Melody in your heart to the Lord

Eph.
{5:19} Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
{5:20} Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ
{5:21} Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
When was the last time you spoke to anyone in a psalm, or a hymn, or a spiritual song? When was the last time you made a melody in your heart to the Lord?
That last question is fairly easy to answer right? We sing all the time, or some of us do. I know I do, I love the various Christian songs out there and almost everytime I'm in the car I have the radio on and I sing along. My heart is making melody to the Lord and often- but do we speak in psalms and hymns, spiritual songs?
Would we even know how to speak in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs? It's a question I think that bears considering.
No, I'm not saying we start going around singing at each other, but there is an element in what is being encouraged that needs to be incorporated into our lives. Uplifting one another is important and all too often we're more about what is depressing and makes our lives anxious not what uplifts. We'll more often than not have unhappy things to speak about and it does give us something to talk about, in fact some peoples lives are most active when they're engaging in discussing things that aren't so pleasant.
Spiritual songs, singing, making melody in our hearts to the Lord.
Giving thanks always....
How often?
Always.
Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Giving thanks for all things.
We can't understand all things, we just can't. But we can trust that our lack of understanding won't change God's love for us. We want to believe that God stops loving us when horrible things happen to us. Satan wants us to think that, it's his way of maligning God and gaining more and more to Him. But wait, we don't like to think like that. We don't like to believe that there are only two sides. We want to believe there are many sides and if we linger on those sides close to God then we are going to be Gods. Unfortunately, that's not true it's something we've made up so we can soothe our conscience and make excuses for our bad behavior.
Whenever we are upset by life's hardships- and there are tons of them- we have to cry out to God but not in such a way that put doubts to His love for us.
Giving thanks always even when we don't understand.
Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
Do we do that? It would make us subservient right? Who wants to be subservient? We grow up being taught to stand up for ourselves, to be those who have others *working* for us, not us working for them. Rich means having housekeepers, having servants. Yet Christ wants us to be servants to all. The greatest is the one who is servant to all. The greatest is the least. It's no wonder that Satan has us mostly believing that the least is the worst. The servant is the lowest. That submitting ourselves ont to another, not for our own glory, but in the fear of God. Out of reference for God. We do it because it is God's will that we serve and submit that we are those who give and aren't those who just take. Love is giving. Love is graciously accepting.
Love is God and if we are to be God's we need to be loving knowing that sin isn't something God enjoys, that He never intended things to be how they are and yet rather than give up on us and wipe us out of existence he's allowed us to live and made a way for redemption in Him through the greatest sacrifice of all - His Son.
May God bless and keep us, may we learn to make melodies in our hearts to the Lord and give thanks always, and to submit ourselves to one another. By the will and grace of our Lord now and forever.
Amen.

