Ps. {73:3} For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked
Ps. {73:17} Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.
**
We do envy the wicked don't we?
Trouble is we are mixed up in our head as to what wicked is any longer. We call a wicked person one who tortures and kills someone, we call thieving from the poor wicked, we call a lot of things wicked but there are a lot of things that were once considered wicked that aren't any longer and as a result we run in circles chasing our own tails about this because we are taught not to label the wicked wicked because then we are judging people and judging people is wrong we're told. In truth we have to know what is wicked don't we? We have to know what acts are wicked and then we have to judge the acts people commit- without ultimately condemning their eternal life- something we can never do.
wicked (adjective)
wicked, virtueless, unvirtuous, immoral
amoral, amoralistic, indifferent
lax, unprincipled, unscrupulous, conscienceless, dishonest
unblushing, hardened, callous, shameless, brazen, flaunting
ungodly, irreligious, profane, impious
iniquitous, unrighteous, unjust
evil, bad
evil-minded, bad-hearted, black-hearted, malevolent
evil-doing, maleficent
misbehaving, bad, naughty, disobedient
weak (see frail)
peccant, erring, sinning, transgressing
sinful, full of sin, guilty
unworthy, undeserving, unmeritorious
graceless, not in a state of grace, reprobate
hopeless, incorrigible, irreclaimable, unredeemed, irredeemable
accursed, godforsaken
That about covers things doesn't it? Wicked.
The wicked seem to have a good time being wicked. The wicked seem to prosper. The wicked seem to lead lives honest men and women can't seem to. It's the old why do things bad for you have to be so tempting. So many believe it's easier to be wicked than to be honest and they're right if by easy they mean have more temporal enjoyment and losing eternal life.
Choices. Right or wrong. Life or death. Jesus or satan. Good or evil.
Ps. {73:3} For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked
Ps. {73:17} Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.
When we truly understand the end of the wicked envying them is foolish really. Yet to understand their end, we have to go into the sanctuary of God. In the sanctuary of God we find the entire plan of salvation. In the sanctuary of God we find Jesus.
While we hesitate to look at anyone and judge them- we have to look at ourselves and judge our own actions. We know in our heart of hearts when we commit good an when we commit evil. We need to ask God to open our eyes and our hearts to our own ways so that we may discern in our lives all we do. Jesus wants to know us and He can know us if we spend time with Him. When we choose to be wicked and our hearts aren't pricked in the least by remorse we need to ask God to fill our hearts with the repentance we need, the knowledge we need to feel the remorse and the need to ask for forgiveness.
Yes we get willfully caught up in sinning, we feel despair over not being able to keep from sinning, and we also feel apathy. We believe we won't ever stop and sometimes we just don't want to stop. Sin is insidious by its very nature and the only power we have over it is Jesus. The only power we have over sin is the love of Jesus. Knowing our sins killed the sinless Son of God, knowing our sins go against our very Creator. While we might not care, or say we don't, by the grace of God may there still be the voice of the Holy Spirit convicting us in our hearts and by the mercy of our Lord may we come to a place before Him, choosing the way of the Sanctuary and not the way of the wicked.
All glory and praise to our God. All mercy and grace from our Lord Jesus Christ...now and forever.
Amen.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.
Daniel {7:18} But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.
Possess the kingdom forever.
We sit at home, we walk the streets, we rest upon the cot at a shelter, we recover on a bed in a hospital, we sit in the gutter, we troll the streets with hands outstretched, the dirt streaked across our cheeks the last shower the night we made it to the shelter and found a spot free. We live in our tents, we make the back seat of our car our home, we wander about from room to room in our mansions and each one of us no matter where we live seeks something more.
The king in his earthly kingdom searches for treasures money can't buy when he realizes that the treasures most dear cost nothing and yet elude him. The pauper wanders the street seeking a treasure of wealth believing that most of their problems will be solved if only that two dollar lottery ticket would pay off in the millions. It's hard to say who has it worse really- the rich man realizing his money is worthless yet loathed to give up any of the earthly comforts he possesses, or the poor man always thinking money is the answer and therefore never stopping to believe the answer could be anything more. Those inbetween the two- rich and poor- those two might have it the easiest in realization. They're poor enough to want more money but do realize the money they have can't bring them complete happiness, and rich enough to be grateful for having at least something.
Honestly there are so many variables and in the end it comes down to realizing that this world doesn't have the kingdom we are meant to possess unless we are looking to Jesus, the Savior of all mankind through whom the kingdom is realized. Jesus brought the kingdom to earth when He took on humanity and made that kingdom available to all who would believe in Him.
Rich or poor, and all the varying states inbetween the two, no earthly kingdom will satisfy. Some may argue at least they'll be comfortable until they go to their everlasting punishment as reward, and that may be true but they're sacrificing much more than they realize.
We live for but a moment in time to all history. Our lives of 70 or so years are a drop in an ocean of water to all the lives in all the time that have existed. We can have eternity. We are made with the desire to want to live healthily and for as long as possible in a happy, peaceful, content existence that eludes us.
Daniel {7:18} But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.
We shall take a kingdom and possess that kingdom forever and ever and ever.
We who are the saints of the Most High.
We who accept Christ as our righteousness.
All glory be to God! All honor and praise to our heavenly Father!
By the grace of Jesus Christ our Savior now and forever.
Amen.
Possess the kingdom forever.
We sit at home, we walk the streets, we rest upon the cot at a shelter, we recover on a bed in a hospital, we sit in the gutter, we troll the streets with hands outstretched, the dirt streaked across our cheeks the last shower the night we made it to the shelter and found a spot free. We live in our tents, we make the back seat of our car our home, we wander about from room to room in our mansions and each one of us no matter where we live seeks something more.
The king in his earthly kingdom searches for treasures money can't buy when he realizes that the treasures most dear cost nothing and yet elude him. The pauper wanders the street seeking a treasure of wealth believing that most of their problems will be solved if only that two dollar lottery ticket would pay off in the millions. It's hard to say who has it worse really- the rich man realizing his money is worthless yet loathed to give up any of the earthly comforts he possesses, or the poor man always thinking money is the answer and therefore never stopping to believe the answer could be anything more. Those inbetween the two- rich and poor- those two might have it the easiest in realization. They're poor enough to want more money but do realize the money they have can't bring them complete happiness, and rich enough to be grateful for having at least something.
Honestly there are so many variables and in the end it comes down to realizing that this world doesn't have the kingdom we are meant to possess unless we are looking to Jesus, the Savior of all mankind through whom the kingdom is realized. Jesus brought the kingdom to earth when He took on humanity and made that kingdom available to all who would believe in Him.
Rich or poor, and all the varying states inbetween the two, no earthly kingdom will satisfy. Some may argue at least they'll be comfortable until they go to their everlasting punishment as reward, and that may be true but they're sacrificing much more than they realize.
We live for but a moment in time to all history. Our lives of 70 or so years are a drop in an ocean of water to all the lives in all the time that have existed. We can have eternity. We are made with the desire to want to live healthily and for as long as possible in a happy, peaceful, content existence that eludes us.
Daniel {7:18} But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.
We shall take a kingdom and possess that kingdom forever and ever and ever.
We who are the saints of the Most High.
We who accept Christ as our righteousness.
All glory be to God! All honor and praise to our heavenly Father!
By the grace of Jesus Christ our Savior now and forever.
Amen.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Righteousness- laying claim to our own will always fail us
Matthew {4:23} And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their
synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and
healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease
among the people.
{5:3} Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is
the kingdom of heaven
{5:10} Blessed
are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake: for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven
{5:17} Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the
prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. {5:18} For
verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or
one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be
fulfilled. {5:19} Whosoever therefore shall break one of
these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall
be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever
shall do and teach [them,] the same shall be called great in
the kingdom of heaven. {5:20} For I say unto you, That
except your righteousness shall exceed [the righteousness]
of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into
the kingdom of heaven.
Following Jesus wherever He leads us is important isn't it? We think that when we say we no longer want God in our lives that He leaves just like that. Can you even imagine what life would be like if God left us based on our emotions, based on our suppositions? We are engulfed in the purest form of what we call living hell and cry out God has forsaken us, and yet, He hasn't. That isn't a barometer of our walk with Christ and yet people want to believe it is! People look at others and sometimes they say they deserve that misfortune for being so horrible, other times they say the poor dears, what'd they ever do to deserve that? We are so incredibly caught up in the blame game, the reasons for this and that, and we truly believe we have the power to control heavenly things by our actions without stopping to truly look at the whole picture.
Some of the sweetest people have the worst luck, and yes, I'm calling it luck. What exactly luck is I don't know other than either favorable or unfavorable circumstances and happenstances. Some people seemed to be born with a silver spoon meaning their luck is good seemingly no matter what. Some of the least moral people have the greatest luck.
And who do we blame for it all? God. We say God's looking out for that one, or God's turned His back on that one. What's the truth? The truth is found in Jesus. The truth is only found in Jesus. Our lives here - all the fortune and misfortune - all of it will not destroy the truth.
The truth stays the same no matter what happens to us, no matter what we do, no matter if we even turn our back on God, the truth remains.
The truth NEVER abandons us. We can turn our back on the truth, we can ignore the truth, we can accept the truth, we can embrace it and make it part of our lives no matter what the circumstances, easy or difficult. There is NO excuse for not accepting the truth. We can't say that if only this didn't happen, or if that didn't happen things would be different and I'd have the truth in my life. We can't say that because the truth is the truth, we can change the truth won't. When bad things happen to us it isn't God wagging His finger at us and saying- 'See if you weren't so bad this wouldn't have happened.' When we are rewarded with good things God isn't saying- 'See how good you are, let's give you a reward.' Life doesn't work that way, not in the day to day aspect of it all.
Yes, God punishes and God rewards I'll never say He doesn't, but it's not on the same basis as we think in rewards and punishment. We can't say, God didn't I do this.. and didn't I do that, so why are you making my life worse. If we get caught up in anything at all like that then we're lost because we are basing our walk with God on rewards, on the give and take. And we'll forever come up thinking that we are rather good so we should have a life of ease and goodness. Or we'll believe that we've repented and asked for forgiveness so we now deserve the good things.
Ultimately no matter how horrible or how wonderful our lives are, we have a choice to make and that choice is whether to believe in the truth, accepting the truth, living the truth in Jesus. If we choose not to live in the truth we may still have what we call a wonderful life. If we choose to live in the truth we may also have a wonderful life. And on the flip side if we choose not to live in the truth we may have a horrible life and if we choose to live in the truth we may still have a horrible life. It isn't a game of works. It isn't contingent upon circumstances though we often want to believe it is because it gives us someone to blame when things go bad, with the whole WHY ME syndrome. Or we get caught up in the I'm so good that's why I'm blessed, which is just as dangerous.
Whether you live a life in the worst or the best of circumstances the trap of believing God is with you or against you based on those circumstances is wrong.
Knowing, believing, that God is with you always no matter your circumstances is the truth if you accept it as such. Holding fast to the righteousness of God is the truth. Looking for our own righteousness isn't the truth. Waiting for ourselves to be righteous isn't the truth. The truth is Jesus and His righteousness, it is only Jesus and His righteousness that means anything at all. We can lay claim to Christ's righteousness only, laying claim to our own will always fail us.
synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and
healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease
among the people.
{5:3} Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is
the kingdom of heaven
{5:10} Blessed
are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake: for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven
{5:17} Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the
prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. {5:18} For
verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or
one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be
fulfilled. {5:19} Whosoever therefore shall break one of
these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall
be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever
shall do and teach [them,] the same shall be called great in
the kingdom of heaven. {5:20} For I say unto you, That
except your righteousness shall exceed [the righteousness]
of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into
the kingdom of heaven.
Following Jesus wherever He leads us is important isn't it? We think that when we say we no longer want God in our lives that He leaves just like that. Can you even imagine what life would be like if God left us based on our emotions, based on our suppositions? We are engulfed in the purest form of what we call living hell and cry out God has forsaken us, and yet, He hasn't. That isn't a barometer of our walk with Christ and yet people want to believe it is! People look at others and sometimes they say they deserve that misfortune for being so horrible, other times they say the poor dears, what'd they ever do to deserve that? We are so incredibly caught up in the blame game, the reasons for this and that, and we truly believe we have the power to control heavenly things by our actions without stopping to truly look at the whole picture.
Some of the sweetest people have the worst luck, and yes, I'm calling it luck. What exactly luck is I don't know other than either favorable or unfavorable circumstances and happenstances. Some people seemed to be born with a silver spoon meaning their luck is good seemingly no matter what. Some of the least moral people have the greatest luck.
And who do we blame for it all? God. We say God's looking out for that one, or God's turned His back on that one. What's the truth? The truth is found in Jesus. The truth is only found in Jesus. Our lives here - all the fortune and misfortune - all of it will not destroy the truth.
The truth stays the same no matter what happens to us, no matter what we do, no matter if we even turn our back on God, the truth remains.
The truth NEVER abandons us. We can turn our back on the truth, we can ignore the truth, we can accept the truth, we can embrace it and make it part of our lives no matter what the circumstances, easy or difficult. There is NO excuse for not accepting the truth. We can't say that if only this didn't happen, or if that didn't happen things would be different and I'd have the truth in my life. We can't say that because the truth is the truth, we can change the truth won't. When bad things happen to us it isn't God wagging His finger at us and saying- 'See if you weren't so bad this wouldn't have happened.' When we are rewarded with good things God isn't saying- 'See how good you are, let's give you a reward.' Life doesn't work that way, not in the day to day aspect of it all.
Yes, God punishes and God rewards I'll never say He doesn't, but it's not on the same basis as we think in rewards and punishment. We can't say, God didn't I do this.. and didn't I do that, so why are you making my life worse. If we get caught up in anything at all like that then we're lost because we are basing our walk with God on rewards, on the give and take. And we'll forever come up thinking that we are rather good so we should have a life of ease and goodness. Or we'll believe that we've repented and asked for forgiveness so we now deserve the good things.
Ultimately no matter how horrible or how wonderful our lives are, we have a choice to make and that choice is whether to believe in the truth, accepting the truth, living the truth in Jesus. If we choose not to live in the truth we may still have what we call a wonderful life. If we choose to live in the truth we may also have a wonderful life. And on the flip side if we choose not to live in the truth we may have a horrible life and if we choose to live in the truth we may still have a horrible life. It isn't a game of works. It isn't contingent upon circumstances though we often want to believe it is because it gives us someone to blame when things go bad, with the whole WHY ME syndrome. Or we get caught up in the I'm so good that's why I'm blessed, which is just as dangerous.
Whether you live a life in the worst or the best of circumstances the trap of believing God is with you or against you based on those circumstances is wrong.
Knowing, believing, that God is with you always no matter your circumstances is the truth if you accept it as such. Holding fast to the righteousness of God is the truth. Looking for our own righteousness isn't the truth. Waiting for ourselves to be righteous isn't the truth. The truth is Jesus and His righteousness, it is only Jesus and His righteousness that means anything at all. We can lay claim to Christ's righteousness only, laying claim to our own will always fail us.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Seek ye the kingdom of God
Luke
Jesus said-
{12:31} But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Luke
Jesus said-
{11:20} But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.
Luke
Jesus said-
{11:2} And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
Luke
Jesus said-
{10:9} And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. {10:10} But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say, {10:11} Even the very dust of your city, which
cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.
{12:32} Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
SEEK the the kingdom of God.
Jesus is the kingdom of God.
We need to seek Jesus and if we seek Jesus, if we truly seek Jesus all things will be added unto us, things that matter to enternity not this life.
Seeking Jesus.
If we've lost something we search for it.
If we are seeking knowledge we study for it.
If we seek to find something precious to us don't we sometimes even tear the house apart to find it?
Don't some people go to rack and ruin trying to search for things- buried treasures? Archeology is a whole field of searching for things buried in the past. Researchers seek answers to whatever their research may be. We have scientist searching for cures to diseases. The list of those who seek is really endless.
We seek our pleasure, our contentment. When we are young we often are thrill seekers looking for the next bit of pleasure life can give us. The youthful are prone to experimenting with all sorts of things to find their treasures of pleasure. As they mature most find that having contentment is more important than thrills.
We seek to find contentment, we seek to find self-peace. A lot of what we do is geared for just getting by without anything rocking our boats.
We need to SEEK the kingdom of God.
We need to Seek Jesus.
Jesus is not a person we can find and say, 'Here He is! Found Him, time to stop looking.'
