Contend for the faith

Jud 1:2  Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied.
Jud 1:3  Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

Mercy, peace, love.

Mercy - compassion.
Peace - rest.
Love - benevolence, charity.

All the above be multiplied.

We need it all to be multiplied don't we? We really need all the mercy, all the peace, all the love we can get and give.

Earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

Contend- to struggle.

A faith was given unto the saints- that faith was delivered by Jesus Himself. Living with Him, following Him, listening, learning from Him directly the Apostles were brought face to face with faith. Yet our Savior said this to Peter…

Mat 14:31  And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

And this to those gathered to listen to Jesus-

Luk 12:28  If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?

And this to those He healed-

Mat 9:29  Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.

And to His disciples-

Mat 17:20  And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

Our Savior taught about faith throughout His ministry here on earth. He knew how important faith was, because it was faith that allowed belief, that allowed salvation, and still does. This lesson of faith is so incredibly important. And the faith that was given to the saints, was a faith revealed by our Savior and this is the SAME faith we MUST struggle for! We must contend for this faith! We must seek to possess this faith!

Why do we need to be exhorted to contend for this faith? Because without it there is NO salvation!

There are so many varied beliefs out there in the world that have nothing at all to do with having that faith given to the saints. So much has strayed away from the truth, the truth found in CHRIST.

We need that faith and we can have that faith it is ours, it is available, but we have to struggle, we have to contend because there are so many evil forces out there that would keep us from that very true faith, that living faith, that salvation faith!

People might think it easy to have faith, but go back and reread those verses above and it's not what people think. It's not some flippant thing that means nothing, it is something that means everything! Faith, QUALITY faith, SALVATION faith!

Faith the grain of a mustard seed- moves mountains.

It does, it really, really does.

It's the belief in our CREATOR, our REDEEMER and THEIR LOVE! The true belief. And it's this heartfelt cry…

Mar 9:24  And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

In HIM!

Always!

Follow that which is GOOD, not evil

3Jn 1:9  I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not.
3Jn 1:10  Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church.
3Jn 1:11  Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God.
3Jn 1:12  Demetrius hath good report of all men, and of the truth itself: yea, and we also bear record; and ye know that our record is true.
3Jn 1:13  I had many things to write, but I will not with ink and pen write unto thee:
3Jn 1:14  But I trust I shall shortly see thee, and we shall speak face to face. Peace be to thee. Our friends salute thee. Greet the friends by name.

One loved to have POSITION and POWER. He loved to speak maliciously, act selfishly, rebelliously, evilly.

The Other loved the TRUTH and was known by others to be good.

Evil and Good.  This is our existence right now, this is the world we live in at the moment, the world we do not BELONG to, yet must dwell upon.

A person put in prison, locked in a cell, physical freedom taken away- knows at first that great sense of loss- being unable to come and go as they please and ALL the little freedoms that are taken for granted disappear. They feel this intensely. Why do they feel it? Because they desire to return to all they know is out there, all they've given up, all they've lost.

We cannot know all there is in our true home, in the places being prepared for us in heaven. We are however told how wonderful it will be for us.

1Co 2:9  But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

But we ARE allowed a glimpse into it all through the Holy Spirit.

1Co 2:10  But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

We KNOW, a part of us knows deep down, a part in ALL of us that flickers briefly for some and burns in a conflagration for others knows and realizes that this world is NOT the world we were ever intended to live in. Every heartache, every pain- none of it is NORMAL- none of it is ACCEPTABLE! We cry out WHY when tragedy strikes because we KNOW that it is NOT supposed to be! Those tears are NOT supposed to fall! That agony was NEVER meant to be felt, not EVER! We were created not with all that horror in mind, but with LOVE in mind! We feel the despair and awful sin sickness of this world and we internalize the rejections, the lack of love that we are confronted with throughout our lives and we KNOW, it's all wrong, it's not right…it's just not right!

Why do we know this? We know this because this truly is NOT our world!

We must live in this corrupted world, we are born into it but we are NOT left to flounder helplessly. As our spirit reaches out for a tether of truth to cling to we CAN find it because our Savior has given it to us!  We are given HOPE that the world we are truly meant for exists out there for us. We do not have to despair because we have HOPE, real HOPE in our SAVIOR!

