Musings of a Dignified Prisoner

By Juan Rodriguez

Musings of a Dignified Prisoner is a collection of the authors' (a former correctional inmate) deepest ponderings of our Creator. Forced into isolation (jail within a jail) due to God-orchestrated circumstances, he was left alone with God, the Bible, and his own thoughts. For twenty-three hours and only one hour out of his cell for forty-five days, the author faced one major question: "Why?" He was serving the Lord doing things right and suddenly falsely accused which led him to be thrown in the "hole." The author has known many miracles and seen God work but faced by this large turn of events brings to you Musings of a Dignified Prisoner. The author's hope is that you will be exalted by the hand of God by reading this humbling experience shared. Also included is a forty-day-and-forty-night devotional to help you ponder your way into the arms of Christ.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Apr 2, 2020
• ISBN: 9781644929896

Book preview

Mercy in Death

First day

The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. (Psalm 103:8 (1))

Plenteous means existing in plenty (abundant, ample, generous, teeming, and more than adequate).

The Bible tells us that all these things happened unto them for examples: and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come (1 Corinthians 10:11 (2)). Who are the them? Them refers to those specifically in the wilderness, but all of the Old Testament was written about things that the Lord ordained to happen so that we may gleam and profit thereby.

They envied Moses also in the camp, and Aaron the Saint of the Lord. (Psalm 106:16 (3))

Why?

He made known His ways unto Moses, His acts unto the children of Israel (Psalm 103:7 (4)). The people were in unbelief and doubting the Almighty, while Moses lived in constant contact with the Creator. Yes, the Lord was angry, but verse 9 of Psalm 103 (5) says, He will not always chide: neither will He keep His anger forever. Chide means to conduct a lawsuit (to raise complaints or accusations). Praise God! His lawsuit will end, and His anger has been released on the person who deserved it, thereby satisfying our just recompense. He sets the ultimate example for us His people by forgiving us our debts. Why don’t we do the same? Extend to someone what they most probably cannot return (without Christ, that is)—mercy. Die to yourself today, and as the Lord Jesus Christ, extend mercy in death.

Will Ye Stand?

First night

Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgement, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. (Psalm 1:5 (6))

Therefore is such a seemingly simple word, yet it contains so much power-packed meaning all tied up into it! I have found that in the original tongue (in this particular instance), it means God has established a principle—yes, a standard. And what has He established? That the ungodly (those without God, not even necessarily evil outwardly, and those who are guilty) "will not stand (rise, abide, endure) when the judgment of God is executed. It is good to be aware that the ungodly aren’t outright sinners or authoritative ___; these here are the generally good, respectable people of the world. They may have even done multitudes of good deeds. God in effect is saying their deeds will not stand. Your deeds will not endure. You will not abide, ye ungodly ones, in judgment. All will burn. These are ungodly, without regard for God nor His children, let alone His way. Even the very good deeds men and women have done avail them nothing. God will say, Depart, ye workers of iniquity. Why? Because …and all our righteousness are as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6 (7)). Yes, He equates any deed not done in the power of the Holy Spirit to dirty blood (menstrual rags in the original). In essence, when one is relying on their own merit, they are presenting dirty blood on a dirty rag. Rag means a covering, that is, clothing or robe. This is unless we have God through Jesus Christ (the only way), yes, unless we are covered with the blood, the precious blood of Jesus shed on Calvary’s cross. We are not just naked" as Adam found himself but are trying to hide our nakedness with rags filled with filthy blood of our own refuse.

Will ye stand?