Like a knowledge seeker, people who seek Jesus will never get to a point they know all there is to know and there is no more to learn. When someone seeking knowledge on a particular subject searches and searches and perhaps exhausts all written media, all visual media, all auditory media they can find on that subject they'll often be able to branch off from that subject to another and then it starts all over again constant searching.
This is a way of life and this is something that fulfills the need people have or can have as they find a satisfaction in the searching and finding. We need to seek the kingdom of God, we need to seek Jesus. We can't find Jesus in the same way would could find another person, we need to seek Jesus and God, we need to seek the kingdom and it's a seeking we need to begin knowing that it will go on right into eternity.
By the grace of God, by the mercy of Jesus Christ we can seek the kingdom, seek the knowledge of life everlasting through Jesus, by the will of our God we seek to know Love and the author, the Creator of life, of love.
Amen.
Jesus said-
{12:31} But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Luke
Jesus said-
{11:20} But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.
Luke
Jesus said-
{11:2} And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
Luke
Jesus said-
{10:9} And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. {10:10} But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say, {10:11} Even the very dust of your city, which
cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.
{12:32} Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
SEEK the the kingdom of God.
Jesus is the kingdom of God.
We need to seek Jesus and if we seek Jesus, if we truly seek Jesus all things will be added unto us, things that matter to enternity not this life.
Seeking Jesus.
If we've lost something we search for it.
If we are seeking knowledge we study for it.
If we seek to find something precious to us don't we sometimes even tear the house apart to find it?
Don't some people go to rack and ruin trying to search for things- buried treasures? Archeology is a whole field of searching for things buried in the past. Researchers seek answers to whatever their research may be. We have scientist searching for cures to diseases. The list of those who seek is really endless.
We seek our pleasure, our contentment. When we are young we often are thrill seekers looking for the next bit of pleasure life can give us. The youthful are prone to experimenting with all sorts of things to find their treasures of pleasure. As they mature most find that having contentment is more important than thrills.
We seek to find contentment, we seek to find self-peace. A lot of what we do is geared for just getting by without anything rocking our boats.
We need to SEEK the kingdom of God.
We need to Seek Jesus.
Jesus is not a person we can find and say, 'Here He is! Found Him, time to stop looking.'
Like a knowledge seeker, people who seek Jesus will never get to a point they know all there is to know and there is no more to learn. When someone seeking knowledge on a particular subject searches and searches and perhaps exhausts all written media, all visual media, all auditory media they can find on that subject they'll often be able to branch off from that subject to another and then it starts all over again constant searching.
This is a way of life and this is something that fulfills the need people have or can have as they find a satisfaction in the searching and finding. We need to seek the kingdom of God, we need to seek Jesus. We can't find Jesus in the same way would could find another person, we need to seek Jesus and God, we need to seek the kingdom and it's a seeking we need to begin knowing that it will go on right into eternity.
By the grace of God, by the mercy of Jesus Christ we can seek the kingdom, seek the knowledge of life everlasting through Jesus, by the will of our God we seek to know Love and the author, the Creator of life, of love.
Amen.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
By the grace of God may we choose holiness
1 Thess. {4:7} For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness{4:8} He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.
Is it true? Can it be true? Do we despise God? I think it is true. I think we sometimes rail against God in many ways. We rebel against Him, we reject Him and why? Really, why do we despise God? Do we blame Him for getting us into this fix that we call life? It's easy to do, blame God for everything and you know He is the Creator so who better to despise, right? If you were never created you would never be in the situation you are in now and therefore never have to despise God. So, yes you could despise God for all and even in despising man you are despising what God has created.
God has given to us his holy Spirit. God has given us all we need to be holy, sanctified made holy for Him. We are called to be holy. We have to make every conscious effort to do that which Jesus would have us to do, to do any less would mean we aren't living up to our potential. And before you get all up in arms about that statement, only God knows what that potential is and I don't presume to know what it is at all. I only know that God knows and if crying out to Him for help is the limit of your potential while you consistently backslide into sin then He knows that too. We can't hold ones potential up for another, we each have our own and God alone can help us, and keep us in Him, sanctifying us to His holiness. All holiness and all sanctification comes through the grace and mercy of our Savior Jesus Christ.
God has called us to holiness. We despise God and yet God has given us His Holy Spirit, God has given us every gift, every help we need to be His should we choose to be His.
By the grace of God may we choose holiness, not despising God, accepting His Holy Spirit now and forever.
All Glory to God!
Amen.
Is it true? Can it be true? Do we despise God? I think it is true. I think we sometimes rail against God in many ways. We rebel against Him, we reject Him and why? Really, why do we despise God? Do we blame Him for getting us into this fix that we call life? It's easy to do, blame God for everything and you know He is the Creator so who better to despise, right? If you were never created you would never be in the situation you are in now and therefore never have to despise God. So, yes you could despise God for all and even in despising man you are despising what God has created.
God has given to us his holy Spirit. God has given us all we need to be holy, sanctified made holy for Him. We are called to be holy. We have to make every conscious effort to do that which Jesus would have us to do, to do any less would mean we aren't living up to our potential. And before you get all up in arms about that statement, only God knows what that potential is and I don't presume to know what it is at all. I only know that God knows and if crying out to Him for help is the limit of your potential while you consistently backslide into sin then He knows that too. We can't hold ones potential up for another, we each have our own and God alone can help us, and keep us in Him, sanctifying us to His holiness. All holiness and all sanctification comes through the grace and mercy of our Savior Jesus Christ.
God has called us to holiness. We despise God and yet God has given us His Holy Spirit, God has given us every gift, every help we need to be His should we choose to be His.
By the grace of God may we choose holiness, not despising God, accepting His Holy Spirit now and forever.
All Glory to God!
Amen.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands
Isa. {49:1} Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. {49:2} And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me; {49:3} And said unto me, Thou [art] my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified. {49:4} Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain: [yet] surely my judgment [is] with the LORD, and my work with my God. {49:5} And now, saith the LORD that formed me from the womb [to be] his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the LORD, and my God shall be my strength.
'Listen...'
'The Lord hath called me from the womb, from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.'
Do we have any doubt really that from the moment of conception there is a living being inside a woman? Really? Any doubt at all? We shouldn't.
'And now, saith the Lord that formed me from the womb to be his servant...'
'The Lord that formed me from the womb.'
Who form him from the womb? The Lord.
Ps. {22:9} But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother’s breasts. {22:10} I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother’s belly.
'THOU ART MY GOD FROM MY MOTHER'S BELLY'
Ps. {71:4} Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man. {71:5} For thou [art] my hope, O Lord GOD: [thou art] my trust from my youth. {71:6} By thee have I been holden up from the womb: thou art he that took me out of my mother’s bowels: my praise [shall be] continually of thee. {71:7} I am as a wonder unto many; but thou [art] my strong refuge. {71:8} Let my mouth be filled [with] thy praise [and with] thy honour all the day. {71:9} Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth. {71:10} For mine enemies speak against me; and they that lay wait for my soul take counsel together.
'By thee have I been holden up from the womb: thou art he that took me out of my mother’s bowels: my praise [shall be] continually of thee'
'BY THEE HAVE I BEEN HOLDEN UP FROM THE WOMB'
Ps. {139:13} For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. {139:14} I will praise thee; for I am fearfully [and] wonderfully made: marvellous [are] thy works; and [that] my soul knoweth right well. {139:15} My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, [and] curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. {139:16} Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all [my members] were written, [which] in continuance were fashioned, when [as yet there was] none of them.
{139:17} How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! {139:18} [If] I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.
'THOU HAST COVERED ME IN MY MOTHER'S WOMB'
'MY SUBSTANCE WAS NOT HID FROM THEE WHEN I WAS MADE IN SECRET'
'THINE EYES DID SEE MY SUBSTANCE YET BEING UNPERFECT AND IN THY BOOK ALL MY MEMBERS WERE WRITTEN WHICH IN CONTINUANCE WERE FASHIONED WHEN AS YET THERE WAS NONE OF THEM.'
Eccl. {11:5} As thou knowest not what [is] the way of the spirit, [nor] how the bones [do grow] in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all.
'HOW THE BONES DO GROW IN THE WOMB OF HER THAT IS WITH CHILD EVEN SO THOU KNOWEST NOT THE WORKS OF GOD WHO MAKETH ALL'
Isa. {44:1} Yet now hear, O Jacob my servant; and Israel, whom I have chosen: {44:2} Thus saith the LORD that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, [which] will help thee; Fear not, O Jacob, my servant; and thou, Jesurun, whom I have chosen.
'THUS SAITH THE LORD THAT MADE THEE AND FORMED THEE FROM THE WOMB'
Isa. {44:24} Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I [am] the LORD that maketh all [things;] that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself
Isa. {46:3} Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, which are borne [by me] from the belly, which are carried from the womb: {46:4} And [even] to [your] old age I [am] he; and [even] to hoar hairs will I carry [you:] I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver [you.
Isa. {49:15} Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. {49:16} Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of [my] hands; thy walls [are] continually before me.
Can a woman forget her sucking child? Yes, unfortunately, yes.
Can a woman not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yes, they forget all the time.
We may forget, God will NEVER forget us. He has graven us on the palms of his hands.
GOD WILL NEVER FORGET US HE HAD GRAVEN US UPON THE PALMS OF HIS HANDS.
He forms us in the womb and we are never far from His thoughts, never. We can forget Him, He'll never forget us.
All glory and praise, all honor and worship unto our God, unto our Creator, our Savior, our Redeemer! By His mercy and His grace now and forever and ever!
AMEN.
'Listen...'
'The Lord hath called me from the womb, from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.'
Do we have any doubt really that from the moment of conception there is a living being inside a woman? Really? Any doubt at all? We shouldn't.
'And now, saith the Lord that formed me from the womb to be his servant...'
'The Lord that formed me from the womb.'
Who form him from the womb? The Lord.
Ps. {22:9} But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother’s breasts. {22:10} I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother’s belly.
'THOU ART MY GOD FROM MY MOTHER'S BELLY'
Ps. {71:4} Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man. {71:5} For thou [art] my hope, O Lord GOD: [thou art] my trust from my youth. {71:6} By thee have I been holden up from the womb: thou art he that took me out of my mother’s bowels: my praise [shall be] continually of thee. {71:7} I am as a wonder unto many; but thou [art] my strong refuge. {71:8} Let my mouth be filled [with] thy praise [and with] thy honour all the day. {71:9} Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth. {71:10} For mine enemies speak against me; and they that lay wait for my soul take counsel together.
'By thee have I been holden up from the womb: thou art he that took me out of my mother’s bowels: my praise [shall be] continually of thee'
'BY THEE HAVE I BEEN HOLDEN UP FROM THE WOMB'
Ps. {139:13} For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. {139:14} I will praise thee; for I am fearfully [and] wonderfully made: marvellous [are] thy works; and [that] my soul knoweth right well. {139:15} My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, [and] curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. {139:16} Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all [my members] were written, [which] in continuance were fashioned, when [as yet there was] none of them.
{139:17} How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! {139:18} [If] I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.
'THOU HAST COVERED ME IN MY MOTHER'S WOMB'
'MY SUBSTANCE WAS NOT HID FROM THEE WHEN I WAS MADE IN SECRET'
'THINE EYES DID SEE MY SUBSTANCE YET BEING UNPERFECT AND IN THY BOOK ALL MY MEMBERS WERE WRITTEN WHICH IN CONTINUANCE WERE FASHIONED WHEN AS YET THERE WAS NONE OF THEM.'
Eccl. {11:5} As thou knowest not what [is] the way of the spirit, [nor] how the bones [do grow] in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all.
'HOW THE BONES DO GROW IN THE WOMB OF HER THAT IS WITH CHILD EVEN SO THOU KNOWEST NOT THE WORKS OF GOD WHO MAKETH ALL'
Isa. {44:1} Yet now hear, O Jacob my servant; and Israel, whom I have chosen: {44:2} Thus saith the LORD that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, [which] will help thee; Fear not, O Jacob, my servant; and thou, Jesurun, whom I have chosen.
'THUS SAITH THE LORD THAT MADE THEE AND FORMED THEE FROM THE WOMB'
Isa. {44:24} Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I [am] the LORD that maketh all [things;] that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself
Isa. {46:3} Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, which are borne [by me] from the belly, which are carried from the womb: {46:4} And [even] to [your] old age I [am] he; and [even] to hoar hairs will I carry [you:] I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver [you.
Isa. {49:15} Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. {49:16} Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of [my] hands; thy walls [are] continually before me.
Can a woman forget her sucking child? Yes, unfortunately, yes.
Can a woman not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yes, they forget all the time.
We may forget, God will NEVER forget us. He has graven us on the palms of his hands.
GOD WILL NEVER FORGET US HE HAD GRAVEN US UPON THE PALMS OF HIS HANDS.
He forms us in the womb and we are never far from His thoughts, never. We can forget Him, He'll never forget us.
All glory and praise, all honor and worship unto our God, unto our Creator, our Savior, our Redeemer! By His mercy and His grace now and forever and ever!
AMEN.
Friday, April 24, 2009
When We Pray
Matt. {6:7} But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. {6:8} Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
Praying just to pray is in vain.
Having a set prayer is not good. Maybe a set prayer time is all fine and good, the Israelites would have morning and evening prayers, others were known to pray three times a day. Some were praying often. We are even told to pray always.
Eph. {6:18} Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints
The times of praying can be set without consequence I believe, but having a formal set prayer you pray over and over and over by rote we are told isn't good.
'But when ye pray, use NOT vain repetitions as the heathen do for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.'
Much speaking, if you speak long enough you'll be heard isn't true. A whispered prayer spoken once can be heard sooner than a prayer that is spoken loudly over and over. God knows our needs, and it's not that we don't have to pray and ask Him for things, petition Him as it were, but He knows our needs and no amount of pleading and begging, no amount of repetition will matter.
Either by praying by rote - which is something done and not felt, or praying and asking something over and over - being annoying and showing lack of faith, neither one of them are much good and if we get caught up in the trap thinking that we are pious by our much praying and repetitive praying we're not praying as God would have us pray.
Jesus says do not use vain repetitions, do not believe that such praying is the answer. We don't have a deaf God like all the heathen do. We have a living God and He hears us, He knows us. Our God, our Heavenly Father knows us and what we need. We are praying to a living God, the one and only true God. Our prayers must come from the heart.
Jesus goes on to tell us how to pray-- read the Lord's prayer, it's a famous prayer in fact it's one we learn by heart and pray as a prayer just in the manner Jesus tells us not to. 'But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions.' That doesn't just mean saying the same thing over and over and over, it means praying without making that connection we need to make to our living God, the connection that tells us that He hears us, He knows us, He loves us.
No, I'm not saying we shouldn't say the Lord's Prayer, it was given us for an example and as such we should pray it, use it to guide us, but above all- not use it in vain repetition.
May the Lord bless us and keep us, helping us to seek Him as He would be sought. By His will, by the grace and mercy of our Lord and our Savior now and forever.
Amen.
Praying just to pray is in vain.
Having a set prayer is not good. Maybe a set prayer time is all fine and good, the Israelites would have morning and evening prayers, others were known to pray three times a day. Some were praying often. We are even told to pray always.
Eph. {6:18} Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints
The times of praying can be set without consequence I believe, but having a formal set prayer you pray over and over and over by rote we are told isn't good.
'But when ye pray, use NOT vain repetitions as the heathen do for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.'
Much speaking, if you speak long enough you'll be heard isn't true. A whispered prayer spoken once can be heard sooner than a prayer that is spoken loudly over and over. God knows our needs, and it's not that we don't have to pray and ask Him for things, petition Him as it were, but He knows our needs and no amount of pleading and begging, no amount of repetition will matter.
Either by praying by rote - which is something done and not felt, or praying and asking something over and over - being annoying and showing lack of faith, neither one of them are much good and if we get caught up in the trap thinking that we are pious by our much praying and repetitive praying we're not praying as God would have us pray.
Jesus says do not use vain repetitions, do not believe that such praying is the answer. We don't have a deaf God like all the heathen do. We have a living God and He hears us, He knows us. Our God, our Heavenly Father knows us and what we need. We are praying to a living God, the one and only true God. Our prayers must come from the heart.
Jesus goes on to tell us how to pray-- read the Lord's prayer, it's a famous prayer in fact it's one we learn by heart and pray as a prayer just in the manner Jesus tells us not to. 'But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions.' That doesn't just mean saying the same thing over and over and over, it means praying without making that connection we need to make to our living God, the connection that tells us that He hears us, He knows us, He loves us.