There is evil and there is good and as long as we live here we MUST be on one side or the other- there is NO middle ground.

The reports for each of us will either be that of good reports or bad reports- reflecting our love or lack of love for our SAVIOR, our GOD.

We cannot judge another's eternal life, we only control the fate of our own- through believing, through a real living faith in our Savior's redemptive powers towards us- the worst of sinners.

Living in a world where there are two sides, we will know where most people choose to put their allegiance by their actions but we truly cannot judge them for eternity- only GOD has that knowledge, He KNOWS the hearts of men and the truth or lack of it in those hearts. He alone can clean our hearts and make them new.

We exist in this horrible sin prison, our lives trapped by the heartaches and agonies of living here and now, but we also live in this sin prison with the hope of FREEDOM, the very real FREEDOM that has been bought for us with the Blood and Body of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. This freedom is REAL, as real as the pain we must feel physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually.  This freedom is OURS and while we do NOT have a known date for our pardon to be realize, we know that our pardon has been secured! We are serving our time here in this awful prison, allowed a lot of moments of beauty and happiness amid the horrors. We are serving our time and none of the wonders of this world will compare to our future of freedom in Christ!

We live for our Hope- Christ our Savior!

All in HIS LOVE!  All by HIS GRACE!

Fellow Helpers to the TRUTH

3Jn 1:5  Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest to the brethren, and to strangers;
3Jn 1:6  Which have borne witness of thy charity before the church: whom if thou bring forward on their journey after a godly sort, thou shalt do well:
3Jn 1:7  Because that for his name's sake they went forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles.
3Jn 1:8  We therefore ought to receive such, that we might be fellowhelpers to the truth.

Fellow helpers to the truth.

THIS is our mission in life. THIS is our calling.  And this is for EVERYONE. This isn't for special people, this isn't calling us to be teachers, prophets, evangelists but rather be alive in Christ, living in HIS truth. As we LIVE His truth we are automatically fellow helpers to the truth.

Loving one another this reveals Christ!
Loving God this reveals Christ!
Loving one another and God this reveals the TRUTH.

This is to be our life!

You can have a job that keeps you busy digging ditches, or climbing ladders to telephone poles, or cutting into someone's body to heal them, or…well…you name it. No matter what your job is you are called to LOVE God and LOVE others and THIS is living the truth.

Are we to take Bible tracts around and distribute them? You could, but not everyone is called to that path. Are we to stand on a soapbox and give our message to any and all who will stop to listen on that street corner we are preaching on? Maybe, if God leads you to that act. You do NOT have to despair though if you are NOT called to that life because YOU are called to be a LIVING witness of Christ, of the TRUTH by your LOVE!

Is there any wonder Satan would attack us every moment he can to get us to be unloving? He will abuse us by using others, by using situations, by doing anything he possibly can to keep us from revealing the LOVE of God in us, by us being LOVING.

Our Savior said this--

Mat 5:43  Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
Mat 5:44  But I say unto you, LOVE YOUR ENEMIES, BLESS THEM THAT CURSE YOU, DO GOOD TO THEM THAT HATE YOU, AND PRAY FOR THEM WHICH DESPITEFULLY USE YOU, AND PERSECUTE YOU;
Mat 5:45  That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
Mat 5:46  For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
Mat 5:47  And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
Mat 5:48  Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Read that one part again--

Mat 5:44  But I say unto you, LOVE YOUR ENEMIES, BLESS THEM THAT CURSE YOU, DO GOOD TO THEM THAT HATE YOU, AND PRAY FOR THEM WHICH DESPITEFULLY USE YOU, AND PERSECUTE YOU

LOVE our enemies! This goes against everything inside of us, we want to give back what we were given. We want to defend ourselves, we want to claim what we believe is justice for wrong, but we are told NOT to do any of that at all!

We are to LOVE!

By loving we are LIVING the truth!

Satan wants to put us in a place that reveals our lack of love and he'll do everything to that end.

Situations will be created that will test us to our very limits of patience- over and over and over again-and we MUST repent of our failing to reveal God's love, but rather our weak flesh responses.