God’s True House of Exchange

Second day

…liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound. (Isaiah 61:1 (8))

…to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. (Isaiah 61:3 (9))

Would you be called tree of righteousness? Would you be planted by the Lord? Then come and exchange your wild heritage for a cultivated one. Stand ye at the foot of the cross. Exchange your ashes for His beauty! And by doing so, you may have precious fruit from which not just those dear to you may eat, but also everyone you come across may taste and see that the Lord is good! Amen! Have you ever returned cans and bottles for nickels? Well, the Lord’s offer is superior—iron for stones and brass for wood! Yes, then turn right around and receive silver for your iron and ___ for your brass (Isaiah 60:17 (10))! Come all ye in the highways and byways, streets and alleys, and tenements and five-star hotels alike! There is no respecter of persons, nor does he discriminate except against the unwilling. Come that ye may bring forth fruit, even in your old age (Psalm 92:14 (11))! Yes, be planted by the intention of the wonderful Gardener, and He shall place you by streams (plurality) of flowing water. Ye shall receive a double or triple portion of flowing nutrients into your path. And the Lord Himself shall be your everlasting light (Isaiah 59:20 (12)). You shall no longer be in darkness. Exchange your will for the Lord’s daily! Then and only then we shall agree with the Psalmist: I will triumph in the work of Your hands (Psalm 92:45 (13)). Together we shall be surrounded by the walls of salvation and the gates of praise while we live in God’s true house of exchange.

Faith of Contemplating Grace

Second night

But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid. (Matthew 14:30 (14))

Contemplate means to look, study, and meditate or reflect upon, to purpose, to intend, and to regard as possible.

Contemplative means given to contemplation, thoughtful, and studious.

Studious means devoted to study, eager, and observant.

Grace means having various forms, intentions, and/or purposes, an enabling gift of God, the power to do what humanly we are unable to do.

When one once receives faith by grace, the aftereffect is that this being becomes eager to study—yes, devoted even to observe God at work. When our true faith is engaged in its proper place (the cross), it causes us to reflect upon our own individual utter inability, thereby giving way for the law (principle) of the spirit of life (the grounds that the Holy Spirit uses to work in a believer’s life). If we humble ourselves, by admitting our necessary need of help (daily bread), He then will begin to fill the believer’s life with dunamis (power) for that day or moment. Our new nature has no power in and of itself, but must receive daily bread as manna from heaven. Our new nature now places new desires within us, but the power to carry them out we will not find unless we go back to the cross and admit our need of a Lord. This we will do only after we’ve received Christ as Savior and have run our life on self-will to our ruin and/or failure. (See Romans chapter 7.) Peter was given faith, being able to gaze upon the Lord Himself. And by faith Peter not only walked on water but through faith was able to see into what I believe the fourth dimension or second heaven. This is where angels and devils do battle. I challenge you to recall or contemplate. Peter was not so afraid of the winds that his fear restrained him from getting out of the boat. No! In fact, Peter’s contemplating grace (faith) did not operate ___ its fullest till he took his first step and got out of the boat! Though his gift of faith was there, it was not active or alive without the work. His spiritual sight was restricted. However, when once he walked by faith, exhibiting his faith thru works of love directed toward Christ in trust, his foot found solid ground where (in this third dimension) there was none. He called those things that weren’t as though they were, and so on solid matter by faith Peter also stepped onto a higher plateau of existence. And there he was also able to see what the natural man could not see: the powerful angel who controlled the wind (Revelation 7:1 (15)). It could not have been just the wind or the effects of the wind resulting in him being startled, or else he would’ve never got out the boat in the first place! Be not afraid, for God is mightier than all! Utilize your gift to contemplate what may be revealed to you in the near future and ___ be prepared. Are you eager? Observant? Full of faith-filled thoughts?

Watchmen

Third day

I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day or night: Ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence. (Isaiah 62:6 (16))

Watchmen—this word has a primitive root which properly means to lean forward, to peer in the distance, or to observe, behold, wait for, or keep the watch (man).

For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to everyman his work and commanded the porter to watch. (Mark 13:34 (17))

Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh. (Mark 13:35 (18))

Every great ancient city had walls, and men were set on top to watch on different shifts. The safety of thousands was in their hands. There also were people called porters, who controlled the city’s gates, opening and closing them appropriately.