No, I'm not saying we shouldn't say the Lord's Prayer, it was given us for an example and as such we should pray it, use it to guide us, but above all- not use it in vain repetition.
May the Lord bless us and keep us, helping us to seek Him as He would be sought. By His will, by the grace and mercy of our Lord and our Savior now and forever.
Amen.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
'Whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom'
Proerbs {2:10} When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; {2:11} Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee: {2:12} To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things.
Job {28:12} But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding? {28:13} Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living.
Job {28:20} Whence then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding? {28:21} Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air.
Job {28:23} God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof. {28:24} For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven.
Job {28:28} And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.
Prov. {1:7} The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Prov. {2:6} For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.
We need to understand, we need knowledge more now than ever before, we need to fear the Lord.
Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary describes fear this way- 'Fear- a feeling of reverance, awe, and respect, or an unpleasant emotion caused by a sense of danger. (page 379)
To Fear the Lord we should show reverance, awe, and respect to God.
Nelson's Dictionary again to show the meaning of 'Reverance'- a feeling of profound awe and respect. Because of His majesty and holiness, God arouses a feeling of reverance in those who worship and serve Him.' (page 916)
Heb. {12:28} Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.
**
James {1:5} If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. {1:6} But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
Exodus {28:1} And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons. {28:2} And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty. {28:3} And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office.
'Whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom'
Please Lord... fill me with the spirit of wisdom. Please Lord, I'm asking in faith- believing and trusting in you to help my unbelief.
By Your Mercy.
Amen.
Job {28:12} But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding? {28:13} Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living.
Job {28:20} Whence then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding? {28:21} Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air.
Job {28:23} God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof. {28:24} For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven.
Job {28:28} And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.
Prov. {1:7} The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Prov. {2:6} For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.
We need to understand, we need knowledge more now than ever before, we need to fear the Lord.
Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary describes fear this way- 'Fear- a feeling of reverance, awe, and respect, or an unpleasant emotion caused by a sense of danger. (page 379)
To Fear the Lord we should show reverance, awe, and respect to God.
Nelson's Dictionary again to show the meaning of 'Reverance'- a feeling of profound awe and respect. Because of His majesty and holiness, God arouses a feeling of reverance in those who worship and serve Him.' (page 916)
Heb. {12:28} Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.
**
James {1:5} If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. {1:6} But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
Exodus {28:1} And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons. {28:2} And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty. {28:3} And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office.
'Whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom'
Please Lord... fill me with the spirit of wisdom. Please Lord, I'm asking in faith- believing and trusting in you to help my unbelief.
By Your Mercy.
Amen.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Thy Will Be Done
Ps. {40:8} I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law [is] within my heart.
Ps. {143:10} Teach me to do thy will; for thou [art] my God: thy spirit [is] good; lead me into the land of uprightness.
Matt. {6:10} Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as [it is] in heaven
Matt. {26:42} He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.
Luke {11:2} And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
Heb. {10:5} Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: {10:6} In burnt offerings and [sacrifices] for sin thou hast had no pleasure. {10:7} Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. {10:8} Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and [offering] for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure [therein;] which are offered by the law; {10:9} Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. {10:10} By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once [for all. ]
*******
I delight to do thy will oh my God, yea thy law is withing my heart.
Teach me to do thy will for thou art my God they spirit is good lead me into the land of the uprightness.
He went away again the second time and prayed saying oh my Father if this cup may not pass away from me except I drink it, thy will be done.
When ye pray...Our Father which art in heave hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come, thy will be done, as in heaven so in earth.
Jesus came to do God's will, delighting in His Father's will.
Jesus became the sacrifice for us so that we would no longer have to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings.
The greatest sacrifice of all was made and nothing could compare to the ultimate sacrifice.
Every single sacrifice made was pointing to the ultimate sacrifice. When a person sinned and brought an offering to be sacrificed, a death to be made on their behalf it was of an animal and symbolic of the fact sinning warrants death and there is no getting around that, none. You sin, you deserve death unless you confess and repent offering a death in your place. The offering of an animal's death was sufficent only because God accepted it but it wasn't enough, it represented the ultimate sacrifice He made when His son took on humanity and offered himself, His death was made for all of us.
Maybe we'd think twice before sinning if we had to kill an animal. Or maybe it would be just a way of life to us so that the animal's death wouldn't be so bad- not like we might consider it today, or some of us. There are hunters today that think nothing of killing rabbit, deer, quail, duck, squirrels etc. It's sport to them. Then there are butchers who slaughter animals for us to eat, there are farmers who grow livestock knowing it's all for food. More animal death that means little, it's done as a matter of fact and an every day occurance. So maybe if someone told those who have no ick factor in killing animals that all they had to do was kill an animal every time they sinned and confess their sins, repenting, it wouldn't be all that hard for them to do. But for a lot of us it wouldn't be a way of life and we might realize more the weight of our sin causing death.
Now while a lot of various people in various professions and hobbies kill animals it's safe to say the majority do not kill people.
Those who do kill people are those in the army on active duty, police officers in the line of duty, murderers, and all those who accidentally kill another. Of all those only the murderers do so without the remorse, or at least we'd like to think that. Not that we want those who kill in the line of duty to be consumed by guilt, but it's nice to at least believe there is a twinge of remorse for their hands being forced into killing in the line of duty.
Sinning warrants sacrifice.
Sinners were given the greatest sacrifice in Jesus. Jesus wouldn't have had to die if we didn't sin. We killed Him. Our sin killed Him.
If we had to nail Jesus to the cross ourselves would we feel the true weight of our sins?
If we had to look upon His broken and bruised, His bloody body, witness to His agony and then add to that pain until He was killed by us, would it make a difference?
God's will be done.
Our will is so caught up in selfishness, by the very words- our will - we esteem ourselves, our finite, sin-filled selves to have a will greater than God's.
In all our lives it must be prayed, and it must be believed- 'Thy will be done.' It must be prayed and without clauses such as, Thy will be done but let me understand how Your will works, why this, that, and the other thing has to be so Your will is done. We can't expect to understand but we have to take that leap of faith and believe that God's will is truly best and beyond our comprehension.
God- Thy will be done now and forever and any tears I cry because I cannot understand the will of Yours that allows for so much pain please Lord they are not shed because I don't want Your will to be done, but simply because the pain now even temporarily is so real. You see the end from the beginning and I place my trust in You Lord because I see only now, I live only now with hopes for life eternal in You. In an existence that has expelled sin from the world and there is no more pain- physical, mental, or emotional.
Thy will be done.
By the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, forgive me.
Amen.
Ps. {143:10} Teach me to do thy will; for thou [art] my God: thy spirit [is] good; lead me into the land of uprightness.
Matt. {6:10} Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as [it is] in heaven
Matt. {26:42} He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.
Luke {11:2} And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
Heb. {10:5} Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: {10:6} In burnt offerings and [sacrifices] for sin thou hast had no pleasure. {10:7} Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. {10:8} Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and [offering] for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure [therein;] which are offered by the law; {10:9} Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. {10:10} By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once [for all. ]
*******
I delight to do thy will oh my God, yea thy law is withing my heart.
Teach me to do thy will for thou art my God they spirit is good lead me into the land of the uprightness.
He went away again the second time and prayed saying oh my Father if this cup may not pass away from me except I drink it, thy will be done.
When ye pray...Our Father which art in heave hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come, thy will be done, as in heaven so in earth.
Jesus came to do God's will, delighting in His Father's will.
Jesus became the sacrifice for us so that we would no longer have to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings.
The greatest sacrifice of all was made and nothing could compare to the ultimate sacrifice.
Every single sacrifice made was pointing to the ultimate sacrifice. When a person sinned and brought an offering to be sacrificed, a death to be made on their behalf it was of an animal and symbolic of the fact sinning warrants death and there is no getting around that, none. You sin, you deserve death unless you confess and repent offering a death in your place. The offering of an animal's death was sufficent only because God accepted it but it wasn't enough, it represented the ultimate sacrifice He made when His son took on humanity and offered himself, His death was made for all of us.
Maybe we'd think twice before sinning if we had to kill an animal. Or maybe it would be just a way of life to us so that the animal's death wouldn't be so bad- not like we might consider it today, or some of us. There are hunters today that think nothing of killing rabbit, deer, quail, duck, squirrels etc. It's sport to them. Then there are butchers who slaughter animals for us to eat, there are farmers who grow livestock knowing it's all for food. More animal death that means little, it's done as a matter of fact and an every day occurance. So maybe if someone told those who have no ick factor in killing animals that all they had to do was kill an animal every time they sinned and confess their sins, repenting, it wouldn't be all that hard for them to do. But for a lot of us it wouldn't be a way of life and we might realize more the weight of our sin causing death.
Now while a lot of various people in various professions and hobbies kill animals it's safe to say the majority do not kill people.
Those who do kill people are those in the army on active duty, police officers in the line of duty, murderers, and all those who accidentally kill another. Of all those only the murderers do so without the remorse, or at least we'd like to think that. Not that we want those who kill in the line of duty to be consumed by guilt, but it's nice to at least believe there is a twinge of remorse for their hands being forced into killing in the line of duty.
Sinning warrants sacrifice.
Sinners were given the greatest sacrifice in Jesus. Jesus wouldn't have had to die if we didn't sin. We killed Him. Our sin killed Him.
If we had to nail Jesus to the cross ourselves would we feel the true weight of our sins?
If we had to look upon His broken and bruised, His bloody body, witness to His agony and then add to that pain until He was killed by us, would it make a difference?
God's will be done.
Our will is so caught up in selfishness, by the very words- our will - we esteem ourselves, our finite, sin-filled selves to have a will greater than God's.
In all our lives it must be prayed, and it must be believed- 'Thy will be done.' It must be prayed and without clauses such as, Thy will be done but let me understand how Your will works, why this, that, and the other thing has to be so Your will is done. We can't expect to understand but we have to take that leap of faith and believe that God's will is truly best and beyond our comprehension.
God- Thy will be done now and forever and any tears I cry because I cannot understand the will of Yours that allows for so much pain please Lord they are not shed because I don't want Your will to be done, but simply because the pain now even temporarily is so real. You see the end from the beginning and I place my trust in You Lord because I see only now, I live only now with hopes for life eternal in You. In an existence that has expelled sin from the world and there is no more pain- physical, mental, or emotional.
Thy will be done.
By the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, forgive me.
Amen.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
A man should rejoice in his own works
Eccl. {3:22} Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better,
than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is
his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be
after him?
Rejoicing in your work.
Solomon, the wisest of the wise professed that there is nothing better than rejoicing in your own works. No wonder so many people aren't very happy. How many have jobs they can rejoice in? Or is it being able to rejoice no matter what that work is? And even if we aren't talking strictly about what we consider work these days, the 8 hour, 5 days a week position we are in to earn money to afford to live, but rather our lives in general. Our day to day existence is what we have, it's all we have, it is our portion. We won't see what is to come after us. We can't worry about tomorrow so to speak. We have to rejoice in the here and now. We have to rejoice in the life we have. If we sit about wishing we were in a different life- constantly wishing for things to be different in such a way that they are impossible to change, what good is there in that? If you can change something in your life to make it better, do it. If you can't you need to learn to rejoice in what you do have in your life. To do otherwise, to not rejoice in your portion, your works is to live unhappily and that's not good for anyone.
'Nothing better than a man should rejoice in his own works for that is his portion.'
We all have our portion in life. Some have longer portions, some have portions we perceive are much better than our own, and still others have portions that are much worse. Regardless of what anyone else has, we all have our own existence. We don't know what sort of lives our furture generations will have. If we're lucky we watch our children grow up and lead happy lives. We might see our grandchildren do the same and then we might even get to see our great grandchildren begin their own lives of happiness but seldom does it stretch far beyond that for any of us, not that it can't but it grows more rare as time passes that you will see your great, great grandchildren become adults, and even less so great, great, great grandchildren. So while you might get to see glimpses of the future generations, there comes a time in every person's life without exception where death will be their portion. Death- a return to the dust we've come from as God takes back the breath He gave to us. Death, not another life to sit back and watch all that goes on with the living. Death, not an existence that gives us a whole new portion to rejoice in. No. Death isn't another form of life in any way at all. Death is a sleep as Lazarus- one brought back from the dead knew. Death is a sleep from which there is no waking until Christ returns. If people live their lives now not rejoicing in their works, in their portion given to them and pin their hopes on life after death, there is no real hope at all. Life is just that... life. And death is just that...death.
We need to live and rejoice now as we place our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ to raise us from the death sleep when He returns and we are changed and brought to live new lives without any sort of pain and heartache, grief and sorrow this life affords us stealing the rejoicing from us that there is nothing better than a man doing.
Contentment in our lives, rejoicing in the portion given to us. May God help us find this place that Solomon speaks of, may we cling to Jesus Christ our Savior and place our hope in Him as we live today as He would have us live.
In His ever merciful name.
Amen.
than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is
his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be
after him?
Rejoicing in your work.
Solomon, the wisest of the wise professed that there is nothing better than rejoicing in your own works. No wonder so many people aren't very happy. How many have jobs they can rejoice in? Or is it being able to rejoice no matter what that work is? And even if we aren't talking strictly about what we consider work these days, the 8 hour, 5 days a week position we are in to earn money to afford to live, but rather our lives in general. Our day to day existence is what we have, it's all we have, it is our portion. We won't see what is to come after us. We can't worry about tomorrow so to speak. We have to rejoice in the here and now. We have to rejoice in the life we have. If we sit about wishing we were in a different life- constantly wishing for things to be different in such a way that they are impossible to change, what good is there in that? If you can change something in your life to make it better, do it. If you can't you need to learn to rejoice in what you do have in your life. To do otherwise, to not rejoice in your portion, your works is to live unhappily and that's not good for anyone.
'Nothing better than a man should rejoice in his own works for that is his portion.'
We all have our portion in life. Some have longer portions, some have portions we perceive are much better than our own, and still others have portions that are much worse. Regardless of what anyone else has, we all have our own existence. We don't know what sort of lives our furture generations will have. If we're lucky we watch our children grow up and lead happy lives. We might see our grandchildren do the same and then we might even get to see our great grandchildren begin their own lives of happiness but seldom does it stretch far beyond that for any of us, not that it can't but it grows more rare as time passes that you will see your great, great grandchildren become adults, and even less so great, great, great grandchildren. So while you might get to see glimpses of the future generations, there comes a time in every person's life without exception where death will be their portion. Death- a return to the dust we've come from as God takes back the breath He gave to us. Death, not another life to sit back and watch all that goes on with the living. Death, not an existence that gives us a whole new portion to rejoice in. No. Death isn't another form of life in any way at all. Death is a sleep as Lazarus- one brought back from the dead knew. Death is a sleep from which there is no waking until Christ returns. If people live their lives now not rejoicing in their works, in their portion given to them and pin their hopes on life after death, there is no real hope at all. Life is just that... life. And death is just that...death.
We need to live and rejoice now as we place our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ to raise us from the death sleep when He returns and we are changed and brought to live new lives without any sort of pain and heartache, grief and sorrow this life affords us stealing the rejoicing from us that there is nothing better than a man doing.
Contentment in our lives, rejoicing in the portion given to us. May God help us find this place that Solomon speaks of, may we cling to Jesus Christ our Savior and place our hope in Him as we live today as He would have us live.
In His ever merciful name.
Amen.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Freedom's Servant
1 Corinthians {9:19} For though I be
free from all yet have I made myself servant unto all,
that I might gain the more.
*******
Though I be free from all.
Being free is not being enslaved, not being in debt to anyone. As a slave to another we are compelled by that slavery to serve another or many others. We are forced to do so by circumstances. When we are forced into doing something that is one thing provoking us into action. Voluntarily acting without being forced is a whole new matter. A Christian is any person that takes on Christ's life as their own, Christ's words live in them, in their hearts. Christ was the greatest servant of all and He was the One who least had to be. As God on earth He could have demanded worship and He demanded nothing. He served all and the love He received in return was all He needed. We who claim to follow Christ must also be servants of all, freely giving of ourselves without thought to ourselves and whatever we may gain from any good we do. If we do good for gain we in reality gain nothing, if we are truly servants of all we gain more than we can imagine.
