Krissi

In what ways is the kingship of Jesus a threat to our self-determination? What are our choices in light of his Kingdom? Every day I think I'm making decisions to be like Him. In a way, this is my determination -- I will to be like Him. Yes, the Holy Spirit prompts and enables me, so even my desire to be like Him is really not mine, but it feels like I'm making a choice. My mind goes through the rational and emotional steps of making a choice. What the kingship of Jesus demands is a conscious choice to do and think in ways contrary to my desire. It is submission. Conscious and thoughtful submission. Submission isn't contrary to self-determination, so I think the dichotomy posed in the question may not be helpful. I, as a conscious self, determine to follow Jesus. I can determine to NOT follow Him, too. I think what you're saying is that the determination to follow Jesus means that other priorities and/or determinations have to be submitted.

The Holy Spirit within me is greater than Satan or any false ideas that come from without (false teachers) or within (bad thinking), yet Christians often fall to temptation or have incomplete or misguided ideas. I'm thinking, now, about the many councils held in the first 500 years, or so, of Christianity, and how needed were they to root out heresy. All heretics are not Christians. Some were Christians, but misguided. This means, then, that they did not wait or allow the Holy Spirit to do His work in their mind and heart. We have the Holy Spirit within us, but we are still in a battle. The Holy Spirit does not impose Himself unless asked and needed. So though He is greater, He works through and in weak humans who limit His power. We have overcome false ideas and Satan to the degree we let the Holy Spirit be sovereign. This is really a discussion of God's sovereignty, isn't it? The way to overcome in the future is the same as in the past -- battle. I don't like the triumphalist tone which assures that our battle has been won. Perhaps it has in an eternal sense, but here on earth, as we live, we battle until the end and don't always win. Increasingly we overcome, but not necessarily. Our battles morph into areas where we are weaker, and there are always these areas. Sin never leaves us. We should fear failure. Errantly thinking we can battle alone is a battle in itself. We should fear not making the mark, sinning, and falling short. These are real possibilities if not probabilities. If we're called to be like Him, knowing we'll never meet that call is fear-inducing. YET... we do have an advocate and the power of the Holy Spirit to enable us to be victorious. AND, we're forgiven when we truly repent. So our fear should be limited to our failures and sin, and not be totalizing -- we don't have to fear continual sin or failure. Sin's consequences, however, rarely evaporate.

Why is it hard for us to value the time we spend in meditation and prayer? Which of the times of our day do you think the Lord values most? How does listening to the Lord propel Anna’s ministry? I value prayer time, but perhaps not enough. My mind often wanders as I pray, think and study. Writing helps me channel my thoughts so I scribble during my devotions. I do not think writing is conducive to prayer, as my scribbling gets in the way of focusing solely on Him. Sometimes my writing ABOUT Him seems more important to me than writing TO Him. This is sin. God values all time, as Old Jerry wrote above, but Jesus did seem to rise early in the morning to start the day with prayer, and subsequent generations of Christians have done the same. I do this. I arise before the hubbub begins, before most people have left for work, and the first thing I do (after checking my email) is my devotions, including these wonderful studies by Pastor Ralph. Anyone who listens as intently as Anna will be close to the Lord. I pray to hear His voice as she did. Lord, give me ears to hear You!

Why is believing that Jesus was God in the flesh so important? Why doesn't Satan want us to believe that? What are the implications of the fact that Jesus could live out his divine life in a human body like ours? What significance does it bring to the crucifixion and to the resurrection? What is the significance for your Christian life? I just wrote about this yesterday -- this is more than coincidental! One of the downstream effects of separating flesh from spirit is the utter confusion it makes in unrelated ideas. For example, God's permissive will v His perfect will, an idea that splits God's will into a lesser (fleshy or compromised) and higher (spiritual and pure). It's almost impossible for me to conceptualize the dual nature of Jesus. I'm not alone. Most historians distinguish between the "Christ of faith and the Jesus of history" or something similar. At root, they do this because they can't grapple with Jesus' humanity. Perhaps this is Satan at work ... perhaps it's just our own intellectual limitation -- the cause matters not. If Jesus could live a holy life in human skin, so can we to the extent we are like Him. I guess this means that human perfectibility is possible, though never achieved. The "holiness" movement, Wesley et. al., centred around the idea that we're called to perfection, nothing less. This doesn't resonate with my experience, as I'm anything but holy; still, I struggle toward a goal that's far off. Regarding the crucifixion and resurrection -- these would be meaningless if Jesus wasn't truly human. To be crucified is to suffer as a human: to be resurrected is to defy human death. Without a body, a real fleshly body, Jesus couldn't have suffered, died and been resurrected. I'm having problems thinking of ways Jesus' flesh is significant in my own life. Intellectually, it's a challenge, but spiritually, I don't know ... "Lord, help me understand this." Just an FYI: https://kristenburroughs.com/?p=3288

