For today's study I'm going to copy parts of a thought paper and we're going to delve into more about what I was talking about yesterday, the Godhead and eternal truths. I'll interject it with my own thoughts and probably end up breaking it up into digestable pieces, meaning give it bit by bit so it's not overwhelming and gives us time to think about what's being presented. If you're reading this you'll have access to the internet and as such it's easy to check various facts such as the meaning of Greek and Hebrew words. Don't hesitate to take time to check things for yourself. We are accountable for what we can do and that means seeking the knowledge where we can. In our time we live in something called the 'Information Age' and it is. Information is right at our fingertips and we have to avail ourselves of it.
May God bless us as we seek to understand more fully His will, His way, the truths that we need to know and believe as this world becomes more and more deceptive.
***
3/14/10
1998 Jan -- XXXI -- 1(98) WWN
The Eternal Verities - Part 1 -- THE GODHEAD -- The great divide between two eternities; the great divide in time, and in the chronological reckoning of time, was the Incarnation.
3/15/10
Yesterday we talked a bit about the 'great divide in time' being the birth of Christ. Almost universally we use this time reference most people without nitpicking at it at all, but accepting it at our great time divider. Life before our Savior's birth and life after our Savior's birth. Amazing and wonderful.
Let's continue with the thought paper.
'THE GODHEAD -- The great divide between two eternities; the great divide in time, and in the chronological reckoning of time, was the Incarnation.
However, had there been no God, there would have been no Incarnation; and if no Incarnation, there would have been no atonement; and if no atonement, no Intercessor. Thus the "eternal verities" - the Godhead, the Incarnation, and the Atonement - are inseparably linked as a chain connecting and reconnecting earth with Heaven, and Heaven with earth.'
*******
My thoughts- there really is no arguing with this at all. The truth of it is undeniable. Without a God there is no God to become incarnate-
Dictionary Def- 1. a. Invested with bodily nature and form: an incarnate spirit. b. Embodied in human form
Excerpted from The American Heritage Dictionary
A God had to become incarnate, a spirit form of a God chose to embody a human form. Without a God there could have been no incarnation, without the incarnation, no atonement. We need atonement to be made one with God again because we began estranged to Him through sinning. The only thing that can bring us back to that - at - one - ment is the Intercessor- the incarnate God in human form - Jesus Christ our Savior.
*******
Let's continue with the thought paper.
As we study the Godhead, we shall note various verses of Scripture and seek to exegetically analyze them. Having done so, we shall draw certain conclusions, and where there is apparent mystery in reconciling the revelation, we shall leave it as a mystery until other texts which we will consider illuminates that mystery. It will be a progressive study with the sole objective to comprehend truth as far as a mortal can.
Luke 1:35 The angel [Gabriel] answered and said unto her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that Holy [One] which shall be borne of thee shall be called the Son of God.
{The word, "thing" is not in the Greek text, and we have substituted the word, "One" inasmuch as the word, "holy" is an adjective, and requires an object to modify. The word, "Spirit" could just as well be substituted. Such usage is found in the Writings. See 4BC:1147}
This text reveals the following data:
1) To speak "after the manner of men," the Holy Spirit was paternally related to Jesus Christ; thus the Holy Spirit pre-existed Bethlehem.
2) The "Holy One" born of Mary "shall be called the Son of God." Twice Gabriel reiterated this fact. In Luke 1:32, he declared that this Holy One "shall be called the Son of the Highest." Gabriel, who had "firsthand" information of relationships involving God, did not say, "was" or "is" the Son of God, but "shall be" called the Son of God.
3) There was to be conceived in the womb of Mary a unique Being, never before known in the Universe from all eternity - a God-man. Yet this unique Being inherits eternity through the Eternal Spirit. He had a pre-existence in Spirit, and now would become "flesh."
*******
My thoughts-
Let's really get what this is saying to us. An exegetical study is what?
exegesis (èk´se-jê´sîs) noun
plural exegeses (-sêz)
Critical explanation or analysis, especially of a text.
Excerpted from The American Heritage Dictionary
As it's been explained to me, exegesis is letting a text speak for itself- letting the analysis say what it will without reading anything EXTRA into a test that isn't there. When we deal with language translations it becomes necessary to revert to the original language and render from that the meaning, the grammar, the form all of it is different as it is translated. It'd be foolhardy for us to believe that every translation is exact because it isn't and where we have the know-how to find out the literal translations and recognize where things have been supplied and such we should do so- not just believe it doesn't matter. We are accountable for our knowledge, for our ability to study and learn. I'm not a scholar in Hebrew, nor Greek but I recognize others who are and I do have the ability to use the Internet to help me compare what they are saying to true translations in different languages. So as the author of the thought paper says- we need to study to understand as much as we are able and leave the mysteries to God until things unfold so we have understanding.
'Luke 1:35 The angel [Gabriel] answered and said unto her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that Holy [One] which shall be borne of thee shall be called the Son of God.