Spiritual Darkness - Spiritual Light

Eph. {5:14} Whereforehe saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead,and Christ shall give thee light.
* If we wake from our sleep and rouse ourselves from our course of life leading only to death-- Christ will give us light. We have a new life in Christ.
Matthew. {25:1} Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened untoten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meetthe bridegroom. {25:2} And five of them were wise, andfive [were] foolish. {25:3} They that [were] foolish tooktheir lamps, and took no oil with them: {25:4} But the wisetook oil in their vessels with their lamps. {25:5} While thebridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. {25:6}And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, theKing James Bible Matthew Page 568bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. {25:7} Then allthose virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. {25:8} Andthe foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for ourlamps are gone out. {25:9} But the wise answered, saying,[Not so;] lest there be not enough for us and you: but go yerather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. {25:10}And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and theythat were ready went in with him to the marriage: and thedoor was shut. {25:11} Afterward came also the othervirgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. {25:12} But heanswered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.{25:13} Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day northe hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
*All will sleep but some will sleep prepared, others will sleep and they won't be prepared for the Lord's return. All will wake up but for some it will be too late. Some will want to take the preparations made by the wise but the wise will tell them no, they have to go get their own because no one is saved or made ready by another- Christ alone prepares us with His light, His righteousness.
Heb. {1:9} Thou hast loved righteousness, and hatediniquity; therefore God, [even] thy God, hath anointed theewith the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
*We need the oil of gladness in our lives, we need to love righteousness and hate sin...HATE SIN...not make excuses for it, but loathe it completely. Not accept it, but detest it. Not condone it as our lot, but despise that it is our lot.
Rev. {4:5} And outof the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings andvoices: and [there were] seven lamps of fire burning beforethe throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
*Lamps burn before the thrown. Lamp which are the seven Spirits of God. Lamps in a parable are what the wise will have and have extra oil for. We need the Spirit of God in us, we need to be ready to constantly accept the Spirit of God as it leads us in paths of Christ's righteousness. There is one unforgivable sin and that is ultimately- dying without having heeded the Spirit of God.
Zech. {4:1} And the angel that talked with me came again, andwaked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep, {4:2}And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I havelooked, and behold a candlestick all [of] gold, with a bowlupon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and sevenpipes to the seven lamps, which [are] upon the top thereof:{4:3} And two olive trees by it, one upon the right [side] ofthe bowl, and the other upon the left [side] thereof. {4:4} SoI answered and spake to the angel that talked with me,saying, What [are] these, my lord? {4:5} Then the angelthat talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowestthou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord. {4:6}Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This [is] theword of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might,nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.{4:7} Who [art] thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel[thou shalt become] a plain: and he shall bring forth theheadstone [thereof with] shoutings, [crying,] Grace, graceunto it. {4:8} Moreover the word of the LORD came untome, saying, {4:9} The hands of Zerubbabel have laid thefoundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; andthou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me untoyou. {4:10} For who hath despised the day of small things?for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the handof Zerubbabel [with] those seven; they [are] the eyes of theLORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth.{4:11} Then answered I, and said unto him, What [are]these two olive trees upon the right [side] of the candlestickand upon the left [side] thereof? {4:12} And I answeredagain, and said unto him, What [be these] two olivebranches which through the two golden pipes empty thegolden [oil] out of themselves? {4:13} And he answered meand said, Knowest thou not what these [be?] And I said, No,my lord. {4:14} Then said he, These [are] the two anointedones, that stand by the LORD of the whole earth.
*This [is] the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts. Not by might, not by power, but by GOD'S Spirit!
Christ promised to send us a comforter. No, He could not physically remain with us, His work as our High Priest demanded that He minister the blood He shed, the sacrifice He made in the Heavenly Sanctuary not made with hands. That the work of our redemption including not only the forgiveness of sin but of the cleansing of it once and for all be made by Him. So Christ promised to send us a Comforter, the Holy Spirit to be a reality to us here and now in our lives guiding us, lighting our way to Christ and His righteousness. The Spirit of God, the light of the world, our Comforter. We HAVE to live with the Holy Spirit as a reality in our lives, as with us just as Christ would be with us guiding us.
The Light of the Lord is real and it is a light we can keep out of our lives if we choose. We are not forced to have the light, we can choose to live in darkness. We make the choice and we make it all the time...all the time.
Can we choose to physically live in darkness? Yes. We can. Would most people ever do so? No. Why wouldn't they? For one thing you can't see anything in darkness. Even those who are blind and we can say live in darkness don't physically live in the dark. Would it be detrimental to live in the darkness? Yes. Health-wise it's proven that for the majority of people complete darkness isn't good for us physically. Yes, some could argue there are people allergic to the sunlight, people sensitive to it, for them darkness is good, but if they don't get enough sunlight can their be deficiencies in their health? Yes there can be and often deficiencies can be made up with vitamins and getting what the sun gives in another manner.
We can go back and forth on this and yet in the end most people would choose to live in light, not in darkness if they were given a choice. Even those blind will often long to see, some will go to great lengths to have a chance at seeing again.
Note I said most people, because you'll always have a few that defy the rest with good intentions or not.
Light is equated with goodness, darkness with evil.
And this is in a spiritual sense.
Odd isn't it how most people will want to live in spiritual darkness- the complete opposite of the physical light where most want to live with light in their lives.
If a light is too bright it hurts.
If a light is present it's hard to hide things.
If light pushes away the darkness it's not allowing us to hide in the cloak of darkness, it's revealing us.
Spiritual light reveals us for what we are, it reveals our sin-filled state and our sinful actions.
When we sin we shouldn't like it but we have to see that we sin and for that we need the light of Christ to show us, the Spiritual light needs to shine on us to show us the sin. So is it any wonder that people wish to remain in spiritual darkness, they don't want their sins revealed for what they are. They want to live in their sins without any reprimanding, without any reproving. When we don't see that we are covered in filth then we can fool ourselves into believing that we are clean. When we don't associate with those who can see we are covered in filth then it can't be pointed out to us. We like the darkness, we like our filthiness hidden from us.
It is my prayer, my earnest prayer that the Holy Spirit illuminates us all! That we will see the filthiness of our sinfilled selves and be drawn to the only One who can cleanse us of the filth, Christ Jesus. May the Holy Spirit shine all around us, may the darkness in our lives be exposed to the light of the Holy Spirit, may we see...and no longer be blind so that we may run to the foot of the cross and beg forgiveness for our sinfulness and choose to walk with Christ in the light now and forever.
Amen.

Walk circumspectly, not as fools,

Eph. {5:14} Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. {5:15} See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, {5:16} Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. {5:17} Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord [is. ]

Christ shall give thee light.

One we are awakened from our sleep of ignorance, once we rise up from the life that only leads to death, we are filled with the light of Christ.

When we awake to new life in Christ we have to walk in that new life.

Walk circumspectly- not as fools but as wise. That’s straight forward enough isn’t it. Walking circumspectly. Surely we don’t honestly expect a follower of Christ to walk any other way, do we?

Dict. cir·cum·spect (sûr¹kem-spèkt´) adjective
Heedful of circumstances and potential consequences; prudent.

Heedful of circumstances and potential consequences. We know that our actions have consequences. When we turn to Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ we know that our actions have consequences. The greatest of these being the death of one who was completely innocent and deserved not even the smallest of punishments let alone death.

We feel outrage when we’re watching tv shows depicting the death of innocents. It’s even worse when we know the star of the show is innocent and yet framed for the crimes of another. We may even see them be put to death. No, they aren’t crucified, but seeing them laid flat out on a table with tubes around them and needles going into their body as they are pumped full of chemicals to induce death, it outrageous’ us to watch and we might even scream at our tvs that it’s wrong! They’re innocent! That feeling there of outrage is deserved right? An innocent put to death. But wait… we aren’t really fully innocent are we? Unlike Christ we are not sin-free. While that person might be innocent of that particular crime they’re put to death for they’re not totally innocent. Our outrage over the death of Christ should be so much greater, outrage turned into the knowledge that He allowed it to happen so He could save our lives, so He could give us life eternal, so we could be found worthy through Him and only through Him to be saved.

The consequences of our actions - watching for potential consequences- walking and living that way means we’re aware of what our actions bring forth. We’re aware that there is right and wrong and that Jesus would have us walk as He walked, in the light of life, not foolishly. We know don’t we? We know how Jesus walked and how He wants us to walk and when we aren’t walking that way we know we’re flirting with death eternal.

Eph. {5:14} Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. {5:15} See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, {5:16} Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. {5:17} Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord [is. ]


Redeeming the time because the days are evil.

How well we know that. The days are evil. We have to redeem the time because the days are evil.

Only through the redemption of Christ can life be anything but evil. We have to live in Christ this is emphasized over and over again. We are to be transformed from the evil that would overtake us and live as Jesus would have us live in Him.

Be not unwise but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

What is the will of the Lord?