It seems that the revelation of Jesus was for Simeon's sake, to fulfill a promise God made specifically to him that he would see the Messiah before he died. But, it's recorded in scripture so it must be for our sake, too -- I'm not sure what we receive from knowing about Simeon except it's a further confirmation of Jesus Messiahship to the Jews and, as Hanks noted below, a confirmation to the gentiles that the covenant had now expanded to include them.

Why is the suddenness of Christ’s coming fearful? How were these verses fulfilled in Jesus’ day. How will they be fulfilled at his Second Coming? The fear is guilt. If we had perfectly upright lives without sin, we would not fear. As you wrote, there is no middle ground. We are either in Christ or against Him. Either we submit or we die. And submission is painful. It's the caustic soup and white hot fire that burns away the impurities, sins, tendencies, desires, dreams and hopes, until there's nothing left but an empty vessel waiting to be refilled. The "killing" of the self by God is fear inducing. The thought that I will be consumed to be saved is terrifying. And yet, such burning/training yields the "peaceful fruit of righteousness." I don't know if this fruit will be ours in our lifetimes or at His return.

To me, the most meaningful quality in your list is Cameo 3, that God in Christ is eternally pre-existent. Christ didn’t come into existence at His birth, but already existed in some inexplicable way prior to the historical event of His birth. It was humbling for God to come in the form of a human, to lower Himself into our sinful world and allow Himself to be crucified. The incarnation is way beyond what my little mind can comprehend. God is God – I am human – yet God assumed a human body and mind … this is incomprehensible. I understand why docetists (?) – the heresy that Jesus just seemed to be in a body – think the way they do. His body-ness is troubling. It seems to negate His god-status. But His humanity wasn’t an illusion or mind trick, but real. The incarnation wasn’t a ghost-like apparition, but human life itself, and done in such a way that His divinity was untarnished.

We know that God doesn't "owe" us anything. So what is the relationship between obedience and answered prayer? Do we "earn" God's favor through obedience? Yes, there is a relationship between works/obedience/truth and God acknowledging prayer, but it's not linear or one-to-one. Is this the same as earning His favour? Yes, in a way it is. Obviously, as a sin-laden human, nothing I do rises to the level of perfection, so God must have some sort of sliding scale when he looks and hears my pathetic attempts to love others and love Him. That's the idea of a mustard seed, isn't it? A wee bit of faith ... a half-hearted good work done in grumbling obedience, is better than none. Perhaps God sees my obedience as flailing attempts to get closer to Him, and smiles knowingly. The point is that I cannot love God fully and cannot obey entirely, but God notes my efforts. Is there a connection between obedience and answered prayer? Well, No, not directly. Only in the sense that my obedience gets me closer to Him, and as I get nearer to Him the content, direction and intensity of my prayers change. I'm to the point where I don't think God answers any specific prayer, per se, but uses my specific prayer as a way of aligning my will with His or do specific things inside of me.

What was the shepherds’ response to finding Christ? The shepherds didn't doubt the message, and seemed to be expecting to find Him, though they didn't know exactly where He was. Didn't the star hover over Jesus, guiding not only the shepherds, but the foreign kings or astrologers? They were amazed, not at finding Him, but at the entirety of the event. I imagine them peering into a stone trough at a newborn, and wonder if Jesus looked any different than other babies. Medieval and renaissance painters tend to imagine him giving off light, or having a halo. I don't see this in scripture. What was Mary’s reaction to the shepherds’ story? Her reaction was much like that of the shepherds --a simple, faith-filled acceptance and wonder.

