The Earthly and the Heavenly Things.

Jesus tells us we must be born again of water and Spirit. Jesus tells us outright that our original birth is not enough- we need a spiritual birth. Unlike our birth- which we had absolutely no say so in, we do have a say so in our spiritual birth.

Nicodemus was a ruler of the Jews.  As a ruler of the Jews we have to understand this man knew the laws and ways of the Jews inside and out. Unlike the majority of his fellow rulers of the Jews, Nicodemus' heart was right with God. Because his heart was right with God he desired to know more of Jesus. Going to him at night, when others were less likely to witness the visit, Nicodemus didn't want to be one of the blind and deaf Pharisee. He didn't want to write Jesus off as a crackpot, not when he knew that his forefathers had done that very thing to prophet after prophet in the scriptures. This particular Pharisee ruler wanted to seek truth and that meant going to the source. He told Jesus he knows that he is a teacher from God because of all the miracles He was doing- none but God could do such miracles. As soon as Jesus heard that Nicodemus believed that He was from God, Jesus knew that he was seeking truth and had his heart open to receive that truth.

Jesus went on to tell Nicodemus that people had to be born again of water and Spirit. This threw Nicodemus for a little loop, crazy talk from one that most of his fellow Pharisees thought was a lunatic? Jesus told him outright NOT to marvel at what was being said. He even accused Nicodemus of being a Master of Israel and not knowing these things was the surprise. He looked Nicodemus in the eyes and said-

Joh 3:11… We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. 

Joh 3:12  If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? 

Nicodemus wanted to know more from the man he believed was sent by God, the miracle performing man, yet Jesus outright tells him that he was finding it hard hearing earthly things, hearing heavenly things would really throw him for a loop.

We need to remember for a moment that Nicodemus could have left at any moment. He didn't need to stay there and listen to things that might be considered insulting, he didn't need to listen to Jesus, and yet he was compelled to do so even after being told that he should know these things already and that his finding it hard to believe the simple things would make it even harder to understand the heavenly things that he was there seeking.

Why are we studying this stuff about Nicodemus and Jesus?

Because we need to live our lives in Jesus Christ our hope, and we need a newness of life, we need to be born of the water and the Spirit if we are to survive this prison planet.

Jesus tells Nicodemus of the heavenly- of Himself. He came from heaven and just like Moses lifted up the serpent…

This is something Nicodemus was intimately familiar with- Moses. He knew Moses inside and out- every word ever written by Moses Nicodemus had read time and time again. When Jesus mentioned Moses lifting up the serpent, Nicodemus knew all about the raised serpent and its purpose. A plague of fiery serpents was killing off the people following Moses in the wilderness, a lot of people. The people witnessing person after person dying knew something had to be done so they said this to Moses--

Num 21:7  Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. 

They sinned and were in need of salvation.

Moses was told by God to make a brass serpent on a pole and when the bitten people looked on it, they would live.

Bitten by a serpent, knowing the bite is deadly and yet all they needed to do was look on the brass serpent there on a pole so they could live. Their faith in obeying the word of God healed them. They looked to the raised up brass serpent because they were told in doing so they would live.

Jesus used this example to predict the His own death.  Just as the serpent was raised up - He too would be raised up for all to see and look to so they could live. At the time Nicodemus had no real knowledge of Jesus' impending crucifixion. These words were cryptic to him and yet he wanted to comprehend. Nicodemus already wanted to be born again of the spirit, he wanted truth from God.

More on this tomorrow by the grace of our Lord, by the will of God. May we too forever be seekers of truth. May we be born of the Spirit always. May we look to the raised up and crucified Christ for our salvation, our hope of new life so we may live in Him always.

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Joh 3:1  There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 

Joh 3:2  The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. 

Joh 3:3  Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 

Joh 3:4  Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? 

Joh 3:5  Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 

Joh 3:6  That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 

Joh 3:7  Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 

Joh 3:8  The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. 