John {17:24} Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. {17:25} O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. {17:26} And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare [it:] that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.

This is Christ’s will.

Titus {3:1} Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work, {3:2} To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, [but] gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men. {3:3} For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, [and] hating one another. {3:4} But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, {3:5} Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; {3:6} Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; {3:7} That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. {3:8} [This is] a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men. {3:9} But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings
about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain. {3:10} A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject; {3:11} Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself.

Eph. {5:14} Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. {5:15} See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, {5:16} Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. {5:17} Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord [is. ]

We know don’t we? We know. We might try to fool ourselves into believing we don’t know what Christ will in us, but we do. We know and when we turn away from the will of Christ in us we are walking on very dangerous ground.

Rev. {3:14} And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; {3:15} I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. {3:16} So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. {3:17} Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: {3:18} I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. {3:19} As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. {3:20}
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. {3:21} To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. {3:22} He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

This is a message to us, Christ’s people living in the last time before His return.

We think we are rich and don’t need anything, but Christ knows otherwise. We have nothing in and of ourselves that merits righteousness, that makes us rich in the only way we need to be rich in Christ.

May the Lord’s mercy fill our hearts and souls, may His grace wash over each of us fully and may we walk circumspectly redeeming the time knowing that we live surrounded by evil that would ensnare us so completely that we won’t even realize it why? Because we think we are rich. Let us recognize our wretched state, let us understand how truly poor we are and know that it is only by the will, by the mercy, by the sacrifice of our Savior that we can hope to live at all.

In His holy name now and forever,
Amen.

Oil for Our Lamps

Eph. {5:14} Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

Matt. {25:1} Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. {25:2} And five of them were wise, and five [were] foolish. {25:3} They that [were] foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: {25:4} But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. {25:5} While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. {25:6} And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the
bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. {25:7} Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. {25:8} And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. {25:9} But the wise answered, saying, [Not so;] lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. {25:10} And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. {25:11} Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. {25:12} But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. {25:13} Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.


While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.

While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.

We think that Jesus tarries don't we? Every single day that goes by we think that. We want Him to come, we want Him to take us home with Him. We long for this and yet we sleep.

ALL slumber and sleep.

In this parable there isn't one who is waiting for Christ to come that isn't sleeping. Reminescent of the disciples falling asleep when Christ himself asked them to stay awake with him isn't it? They fell asleep not once but twice...three times... does it matter the number of times? They were asked to stay awake and they didn't. Is it because they didn't want to? Is it because they thought so little of their master's request that they felt it was easier to sleep than it was to stay awake? Have you ever wanted desperately to stay awake and been unable to do so? Have you ever pushed through that desperate need to sleep and some how remained awake? You've most likely done both, I know I have. Sometimes we fall asleep when it's the very last thing we want to do. We are made that way our bodies are, we are made to need sleep as well as other things. Being made to need sleep it's a natural thing so fighting it seems pointless. Yet one surety with sleep is the fact we wake from sleep. We wake refreshed and we don't need any sleep, at least not until we're run down and get tired again.

Jesus gives us a parable on those waiting right before He returns. All those waiting fall asleep. Yet some fall asleep with extra oil while others fall asleep without any extra oil.

The question here is do we have extra oil?

What is oil?

How do we get the oil?

Is it as easy as buying oil from somewhere to keep in our lamps, to have extra by oursides?

Eph. {5:14} Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

We want light in our lamps, we want extra oil to keep the light there so we're well supplied and ready for Christ.

Christ will give us this light, we have to wake up and get it. Arise from our dead, sluggish, states that aren't waiting, that aren't ready. We have a role to play and anyone who thinks we don't are sadly mistaken. Those who think we have nothing to do but wait won't have extra oil, they'll think they have enough but they won't. There are going to be many that don't have oil and they're going to want ours. They're going to ask us for ours and we can't give it to them because then we won't have enough, but we tell them where to get their own oil. It'll be too late then, but we can risk not having enough oil an not meeting Christ.

Let us awake, let us find the oil and have it with us, the extra oil. May God bless us and help us to find oil and a lot of it so we have extra. By the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, now and forever.

Amen.

Light of God

I'm studying the word ‘light’ as I seek a deeper understanding of its meaning to me.

I posted on one blog but not any others about a strange occurrence in my life recently.

The short version is that my hubby in the darkness of our bedroom as he came to bed where I was already sleeping went to put his hand in mind and stopped when he saw a light in my hand. He tried to figure out where it was coming from but couldn’t. It was so odd that he remarked on it to me the next day and since then has reaffirmed that it was something ‘he’d never seen before’.

I didn’t see the light, I had no part in producing the light, I was sleeping.
I don’t understand the why of it and I could just blow it off as nothing, but it’s not everyday you get told something like that, right?

Since then I’ve been studying, talking to various people, praying, studying, talking to more people, more studying just trying to understand.

There has been the mention of ‘healing’ an idea that came about from someone who uses laying on of hands healing. There has been mention of enlightenment and spiritual growth. There’s been mention also of spreading the word, the truth.

I don’t feel compelled towards ‘healing’ simply because I just wouldn’t know what to do or how. I’ve been told I could try to heal someone and then likewise told that if it doesn’t work it could be my lack of faith or maybe it’s that God doesn’t always heal all those that are treated that way for reasons of his own. So it would seem like trying to heal someone is scary business- it would bring my own faith into question, and it would possibly leave me floundering more because if God doesn’t heal all by those He gives the gift of healing to, how do we know if any of it is really really? How do we know a person wouldn’t have been healed naturally? How do we know it’s not a psychological healing? So many questions.

I was told by someone that a very devout person once warned that seeking to perform miracles in the last days is dangerous because the devil will be using miracles as his tools of deception so widely that it could be a trap for those who would otherwise be God’s. Meaning that the devil is going about seeking to devour whom he may and he will deceive ALL but the very elect.

That is scary stuff there. We have to be rooted and grounded in Christ so completely that we aren’t deceived.