What does it mean to "lay down your life for your brothers"? What are some concrete examples of this kind of love in action within the Christian community? If you are in a large congregation, how can you get to know other members so you'll be able to lay down your life for them -- and they for you? I've never seen any Christian lay down his life, even metaphorically, for another Christian. Is that not sad? Christians tend to do what they've always done and makes them feel comfortable: bake a casserole and bring it to the sick, give a bit of money to others, go on a half-work missions trip, etc. But lay down their life? No. This makes me think about my own relationships with people at church. I'm in a new church so don't know many other people. I'm also shy. It's the first time in my adult life I've been single, so I tend to hide in the back, away from people. From there, I watch what's going on. The acts of love they have toward each other are often subtle: cards and notes, texts and emails, calls and even neighbourly drop-ins with a baked good. I think, no matter where we are in life, there's some way to show love. In my case, I'm caring for my atheist father as he dies. I hope I'm doing it in love. This is what God has given me to do, and though I don't like it, I'm doing it obediently, though I grumble a lot. God has shut doors of escape, so I know I'm supposed to care for him as well as attend the new church (which is nothing like the dead church I used to go to). I have NO IDEA, however, why God has me here or what I'm supposed to be doing. Everyday I get up and ask God to make the day worthwhile for Him. I pray that this is a time of preparation, that in the future God will call me to a bigger life. But in the interim, I'm here with an old man attending a little Pentecostal church (I used to be Anglican!), and in this church, I see love in little things members of this church do for each other. It makes me smile. One thing I've noticed, here, is how many people miss the mark in their loving-giving. Rather than give what is needed, they give in ways familiar. But if a person needs his rent paid, that's what we should do! If a person needs a break from difficult children, that's what we should do. We shouldn't deliver meals to people who need rent, or send cards to people who need real-life relief. One thing I do, because I can do it while caring for my father, is write a blog about the serious doubts and questions I have in faith. This little blog hasn't exactly gone viral, but many people read it. Is this an act of love? I don't know because I have no idea who reads the blog. I'm writing into the void, asking God to bring the eyes to it that need to read it and to give me the right words for them. Regarding the future, we'll see how God wants me to love others. At one point in my life -- certainly not now! -- I was a wealthy woman married to a Jew who was dead-set against Christians. Now, I'm glad to be divorced, but praying to be wealthy again because it's one area of my character that has proven strong. I don't not need to live conspicuously, and am eager to give money away anonymously. I pray God gives me this opportunity and a godly man as a husband.

I don't know why God chose the shepherds and not, say, the tanners, winemakers, tentmakers, tax collectors, fishermen or any of the ordinary occupations of that time. And, too, I don't know why He chose those particular shepherds. God seems to like a bit of drama, at times -- I'm thinking about Moses on the foggy mountain in His brightness. At other times, He's low-key -- I'm thinking how Elijah was quietly told by an angel to sit by Cherith. Does God use "radiant glory" when the stakes are higher? I doubt this. Had the shepherds not heard about Jesus, it doesn't seem that His birth would have been negatively impacted. Other groups didn't know about Jesus, but His life ministry continued anyway. So the stakes were not high. The shepherds merely witnessed Christ's birth. The good news is that -- finally! -- the Jewish messiah and saviour had been born. When events happened as the angel predicted, the angels' testimony was verified or authenticated. My question is why? Why did God appear to these particular shepherds with such a significant message that proved to be true?

Anger is spontaneous, reactive, verbal and transitory; hate is deliberate, long-lasting, remembering, silencing and persistent. Hate required anger: anger doesn't have to result in hatred. Both anger and hatred occur in the head, in the realm of ideas. Murder is an act -- actualized hatred. Without hatred murder wouldn't exist. Getting rid of anger quickly seems to be the best solution. This is done through prayer and self-reflection, by asking God to help rid oneself of such a sin. Getting rid of hatred, however, is a long-term process in which God MUST be involved, otherwise it is futile. It's amazing how long hatred lasts. Little things make it bubble upward when it was thought to be safely buried. When hatred is uncovered, it's imperative to bring this character flaw and associated negative emotions to God and beg Him to help get rid of them. This is a repeatable process that takes time. It's also our only hope.