{The word, "thing" is not in the Greek text, and we have substituted the word, "One" inasmuch as the word, "holy" is an adjective, and requires an object to modify. The word, "Spirit" could just as well be substituted. Such usage is found in the Writings. See 4BC:1147}'
The KJV does say 'also that holy thing' but as explained satisfactorily- the word 'thing' is a supplied word, the word 'thing' does not actually exist in the Greek text. Holy being an adjective needs an object to modify as adjectives do, however the choice of the object to modify could be something other than 'thing' it could be 'one' or 'spirit'. The Writings spoken of here aren't something I'm going to be too concerned with, wanting to use the Bible and the Bible only. Those who believe in the Writings can use it as a reinforcement of the truth, but those who don't wish to really don't have to as the Bible speaks for itself. The reason we are seeking understanding of this supplied word is because the idea of God before being incarnate as a 'thing' doesn't necessarily sit well. Holy 'One', Holy 'Spirit' these are more likely words for the God who took on flesh and Jesus was a God with God in the beginning. A God who became the 'Son of God'.
'This text reveals the following data:
1) To speak "after the manner of men," the Holy Spirit was paternally related to Jesus Christ; thus the Holy Spirit pre-existed Bethlehem.
2) The "Holy One" born of Mary "shall be called the Son of God." Twice Gabriel reiterated this fact. In Luke 1:32, he declared that this Holy One "shall be called the Son of the Highest." Gabriel, who had "firsthand" information of relationships involving God, did not say, "was" or "is" the Son of God, but "shall be" called the Son of God.
3) There was to be conceived in the womb of Mary a unique Being, never before known in the Universe from all eternity - a God-man. Yet this unique Being inherits eternity through the Eternal Spirit. He had a pre-existence in Spirit, and now would become "flesh."
'
The Holy Spirit came upon Mary, the power of the Highest overshadowed Her. Mary knew no man and therefore understood that she could no be with child without a man. The promise of the Holy Spirit fulfilling the role in a miraculous manner and the power of the Highest would overshadow Mary was the role a man would normally play but this was NO normal conception. The Holy Spirit was paternally related to Jesus of this there is no doubt. Mary was the maternal relation, the Holy Spirit the paternal relation. Those who try to explain that the Holy Spirit didn't exist before Bethlehem would have trouble explaining this verse.
Luke 1:32-
Luk 1:32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David
Luk 1:35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
We know it was the angel Gabriel - Luk 1:26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, Luk 1:27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
Twice Gabriel did say the child born of Mary 'shall be called', 'shall be called' the shall be is indicative of future tense not present. When a woman gets pregnant people ask what are you going to name the baby, very seldom if ever do they say what is the baby's name as if it's a given. Of course nowadays with ultrasounds and the ability to know the baby's sex prior to birth does have people naming the child before birth yet sometimes there is that little tidbit of doubt where the ultrasound could be wrong and people will pick out names for both sexes- just in case. God incarnate was to be called the Son of God. It's plain fact that Mary wasn't told that the child in her womb *is* the Son of God, but rather *shall be called* the Son of God. A minute distinction but one that must be noted. Spirit would take on flesh. The Spirit form of who would become the Son of God existed before conception.
1Ti 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
God was manifest in the flesh.
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.
I'm going to stop here for now and we'll recap tomorrow before continuing. These truths are important to realize and while they might seem simple and obvious and something that doesn't bear repeating or reviewing, they do. The pre-exisitence of Jesus was in spirit form. God is spirit so it could be nothing else. God took on flesh, yet it wasn't God the Father who took on flesh, it was God taking on flesh to become known as the Son of God. The Holy Spirit was to come over Mary, the power of the Highest overshadow her and the result was the conception and ultimate birth of the Son of God. Such an amazing mysterious act, eternal spirit taking on flesh in a miracle.
More tomorrow.
May God continue to bless us as we study His Word, as we speak to understand more fully His truths. Please, open our hearts and minds to all that is You now and forever. By the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ the Son of God.
Amen.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Eternal Verities 1A
For today's study I'm going to copy a thought paper and we're going to delve into more about the what I was talking about yesterday, the Godhead and eternal truths. I'll intersperse it with my own thoughts and probably end up breaking it up into digestable pieces, meaning give it bit by bit so it's not overwhelming and gives us time to think about what's being presented. If you're reading this you'll have access to the internet and as such it's easy to check various facts such as the meaning of Greek and Hebrew words. Don't hesitate to take time to check things for yourself. We are accountable for what we can do and that means seeking the knowledge where we can. In our time we live in something called the 'Information Age' and it is. Information is right at our fingertips and we have to avail ourselves of it.
May God bless us as we seek to understand more fully His will, His way, the truths that we need to know and believe as this world becomes more and more deceptive.
*******
1998 Jan -- XXXI -- 1(98) WWN
The Eternal Verities - Part 1 -- THE GODHEAD -- The great divide between two eternities; the great divide in time, and in the chronological reckoning of time, was the Incarnation.
(((My thoughts- It's so true isn't it? BC and AD. It's no mistake that time has been divided this way.
