trees falling on our fence, to car needing to be replaced to...to...to. And this is what I know. God gives. He gives and He takes away. My husband and I are simply stewards of the possessions He has given. Possessions are to be taken care of well. They don't belong to us, they belong to God. He has blessed us with them. By putting my possessions in proper perspective I am freeing myself. I am free from:
Look at the following story from Matthew 19. 16. Someone came to Jesus with this question: "Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?" 17. "Why ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. But to answer your question — if you want to receive eternal life, keep the commandments." 18. "Which ones?" the man asked. And Jesus replied: "'You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. 19. Honor your father and mother. Love your neighbor as yourself.'" 20. "I've obeyed all these commandments," the young man replied. "What else must I do?" 21. Jesus told him, "If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." 22. But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he had many possessions. Matthew 19:16-22 NLT So, this young man had many possessions. This young man was tied to his possessions so tightly he was willing to reject Jesus to hold on to them. I've often wondered if this young man had released his grip on his stuff and said, “Okay, LORD.” What would have happened. Jesus might have said, "Peace be with you. Those possessions might be come in handy for you to use in ministry for the future. Keep them. Be a good steward of them.” Our LORD does not warn us that stuff is evil. He says the love of stuff is a problem. Not having, but refusing to release. Not owning but refusing to use wisely. Some of my closest friends are blessed with wealth. They are generous with their homes, with their property, and even with their money. And God continues to bless them. These people are not holding onto their possessions. Instead, they have been wise with their money. They are thankful for money/possessions/stuff, good stewards of all. They recognize all comes from the hand of God. By keeping their hands open and not holding tightly to things of this world, they bless others. Remember this verse? 1 Timothy 6:10 NASB says: "For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." The LOVE of these things is the problem. Our heart is always what Jesus looks at. Right now many books and TV series deal with hoarding, and releasing stuff. It’s a popular theme. And one for a reason. There is a fundamental truth that stuff will overwhelm us. By releasing unnecessary stuff and removing it from our homes and surroundings we will find a lighter heart and easier life. This is a fundamental human reality. But the spiritual aspects are there as well. Jesus wants us to be willing to release all our stuff and find our fulfillment and abundance in Him. He is wonderfully gracious and generous. He promises He will never leave us nor forsake us. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. If and when He makes a request for us to leave any or all of the things that we own, and we do it, He will bless us. God called me to get rid of my possessions in 2004. For ten years I was a missionary on the foriegn mission field. To move there i had to sell a two-story house, car, furniture. I even said goodbye to my adult children - whom I absolutely adore. But — God had called and I followed. I thought I would be there until I died. Instead, after ten years, He brought me home to the USA. He brought a man into my life, and allowed me to marry. My husband loves me as Christ loves the church. Today we have some stuff. We are trying to be good stewards of our stuff. But none of our stuff is as important to either of us as sharing Jesus Christ's love to the world. None of our stuff is as important as sharing our lives with others in Jesus' strength and wisdom. We are thankful for what we have, but we want to be wise not to allow it to own us. We are constantly finding ways to improve our home. Streamlining our home from stuff is a constant job. I am thankful that my years as a single mom and missionary have grounded me in keeping my hands open instead of wrapped tightly around the things of this world. It hasn't been easy. It is not something that is supposed to be easy. It has been worth the effort. Because when I let these things go and hold Him more tightly, Jesus shines. And this is what Jesus promised : "29. And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will inherit eternal life. 30. But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then." Matthew 19:29,30 Because He is the I AM, i am Robyn Rochelle Cox Biff and I are thankful you are here. If you want to join our membership community, daily readings and commenting available: click here RR&BC, LLC Drop by and see us anytime: Website: www.readthebiblewithrobyncox.com Email: rrandbc@readthebiblewithrobyncox.com GO WITH GOD.  With Jesus, resolutions aren't new every New Year, they are new every morning. — Vol 3, Ch 21/14/2019 Mark 1:1-13 He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him. It is January 14. Two weeks into the New Year and many are already feeling as if they have failed in their resolutions, goals, plans for the year. We enter the New Year with fresh eyes and with fresh dreams. And yet when the second week, or the fourth, or eighth come rolling around, our eyes are dim and dreams are dashed. We've slept through the workout. Or, we've grabbed that Reese's Peanut Butter Christmas Tree because the season is over and better to eat it than to throw it away. And in the back of our heads we question why we tried again this year. Or, we might be those that have pitched the resolutions aside for a Word for the Year. I myself, have been in that camp up until three years ago. And I am still there. I pretty much have embraced a WORD and a VERSE for the year. And three years ago began setting goals again. My WORD this year was given as a phrase: Occupy the Land that He has Given. My VERSE 1 Chronicles 4:9,10 And the goals encompass: a balanced life. But, I will fail. I will. I am human, And knowing that Jesus moved as a human out into the desert and Satan tempted Him. Knowing that He went through forty days and forty nights fasting with Satan offering him food. He was offered the world, and, and... How did He defeat Satan? By the Gospel and acknowledging His identity. And we too have that available to us. We don't defeat Satan by what we