3Jn 1:8 ...we might be fellowhelpers to the truth.

WE need to be fellowhelpers to the TRUTH, to CHRIST and HIS amazing LOVE!

By the grace of God may we allow the Holy Spirit to live in us guiding us towards this end- being living, breathing, active witnesses, active fellow helpers to the truth of our SAVIOR'S LOVE!

All through HIM, all in HIM, all by His loving grace!

Walk in Truth

3Jn 1:1  The elder unto the wellbeloved Gaius, whom I love in the TRUTH.
3Jn 1:2  Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
3Jn 1:3  For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the TRUTH that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the TRUTH.
3Jn 1:4  I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in TRUTH.

In truth.

The TRUTH is all that our Savior came to give to us, to preach to us, to live as an example of because HE is the TRUTH. Christ embodies the TRUTH. There is NO deception in our Savior, there is NO falsehood in our Lord, none! He never bent the truth, He never twisted the truth, He never told only half a truth, He never deceived not once!  Did He use parables and speak in such a way it was hard for some to understand? Yes. But He never did that to deceive, not to a single person. Those who found it hard to comprehend what He was saying failed to have their heart open to Him, failed to allow Him into their hearts fully. Those who remained spiritually blinded did so because they lack the true desire to know the Savior. And if our Savior said something that was hard to understand sometimes those who really had their hearts open and were seeking the truth were not ready to fully understand- not until a later time. But our Savior never spoke a single untruth. Every word out of His mouth was truth. Every action He made was truth.

Is it any wonder that so many people feared Him? They did fear Him and they wanted to silence Him and they did so by crucifying Him. There is power in the truth and often people want to hear lies, because truth would convict them and they'd see a failing in themselves that they don't want to admit to. Pride has been the downfall of so many people. It's our pride that rears it's ugly head against the truth in so many ways. We don't want to be WRONG. We don't want to be wrong even in the little things that have no bearing on eternal matters other than when those little things add up they fester and grow into big things. 

In reading Mere Christianity, a book I enjoy by C.S. Lewis, he says in one part (and I'm paraphrasing badly) that a man with a temper isn't so bad unless that temper grows worse little by little, year after year. However if that man's life didn't end after the human's average lifespan but continued on through eternity how AWFUL it would be if that temper continued to grow throughout eternity.  The gist of it is- while little things might not seem like such a big deal now, they would if you measure them to eternity. A growing temper that continues to grow would be a monstrous temper over time unending. So all the defects in our characters- all the UNTRUTH we live in- must be purged by our Savior before we can ever hope to be His through eternity.

3Jn 1:4  I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in TRUTH.

Is it any wonder it says here in this verse  - NO greater joy than to hear that my children walk in TRUTH.

Walking in truth. Walking in Christ. Living in truth. Living in Christ. We must always strive to do this without ceasing.

Does this mean we won't ever fail? No. It means we will fail and then fall at the feet of our Savior. It means that we will allow the lessons to be learned. It means we will not become impenetrable stone, but clay- pliable in our Lord's hand- able to be molded, able to be shaped. We are called to walk through fires of trials and tribulations, not to suffer through them only to come out of them without a single change. What good is a refining fire if the metal put into it in order to purify it, doesn't change at all? What good is a trial if absolutely nothing is learned from all that has been gone through? If you are put to the test does it do any good if you don't learn where you failed? Only by learning where you went wrong can you allow that knowledge to keep you from continuing on down the wrong way. 

Yes, sometimes it seems as if we have faults that reoccur over and over and it seems as if we'll never learn- but the lesson we might be learning because of this happenstance is the patience we need to deal with yet another problem in the future. We can NEVER give up, that is Satan's joy, when we give up. We have to hold fast to our Savior, and the TRUTH found in Him!

We must be found WALKING in the truth! Always in HIS truth!

By HIS GRACE, HIS LOVE!

Don't FAINT!

Luk 18:1  And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint

Men ought to PRAY always and NOT faint.

How easy is it to simply faint when life becomes too hard to deal with- and by faint I mean choose to believe in the power of the wicked one to overcome, rather than the power of God to sustain us. If we turn to God through prayer we are not fainting but rather fighting that good fight of faith.