Joh 3:9  Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? 

Joh 3:10  Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? 

Joh 3:11  Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. 

Joh 3:12  If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? 

Joh 3:13  And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. 

Joh 3:14  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 

Joh 3:15  That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 

Joh 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 

Joh 3:17  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 

Joh 3:18  He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 

Joh 3:19  And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 

Joh 3:20  For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 

Joh 3:21  But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. 

STRIVE to Enter In At the Strait Gate

Forever before us is the gospel. The good news, and that good news is one of salvation. What is salvation? It is being saved from the life of hopelessness. It is a realization that something went terribly wrong in this world. It's the knowledge that things are not how they are supposed to be. It is recognizing that a flaw exists and because the flaw exists there must be a correction, a fixing of the flaw, a doing away with the flawed so the fixed can take its place. We need to recognize the need to be saved before we can be saved.

There are many people in the world that are resigned to their existence and the existence of others around them, and the existence of those to yet be born, and they believe this is just how it is and can be no different. 

History to them has proven time and time again a striving by mankind to improve how things are and they believe it will forever be a striving until hopefully one day, somehow things will fall into place and everyone will find a peaceful existence.

I personally recognize that this world as a whole is extremely messed up. There are not too many people (at least among the sane and logical) that would say this world is a perfect place, that all is right in our world.

From the gravest of grand scale tragedies, to the tiniest private heartbreak- there is no possible way that all is as it should be in our world.

Salvation offers the hope of that perfect existence, one which we can all share in should we choose.

I lay before you the Word of God and found in the Word of God is the knowledge of the truth, the hope of Salvation from this evil existence.

The way that is right must be the way offered by God to us all, and we must take heed to His way given to us through the sacrifice of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.

An entire way of life is outlined in the Word of God, and should we pick out only the bits and pieces that sound good to us we are in danger of being caught up in deception.  Too many claim the title of Christian and fall far short of recognizing what a true Christian life is. To be a Christ follower is to do just that, follow Christ and Christ's way. To follow Christ's way you have to know Christ's way, and once you know Christ's way if you veer from following His way, you can no longer truly lay claim to the title Christian. Daily sacrifice, daily recognition of our need of salvation, of repentant, of forgiveness, daily putting God first, others second and ourselves last. A Christian has a daily walk following Christ's way, not a weekly way, not a monthly way, not a yearly way- but a daily forever walk, a striving to enter the narrow way all through Christ.

Pro 16:25  There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.  

Mat 7:13  Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 

Mat 7:14  Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. 

Luk 13:24  Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. 

Gal 6:7  Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 

Gal 6:8  For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. 

Gal 6:9  And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. 

Gal 6:10  As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. 

Jas 1:22  But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. 

Jas 1:23  For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: 

Jas 1:24  For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. 

2Co 13:5  Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves.

Psa 139:23  Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: 

Psa 139:24  And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. 

Lam 3:40  Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD. 

Eze 18:27  Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive. 

Eze 18:28  Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die. 

1Co 11:28  But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. 

1Co 11:29  For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. 

1Co 11:30  For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. 

1Co 11:31  For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. 

1Co 11:32  But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. 

Heb 12:15  Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled

Rev 2:5  Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. 

Rev 3:2  Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. 

Rev 3:3  Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. 

Spiritual Light.

Our spiritual light must not be corrupted. Satan will attempt to corrupt the spiritual light in us.

Luk 11:34  The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. 

Luk 11:35  Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness. 

Luk 11:36  If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light. 

We need to 'take heed' that the light in us isn't darkness.

If I tell you to take heed that the road up ahead may have been washed out by a flood, what would you do? You'd be very cautious as you were driving on the road. You don't know whether or not the road is safe to travel so you look as far ahead as you possibly can and you adjust your speed accordingly so that you aren't taken off guard. You take heed to my caution, you pay attention to what I'm saying and it affects how you go forward.  We are told to 'take heed' concerning our spiritual light. The verse could be talking about no other source of light because there is no physical light that can fill our whole body.

