I am A Sinner.

Not a single righteous person is saved.  Jesus only saves sinners. You will forever be a sinner saved, not a righteous saved.  If you get it twisted around that you need to be righteous to be saved, you've forgotten where you've come from. A lot of people try to escape from their past. They'll go to great lengths to put on pretenses that esteem them much higher in their family history than truly exists. We cannot forget where we've come from as Christ followers, there is a grave danger in such forgetfulness. As long as we remember we are SINNERS-SAVED, we can never forget that Jesus is constantly seeking the sinners to save. Is this license to sin constantly, knowingly, willfully? NO! I don't think many of us have a problem with sinning, it will come very naturally. Maybe not in the blatant way of a past coveted sin, but in the tiny ways of a short temper, a sharp word, a nasty thought, a selfish action. There are a myriad ways we sin in our lives and we will never get to a place where we should believe we are sinless and in no need of forgiveness from our Lord and Savior. As long as we are separated from Him, as long as the gulf between Jesus' return and our current life here on earth exists, we will need to seek forgiveness. Our need of a physician in this awful world is constant. May we continuously seek our great Physician, may we forever repent of our sinful ways as they are made known to us- seeking constant spiritual healing from the spiritual wounds that are inflicted upon us over and over again. 

All through Christ Jesus our LORD and SAVIOR now and forever, may we be HIS!

Mar_2:17  …They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Eph 2:1  And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 

Eph 2:2  Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 

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. 

Eph 2:4  But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 

Eph 2:5  Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 

Eph 2:6  And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 

Eph 2:7  That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 

Eph 2:9  Not of works, lest any man should boast. 

Eph 2:10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. 

The Prodigal.

The Parable of the Prodigal Son

Luk 15:11  And he said, A certain man had two sons: 

Luk 15:12  And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. 

Luk 15:13  And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. 

Luk 15:14  And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. 

Luk 15:15  And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 

Luk 15:16  And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. 

Luk 15:17  And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 

Luk 15:18  I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, 

Luk 15:19  And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. 

Luk 15:20  And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. 

Luk 15:21  And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. 

Luk 15:22  But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: 

Luk 15:23  And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: 

Luk 15:24  For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. 

Luk 15:25  Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing. 

Luk 15:26  And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. 

Luk 15:27  And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. 

Luk 15:28  And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him. 

Luk 15:29  And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: 

Luk 15:30  But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. 

Luk 15:31  And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. 

Luk 15:32  It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found. 

First and Foremost- God.

Today I'd like to reread a chapter from the book- The Pursuit of God.  God bless us all as we seek to have God first and foremost in our lives.

VIII (The Pursuit of God) by A. W. Tozer

Restoring the Creator-creature Relation

Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth.--Psa. 57:5

It is a truism to say that order in nature depends upon right relationships; to achieve harmony each thing must be in its proper position relative to each other thing. In human life it is not otherwise.

I have hinted before in these chapters that the cause of all our human miseries is a radical moral dislocation, an upset in our relation to God and to each other. For whatever else the Fall may have been, it was most certainly a sharp change in man's relation to his Creator. He adopted toward God an altered attitude, and by so doing destroyed the proper Creator-creature relation in which, unknown to him, his true happiness lay. Essentially salvation is the restoration of a right relation
between man and his Creator, a bringing back to normal of the Creator-creature relation. A satisfactory spiritual life will begin with a complete change in relation between God and the sinner; not a judicial change merely, but a conscious and experienced change affecting the sinner's whole nature.

The atonement in Jesus' blood makes such a change judicially possible and the working of the Holy Spirit makes it emotionally satisfying. The story of the prodigal son perfectly illustrates this latter phase. He had brought a world of trouble upon himself by forsaking the position which he had properly held as son of his father. At bottom his restoration was nothing more than a re-establishing of the father-son relation which had existed from his birth and had been altered temporarily by his act of sinful rebellion. This story overlooks the legal aspects of redemption, but it makes beautifully clear the experiential aspects of salvation.

In determining relationships we must begin somewhere. There must be somewhere a fixed center against which everything else is measured, where the law of relativity does not enter and we can say "IS" and make no allowances. Such a center is God. When God would make His Name known
to mankind He could find no better word than "I AM." When He speaks in the first person He says, "I AM"; when we speak of Him we say, "He is"; when we speak to Him we say, "Thou art." Everyone and everything else measures from that fixed point. "I am that I am," says God, "I change not."

As the sailor locates his position on the sea by "shooting" the sun, so we may get our moral bearings by looking at God. We must begin with God.

We are right when and only when we stand in a right position relative to God, and we are wrong so far and so long as we stand in any other position.

Much of our difficulty as seeking Christians stems from our unwillingness to take God as He is and adjust our lives accordingly. We insist upon trying to modify Him and to bring Him nearer to our own image.

The flesh whimpers against the rigor of God's inexorable sentence and begs like Agag for a little mercy, a little indulgence of its carnal ways. It is no use. We can get a right start only by accepting God as He is and learning to love Him for what He is. As we go on to know Him better we shall find it a source of unspeakable joy that God is just what He is. Some of the most rapturous moments we know will be those we spend in reverent admiration of the Godhead. In those holy moments the
very thought of change in Him will be too painful to endure.