This light in my hand, this inexplicable light has thrown me into a bit of confusion but I’m not going to let it confuse me to the point I get lost in it all and lose my way with Christ, I can’t.

Is it for healing? Is it for spreading the word of God? Does it mean anything at all? I’m going to continue to study for a bit, but after awhile I will just let it all go and wait for something more if God wants me to know more, if this is to mean something He will show me I have to have faith in that, in Him.

Here now is a bit of study on the word light—courtesy of the internet.


*******

LIGHT
lit ('or, ma'or; phos; many other words):

The creation of light was the initial step in the creation of life. "Let there be light" (Genesis 1:3) was the first word of God spoken after His creative Spirit "moved" upon the primary material out of which He created the heavens and the earth, and which lay, until the utterance of that word, in the chaos of darkness and desolation. Something akin, possibly, to the all-pervasive electro-magnetic activity of the aurora borealis penetrated the chaotic night of the world. The ultimate focusing of light (on the 4th day of creation, Genesis 1:14) in suns, stars, and solar systems brought the initial creative process to completion, as the essential condition of all organic life. The origin of light thus finds its explanation in the purpose and very nature of God whom John defines as not only the Author of light but, in an all-inclusive sense, as light itself:

"God is light" (1John 1:5).

{1:5} This then is the message which we have heard of
him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is
no darkness at all.

2. A Comprehensive Term:

The word "light" is Divinely rich in its comprehensiveness and meaning. Its material splendor is used throughout the Scriptures as the symbol and synonym of all that is luminous and radiant in the mental, moral and spiritual life of men and angels; while the eternal God, because of His holiness and moral perfection, is pictured as "dwelling in light unapproachable" (1 Timothy 6:16). Every phase of the word, from the original light in the natural world to the spiritual glory of the celestial, is found in Holy Writ.

{6:14} That thou keep [this] commandment
without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord
Jesus Christ: {6:15} Which in his times he shall shew, [who
is] the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and
Lord of lords; {6:16} Who only hath immortality, dwelling
in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man
hath seen, nor can see: to whom [be] honour and power
everlasting. Amen.

(1) Natural Light.

The light of day (Genesis 1:5);

{1:5} And God
called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And
the evening and the morning were the first day.

of sun, moon and stars; "lights in the firmament" (Genesis 1:14-18;

{1:14} And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament
of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them
be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
{1:15} And let them be for lights in the firmament of the
heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. {1:16}
And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the
day, and the lesser light to rule the night: [he made] the stars
also. {1:17} And God set them in the firmament of the
heaven to give light upon the earth, {1:18} And to rule over
the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the
darkness: and God saw that [it was] good.

Psalms 74:16;

{74:16} The day [is] thine, the night also [is] thine: thou hast
prepared the light and the sun.

Ps. 136:7;

{136:7} To him that made great lights: for his mercy [endureth] for
ever:

Ps. 148:3;

{148:3} Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light.

Ecclesiastes 12:2;

{12:2} While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars,
be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain:

Revelation 22:5)

{22:5} And there
shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither
light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and
they shall reign for ever and ever.

Its characteristics are beauty, radiance, utility. It "rejoiceth the heart" (Proverbs 15:30);

{15:30} The light of the eyes rejoiceth the heart:
[and] a good report maketh the bones fat

"Truly the light is sweet" (Ecclesiastes 11:7

{11:7} Truly the light [is] sweet, and a pleasant [thing it
is] for the eyes to behold the sun:

without it men stumble and are helpless (John 11:9,10)

{11:9} Jesus answered, Are
there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the
day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this
world. {11:10} But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth,
because there is no light in him.

; it is something for which they wait with inexpressible longing (Job 30:26;

{30:26}
When I looked for good, then evil came [unto me:] and
when I waited for light, there came darkness.

compare Psalms 130:6).

{130:6} My soul [waiteth] for the Lord more than they that watch for
the morning: [I say, more than] they that watch for the morning.

Life, joy, activity and all blessings are dependent upon light.

Light and life are almost synonymous to the inhabitants of Palestine, and in the same way darkness and death. Theirs is the land of sunshine. When they go to other lands of clouded skies their only thought is to return to the brightness and sunshine of their native land. In Palestine there is hardly a day in the whole year when the sun does not shine for some part of it, while for five months of the year there is scarcely an interruption of the sunshine. Time is reckoned from sunset to sunset. The day's labor closes with the coming of darkness. "Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labor until the evening" (Psalms 104:23).

The suddenness of the change from darkness to light with the rising sun and the disappearance of the sun in the evening is more striking than in more northern countries, and it is not strange that in the ancient days there should have arisen a worship of the sun as the giver of light and happiness, and that Job should mention the enticement of sun-worship when he "beheld the sun when it shined, or the moon walking in brightness" (Job 31:26). The severest plague in Egypt next to the slaying of the firstborn was the plague of darkness which fell upon the Egyptians (Exodus 10:23). This love of light finds expression in both Old Testament and New Testament in a very extensive use of the word to express those things which are most to be desired and most helpful to man, and in this connection we find some of the most beautiful figures in the Bible.

(2) Artificial Light.

When natural light fails, man by discovery or invention provides himself with some temporary substitute, however dim and inadequate. The ancient Hebrews had "oil for the light" (Exodus 25:6; 35:8; Leviticus 24:2) and lamps (Exodus 35:14; Matthew 5:15).

{5:13} Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost
his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth
good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under
foot of men. {5:14} Ye are the light of the world. A city that
is set on an hill cannot be hid. {5:15} Neither do men light a
candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it
giveth light unto all that are in the house. {5:16} Let your
light so shine before men, that they may see your good
works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

"There were many lights. (lampas) in the upper chamber" at Troas, where Paul preached until midnight (Acts 20:8); so Jeremiah 25:10 the Revised Version (British and American), "light of the lamp;" the King James Version, "candle."

