{"id":18013,"date":"2019-05-08T07:45:45","date_gmt":"2019-05-08T11:45:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/?p=18013"},"modified":"2019-05-08T08:06:14","modified_gmt":"2019-05-08T12:06:14","slug":"he-power-of-giving-and-receiving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/?p=18013","title":{"rendered":"The Power of Giving and Receiving"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/aUT7eBkqMR4\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><br><\/strong>Wednesday, May 8, 2019<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Christians will continually misinterpret and misuse Jesus if we don\u2019t understand the circle dance of mutuality and communion that he participated in from all eternity (which we call \u201cChrist\u201d). Instead, we made Jesus into a monarchical \u201cChrist the King,\u201d a title he rejected in his lifetime (John 18:37), and we operate as if God\u2019s interest in creation or humanity only began 2,000 years ago. Both Western and Eastern Christianity made the one who described himself as \u201cmeek and humble of heart\u201d (Matthew 11:29) into an imperial God. The Greek Zeus became the Latin&nbsp;<em>Deus<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What if we actually surrendered to the inner Trinitarian flow and let it be our primary teacher? Our notion of society, politics, and authority\u2014which is still top down and outside in\u2014would utterly change. But circles are much more threatening than pyramids are, at least to empires, the wealthy, and the patriarchal system. Yet \u201cthe grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit\u201d (2 Corinthians 13:13) was supposed to be our circular and all-inclusive ecology. This relational reality existed from the very beginning as revealed in the very first lines of the Bible. There we already have God (Creator), Christ (God made manifest as \u201clight\u201d), and Holy Spirit \u201chovering over the chaos\u201d (see Genesis 1:1-3) to awaken it\u2014which is still happening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Trinitarian theology says that spiritual power is more circular or spiral, not so much hierarchical. It\u2019s here; it\u2019s within us. It\u2019s shared and shareable; it\u2019s already entirely for us and grounded within us. What hope this gives! \u201cAnd hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us\u201d (Romans 5:5). God\u2019s Spirit is planted within us and operating&nbsp;<em>as&nbsp;<\/em>us! Don\u2019t keep looking to the top of the pyramid. Stop idolizing the so-called \u201c1 percent.\u201d There\u2019s nothing worthwhile up there that is not also down here. Worst of all, it has given 99 percent of the world an unnecessary and tragic inferiority complex.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Trinity shows that God\u2019s power is not any kind of domination, threat, or coercion. If the Father does not dominate the Son, and the Son does not dominate the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit does not dominate the Father or the Son, then there\u2019s&nbsp;<em>no domination in God.&nbsp;<\/em>All divine power is shared power and the letting go of autonomous power. This God is not seeking control, as we do, but handing on the power to the Other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s no seeking of&nbsp;<em>power over<\/em>&nbsp;in the Trinity, but only&nbsp;<em>power with<\/em>\u2014a giving away, a sharing, a letting go, and thus an infinity of trust and mutuality. This should have changed all Christian relationships: in marriage, in culture, in church, and across borders. The prophet Isaiah tried to teach such servanthood to Israel in the classic four \u201cservant songs.\u201d [1] He was trying to train them in being \u201clight to all nations\u201d (Isaiah 42:6; 49:6), but Hebrew history predicted what Christianity then repeated: human nature prefers kings, domination, wars, and empires instead of suffering servanthood or leveling love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We all already have all the power (<em>dynamis<\/em>) we need both within us and between us\u2014in fact, Jesus assures us that we are already&nbsp;<em>\u201cclothed\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;in it \u201cfrom on high\u201d (see Luke 24:49)! The Holy Spirit redefines power from the inside out and from the bottom up\u2014just the opposite of most human cultures. This is why the Gospel is so seldom understood or lived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[1] See Isaiah 42:1-9; 49:1-13; 50:4-9; 52:13-53:12.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The&nbsp;Lord\u2019s Chosen Servant<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>42&nbsp;<\/strong>\u201cLook at my servant, whom I strengthen.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He is my chosen one, who pleases me.<br>I have put my Spirit upon him.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He will bring justice to the nations.<br><sup>2&nbsp;<\/sup>He will not shout<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;or raise his voice in public.<br><sup>3&nbsp;<\/sup>He will not crush the weakest reed<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;or put out a flickering candle.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He will bring justice to all who have been wronged.<br><sup>4&nbsp;<\/sup>He will not falter or lose heart<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;until justice prevails throughout the earth.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Even distant lands beyond the sea will wait for his instruction.<sup>[<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Isaiah+42%3A1-9&amp;version=NLT#fen-NLT-18461a\">a<\/a>]<\/sup>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><sup>5&nbsp;<\/sup>God, the&nbsp;Lord, created the heavens and stretched them out.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He created the earth and everything in it.<br>He gives breath to everyone,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;life to everyone who walks the earth.<br>And it is he who says,<br><sup>6&nbsp;<\/sup>\u201cI, the&nbsp;Lord, have called you to demonstrate my righteousness.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I will take you by the hand and guard you,<br>and I will give you to my people, Israel,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;as a symbol of my covenant with them.<br>And you will be a light to guide the nations.<br><sup>7&nbsp;<\/sup>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;You will open the eyes of the blind.<br>You will free the captives from prison,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;releasing those who sit in dark dungeons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><sup>8&nbsp;<\/sup>\u201cI am the&nbsp;Lord; that is my name!