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| |  | Michael Fox CPCC,
founder of m�agine!,
is a professional
coach and trainer,
author and creative artist, whose work has been featured throughout
the world.
Michael is a
Certified Practitioner
of the
Myers-Briggs
Type Indicator.�
Do you know someone
who might benefit
from our weekly email?
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Jesus on spiritual formation [3]... |
The desire of Jesus' heart--his passion to fulfill his Father's will, that is, to satisfy the desire of his Father's heart--was at the center of his earthly life and ministry:
"Therefore, when He [Jesus] comes into the world, He says, sacrifice and offering You have not desired, but a body You have prepared for Me...'Behold, I have come to do Your will'" (Hebrews 10:5-9).
We might reframe Jesus' declaration: "I have come to satisfy your desire."
The common translation of Jesus' pronouncement is unfortunate. The phrase, "A body you have prepared for Me," in the original, cryptically reads, "My ear you have dug out." Although understood figuratively by translators--the part (the ear) for the whole (the body), the phrase is actually a literal reference to a practice established in Exodus 21:2-6.
Under the Law of Moses, at the end of six years of indentured servitude, a slave was given two options. He could choose either to leave his master's house as a free man, or to remain in his master's employ as a voluntary servant--that is, as a bondservant. If he chose the latter, the Law instructed the master to pierce the servant's ear. A pierced ear was the sign of a man who, on his own volition, remained in his master's household.
And so, when Jesus declared, "You've pierced my ear...I have come to fulfill your desire," he expressed his longing to voluntarily satisfy the desire of his Father's heart. Jesus' declaration was echoed later in his ministry when he assured his disciples:
"For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father" (John 10:17-18).
Understand, then, that Jesus was a not a victim of circumstance; he powerfully and consciously chose both to live and to die. We can feel many things for Jesus, but do not pity him, as if he fell victim to his oppressors.
The disciple of Jesus can personally reflect his Lord's own initiative: "No one takes my life from me, but I lay it down of my own initiative."
When one chooses to "lay down his life of his own initiative," he powerfully and consciously chooses to act--not from a place of fear and compulsion, but from a place of power, of love, and of a sound mind.
How might this shift in perspective show up in you? In your perception of Jesus and his sacrifice? In your spirit and energy around your own life in the Lord?
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Michael Fox
m�agine!
530/613.2774
407 Myrtle Drive
Farmerville, LA, USA 71241 |
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In addition to personal and professional coaching,
m�agine! specializes in spiritual transformation coaching,
employing its proprietary models
--Values, Vision, Voice and Heart, Soul, Mind & Strength--
as well as
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator� curriculum
published by CPP, the People Development People.
Michael's books include
Complete in Christ,
Complete in Christ Spiritual Transformation Workbook,
and Biblio�files.
Coaching fees are based upon a sliding scale. Contact us for details.
For additional information, visit our website at maginethepossibilities.net.
Limited scholarships are available for spiritual transformation coaching.
On the flip side, if you are able, please inquire about opportunities
to fund scholarships for those who cannot afford coaching fees.
View our archives!
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