The light of our body is the eye. It's what we see, what we focus on. We have a choice where to focus our gaze unless someone is forcibly holding our head in a certain direction and at the same time forcing our eyelids to stay open. We physically control what we see and we spiritually control what we see. Where is our spiritual gaze at? What are we looking to spiritually? If we are waiting for some supernatural manifestation to appear so we can look upon it and perhaps use the miracle of it to claim our spiritual focus- we may wait in vain for such a thing. We have to live by faith.

Faith is-

Heb_11:1  Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

The evidence of things NOT SEEN.

Our spiritual sight works by faith without physical evidence.

Our focus, the light of our body, our eyes must be singly set upon the light of our Savior.

Joh 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 

Joh 1:2  The same was in the beginning with God. 

Joh 1:3  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 

Joh 1:4  In him was life; and the life was the LIGHT of men. 

Joh 1:5  And the LIGHT shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. 

Joh 1:6  There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 

Joh 1:7  The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the LIGHT, that all men through him might believe. 

Joh 1:8  He was not that LIGHT, but was sent to bear witness of that LIGHT. 

Joh 1:9  That was the true LIGHT, which LIGHTETH every man that cometh into the world. 

Joh 1:10  He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 

Joh 1:11  He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 

Joh 1:12  But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 

Joh 1:13  Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 

Joh 1:14  And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. 

Joh 1:15  John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. 

Joh 1:16  And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. 

Joh 1:17  For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. 

Joh 1:18  No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

Jesus is the LIGHT which LIGHTS us.

Luk 11:34  The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. 

Luk 11:35  Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness. 

Luk 11:36  If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light.

When our focus in on Jesus the Word made flesh, the True Light, then our focus will not be on the dark things of this world. Our focus will not be inward upon our receiving selfishly, living self-centeredly, our focus will be upon Jesus and the life He taught us through His Holy Word to live, by the power and grace of the Holy Spirit. 

We have to TAKE HEED that the light in us isn't darkness. 

You'd think we know automatically if our light was darkness, wouldn't you? And if it's something we'd know automatically that why do we have to take heed to it? Why do we have to watch out for it? Why the caution? Because of deception. The power of self-deception is incredibly strong. It doesn't matter how convicted you are of something- believing you are living in spiritual light, not if that light is really darkness and you have been deceived because you would rather holdfast to your comfortable deceptions than step out into unfamiliar light. 

Paul could have kept his own spiritual darkness, he could have. He was zealous for what he believed was pure truth. The blood of many innocent people lay upon his hands because he was focused on the light that was really pure darkness, he was deceived.

Paul wasn't from some distance land, off on a journey for three years while Jesus ministered upon earth. Paul did not come home from some mission to be informed there was a rabble rouser about that had been killed, but the dead man's followers refused to give up following the dead man's teachings. Paul was LIVING right there as Jesus worked His miracles and gained a following. Paul was among the Pharisees Jesus constantly talked about as being ungodly. Like most of the Pharisees, Paul only knew hatred for the troublemaking, lying, blaspheming man called Jesus. In fact you could say truthfully that Paul's hatred for Jesus, even if he never once spoke to Jesus personally during those three years, was a vile hatred. How else could anyone account for how furiously Paul sought to persecute the followers of Jesus after Jesus died? How?

Paul was so caught up in the deception of his people, of their religious interpretation of the scriptures over the truth of the scriptures, that he believed whole-heartedly that he was filled with the truth of God.

Paul was given a manifestation of the miraculous supernatural kind and allowed an opportunity to follow the true LIGHT, the truth found in Christ.

Paul was shaken to the core, blinded physically as a part of his spiritual enlightenment. For three days Paul was physically sightless as his spiritual sight was awakened.