<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I will not give my glory to anyone else,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;nor share my praise with carved idols.<br><sup>9&nbsp;<\/sup>Everything I prophesied has come true,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;and now I will prophesy again.<br>I will tell you the future before it happens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Isaiah 49:1-13&nbsp;New Living Translation (NLT)<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The&nbsp;Lord\u2019s Servant Commissioned<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>49&nbsp;<\/strong>Listen to me, all you in distant lands!<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Pay attention, you who are far away!<br>The&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;called me before my birth;<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;from within the womb he called me by name.<br><sup>2&nbsp;<\/sup>He made my words of judgment as sharp as a sword.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He has hidden me in the shadow of his hand.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I am like a sharp arrow in his quiver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><sup>3&nbsp;<\/sup>He said to me, \u201cYou are my servant, Israel,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;and you will bring me glory.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><sup>4&nbsp;<\/sup>I replied, \u201cBut my work seems so useless!<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I have spent my strength for nothing and to no purpose.<br>Yet I leave it all in the&nbsp;Lord\u2019s hand;<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I will trust God for my reward.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><sup>5&nbsp;<\/sup>And now the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;speaks\u2014<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;the one who formed me in my mother\u2019s womb to be his servant,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;who commissioned me to bring Israel back to him.<br>The&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;has honored me,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;and my God has given me strength.<br><sup>6&nbsp;<\/sup>He says, \u201cYou will do more than restore the people of Israel to me.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I will make you a light to the Gentiles,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><sup>7&nbsp;<\/sup>The&nbsp;Lord, the Redeemer<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;and Holy One of Israel,<br>says to the one who is despised and rejected by the nations,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;to the one who is the servant of rulers:<br>\u201cKings will stand at attention when you pass by.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Princes will also bow low<br>because of the&nbsp;Lord, the faithful one,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Promises of Israel\u2019s Restoration<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><sup>8&nbsp;<\/sup>This is what the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;says:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAt just the right time, I will respond to you.<sup>[<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=isa+49%3A1-13&amp;version=NLT#fen-NLT-18621a\">a<\/a>]<\/sup><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;On the day of salvation I will help you.<br>I will protect you and give you to the people<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;as my covenant with them.<br>Through you I will reestablish the land of Israel<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;and assign it to its own people again.<br><sup>9&nbsp;<\/sup>I will say to the prisoners, \u2018Come out in freedom,\u2019<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;and to those in darkness, \u2018Come into the light.\u2019<br>They will be my sheep, grazing in green pastures<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;and on hills that were previously bare.<br><sup>10&nbsp;<\/sup>They will neither hunger nor thirst.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The searing sun will not reach them anymore.<br>For the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;in his mercy will lead them;<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;he will lead them beside cool waters.<br><sup>11&nbsp;<\/sup>And I will make my mountains into level paths for them.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The highways will be raised above the valleys.<br><sup>12&nbsp;<\/sup>See, my people will return from far away,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;from lands to the north and west,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;and from as far south as Egypt.<sup>[<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=isa+49%3A1-13&amp;version=NLT#fen-NLT-18625b\">b<\/a>]<\/sup>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><sup>13&nbsp;<\/sup>Sing for joy, O heavens!<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Rejoice, O earth!<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Burst into song, O mountains!<br>For the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;has comforted his people<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;and will have compassion on them in their suffering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The&nbsp;Lord\u2019s Obedient Servant<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><sup>Isa 50;4-9<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><sup>4&nbsp;<\/sup>The Sovereign&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;has given me his words of wisdom,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;so that I know how to comfort the weary.<br>Morning by morning he wakens me<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;and opens my understanding to his will.<br><sup>5&nbsp;<\/sup>The Sovereign&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;has spoken to me,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;and I have listened.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I have not rebelled or turned away.<br><sup>6&nbsp;<\/sup>I offered my back to those who beat me<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;and my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard.<br>I did not hide my face<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;from mockery and spitting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><sup>7&nbsp;<\/sup>Because the Sovereign&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;helps me,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I will not be disgraced.