*Before Christ (abbreviated as BC or B.C.) are designations used to label years in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The calendar era to which they refer is based on the traditionally reckoned year of the conception or birth of Jesus, with AD denoting years after the start of this epoch, and BC denoting years before the start of this epoch.
*Anno Domini (abbreviated as AD or A.D., sometimes found in the irregular form Anno Domine) The term Anno Domini is Medieval Latin, translated as In the year of (the/Our) Lord.[1][2]:782 It is sometimes specified more fully as Anno Domini Nostri Iesu (Jesu) Christi ("In the Year of Our Lord Jesus Christ").
*The Gregorian calendar, and the year numbering system associated with it, is the calendar system with the most widespread use in the world today. For decades, it has been the unofficial global standard, recognized by international institutions such as the United Nations and the Universal Postal Union. It is also a basis of scholarly dating - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anno_Domini
Jesus' birth, the incarnation divided time- no other birth in all of history has had such impact, NONE. We are reminded daily of living in the years after the birth of Christ. Everytime we write a date we are aware on some level of this. Talk about having a reminder to all of Jesus. The next time you have to write the date, or have reason to note the year you are actually noting the number of years since Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, the Son of man, the Son of God was born. Amazing.
Because I want to keep these studies very compact and something for us to leave thinking about and contemplating I'm really going to break up the study into small parts, very small parts because it's just easier to digest that way. So let's consider this one bite in our study and we'll take another bite tomorrow. For now let's savor the knowledge that most of us knew but don't often think about. AD and BC the Incarnation, the birth of the Son of God dividing our timeline.
May God bless us as we study, may the Lord enlighten us as we so need to be enlightened. By the grace and mercy of our Lord, our Savior in His love forever.
Amen.
May God bless us as we seek to understand more fully His will, His way, the truths that we need to know and believe as this world becomes more and more deceptive.
*******
1998 Jan -- XXXI -- 1(98) WWN
The Eternal Verities - Part 1 -- THE GODHEAD -- The great divide between two eternities; the great divide in time, and in the chronological reckoning of time, was the Incarnation.
(((My thoughts- It's so true isn't it? BC and AD. It's no mistake that time has been divided this way.
*Before Christ (abbreviated as BC or B.C.) are designations used to label years in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The calendar era to which they refer is based on the traditionally reckoned year of the conception or birth of Jesus, with AD denoting years after the start of this epoch, and BC denoting years before the start of this epoch.
*Anno Domini (abbreviated as AD or A.D., sometimes found in the irregular form Anno Domine) The term Anno Domini is Medieval Latin, translated as In the year of (the/Our) Lord.[1][2]:782 It is sometimes specified more fully as Anno Domini Nostri Iesu (Jesu) Christi ("In the Year of Our Lord Jesus Christ").
*The Gregorian calendar, and the year numbering system associated with it, is the calendar system with the most widespread use in the world today. For decades, it has been the unofficial global standard, recognized by international institutions such as the United Nations and the Universal Postal Union. It is also a basis of scholarly dating - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anno_Domini
Jesus' birth, the incarnation divided time- no other birth in all of history has had such impact, NONE. We are reminded daily of living in the years after the birth of Christ. Everytime we write a date we are aware on some level of this. Talk about having a reminder to all of Jesus. The next time you have to write the date, or have reason to note the year you are actually noting the number of years since Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, the Son of man, the Son of God was born. Amazing.
Because I want to keep these studies very compact and something for us to leave thinking about and contemplating I'm really going to break up the study into small parts, very small parts because it's just easier to digest that way. So let's consider this one bite in our study and we'll take another bite tomorrow. For now let's savor the knowledge that most of us knew but don't often think about. AD and BC the Incarnation, the birth of the Son of God dividing our timeline.
May God bless us as we study, may the Lord enlighten us as we so need to be enlightened. By the grace and mercy of our Lord, our Savior in His love forever.
Amen.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Deep Things of God
We say God created heaven and earth and imply that He did it alone. We don't imply that Jesus was there with Him though we know Biblically He was in the beginning with God and all things were created by Him. 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.'
When we talk of worshipping our Creator with think singular and yet it's a falsehood- a Biblical falsehood. There were TWO in the beginning. By TWO all things were created. God said - Gen 1:26 'And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness...'
'Let us' Us. We don't use the word 'us' when we're talking singular. 'Us' implies more than one.
Dictionary- us (ùs) pronoun
The objective case of we
God- (Encyclopedia)
In Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, God is conceived primarily in terms of transcendence, personality, and unity. The Hebrew Scriptures present God as creator, and the created world is a product of God's will. Human beings are made in God's image. Thus, the Hebrew understanding of God is anthropomorphic (humanoid). God's primary attributes are righteousness, justice, mercy, truth, and faithfulness.
Christianity began as a Jewish sect, incorporating the Hebrew God and Jewish Scriptures. Jesus Christ was probably considered a prophet of God, but by the end of the 1st century, Christians viewed him as a divine being (see Christology). Although Christian theology speaks of the three "persons" of the Trinity, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, these are not persons in the literal sense, but three manifestations of one God.