We have to comprehend something right now- Paul was NOT forced to believe, not even after he was blinded. There was NO force involved in changing him. Paul was given enlightenment that he had to choose to accept. That enlightenment would mean giving up all the previous darkness that had him persecuting Jesus' followers. All his cherished beliefs had to be abandoned for him to move forward in the new spiritual light given to him.

Giving up beliefs you've held for a life time, beliefs that grounded you in your life's calling is not easy to do. You have to be 100% sure that what you're giving your lifelong beliefs up for is something worthy of such a sacrifice. You have to know for a fact that your beliefs are truly wrought in the deception of the master deceiver who will, according to the word of God, be able to deceive the majority of people.  I've said it before and I'll say it again- the following verses are FRIGHTENING and rightly so!

Mat 7:22  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 

Mat 7:23  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. 

Do you see why they are extremely frightening?! MANY are going to say to Jesus that they did all sorts of things in His name, believing they were following Him, following the truth. Jesus is going to say to them He NEVER KNEW THEM to DEPART, they work iniquity!

They don't think so! They don't believe they are under Satan's deception. They don't believe their light is really darkness.

Luk 11:34  The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. 

Luk 11:35  Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness. 

Luk 11:36  If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light.

We must take heed.

Isa 8:20  To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. 

Pro 4:18  But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. 

2Pe 1:19  We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts

Pro_6:23  For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life

Isa_5:20  Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

Dull of Hearing

Heb 5:11  Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. 

When you have something you want to tell someone, something you consider important, and yet you know your target audience is not one to really listen to you, how does it make you feel?

Do you contemplate not talking at all, even though you really have something important to tell them? Do you preface your talk with exhortations to please, this time really listen? It's not easy trying to talk with someone who listens to you only superficially catching a few words here and there and then piecing together only part of what you've said thinking they understand it all. Watching eyes glaze over in that look which tells you their mind is elsewhere- is never pleasant. Watching the wheels turn in their brains, so to speak, you know they've already gone off thinking things on their own- maybe even things they now want to say, rather than continue to listen to you and what you're trying to convey.

There is every day conversation- bantering back and forth, talking about things that are in the long run non-consequential, and there is serious discussion on matters that might be life threatening. Also, let's not leave out the middle of the two, the conversations we have that are important to us but not life threatening.

When the person you talk to is dull of hearing, it's hard to speak to them, isn't it? And I don't mean dull in the sense of being deaf (though that makes it hard too.) I mean their ability to comprehend and really listen with the desire to understand you is dull, they just don't care enough to be attentive.

Isa 6:8  Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. 

Isa 6:9  And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. 

Isa 6:10  Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. 

By going and preaching, prophesying as the Lord would have him, Isaiah knew in advance that the majority of people who would hear him speak would hear but not understand….they would see but not perceive. The listeners would have fat hearts, heavy ears, and closed eyes-  selfish hearts, no true comprehension, no desire to be enlightened.  IF they did have those things they would be converted from their lives of sin and ruin and be healed by God. Most people fall into the category of not wanting to hear, of stopping their ears and shutting their eyes, while their hearts are filled fat with their own lives not wanting anything to upset their way of believing, their way of living.

Just imagine for one single moment how significantly the Savior's three year ministry affected lives. Beliefs that had been in place for years and years, generation after generation, were challenged. The majority of those listeners of Jesus did not want their worlds changed, their beliefs altered, and they were among those yelling for Him to be crucified.

Today there is still a majority that would yell for His crucifixion rather than believe in His truths if He came and tried to open the eyes of the spiritually blind. He does come, and He does try, with the Holy Spirit in His place. And yet we know few will find the way.

God help us find the way.

Mat 13:15  For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. 

Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. 

Jesus' words from Isaiah applied to Him and His offered healing.

May our eyes see, and our ears hear and may we understand with our hearts.

Mar 8:17  And when Jesus knew it, he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened? 

Mar 8:18  Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember? 

PLEASE help us see, hear, understand and remember all that You would have us know, Lord!