*
John {8:33} They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and
were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye
shall be made free? {8:34} Jesus answered them, Verily,
verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the
servant of sin. {8:35} And the servant abideth not in the
house for ever: [but] the Son abideth ever. {8:36} If the Son
therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
*******
If Jesus makes us free we are free indeed. Only through Jesus do we find freedom. Any other freedom is a falsehood. Self deception is something we commit all the time, in fact whenever we feel any self-worth outside of the love of Jesus we are deceived. Only through the grace and mercy of Jesus can we be free of the shakles of sin that weight us down and keep us deceived. God first always. God's will be done, not our will. Easy to say, hard to do and yet it is surrendering our will to His that only makes all things possible. Freedom lies within our service to God, to others. When we seek self less we find so much more than we could ever imagine.
*
Matt. {15:7} [Ye] hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you,
saying, {15:8} This people draweth nigh unto me with their
mouth, and honoureth me with [their] lips; but their heart is
far from me. {15:9} But in vain they do worship me,
teaching [for] doctrines the commandments of men.
*******
Eloquence is overrated isn't it? The smooth talkers deceive so many with words so pretty and deceptive. Too numerous to count are those who have been seduced by someone who could speak in such a way that they compel the hearer to do as they willed. Those who compel others to believe in their beliefs rather than God are guilty, they sin against God. They may say wonderful things but their hearts are filled with self and only self, not with God at all. Only God should fill our hearts. It's better if we do not speak at all than to speak with cold, empty hearts. God knows our hearts, he knows when we speak sincerely.
By the grace of God may we keep Him forever before us, forever in our hearts and may we speak out of a heart of love finding freedom in Him and only in Him, servant to all.
All glory and praise to God in heaven. By the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ our Savior now and forever!
Amen!
free from all yet have I made myself servant unto all,
that I might gain the more.
*******
Though I be free from all.
Being free is not being enslaved, not being in debt to anyone. As a slave to another we are compelled by that slavery to serve another or many others. We are forced to do so by circumstances. When we are forced into doing something that is one thing provoking us into action. Voluntarily acting without being forced is a whole new matter. A Christian is any person that takes on Christ's life as their own, Christ's words live in them, in their hearts. Christ was the greatest servant of all and He was the One who least had to be. As God on earth He could have demanded worship and He demanded nothing. He served all and the love He received in return was all He needed. We who claim to follow Christ must also be servants of all, freely giving of ourselves without thought to ourselves and whatever we may gain from any good we do. If we do good for gain we in reality gain nothing, if we are truly servants of all we gain more than we can imagine.
*
John {8:33} They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and
were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye
shall be made free? {8:34} Jesus answered them, Verily,
verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the
servant of sin. {8:35} And the servant abideth not in the
house for ever: [but] the Son abideth ever. {8:36} If the Son
therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
*******
If Jesus makes us free we are free indeed. Only through Jesus do we find freedom. Any other freedom is a falsehood. Self deception is something we commit all the time, in fact whenever we feel any self-worth outside of the love of Jesus we are deceived. Only through the grace and mercy of Jesus can we be free of the shakles of sin that weight us down and keep us deceived. God first always. God's will be done, not our will. Easy to say, hard to do and yet it is surrendering our will to His that only makes all things possible. Freedom lies within our service to God, to others. When we seek self less we find so much more than we could ever imagine.
*
Matt. {15:7} [Ye] hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you,
saying, {15:8} This people draweth nigh unto me with their
mouth, and honoureth me with [their] lips; but their heart is
far from me. {15:9} But in vain they do worship me,
teaching [for] doctrines the commandments of men.
*******
Eloquence is overrated isn't it? The smooth talkers deceive so many with words so pretty and deceptive. Too numerous to count are those who have been seduced by someone who could speak in such a way that they compel the hearer to do as they willed. Those who compel others to believe in their beliefs rather than God are guilty, they sin against God. They may say wonderful things but their hearts are filled with self and only self, not with God at all. Only God should fill our hearts. It's better if we do not speak at all than to speak with cold, empty hearts. God knows our hearts, he knows when we speak sincerely.
By the grace of God may we keep Him forever before us, forever in our hearts and may we speak out of a heart of love finding freedom in Him and only in Him, servant to all.
All glory and praise to God in heaven. By the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ our Savior now and forever!
Amen!
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Dust to Dust - A Change Will Come
Job {12:10} In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.
Job {13:15} Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.
Job {14:7} For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease.
Job {14:12} So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.
{14:13} Oh that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me! {14:14} If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.
*******
In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind?
Who brings to life all that there is? Who created the creatures of the earth? Who gave them breath? Was man even alive before God breathed into him the breath of life? No. Man was a mere shell formed of the dust of the ground. Man returns to dust upon death, the breath God gives goes back to Him.
Eccl. {12:7} Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
We can witness this everytime someone or something dies. We can witness the decay of it and into what it eventually becomes. The process isn't instantaneous but it is inevitable if left untampered with by chemicals and processes and such created to keep the flesh from returning to dust. Was there hope in the Egyptians of defying death if their bodies weren't allowed to decay? That some how they lived on until they were actually dust once more? Did they seek to mummify their dead because it was a way to prolong life to them. Not life as we know it but not death as we are told we would be- dust to dust.
Eccl. {3:20} All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again
Gen. {18:27} And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes
Only by the grace of God do we have breath of life in us and when it is taken from us it goes back to Him that gave it and we become dust and ashes once more. There is no living on without the breath of life within us. The body can be preserved for thousands of years and it will be lifeless, a husk, and empty shell. And even so, a mummified body is only that way by extenuating circumstances- skill, nature of ice, tar and such. Once the breath is gone what gave man life is gone.
Job {14:12} So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.
The beauty of death lies in this passage. Job longing for this sleep, this rest to rid himself of the agony of life and yet he knew his life was in God's hand and he could not take the breath from himself and still claim to be God's. The breath of life is God's to give and to take and we can't presume to do His will for Him, to know God.
People talk about others on respirators keeping them alive, giving them breath and there is nothing wrong with that because it has been proven time and time again that eventually for one reason or another they will still stop living and the false breath that keeps their bodies taking in air can no more keep them alive. No one put on a respirator has lived forever. No one. They may have lived for years and years beyond what they normally would have, but they did not and have not, and will not ever live forever.
When the heavens are no more, then our change will come. In a moment, in a twinkling of an eye those who are dead in Christ will rise and be changed, those who are alive at this time will be lifted up and changed.
1 Cor. 15, 1 Thess. 4
A change will come to us then, but until that day we live by the will of God and we die by the will of God, and we trust that He knows all and while our understanding is very limited, His is all powerful and even without any understanding we believe and we say-- God's will be done.
All praise and glory to our Lord and Savior, by His grace and mercy we have hope, we have life.
Amen.
Job
{12:1} And Job answered and said,
{12:2} No doubt but ye are the people, and wisdom shall die with you.
{12:3} But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you: yea, who knoweth not such things as these?
{12:4} I am as one mocked of his neighbour, who calleth upon God, and he answereth him: the just upright man is laughed to scorn.
{12:5} He that is ready to slip with his feet is as a lamp despised in the thought of him that is at ease.
{12:6} The tabernacles of robbers prosper, and they that provoke God are secure; into whose hand God bringeth abundantly.
{12:7} But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee:
{12:8} Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.
{12:9} Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this?
{12:10} In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.
{12:11} Doth not the ear try words? and the mouth taste his meat?
{12:12} With the ancient is wisdom; and in length of days understanding.
{12:13} With him is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding.
{12:14} Behold, he breaketh down, and it cannot be built again: he shutteth up a man, and there can be no opening.
{12:15} Behold, he withholdeth the waters, and they dry up: also he sendeth them out, and they overturn the earth.
{12:16} With him is strength and wisdom: the deceived and the deceiver are his.
{12:17} He leadeth counsellors away spoiled, and maketh the judges fools.
{12:18} He looseth the bond of kings, and girdeth their loins with a girdle.
{12:19} He leadeth princes away spoiled, and overthroweth the mighty.
{12:20} He removeth away the speech of the trusty, and taketh away the understanding of the aged.
{12:21} He poureth contempt upon princes, and weakeneth the strength of the mighty.
{12:22} He discovereth deep things out of darkness, and bringeth out to light the shadow of death.
{12:23} He increaseth the nations, and destroyeth them: he enlargeth the nations, and straiteneth them again.
{12:24} He taketh away the heart of the chief of the people of the earth, and causeth them to wander in a wilderness where there is no way.
{12:25} They grope in the dark without light, and he maketh them to stagger like a drunken man.
{13:1} Lo, mine eye hath seen all this, mine ear hath heard and understood it.
{13:2} What ye know, the same do I know also: I am not inferior unto you.
{13:3} Surely I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to reason with God.
{13:4} But ye are forgers of lies, ye are all physicians of no value.
{13:5} Oh that ye would altogether hold your peace! and it should be your wisdom.
{13:6} Hear now my reasoning, and hearken to the pleadings of my lips.
{13:7} Will ye speak wickedly for God? and talk deceitfully for him?
{13:8} Will ye accept his person? will ye contend for God?
{13:9} Is it good that he should search you out? or as one man mocketh another, do ye so mock him?
{13:10} He will surely reprove you, if ye do secretly accept persons.
{13:11} Shall not his excellency make you afraid? and his dread fall upon you?
{13:12} Your remembrances are like unto ashes, your bodies to bodies of clay.
{13:13} Hold your peace, let me alone, that I may speak, and let come on me what will.
{13:14} Wherefore do I take my flesh in my teeth, and put my life in mine hand?
{13:15} Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.
{13:16} He also shall be my salvation: for an hypocrite shall not come before him.
{13:17} Hear diligently my speech, and my declaration with your ears.
{13:18} Behold now, I have ordered my cause; I know that I shall be justified.
{13:19} Who is he that will plead with me? for now, if I hold my tongue, I shall give up the ghost.
{13:20} Only do not two things unto me: then will I not hide myself from thee.
{13:21} Withdraw thine hand far from me: and let not thy dread make me afraid.
{13:22} Then call thou, and I will answer: or let me speak, and answer thou me.
{13:23} How many are mine iniquities and sins? make me to know my transgression and my sin.
{13:24} Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and holdest me for thine enemy?
{13:25} Wilt thou break a leaf driven to and fro? and wilt thou pursue the dry stubble?
{13:26} For thou writest bitter things against me, and makest me to possess the iniquities of my youth.
{13:27} Thou puttest my feet also in the stocks, and lookest narrowly unto all my paths; thou settest a print upon the heels of my feet. {13:28} And he, as a rotten thing, consumeth, as a garment that is moth eaten.
{14:1} Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.
{14:2} He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.
{14:3} And dost thou open thine eyes upon such an one, and bringest me into judgment with thee?
{14:4} Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.
{14:5} Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;
{14:6} Turn from him, that he may rest, till he shall accomplish, as an hireling, his day.
{14:7} For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease.
{14:8} Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground;
{14:9} Yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant.
{14:10} But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he?
{14:11} As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up:
{14:12} So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.
{14:13} Oh that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me!
{14:14} If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.
{14:15} Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands.
{14:16} For now thou numberest my steps: dost thou not watch over my sin?
{14:17} My transgression is sealed up in a bag, and thou sewest up mine iniquity.
{14:18} And surely the mountain falling cometh to nought, and the rock is removed out of his place.
{14:19} The waters wear the stones: thou washest away the things which grow out of the dust of the earth; and thou destroyest the hope of man.
{14:20} Thou prevailest for ever against him, and he passeth: thou changest his countenance, and sendest him away.
{14:21} His sons come to honour, and he knoweth it not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them.
{14:22} But his flesh upon him shall have pain, and his soul within him shall mourn.
Job {13:15} Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.
Job {14:7} For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease.
Job {14:12} So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.
{14:13} Oh that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me! {14:14} If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.
*******
In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind?
Who brings to life all that there is? Who created the creatures of the earth? Who gave them breath? Was man even alive before God breathed into him the breath of life? No. Man was a mere shell formed of the dust of the ground. Man returns to dust upon death, the breath God gives goes back to Him.
Eccl. {12:7} Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
We can witness this everytime someone or something dies. We can witness the decay of it and into what it eventually becomes. The process isn't instantaneous but it is inevitable if left untampered with by chemicals and processes and such created to keep the flesh from returning to dust. Was there hope in the Egyptians of defying death if their bodies weren't allowed to decay? That some how they lived on until they were actually dust once more? Did they seek to mummify their dead because it was a way to prolong life to them. Not life as we know it but not death as we are told we would be- dust to dust.
Eccl. {3:20} All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again
Gen. {18:27} And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes
Only by the grace of God do we have breath of life in us and when it is taken from us it goes back to Him that gave it and we become dust and ashes once more. There is no living on without the breath of life within us. The body can be preserved for thousands of years and it will be lifeless, a husk, and empty shell. And even so, a mummified body is only that way by extenuating circumstances- skill, nature of ice, tar and such. Once the breath is gone what gave man life is gone.
Job {14:12} So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.
The beauty of death lies in this passage. Job longing for this sleep, this rest to rid himself of the agony of life and yet he knew his life was in God's hand and he could not take the breath from himself and still claim to be God's. The breath of life is God's to give and to take and we can't presume to do His will for Him, to know God.
People talk about others on respirators keeping them alive, giving them breath and there is nothing wrong with that because it has been proven time and time again that eventually for one reason or another they will still stop living and the false breath that keeps their bodies taking in air can no more keep them alive. No one put on a respirator has lived forever. No one. They may have lived for years and years beyond what they normally would have, but they did not and have not, and will not ever live forever.
When the heavens are no more, then our change will come. In a moment, in a twinkling of an eye those who are dead in Christ will rise and be changed, those who are alive at this time will be lifted up and changed.
1 Cor. 15, 1 Thess. 4
A change will come to us then, but until that day we live by the will of God and we die by the will of God, and we trust that He knows all and while our understanding is very limited, His is all powerful and even without any understanding we believe and we say-- God's will be done.
All praise and glory to our Lord and Savior, by His grace and mercy we have hope, we have life.
Amen.
Job
{12:1} And Job answered and said,
{12:2} No doubt but ye are the people, and wisdom shall die with you.
{12:3} But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you: yea, who knoweth not such things as these?
{12:4} I am as one mocked of his neighbour, who calleth upon God, and he answereth him: the just upright man is laughed to scorn.
{12:5} He that is ready to slip with his feet is as a lamp despised in the thought of him that is at ease.
{12:6} The tabernacles of robbers prosper, and they that provoke God are secure; into whose hand God bringeth abundantly.
{12:7} But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee:
{12:8} Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.
{12:9} Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this?
{12:10} In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.
{12:11} Doth not the ear try words? and the mouth taste his meat?
{12:12} With the ancient is wisdom; and in length of days understanding.
{12:13} With him is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding.
{12:14} Behold, he breaketh down, and it cannot be built again: he shutteth up a man, and there can be no opening.
{12:15} Behold, he withholdeth the waters, and they dry up: also he sendeth them out, and they overturn the earth.
{12:16} With him is strength and wisdom: the deceived and the deceiver are his.
{12:17} He leadeth counsellors away spoiled, and maketh the judges fools.
{12:18} He looseth the bond of kings, and girdeth their loins with a girdle.
{12:19} He leadeth princes away spoiled, and overthroweth the mighty.
{12:20} He removeth away the speech of the trusty, and taketh away the understanding of the aged.
{12:21} He poureth contempt upon princes, and weakeneth the strength of the mighty.
{12:22} He discovereth deep things out of darkness, and bringeth out to light the shadow of death.
{12:23} He increaseth the nations, and destroyeth them: he enlargeth the nations, and straiteneth them again.
{12:24} He taketh away the heart of the chief of the people of the earth, and causeth them to wander in a wilderness where there is no way.
{12:25} They grope in the dark without light, and he maketh them to stagger like a drunken man.
{13:1} Lo, mine eye hath seen all this, mine ear hath heard and understood it.
{13:2} What ye know, the same do I know also: I am not inferior unto you.
{13:3} Surely I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to reason with God.
{13:4} But ye are forgers of lies, ye are all physicians of no value.
{13:5} Oh that ye would altogether hold your peace! and it should be your wisdom.
{13:6} Hear now my reasoning, and hearken to the pleadings of my lips.
{13:7} Will ye speak wickedly for God? and talk deceitfully for him?
{13:8} Will ye accept his person? will ye contend for God?
{13:9} Is it good that he should search you out? or as one man mocketh another, do ye so mock him?
{13:10} He will surely reprove you, if ye do secretly accept persons.
{13:11} Shall not his excellency make you afraid? and his dread fall upon you?