Encarta® 98 Desk Encyclopedia
*
That bit up there on God where it says Christian theology speaks of the 'three 'persons' of the Trinity, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit- these are not persons in the literal sense, but three MANIFESTATIONS of ONE GOD'. It's not true! We are so caught up in the ONE God that deeper thought into the whole Trinitarian issue seems wrong, yet when is the studying to know the truth ever wrong? Three manifestations of ONE God? That denies them the right to their individual Godhood. It does. They say' God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit and then they cap it off by saying stuff like 'NOT persons in the literal sense, but manifestations of ONE God'. Even as people we can have one common belief, one common goal but that does not strip us of our literal individual selves- yet we want to strip God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit of their literal individuality. We want to call them One God, three in One as if they are a mixture so combined they can never and have never and will never be separate Gods but one spirit-being posing as three manifestations - different manifestations for different situations. If they weren't separate literally why have an 'us' at all in the beginning when creation was underway? Jeremiah has this to say-
Jer 10:10 But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation.
Jer 10:11 Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens.
Jer 10:12 He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion.
Notice... 'the gods' plural that have not made the heaven and earth, even they shall perish. There are gods - plural that made the heaven and earth, but there are many more false gods who had no hand whatsoever in creation. If we do not agree that literal God the Father and literal God who become Jesus our Lord and Savior who eventually took on flesh becoming God with us Immanual, created all things but rather believe that ONE literal God created all things we are worshipping a false belief of God and it's so deceptive it's frightening.
To strip the Godhood from any of the three by rolling them up into one God, is wrong. They are one in purpose, one in belief, one in the unity of their ideals, their thoughts, their desires this is undeniable. But when Jesus said- John 10:30 'I and my Father are one.' And this- John 10:38 'But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.' Did He mean they were literally One Being? No, He couldn't have or how else could He also say this- Mark 15:34 'And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?' How could He be forsaken by Himself if He were literally One God with God, and not literally another being of His own, another God being, not one lesser than God at all. He was equal with God in all ways even though He'd taken on the flesh of humanity and chose to live in a state where He could be tempted and feel the fullness of the tempting power of Satan towards humanity. Php 2:5 'Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus Php 2:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God' He was God with us and He was always a separate being, a separate God from God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.
It takes a lot of thinking to really comprehend all this and understand there is a danger in believing the 'Trinity' as it was formulated by the Roman Catholic Church long, long ago and heldfast to by Protestantism because we can't deny God the Father, God the Son, or God the Holy Spirit, and if you say you're not because the way you understand it all just incorporates them all into one in the same way they meant us to understand it all- ask yourself if this is really true-- 'Although Christian theology speaks of the three "persons" of the Trinity, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, these are not persons in the literal sense, but three manifestations of one God.', and is that how you truly believe? Do you truly believe in ONE God, if so then you deny Jesus as God, you deny the Holy Spirit as God in their own right.
This is a whole lot to take in and a whole lot to think about and truthfully a whole lot more I need to understand. I will be studying this and praying for enlightment so that I may know only the truth. I don't want to get caught up in deception just because it's something held common as a belief by most people. The counterfiet mimics the truth so closely it's hardly discernible and I pray for understanding, for wisdom. May God bless us all as we continue to study and do more than surface study but delve deeply into the deep things of God.
By the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ now and forever through His righteousness and not our own, through His perfect forgiveness and His cleansing blood.
Amen.
When we talk of worshipping our Creator with think singular and yet it's a falsehood- a Biblical falsehood. There were TWO in the beginning. By TWO all things were created. God said - Gen 1:26 'And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness...'
'Let us' Us. We don't use the word 'us' when we're talking singular. 'Us' implies more than one.
Dictionary- us (ùs) pronoun
The objective case of we
God- (Encyclopedia)
In Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, God is conceived primarily in terms of transcendence, personality, and unity. The Hebrew Scriptures present God as creator, and the created world is a product of God's will. Human beings are made in God's image. Thus, the Hebrew understanding of God is anthropomorphic (humanoid). God's primary attributes are righteousness, justice, mercy, truth, and faithfulness.
Christianity began as a Jewish sect, incorporating the Hebrew God and Jewish Scriptures. Jesus Christ was probably considered a prophet of God, but by the end of the 1st century, Christians viewed him as a divine being (see Christology). Although Christian theology speaks of the three "persons" of the Trinity, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, these are not persons in the literal sense, but three manifestations of one God.
