THE MYSTERY OF THE WOLF
WE WATCHED A shepherd tend his flock at sunset. Eventually he led them on and out of our sight. It was then that I noticed an animal following in their path.
“It’s a wolf,” said the teacher. “It’s trailing the flock, looking for a chance to attack. The Scriptures speak of wolves. Messiah spoke of them. They symbolized evil and particularly those who seek to destroy God’s people, His people. Ultimately they symbolize the one who seeks the destruction of all of God’s people . . . the enemy . . . the devourer.”
“The devil?”
“The ultimate wolf . . . the predator of God’s flock. The Jewish people are spoken of in Scripture as a flock that would wander the earth and be attacked by their predators.”
“It came true,” I said. “That’s the history of the Jewish people.”
“So who,” asked the teacher, “of all their enemies, of all the predators, were the most evil?”
“It would have to be the Nazis . . . Hitler.”
“And what did they do to the Jewish people? They hunted them down, herded them together, and led them as sheep to the slaughter. They were driven by evil, by the spirit of the wolf, by the enemy . . . And do you know what he named his military headquarters?”
“No.”
“Wolfsschanze. It means the wolf’s lair. And another he called Wolfsschluct, the wolf’s gorge. And another he named Werewolf. And the mystery goes even deeper. Do you know what his closest friends called him? Wolf. And do you know the name he was given from birth?”
“Adolf?”
“Yes, but do you know what Adolf means? . . . The wolf. The greatest enemy of the Jewish people, God’s flock, was named the wolf. . . That’s how real this is . . . and how real is the Messiah.”
“How?”
“If there’s a flock, and a wolf, there must be a shepherd. And if the flock is without its shepherd, then it must be a shepherd from whom the flock was separated. Messiah said, ‘I am the Good Shepherd . . . who lays down His life for the sheep.’ For two thousand years they’ve been without their Shepherd, and the wolf has devoured them. And we too are as sheep. All the more we must walk as close as possible to the Shepherd, and as far as possible from the wolf.”
The Mission: Today, stay as far away from temptation as you can, and as close as you can to the Lord. Far from the wolf and near to the Shepherd.
Psalm 23; Ezekiel 34:6–8; Matthew 10:16; John 10:11–14
The Kingdom of Broken Crosses
DAY 253
REBUILDING THE RUINS
WE WALKED TO a ruin that lay alone and abandoned in the desert sand.
“Imagine,” said the teacher, “standing in the midst of ruins extending as far as you could see. So it was in the land of Israel after the armies of Rome had laid it waste. And in the ages since then it was said that God was finished with the Jewish people. But the words of the prophets recorded a promise: In the latter days God would gather the Jewish people from the ends of the earth back to the land of Israel. And when they returned there, it was prophesied that they would ‘rebuild the ancient ruins. They shall raise up the former desolations. And they shall repair the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations.’ And the words of the ancient prophecies would come true. The Jewish people were gathered back from the nations to their ancient homeland. Once there, they began rebuilding the ancient cities and repairing the ancient ruins. What revelation does this give us?”
“The Word of God is true.”
“Yes,” said the teacher, “and something else. After centuries of rebellion, it would have been easier for God to have ended His dealings with them and to have chosen another people. But He chose instead to restore the destroyed, rebuild the ruins, and raise up His fallen nation. He chose to heal the broken, to take the scattered pieces of His fallen nation and put them back together, one by one, piece by broken piece. Why is that? It’s because when you love something, and that something breaks, you don’t abandon it, you put it back together, piece by piece . . . So with the nation Israel . . . And so with us. Israel is a sign to all people, a picture of God’s redemption for all who will receive it. And what is that redemption? It’s the restoring of what was broken. He doesn’t abandon us in our sins. He doesn’t give up on us in our fallen and broken state. Instead, He rebuilds the ruins. He takes the broken pieces of our lives, of our mistakes, and puts them back together, piece by piece. And as God has done for us, so we must do the same to those who are fallen and to that which is broken. For when you love something and it breaks . . . you don’t abandon it. You put it back together . . . piece by piece.”
The Mission: Is there something broken that you’ve abandoned or given up on? Pray for its redemption and, if you can, put it back together in God’s love.
Isaiah 61:4; Amos 9:14; Luke 4:18; Acts 15:16–17
Dry Bones Rising
DAY 254
DODI LI
HE LED ME into one of the vineyards in the middle of which was a rock on which we rested.
“It was in another garden,” said the teacher, “that I shared with you a Hebrew phrase spoken by the bride in the Song of Solomon, Ani Lo. Do you remember what it means?”
“It means I am His, or I am to Him. And it’s at the foundation of everything we are to be and do in God, our consecration, our works and sacrifices, our ministry and our calling.”
“Yes. And for the revelation to be complete, you need to know one more Hebrew phrase. It is this: Dodi Li. Before the bride says Ani Lo, she says Dodi Li.”
“And what does Dodi Li it mean?”