(3) Miraculous Light.

When the appalling plague of "thick darkness," for three days, enveloped the Egyptians, terrified and rendered them helpless, "all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings" (Exodus 10:23). Whether the darkness was due to a Divinely-ordered natural cause or the light was the natural light of day, the process that preserved the interspersed Israelites from the encompassing darkness was supernatural. Miraculous, also, even though through natural agency, was the "pillar of fire" that gave light to the Israelites escaping from Pharaoh (Exodus 13:21; 14:20; Psalms 78:14), "He led them .... all the night with a light of fire." Supernatural was the effulgence at Christ's transfiguration that made "his garments .... white as the light" (Matthew 17:2). Under the same category Paul classifies `the great light' that `suddenly shone round about him from heaven' on the way to Damascus (Acts 22:6; compare Acts 9:3).

{22:6} And
it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come
nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from
heaven a great light round about me.

{9:3} And as he journeyed, he came near
Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a
light from heaven:

In these rare instances the supernatural light was not only symbolic of an inner spiritual light, but instrumental, in part at least, in revealing or preparing the way for it.

(4) Mental, Moral, Spiritual Light.

The phenomena of natural light have their counterpart in the inner life of man. Few words lend themselves with such beauty and appropriateness to the experiences, conditions, and radiance of the spiritual life. For this reason the Scriptures use "light" largely in the figurative sense. Borrowed from the natural world, it is, nevertheless, inherently suited to portray spiritual realities. In secular life a distinct line of demarcation is drawn between intellectual and spiritual knowledge and illumination.

Education that enlightens the mind may leave the moral man untouched.

This distinction rarely obtains in the Bible, which deals with man as a spiritual being and looks upon his faculties as interdependent in their action.

(a) A few passages, however, refer to the light that comes chiefly to the intellect or mind through Divine instruction, e.g. Psalms 119:130,

{119:130} The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth
understanding unto the simple.

"The opening of thy words giveth light"; so Proverbs 6:23, "The law is light." Even here the instruction includes moral as well as mental enlightenment.

{6:23} For the commandment [is] a lamp;
and the law [is] light; and reproofs of instruction [are] the
way of life:

(b) Moral:

Job 24:13,16 has to do exclusively with man's moral attitude to truth: "rebel against the light"; "know not the light." Isaiah 5:20 describes a moral confusion and blindness, which cannot distinguish light from darkness.

(c) For the most part, however, light and life go together. It is the product of salvation:

"Yahweh is my light and my salvation" (Psalms 27:1). "Light," figuratively used, has to do preeminently with spiritual life, including also the illumination that floods all the faculties of the soul: intellect, conscience, reason, will. In the moral realm the enlightenment of these faculties is dependent wholly on the renewal of the spirit. "In thy light .... we see light" (Psalms 36:9); "The life was the light of men" (John 1:4).

Light is an attribute of holiness, and thus a personal quality. It is the outshining of Deity.

3. An Attribute of Holiness:

(1) God.

"God is light, and in him is no darkness at all" (1John 1:5). Darkness is the universal symbol and condition of sin and death; light the symbol and expression of holiness. "The light of Israel will be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame" (Isaiah 10:17). God, by His presence and grace, is to us a "marvellous light" (1 Peter 2:9). The glory of His holiness and presence is the "everlasting light" of the redeemed in heaven (Isaiah 60:19,20; Revelation 21:23,14; 22:5).

(2) Christ.

Christ, the eternal Word (logos, John 1:1), who said "Let there be light" (Genesis 1:3), is Himself the "effulgence of (God's) glory" (Hebrews 1:3), "the light which lighteth every man, coming into the world" (John 1:9) (compare the statements concerning Wisdom in The Wisdom of Solomon 7:25 f and concerning Christ in Hebrews 1:3; and see CREEDS; LOGOS; JOHANNINE THEOLOGY; WISDOM). As the predicted Messiah, He was to be "for alight of the Gentiles" (Isaiah 42:6; 49:6). His birth was the fulfillment of this prophecy (Luke 2:32). Jesus called Himself "the light of the world" (John 8:12; 9:5; 12:46); As light He was "God .... manifest in the flesh (1 Timothy 3:16 the King James Version). "The Word was God" (John 1:1). Jesus as logos is the eternal expression of God as a word is the expression of a thought. In the threefold essence of His being God is Life (zoe) (John 5:26; 6:57); God is Love (agape) (1John 4:8); God is Light (phos) (1John 1:5). Thus Christ, the logos, manifesting the three aspects of the Divine Nature, is Life, Love and Light, and these three are inseparable and constitute the glory. which the disciples beheld in Him, "glory as of the only begotten from the Father" (John 1:14). In revealing and giving life, Christ becomes "the light of men" (John 1:4). God gives "the light of the knowledge of (his) glory in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:6), and this salvation is called "the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:4). Christ is thus the Teacher, Enlightener ("Christ shall give thee light," Ephesians 5:14 the King James Version), Guide, Saviour of men.

{5:14} Wherefore
he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead,
and Christ shall give thee light.

(3) Christians.

All who catch and reflect the light of God and of Christ are called "light," "lights."

(a) John the Baptist:

"a burning and a shining light" (John 5:35 the King James Version). It is significant that this pre-Christian prophet was termed luchnos, while the disciples of the new dispensation are called phos (Matthew 5:14): "Ye are the light of the world."

(b) Henceforth Christians and saints were called "children of light" (Luke 16:8; John 12:36; Ephesians 5:8), and were expected to be "seen as lights in the world" (Philippians 2:15).

(c) The Jew who possessed the law mistakenly supposed he was "a light of them that are in darkness" (Romans 2:19).

(4) The Church.

