Not On Things On Earth

We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. So then death worketh in us, but life in you. 

We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak; knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you. 

For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. 

For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;  while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.   2Co 4:8-18 

Col 3:2  Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

Luk_12:34  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Broken Life

2Co 4:7  But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. 

Earthen vessels. Fragile vessels with so many working parts in us. Amazing earthen vessels designed miraculously in so many incredible ways. The blessing of long life is overlooked, and maybe with good reason- that good reason being not everyone has a 'good' long life. How many people currently fill homes for the elderly- those who can no longer function on their own without help?

'Approximately 47 million seniors live in the United States. We base this number on a 2017 census.gov estimate that about 325,600,000 people reside in the US and a 2014 estimate that about 14.5% of Americans are age 65 and older.'

'Only three percent of senior citizens live in nursing homes. The 2010 US census found that 3.1 percent of seniors were nursing home residents. Rather than move to a nursing home or assisted living, many seniors choose in-home care support.'  From <https://www.seniorliving.org/research/>

1,410,000 people 3% of 47 million, live in nursing homes almost 10 years ago- the number has probably significantly gone up. As well as a lot of elderly probably have in-home care, or live with relatives to help them.

Getting old isn't a good thing for a lot of people, it's something that takes courage, fortitude, stamina, endurance. Another interest fact is this--

'Most seniors have more than one chronic health care issue. Recently the National Council on Aging found that 75 percent of seniors have at least one chronic health condition, and that most have two or more. Conditions range from mild arthritis to advanced Alzheimer’s disease.'

Chronic health care issues- most senior have these.

We are FRAGILE earthen vessels, some more fragile than others. We weren't originally designed to be this way and we know this. We strive constantly for answers to the many, many health issues that plague old and young. Sometimes we make great strides against one particular ailment, we eradicate certain diseases with a vaccine, we lessen symptoms of various illnesses. We make a lot of things tolerable with certain drugs. We are forever invested in health care because we want to- if possible- get rid of every disease, every sickness, every deformity, every condition that keeps us from being healthy earthen vessels.

Since mankind's decision to leave the presence of God, we've become broken, run down, mere shadows of what we were intended to be. We recognize mostly in retrospect when we were at our peaks in health and yes, even beauty. Some healthy people could be covered from head to toe in an outer skin full of wrinkles and old age spots- which do nothing to detract from their inner workings health wise, but the beauty factor of youth has gone. Again, we know many, many elderly people do lots to try and stop the hands of time from revealing themselves upon them. There are a lot of surgery options for the rich, there are a lot of non-surgical creams and such for the rich and lesser effective creams and such for the not so rich. We use make up and medicines to hide what time is doing to us. Some, but not most people, are not blessed with the genetics that leave them with an elderly youthful appearance.

We are shadows of what we were meant to be even at what we consider our peak in health and beauty. 

We long for good health constantly especially once those chronic conditions enter our lives. We long for something we know will elude us, even though in our wildest dreams we hope for cures for the chronic conditions.

We live knowing that we will die- we just don’t know what we are going to die from. Disease, accident, simply wearing out our fragile earthen vessel, we just don't know. Death is a curse upon us, surrounding us, reminding us over and over that one day our turn for death will come. And death is not desired by the majority, and for those who do desire death it's because they are mentally, emotionally damaged to that point. They could be living a nightmare of pain day after day with the hope of death for the release from the agonies of living. A person desiring death is a person who isn't healthy in some way. They could be living a life of constant abuse which most certainly damages mental and emotional well-being. Not all our ailments are physical that's for sure!

What a dismal picture I've drawn up with all this talk- it's depressing to dwell upon the fragility of our earthen vessels but we need to. We need to recognize where our hope must lie, and it's NOT with ourselves! We may fantasize about one day living in a future society where there is no death from things like cancer, heart disease, lung disease and so on and so forth- but that future would be extremely far off, and will remain a fantasy for everyone living today. Personally, the only future guaranteed to us is the one proven to be a reality through prophecy- the Bible reality, the Biblical future outline for mankind.

So many predictions have come true, nothing will stop them all from coming to pass.

I long for the day the Stone cut without hands is hurled from the heaven to destroy all the kingdoms of this world ushering in the return of the King, Jesus Christ who will call us from this earth to meet Him in the air- changing our vile, vile bodies- altering these earthen vessels completely into the immortal, incorruptible forms we long for.

I know this day is going to come, I haven't a doubt! Nothing can stop it from happening, not a single thing. If something could stop it, then something could have stopped all the other prophecies from coming to pass. No, Nebuchadnezzar did not want his kingdom to fall and neither did all the rest that did so- one after the other.