Encarta® 98 Desk Encyclopedia
*
That bit up there on God where it says Christian theology speaks of the 'three 'persons' of the Trinity, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit- these are not persons in the literal sense, but three MANIFESTATIONS of ONE GOD'. It's not true! We are so caught up in the ONE God that deeper thought into the whole Trinitarian issue seems wrong, yet when is the studying to know the truth ever wrong? Three manifestations of ONE God? That denies them the right to their individual Godhood. It does. They say' God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit and then they cap it off by saying stuff like 'NOT persons in the literal sense, but manifestations of ONE God'. Even as people we can have one common belief, one common goal but that does not strip us of our literal individual selves- yet we want to strip God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit of their literal individuality. We want to call them One God, three in One as if they are a mixture so combined they can never and have never and will never be separate Gods but one spirit-being posing as three manifestations - different manifestations for different situations. If they weren't separate literally why have an 'us' at all in the beginning when creation was underway? Jeremiah has this to say-
Jer 10:10 But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation.
Jer 10:11 Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens.
Jer 10:12 He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion.
Notice... 'the gods' plural that have not made the heaven and earth, even they shall perish. There are gods - plural that made the heaven and earth, but there are many more false gods who had no hand whatsoever in creation. If we do not agree that literal God the Father and literal God who become Jesus our Lord and Savior who eventually took on flesh becoming God with us Immanual, created all things but rather believe that ONE literal God created all things we are worshipping a false belief of God and it's so deceptive it's frightening.
To strip the Godhood from any of the three by rolling them up into one God, is wrong. They are one in purpose, one in belief, one in the unity of their ideals, their thoughts, their desires this is undeniable. But when Jesus said- John 10:30 'I and my Father are one.' And this- John 10:38 'But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.' Did He mean they were literally One Being? No, He couldn't have or how else could He also say this- Mark 15:34 'And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?' How could He be forsaken by Himself if He were literally One God with God, and not literally another being of His own, another God being, not one lesser than God at all. He was equal with God in all ways even though He'd taken on the flesh of humanity and chose to live in a state where He could be tempted and feel the fullness of the tempting power of Satan towards humanity. Php 2:5 'Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus Php 2:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God' He was God with us and He was always a separate being, a separate God from God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.
It takes a lot of thinking to really comprehend all this and understand there is a danger in believing the 'Trinity' as it was formulated by the Roman Catholic Church long, long ago and heldfast to by Protestantism because we can't deny God the Father, God the Son, or God the Holy Spirit, and if you say you're not because the way you understand it all just incorporates them all into one in the same way they meant us to understand it all- ask yourself if this is really true-- 'Although Christian theology speaks of the three "persons" of the Trinity, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, these are not persons in the literal sense, but three manifestations of one God.', and is that how you truly believe? Do you truly believe in ONE God, if so then you deny Jesus as God, you deny the Holy Spirit as God in their own right.
This is a whole lot to take in and a whole lot to think about and truthfully a whole lot more I need to understand. I will be studying this and praying for enlightment so that I may know only the truth. I don't want to get caught up in deception just because it's something held common as a belief by most people. The counterfiet mimics the truth so closely it's hardly discernible and I pray for understanding, for wisdom. May God bless us all as we continue to study and do more than surface study but delve deeply into the deep things of God.
By the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ now and forever through His righteousness and not our own, through His perfect forgiveness and His cleansing blood.
Amen.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Our belief is a dead belief unless...
Jas 2:20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
Joh 6:28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
Joh 6:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
Faith- believing without works is dead.
The work of God is believing on Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
Belief is manifested by our life, and our life is made up our the actions we perform. Your life is what you do. Everyone's lives differ, one from the next even when people have similar living situations. Every action we make is revealing who we are. Bizarre actions we sometimes commit leave us saying- that wasn't like me, I wouldn't normally do something like that, and yet the actions reveal us. Our day to day life reveals who we are. When we believe in God our lives need to reflect that belief. Devils believe and tremble. It's not enough for us to believe and have it end there. Our lives are transformed by that believe. It is the work of God to believe on Jesus, and in believing have our lives reflect the belief.
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God
Jas 2:20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
Jas 2:21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
Jas 2:22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
Jas 2:23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
Jas 2:24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
Faith wrought WITH his works.
Abraham believe God and it was imputed unto him for righteousness.
Abraham only offered Isaac because He believed in God. If he hadn't believed in God he would never have followed what God asked of Him. Abraham's actions reflected his belief in God. Our actions have to reflect our belief in God or our belief is a dead belief as useless to us as it is to the devils that believe and tremble.
May God help our belief be realized in our lives fully. Our hope is in Christ, the love of Christ. By His grace and His mercy, in His righteousness alone.
Amen.
Joh 6:28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
Joh 6:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
Faith- believing without works is dead.
The work of God is believing on Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
Belief is manifested by our life, and our life is made up our the actions we perform. Your life is what you do. Everyone's lives differ, one from the next even when people have similar living situations. Every action we make is revealing who we are. Bizarre actions we sometimes commit leave us saying- that wasn't like me, I wouldn't normally do something like that, and yet the actions reveal us. Our day to day life reveals who we are. When we believe in God our lives need to reflect that belief. Devils believe and tremble. It's not enough for us to believe and have it end there. Our lives are transformed by that believe. It is the work of God to believe on Jesus, and in believing have our lives reflect the belief.