Luk 24:25  Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: 

Luk 24:26  Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? 

PLEASE let our hearts NOT be slow, let us believe!

Lord we need the Holy Spirit! We need to buy of You - gold tried in the fire of faith. We need to be clothed with the white raiment of Your righteousness, we need the eye salve of comprehension, of understanding, of being able to see spiritually all You would have us see! Bless us, Lord, please, bless us and keep us in You and Your love and far from the evil that surrounds us on every side!

All in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, now and forever!!!!!!!

Enemies.

Mat 5:43  Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 

Mat_5:44  But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you (Luk_6:27)

Yesterday we talked a little about serving those we love, today let's talk about serving those who hate us.  I couldn't say- loving those we hate- because let's be honest, we are not to hate others. The worst of the worst, the worst we could ever imagine- belongs to God's judgment, not ours. No, I'm not saying we don't lock up in prison or mental health facilities those worst of the worst, I'm saying we do not judge their eternal life.

In the news very recently was an article about a man hugging a woman in a court room, the man was the brother of the one the woman killed, and he was hugging her because he was forgiving her for killing his brother. There was quite the uproar in the media about the judge allowing the hug, and giving the convicted killed her Bible.

Will the hug or the giving of the Bible stopped the woman from serving time in prison for her crime? No.

Loving our enemies, and out of that love we can be called to serve our enemies. People often asked women and men alike, why they stay in what others believe are abusive (mentally, and possibly physically) relationships. Sometimes, not always, but sometimes it is done knowingly by the abused because they truly are loving their enemy. NO, I'm not saying women or men should stay in abusive relationships, I'm saying sometimes people do stay in them because they feel called to love their enemy in that manner- suffering under the abusers hand. And sometimes, NOT always by a long shot, the abuser will alter their ways because of the long suffering of their partner. And yes, sometimes the abused are killed by their abusers, and vice versa.

Jesus tells us to - Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.

Love our enemies- yet we are often filled to overflowing with hatred for them.

Bless them that curse us- yet we are often cursing those cursing us.

Do good to them that hate us- yet we are often plotting our own ways to get revenge against those hating us.

Pray for those who despitefully use us- we often do not pray but rather curse and seek retribution against those using us despitefully.

Pray for those who persecute us- yet we often pray for revenge using the hatred we feel towards those who are persecuting us.

Our natural inclination is revenge, retribution, returning hatred for hatred, cursing for cursing. Some times our knee jerk reaction is to give back the abuse we are given.

I see it all the time on the messages in various groups I belong to on Facebook- there the so called 'Trolls' come out and attack what people are saying with snide, awful remarks and in turn those who don't consider themselves trolls become the revenging defenders of the ones being hurt by the trolls- giving that troll just the same if not more abuse than the troll gave out. Hate for hate, not love for hate. However, to be honest, I have seen plenty of people taking that higher road and ignoring and pitying the trolls.

Loving our enemies.

Who is our enemy?  It isn't like we have clear cut lines drawn such as those found in wars where you know the enemy your fighting against by their nationality. The Americans fought the Germans- our enemy- Germans unless you were German and then your enemy was American. Distinct lines and it was easy to simply classify all soldiers from the opposing country are enemies. 

As we live day to day in a time of peace or rather a place where there is no active war going on, do we still have enemies?

Dictionary definition of enemies - somebody who hates or seeks to harm somebody or something.

Yes, we still have enemies. There are people who hate others based on race and it has nothing to do with the individual but the color of their skin. There are people who hate those who are rich, poor, a different gender, have a different sexual orientation. There are people who hate those who are smart, snobbish, shy, nerdy, fat, ugly and the list goes on. There is a lot of hatred in our world, and there are a lot of enemies.

As a Christian your enemy could be any non-Christian, or other Christians with different beliefs.  An enemy could be a member of your own family, or a friend who decides they no longer want friendship.

Jesus wants us to LOVE those who hate us and seek to harm us. And that love is HIS LOVE.