2Co 4:16  For which cause we FAINT NOT; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
2Co 4:17  For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
2Co 4:18  While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Gal 6:9  And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, IF WE FAINT NOT.

Eph 3:13  Wherefore I desire that YE FAINT NOT at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.

Heb 12:3  For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and FAINT in your minds.

Heb 12:5  And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, NOR FAINT when thou art rebuked of him:

2Co 4:1  Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, WE FAINT NOT;
2Co 4:2  But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.

Faint not. Lest we faint. This fainting isn't the sort where our vision grows dim and we black out physically, this is a spiritual fainting. To faint spiritually means having our spiritual light disappear, our spiritual sight is gone. It's that spiritual sight that allows us to have faith- remember this verse--

Heb 11:1  Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Faith- hope- NOT seen.
Faith allows us to do this--

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

Our spiritual sight allows for this and if we faint and lose our spiritual sight we stop having hope, we look only to things which are temporal and not the things which are eternal.

To be told NOT to faint is very important, because we are being told that the opportunity to faint will exist. We cannot get so ahead of ourselves to believe that the possibility of fainting is not real. To be told, and more than once, NOT to faint is an important message.  Putting it on a more physical level if you were told that you aren't to faint in a certain situation then what would you infer from that bit of knowledge? That FAINTING was a real possibility and NOT a good thing, not something to be desired. Say you were to go on an excursion into the wild jungle and your guide told you that the day's trek would be an arduous one and you are not to faint if you want to have hope of making it through to the end of the trek. What if the guide went further and told you that if you did faint the chances of your perishing would be very great. Wouldn't you do all you could NOT to faint? You'd hydrated yourself, you'd give yourself sustenance, you'd try to keep cool, or warm depending upon what the weather called for, you'd take rests- pacing yourself so you didn't over do it because you would know that if you fainted you could possibly die. Just having that warning at the beginning of your journey would heighten your senses, your awareness that fainting wasn't a very good idea at all and rather a very bad option. 

We are not to faint spiritually because there is a danger in our spiritual fainting, a fainting of the mind, letting a darkness overcome us so that we are no longer able to see things eternal, no longer living in hope, no longer possessing the faith necessary to believe in our Savior and salvation in HIM.

Continuing on…

Luk 18:1  And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint

PRAYING ALWAYS is the spiritual equivalent of all those things we would do physically to prevent ourselves from fainting.  And praying always is recognizing always that our Savior is there for us NO MATTER what we are going through, even the worst of the worst of the worst. He is there for us beyond all things temporal and He is living in eternity. This doesn't mean we are to be on our knees 24/7. You can pray even if you are not bowing your head. To pray always means to have that connection to God the Father always there, always! It means not daring to live ONE moment outside of that connection, it means in all we do we have God with us, by CHOICE, not as some dictating chaperon, but as a LOVING God who is LOVE and knows the end from the beginning more so than we ever possibly could.

While we might look through eyes on the temporal world around us as we are allowed to live in this world we must do it KNOWING it is just the a temporary world- temporary and dangerous. This really could be the only world many people will ever know because they choose NOT to believe in GOD, but rather believe in their own imaginings. Praying always is the recognition of our God as a very REAL, LIVING entity who SUSTAINS us and has made the ultimate Sacrifice so that we may one day share eternity with Him. We cannot confine God to any one time of day- to a morning prayer, to an afternoon prayer, to an evening prayer, to a bedtime prayer- God must be realized always in our lives not someone we merely visit a few times a day. When we say the word 'amen' we are not shutting the door on God and leaving Him in some fancy, cloudy temple in heaven while we walk away and live here on earth. That door must be ever opened, never closed as we pray ALWAYS, and we don't faint under the trials and tribulations of life, of which there are many. This isn't to say we shouldn't take time to pray earnestly on our knees, with bowed heads, in groups, among family- but even after we say that prayer, we must live in a constant state of prayer - in open communication with our God throughout all our days and nights.