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God
Jas 2:20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
Jas 2:21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
Jas 2:22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
Jas 2:23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
Jas 2:24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
Faith wrought WITH his works.
Abraham believe God and it was imputed unto him for righteousness.
Abraham only offered Isaac because He believed in God. If he hadn't believed in God he would never have followed what God asked of Him. Abraham's actions reflected his belief in God. Our actions have to reflect our belief in God or our belief is a dead belief as useless to us as it is to the devils that believe and tremble.
May God help our belief be realized in our lives fully. Our hope is in Christ, the love of Christ. By His grace and His mercy, in His righteousness alone.
Amen.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Stir you up by putting you in remembrance
2Pe 1:1 Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:
2Pe 1:2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
2Pe 1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
2Pe 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
2Pe 1:5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
2Pe 1:6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
2Pe 1:7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
2Pe 1:8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2Pe 1:9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
2Pe 1:10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:
2Pe 1:11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
2Pe 1:12 Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.
2Pe 1:13 Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance;
2Pe 1:14 Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me.
2Pe 1:15 Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance.
2Pe 1:16 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
2Pe 1:17 For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
2Pe 1:18 And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.
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:
2Pe 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
2Pe 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
Faith
Virtue
Knowledge
Temperance
Patience
Godliness
Brotherly Kindness
Charity
We need these things in our lives constantly, always and if we don't have them then we are blind, we can't see the future, we've forgotten that we've been saved from our old sins.
Take stock of yourself, it's something we ALL have to do. When we stop caring if we believe, when believing in God, in our Savior becomes something we've tucked away in the back of our minds and lives, we are in danger. It's not enough to believe without caring, without loving. The Bible tells us this-
Jas 2:19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
Devils believe. They know the truth and it scares them. We have to know the truth and in knowing believe, have faith in that truth. We have to have virture, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, charity. When we stop short of believing that we should have these things in our lives we begin to slip away from Christ. We become blind and we don't focus on a future life with Him in heaven. We forget that He came to save us from our sins so that we may live with Him in a world that is beyond our imagination without pain of any kind, without sadness, without angst, without all that troubles a person. Every day we are faced with problems, old ones, new ones, problems we anticipate will come our way. We don't live without knowing that there are hardships to face, we are quick to think on them. We need to be quick to think on God and God's way.
Peter is adamant about putting us in remembrance.
2Pe 1:12 Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.
Even though we know we need to remember always so we're established in present truth. We can't think on these things enough. We can't talk about them enough. We can't write about them enough. We need to have these thoughts before us at all times.
May God bless and keep us now and always in remembrance of Him and His love for us in the hope of living with Christ our Lord and Savior forever.
By His grace, by His mercy.
In His love.
Amen.
2Pe 1:2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
2Pe 1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
2Pe 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
2Pe 1:5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
2Pe 1:6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
2Pe 1:7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
2Pe 1:8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2Pe 1:9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
2Pe 1:10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:
2Pe 1:11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
2Pe 1:12 Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.
2Pe 1:13 Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance;
2Pe 1:14 Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me.
2Pe 1:15 Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance.
2Pe 1:16 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
2Pe 1:17 For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
2Pe 1:18 And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.
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:
2Pe 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
2Pe 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
Faith
Virtue
Knowledge
Temperance
Patience
Godliness
Brotherly Kindness
Charity
We need these things in our lives constantly, always and if we don't have them then we are blind, we can't see the future, we've forgotten that we've been saved from our old sins.
Take stock of yourself, it's something we ALL have to do. When we stop caring if we believe, when believing in God, in our Savior becomes something we've tucked away in the back of our minds and lives, we are in danger. It's not enough to believe without caring, without loving. The Bible tells us this-
Jas 2:19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
Devils believe. They know the truth and it scares them. We have to know the truth and in knowing believe, have faith in that truth. We have to have virture, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, charity. When we stop short of believing that we should have these things in our lives we begin to slip away from Christ. We become blind and we don't focus on a future life with Him in heaven. We forget that He came to save us from our sins so that we may live with Him in a world that is beyond our imagination without pain of any kind, without sadness, without angst, without all that troubles a person. Every day we are faced with problems, old ones, new ones, problems we anticipate will come our way. We don't live without knowing that there are hardships to face, we are quick to think on them. We need to be quick to think on God and God's way.
Peter is adamant about putting us in remembrance.
2Pe 1:12 Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.
Even though we know we need to remember always so we're established in present truth. We can't think on these things enough. We can't talk about them enough. We can't write about them enough. We need to have these thoughts before us at all times.
May God bless and keep us now and always in remembrance of Him and His love for us in the hope of living with Christ our Lord and Savior forever.
By His grace, by His mercy.
In His love.