Zion was to "shine" because her `light had come' (Isaiah 60:1). The Gentiles were to come to her light (Isaiah 60:3). Her mission as the enlightener of the world was symbolized in the ornamentations of her priesthood. The Urim of the high priest's breastplate signified light, and the name itself is but the plural form of the Hebrew 'or. It stood for revelation, and thummim for truth. The church of the Christian dispensation was to be even more radiant with the light of God and of Christ. The seven churches of Asia were revealed to John, by the Spirit, as seven golden candlesticks, and her ministers as seven stars, both luminous with the light of the Gospel revelation. In Ephesians, Christ, who is the Light of the world, is the Head of the church, the latter being His body through which His glory is to be manifested to the world, "to make all men see," etc. (Ephesians 3:9,10). "Unto him be the glory in the church" (Ephesians 3:21), the church bringing glory to God, by revealing His glory to men through its reproduction of the life and light of Christ.

4. Symbolism:

Light symbolizes:

(1) the eye, "The light of the body is the eye" (Matthew 6:22, the King James Version; Luke 11:34);

(2) watchfulhess, "Let your lights (the Revised Version (British and American) "lamps") be burning," the figure being taken from the parable of the Virgins;

(3) protection, "armor (Romans 13:12), the garment of a holy and Christ-like life;

(4) the sphere of the Christian's daily walk, "inheritance of the saints in light" (Colossians 1:12);

(5) heaven, for the inheritance just referred to includes the world above in which "the Lamb is the light thereof"

(6) prosperity, relief (Esther 8:16; Job 30:26), in contrast with the calamities of the wicked whose "light .... shall be put out" (Job 18:5);

(7) joy and gladness (Job 3:20; Psalms 97:11; 112:4);

(8) God's favor, the light of thy countenance" (Psalms 4:6; 44:3; 89:15), and a king's favor (Proverbs 16:15);

(9) life (Psalms 13:3; 49:19; John 1:4).

5. Expressive Terms:

Expressive terms are:

(1) "fruit of the light" (Ephesians 5:9), i.e. goodness, righteousness, truth;

(2) "light in the Lord" (Ephesians 5:8), indicating the source of light (compare Isaiah 2:5);

(3) "inheritance of the saints in light" (Colossians 1:12), a present experience issuing in heaven;

(4) "Father of lights" (James 1:17), signifying the Creator of the heavenly bodies;

(5) "marvellous light" (1 Peter 2:9), the light of God's presence and fellowship;

(6) "Walk in the light" (1John 1:7), in the light of God's teaching and companionship;

(7) "abideth in the light" (1John 2:10), in love, Divine and fraternal;

(8) "Light of the glorious gospel of Christ "; "light of the knowledge of the glory of God" (2 Corinthians 4:4,6 the King James Version).

Dwight M. Pratt
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Copyright Statement
These files are public domain and are a derivative of an electronic edition that is available from Crosswire Software.

Ephesians

{5:7} Be not ye therefore
partakers with them. {5:8} For ye were sometimes
darkness, but now [are ye] light in the Lord: walk as
children of light: {5:9} (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all
goodness and righteousness and truth;) {5:10} Proving what
is acceptable unto the Lord. {5:11} And have no fellowship
with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove
[them. ]{5:12} For it is a shame even to speak of those
things which are done of them in secret. {5:13} But all
things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for
whatsoever doth make manifest is light. {5:14} Wherefore
he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead,
and Christ shall give thee light.


By the Grace of God may I awake from my sleep, may I arouse my spiritual deadness and receive the light from Christ.

Amen.

