Uncategorized – Embracing God

Now here is a strange question: “Where is your wicker basket?” Why do I ask? Well simply because of a dream. I usually have some Doozies, but this one was one that I really enjoyed and would have liked to go back to sleep for. Simply for the fact that I went to heaven. The dream started out with something happening and all the sudden I was needing to board a plane to heaven.

I must have died. Well I got my boarding pass, which looked something like a compass and had to go to the ticket booth – which looked something like a passport terminal. There was a nice gentleman that was getting his ticket and after he left, he realized that he forgot something and got back in line. Three people were ahead of him. Each taking longer than normal and the man was getting very frustrated and angry. By the time he got to the ticket counter, he found out because of his attitude that he was going to have to take another flight. I guess you have to check your attitude before you get on the flight to heaven.

Then all the sudden the scene changed and I was on the flight. I remember looking back and seeing a rear window,Kind of like a cars rear window and I was going vertically up towards the sky. It was like the earth was moving away from me. It put a knot in my chest – you could say that it scared me to death. Well if I wasn’t dead already anyway. On the way, we were going on all sorts of roads and all of them looked like mother of pearl slides that went in all kinds of different directions. Kind of like the MC Escher painting of the stairs. Then finally we got there.

Next thing I know is that I was being told to go to an area to put my stuff. I had a backpack full of stuff that I must have brought along with me. I am not sure what was in the bag all I know is that it was everything that I had. I guess they were telling me that, that I didn’t have to carry around my baggage anymore. I had a place to stay. A gentleman told me that I had the area 23S which happened to be right accross from my Pastor – Dr. Young in 22G. The area with the designated spots remided me of the spa and sauna area that Chaundra and I used at the resort in Lost Pines recently. I looked at the little hole in the wall and wondered to myself is there like a whole room in that little hole. After all we were in heaven and anything was possible. As I looked it was a little wicker basket. I was supposed to sit my backpack in it and start enjoying heaven.

This is when I woke up. Darn that waking! I was going to get to find out what heaven was like and I didn’t get my chance. So the moral of the story is: “I don’t know! After all it was just a Dream!” Just kidding, I think that it was saying that we don’t have to carry around our burdens anymore. God made a way. We pack our bags, but He has a place for them. So if these burdens are like sin, we won’t need them anymore. So I will leave you with some scripture:

22This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement,[a] through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. –Romans 3:22-26

So I guess I will ask the question again: “Where is your wicker basket?” Is it your back? Are you carrying around your burdens or sins? Or is it in a hole in the wall where you don’t have to carry them around anymore? God made a way! The flight is ready, you just have to get on board. The ticket is Jesus and just like the compass he will show you the way. All you have to do is believe in him and the sacrifice that he gave to get us to God. I hope you have your ticket.

And this concludes this episode of “What Scott Dreams.” Turn in next week for another exciting epi… well maybe your never know. God Bless!

I was thinking today that we as Christians have gotten into the habit of speaking Jesus name in all of our prayers as if it will make sure that we get what we want. I was praying on my personal journal blog and started to write down, In Jesus Name, AMEN, but something made me stop and think for a moment. I want God’s will to be done and I don’t what to fill like I am conjuring up some sort of result just because I say the right words.

I understand why we use the formula at the end our our prayers. Scripture states in various places that: John 14:13-14 “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” Also, John 15:16 “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.”

When you look at other scriptures that are talking about “in my name” they generally have to do with God getting the glory out of the outcome. For Example: Mark 16:17 “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” or another example Mark 9:41 “For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.” or concerning children: Mark 9:37 “Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me.” It all comes down to how does God get the Glory.

The word Amen, in the hebrew language, means “Your will be done” in not so many words anyway. So I guess in the end what we are really saying is “In Jesus Name we pray, your will be done.” I think that we need to get away from saying it just because we are trying to minipulate God into doing our own will, or for the matter, the reason “this is just the way we are supposed to finish our prayer, or they might not get heard,(Like he wouldn’t hear it anyway)” or anything like that and realize that when we are praying in His Name, it is so he gets the glory. I am not sure exactly what I am saying right now, but it is a good place to start. Why am I saying, ‘In Jesus name, AMEN!’ in the first place? What is the motive behind my prayer? Is it just a forula? I guess we just have to realize when it comes to the end of the prayer – we need to realize that it is His will we want done. I don’t know what are your Thoughts and comments?