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WISDOM 6:12-16, Resplendent and unfading is wisdom, and she is readily perceived by those who love her, and found by those who seek her. **She hastens to make herself known in anticipation of their desire… Whoever watches for her at dawn shall not be disappointed, for he shall find her sitting by his gate. For taking thought of wisdom is the perfection of prudence, and whoever, for her sake, keeps vigil, shall quickly be free from care. Because she makes her own rounds, seeking those worthy of her, and graciously appears to them in the ways, and meets them with all solicitude.
**I have often received comments and even criticism for my imagining of the Holy Spirit as Lady Wisdom. I usually send folks to Proverbs to support my feelings, but this entry from the book of Wisdom is even better. I can not express how much I love the Holy Spirit, and even more with this verse. To wait expectantly for Her, to the point of wanting the Holy Spirit to be the first thought of my day, each day. Then to fill every single empty moment of my life ongoing. The Holy Spirit IS GOD. Loving God this immensely can’t be wrong, maybe rare, but never wrong. I wish all-consuming, blazing love of God for all of my friends, my readers.
PSALM 63:2-3, My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God… O God, you are my God whom I seek; for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts, like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water.
*Every day, all of us, each one, wakes up thirsty… How often are we aware that it is ‘God in our life’ that quenches that thirst. Lord give me your everlasting water.
1Thess. 4:13-18, “We do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters,
about those who have fallen asleep, so that you may not grieve like the rest, who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose, so too will God, through Jesus, bring with him those who have fallen asleep. Indeed, we tell you this, on the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will surely not precede those who have fallen asleep. **For the Lord himself, with a word of command, with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God, will come down from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. **Thus we shall always be with the Lord.”
*Do you believe in Resurrection? The Resurrection? WELL, Do You?? The question is simple enough really. Of course you do. I’m hoping everyone reading this column believes. So ‘if’ you believe, that makes you religious, you believe in God. Science does not teach resurrection; it is not a secular notion.
*All of this leads me to a disturbing trend among a lot of people today. If you ask them if they pray, the answer is “I’m spiritual not religious.” Not only is that ‘not’ the question that was asked, but even pagans prayed to their false gods. So, are these friends & folks we meet less interested in God than even the pagans? Are they so lazy they can’t even pray to a false god?
*Two things come to mind: One, Jesus Himself said that anyone who denies God… will be DENIED ‘BY’ God… PERIOD. Done! We’re already sinners, do people really want to go around biting the hand that feeds them.? **Second, Paul tells us very directly here, that the Resurrection is real, very real. Many folks in his time had already fallen asleep believing in God and hoping for the Christ, their belief will be their salvation. Paul obviously had a personal relationship with Jesus the Christ, which fueled his belief. Which brings me to the obvious question, “How’s your friendship with Jesus doing?” THIS friendship is worth the effort, don’t get lazy.
Matt 25:1-13, Wise & Foolish Virgins… Jesus told his disciples this parable: “The kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them, but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps. Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep…. (abbreviated). **Then the door was locked. Afterwards the other virgins came and said, ‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’ But he said in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”
**The old boy scout motto still bangs around in my brain, “Be Prepared.” How about one more phrase from ‘King-Cliché’, “Nobody gets out of life alive!” When life is good and there are relatively few mishaps -or- a person is just plain young & strong, it’s easy to lull ourselves into forgetting to pay attention. That is one of satan’s most common tools to use. He convinces folks into believing ‘there’s plenty of time’ to get right, repentence.
Jesus is gently reminding the people of His day that love of God, right relationship with God and repentance should be a daily desire. It’s a desire because as mammals or human beings, our purest instinct is: we all want nice things for ourselves. God IS Nice, He’s the Best. That’s why I’m thrilled that it’s finally easy for me to proclaim that God, as the Trinity, is my very first thought every morning. God thoughts are good thoughts.
**My sisters and brothers please love God, because God loves you!! Love is nice… Joy- Joy- Joy & thanks for spending time with me/us. Mark Gates, BRO. BLU, “A BLU Collar Spirituality”, commercial-free and pop-up-free on FaceBook & YouTube videos. Covenant Publishing’s Web-Page:
https://covenantbooks.com/books/?book=a-blu-collar-spirituality
Brother BLU is a servant of God. He currently lives with his wife in Peosta, Iowa, and is retired. He was a blue-collar meat industry laborer for fifty years. He has spent his whole life as a God-fearing Christian, Mass lector, and cradle Catholic.
“Duc in Altum!” A Latin phrase meaning “put out into the deep.” See: (Luke 5:4) These words were spoken by Jesus to a very frustrated Peter, who had just pulled his nets into the boat after a terrible night of fishing. Peter, whose life was spent fishing, being a husband and worshipping the One, True, Living God had just been asked by this street preacher to allow his boat to be used as a stage for speaking. Peter obeyed. The rest is history. “Duc in Altum”, St. Pope John Paul II, (Blu’s favorite), used Jesus’ own words to call all believers to deeper faith, trust, and mission.
**For Brother BLU, folks need only to recall the words of Jer 1:5. “Before you were born, I knew you.” **Praise God and pass along the JOY…