Faith Love

Parental love.
Love of the long waited for.
Love of a dream come true.
Have you ever had a goal in life one you had to work towards? The goal coming into sight is an amazing thing isn't it? Something ordinary often isn't as cherished as much as something out of the ordinary. By nature the unexpected happiness, the unexpected reward, the dream come true after feeling that it never would and yet always hoping, is something remarkable and treated as such. A man working all his life to own a brand new car finally able to buy it years and years later will generally cherish it above a man who gets a new car every year.
For parents wishing and hoping for a child only to never have it happen brings a certain resignation after the nature of life takes the chance of it happening away from them.
Then suddenly having that child, just how cherished do you imagine that child would be? Come on we can imagine it.
Talk about being loved.
Gen. {22:1} And it came to pass after these things, that God didtempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said,Behold, [here] I [am. ]{22:2} And he said, Take now thyson, thine only [son] Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get theeinto the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burntoffering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
'Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest'
Our brains want to cease to comprehend this request from a loving God.
Sure we know the story, we know the outcome already before we continue but tell the story to one who doesn't and see what they think of a God that would ask someone to make a human sacrifice of their beloved son, heck, even if they'd been asked to sacrifice an unloved son just think how outrageous it is to our sense of right and wrong.
In some cultures human sacrifice was the norm, but this wasn't one of them.
Yes, since the beginning of man's sin God required a living sacrifice because the wages of sinning can be nothing other than death. Animals were sacrificed animals we had to recognize were dying in place of us so that our sinfulness didn't keep us from God. So if animals were always sacrificed and acceptable to God, why would he now ask for a child to be sacrificed?
We have so many questions we don't hesitate to cry out to God asking him why this, why that, or why not this and that. We question God at every turn. We get to a situation where something is just too hard for us to do and we tell God it's too hard and we expect Him to understand our weakness, to forgive us our inability to rise to the task. We can't comprehend all that God may want of us and we tell ourselves a *loving* God wouldn't ask anything too hard for us to do- and that's true. So if God asks us to do something we know it's not too hard, we are choosing not to do it for whatever weakness exists in us. I suppose the fact that God doesn't *talk* with us as He did with Abraham might be a good thing if we realize just how weak we really are, how faithless.
What made Abraham so faithful? He trusted God without doubt. There wasn't any great discourse of doubt, no pleading to God to change things, to ask something else. Abraham trusted God implicitly.
Hebrews {11:17} By faith Abraham,when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that hadreceived the promises offered up his only begotten [son,]{11:18} Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seedbe called: {11:19} Accounting that God [was] able to raise[him] up, even from the dead; from whence also he receivedhim in a figure
To Abraham God's asking him to do this thing wasn't crazy. Abraham instantly looked beyond the act and held fast to the promises of God. He held fast to God's greatness. He'd walked with God for many, many years and God had never steered Him wrong. God may have said things that confused him, but just because Abraham's timeline wasn't the same as God's didn't make God's words to be lying words. It would have been easy to assume such because the natural order of things needed to be suspended for God's promise to come true. Who more apt to suspend the natural order than God though? The Creator of all things has all things in His hands to do with as He pleases.
Abraham witnessed the miracle of Isaac's birth. An old dried up womb was brought back to life to birth Isaac. A miracle and nothing short of it. For a man who witnessed such a thing by the promise of God, being asked to sacrifice that same miracle child by God could only mean one thing- God had different plans, His ways were past understanding and yet to be followed regardless. Abraham by faith knew God promised an innumerable amount of offspring through Isaac and that if Isaac's death was required to accomplish this then God knew what He was doing. There was no doubt. Abraham didn't have to understand. He hadn't understood God's waiting to give Sarah the promise child so why should he understand this next thing? Some how, some way God would do as He promised and Abraham knew it wasn't for him to have to comprehend or question, just believe.
Faith.
Pure faith.
Loving a child and being asked to kill that child- we call crazy, insane, ludicrous and with good reason when we live in a world of insanity, with child murderers often claiming God told them to do this same thing.
The difference here being, God asked Abraham to do so and God ONLY did so as a test. God would NEVER demand the life of a child, God does not find the sacrificing of humans acceptable. The ONLY sacrifice He finds pleasing is a contrite spirit...
Psalms {51:17} The sacrifices of God [are] a broken spirit: a broken and acontrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
Isaiah {66:2}For all those [things] hath mine hand made, and all those[things] have been, saith the LORD: but to this [man] will Ilook, [even] to [him that is] poor and of a contrite spirit, andtrembleth at my word. {66:3} He that killeth an ox [is as if]he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, [as if] he cut off adog's neck; he that offereth an oblation, [as if he offered]swine's blood; he that burneth incense, [as if] he blessed anidol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their souldelighteth in their abominations. {66:4} I also will choosetheir delusions, and will bring their fears upon them;because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, theydid not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose[that] in which I delighted not.
Death was never something God enjoyed, never something He wanted to happen. Yes, it was necessary, but it was not in and of itself pleasing to God. What was pleasing to God was the spirit in which a sacrifice was made and any spirit that delights in the killing for the killing's sake wasn't pleasing to Him at all.
Abraham's faith enabled him to please God.
Faith can be tested in ways we can't imagine.
It is my prayer that God strengthen me, strengthens us, to pass any test of faith we might come up against. My faith is weak. I believe and yet I need help with my unbelief. May the Lord's grace and mercy be mine as promised by faith through no strength of my own, but through my Lord and my Savior, Jesus Christ.
Amen.

