The Promised Land part 4
Once you understand that the land that flows with milk and honey (righteousness and revelation) was promised to us... and we already have it, because the promise was fulfilled on the cross... you can stop seeking in order to find something that you haven't got, and you can start seeking to understand what you have got. You can stop trying to earn something that can't be earned, and you can start receiving and releasing. Receiving by releasing. Releasing by receiving. Because the land flows. And that's so important. Look at John 7:38, "He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." I like it even better in the Amplified Bible, "He who believes in Me [who cleaves to and trusts in and relies on Me] as the Scripture has said, From his innermost being shall flow [continuously] springs and rivers of living water." And, look, I'm not trying to mix my metaphors here. I'm just showing where things flow from. From the heart. Our innermost being. What's inside come out. Naturally. When you know and believe its in there. See, rest is not inactivity. Rest is Holy Spirit directed activity. And the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth that leads and guides us into all truth. The Holy Spirit only ever directs us to do one thing: Love each other. Because the Holy Spirit testifies of our true identity by testifying of Jesus. He tells us who we really are so that we can stop trying to be someone we're not. And when it comes to love I don't think you can really "fake it 'til you make it." You can't effort your way into loving someone (even though, like I always say, love is the maximum effort that you can give someone). True love doesn't come from a place of force. Either you forcing it to happen, or you trying to force someone to do something. That's not love. Love is effortless. Most of the time it happens without you even noticing that you're doing something special. Other people might notice it as special: "I can't believe you did that for them!" Well... I love them. So it was no big deal. Going the extra mile. Giving everything you have and everything you are. Laying your life down for your friends. That's not hard. It flows. Because it comes from a place of HAVING something, not NEEDING something. You aren't trying to GET something, you're simply GIVING what you've got. Sharing it. And in that way experiencing it. So stop trying to "get" to the Promised Land. Stop trying to "make" milk and honey manifest. Jesus set the table for us, and Jesus stands at the door (of our hearts) and knocks. All we have to do is answer the door. Let Him in--in the same sense that we let the mind of Christ that's already in us BE in us, because He already lives in us. We simply need to acknowledge this. Know it and believe it. Let Him live THROUGH us. As us. Let what's inside come out. The living water flows from our innermost being. We have everything we need. Its not about getting it in, its about letting it out. Its already in there. The promise has been fulfilled. The days of heaven on earth are availabe to us. Now. Here. On earth. We can live in the Kingdom because we ARE the Kingdom. We can live in the Promised Land (and I think this is where I'm going to finish this Rant series tomorrow) because we ARE the Promised Land!