Just as if you live with someone- you aren't constantly talking with them non-stop but you know that line of communication is there always. We must live with God and God with us always, and that avenue of communication must forever be available, it must always be open.

Here is a parable that Jesus told and in part to reveal why a person should forever pray and not faint.

Luk 18:2  Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:
Luk 18:3  And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.

A godless, fearless judge and a widow with an adversary. 

An authority figure and one subjected to that authority figure.

The widow left her home and went to the judge's place and upon being allowed to see him she told him that she needed to be avenged, that she had an adversary that needed to be dealt with, someone she could not deal with on her own.

The judge didn't care. Seriously, he simply did not care that this woman, this widow without a husband to defend her, was in need of help. He didn't jump up and order someone to help her, and he certainly didn't go to her aid himself. In fact, this man dismissed her cause instantly.

Did the widow give up and go away because the cold-hearted, godless judge didn't help her right away?

NO.

She continued to present herself to the judge even knowing that he had already declined to help her in any way.  How long this went on we don't know, but it was for a while.  Then this man announced that even though he didn't fear God, and could careless about others- he would help her. Why the change of heart? It wasn't a change of heart at all, not really, but a selfish desire to rid himself of the widow's constant presence, her constant supplication. He was troubled by her and growing weary of her unceasing pestering for help.

This man who had no heart love for anyone- not God, nor others- helped the widow because she didn't give up communicating her need to him.

Luk 18:4  And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;
Luk 18:5  Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.

Luk 18:6  And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.
Luk 18:7  And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?

If an unjust judge could avenge a widow- a LOVING God, THE LOVING GOD WILL avenge those who are crying unto Him ceaselessly. He's not growing weary with their supplications. His elect LONG to be avenged, they LONG to become God's fully and have their adversary the Devil destroyed and to this end they pray. They know that ALL evil they suffer stems from Satan, all of it! They realize the pain and agony they are enduring, that others are enduring all has its roots in SATAN and NOT GOD! They understand while God allows, it is Satan who takes advantage of that and destroys all he can in anyway he can. The door may be opened, but it's NOT God who steps through and bring devastation to the lives of so many people. It is Satan who runs through that door and wrecks all the havoc he can in anyway he possibly can and he does it all the while shouting it's God's fault, blame God. He wants us to blame God for all the evil, for leaving that door opened, but it's that same open door that gives us a power of CHOICE, to believe or not believe in God, to trust that no matter what horrors are unfolding, or have unfolded,  or will unfold in our life times that God is in control and ultimately for our SALVATION, for our ETERNITY in LOVE with HIM who is LOVE.

God hears our CRIES to be avenged, and He bears LONG with us. He doesn't grow weary of us and cut us off, He allows us to keep crying unto Him our ONLY source of avenging.

Luk 18:8  I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

In the grand scheme of things and THIS is how our LORD must think- His avenging is speedily. He isn't making a single one of His people wait needlessly with a cold-hearted disregard for our petitions. He hears us, He hears our cries and wants us to pray always to NEVER stop praying to Him.  It will be SO incredibly hard the closer and closer it comes to our Lord's return that many are going to faint. Many are going to allow their spiritual light to grow dim, to go out, as their faith in God slips away. This is the truth and we are warned, we are told it will happen. The ONLY way we can not be among those who faint is to place all our trust in God, all our faith, all our hope and give all we are, surrender all of ourselves to our Savior, clinging to HIS righteousness and not ours, clinging to the hope found only in HIM to overcome, not any hope in ourselves. He prevails where we succumb and fail. We must pray always to HIM, clinging to HIM through EVERYTHING! He is our HOPE. By the grace of God He will find us with FAITH in HIM, by HIM, through His righteousness, His love, His mercy, His grace!

Abide in the doctrines of Christ

2Jn 1:8  Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.
2Jn 1:9  Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.
2Jn 1:10  If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:
2Jn 1:11  For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.

Look to OURSELVES. We NEED to stop concerning ourselves so much with the judging of others and concentrate on our own walk with God, seriously. How easy it is to fall into the trap of looking out at others and noting their faults, while  we forego looking in at our own lives, examining them to know whether or not we are following the truth as it has been revealed to us.