Why is it important for us to know who governed the area at the time of Jesus’ birth? What difficulties did Mary and Joseph face? Knowing the political leadership and situation at that time helps explains the long foot-journey of Joseph and his pregnant wife. I can't imagine walking for four days right before birth. That had to be a horrific experience for her. And Joseph, as the man of that family, was probably very concerned about their safety and his relative inability to protect his soon-to-be wife and child. What do you think God allowed such difficulties? Why does he allow difficulties in our lives? His ways are mysterious. Period. To try to explain why God allows so much suffering in the lives of those who are obedient and walking in His will brings us to the conundrum of God using evil for our good. I simply don't understand this and doubt I ever will. Why can't God allow us to build our characters in times of happiness and fulfillment?

Why didn't God protect the righteous Abel? That's what I want to know. Abel brought God his gift-sacrifice, his heart was right, God accepted his offering ... and he was murdered. Why does God allow these sorts of things to happen to those who try to do good and actually please Him? I'm not focusing on Cain, but Abel. Okay, I'll look at Cain, now. Cain was angry at the situation and the preferential treatment God gave Abel -- anger is the desire to hurt someone. Then that bottle blew open. Hatred morphed into murder. He did what he had thought -- all deeds, good or bad, start in the mind. Jesus didn't seem to think that Abel deserved more or was unfairly treated by God. I think people hate Christians because we implicitly are rejecting them, just as God rejected Cain's sacrifice. They feel our rejection, a rejection of their values and, yes, persons as it's impossible to separate a person from his or her sin. Our rejection angers them. Thus, they strike out at us.

Though by training, I'm an intellectual historian (historian of ideas). I must admit I have absolutely NO IDEA why God sent Jesus at that time. Janine. above, summed it well: "He is omniscient and knows the best timing for everything." To be redeemed means, most literally, to be set free as a slave, with full privileges and responsibilities of a freed individual. To me, as an individual, it means that the blood of Jesus at Calvary has set me free from sin -- paid the head-price for my redemption and release. To be adopted is amazing, particularly the terms Pastor Ralph uses: "Jesus as my elder brother," siblings with Him, etc. I can't understand this either, honestly. A fully adopted child has all the privileges and (share of) inheritance as his or her siblings, so I have a wee part of Jesus' inheritance.

As I look back on my life I realize that competing and winning have been, and still are to a lesser degree, extraordinarily important to me, particularly when compared to others from a similar background. This is my deep, constitutive personality, one that is contrary to peace, one that gravitates to the challenge of "war." I don't think that the desire to win necessarily produces cruelty, rape, etc. In my case, it drives me to do my best, that is, my personal excellence. It's a motivating force. Those against whom I compete are like place-markers that inspire me to do better. This is not a peace-making attitude, surely, and I'm not a peaceful person inside. But I still don't think winning is emptiness. And, I also think that it's quite possible to love those against whom I'm competing, to hope they, too, do their best. (I still want to win, however!) Love and winning are not contrasting or opposite. War is horrible for both sides, winning and losing, but I dare say I'd rather be on the winning side here, too. To read of what happens to the vanquished at war is to be faced with the horrors of murder, rape, pillage, etc. in a much more vicious form than those who win have to endure. I just got done reading the transcript for the Nuremberg Doctor's Trial in 1946. Yesterday. Those horrible people preyed on the "losers" at a time of war, the Jews, Poles, children, and infirmed. I'm still reeling ... One of the things Christians can do is make our strength into peace. We do so by defending the losers at war, by standing up for the defenseless. This is most easily done, or perhaps more effectively done, from a position of strength. A prime minister can order his troops to help victims, for example, in a numbers that a sole soldier cannot do. But to get to that position of power, that PM had to WIN electoral battles. He had to defeat those who ran against him. There is such a thing as "peace through strength."

Why do you think God has a special place in his heart for the poor and disadvantaged? Who are the unloved, overlooked, and looked-down-upon in your city? What are you doing to demonstrate Messiah’s love and justice to them? I think God looks with care on anyone who seeks Him, not merely the poor or disadvantaged, but the wealthy and advantaged who humble themselves. The Bible speaks of the poor often because they were in a perilous, life-threatening position in society. But a soldier on the front lines is in a life-threatening position, as is a nurse who exposes himself to deadly pathogens. These are the truly vulnerable people in society, not merely those with section 8 housing and EBT cards. In a way, the government "safety net" redefined who is vulnerable. Now, it includes those who strive to live free from government dependence, but are constantly reeled back into dependence by the programs that supposedly help them. I have given away most of what I have and am praying to God to bless me again with wealth so I can give away more.

