Gary & Linda Brownlow

Translations:
              

  Seems as though people have lost their identity, or have they ever had one. All of the commercials on TV have to do with loosing weight, becoming a size 2, diet pills, bowflex, Jenny Craig, Relacore/ Relafen, Nutri - system. We are worried about that glycemic index, or for the men, the glycemic advantage.

  People come to Christ and the first question is, “who am I now?” Our world has been turned upside down. It’s no wonder we ask this question because we are bombarded by the world. “What is my purpose.” Well you are the same person who walked the isle. God has been working on you since birth to be who you are. Now He just wants to make you better. He crushes you, squeezes you, forms you, shapes you, and molds you into the vessel that He can use.

  We are never happy with who we are, or with the job God gives us to do. I hear people say, “I can’t do anything”, when they have a wonderful ministry of helps, serving, or encouragement. These are very necessary in the body. But, we aren’t happy. We go to the mirror and say, “what good am I”. “Look at me”, my nose is too big, so we get it fixed. Then the mirror says, my cheeks aren’t right, so back to surgery we go. A few more trips to the mirror, the eyes aren’t set right. The eyelids are too flabby, and other things are to flabby or to flat!!! At this point everything is out of proportion. Nothing seems to fit. We don’t look like the person God created anymore. Look at the cat woman, Michael Jackson. The problem is, we are looking in the wrong mirror. We are to be imitators of Christ. When we look in the mirror, we are supposed to see Him looking back at us. We need to get our eyes off ourselves, and put them back on Him. When we do that, then we see what God sees.

  Same with the ministry. “God I don’t want to speak in front of people. I would rather no one see me,” or “God, I don’t want to be behind the scenes, I should be out front.” We are never satisfied with our gifting, so we try to fit into a coat or shoes that aren’t ours. So, nothing ever works for us. If we would just be satisfied with what God has created us to be, we would fit perfectly.

Step number one in that transformation.
Be willing to allow the Father to re-work some things in you, and in your life.
Jer 18:1-6

The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord saying:

“Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I shall announce My words to you"

Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something on the wheel.

“Can I not, O house of Israel, deal with you as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel.

  When we enter into a relationship with Christ, the Bible tells us that we become new creations (2 Cor. 5:17). Old things have passed away, and we are given an opportunity for new beginnings. We become new spiritual clay for the Holy Spirit to work with. He is shaping us into a beautiful vessel, perfectly designed for the great purposes He has for your life.

  Even when we get off the path, God is always willing to put us on the wheel again and start over. God never gives up on us, how dare us give up on ourselves. He never gives up on us. He reminds us that we are not self-sufficient but we have to trust that He knows what He is doing, and can complete the work that He has started in us. We can’t ever see the big picture. He will give us to see only what we can handle at the time. I am living proof of that. We are concerned about what we look like on the outside, but God is concerned about how we look on the inside. He wants the vessel cleaned from the inside out. You want to look good on the outside? We need to trust God to change us from the inside out.

  We all know the story of Abraham and Sarah, how they were both old but the Lord told them they would have a child, and Sarah laughed. Well at her age, don’t tell me that God didn’t do some reconstructive surgery. He started on the inside and worked His way to the outside. If He did that for them, He can sure do it for us. Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90 years old. God had to do some changes since they were both past childbearing years. He made both of them ‘young again’. She must have looked young because Abraham had already passed her off as his sister to Abimelech because he wanted her for his harem. She obviously didn’t look 90 years old.

  God knows what he is doing with us, even when we can’t see it. He causes the barren to become fruitful, the blind to see, the lame to walk. He can still do re-construction today.

Got a problem with your eye, what is wrong with being a watchman to warn others as to what is coming. Very necessary today.

Ear—we need those that can hear the word of the Lord and direct others.

Hand—we need those who are willing to serve, to help, to encourage others.

Foot—we need those who are willing to walk into those places, that others would not dare go, only when God tells you to do so. There is a real anointing on one who is willing to walk with God. Look at Enoch.

Why do we want to get these things fixed? So you’ve got a blue eye and a brown eye, God likes it that way.

You say your ears are to big-- the better to hear Him with.

Hands are wrinkled and blotched-- must be because they haven’t been idle.

Feet are to big--they can cover more ground in less amount of time.

These things make us unique, but we want to fix them, or CORRECT them. Guess God didn’t know what He was doing when He made you.

I Cor. 12:1-11

1.Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware. (Stupid)

2. You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to the dumb idols, however you were led. (BC)

4. Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit.

7.But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. (Everyone’s good)

11. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.

So I guess we don’t have the choice of what or who we are to be, if the Spirit wills….

I Cor 12:12-31

16. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body.

19. And if they were all one member, where would the body be”

  Most of the time, we focus more on building up the physical body than building up the spiritual body. There is nothing wrong with exercise, but when we become obsessed with our abs we come very self-centered and prideful.

  We need to ask God to help us with the 3 lusts:

  We can and do fall into these things, these traps, when we focus on our selves as being more or less important, this is pride, because you have taken your eyes off of God, and what he can do.

20. But now there are many members, but one body.

23. and those members of the body, which we deem less honorable, (less honorable? Does that mean that I am better than someone else is? We are not to think too highly of ourselves, or to look down on the gifts of others. All of us, our gifts, are important in the body of Christ.) on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our unseemly members come to have more abundant seemliness, (We are to build up not tear down, and definitely not to stand taller than anyone else.)

24. whereas our seemly members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked, (members which lack (apparent importance)

25. that there should be no division in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. (All members are alike and we should have mutual interests and care for one another.)

26. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. (share in it)

28. And God has appointed in the church, (for His own use) first apostles, (special messenger’s) second prophets, (inspired teachers and expounders) third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues. (Speakers in, different, unknown tongues)

We have a lot of noise in the church today but we don’t see enough love, or genuine love.

Then it goes on to say what love is. The Greek word here for love is agape love. The love like Christ’s love for us, undeserved and without though of return. We general will think what is in it for me. We should not seek our rewards here, but in heaven.

The kind of love, where we would lay down our live for another. Sometimes that may be literal, but I think it may also mean, just laying down my agenda for what someone else wants to do, and needs to do. Just imitate the Master and we will end up with a Masterpiece, because we are a piece of the Master. Being, In Him. Outside of Him I am nothing. I can’t create anything myself, but in Him I can do all things. I can accomplish the purpose that He created me for.

Linda Brownlow, PhD
Fire and Rain Ministries
Burleson, Texas

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