Amen.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
In my flesh dwelleth no good thing
Rom 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
This was said approximately 2000 years or so ago and it's still very revelant to us all today. In our flesh dwells nothing good. Our flesh is weak and corrupted by years of sin. Only Christ overcame the flesh and it's through Christ we overcome. Does this mean we get some magical power that does away with our flesh desires? No. Many, many men and women of God get caught up in the trap of begin supposedly able to overcome their sins and they feel good when that happens. It might last for one, two, ten years but more often than not there are set backs and slips into that same sin and it becomes depressing to succumb to something you thought you'd overcome. The key there are the words - you'd overcome. We get to this place where we believe we are doing the necessary overcoming and we begin to rely on ourselves for that overcoming.
I've never been in a 12 step program but what I know of it from tv and whatnot I think a person is taught to take one day at a time and the famous serenity prayer is recited-
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.
--Reinhold Niebuhr
The first part of that is known more widely than the rest but read the rest...
Living one day at a time.
Enjoying one moment at a time.
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace.
Taking, as HE did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that HE will make all things right
if I SURRENDER to HIS will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him forever in the next.
Now while I agree with most of this prayer the bit about being reasonably happy in this life is a fallacy. We can't even expect that as much as we might want to.
We do have to surrender to God's will. We do have to trust that God will make all things right. We can't believe in ourselves or our own goodness, we have to trust in God fully. When we start to believe we are good in and of ourselves we start to get caught in a trap of Satan's making. We need to have Christ before us always. We need to fall at His feet in surrender. It's not pitiful to surrender, to admit our weakness in the face of God's strength. Yes, we to believe this--
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
And to understand this--
Rom 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
And believe this--
Rom 7:25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
We have to thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord that we can serve the law of God, we can. Trusting in Him fully that HE overcame the flesh and we through Him will overcome. Our hope is in Him and Him alone.
May God help us to place our trust fully in Christ now and forever. Life will give to us through Satan any and all challenges to snare us and we have to trust solely in Christ, not even in ourselves.
By the grace and mercy of our Lord, our Savior, may we hold fast to Him now and forever, trusting in His ability to overcome the flesh.
In Him always.
Amen.
This was said approximately 2000 years or so ago and it's still very revelant to us all today. In our flesh dwells nothing good. Our flesh is weak and corrupted by years of sin. Only Christ overcame the flesh and it's through Christ we overcome. Does this mean we get some magical power that does away with our flesh desires? No. Many, many men and women of God get caught up in the trap of begin supposedly able to overcome their sins and they feel good when that happens. It might last for one, two, ten years but more often than not there are set backs and slips into that same sin and it becomes depressing to succumb to something you thought you'd overcome. The key there are the words - you'd overcome. We get to this place where we believe we are doing the necessary overcoming and we begin to rely on ourselves for that overcoming.
I've never been in a 12 step program but what I know of it from tv and whatnot I think a person is taught to take one day at a time and the famous serenity prayer is recited-
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.
--Reinhold Niebuhr
The first part of that is known more widely than the rest but read the rest...
Living one day at a time.
Enjoying one moment at a time.
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace.
Taking, as HE did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that HE will make all things right
if I SURRENDER to HIS will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him forever in the next.
Now while I agree with most of this prayer the bit about being reasonably happy in this life is a fallacy. We can't even expect that as much as we might want to.
We do have to surrender to God's will. We do have to trust that God will make all things right. We can't believe in ourselves or our own goodness, we have to trust in God fully. When we start to believe we are good in and of ourselves we start to get caught in a trap of Satan's making. We need to have Christ before us always. We need to fall at His feet in surrender. It's not pitiful to surrender, to admit our weakness in the face of God's strength. Yes, we to believe this--
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
And to understand this--
Rom 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
And believe this--
Rom 7:25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
We have to thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord that we can serve the law of God, we can. Trusting in Him fully that HE overcame the flesh and we through Him will overcome. Our hope is in Him and Him alone.
May God help us to place our trust fully in Christ now and forever. Life will give to us through Satan any and all challenges to snare us and we have to trust solely in Christ, not even in ourselves.
By the grace and mercy of our Lord, our Savior, may we hold fast to Him now and forever, trusting in His ability to overcome the flesh.
In Him always.
Amen.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God
Deu 8:11 Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments...
We aren't raised to worship. We aren't. Or perhaps it's more accurate to say that most of us aren't raised to worship God. I must had God because we are raised to worship at the alter of self-serving. Worship as I was growing up meant getting dressed in my Sunday best and going off to Sunday school for an hour and then to Sunday service for another hour and then once I returned home off came the Sunday best and it was put away until the next week. Two hours with a little extra for travel thrown in, so let's round it off to three hours and then worshipping God was all over. The rest of the day wasn't a normal day though, not really. It was the day to get in all the fun we could because the next day was a school day and everyone knew that school interfered with having fun. At worst, the rest of the day meant cramming in the free time fun and possibly a few hours of homework study before school came all too fast the next day. We were taught to compartmentalize God into that two hours and into before dinner prayers, and a quick learned by rote night time prayer. God was in our lives just put into little time slots.
