Mother's Journal Gems

Notes taken from my mother's red 1994-'95 journal~

Parker recommends in "KNOWING GOD" that one read Mark through in one sitting. His first conclusion is the same I reached the time I read the gospels 4 or 5 times and then read John the same amount of times. Jesus was a man of action, striding into the midst of things, virile, strong, never shielding Himself, always in charge. Parker says much the same, describing Jesus as .."a man of action, always on the move, always altering situations and precipitating things....Finally walking straight and open-eyed into betrayal, condemnation, and crucifixion."
It's years that I did the above mentioned reading and I had not read Packer's impressions before I wrote my own (except the phrase 'He was a man of action). But how similar our impressions are. And as the writer who had suggested the readings promised, I had received a picture of Jesus that I never forgot.

Finished Job. That last chapter is amazing! God praises and vindicates Job but He lays low his 'accountability group'! They kept condemning Job for the things he said and piously gave their righteous views. But God says 2 times "YOU HAVE NOT SPOKEN OF ME WHAT IS RIGHT AS MY SERVANT JOB HAS." What does He mean? Job, among some very good things, made some brutal accusations against God. But he was completely honest. Something God values highly, I'm sure. And Job never wrote God off. He was always still the driving force of his life. Another thing, after God was finished declaring to Job His power, Job repented in DUST AND ASHES. Not so, his self-righteous accountability group. They had to have Job pray for them and had to offer up a burnt offering so God wouldn't deal with them according to their folly. but they had the grace to humiliate themselves and DID AS THE LORD TOLD THEM. And you hear no more about them but Job had 140 glorious years of life following his awful ordeal.

IT IS CHRIST HIMSELF, NOT THE BIBLE, WHO IS THE TRUE WORD OF GOD. THE BIBLE, READ IN THE RIGHT SPIRIT AND WITH THE GUIDANCE OF GOOD TEACHERS, WILL BRING US TO HIM.-C.S.Lewis.
And the illumination of the Holy Spirit, I might add. But this quote confirms what Jesus said about us thinking we find eternal life in the Scriptures but they really are a testimony of Him.