“My beloved is mine. Dodi Li V’Ani Lo, My beloved is mine, and I am his. Ani Lo, I am His, sums up everything required of you in God. But Dodi Li is the secret to fulfilling it. Before the bride can say Ani Lo, I am his, she must say Dodi Li, My beloved is mine. The more she realizes that her beloved belongs to her, the more she will give herself to her beloved. If she receives his love for her, she will give her love to him. The more her heart can comprehend Dodi Li, the more her life will become Ani Lo. If he is hers, she will be his. And that’s the secret to your life in God. It is your Dodi Li that brings about your Ani Lo.”
“What does that mean?”
“All that you are to be and do in God begins with Dodi Li, My Beloved is mine. The more you fathom what it means that God belongs to you, the more you will give yourself to Him. The more you receive His love for you, the more you will give your love to Him. The more your heart comprehends ‘My Beloved is mine,’ the more your life will become ‘I am His.’ And you won’t have to struggle to live a life of righteousness and holiness or to do what is good. You’ll just do it, freely, flowingly, out of love, out of His love. For it is the Dodi Li heart that produces the Ani Lo life. So make it your aim to fill your heart with the knowledge of Dodi Li—and your life will become Ani Lo. It’s as simple as Dodi Li V’Ani Lo. My Beloved is to me, and I am to Him.”
“My Beloved is mine,” I said, “and I am His.”
The Mission: Make today a Dodi Li day. Live as if God belonged to you—as He does. Receive His life as your gift. And make your life His gift.
Song of Solomon 2:16; Titus 2:14; 1 John 4:10–19
Dodi Li
DAY 255
THE MASTERWORK
THE TEACHER TOOK me around the back of the common hall where there was a blank canvas on a wooden easel and, to its right, a second wooden easel on which rested a beautiful and intricate painting of a landscape.
“Your assignment,” he said, “is to copy this painting.”
“But I don’t know how to paint.”
“That’s the challenge,” he replied. “I’ll be back in a few hours.”
For the rest of the afternoon I tried my best to reproduce what I saw on the canvas. But for all my efforts, the result looked like something a preschooler would have done. When the teacher returned, there was a long silence as we both stared at my work.
“You won’t forget this lesson,” he said.
“You were trying to reproduce the work of a master. Most of those in the kingdom do the same thing.”
“Copy paintings?”
“Try to reproduce the righteousness of God. They know what’s right and good and holy. They know what a godly life looks like. And they try to live it. The goal is worthy. But the way they go about achieving that goal is wrong. They’re doing what you just did, trying by their own abilities to reproduce the work of the Master. And to do that is to compete with God. And if you could do that, you wouldn’t need God. Only God can do the works of God. And a holy life is the work of God.”
“Then how can we do it,” I asked, “if God is the only one who can?”
“Then that’s the key. God must do it. And you must let Him. Imagine if, instead of trying to copy this painting, you were given the artist’s heart and mind, his skills, and his spirit. Then it wouldn’t be a struggle, nor would it be a copy. It would be as if the master was painting through you. Therein lies the key. Don’t compete with God by trying to copy His works. But learn the secret of letting God work His works in everything you do. If you live with the heart of God, you’ll do the works of God. If you live by the Spirit of God, you fulfill the will of God. Move in His moving. Love in His loving. Live in His living, and be in His being. As for that painting you did . . . ”
“It’s a mess,” I said. “And I think I’ll keep it . . . as a reminder.”
“Live by the Spirit of the Master,” said the teacher, “and that which you do will be a masterpiece.”
The Mission: Today, instead of focusing on the works of God, seek to live in the heart and Spirit of God—and you will accomplish the works of God.
Ezekiel 36:27; Galatians 5:16, 22–25; Philippians 1:6; Hebrews 13:21
The Poem of God
DAY 256
THE ZYGOTE MYSTERY
WE WERE STANDING in the middle of a garden of flowers of every color and type. The teacher removed from his pocket a tiny object and handed it to me.
“It’s a seed,” he said. “And the Scriptures have much to say about them. Messiah even spoke of His own life as a seed. ‘“The hour has come,” He said, “that the Son of Man should be glorified. Truly, I say to you, unless a seed of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.”’ He was speaking of His death, and the fruit it would bear . . . the resurrection, salvation, eternal life. But what Messiah referred to when He spoke of His life and death is called a zygote. The word zygote literally means the joined. A zygote is the new life that comes from the joining of two lives, that of the two parents. So the zygote is the union of two natures in one life. That’s what a seed is. And He spoke of His life as a seed, a zygote.”
“That’s what His life was,” I said, “the union of two natures, the joining of God and man, the uniting of the Spirit and the flesh, deity in bodily form, the union of heaven and earth in one life, a joining . . . the zygote.”
“But then what happens,” asked the teacher, “to the seed, the zygote? It falls to the ground as if dying. And its outward form undergoes a type of death. But only then does the life inside the zygote bear its fruit. So Messiah’s life falls to the ground and dies, and by His death, bears new life into the world . . . And so it is with others.”
“How could there be others?” I asked. “Only He was of two natures.”
“But there are others,” said the teacher. “The moment one is born again, one’s life in this world becomes a union, a union of two natures, earth and heaven, the flesh and the Spirit, the temporary and the eternal, God in man. Every child of God is a union, a joining of two natures, a zygote. But if the zygote falls to the ground and dies, it brings forth much fruit, it bears its life.”
