was struck by the word 'gates' this a.m.
and was going to write down yet another futile note to myself
to do a word study on 'gate' in the bible.
futile because i am so busy i never get back to it.
let me define 'busy'.
i am busy reading books...
and yet the Lord, as usual, is speaking so gently...but yet persistently
'give up books, steve.
give yourself over to the bible.
give yourself over to being reflectively in the word
...for all that time currently devoted to books.
rats!!!
don't get me wrong.
God has progressively drawn me to His word.
i have been much blessed and am being changed a bit..i think.
(but evidently i have a greater desire for enjoyment
that is in a moment gone into the thin air of nonentity,
than i have to spend my few remaining moments here in beholding God's ineffable
(incapable of being described) beauty in His Word
and be moved to imitate Him...
to never-ending, eternally satisfying reward,
but far better to the increase of His eternal glory.
the bible is a life changing book.
(maybe subconsciously i am afraid of losing all control.
the old self nature wants what it wants
and screams bloody murder whenever it even senses
that something else may replace it as 'control center'...
and it would no longer be in charge.
john wesley, i think, talked about being
the man of one book.
my spirit desires but the flesh is so weak.
it's sick!...
how i feed and give into my own desires
which continually make tons of trouble, temporal and eternal,
in exchange for tiny glimmers of fools gold
and tantalizingly tiny morsels of fleshly pleasure.
why do i do it?
the only thing i see that makes sense of this to me
is found in ecclesiastes 9.3,
'this is an evil in all that is done under the sun,
that there is one fate for all men .
furthermore, the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil
and INSANITY IS IN THEIR HEARTS
throughout their lives.
afterwards they go to the dead'.
insanity comes from a deep subconscious anger and enragement
at the idea i should live for another and die to myself.
may God give me the grace to plead with and agonize for Him
to change this wicked selfish heart
...until He affects the change.
back to the one book idea.
it seems that the idea of spending time in the morning
reflectively reading, thinking and praying over
what just has happened
over what is just ahead.
listening for His guidance (many times discovered right in the day's scripture read)
is being expanded with a growing desire to
spend the evening hours before bed to become given over to intercession
and to do deeper study of scripture that God seems to especially be highlighting.
...all this to the goal of living unto Him
going about doing Good in some similar manner to which He did when here.
enough musing and back to the verse highlighted this morning
..actually, the word, 'gates'.
from the 'quiet' journal,
'could gates signify, by metonymy
(a figure of speech consisting of the use of the name of one thing (here, 'gates')
by that of another (here, the people who use the gates to go into and out from the city)
of which it is associated (as in lands belonging to the KING) )
if this is correct, could 'gates' here, by metonymy, signify those who go thru the gates of Zion?
when v2 says 'the Lord loves the gates of Zion' is this saying
'the Lord loves those who go in the gates to worship Him (at the temple)
as well as loving those who go out of the gates to
1. SHOW FORTH HIS PRAISE AND HIS GOODNESS TO OTHERS throughout the world
WHEREVER and however and whenever THEY MAY BE ENCOUNTERED? or to...
2. DO WAR
(middle english 'werre' from old north french , which is from old high german 'werra;
latin 'verrere' -sweep (away);(deadly) conflict)
meaning confusion and strife)
ON THOSE WHO ACTIVELY HATE AND WILL NOT OBEY
THEIR CREATOR/REDEEMER
(through losing their lives in praying for and actively loving all men
by obedience to God's word ...even to the death.)
2.
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