Thursday, August 30, 2012

MINING THE RICHES OF MESSIAH

It has been said that, Messiah is the fulfillment of the promised land, and, because of that, the following scripture has application for us today:

a land in which you shall eat bread without scarceness, you shall not lack anything in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you may dig copper.
(Deu 8:9 WEB (R))

What this is understood to mean for us is that in Messiah there are many riches, and we are encouraged to dig or mine for them.

Likely you have heard, or read, that primarily this is done by means of studying the scriptures.

I would suggest however, that there is another means of mining the riches of Messiah that you might not have thought of before. For myself, only recently did Father give me the understanding that I am going to share with you now.

Think with me here. The riches of the land is likened to the Messiah, and we, as children of Abraham inhabiting that 'land', are encouraged to mine it for its riches. We are the body of Messiah, and as such that would make us the land. The two go hand in hand. He expressing his life in and through us, the land, and we, inheriting and living in Him, the true promised land.

The scriptures are not the body of Messiah. They are an inspired document testifying to the truthfulness of all the Father has revealed and will reveal. As a document, they do teach us much about the riches of Messiah, but I believe there is another place that we are to mine for it.

That place is in each other.

On the surface, when we look at each other we only see dirt. Far too many of his people are just content with that vision. However, just as with the promised land, hidden within each of us are precious things, such as iron, copper, silver, gold, etc. These are all facets of Messiah that we have each been implanted with. There is only one way to find it and enjoy it though. We have to be willing to get dirty, up and close dirty, digging deep within each other. Just as with mining, it can be risky at times, and it can be uncomfortable, but there is something about those riches that makes that risk and discomfort worth it. For when we dig, and scrape, and brush, and finally come across that resource in a brother or sister we invested into, we truly have come across something far more precious and valuable than gold or silver or precious stones. We find ourselves staring face to face with something of our Master, and in doing, so something of ourselves, as he himself said through John:

But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord, the Spirit.
(2Co 3:18 WEB (R))

Have you ever noticed how many times Father uses smelting and other such terms when referring to how he deals with his people? I am sure you can think of at least a couple. This which I am sharing with you from what Father taught me is simply another facet of that analogy. As we mine each other through our fellowship with each other, discovering Messiah as we do, Father takes those very qualities and refines them so that there is eventually nothing left but the pureness of his Son, expressed in us, his body, the fullness of all the character and makeup of our Creator, living as one spirit.

Ronen