The teacher bent down and buried the seed in the soil between us.
“Every time you die to the self, every time you crucify the flesh, every time you surrender your will to God’s will . . . the power of God and of new life will be released, and you will bear much fruit, and your life will bring forth the life it was always meant to bear. Do this, and the purposes of God in your life will bear much fruit . . . It is the law of the zygote.”
The Mission: Learn the secret of the zygote. Let the old self die, crucify the flesh, surrender your will. And the power of life will be released.
Matthew 10:39; John 12:23–24; 15:13; 2 Corinthians 4:10–11
The Mystery of the Zygote
DAY 257
PRUNE THYSELF
WE RETURNED TO the garden where we first saw the man who was trimming the branches.
“Do you remember what you saw here?” asked the teacher.
“The man trimming the branches,” I answered. “The pruning.”
“And what is the purpose of pruning?”
“Pruning removes the branches from a tree that hinder its fruitfulness or its well-being, to allow it to become as fruitful as possible.”
“Pruning, therefore, is critical to living a fruitful life in God, so God prunes the lives of His children. But in order to live a fruitful life, you must also be part of the process. You must learn also how to prune yourself.”
At that, he led me over to a tree in need of trimming. He handed me two of the gardener’s tools, a pruning hook and a pair of pruning shears.
“Do you see this?” he said. “It’s a diseased branch. If it’s not cut off, it will harm the tree. Any action, course, or habit of sin in your life is a diseased branch and will hinder you from living a fruitful life in God. Prune it off.”
So I did.
“And this here is a dead branch, once fruitful but now detrimental to the tree’s health. Any action or expenditure of energy in your life that produces no fruit, even if it once did, is a dead branch. You must prune it off.”
So I did.
“And these branches here are hindering the tree by blocking sunlight from the tree’s most fruitful branches. So in your life, anything you do that keeps you from receiving from God, from dwelling in His presence and His Word, is a hindering branch.” He pointed downward. “And these branches here are too low. They stand for all the low pursuits, indulgences, and actions that drain away your time and energy from the higher things to which God has called you. Cut them off. Cut them all off,” he said.
“From my life?”
“Absolutely. But from the tree as well, as an object lesson. Cut them all off. It will not harm the tree, but help it. So it is with your life. By giving up, you will gain. Make it a continual practice, and you will become spiritually healthy, strong, great, and fruitful. Prune thyself . . . and you will bear much fruit.”
The Mission: Today, identify in your life the dead branches, the diseased, the hindering, the wasteful, and the low—and cut them off. Prune thyself.
Mark 1:35; 10:29–30; John 15:1–5
The Secrets of Pruning I–III
DAY 258
THE POWER OF AS
IN THE BOOK of Ephesians it is written, ‘Therefore, be imitators of God, as beloved children.’ How would you understand and apply that?” asked the teacher.
“Beloved children would imitate their fathers. So since you are beloved children, imitate your heavenly Father, God.”
“That’s good,” he said. “‘Be imitators of God as beloved children.’ You could take that to mean since you are beloved children, imitate God. And that would be correct. But it doesn’t exactly say that. It says as, the Greek word hoce. Hoce can be translated as in the same way as, or just like. So it could be translated as ‘Be imitators of God in the same way as, or just like beloved children.’ How do you carry out that command? First you must have an idea of what beloved children are, how they act, how they react, how they live. Then you live as if you were one of them. So as you believe they would act, so act in that same way. As a child of God, you are not bound by what you’ve been or even by what you are now. In God you have the power to live as you are not. . . or rather as you are not yet. . . but to live as you are yet to be. And toward that end,
the word as is a very powerful thing. When the angel came to Gideon, he found a man living in fear. Yet he said to him, ‘The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor.’ A mighty man of valor was not who Gideon was, but who Gideon was to become. But the angel greeted him as if he was a mighty man of valor. Gideon now had live by faith as if he was that mighty man of valor. And that’s what he became. That’s the secret of as. Do not be bound by what you are. Rather, live as if you were that which you are to become. Be as Gideon, the one whose life was changed when an angel greeted him. And do you know what the angel called him . . . in Hebrew? He called him gibbor. Gibbor literally means champion. Now imagine how a champion in God would live, a person of righteousness, purity, holiness, godliness, and power. Imagine how a champion of faith would live. Then live as that champion. Live as if you could do great and mighty things for God . . . even if it’s far beyond anything you’ve known, or been, or done. Live by faith as if you could, as if that champion was you and, as it was with Gideon, it will become so. It will become you in the power of as.”
The Mission: Live now not according to who you are but as you are to be. Live this day in the power of as—as a victorious, mighty champion!
Judges 6:11–12; Ephesians 5:1, 21–29
The Perfect Bowler
DAY 259
THE YAD
ABOUT TWENTY OF the students were gathered in a circle. They were singing a song of worship. I had never heard it before. It was in another language. They had to have learned the song while in the school. Many of them lifted their hands as they sang. I just watched. When it was over, the teacher, who had been observing their worship from outside the circle, approached me.
The Book of Mysteries Page 37