We have to look at ourselves or else we will lose  any hope in influencing others towards the truth. We have to focus on the truth, we have to pay attention to our walk with the LORD, we have to look at the truth and measure our sinful selves against that truth and we need to do this, and not measure others by that same truth. Every person has to measure themselves against the truth, it is the responsibility of every single person to know whether they are walking in the truth given to them or not.

We are to LOVE and CARE for others, but we are NOT to measure them against the truth we've been given, they may have been given less or more truth than we have and they are responsible to live up to the truth given to them, just as we are. Yes, we are to share the TRUTH of our Savior's love, we are to preach the message of the kingdom in Jesus Christ, but we are NOT the Holy Spirit who alone convicts the hearts to see the Truth, to live the Truth.

Too many will love to twist this up, saying we have a duty to help others and to look to them first before ourselves, and this is true. But we are NOT to look to others at the cost of losing our own way in Christ. We must keep Christ in us in order for others to see Him in our lives and that is our responsibility, to keep and NOT lose the Truth that leads to Salvation. When we lose that Truth we are only offering our own brand of truth  to others, and while that still might make us feel good and cause us to pat ourselves on the back, it's not the real TRUTH found solely in Christ Jesus our Lord!

The full reward we'll receive is living ETERNALLY in the TRUTH!

If we sin and choose NOT to live in the TRUTHS of CHRIST, then we do NOT have God in our lives no matter how much we might want to imagine otherwise.

If we LIVE in the TRUTH we have both JESUS CHRIST and the FATHER in us.

Those who would have us believe in lies, in falsehoods, those who would try and preach their own truths to us- we have to keep ourselves from them. We must pray for them, for their enlightenment through the Holy Spirit, but we must not encourage them in their falsehoods.  If we encourage others in their UNTRUTHS we are partaking in those UNTRUTHS. We must not encourage lies, falsehoods, to encourage them is very sinful. Knowing the truth and encouraging others in lies is something we are accountable for.

Is it hard to stand up for Truth?  Yes, it can be, especially when you love those who refuse to live in truth but prefer to live in lies. We never stop loving them and hoping for their hearts to be open and receptive to the truth. We cannot however promote the lies they live in. If faced with such a situation we must stand for TRUTH always, and only by our LORD'S GRACE live in that TRUTH. It may appear that we are not being LOVING and in fact many will accuse us of NOT being like Christ, and not loving, but that will be a lie. People walking outside of the Truth love to revile those who are in the Truth, hoping to trip them up, hoping to get them to step outside of the truth. They'll play on their feelings of desiring acceptance, but that acceptance is of this WORLD and not the WORLD TO COME. Temporary acceptance, not worth the cost of eternal life in Christ, not ever.

There is so much that we hold as important in life that is -in very simple terms- temporary to eternity. Don't most things lose their importance when you hold them up against eternity? The ONLY thing that will never lose its importance when taken and measured up against eternity is LOVE and the actions we commit out of that love, that pure love that we can only possess by giving our lives to our God and Savior, His love working in us.  All else is temporary. Any status among others you hold is temporary- whether pauper or prince. Right now you might possess a mansion, or a hovel and that home is only temporary. Abused or cherished- it is temporary. Only love- the love we have for GOD and the love we have for others matters- that love will live on forever throughout eternity. The love, the compassion, the kindnesses, the sacrifices these are the things that live on- these are the important things in life- not the car in the driveway, not the money in the bank, not the degrees upon a wall, not the string of lovers, not the number of books read, not the number of flowers planted, not the successful video game wins, not the approval of others- etc.  LOVE. Christ's LOVE.

Let us look to ourselves, let us live in Christ's TRUTH, let us not encourage those who live in darkness, all by the grace and mercy of our LORD and SAVIOR, always!  In HIS LOVE!

Many Deceivers, Many Deceived

2Jn 1:7  For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.

Many deceivers are in our world.

Do you believe this?  It's true.