What a glorious day to look for, what a wondrous HOPE to have right now. We may suffer exceedingly, but there is HOPE for the day of no more suffering! No more death! No more sin and all its horrific consequences.

Truly we are…

2Co 4:8  We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 

2Co 4:9  Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; 

2Co 4:10  Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. 

2Co 4:11  For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. 

2Co 4:12  So then death worketh in us, but life in you. 

2Co 4:13  We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak; 

2Co 4:14  Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you. 

2Co 4:15  For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. 

2Co 4:16  For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. 

2Co 4:17  For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 

2Co 4:18  While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. 

Hope for Repair By Christ Jesus.

Grudging.  Dictionary definition- 'done or given reluctantly, or doing or giving something reluctantly.

Murmuring.  Dictionary definition- 'a complaint made in a discreet or secretive way.

Disputing. Dictionary definition- 'strive against something, disagree, argue about something, opposing something.

In the battle against Satan's wiles we truly need to recognize that he will use everything and anything he can against us. He will disguise the evil we commit as being justified in some manner. He will present excuses, reasons, theories as to why the evil shouldn't be evil at all but something we can't but help to do. We are after all- only human. Why then does the word of God hold us to a higher standard? Why are we allowed to comprehend the truth right before Satan immerses it in his lies to distort it so it is no longer recognizable as being truth, but a variation there on which we can mold to fit our evil tendencies. Isn't is much better to admit the truth plain and simple and recognize how we fall short of that truth? Shouldn't we choose to die daily to the sins that would so easily beset us every opportunity they get- rather than excuse the sins away so we don't have to feel the weight of our need to die to sin constantly? We live our lives with that hope of perfection and Satan uses that to shame us over and over. The only way Satan can use that hope to shame us to the point of despair is if we are living with the hope of perfecting OURSELVES. If we are living with the idea that we will achieve a day out of the refiner's fire. If we are looking for a life here without temptation, without the pulls towards sin. We will find shame every single time we try to find the hope in ourselves apart from our hope in Christ.

I have a problem with being grudging, with murmuring and disputing. I do, and by the grace of God it is being revealed to me over and over again. Right now I can't imagine going a single day without an internal grudging, or silent complaint, and even without disagreeing with even the smallest of things. We have things we call the bane of our existence (a bit dramatic I know) but we do have those things and these are some of mine.  I'm admitting to this even though there is the possibility someone I know in person might read this (I've no clue who does or doesn't), and they'll know that while I may appear all nice and good, that's not always the case. I have what I'll call social anxiety and Satan would have me use this as an excuse for a lot of my grudging, murmuring etc. However, I know that I grudge, murmur and dispute even out of anxiety producing situations. I need the touch of the Savior on my heart to rid me of these things. I need to constantly seek forgiveness for my recognized failure to be what I know I should be. I need to keep my HOPE for repair in Christ.  Yes, I said hope for repair, because He is the One I need to fix in me and all the sin tendencies I have. By His grace He will fix what needs fixing and for what cannot be fixed in my own understanding, I need to trust He will complete what has been started in me. He is my HOPE, I'm not my own hope. He is my Redeemer, my Savior.  May my life belong wholly to HIM.

1Pe 4:9  Use hospitality one to another without grudging. 

2Co 9:7  Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. 

Php 2:13  For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. 

Php 2:14  Do all things without murmurings and disputings

Jas 5:9  Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door. 

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!

Shine

Let's say that you need light, you want light, in fact you want everyone around you to have light. When our electricity goes out, especially at night, we grab a flashlight and turn it on. If you're in a family setting and you have children you might hear them crying out because they are suddenly immersed in darkness and instantly scared by that fact. You call out to them that you'll be right there with a flashlight and sure enough as soon as they see the first glimmer of the light you're bringing to them they are reassured that they won't be left in the dark. While adults might not panic so much in the dark, there is still usually a few moments of disconcertment when our brains are telling us this isn't desired, we want light, but then we spring into action to get a source of light. When we get our light we don't hide it, do we? The only way we'd hide the light of our flashlight would be if we didn't want someone to know where we are, that we are in danger if they find out, or playing a game of sorts. We set our light positioned so that all who are near to us facing the electrical outage may benefit from that light. We want those of our household to have a source of light and lacking a flashlight for each of them, we will share ours.

Jesus tells us- that when we light a candle (no flashlights back then) we don't hide it but we light it and set it up so it can shine.