{13:12} Your remembrances are like unto ashes, your bodies to bodies of clay.
{13:13} Hold your peace, let me alone, that I may speak, and let come on me what will.
{13:14} Wherefore do I take my flesh in my teeth, and put my life in mine hand?
{13:15} Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.
{13:16} He also shall be my salvation: for an hypocrite shall not come before him.
{13:17} Hear diligently my speech, and my declaration with your ears.
{13:18} Behold now, I have ordered my cause; I know that I shall be justified.
{13:19} Who is he that will plead with me? for now, if I hold my tongue, I shall give up the ghost.
{13:20} Only do not two things unto me: then will I not hide myself from thee.
{13:21} Withdraw thine hand far from me: and let not thy dread make me afraid.
{13:22} Then call thou, and I will answer: or let me speak, and answer thou me.
{13:23} How many are mine iniquities and sins? make me to know my transgression and my sin.
{13:24} Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and holdest me for thine enemy?
{13:25} Wilt thou break a leaf driven to and fro? and wilt thou pursue the dry stubble?
{13:26} For thou writest bitter things against me, and makest me to possess the iniquities of my youth.
{13:27} Thou puttest my feet also in the stocks, and lookest narrowly unto all my paths; thou settest a print upon the heels of my feet. {13:28} And he, as a rotten thing, consumeth, as a garment that is moth eaten.
{14:1} Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.
{14:2} He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.
{14:3} And dost thou open thine eyes upon such an one, and bringest me into judgment with thee?
{14:4} Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.
{14:5} Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;
{14:6} Turn from him, that he may rest, till he shall accomplish, as an hireling, his day.
{14:7} For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease.
{14:8} Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground;
{14:9} Yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant.
{14:10} But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he?
{14:11} As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up:
{14:12} So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.
{14:13} Oh that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me!
{14:14} If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.
{14:15} Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands.
{14:16} For now thou numberest my steps: dost thou not watch over my sin?
{14:17} My transgression is sealed up in a bag, and thou sewest up mine iniquity.
{14:18} And surely the mountain falling cometh to nought, and the rock is removed out of his place.
{14:19} The waters wear the stones: thou washest away the things which grow out of the dust of the earth; and thou destroyest the hope of man.
{14:20} Thou prevailest for ever against him, and he passeth: thou changest his countenance, and sendest him away.
{14:21} His sons come to honour, and he knoweth it not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them.
{14:22} But his flesh upon him shall have pain, and his soul within him shall mourn.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Excerpts from Notebook 1983
Excerpts from Notebook 1983
Excerpts from 1983
Proverbs {1:22} How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?
Proverbs {1:29} For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD
Job {21:7} Wherefore do the wicked live, become old, yea, are mighty in power?
Job {21:14} Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways.
Ps. {50:16} But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or [that] thou shouldest take my covenant in thy
mouth?
{50:17} Seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee.
Prov. {2:1} My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; {2:2} So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, [and] apply thine heart to understanding; {2:3} Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, [and] liftest up thy voice for understanding; {2:4} If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as [for] hid treasures; {2:5} Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.
***
What do we cry out for in our lives? When we have troubles what to we ache and long for to solve those troubles? More money, understanding? Do we wish the problems and those causing them away from our lives taking their problems with them? How often do you cry out for understanding? For knowledge? And how often during this heartfelt longing to you cry out and all the while believe that there is no understanding? That there is nothing that can help? Do we often give up before we even utter the first cry? We want simple answers, instant answers and if for one moment someone told you that the only answer is to wait the first response to that is- I don't want to wait, I want my answer now! I'm hurting, I'm troubled, I'm upset now! All I see is despair and more pain during that waiting, nothing more.
With our defeatist attitudes, with the belief that there is no real answer and that suffering is our lot in life, are we really searching for understanding and knowledge as if we were seeking a treasure? Seriously, are we? If someone told you that you could find a treasure and here is a map and instructions, you'd most likely (assuming you trust the person) do all you could do to find that treasure. Treasure hunters go to great length to get their treasures, they don't just pop up on their own waving their arms saying here I am come and get me. Those digging for treasure, those seraching for treasures often find themselves in situations that are unthinkable and yet they delve into them because they're hoping for that great reward.
God may not fix your problems if all you're doing is crying out for an instant fix, but if your heart is sincere and you are seeking Him as you would a treasure you will find a reward. Knowing God is the greatest treasure of all.
Prov. {2:1} My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; {2:2} So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, [and] apply thine heart to understanding; {2:3} Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, [and] liftest up thy voice for understanding; {2:4} If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as [for] hid treasures; {2:5} Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.
How do we seek God, to know Him? We have a book from God and this book contains many answers to our problems yet do we open it with awe at what we may find within? Do we read each word as God speaking to us, instructing us? God's word should mean so much to us and yet how often do you find yourself delving into it seeking knowledge and understanding? Most believe it a book of antiquity, meant to be read but not believed. Meant to be known but not made a real force in our lives.
Reading the Bible will not save you. Jesus alone can save. Reading the Bible is a privlege, an honor we have received from God.
We must really study for knowledge and understanding as we cry out for *things* to solve our problems. If we knew the answers were there to be found wouldn't we put our all into finding them? If someone told you they had the answers you'd pester them until they gave them to you. If there were an envelope before you containing answers you'd rip it open to read them. The truth is we live in this world and the answer is- we are not of this world. The answers we seek might not be for our lives right now. We might not be shown how to get rich quick, or how to comprehend a partner we're having trouble understanding, or find help with a child who is seeming to go astray. We will find answers, we will find knowledge and understanding of the fear of God and that is knowledge of the eternal, everlasting knowledge.
Matt. {6:33} But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. {6:34} Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day [is] the evil thereof.
True you might go hungry, homeless, feel helpless while seeking the kingdom of God first, but the kingdom of God is everlasting, our problems here and now are not.
**
May the Lord Bless and keep us, guide us into all knowledge and give us all the understanding we need to be closer and closer to Him so that we may know Him and He know us. By the righteousness of Christ our Lord and Savior, by His mercy and His grace we pray.
Amen.
Excerpts from 1983
Proverbs {1:22} How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?
Proverbs {1:29} For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD
Job {21:7} Wherefore do the wicked live, become old, yea, are mighty in power?
Job {21:14} Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways.
Ps. {50:16} But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or [that] thou shouldest take my covenant in thy
mouth?
{50:17} Seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee.
Prov. {2:1} My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; {2:2} So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, [and] apply thine heart to understanding; {2:3} Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, [and] liftest up thy voice for understanding; {2:4} If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as [for] hid treasures; {2:5} Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.
***
What do we cry out for in our lives? When we have troubles what to we ache and long for to solve those troubles? More money, understanding? Do we wish the problems and those causing them away from our lives taking their problems with them? How often do you cry out for understanding? For knowledge? And how often during this heartfelt longing to you cry out and all the while believe that there is no understanding? That there is nothing that can help? Do we often give up before we even utter the first cry? We want simple answers, instant answers and if for one moment someone told you that the only answer is to wait the first response to that is- I don't want to wait, I want my answer now! I'm hurting, I'm troubled, I'm upset now! All I see is despair and more pain during that waiting, nothing more.
With our defeatist attitudes, with the belief that there is no real answer and that suffering is our lot in life, are we really searching for understanding and knowledge as if we were seeking a treasure? Seriously, are we? If someone told you that you could find a treasure and here is a map and instructions, you'd most likely (assuming you trust the person) do all you could do to find that treasure. Treasure hunters go to great length to get their treasures, they don't just pop up on their own waving their arms saying here I am come and get me. Those digging for treasure, those seraching for treasures often find themselves in situations that are unthinkable and yet they delve into them because they're hoping for that great reward.
God may not fix your problems if all you're doing is crying out for an instant fix, but if your heart is sincere and you are seeking Him as you would a treasure you will find a reward. Knowing God is the greatest treasure of all.
Prov. {2:1} My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; {2:2} So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, [and] apply thine heart to understanding; {2:3} Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, [and] liftest up thy voice for understanding; {2:4} If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as [for] hid treasures; {2:5} Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.
How do we seek God, to know Him? We have a book from God and this book contains many answers to our problems yet do we open it with awe at what we may find within? Do we read each word as God speaking to us, instructing us? God's word should mean so much to us and yet how often do you find yourself delving into it seeking knowledge and understanding? Most believe it a book of antiquity, meant to be read but not believed. Meant to be known but not made a real force in our lives.
Reading the Bible will not save you. Jesus alone can save. Reading the Bible is a privlege, an honor we have received from God.
We must really study for knowledge and understanding as we cry out for *things* to solve our problems. If we knew the answers were there to be found wouldn't we put our all into finding them? If someone told you they had the answers you'd pester them until they gave them to you. If there were an envelope before you containing answers you'd rip it open to read them. The truth is we live in this world and the answer is- we are not of this world. The answers we seek might not be for our lives right now. We might not be shown how to get rich quick, or how to comprehend a partner we're having trouble understanding, or find help with a child who is seeming to go astray. We will find answers, we will find knowledge and understanding of the fear of God and that is knowledge of the eternal, everlasting knowledge.
Matt. {6:33} But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. {6:34} Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day [is] the evil thereof.
True you might go hungry, homeless, feel helpless while seeking the kingdom of God first, but the kingdom of God is everlasting, our problems here and now are not.
**
May the Lord Bless and keep us, guide us into all knowledge and give us all the understanding we need to be closer and closer to Him so that we may know Him and He know us. By the righteousness of Christ our Lord and Savior, by His mercy and His grace we pray.
Amen.
Friday, April 17, 2009
The Lord is Faithful
2 Thess. {3:1} Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the
Lord may have [free] course, and be glorified, even as [it is]
with you: {3:2} And that we may be delivered from
unreasonable and wicked men: for all [men] have not faith.
{3:3} But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and
keep [you] from evil. {3:4} And we have confidence in the
Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things
which we command you. {3:5} And the Lord direct your
hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for
Christ.
*******
Pray for us- that the word of the Lord may have free course and be glorified.
Pray- that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men. For all men have not faith.
The Lord is faithful.
The Lord- will stablish you and keep you from evil.
We have confidence in the Lord touching you. That ye both do and will do the things which we command you.
And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God.
And into the patient waiting for Christ.
*******
Such a prayer, such a entreaty. We need to believe that the word of the Lord will have free course and be glorified. We need to believe that we will be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men, knowing that not all have faith in Jesus. The Lord will keep us from evil, we just need to follow His ways, we need to do and continue to do the things the Lord has commanded we do. The Lord will direct our hearts into the love of God. We have to be patient.
People call out and say they've had a miracle conversion, they've been born again and it's miraculous and yet the same people a year from then will have returned to their old ways, the conversion forgotten. How do we keep our conversion real? How do we determine to live for Christ? The world with all its evil presses down upon us telling us we can't follow God, we are evil, too evil. Our own thoughts condemn us and we yield to them rather than to God. Self.
It all comes down to self.
We have the power of choice and that choice is us or God. I should probably say Satan or God, and yet when we follow ourselves we are under the delusions of Satan and most of us don't even realize it and guess what? That's how he likes it.
Self or God.
We have to determine to follow God, we have to choose to follow God, we have to relinquish the part of us that wants to be in control, the part that says we know best, or that God doesn't understand our particular situation, that if God knew what He was asking, He would take pity on us and spare us having to ever commit to anything that would bring us undue hardship.
I don't know about you, but I think of having to give up any of my family and I just can't imagine doing so. I can only hope and pray that if and when the time comes that I have to choose between God and any of those I love that it's such a clear cut choice that there is no room for doubting what is being asked of me.
God's path isn't the worldly path of self-indulgence. Time and again we are given example after example of how difficult a road it is to follow Christ and yet for some reason we believe that it shouldn't have to be that hard for us. We should be able to just live our lives to the best of our ability with our creature comforts met and follow God as well. I'm not saying that's impossible, but I'm truly thinking that when we are given the Word of God which makes it clear the path truly is very narrow and few are going to find it we can't delude ourselves into believing that for some reason we are allowed to traverse the broad path and still be headed in the right direction.
Self-denial. How many of us know what that is? How many of us shun self-denial? How many of us believe self-denial is punishment?
Matthew {10:37} He that loveth father or mother more
than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or
daughter more than me is not worthy of me. {10:38} And
he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not
worthy of me. {10:39} He that findeth his life shall lose it:
and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
Apart from God we are mere shells of what we can be. If only we'd realize this and make it reality to ourselves. We aren't to seek self-awareness, self-understanding, self-contentment, we are to take our eyes off ourselves and that is the hardest thing we will ever learn to do in our entire lives and it is only possible through the love of Jesus Christ. Loving Jesus and following Him to the exclusion of all else is our calling. God's will be done.
While we live in this world we are not to be of this world.
We are to be God's children.
May God help us to choose Him over ourselves and all that entails.
By the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ our Savior, all power and glory to Him now and forever!
Amen.
Lord may have [free] course, and be glorified, even as [it is]
with you: {3:2} And that we may be delivered from
unreasonable and wicked men: for all [men] have not faith.
{3:3} But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and
keep [you] from evil. {3:4} And we have confidence in the
Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things
which we command you. {3:5} And the Lord direct your
hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for
Christ.
*******
Pray for us- that the word of the Lord may have free course and be glorified.
Pray- that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men. For all men have not faith.
The Lord is faithful.
The Lord- will stablish you and keep you from evil.
We have confidence in the Lord touching you. That ye both do and will do the things which we command you.
And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God.
And into the patient waiting for Christ.
*******
Such a prayer, such a entreaty. We need to believe that the word of the Lord will have free course and be glorified. We need to believe that we will be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men, knowing that not all have faith in Jesus. The Lord will keep us from evil, we just need to follow His ways, we need to do and continue to do the things the Lord has commanded we do. The Lord will direct our hearts into the love of God. We have to be patient.
People call out and say they've had a miracle conversion, they've been born again and it's miraculous and yet the same people a year from then will have returned to their old ways, the conversion forgotten. How do we keep our conversion real? How do we determine to live for Christ? The world with all its evil presses down upon us telling us we can't follow God, we are evil, too evil. Our own thoughts condemn us and we yield to them rather than to God. Self.
It all comes down to self.
We have the power of choice and that choice is us or God. I should probably say Satan or God, and yet when we follow ourselves we are under the delusions of Satan and most of us don't even realize it and guess what? That's how he likes it.
Self or God.
We have to determine to follow God, we have to choose to follow God, we have to relinquish the part of us that wants to be in control, the part that says we know best, or that God doesn't understand our particular situation, that if God knew what He was asking, He would take pity on us and spare us having to ever commit to anything that would bring us undue hardship.
I don't know about you, but I think of having to give up any of my family and I just can't imagine doing so. I can only hope and pray that if and when the time comes that I have to choose between God and any of those I love that it's such a clear cut choice that there is no room for doubting what is being asked of me.
God's path isn't the worldly path of self-indulgence. Time and again we are given example after example of how difficult a road it is to follow Christ and yet for some reason we believe that it shouldn't have to be that hard for us. We should be able to just live our lives to the best of our ability with our creature comforts met and follow God as well. I'm not saying that's impossible, but I'm truly thinking that when we are given the Word of God which makes it clear the path truly is very narrow and few are going to find it we can't delude ourselves into believing that for some reason we are allowed to traverse the broad path and still be headed in the right direction.
Self-denial. How many of us know what that is? How many of us shun self-denial? How many of us believe self-denial is punishment?
Matthew {10:37} He that loveth father or mother more
than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or
daughter more than me is not worthy of me. {10:38} And
he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not
worthy of me. {10:39} He that findeth his life shall lose it:
and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
Apart from God we are mere shells of what we can be. If only we'd realize this and make it reality to ourselves. We aren't to seek self-awareness, self-understanding, self-contentment, we are to take our eyes off ourselves and that is the hardest thing we will ever learn to do in our entire lives and it is only possible through the love of Jesus Christ. Loving Jesus and following Him to the exclusion of all else is our calling. God's will be done.
While we live in this world we are not to be of this world.
We are to be God's children.
May God help us to choose Him over ourselves and all that entails.
By the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ our Savior, all power and glory to Him now and forever!
Amen.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Through A Glass Darkly
1 Cor. {13:1} Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. {13:2} And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. {13:3} And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. {13:4} Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, {13:5} Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked,
thinketh no evil; {13:6} Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; {13:7} Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. {13:8} Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. {13:9} For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 13:10} But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. {13:11} When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. {13:12} For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. {13:13} And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
For now we see through a glass darkly.