are determined to do. We enter into what Jesus has already done. He has made us His own and what He has accomplished we are able to enter into. When we hold onto the Gospel of Christ we can fling Satan's temptations right back into Satan's face. And Christ promises that His mercies are new every morning. Do you realize that every morning that you wake and reach out your hand. You can say, "Thank You Jesus." He's giving you the opportunity to begin afresh every moment. What would life be like if instead of defeat, you took a step, stretched your hand out, and received His strength? Step-by-step thanking Him for that forty day Victory desert campout. Even Jesus had the angels to come in and wait on Him as He recovered from those temptations. Don't let one day beat you up, knock you down, and spit you out. Instead, be aware you are human. With Jesus, let Him hold you. Every day is fresh. Share a moment when you felt that Jesus came in and lifted you up when you thought you were done. And there He was picking you up and bringing you into an awareness of His mercies and His victory! We all are uplifted by each others praise stories! Because He is the I AM, i am Robyn Rochelle Cox and Biff and I are thankful you are here. If you want to join our membership community, daily readings and commenting available: click here RR&BC, LLC Drop by and see us anytime: Website: www.readthebiblewithrobyncox.com Email: rrandbc@readthebiblewithrobyncox.com  John 1:38 NLT And Jesus turned and saw them following Him and asked them, "What do you want?" Wonderful question, right? Jesus asked them, "What do you want?" But, REALLY? Now mind you, this is not the verse referring to the times that Jesus asked an ill person, "What do you want me to do for you?" Matthew 20:32, Mark 10:51, Luke 18:41 That is a different question. "What do you want?" vs. "What do you want me to do for you?" And I encourage you to investigate the second question in your time with Him. It is a wonderful place of intimacy when we can actually get alone long enough to ask this thoughtful and soul seeking question. What do I want Jesus to do for me? Argh! I digress: Another blog post for another time. Back to the question of the hour: Jesus asked them,"What do you want?" The first time this verse came to my recognition was in a devotional. It was a good devotional and it made me question what I would tell Jesus if He asked me that question. "What do I want?" The question used in this particular devotional came from the New International Version. Not a bad version of the bible and one that many find helpful in today's world. I use it often to better equip me to share His word. The New International Version is considered to be a translation that tries to put the bible in a more understandable language. That is the point of a translation, right! However, the NIV, the NLT, the Berean Study Bible, and the Contemporary English Bible all use the same wording. (and those are only 4 of the hundreds of translations out there. I didn't check all translations, just a lot of them - 28 to be exact.) And it isn't wrong, and it makes us understand what Jesus was saying. But is it complete? Unfortunately, with this particular verse and because often people pull verses out of context, in my opinion, it falls a tiny bit short. Bear with me here.
... And the next day he [John the Baptizer] saw Jesus coming to him [John the Baptizer] and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. This is He on behalf of whom I [John the Baptizer] said, 'After me comes a man who has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.' ...
So, get the picture? John the Baptizer had been collecting a following for a long time. His life and his words were transforming people from those that were walking around without relationship with God, to people who were once again beginning to look for the Messiah and get excited about His coming. And here John the Baptizer is with two of his loyal disciples and he points out Jesus and says: "Behold the Lamb of God!" Would you go to find out who John the Baptizer is talking about? I would. And Andrew did the same. He went and Jesus asked this question: "What do you want?"(NLT) Or in other translations which I find much more in the line of this context: "What are you looking for?" "What do you seek? Now do you see my problem with the translation of this sentence - standing alone - not in context? Yes, when kept in context the question lets us all know that Jesus wasn't asking John the Baptizer's two disciples, "What do you want? i,e, a new bicycle, a fixed marriage, a better job, a happier life, a husband/wife, me or my kid free of sickness or addiction. " No, in context Jesus clearly is asking these two disciples, "What do you want? Why are you here? What are you looking for? What do you seek?" See the difference? Pretty big one, right? See why context is so important? Pretty big, right?
Jesus asked these men: "What are you looking for?" or "What are you seeking?" not "What do you want?" Oh my friend. They were seeking the Messiah. They were seeking for a Redeemer, a Savior, a King. And they found HIM. What are you seeking? A deeper relationship with the Great God who IS? Search His words. Read the Bible. Begin to enter into ALL of the bible. Devotionals are great as the milk of the word. But is it time for you to grow up and begin to eat Solid Food? We welcome you to join us as we do just that every day here on our membership site. I would be remiss if I did not invite you to delve in with us. We are not the only way to read the bible. We encourage you to dig in on your own if you can. We simply offer a community that is doing this daily and would like to invite you to join along. May you seek and find the wonderful words of wisdom Jesus set down for us to know Him better from the Old Testament to the New Testament. The Bible testifies to the True Light. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Our membership is once again open. It will remain open for three months and then close again. Giving us the time needed to serve those in the community. Because He is the I AM, i am Robyn Rochelle Cox and Biff and I are thankful you are here. If you want to join our membership community, daily readings and commenting available: click here RR&BC, LLC Drop by and see us anytime: Website: www.readthebiblewithrobyncox.com Email: rrandbc@readthebiblewithrobyncox.com  |
Robyn Rochelle Cox
WHOSE AM I? Archives
May 2020
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