When and if an enemy was approaching, the watchman’s duty was to warn the people, and the porters would close the gates. Just before our Lord told His parable, He said: For false Christ’s and false prophets shall rise and show signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect (Mark 13:22 (19)). He also said in John 10:27 (20): My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. Has God graced you with ears to hear and eyes to see? This is a personal walk with Jesus. But by no means is it private. We are all called and commissioned to watch. We are all watchmen on the wall and porters to the gates and doors to heaven.

To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice and he calleth his own sheep by name and leadeth them out. (John 10:3 (21))

Then Jesus said unto them again, Verily, Verily, I say unto you: I am the door of the sheep. (John 10:7 (22))

Dear friend, allow our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ, to work so much in you and through you that it can be said that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life and the shepherd, the gate, and the porter, while you and I are used as watchmen!

Pursue Peace

Third night

Follow peace… (Hebrews 12:14 (23))

We must violently seek peace! And, when we find it, follow it relentlessly! In the original follow is dioko (Greek) which means pursue. Pursue is to track down or hunt. Peace will seem like an ever-escaping goal. That’s why we must pursue it like an urgently needed meal of game that is hastily trading away, something vital and rare. But first we must not only learn to cease from evil (or depart from it) but also to do good. Speak less and do more (by His grace).

For by thy words thou shall be justified, and by thy words thou shall be condemned. (Matthew 12:37 (24))

We must learn that through the cross of Jesus we have already obtained peace from God, with God! So how dare we demand vindication from those brothers and sisters who wronged us? But yet ___ do with a vehement desire! This is where we must get violent, with our own selves, because we must not have a proper or clean view of what we owed our Lord and what we’ve been forgiven for and what was paid (at the cross) so we could obtain peace with God. A just judge doesn’t nor cannot just forgive. Someone must pay. And our Forgiver cost Jesus the cross. And in light of the costly price that was paid for our own crimes against the law and justice of God (the death of the only begotten Son of God), I believe it is only fitting that we relinquish our debtor’s debts and thereby pursue peace!

On Christian Giving

Fourth day

Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown… (Philippians 4:1 (25))

Have you confidence in me? Are you believing that ___ walking in the spirit? Are we not permitted to be angry, yet not sin? What is our motive behind our reasoning? Are we indeed the ones to decide whether we deserve the graces afforded us? Are we not capricious and acting arbitrary and as judges when we feel as if others have not learned lessons yet? What if our perceptions are wrong? Consider the case of Job’s three friends. It was very noble of them to travel from afar and visit and sit in silent mourning with their friend. Only their concept which is true in most cases was wrong in Job’s case. Since I am locked up, is my desiring another Bible wrong (imprisoned and incapable of obtaining advanced copies with useful commentaries on my own), or am I just following in the footsteps of Christians who only take, take, and take, those who take even those things which they themselves gave, including but not limited to their ___ and friendship? I think not! Although I am a very wrong man, I have made an effort to truly give of myself, even to the point where my own life was almost taken. Yes, I "went back, no one left behind (a Hawaiian saying). Shall we be the judge or the judged? Empathize or sympathize? Empathy or apathy? Are we in the stead of God? The backsliders whom God uses us to bring back are our joy and crown"!

For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? (1 Thessalonians 2:19 (26))

And I shall be yours, all ye who have labored in the love to return this wretched old man. I am back unto the Lord of hosts! Amen! Thank you!

Incline Thine Ear, Oh Lord

Fourth night

And Hezekiah prayed unto the Lord… (Isaiah 37:15 (27))

How is your prayer life? Are you in constant contact with who should be the center of your life? Or do you converse with those ____ consist your immediate world, meaning more than the Redeemer and Lover of your soul? Is your soul indeed redeemed? Do you even really know what has actually taken place? God’s love is specific. He does have a generalized love that is spread across the whole world, being shown in the sun shining and the rain falling on both the just and unjust and in sinners and ___ and the ungodly not being immediately destroyed in their blasphemous lives. But God’s love for us His saints is different (and those who later become saints by grace).

He hears our prayers. For those who are not His sheep, their prayers go unheard.

Now we know that God heareth