How does John's teaching on sin and righteousness in this passage relate to combating the false teachers? What did they seem to be teaching about sin and righteous living? "This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother." (3:10) I know I'm supposed to feel secure in my faith, but the above verse still frightens me. because I do not always do what is right. At times, like yesterday, I blunder in areas where God is working in me. I understand that sin is forgiven and that I'm a Christian, but worry that the seed of righteousness that has been planted in me hasn't rooted deeply enough. Who are the false teachers in my life, I wonder? First, they are people who live flagrantly anti-Christian lives and mock me for trying (and failing) to live differently. Second, they are people who preach or teach a gospel that leads people away from righteousness. Bart Ehrman comes to mind as well as many of the "liberal" theologians I used to read. One thing false teachers do is claim that sin isn't sin, so that people who have a particular character flaw or sin -- for example, homosexuality -- rather than submit to what the Bible says about that sin, choose to "re-interpret" or "update for modern sensibilities" the clear meaning of scripture and thus minimize or deny their sin. Rather than repent, they claim that what they're doing and saying is not really a sin, but a consequence of God's unfolding and ever-tolerant morality. To continue the example, they claim that a homosexual marriage is God's will and that in this "marriage" they're living righteously. But you can see the deadening effect of sin in their eyes, and their desperation to get you to accept their sin belies the gravity of their self-deception. They're lying to themselves and deceiving others.

While I was doing something very big -- marrying a Jewish atheist -- that I knew was wrong but did anyway, I felt this heaviness like an overwhelming pressure on my chest. It was so powerful I leaned my head against the car window and fell asleep, exhausted by sin. In retrospect -- I'm divorced -- I know I had grieved the Holy Spirit, not to exclusion, but in my walk with Him. What happened subsequently is amazing. As my marriage disintegrated, my spiritual life intensified. I believe God's seed in me "germinated" and kept me safe and secure from making another deeply sinful mistake. He hovered over me until I was set free from the consequences of this sin. He protected me and guarded my desires. Is this sanctification? In a way, but it's also His seed slowly growing until it fills the entirety of our beings. We never get completely filled, but increasingly so. Sanctification is more like purification, that is, being purified of our old self: this purification is not from sin, as that was dealt with at thee moment of salvation, but the sinful self that lingers on.

Why do we resist letting the Messiah govern our own lives? Pride. Why don’t we seek his counsel more often? I do seek His counsel, often, but not enough. I think one of the reasons why we don't seek his counsel is that we're competent in ourselves. When we can actually make good decisions, most of the time, I do wonder if we're supposed to bring to Him what we can do. To come to Him at turning points in life, or when the path forward is obscure, makes sense, but does Jesus really care about what I eat for breakfast? Is there a sliding scale of decisions in life from meaningless to significant, and somewhere on that scale we flip from self-competence to dependence? Why is surrender to his wise leadership so difficult for us? Lack of trust is an obvious reason, but not knowing for sure where He is leading is also a factor. What can we do about this hardness we find in ourselves? Submit and confess. Ask to be softened, to change within, to develop a character that is deferential and submissive.

According to verse 1, what is Jesus doing at present? What will he ultimately succeed in doing? At the moment, Jesus is telling us to wait until he crushes our enemies. He, Himself, is also waiting for God's command to "extend (His) mighty sceptor." Waiting: He's between acts, between the triumphant resurrection and the triumphant second coming. He's waiting to rule ... in the midst of enemies. In time, ultimately, he will crush our enemies on the "day of His wrath." He will heap their dead bodies as in a pile after judging them. Then, as he takes a cool drink from a brook, he will lift his head in satisfaction, approving what He had done. What is the primary role of a priest? How does Jesus function as a priest who brings us to God? ( The priest is an intermediary between God and humans. He offers sacrifices to appease the anger and satisfy the righteousness of God. Jesus is both the priest and the sacrifice. As well, He is God to whom the sacrifices are offered. He is the sacrifice, the one who sacrifices and the one to whom the sacrifice is intended. I don't understand this. Somehow, in this convoluted identity, Jesus act brings us to God.