Have you ever gone up to a dirty window and tried to peer through it? It's not easy is it? You search for a clean spot, things through the dirt are murky and you're not even sure what you're seeing in there a lot of things are like shadows at best.
Right now this is how life is for us.
We try to understand, we try to make the best of what this life has to offer us. Life is seldom what we think it should be and moments of it that do live up to that ideal are short lived and very few and far between. While we're trying to make the best of our lives living in some sort of contented state we are often thrown for a loop. There are ups and downs and inbetweens and none of them come with a guarantee that they'll last very long. We love when the downs are short-lived and the up long-lived, and it's nice when the inbetweens are set at a comfortable pace as well. Life however doesn't always give us what we want. Sometimes those downs last for a long, long time and sometimes those ups are very short and the span inbetween very short. Some people seem to live with that as a way of life. In the grand scheme of things it doesn't matter really because no matter how we live this life is just temporary. But that grand scheme of things can seem incredibly long until it become all that matters.
We need to remember that we see through a glass darkly.
When the glass is finally cleared we'll see that there are things that remain from the life we lived as we only saw darkly. Those things that will be more fully realized are - faith, hope, charity.
We are allowed glimpses of the life to come and they are all found through love and no other way.
Trying to understand is something natural to us, but knowing that right now we only see part of what life will really be like is a must. We can only understand so far, so much and then we need to live by pure faith, with hope, and love as the key to it all.
One day we'll be known and we'll know.
May God help us all to know and be known in love.
By the pure grace and mercy of Jesus Christ our Savior we need to grasp hold of hope and love and understand that we can't understand it all no matter how we crave to do so. There is a leap of faith we must possess. By His Mercy!
Amen.
thinketh no evil; {13:6} Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; {13:7} Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. {13:8} Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. {13:9} For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 13:10} But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. {13:11} When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. {13:12} For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. {13:13} And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
For now we see through a glass darkly.
Have you ever gone up to a dirty window and tried to peer through it? It's not easy is it? You search for a clean spot, things through the dirt are murky and you're not even sure what you're seeing in there a lot of things are like shadows at best.
Right now this is how life is for us.
We try to understand, we try to make the best of what this life has to offer us. Life is seldom what we think it should be and moments of it that do live up to that ideal are short lived and very few and far between. While we're trying to make the best of our lives living in some sort of contented state we are often thrown for a loop. There are ups and downs and inbetweens and none of them come with a guarantee that they'll last very long. We love when the downs are short-lived and the up long-lived, and it's nice when the inbetweens are set at a comfortable pace as well. Life however doesn't always give us what we want. Sometimes those downs last for a long, long time and sometimes those ups are very short and the span inbetween very short. Some people seem to live with that as a way of life. In the grand scheme of things it doesn't matter really because no matter how we live this life is just temporary. But that grand scheme of things can seem incredibly long until it become all that matters.
We need to remember that we see through a glass darkly.
When the glass is finally cleared we'll see that there are things that remain from the life we lived as we only saw darkly. Those things that will be more fully realized are - faith, hope, charity.
We are allowed glimpses of the life to come and they are all found through love and no other way.
Trying to understand is something natural to us, but knowing that right now we only see part of what life will really be like is a must. We can only understand so far, so much and then we need to live by pure faith, with hope, and love as the key to it all.
One day we'll be known and we'll know.
May God help us all to know and be known in love.
By the pure grace and mercy of Jesus Christ our Savior we need to grasp hold of hope and love and understand that we can't understand it all no matter how we crave to do so. There is a leap of faith we must possess. By His Mercy!
Amen.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Excerpts from Notebooks - Nov. 10, 1983 Cont.
11/10/83
Luke 5:39
'No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, the old is better.'
MTM:
The carnal nature, the old wine is often considered better, for no one immediately likes to be told his life could be better than what it is.
First we must consider the new whether it be wine or life and then taste it and see for ourselves. Once we've tasted it with an open mind, emphasizing that point then we can make a decision. If in our mind we say over and over again we won't like something even before we've tried it chance are we won't like it once we've tried it. An open mind is essential to trying new things. We must realize there is 50-50 chance of liking or not liking something new. Not a 90-10 percentage the 90 being not liking it.
With that open mind once we take the steps to trying the new we will honestly be able to decide for the old or new. Though we're reluctant to break away from the old which we are used to maybe not satisfied with but used to. We can discover the more satisfying and be happy in changing and once again having a new thing becomes comfortingly old.
(4/15/09 - Update
I suppose this might old true if you're living a life you enjoy. You'd rather not change if things are going well. However if you've an unsatisfactory life you mostly welcome a change for the better.
This verse holds true in many ways.
If you're enjoying the wine you're drinking there is no reason to change.
There are things in all our lives we enjoy to the point we don't want to try other things. We have our favorite brands of things. And yes we might try other brands when situations become difficult such as they raise the price of a favorite brand, and if we're lucky we find a new brand that can satisfy us. Once in awhile we might even find a new brand we like even more than the old but having never tried the new one until circumstances urged us that way we hadn't a clue we'd like it more.
The old adage of a bird in the hand being worth two in the bush, meaning being happy with what you have and not with what you might possibly have holds true here as well. People might not want to try new because they have the old.
There is a danger in getting comfortable with much of anything you know. We get comfortable and then we risk losing that comfort. Not that we must go about living unhappily because life at best offers us temporary comfort, but living here in our sin-filled earth we have a perfect opportunity to realize that there is only one source of true, real comfort.
We are told to look to heaven as our hope, to put our treasures in heaven, not here. There's a reason for that.
At best the joys we have here are temporary and EVERY single one of them is subject to changing, to disappearing. There isn't a single earthly contentment we have that can't change to be otherwise, not one. If we have money we can lose it, if we have the love of our life it can find another or die on us, if we have good health we can die suddenly. We cannot count on even tomorrow being available to us. You have a home, well nowadays it's very apparent that not even that is secure. You own a home then taxes rise up horribly, the house burns down. You have possession you cherish and then a robber comes and steals or destroys them. There isn't any earthly joy you can know you'll have forever- not one. We can't even count on our own mental health- with various diseases and such that can alter that in a heartbeat.
No, we don't want to look at these things. We want to believe we can hold onto enough contentment in life that in the end of it no matter how we meet our death we can say we lived a good life.
We are to look to the new, which is Christ. We are to place our hope on things eternal. We live now but this life isn't the end for us. Death isn't our end. Our hope is in life everlasting. The new life in Christ is much better than our old life will ever be. We don't think it because we can't grasp hold of it but must believe it by faith. We are satisfied with the old wine when the new will be much, much more satisfying if we only believe and taste of it.
May God help us all to believe in the new life to come and find out comfort in the hope of that new life and not life here and now.
By the mercy and grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ now and forever.
Amen.
Luke 5:39
'No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, the old is better.'
MTM:
The carnal nature, the old wine is often considered better, for no one immediately likes to be told his life could be better than what it is.
First we must consider the new whether it be wine or life and then taste it and see for ourselves. Once we've tasted it with an open mind, emphasizing that point then we can make a decision. If in our mind we say over and over again we won't like something even before we've tried it chance are we won't like it once we've tried it. An open mind is essential to trying new things. We must realize there is 50-50 chance of liking or not liking something new. Not a 90-10 percentage the 90 being not liking it.
With that open mind once we take the steps to trying the new we will honestly be able to decide for the old or new. Though we're reluctant to break away from the old which we are used to maybe not satisfied with but used to. We can discover the more satisfying and be happy in changing and once again having a new thing becomes comfortingly old.
(4/15/09 - Update
I suppose this might old true if you're living a life you enjoy. You'd rather not change if things are going well. However if you've an unsatisfactory life you mostly welcome a change for the better.
This verse holds true in many ways.
If you're enjoying the wine you're drinking there is no reason to change.
There are things in all our lives we enjoy to the point we don't want to try other things. We have our favorite brands of things. And yes we might try other brands when situations become difficult such as they raise the price of a favorite brand, and if we're lucky we find a new brand that can satisfy us. Once in awhile we might even find a new brand we like even more than the old but having never tried the new one until circumstances urged us that way we hadn't a clue we'd like it more.
The old adage of a bird in the hand being worth two in the bush, meaning being happy with what you have and not with what you might possibly have holds true here as well. People might not want to try new because they have the old.
There is a danger in getting comfortable with much of anything you know. We get comfortable and then we risk losing that comfort. Not that we must go about living unhappily because life at best offers us temporary comfort, but living here in our sin-filled earth we have a perfect opportunity to realize that there is only one source of true, real comfort.
We are told to look to heaven as our hope, to put our treasures in heaven, not here. There's a reason for that.
At best the joys we have here are temporary and EVERY single one of them is subject to changing, to disappearing. There isn't a single earthly contentment we have that can't change to be otherwise, not one. If we have money we can lose it, if we have the love of our life it can find another or die on us, if we have good health we can die suddenly. We cannot count on even tomorrow being available to us. You have a home, well nowadays it's very apparent that not even that is secure. You own a home then taxes rise up horribly, the house burns down. You have possession you cherish and then a robber comes and steals or destroys them. There isn't any earthly joy you can know you'll have forever- not one. We can't even count on our own mental health- with various diseases and such that can alter that in a heartbeat.
No, we don't want to look at these things. We want to believe we can hold onto enough contentment in life that in the end of it no matter how we meet our death we can say we lived a good life.
We are to look to the new, which is Christ. We are to place our hope on things eternal. We live now but this life isn't the end for us. Death isn't our end. Our hope is in life everlasting. The new life in Christ is much better than our old life will ever be. We don't think it because we can't grasp hold of it but must believe it by faith. We are satisfied with the old wine when the new will be much, much more satisfying if we only believe and taste of it.
May God help us all to believe in the new life to come and find out comfort in the hope of that new life and not life here and now.
By the mercy and grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ now and forever.
Amen.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Excerpts from Notebooks - Nov. 10, 1983
11/10/83
Luke {5:8} 'When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.'
MTM (Means to Me):
How often we hear the cries- get away from me, leave me alone, just go away. In my own life I often experienced saying those thing. When I was hurt, confused, depressed I wished the whole world would disappear. Looking back I see I really was the one who wanted to disappear, or be noticed. In not being paid attention I longed for it, but my words were otherwise. When I was hurt and cried out 'Go away!' I really wanted someone to come to me. Today I hear other children and adults cry our 'Leave me be!' and I wonder are they being like Simon Peter telling Jesus to leave, yet really wanting Him more than ever?
Simon felt his unworthiness of Jesus' love, but the words- 'Depart from me' are really saying, 'I'm not worthy but please stay.' Jesus I'm sure saw through that and knew Simon really wanted Him. Luke {5:10} reads- 'And so [was] also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men' Fear not, I know you really don't want me to go from you so I won't, come with me. Oh, sometimes more often I wish to see through the cries of 'Depart from me' and recognize them as pleas to stay.
(4/14/09 - Update
Feeling the weight of our own unworthiness can be crushing. We know that against the purity of Christ we are nothing but sinful dirty creatures. Satan would have us fall down into despair over our own unrighteousness, fall down and never get up again. Jesus know in the light of His presence we must fall down and He wants us to reach up and grab hold of Him, relying solely on Him for any hope and worthiness. While we may cry out for Jesus to depart, that we're too sinful to be around Him, we really want Him closer than ever just as Simon Peter did and Jesus will pull us closer to Him, He won't leave us, He won't depart from us. He'll cover us with His righteousness.
All praise and glory to God, to our Lord and Savior now and forever! Amen.)
Luke {5:8} 'When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.'
MTM (Means to Me):
How often we hear the cries- get away from me, leave me alone, just go away. In my own life I often experienced saying those thing. When I was hurt, confused, depressed I wished the whole world would disappear. Looking back I see I really was the one who wanted to disappear, or be noticed. In not being paid attention I longed for it, but my words were otherwise. When I was hurt and cried out 'Go away!' I really wanted someone to come to me. Today I hear other children and adults cry our 'Leave me be!' and I wonder are they being like Simon Peter telling Jesus to leave, yet really wanting Him more than ever?
Simon felt his unworthiness of Jesus' love, but the words- 'Depart from me' are really saying, 'I'm not worthy but please stay.' Jesus I'm sure saw through that and knew Simon really wanted Him. Luke {5:10} reads- 'And so [was] also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men' Fear not, I know you really don't want me to go from you so I won't, come with me. Oh, sometimes more often I wish to see through the cries of 'Depart from me' and recognize them as pleas to stay.
(4/14/09 - Update
Feeling the weight of our own unworthiness can be crushing. We know that against the purity of Christ we are nothing but sinful dirty creatures. Satan would have us fall down into despair over our own unrighteousness, fall down and never get up again. Jesus know in the light of His presence we must fall down and He wants us to reach up and grab hold of Him, relying solely on Him for any hope and worthiness. While we may cry out for Jesus to depart, that we're too sinful to be around Him, we really want Him closer than ever just as Simon Peter did and Jesus will pull us closer to Him, He won't leave us, He won't depart from us. He'll cover us with His righteousness.
All praise and glory to God, to our Lord and Savior now and forever! Amen.)
Monday, April 13, 2009
Excerpts from Notebooks - July 1983
Mark 1:25 'And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of Him.'
Jesus knew that evil spirit possession is real. He told the evil spirit to come out of the man. If spirit possession was real enough then it is more than likely real now. Jesus, not man, has the necessary power to remove unclean spirits. We can use Jesus' power, if we are connected right to Him.
Mark 1:31 'And, He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up by the hand and immediately the fever left her and she ministered unto them.'
Jesus could easily have said 'fever be gone', or some such thing yet He knew the contact of love is important. Jesus took her by the hand. Picture it, His hand in hers, the strength, the gentleness, the power, and the love in that hand merging into the sick woman's giving her the healing she needed. The lifting her up so tenderly with compassion, can you imagine the awe, the wonderment and sense of gratitude the woman must have felt!
She ministered unto them and probably so happily that her face radiated a glow of love, and all Jesus needed to do was take her hand and lift her, He didn't say a word, it was His touch that healed her.
(Casting out evil spirits, healings, Jesus came into His own and the healings were many. He came and did what no other had ever done. There may have been magicians of sorts, those good at tending the sick, but none were ever like Jesus, none. When He performed the miracles one after the other, healing countless number of people it was for a reason. It was proof undeniably so of His divinity. The Pharisees and all others could say whatever they wanted to say but truthfully they could not explain away the healings could they? Not really. Their hands were tied, they were limited because the word of Jesus spread and spread, people were coming from all around wanting to be healed, wanting to hear Jesus speak. They knew He was special, they knew He was different.
While the apostles, the disciples, the followers of Jesus continued on after Jesus died and was raised to life again, none were ever like Him, they were shadows of what He was and that too was as it should be. Gradually over time the healings, the casting out of devils, all of that seemed to fade away and become mostly mythical.
Today we have healings and what are called exorcisms but they exist on the realm of the skeptical. Were people skeptical in Jesus' day? Yes, very much so. But there isn't a whole village of people being healed now. There isn't anyone going about casting out devils with a word- in fact today if there is casting out it's a dramatic process much like those depicted in various movies without the sensationalized gore.
We want to believe in miracles, but we can't expect them, true Godly miracles, now in the end days. Why? Because we know in the last days devils will be working miracles.
Rev. {16:14}' For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, [which] go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world.'
Rev. {19:20} 'And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast'
Matt. {24:23} 'Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here [is] Christ, or there; believe [it] not. {24:24} For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if [it were] possible, they shall deceive the very elect.'
There is a big danger in counting on miracles today. With Jesus coming again soon, very soon, the greatest miracle we should be looking for is the miracle of His arrival and the changing of our bodies from corruptible to incorruptible. Not the miracles of healing, not the casting out of devils. We need only look for Christ. Satan is ready to deceive all. He has his plans set, his agenda made. He will work in such away that only the very elect of God will not be deceived. Such knowledge we can all have and we must all use. We must not trust our own eyes or ears, but rely on the knowledge God has given us in His Holy Word. The whole world will marvel at the miracle Satan will perform and it will be those who refuse to be deceived who will be saved.
By the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ now and forever! May we have our eyes ever upon Him! Amen.)
Jesus knew that evil spirit possession is real. He told the evil spirit to come out of the man. If spirit possession was real enough then it is more than likely real now. Jesus, not man, has the necessary power to remove unclean spirits. We can use Jesus' power, if we are connected right to Him.
Mark 1:31 'And, He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up by the hand and immediately the fever left her and she ministered unto them.'
