I am complete!

Hi

Thanks Mitch for sharing.

Here are just a few scriptures I've read lately and enjoyed.

I know at times I can be feel confused, inadequate, unworthy and lacking understanding. This scripture gives me confidence to know that I am complete because of my relationship with Jesus.

Colossians 2 v8,9,10

8 Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powerst of this world, rather than from Christ.9 For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.t

10 So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

Whether I understand every concept of scripture it doesn't change my completeness.

I also discovered this Psalm recently. It's another scripture to inspire confidence in God.

David had such a great reliance on God. I doubt if anyone in his time had the same relationship with God that David had. Jeremy T wrote a blog on the NYC website recently about this same topic.

Psalm 118.

6 The LORD is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?7 Yes, the LORD is for me; he will help me. I will look in triumph at those who hate me.8 It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in people.9 It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.10 Though hostile nations surrounded me, I destroyed them all with the authority of the LORD.11 Yes, they surrounded and attacked me, but I destroyed them all with the authority of the LORD.12 They swarmed around me like bees; they blazed against me like a crackling fire. But I destroyed them all with the authority of the LORD.

See you at camp

Fire

For some reason, I can clearly remember my grade 10 science teacher asking our class ‘Is fire a living thing?’. As expected, the answer is ‘no’ but the question isn’t as silly as it sounds. He went on to explain why this has been a debated question. The six rules of living things are - every living thing needs nutrients and reproduction to survive; every living thing produces waste; every living thing repairs and/or expands itself; every living thing needs something to breathe (like oxygen) to survive; every living thing dies; and every living thing is made up of cells (No I didn't remember these - thanks google!). Fire has all these properties, except one. It is not made up of cells. But I think it’s a pretty clever choice by God to use the analogy of fire throughout the bible.

I love that God is described as a ‘consuming fire’.This conjures up some pretty strong and powerful imagery.

In the old testament, fire was often a symbol of God’s presence – such as in the burning bush and consuming Elijah’s sacrifice rather than the prophets of Baal’s sacrifice.

Fire is what came to mind when I heard this year’s topic of Living God. In the new testament, we have been baptised with ‘the holy spirit and with fire’. God uses the Spirit to guide and comfort us, just like the pillar of fire guiding the children of Israel. God now confirms His presence with the inextinguishable fire of the Holy Spirit. Just like the fire which consumed Elijah’s sacrifice, the Holy Spirit evidenced by tongues is something that I just cannot deny. It’s solid proof that I always reflect on if my faith is wavering.

Fire also gives light and Jesus described himself as the ‘light of the world’. And when light takes on darkness, light always wins!

Anyway just a few things I've been thinking about :) I'm sure there are so many more parallels along this line of thought.