How does lawlessness show up in a person's attitude and actions? In what sense is an attitude of lawlessness the cause of sin in our lives? Attitude is thought. Thought precedes action. The law is something you think about before you do. It has to pass through the prism of mind before it becomes action. So the "attitude of lawlessness" necessarily precedes the act of sinning in either deed or thought. I wonder if there is a difference between lawlessness and disobeying the law. 1) In the one case, a person is ignorant of the stated or written law, even though it is "written on the heart" as conscience. Sins done from this sort of lawlessness seem less culpable and egregious. 2) In the other case, a person willfully shuns the law and chooses to do what he knows in his heart to be wrong. That seems to be a more pointed sin, one that thumbs God purposely and pridefully. Maybe it doesn't matter, but I'd think God would look at intent, and some intentions are more anti-God and anti-law than others. I try not to speed too much, but at times, I willfully break the law this way. I'm in a hurry and hope I don't get caught. In my life, particularly my thought life, I have far more serious sins than speeding, and at times, I willfully break what I know is God's law. God's law takes on a bigger role than just the commandments, here. Loving neighbour and God is another set of commandments, boiled down to the essence. But there are smaller commands, unwritten, that the Holy Spirit speaks through scripture, prayer or just everyday spiritual living. Those laws are easy to break. They're more like His will than a law, but any prompting of God is like law to humans.

In what way does our expectation of Christ's Second Coming motivate us to purify ourselves from sin? How does purifying ourselves from sin relate to God's grace? I'm going to be honest here -- I'm not motivated by the belief that Christ is coming again. I'm very motivate, to get rid of impurity in my life which is mainly in the realm of thought, but this has nothing to do with the second coming. His first coming was enough to make me feel guilt and shame and therefore want to change. So many people, even in the bible, thought His return was imminent -- it wasn't. Had they lived "in the day", and not for the future, their lives may not have been substantially different, however. Since I don't know if I'll be alive when He comes again, I'm living under the expectation that I'll die un-raptured. My purity in life is utmost because I won't be taken away from any problems within or outside of my mind. I know this is the wrong answer! The entire idea of self-purification also bothers me. It seems so pagan, maybe Buddhist or another "striving" religion of self-denial. Even Jews are a bit like this. So how does a Christian "cooperate" with God in his or her own power? I'm not sure. In reality, it "feels like" I'm doing my part, but it may be the HS in me changing me, not me. I'm not sure I can take credit for any moral improvement. Outside of salvation, a point at which I submitted to God, repenting and accepting his forgiving grace, what is it I'm supposed to be doing? In my mind, I feel as if I'm cooperating or participating. I feel as if I'm giving things up and doing things I wouldn't normally do. But I'm not sure if this is my agency or His. I don't know where the motive force is found -- in me, or in Him.

Why does Jesus provoke such negative reactions from some people? Why do people tend to resist any kind of authority? What should we do when we detect resistance in our own hearts? What does it mean to “kiss the Son” (Psalm 2:12)? As someone surrounded by secular people, I see something deep and angry in their faces when church, God or faith is a topic of conversation. It's almost a visceral response, one they seem unable to control. Yesterday, for example, my elderly father said to me that he was proud to "turn off his ears" the few times he had to go to church. Proud! Although I don't understand how this comes to play, it seems that humans stand buffeted between God and Satan, as if warm breezes came from one side, a cold gale from the other. I'm facing the warm breezes as a Christian. Those breezes are from which I breathe. My father, and so many others, are facing the gale, breathing in and out it's essential coldness. It takes a miracle to "warm" them internally, the indwelling Holy Spirit. Increasingly I'm convinced that some are simply pulled out of the cold to salvation and others, for reasons I don't understand, shiver, and die. It's human nature to defy authority. Some of us are more defiant than others -- I'm incredibly defiant, by nature, a constant battle. This has both secular and Christian manifestations. As a Christian, I'm to defer and submit my desires and will to God, the dying of self of which we so often speak. It's painful and makes me vulnerable. Strangely, the same anti-authoritarian defiance that's so damaging as a Christian is beneficial to secularists. They are protected from herd-thinking by an independent attitude. The second psalm is about the rage of nonbelievers against Christ as well as the rage of particular historical figures against, presumably, David. The "kiss" to the Son occurs at the end of the psalm, followed by a warning about what will happen if we do NOT kiss Him and then this instructive encomium: "Blessed are all who take refuge in Him." That must be the meaning, to take refuge in Him.

Good point!