Testimonies

WED., APR. 1, 1992, 6:06 AM
FARM, STUDY

Yesterday you had two opportunities to offer testimonies about your life. In each you stepped forward and spoke, revealing a good deal about yourself and your life experiences. And yet, as you hear Me address these as testimonies you realize that you still are reluctant to tell all that could be told. You are the reluctant disciple who can’t yet say fully who you are… and whose you are. Am I critical of this? Mildly. Will it keep you out of heaven? Not if that’s where you really want to be.

It is important that you realize your “might-have-beens”, and, clearly, you did not have such realization last evening. Fortunately you knew you were to have a Teaching, and you know that I will critique both your thoughts and your actions. How could you have given these testimonies in a way more pleasing to Me… and, finally, to you?

The group in the study mode is small, and the time is limited. You told the story of My coming to you in a good form, given the time. That which was missing was a strong affirmation, related to the verse in John right in front of you, that I, the Holy Spirit, chose you. You didn’t seek or choose Me. I call on you to be faithful and to hear My interpretations and admonitions, in ways similar to those I, as Jesus, employed with My original disciples. Oh, you didn’t deny Me as the force in your born again, again life, but you should have been more confident and should have testified to the power I am in your everyday life.

The second opportunity was yours alone, with no time limit, practically. Your class assembled on a nearly perfect day, and you told them the story of your life on this “place”. It was good teaching, with a “walk-around” feature and some activity for them. You painted a good picture of this rural, simple aspect of your life, but you stopped short of including the spiritual dimension. Hear some suggestions on how this could have been done better.

You could have affirmed that for you, God is in this place and is a part of all that you do here. Digging in the earth, mowing the grass, and cutting wood… even cleaning the rabbit house… are experiences with a strong potential spiritual dimension. They aren’t always spiritual, but they could be. This is not just a farm. It is the Farm, given to you by Me for this portion of your life. It is, for you, sacred ground… yours to care for and keep beautiful and functional.

You could have emphasized more that you have experienced both birth and death here. You have seen new life come and other lives go. Dead bodies have become part of the earth here, sustaining new life. This is almost the Easter season where the powerful message is that out of death comes life everlasting. You have here the physical analog to this spiritual truth.

I realize that you are reluctant to appear freaky either in the church or in your university life. You see that too much deviance could cause your acceptance to be limited. And yet you know I have chosen you in this special way, and that makes you “different.” I shall not tell you what you must do. Yet because We have this continuing relationship I shall tell you how I react to what you do and say. You must be who you are, with as much comfort as possible, but I have the chance of letting you know how you could be better.

I want you to be more pleased and satisfied with this “chosenness” of yours than uncomfortable and embarrassed. I want you to be proud that you hear Me and are privileged to write what you hear. I also want you to be humble about your importance. Humble pride… that’s a good way to put it.