<br>Therefore, I have set my face like a stone,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;determined to do his will.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And I know that I will not be put to shame.<br><sup>8&nbsp;<\/sup>He who gives me justice is near.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Who will dare to bring charges against me now?<br>Where are my accusers?<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Let them appear!<br><sup>9&nbsp;<\/sup>See, the Sovereign&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;is on my side!<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Who will declare me guilty?<br>All my enemies will be destroyed<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;like old clothes that have been eaten by moths!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Isaiah 52:13-53:12&nbsp;New Living Translation (NLT)<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The&nbsp;Lord\u2019s Suffering Servant<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><sup>13&nbsp;<\/sup>See, my servant will prosper;<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;he will be highly exalted.<br><sup>14&nbsp;<\/sup>But many were amazed when they saw him.<sup>[<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=isa+52%3A13-53%3A12&amp;version=NLT#fen-NLT-18687a\">a<\/a>]<\/sup><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;His face was so disfigured he seemed hardly human,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;and from his appearance, one would scarcely know he was a man.<br><sup>15&nbsp;<\/sup>And he will startle<sup>[<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=isa+52%3A13-53%3A12&amp;version=NLT#fen-NLT-18688b\">b<\/a>]<\/sup>&nbsp;many nations.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kings will stand speechless in his presence.<br>For they will see what they had not been told;<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;they will understand what they had not heard about.<sup>[<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=isa+52%3A13-53%3A12&amp;version=NLT#fen-NLT-18688c\">c<\/a>]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>53&nbsp;<\/strong>Who has believed our message?<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;To whom has the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;revealed his powerful arm?<br><sup>2&nbsp;<\/sup>My servant grew up in the&nbsp;Lord\u2019s presence like a tender green shoot,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;like a root in dry ground.<br>There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;nothing to attract us to him.<br><sup>3&nbsp;<\/sup>He was despised and rejected\u2014<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.<br>We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He was despised, and we did not care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><sup>4&nbsp;<\/sup>Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;it was our sorrows<sup>[<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=isa+52%3A13-53%3A12&amp;version=NLT#fen-NLT-18692d\">d<\/a>]<\/sup>&nbsp;that weighed him down.<br>And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;a punishment for his own sins!<br><sup>5&nbsp;<\/sup>But he was pierced for our rebellion,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;crushed for our sins.<br>He was beaten so we could be whole.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He was whipped so we could be healed.<br><sup>6&nbsp;<\/sup>All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;We have left God\u2019s paths to follow our own.<br>Yet the&nbsp;Lord&nbsp;laid on him<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;the sins of us all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><sup>7&nbsp;<\/sup>He was oppressed and treated harshly,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;yet he never said a word.<br>He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And as a sheep is silent before the shearers,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;he did not open his mouth.<br><sup>8&nbsp;<\/sup>Unjustly condemned,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;he was led away.<sup>[<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=isa+52%3A13-53%3A12&amp;version=NLT#fen-NLT-18696e\">e<\/a>]<\/sup><br>No one cared that he died without descendants,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;that his life was cut short in midstream.<sup>[<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=isa+52%3A13-53%3A12&amp;version=NLT#fen-NLT-18696f\">f<\/a>]<\/sup><br>But he was struck down<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;for the rebellion of my people.<br><sup>9&nbsp;<\/sup>He had done no wrong<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;and had never deceived anyone.<br>But he was buried like a criminal;<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;he was put in a rich man\u2019s grave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><sup>10&nbsp;<\/sup>But it was the&nbsp;Lord\u2019s good plan to crush him<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;and cause him grief.<br>Yet when his life is made an offering for sin,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;he will have many descendants.<br>He will enjoy a long life,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;and the&nbsp;Lord\u2019s good plan will prosper in his hands.<br><sup>11&nbsp;<\/sup>When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;he will be satisfied.<br>And because of his experience,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;my righteous servant will make it possible<br>for many to be counted righteous,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;for he will bear all their sins.<br><sup>12&nbsp;<\/sup>I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;because he exposed himself to death.<br>He was counted among the rebels.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Wednesday, May 8, 2019 Christians will continually misinterpret and misuse Jesus if we don\u2019t understand the circle dance of mutuality and communion that he participated in from all eternity (which we call \u201cChrist\u201d). Instead, we made Jesus into a monarchical \u201cChrist the King,\u201d a title he rejected in his lifetime (John 18:37), and we operate [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18013"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18013"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18013\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18015,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18013\/revisions\/18015"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18013"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18013"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18013"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}