A day of restful worship of God wasn't always a day of restful worship but rather a few hours of rest in worship and then back into the grind of things. Even my father used that day for yard working and my mother for preparing nice meals- work. A day of worship didn't mean a full day of worship and so the reality of God setting aside an entire 24 hour period seems almost ludicrous. 24 hours spent worshipping God? But how? What happens after the two hours of worship with others (if that is what one does in light of all the knowledge out there)?
Why am I dwelling on this one commandment when Deuteronomy 8:11 says - 'Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments...'
I think I'm dwelling on the fourth commandment because it's the only one prefaced with the word- REMEMBER.
We do forget the Lord our God. We do it all the time. We compartmentalize Him and His place in our lives. If you have 24 hours in which to worship Him it's very hard to forget Him during that time whether or not you are worshipping Him *rightly* so to speak.
Set aside the Sabbath day- sundown Friday to sundown Saturday and use it only for the glory of God. You'll realize quickly how much of your life is centered around yourself and your own devices and not God. How do you worship for 24 hours? It's easy to worship ourselves all the time we just have to sit back and do whatever it is we want to do for whatever reason we want to do it. Yes, we have to work, but after work is over it's play time, or free time, even if it's just to rest for ourselves, take a nap, read a book, take a long hot bath. We've perfected the art of self-worship. Is it different for those raised to worship God for a full day? Or do they tend to fall into the same trap in a different way? Do they get bogged down into a lifeless routine?
There is danger of forgetting God in many, many ways. People live their entire lives without thinking of God or caring to remember anything He might have had to say let only keeping His commandments.
There is a danger in forgetting God, in forgetting His commandments, His ways. If we forget God we will be forgotten by Him. It's a sad, sad situation that we will be in because the pain and heartache of this world is all we truly have here mingled with a few ups that lull us into believing that it's a good enough life that we don't need God in it to mess things up. A life devoted to God is a life of extra hardship but it's reward far outweighs anything even remotely satisfying to us on earth now.
May God bless us and help us to learn to worship Him as He commands, a worship that is filled with rewards for us if only we'd truly see it that way. Let us not forget the LORD our God.
By the mercy and grace of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior now and forever.
Amen.
We aren't raised to worship. We aren't. Or perhaps it's more accurate to say that most of us aren't raised to worship God. I must had God because we are raised to worship at the alter of self-serving. Worship as I was growing up meant getting dressed in my Sunday best and going off to Sunday school for an hour and then to Sunday service for another hour and then once I returned home off came the Sunday best and it was put away until the next week. Two hours with a little extra for travel thrown in, so let's round it off to three hours and then worshipping God was all over. The rest of the day wasn't a normal day though, not really. It was the day to get in all the fun we could because the next day was a school day and everyone knew that school interfered with having fun. At worst, the rest of the day meant cramming in the free time fun and possibly a few hours of homework study before school came all too fast the next day. We were taught to compartmentalize God into that two hours and into before dinner prayers, and a quick learned by rote night time prayer. God was in our lives just put into little time slots.
A day of restful worship of God wasn't always a day of restful worship but rather a few hours of rest in worship and then back into the grind of things. Even my father used that day for yard working and my mother for preparing nice meals- work. A day of worship didn't mean a full day of worship and so the reality of God setting aside an entire 24 hour period seems almost ludicrous. 24 hours spent worshipping God? But how? What happens after the two hours of worship with others (if that is what one does in light of all the knowledge out there)?
Why am I dwelling on this one commandment when Deuteronomy 8:11 says - 'Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments...'
I think I'm dwelling on the fourth commandment because it's the only one prefaced with the word- REMEMBER.
We do forget the Lord our God. We do it all the time. We compartmentalize Him and His place in our lives. If you have 24 hours in which to worship Him it's very hard to forget Him during that time whether or not you are worshipping Him *rightly* so to speak.
Set aside the Sabbath day- sundown Friday to sundown Saturday and use it only for the glory of God. You'll realize quickly how much of your life is centered around yourself and your own devices and not God. How do you worship for 24 hours? It's easy to worship ourselves all the time we just have to sit back and do whatever it is we want to do for whatever reason we want to do it. Yes, we have to work, but after work is over it's play time, or free time, even if it's just to rest for ourselves, take a nap, read a book, take a long hot bath. We've perfected the art of self-worship. Is it different for those raised to worship God for a full day? Or do they tend to fall into the same trap in a different way? Do they get bogged down into a lifeless routine?
There is danger of forgetting God in many, many ways. People live their entire lives without thinking of God or caring to remember anything He might have had to say let only keeping His commandments.
There is a danger in forgetting God, in forgetting His commandments, His ways. If we forget God we will be forgotten by Him. It's a sad, sad situation that we will be in because the pain and heartache of this world is all we truly have here mingled with a few ups that lull us into believing that it's a good enough life that we don't need God in it to mess things up. A life devoted to God is a life of extra hardship but it's reward far outweighs anything even remotely satisfying to us on earth now.
May God bless us and help us to learn to worship Him as He commands, a worship that is filled with rewards for us if only we'd truly see it that way. Let us not forget the LORD our God.
By the mercy and grace of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior now and forever.
Amen.
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