Jesus could easily have said 'fever be gone', or some such thing yet He knew the contact of love is important. Jesus took her by the hand. Picture it, His hand in hers, the strength, the gentleness, the power, and the love in that hand merging into the sick woman's giving her the healing she needed. The lifting her up so tenderly with compassion, can you imagine the awe, the wonderment and sense of gratitude the woman must have felt!
She ministered unto them and probably so happily that her face radiated a glow of love, and all Jesus needed to do was take her hand and lift her, He didn't say a word, it was His touch that healed her.
(Casting out evil spirits, healings, Jesus came into His own and the healings were many. He came and did what no other had ever done. There may have been magicians of sorts, those good at tending the sick, but none were ever like Jesus, none. When He performed the miracles one after the other, healing countless number of people it was for a reason. It was proof undeniably so of His divinity. The Pharisees and all others could say whatever they wanted to say but truthfully they could not explain away the healings could they? Not really. Their hands were tied, they were limited because the word of Jesus spread and spread, people were coming from all around wanting to be healed, wanting to hear Jesus speak. They knew He was special, they knew He was different.
While the apostles, the disciples, the followers of Jesus continued on after Jesus died and was raised to life again, none were ever like Him, they were shadows of what He was and that too was as it should be. Gradually over time the healings, the casting out of devils, all of that seemed to fade away and become mostly mythical.
Today we have healings and what are called exorcisms but they exist on the realm of the skeptical. Were people skeptical in Jesus' day? Yes, very much so. But there isn't a whole village of people being healed now. There isn't anyone going about casting out devils with a word- in fact today if there is casting out it's a dramatic process much like those depicted in various movies without the sensationalized gore.
We want to believe in miracles, but we can't expect them, true Godly miracles, now in the end days. Why? Because we know in the last days devils will be working miracles.
Rev. {16:14}' For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, [which] go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world.'
Rev. {19:20} 'And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast'
Matt. {24:23} 'Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here [is] Christ, or there; believe [it] not. {24:24} For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if [it were] possible, they shall deceive the very elect.'
There is a big danger in counting on miracles today. With Jesus coming again soon, very soon, the greatest miracle we should be looking for is the miracle of His arrival and the changing of our bodies from corruptible to incorruptible. Not the miracles of healing, not the casting out of devils. We need only look for Christ. Satan is ready to deceive all. He has his plans set, his agenda made. He will work in such away that only the very elect of God will not be deceived. Such knowledge we can all have and we must all use. We must not trust our own eyes or ears, but rely on the knowledge God has given us in His Holy Word. The whole world will marvel at the miracle Satan will perform and it will be those who refuse to be deceived who will be saved.
By the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ now and forever! May we have our eyes ever upon Him! Amen.)
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Excerpts from Notebooks - July 10, 1983
7/10/83
(Excerpts from--)
Practice the Presence of God - By Brother Lawrence Fleming
'We should establish ourselves in a sense of God's presence by continually conversing with Him.'
'When he had failed in his duty he only confessed his fault saying to God, I shall never do otherwise if You leave me to myself it is You who must hinder my failing and mend what is amiss…After this he gave himself no further uneasiness about it.'
(Thinking about that- the Presence of God, I believe we rely way too much on feelings. I don't feel it- I don't feel right - I feel this way, I feel that way. It's all about our feelings isn't it?
Sometimes being around someone that doesn't seem to rely on feelings but exists more in the neutral manner of acceptance that life is just this way and so be it, makes it hard to understand. The tendency to want to pick at the whys and wherefores, to distrust that there can be an acceptance of things that really there is unhappiness, non-contentment there. We are so hyped up about our feelings that to live in such a way makes us *boring or *odd.
We are promoting being in touch with our feelings more and more. On the popular websites Myspace and Facebook they both have places for people to express their current feelings. This is supposed to promote interaction with others. If you see a friend is sad it encourages others to uplift them. If you are happy it encourages the sharing of that happiness.
The other day I was at my mother's house helping her out with a few computer things and she wanted me to set up her Myspace so it was book-marked for easy access. While I was doing that she saw where others were writing about their various feelings and happenings - and asked where she could put hers in. I showed her and asked her what she wanted me to put in for her right then and she said 'I don't know.' So that's what I put in there. She obviously wasn't exceptionally caught up in recognizing an emotion she might be feeling at the moment. And you know what, that's not so bad. Some might think it is, they might instantly be concerned that she's not in touch with herself. But rather than that, I'm choosing to believe it's her not being caught up in how she feels.
When we do Practice the Presence of God in our lives we have to separate it from how we might be feeling or it'll become dependent upon that feeling. When we depend on our feelings to Practice the Presence of God then we can be sure that there are going to be headed our way a lot of negative feelings that will make us not believe we can Practice the Presence of God.
This from that book- 'We should establish ourselves in a sense of God's presence by continually conversing with Him.'
Is true. And it's a conversing that needs to go beyond feeling 'right' with God. It has to be a knowledge of God's presence as being with us no matter what. We don't have to wait to feel a thing, we can believe and have faith beyond the feelings we'd like to have.
And this-
'When he had failed in his duty he only confessed his fault saying to God, I shall never do otherwise if You leave me to myself it is You who must hinder my failing and mend what is amiss…After this he gave himself no further uneasiness about it.'
Is this acceptable? It has to be doesn't it? We get so caught up in our faults, our failures, and it does seem overwhelming, as if we'll never cease to fail. If we count on ourselves for success it's just as well we fail in order that we know we can't find success on our own, of our own accord. We HAVE to have God with us, we have to rely on God to mend whatever is amiss inside us. We have to surrender ourselves to God for that mending. If we get caught up in worrying over our inability to succeed we will never let God work in us, we'll constantly be waiting for the power on our own to succeed. We'll take pride in that success and attribute it to ourselves. Much better to remember always that it is God working in us to fix our failings.
The part about, 'After this he gave himself no further uneasiness about it.' Is that trust? It must be. To worry over something after confessing it and entrusting our need to God is pointless. It only shows a lack of faith in God truly hearing and helping us.
It seems to be in our nature to worry over things, to feel uneasiness about things, but we truly have to give to God and trust beyond our understanding. We might not understand one whit how things might be healed, helped, or changed but we aren't called to understand, we are called to trust, to believe. To realize our place as creatures and God's place as Creator.)
(Please note- information taken from my old notebooks may be altered by me to take what I think is pertinent from among all that is written. All additional writing which will be my current thoughts on past writings will be in parentheses. Thank you.)
By the grace and mercy of Christ Jesus now and forever! Amen.
(Excerpts from--)
Practice the Presence of God - By Brother Lawrence Fleming
'We should establish ourselves in a sense of God's presence by continually conversing with Him.'
'When he had failed in his duty he only confessed his fault saying to God, I shall never do otherwise if You leave me to myself it is You who must hinder my failing and mend what is amiss…After this he gave himself no further uneasiness about it.'
(Thinking about that- the Presence of God, I believe we rely way too much on feelings. I don't feel it- I don't feel right - I feel this way, I feel that way. It's all about our feelings isn't it?
Sometimes being around someone that doesn't seem to rely on feelings but exists more in the neutral manner of acceptance that life is just this way and so be it, makes it hard to understand. The tendency to want to pick at the whys and wherefores, to distrust that there can be an acceptance of things that really there is unhappiness, non-contentment there. We are so hyped up about our feelings that to live in such a way makes us *boring or *odd.
We are promoting being in touch with our feelings more and more. On the popular websites Myspace and Facebook they both have places for people to express their current feelings. This is supposed to promote interaction with others. If you see a friend is sad it encourages others to uplift them. If you are happy it encourages the sharing of that happiness.
The other day I was at my mother's house helping her out with a few computer things and she wanted me to set up her Myspace so it was book-marked for easy access. While I was doing that she saw where others were writing about their various feelings and happenings - and asked where she could put hers in. I showed her and asked her what she wanted me to put in for her right then and she said 'I don't know.' So that's what I put in there. She obviously wasn't exceptionally caught up in recognizing an emotion she might be feeling at the moment. And you know what, that's not so bad. Some might think it is, they might instantly be concerned that she's not in touch with herself. But rather than that, I'm choosing to believe it's her not being caught up in how she feels.
When we do Practice the Presence of God in our lives we have to separate it from how we might be feeling or it'll become dependent upon that feeling. When we depend on our feelings to Practice the Presence of God then we can be sure that there are going to be headed our way a lot of negative feelings that will make us not believe we can Practice the Presence of God.
This from that book- 'We should establish ourselves in a sense of God's presence by continually conversing with Him.'
Is true. And it's a conversing that needs to go beyond feeling 'right' with God. It has to be a knowledge of God's presence as being with us no matter what. We don't have to wait to feel a thing, we can believe and have faith beyond the feelings we'd like to have.
And this-
'When he had failed in his duty he only confessed his fault saying to God, I shall never do otherwise if You leave me to myself it is You who must hinder my failing and mend what is amiss…After this he gave himself no further uneasiness about it.'
Is this acceptable? It has to be doesn't it? We get so caught up in our faults, our failures, and it does seem overwhelming, as if we'll never cease to fail. If we count on ourselves for success it's just as well we fail in order that we know we can't find success on our own, of our own accord. We HAVE to have God with us, we have to rely on God to mend whatever is amiss inside us. We have to surrender ourselves to God for that mending. If we get caught up in worrying over our inability to succeed we will never let God work in us, we'll constantly be waiting for the power on our own to succeed. We'll take pride in that success and attribute it to ourselves. Much better to remember always that it is God working in us to fix our failings.
The part about, 'After this he gave himself no further uneasiness about it.' Is that trust? It must be. To worry over something after confessing it and entrusting our need to God is pointless. It only shows a lack of faith in God truly hearing and helping us.
It seems to be in our nature to worry over things, to feel uneasiness about things, but we truly have to give to God and trust beyond our understanding. We might not understand one whit how things might be healed, helped, or changed but we aren't called to understand, we are called to trust, to believe. To realize our place as creatures and God's place as Creator.)
(Please note- information taken from my old notebooks may be altered by me to take what I think is pertinent from among all that is written. All additional writing which will be my current thoughts on past writings will be in parentheses. Thank you.)
By the grace and mercy of Christ Jesus now and forever! Amen.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
July 18 1983 - Excerpts of My Old Notebook
July 18, 1983
Luke {5:24} But that
ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to
forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto
thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house.
The Son of man has power here on earth to forgive sins.
Here on earth.
On earth Christ has the power to forgive the sins of those on earth.
He has the power!!!!!
It is His will to forgive sins, or else why would He have the power to do so? Why have the power and not exercise it?
He wants to forgive our sins, He wanted to heal by forgiving us.
He wants us to know we are sick, sin-filled and especially that He is willing to heal us from the sickness.
You get sick and you call a doctor for help, advice, medicine or you talk to someone, a friend, and ask their advice. Or a friend may turn it around and ask you what you are doing to get better.
The point is, when you are sick you want to get better so you look for ways to get better.
We are all sin sick and we need to look for ways to get better, to stop sinning.
So what if the doctor tells you it's an incurable disease? Maybe he tells you that there is medicine that may help you, that you have to take the medicine whenever you have an attack. It will seem as if you'll never get better, but on the plus side you'll live a lot longer, maybe a normal lifespan if you keep taking the medicine.
Now you may try other doctors, other medicines, or rely on you own advice or a friend's, but this one pill alone will help you, more than you'll really realize.
The pill for the sin-sick which is all of us, is Jesus. If we confess to Him every time we sin we'll be helped quite a bit. We'll never stop sinning, having attacks, but we'll always have the medicine about to help us, Jesus.
We choose our doctors and we choose whether to take the prescribed medicine.
In this sickness we have God as our doctor and Jesus is the medicine.
(Sin really isn't an incurable disease- there is One who has overcome the sickness and it is through that One we may be inoculated. Only there is just one way He can inoculate us. We have to stay in His presence. We have to stay with Him, live with Him all the time not just off and on when we feel like being with Him, but always no matter what we are going through. As long as we live and until Jesus returns to take us home with Him we need to remain close to Him or we will never be saved, never be inoculated fully.
If your life depended upon being with another person always day in and day out, 24/7, would you want that person with you? If the alternative is death I'm almost certain you would.
People just don't realize that we are all under a very real death sentence. A death sentence that kills the spirit as well as the flesh.
Matt. {10:28} And fear not them which kill the body,
but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is
able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Do you see?
Death is the destiny of us all. Life in Jesus is also the destiny of all who desire such life in Christ.
We hope to one day be with Jesus forever, we need to let that desire be manifested in our lives right now, living with Him as a reality to us and not some figment called upon in desperation. He needs to shape our daily lives now. Truly who would desire to live with Jesus forever if they don't even want to be with Him now? )
(Please note- information taken from my old notebooks may be altered by me to take what I think is pertinent from among all that is written. All additional writing which will be my current thoughts on past writings will be in parentheses. Thank you.)
All Glory, Praise and Honor to Our Lord on High! By His Mercy and Grace now and forever!
Amen.
Luke {5:24} But that
ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to
forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto
thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house.
The Son of man has power here on earth to forgive sins.
Here on earth.
On earth Christ has the power to forgive the sins of those on earth.
He has the power!!!!!
It is His will to forgive sins, or else why would He have the power to do so? Why have the power and not exercise it?
He wants to forgive our sins, He wanted to heal by forgiving us.
He wants us to know we are sick, sin-filled and especially that He is willing to heal us from the sickness.
You get sick and you call a doctor for help, advice, medicine or you talk to someone, a friend, and ask their advice. Or a friend may turn it around and ask you what you are doing to get better.
The point is, when you are sick you want to get better so you look for ways to get better.
We are all sin sick and we need to look for ways to get better, to stop sinning.
So what if the doctor tells you it's an incurable disease? Maybe he tells you that there is medicine that may help you, that you have to take the medicine whenever you have an attack. It will seem as if you'll never get better, but on the plus side you'll live a lot longer, maybe a normal lifespan if you keep taking the medicine.
Now you may try other doctors, other medicines, or rely on you own advice or a friend's, but this one pill alone will help you, more than you'll really realize.
The pill for the sin-sick which is all of us, is Jesus. If we confess to Him every time we sin we'll be helped quite a bit. We'll never stop sinning, having attacks, but we'll always have the medicine about to help us, Jesus.
We choose our doctors and we choose whether to take the prescribed medicine.
In this sickness we have God as our doctor and Jesus is the medicine.
(Sin really isn't an incurable disease- there is One who has overcome the sickness and it is through that One we may be inoculated. Only there is just one way He can inoculate us. We have to stay in His presence. We have to stay with Him, live with Him all the time not just off and on when we feel like being with Him, but always no matter what we are going through. As long as we live and until Jesus returns to take us home with Him we need to remain close to Him or we will never be saved, never be inoculated fully.
If your life depended upon being with another person always day in and day out, 24/7, would you want that person with you? If the alternative is death I'm almost certain you would.
People just don't realize that we are all under a very real death sentence. A death sentence that kills the spirit as well as the flesh.
Matt. {10:28} And fear not them which kill the body,
but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is
able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Do you see?
Death is the destiny of us all. Life in Jesus is also the destiny of all who desire such life in Christ.
We hope to one day be with Jesus forever, we need to let that desire be manifested in our lives right now, living with Him as a reality to us and not some figment called upon in desperation. He needs to shape our daily lives now. Truly who would desire to live with Jesus forever if they don't even want to be with Him now? )
(Please note- information taken from my old notebooks may be altered by me to take what I think is pertinent from among all that is written. All additional writing which will be my current thoughts on past writings will be in parentheses. Thank you.)
All Glory, Praise and Honor to Our Lord on High! By His Mercy and Grace now and forever!
Amen.
Friday, April 10, 2009
More Excerpts from Old Notebooks
Notebook #2
(Please note- information taken from my old notebooks may be altered by me to take what I think is pertinent from among all that is written. All additional writing which will be my current thoughts on past writings will be in parantheses. Thank you.)
July 5, 1983
People teach that their religion is the only way to be saved, however a pearl of wisdom comes from one writer and holds true.
'Among the heathen are those who worship God ignorantly, those to whom light is never brought by human instrumentality yet they will not perish. Though ignorant of the written love of God, they have heard his voice speaking to them in nature and have done the things that the laws required. Their works are evidence that the Holy Spirit has touched their hearts, and they are recognized as the children of God.'