The analogy (parable) that Jesus was using in this case was to illustrate the spiritual light we are given by Him through the Holy Spirit. When we are given spiritual enlightenment we aren't given it solely for our own benefit, but the benefit of all we come in contact with. We share the spiritual light we have. And if you think you aren't a teacher, preacher, or such so you don't have to share your spiritual light, you're wrong. Your life will be your example of that light you have. Your spiritual calling may be to affect a single person in your lifetime with your light, not all are given ten talents and told to make them a hundred, you may have a single talent that you need to keep visible for the earnest of it to come from a single other person, not a hundred. Your life reflecting the light you are given, the love of Jesus and the message He gave to us to share will shine forth, must shine forth.

Luk 11:33  No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light. 

Light Revealing Dirt

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”- Galatians 5:22-23

Why is there no law against such things? Should there be? The answer- no. What purpose would such a law serve? Laws do serve purposes don't they? Otherwise why have them at all. A sin is a transgression of the law. The law exists to determine a standard of existence for those who have the possibility of choice. Given a choice there has to be something to choose between, a freedom to choose. It is no good to say you have a choice if the two choices are one and the same thing. There has to be a difference for a choice to matter. If there were only chocolate muffins on a plate I have no choice but to choose a chocolate muffin - if in fact I had to choose a muffin and had no choice but to choose one.

When man was created they were created with the possibility of choosing. It gave them a freedom from being mere creature with only the ability to follow one way and one way only.

Some say we should never have been allowed a choice at all.

Without it though we are merely stick figures, dolls to toy with, unable to truly love our Creator because there would be no other choice but to love Him. Forced love.

Some say you have to love family, but is it true? No. There are many people that don't love their family, in fact many that despise them. You don't have to. You should perhaps, under ideal circumstances but you don't have to. Some people say mothers have to love their babes, and yet they don't have to. Again, under ideal circumstances they will, but they don't have to, they are not forced to do so.

We understand the laws of our society exist to keep society functioning peacefully as possible.
The laws of God exist to reveal Him to us, to reveal His ways, His love.

Reading this-- “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”- Galatians 5:22-23

We understand right away don't we?

Do we have a law against love? Joy? Peace? Longsuffering? Gentleness? Goodness? Faith? Meekness? Temperance?

No. None I know of. And who would ever seriously propose there should be laws against these things?

These things are the fruit of the Spirit.

If we have the Spirit indwelling in us as Jesus promised then the result of that indwelling - the fruit that grows- will be these *good* things, things there is no law against because they are God-ly things, they are right, they are just, they are wholesome.

Do you want to know if you have the Spirit dwelling in you, ask yourself how loving, how joyful, how peaceful, how longsuffering, how gentle, how good, how faithful, how meek, how temperate you are and there is some indication of the answer.

If you're like me you'll cringe knowing how far short of these marks we are. Maybe you're not like me and glory to God for that.

I read or heard once that the closer we get to the light the more dark corners the light shines into revealing the dust and the dirt, the hidden cobwebs. It's true. The indwelling of the Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit are such wonderful things, in fact they are points of light revealing the dust and dirt, the cobwebs and swampy dankness in our live and letting us know not to despair as some want to do (yes, it's very, very, very easy to despair) we see the dirt and how much easier can it get than to hide dirt rather than clean it up? Cover it up with the rug, push it under the bed, tuck it aside because it's easier and we don't have to look at it. That's just it...we don't want to see the darkness and dirtiness of our lives, so it's easier to keep the dirt hidden and be satisfied with the way we are because anything else means a struggle.

Am I advocating working for salvation? NO. I never do and never will. Salvation comes by the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Jesus who will give His Holy Spirit to us, the same Holy Spirit whose fruit are all those wonderful things we're talking about.

When the Holy Spirit reveals our shortcomings, our failings it's not so we hide from them and despair of ever being different, it's to encourage us to get closer ever closer to the One and Only person who can ever make us clean. The work we do is the effort we make to fall at the feet of Jesus and cling to Him, to His righteousness, His love.

Don't despair when the darkness and dirt in your life is revealed, we have to thank and praise God for allowing us to see our failings and recognize our need of Him.

May the Lord our God, our Savior, our Redeemer have mercy upon us all. May the Holy Spirit dwell with us and may the fruits of the indwelling be realized in us. When the darkness of our shortcomings rise up harshly let it be to remind us to cling tighter to the cross, to our Hope. The Holy Spirit will work within us, by the grace of God let us not try to push Him away and keep our darkness hidden but praise God now and always. May the Light shine ever brighter upon us leading us to the source of that Light, that Life, to Jesus.

By His Grace!
Amen