Deceivers that will not confess that our Savior came in the flesh.  Crazy? Everyone believes this, right? Not many will dispute the flesh of Jesus Christ- the fact He was born as a human being. So why is this significant at all? It would appear that there aren't as many deceivers or antichrists that we would imagine.  Even those who believe in the Islamic religion believe that Jesus Christ came in the flesh. Devil worshipper can still believe that Jesus came in the flesh, in fact they almost have to because to believe in the devil you have to believe in his adversary.  Our Savior's adversary is the devil. Our adversary is the devil--

1Pe 5:8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour

Devil's believe in our Savior.

Jas 2:19  Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

So what does this verse really mean?

Jesus Christ is come in the flesh.

We've talked about it before but as with many, many things talking about them over and over again can only solidify the foundation we are standing upon- that foundation being our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. You wouldn't think people would have an issue with this, but they do. I first heard about this back in 1987-88 or there bouts. 

What kind of flesh was Christ born with? What kind of flesh - sinful or sinless? 

This is a SERIOUS question.  Don't just jump on the sinless answer because our Savior never sinned, we need to really, really think about the flesh He was BORN with. Was He born with the tendency towards sin, in weak human flesh, able to be tempted just like we are- or was He born with flesh that was IMPOSSIBLE to yield to sin? Was He born with flesh that made Him like you and I, or born with flesh that was special? Some love to say He was born in flesh like Adam- created sinless- but that is NOT the flesh WE are born with so HOW could He be tempted like we are if He were born in flesh different than ours? It's impossible for that to happen.

Heb 4:15  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

In ALL points tempted LIKE AS WE ARE.  This is key! It doesn't say- in all points tempted like as Adam was, it says TEMPTED LIKE AS WE ARE! 

Was Jesus' mother human like us, or was she sinless?

We KNOW there is an organization out there that believes she was sinless herself but that just creates more and more of a problem. Does that make her parents sinless and so on and so on and so on. When we start having sinless people born then we are making them into something they were NEVER intended to be without a SAVIOR.

Psa 51:5  Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

Shapen in iniquity as are we ALL.  We all inherited the TENDENCY towards sin, all of us. We inherit it at birth, does this make us sinners at birth?  Read more...

Eph 2:3  Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

Rom 5:12  Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned

Rom 5:18  Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

Rom 5:19  For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

We are all BORN with a sinful NATURE- the tendency to sin is born in us- we inherit that from Adam just like ALL human beings have -- ALL- including Mary the mother of Jesus and Jesus Himself! He took on our sinful FLESH! Only because He did that and OVERCAME do we have HOPE! If He came in special flesh  unable to sin then He conquered NOTHING! It had to be OUR flesh! And most certainly Mary was NOT sinless! She was blessed for having been chosen to give birth to our Savior, but she was NEVER called sinless! Never!

Our SAVIOR can be called sinless not because He was born without that TENDENCY to sin, but because He conquered that tendency we ALL have, sinful flesh created Him in the womb of Mary He grew as all human children grow. He gave up His Godly powers to take on our flesh! 

Php 2:7  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men

He TOOK UPON HIM THE FORM OF A SERVANT!  Giving up so much to be made like US, so HE could SAVE US!

Read this...

"Not that men are born into the world directly condemned by the law, for in infancy, they have no knowledge of right and wrong and are incapable of doing either, but they are born with sinful tendencies, owing to the sins of their ancestors." (E. J. Waggoner   Jan. 21, 1889)

I agree with that statement. Babies are not condemned as sinners and neither are little children- but when the awareness of sin comes- with it the guilt arrives and the need to seek forgiveness from the only source of forgiveness- Jesus Christ our LORD and SAVIOR!

2Jn 1:7  For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.

So, yes, there are MANY, MANY deceivers and MANY who do NOT confess that  Jesus Christ is come in the FLESH- they ARE DECEIVERS and they are ANTICHRIST- putting themselves in place of Christ, putting their beliefs in place of our God's truth! These people, these deceivers have put our Savior inside indestructible armor that simulates flesh but isn't real human flesh at all. They've incased our Savior in impenetrable untouchable false  non-flesh, something that resembles flesh in all appearances but is nothing like OUR human flesh at all and they've DECEIVED MILLIONS and MILLIONS and MILLIONS!

Please LORD open the eyes of the BLINDED the DECEIVED! Please!

In our Lord, in HIS LOVE!