The Desire of Ages p638 E.G. White
( I find this thought very comforting. We live in a world where you hear over and over that all people have already been given a chance to know Jesus. We live in the age of technology that has allowed information to speed to people around the world in mere seconds. Still there are remote villages, there are tiny cities, there are many who are too poor to own their own computer. No matter what the circumstances there will be situations where not every single person will be set down and talk from the Bible.
This is why that passage really touches my heart as being true.
The voice of God in their daily lives is alive and well. The Holy Spirit is touching their hearts, their minds and they are God's children. These uneducated people like all people the world over will have an opportunity to live their lives as God would accept. It's a natural love that flows from the Holy Spirit and to me this is a great comfort. )
'The written testimonies," it is explained in Mrs. White published works, 'are not to give new light, but to impress vividly upon the heart inspiration already revealed. Man's duty to God and to his fellow man has been distinctly specified in God's word, yet but few of you are obedient to the light given. Additional truth is not brought out, but God has through the testimonies simplified the great truths already given.'
Testimonies for the Church Vol 2 p 605 E.G. White
(I used to belong to the SDA Church, in fact when I wrote things at that time I was active in the church. However I left the SDA Church when I realized that they left the truth as originally given to them. I was not going to be found counted among the apostatized so I left the church, but I haven't left the beliefs found true.
Ellen White to me was just as she proclaimed to others- A messenger from God, infallible and as she writes above, any writings she does is not adding truth to God's word because you can't add anything to the Word of God. All she's done is simplified great truths. And while I'm not the prolific writer Ellen White was, nor will I ever be one proclaimed a prophet or such, I like to think that anyone, even me, who takes the Word of God and relates what it is saying to them is also doing the same thing as she did. )
From - The Art of Learning to Love Yourself by Gail G. Osborne. Page 83.
'The wise are content with contentment studded with the occasional peaks of happiness.'
(So true. If we would all live by such a statement how much more content we'd be. If we stopped looking for that ~high~ of excitement as a telltale sign we are living life as it should be lived we'd all be so much better off. But when someone asks what you're doing this weekend and you answer nothing little alarm bells sound that say that's boring! In truth it's just as wonderful as others doing ~things~ , those who have a busy schedules planned for the weekend. We can't think in terms of life being boring or exciting, if we get caught in that trap we will never be content.
Yes, I like the saying above. The wise are content with contentment studded with the occasional peaks of happiness.
To me that mean the occasional peaks of excitement and yes, something that can be called happiness.
If I asked you if you were happy and you couldn't say yes, there is nothing in the world wrong with that. We shouldn't be geared towards thinking we need to be happy all the time- we don't. We need to be alright within our lives with being at peace, being content with our day to day life without being made to feel we need to be constantly seeking the next high of happiness to be truly enjoying life.)
July 8, 1983 Sabbath
1 Peter {5:10} But the God of all grace, who hath called us
unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have
suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen,
settle [you. ]{5:11} To him [be] glory and dominion for
ever and ever. Amen.
Praise God, Praise God for His blessings on us He lay.
Praise God for all His love.
Praise Him for He'll stay.
God will not fail as we often do.
Praise His love again and again.
Strength, love, treasured gifts on us He gives freely.
Believe is all He asks, believe and with Him always be!
Hebrews {13:5} [Let
your] conversation [be] without covetousness; [and be]
content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will
never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
Genesis {28:15} 'And, behold, I
[am] with thee, and will keep thee in all [places] whither
thou goest,...'
Deut. {31:6} Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be
afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he [it is] that doth go
with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
Deut. {31:8} And the LORD, he [it
is] that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not
fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
Isa. {41:10} Fear thou not; for I [am] with thee: be not
dismayed; for I [am] thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I
will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of
my righteousness.
(Praise God!)
(Please note- information taken from my old notebooks may be altered by me to take what I think is pertinent from among all that is written. All additional writing which will be my current thoughts on past writings will be in parantheses. Thank you.)
July 5, 1983
People teach that their religion is the only way to be saved, however a pearl of wisdom comes from one writer and holds true.
'Among the heathen are those who worship God ignorantly, those to whom light is never brought by human instrumentality yet they will not perish. Though ignorant of the written love of God, they have heard his voice speaking to them in nature and have done the things that the laws required. Their works are evidence that the Holy Spirit has touched their hearts, and they are recognized as the children of God.'
The Desire of Ages p638 E.G. White
( I find this thought very comforting. We live in a world where you hear over and over that all people have already been given a chance to know Jesus. We live in the age of technology that has allowed information to speed to people around the world in mere seconds. Still there are remote villages, there are tiny cities, there are many who are too poor to own their own computer. No matter what the circumstances there will be situations where not every single person will be set down and talk from the Bible.
This is why that passage really touches my heart as being true.
The voice of God in their daily lives is alive and well. The Holy Spirit is touching their hearts, their minds and they are God's children. These uneducated people like all people the world over will have an opportunity to live their lives as God would accept. It's a natural love that flows from the Holy Spirit and to me this is a great comfort. )
'The written testimonies," it is explained in Mrs. White published works, 'are not to give new light, but to impress vividly upon the heart inspiration already revealed. Man's duty to God and to his fellow man has been distinctly specified in God's word, yet but few of you are obedient to the light given. Additional truth is not brought out, but God has through the testimonies simplified the great truths already given.'
Testimonies for the Church Vol 2 p 605 E.G. White
(I used to belong to the SDA Church, in fact when I wrote things at that time I was active in the church. However I left the SDA Church when I realized that they left the truth as originally given to them. I was not going to be found counted among the apostatized so I left the church, but I haven't left the beliefs found true.
Ellen White to me was just as she proclaimed to others- A messenger from God, infallible and as she writes above, any writings she does is not adding truth to God's word because you can't add anything to the Word of God. All she's done is simplified great truths. And while I'm not the prolific writer Ellen White was, nor will I ever be one proclaimed a prophet or such, I like to think that anyone, even me, who takes the Word of God and relates what it is saying to them is also doing the same thing as she did. )
From - The Art of Learning to Love Yourself by Gail G. Osborne. Page 83.
'The wise are content with contentment studded with the occasional peaks of happiness.'
(So true. If we would all live by such a statement how much more content we'd be. If we stopped looking for that ~high~ of excitement as a telltale sign we are living life as it should be lived we'd all be so much better off. But when someone asks what you're doing this weekend and you answer nothing little alarm bells sound that say that's boring! In truth it's just as wonderful as others doing ~things~ , those who have a busy schedules planned for the weekend. We can't think in terms of life being boring or exciting, if we get caught in that trap we will never be content.
Yes, I like the saying above. The wise are content with contentment studded with the occasional peaks of happiness.
To me that mean the occasional peaks of excitement and yes, something that can be called happiness.
If I asked you if you were happy and you couldn't say yes, there is nothing in the world wrong with that. We shouldn't be geared towards thinking we need to be happy all the time- we don't. We need to be alright within our lives with being at peace, being content with our day to day life without being made to feel we need to be constantly seeking the next high of happiness to be truly enjoying life.)
July 8, 1983 Sabbath
1 Peter {5:10} But the God of all grace, who hath called us
unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have
suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen,
settle [you. ]{5:11} To him [be] glory and dominion for
ever and ever. Amen.
Praise God, Praise God for His blessings on us He lay.
Praise God for all His love.
Praise Him for He'll stay.
God will not fail as we often do.
Praise His love again and again.
Strength, love, treasured gifts on us He gives freely.
Believe is all He asks, believe and with Him always be!
Hebrews {13:5} [Let
your] conversation [be] without covetousness; [and be]
content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will
never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
Genesis {28:15} 'And, behold, I
[am] with thee, and will keep thee in all [places] whither
thou goest,...'
Deut. {31:6} Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be
afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he [it is] that doth go
with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
Deut. {31:8} And the LORD, he [it
is] that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not
fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
Isa. {41:10} Fear thou not; for I [am] with thee: be not
dismayed; for I [am] thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I
will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of
my righteousness.
(Praise God!)
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Excerpts from Notebooks - Prophecy Fulfilled
From Notebook One -
The following is something I wrote many years ago now, but it still holds true today. At the end of this article I will put a couple of website addresses you can use to look up more information.
Thank you.
*******
Prophecy Fulfilled!
How exciting! Prophecy fulfilled in our day! As recently as 1980 Biblical prophecy was fulfilled.
Are you surprised by this? I was, my sister was and my friends were as we studied our Bibles, history and the Spirit of Prophecy.
The prophecy is found in Luke 21:24, 'And they shall fall by the edge of the sword and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.'
Some have said that this prophecy is irrelevant. I say any prophecy is relevant. How can we presume to judge the importance of Scripture, prophetic or not prophetic? I say all Scripture is supremely important because it is God's word to us, His people.
People through ages have taken Scripture and picked it apart. They have placed importance on one aspect of the Bible while forgetting the other aspects.
The Sabbath commandment has largely been forgotten by the majority of people around the world. We as Seventh-day Adventist realize this importance of keeping all the commandments in their original Biblically founded truth.
Yet as we place so much importance on the forgotten fourth commandment have we become guilty of lessening the other nine?
What has this to do with fulfilled prophecy?
As always God's word is all important, 'Precept upon precept' Isaiah 28:10. Let's look at the first commandment. 'And God spoke all these words saying, I am the Lord thy God, which have brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.' Ex. 20:1-3.
This tells us we are to have no other gods before God, yet how many people are following their pastors (ministers, preachers, priests) believing what they say without studying for themselves? How many pastors are gods for their parishioners?
When you go to church and hear a pastor say something is true or untrue do you believe what he says without question?
It would be wonderful to think that all pastors will be saved, but as we know not all lay people will be in the kingdom the same is true for pastors, they are not infallible.
It was a pastor who said that the prophecy in Luke 21:24 was unimportant. What will your pastor or superior, if you are a pastor, say to you after you read this article?
As an individual accountable to God for your every action please take the time to study in-depth for yourselves this prophecy and its obvious fulfillment.
*
Of the three chapters Jesus gives us on the future signs to observe- Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21, only Luke 21 has a prophecy that deals especially with time.
'Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the time of the Gentiles be fulfilled.' Luke 21:24
Let's look at a few facts.
Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in 70AD. Since then for nineteen centuries Jerusalem was controlled by Gentiles- trodden down of the Gentiles. The Romans and different Christian nations during the Crusades, the Turks, the British, and the Jordanians until the Six-Day War in 1967.
You can look up these facts in your library it is all history.
In 1967 Israeli armies recaptured the old city of Jerusalem but the Capital remained in Tel Aviv. In 1980, the Knesset declared Old Jerusalem to be the Capital of Israel.
Many of you may already know these facts, but may not realize the importance of them. This fulfilled prophecy has great importance in connection with our church (with all Christians).
The study is much to detailed for me to go into in this small letter (article). There is a study available by the Adventist Laymen's Foundation of Arkansas. It is a manuscript 57 pages typed, with exhibits of photo copied material. It is not just one man's opinion with a lot of hearsay, It is a thoroughly documented, fact-filled manuscript worth the $2.00 plus $1.00 postage. The Foundation are not making a profit by selling the manuscript at what it costs to assemble and mail, but that is not what they believe God would have them do. God's truth must be available to everyone. (Note- The Foundation isn't currently selling anything due to the failing health of its founder Elder Grotheer. However a lot of information can be found online at the various sites listed below. Remember this article was written many years ago.)
I realize this sounds like a sales pitch but it truly isn't meant to be.
The information in this manuscript is many times more valuable that I can say. It opened my closed eyes to some facts I had no way of realizing. Facts I can look up for myself. I haven't and will not rely on the word of any one man. I will look at the facts and study the Bible. With prayer and a sincere desire to know the truth, God will show any sincere seeker the truth of what they read. I urge each of you to obtain a manuscript and with a mind dedicated to know God's truth read it if only to show others the errors it contains- if you can find any.
I may have over done it a bit and that may turn a few people off. I pray that is not the case. It is our hope only that God will open the eyes of the blind to His truth, that He will reveal His love to all who truly desire to know Him.
Manuscript available at [Address].
Note everything in parenthesis has been added by me recently in the year 2009.
Website addresses-
http://sites.google.com/site/whostosaywereright2/Home
http://www.adventistalert.com/
http://www.adventistlaymen.com/index.html
Contact Info-
dorhugs@comcast.net
The following is something I wrote many years ago now, but it still holds true today. At the end of this article I will put a couple of website addresses you can use to look up more information.
Thank you.
*******
Prophecy Fulfilled!
How exciting! Prophecy fulfilled in our day! As recently as 1980 Biblical prophecy was fulfilled.
Are you surprised by this? I was, my sister was and my friends were as we studied our Bibles, history and the Spirit of Prophecy.
The prophecy is found in Luke 21:24, 'And they shall fall by the edge of the sword and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.'
Some have said that this prophecy is irrelevant. I say any prophecy is relevant. How can we presume to judge the importance of Scripture, prophetic or not prophetic? I say all Scripture is supremely important because it is God's word to us, His people.
People through ages have taken Scripture and picked it apart. They have placed importance on one aspect of the Bible while forgetting the other aspects.
The Sabbath commandment has largely been forgotten by the majority of people around the world. We as Seventh-day Adventist realize this importance of keeping all the commandments in their original Biblically founded truth.
Yet as we place so much importance on the forgotten fourth commandment have we become guilty of lessening the other nine?
What has this to do with fulfilled prophecy?
As always God's word is all important, 'Precept upon precept' Isaiah 28:10. Let's look at the first commandment. 'And God spoke all these words saying, I am the Lord thy God, which have brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.' Ex. 20:1-3.
This tells us we are to have no other gods before God, yet how many people are following their pastors (ministers, preachers, priests) believing what they say without studying for themselves? How many pastors are gods for their parishioners?
When you go to church and hear a pastor say something is true or untrue do you believe what he says without question?
It would be wonderful to think that all pastors will be saved, but as we know not all lay people will be in the kingdom the same is true for pastors, they are not infallible.
It was a pastor who said that the prophecy in Luke 21:24 was unimportant. What will your pastor or superior, if you are a pastor, say to you after you read this article?
As an individual accountable to God for your every action please take the time to study in-depth for yourselves this prophecy and its obvious fulfillment.
*
Of the three chapters Jesus gives us on the future signs to observe- Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21, only Luke 21 has a prophecy that deals especially with time.
'Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the time of the Gentiles be fulfilled.' Luke 21:24
Let's look at a few facts.
Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in 70AD. Since then for nineteen centuries Jerusalem was controlled by Gentiles- trodden down of the Gentiles. The Romans and different Christian nations during the Crusades, the Turks, the British, and the Jordanians until the Six-Day War in 1967.
You can look up these facts in your library it is all history.
In 1967 Israeli armies recaptured the old city of Jerusalem but the Capital remained in Tel Aviv. In 1980, the Knesset declared Old Jerusalem to be the Capital of Israel.
Many of you may already know these facts, but may not realize the importance of them. This fulfilled prophecy has great importance in connection with our church (with all Christians).
The study is much to detailed for me to go into in this small letter (article). There is a study available by the Adventist Laymen's Foundation of Arkansas. It is a manuscript 57 pages typed, with exhibits of photo copied material. It is not just one man's opinion with a lot of hearsay, It is a thoroughly documented, fact-filled manuscript worth the $2.00 plus $1.00 postage. The Foundation are not making a profit by selling the manuscript at what it costs to assemble and mail, but that is not what they believe God would have them do. God's truth must be available to everyone. (Note- The Foundation isn't currently selling anything due to the failing health of its founder Elder Grotheer. However a lot of information can be found online at the various sites listed below. Remember this article was written many years ago.)
I realize this sounds like a sales pitch but it truly isn't meant to be.
The information in this manuscript is many times more valuable that I can say. It opened my closed eyes to some facts I had no way of realizing. Facts I can look up for myself. I haven't and will not rely on the word of any one man. I will look at the facts and study the Bible. With prayer and a sincere desire to know the truth, God will show any sincere seeker the truth of what they read. I urge each of you to obtain a manuscript and with a mind dedicated to know God's truth read it if only to show others the errors it contains- if you can find any.
I may have over done it a bit and that may turn a few people off. I pray that is not the case. It is our hope only that God will open the eyes of the blind to His truth, that He will reveal His love to all who truly desire to know Him.
Manuscript available at [Address].
Note everything in parenthesis has been added by me recently in the year 2009.
Website addresses-
http://sites.google.com/site/whostosaywereright2/Home
http://www.adventistalert.com/
http://www.adventistlaymen.com/index.html
Contact Info-
dorhugs@comcast.net
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