Cleanse and Purify

Ex. 16:3 And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.
**Caught up into slavery, lives nothing but hardship.
Slavery by definition is --slavery (slâ..ve-rê, slâv..rê) nounplural slaveries
1. The state of one bound in servitude as the property of a slaveholder or household. See synonyms at servitude.2. a. The practice of owning slaves. b. A mode of production in which slaves constitute the principal work force.3. The condition of being subject or addicted to a specified influence.4. A condition of hard work and subjection: wage slavery.(Excerpted from The American Heritage® Dictionary)
Being bound in servitude.
Property of another.
Hard work and subjection 1 (1. Being in a position or in circumstances that place one under the power or authority of another or others)
By nature we are not meant to be owned. We are born and raised and in each of us rests a sense of self that demands the right to answer only to ourselves and not another man.
With God as our only master, our Creator, our Redeemer, with God as the only one we are to worship and bow down to it is no wonder that doing so at the demand of another creates within us a sense of powerlessness, a sense of wrongness.
We can be servants and have a master we answer to, but the master is to be just and not demand worship from us. A demand to serve isn't the same as a demand to worship.
Still, within the heart of most servants, of most slaves beats the desire to be the one served rather than the one serving. Servants are used to do hard work, menial labor, they are to do that which the master doesn't want to do.
A lady of a manor may enlist the aid of servants because she does not wish to do that which a servant will do, for whatever reason.
Slavery under the hand of one who is evil is much different than slavery under the hand of one who is just and good, fair and honest.
In our modern world slavery still exists but not like it did before 1865. Slavery today is mostly hidden.
Christ tells us to be servants - Mark {9:35} And he satdown, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If anyman desire to be first, [the same] shall be last of all, andservant of all.
But while serving is all well and good, slavery isn't just serving. It's being under another's power, another who can do with us as they please to cause us harm and hardship.
The Egyptians enslaved God's chosen people. The slavery was horrific, bitter, and truly something appalling. The Egyptians began killing the children of the Israelites because the Israelites were so prolific and they wanted to keep their numbers down some. Killing the children! Murdering innocents. There wasn't anything the Israelites could do to stop their masters from killing their children- they were enslaved to the master and if they even tried to rebel they were killed as well.
Death, hardship, anguish was a way of life for the Israelites and they wanted to be free. Could they worship God as He wanted to be worshipped, as man was created to worship Him? No. The Egyptians had their own gods and they weren't the One and Only true God, the God of the Israelites. Fully in bondage they desired freedom and yet after it was given them they had this to say--Ex. 16:3 And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.
They would rather have DIED with full bellies in Egypt as slaves than died free of hunger.
Death either way was inevitable, but they'd rather die without hunger.Rather die in Egypt where they were captive, where they were slaves, where their children were murdered, where they answered to hard task masters, where they were not allowed to WORSHIP God. Much rather die without any hardship, without any deprivation. Seems normal and logical? A choice many would make?
Maybe.
I know recently I watched a Navy Seals training on tv and it amazed me the hardships the men had to endure to become Navy Seals. As they followed them from week to week and let you get to know various men who were going through it all, it stunned me at how most of those they'd singled out ended up dropping out during Hell week, during the worst of the worst they were put through. In the end it was amazing to see each of those that managed to make it through, knowing some very rugged individuals gave up while some of the smaller men were able to stick through it all. One of the men said it depends on how bad you want it and that's true. It has to be true because their punishments, their exceptionally rigorous training exercises were the same for them all. Some made it, most didn't. Why? Other than it being the sheer desire, why did only 18 out of 83 make it through training?
The hardship was worth it.
The instructors at one point were talking and said Hell Week is only five days long because those left after five days would literally let you work them to death rather than given in, they're that devoted to sticking it all out.
It amazed me but I could see the truth in it by the determination during their suffering to make it through. At that point in the training they were totally at the mercy of their instructors to live or die as they determined, they trusted in them of course to keep them alive- killing trainees wasn't something the Navy could really do and that trust that the Navy would keep them from dying even when they felt as if they might was amazing. These men didn't HAVE to endure the hardship, many didn't, most didn't. When the decision to opt out of hardship or endure through it exists it isn't surprising that the majority opt out of hardship.Jesus said broad is the way that leads to destruction and many will take that way, while narrow is the way that leads to eternal life and few would take that way.
Hardship.
Life itself is hard no matter the circumstances.
Each and every one of us has a hard life in our own way. We all have our obstacles to overcome and we all have our hills to climb, our valleys to walk through. No one is exempt from these things and the mistake we often make is thinking that some are exempt, that some don't have it as hard as we do.
Another mistake is thinking that the future won't hold hardships just because we haven't had many now. To say my life has been wonderful and easy is a marvelous thing to be able to utter.
No matter the guise of the attacks we face on our faith, whether they come by being penniless, or being rich, we will all face the choice the Egyptians in the wilderness faced.
We will all have our own private little hell weeks to endure and we really are given an opportunity to opt out. To go the broad way.
We can murmur and complain and die in the wilderness for our rebellion, it's our choice.
We have to ask ourselves if we are willing to take on the hardships of following the will and the commands of God. They're not easy. We don't have to LIKE doing things.
Jesus was asked by a rich young man what he had to do to get to heaven and Jesus told him he had to love God and love his fellow man, and the rich young man said that he does that already- so what did Jesus tell him? Did He pat him on the back and tell him 'good job you have eternal life', no. He told him to sell all he has and give it to the poor. This was something the rich young man never expected! He could love God and love his fellow man, but...but part with all his riches?! This was something he didn't like and yet he was told to do it. Right and wrong are right and wrong whether or not we approve of what is right and what is wrong.
When we have unjust laws we try to make them just.
God's laws are just and because we might not like them, doesn't mean they aren't just and we can change them to suit us better.
No, it's not easy and we're told it's not easy.
We have a decision to make and we have to make it constantly in all we do, in every part of our life. Are we going to follow God, or follow man, follow God or follow ourselves?
There's a few lyrics of a song that comes to mind- 'Please forgive me I know not what I do.. please forgive me I can't stop loving you'
And it makes me think about the 'I know not what I do part...' Can I really say that, when I'm asking for forgiveness I obviously know I've done or am doing something wrong.
We know what we do.
We know the choices we make and we know that they're not always the right ones and yes, we have to ask for forgiveness often, daily, several times a day. If we sin knowingly we need to confess and repent- repentance being - 'To make a change for the better as a result of remorse or contrition for one's sins.' Excerpted from The American Heritage® Dictionary
Confess and repent.
James {5:16} Confess your faults one to another,and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. Theeffectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
Luke {24:45} Then opened he theirunderstanding, that they might understand the scriptures,{24:46} And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus itbehoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the thirdday: {24:47} And that repentance and remission of sinsshould be preached in his name among all nations,beginning at Jerusalem. {24:48} And ye are witnesses ofthese things.
Mark {1:14} Now after thatJohn was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preachingthe gospel of the kingdom of God, {1:15} And saying, Thetime is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repentye, and believe the gospel.
Mark {6:12} And they went out, andpreached that men should repent.Acts {3:19} Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that yoursins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shallcome from the presence of the Lord
Psalms {32:5} I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I nothid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; andthou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah
Matt. {3:6} And were baptized of him inJordan, confessing their sins.
*******Luke {24:47} And that repentance and remission of sinsshould be preached in his name among all nations,beginning at Jerusalem
Repentance and remission of sins...
We need to repent, and we need to do so because any sin we have separates us from God.
Will it be easy? No.
Is it possible? Yes. Only in Christ.
We can all say with Paul-- Romans {7:24} O wretched man thatI am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?{7:25} I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So thenwith the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with theflesh the law of sin.
The law of sin says we are helpless and we can't save ourselves. The law of God needs to be served and Jesus will make it possible for us to be saved.
Praise God, all thankfulness to God, all praise, and all honor, by His most holy Son, now and forever.
Don't let us be like the Egyptians who long for death captive to sin, rather than long for death free of sin trusting in Jesus through any an all hardships we may have to endure.
James {4:7} Submit yourselvestherefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.{4:8} Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.Cleanse [your] hands, [ye] sinners; and purify [your] hearts,[ye] double minded.
Resist.
Draw nigh.
Cleanse, purify.
1 Pet. {5:6} Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty handof God, that he may exalt you in due time: {5:7} Casting allyour care upon him; for he careth for you. {5:8} Be sober,be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaringlion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: {5:9}Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the sameafflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in theworld. {5:10} But the God of all grace, who hath called usunto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye havesuffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen,settle [you. ]{5:11} To him [be] glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Amen.Amen.Amen.