More on this tomorrow by the GRACE and WILL of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, now and forever!!!!!!!

By way of.... the Spirit

C.S. Lewis - Mere Christianity

I know the words "leave it to God" can be misunderstood, but they must stay for the moment.

The sense in which a Christian leaves it to God is that he puts all his trust in Christ: trusts that Christ will somehow share with
him the perfect human obedience which He carried out from His birth to His crucifixion: that Christ will make the man more like Himself and, in a sense, make good his deficiencies.

In Christian language, He will share His "sonship" with us, will make us, like Himself, "Sons of God": in Book IV I shall attempt to analyse the meaning of those words a little further.

If you like to put it that way, Christ offers something for nothing: He even offers everything for nothing.

In a sense, the whole Christian life consists in accepting that very remarkable offer.

But the difficulty is to reach the point of recognising that all we have done and can do is nothing.

What we should have liked would be for God to count our good points and ignore our bad ones.

Again, in a sense, you may say that no temptation is ever overcome until we stop trying to overcome it- throw up the sponge.

But then you could not "stop trying" in the right way and for the right reason until you had tried your very hardest.

And, in yet another sense, handing everything over to Christ does not, of course, mean that you stop trying.

To trust Him means, of course, trying to do all that He says.

There would be no sense in saying you trusted a person if you would not take his advice.

Thus if you have really handed yourself over to Him, it must follow that you are trying to obey Him.

But trying in a new way, a less worried way.

Not doing these things in order to be saved, but because He has begun to save you already.

Not hoping to get to Heaven as a reward for your actions, but inevitably wanting to act in a certain way because a first faint gleam of Heaven is already inside you.


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Colossian
{1:27} To whom God would make known what [is]
the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles;
which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: {1:28} Whom we
preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all
wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ
Jesus


2 Corinthians
{9:14} And by their prayer for you, which long after
you for the exceeding grace of God in you. {9:15} Thanks
[be] unto God for his unspeakable gift.


1 Corinthians
{3:16}
Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and [that] the
Spirit of God dwelleth in you?


John
{15:4} Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot
bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can
ye, except ye abide in me.


John
{14:20} At
that day ye shall know that I [am] in my Father, and ye in
me, and I in you.


Romans
{8:9}
But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the
Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the
Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. {8:10} And if Christ [be]
in you, the body [is] dead because of sin; but the Spirit [is]
life because of righteousness. {8:11} But if the Spirit of him
that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that
raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your
mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
{8:12} Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the
flesh, to live after the flesh. {8:13} For if ye live after the
flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the
deeds of the body, ye shall live. {8:14} For as many as are
led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. {8:15}
For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear;
but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry,
Abba, Father. {8:16} The Spirit itself beareth witness with
our spirit, that we are the children of God: {8:17} And if
children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with
Christ; if so be that we suffer with [him,] that we may be
also glorified together.



*******
We live


By way of... the Spirit.
*******


Ephesians
{1:3} Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in
heavenly [places] in Christ: {1:4} According as he hath
chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we
should be holy and without blame before him in love: {1:5}
Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by
Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of
his will, {1:6} To the praise of the glory of his grace,
wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. {1:7} In
whom we have redemption through his blood, the
forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
{1:8} Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom
and prudence; {1:9} Having made known unto us the
mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he
hath purposed in himself: {1:10} That in the dispensation of
the fulness of times he might gather together in one all
things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on
earth; [even] in him: {1:11} In whom also we have obtained
an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose
of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own
will: {1:12} That we should be to the praise of his glory,
who first trusted in Christ. {1:13} In whom ye also
[trusted,] after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of
your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were
sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, {1:14} Which is the
earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the
purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.



Luke {12:31} But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all
these things shall be added unto you. {12:32} Fear not, little
flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the
kingdom.


By His mercy, by His grace, through the Holy Spirit now and forever we live.


Amen.