So let us begin with God. Back of all, above all, before all is God; first in sequential order, above in rank and station, exalted in dignity and honor. As the self-existent One He gave being to all things, and all things exist out of Him and for Him. "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." Rev_4:11 

Every soul belongs to God and exists by His pleasure. God being Who and What He is, and we being who and what we are, the only thinkable relation between us is one of full lordship on His part and complete submission on ours. We owe Him every honor that it is in our power to give Him. Our everlasting grief lies in giving Him anything less.

The pursuit of God will embrace the labor of bringing our total personality into conformity to His. And this not judicially, but actually. I do not here refer to the act of justification by faith in Christ. I speak of a voluntary exalting of God to His proper station over us and a willing surrender of our whole being to the place of worshipful submission which the Creator-creature circumstance makes
proper.

The moment we make up our minds that we are going on with this determination to exalt God over all we step out of the world's parade. We shall find ourselves out of adjustment to the ways of the world, and increasingly so as we make progress in the holy way. We shall acquire a new viewpoint; a new and different psychology will be formed within us; a new power will begin to surprise us by its upsurgings and its outgoings.

Our break with the world will be the direct outcome of our changed relation to God. For the world of fallen men does not honor God. Millions call themselves by His Name, it is true, and pay some token respect to Him, but a simple test will show how little He is really honored among them. Let the average man be put to the proof on the question of who is _above_, and his true position will be exposed. Let him be forced into making a choice between God and money, between God  and men, between God and personal ambition, God and self, God and human love, and God will take second place every time. Those other things will be exalted above. However the man may protest, the proof is in the choices he makes day after day throughout his life.

"Be thou exalted" is the language of victorious spiritual experience. It is a little key to unlock the door to great treasures of grace. It is central in the life of God in the soul. Let the seeking man reach a place where life and lips join to say continually "Be thou exalted," and a thousand minor problems will be solved at once.

His Christian life ceases to be the complicated thing it had been before and becomes the very essence of simplicity. By the exercise of his will he has set his course, and on that course he will stay as if guided by an automatic pilot. If blown off course for a moment by some adverse wind he will
surely return again as by a secret bent of the soul. The hidden motions of the Spirit are working in his favor, and "the stars in their courses" fight for him. He has met his life problem at its center, and
everything else must follow along.

Let no one imagine that he will lose anything of human dignity by this voluntary sell-out of his all to his God. He does not by this degrade himself as a man; rather he finds his right place of high honor as one made in the image of his Creator. His deep disgrace lay in his moral derangement, his unnatural usurpation of the place of God. His honor will be proved by restoring again that stolen throne. In exalting God over all he finds his own highest honor upheld.

Anyone who might feel reluctant to surrender his will to the will of another should remember Jesus' words, "Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin." We must of necessity be servant to someone, either to God or to sin. The sinner prides himself on his independence, completely
overlooking the fact that he is the weak slave of the sins that rule his members. The man who surrenders to Christ exchanges a cruel slave driver for a kind and gentle Master whose yoke is easy and whose burden is light.

Made as we were in the image of God we scarcely find it strange to take again our God as our All. God was our original habitat and our hearts cannot but feel at home when they enter again that ancient and beautiful abode. I hope it is clear that there is a logic behind God's claim to pre-eminence. That place is His by every right in earth or heaven. While we take to ourselves the place that is His the whole course of our lives is out of joint. Nothing will or can restore order till our hearts make the great decision: God shall be exalted above.

"Them that honour me I will honour," said God once to a priest of Israel, and that ancient law of the Kingdom stands today unchanged by the passing of time or the changes of dispensation. The whole Bible and every page of history proclaim the perpetuation of that law. "If any man serve me, him will my Father honour," said our Lord Jesus, tying in the old with the new and revealing the essential unity of His ways with men.

Sometimes the best way to see a thing is to look at its opposite. Eli and his sons are placed in the priesthood with the stipulation that they honor God in their lives and ministrations. This they fail to do, and God sends Samuel to announce the consequences. Unknown to Eli this law of reciprocal honor has been all the while secretly working, and now the time has come for judgment to fall. Hophni and Phineas, the degenerate priests, fall in battle, the wife of Hophni dies in childbirth, Israel flees before her enemies, the ark of God is captured by the Philistines and the old man Eli falls backward and dies of a broken neck. Thus stark utter tragedy followed upon Eli's failure to honor God.

Now set over against this almost any Bible character who honestly tried to glorify God in his earthly walk. See how God winked at weaknesses and overlooked failures as He poured upon His servants grace and blessing untold. Let it be Abraham, Jacob, David, Daniel, Elijah or whom you will; honor followed honor as harvest the seed. The man of God set his heart to exalt God above all; God accepted his intention as fact and acted accordingly. Not perfection, but holy intention made the
difference.

In our Lord Jesus Christ this law was seen in simple perfection. In His lowly manhood He humbled Himself and gladly gave all glory to His Father in heaven. He sought not His own honor, but the honor of God who sent Him. "If I honour myself," He said on one occasion, "my honour is
nothing; it is my Father that honoureth me." So far had the proud Pharisees departed from this law that they could not understand one who honored God at his own expense. "I honour my Father," said Jesus to them, "and ye do dishonour me."

Another saying of Jesus, and a most disturbing one, was put in the form of a question, "How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God alone?" Joh_5:44  If I understand this correctly Christ taught here the alarming doctrine that the desire for honor among men made belief impossible. Is this sin at the root of religious unbelief?

Could it be that those "intellectual difficulties" which men blame for their inability to believe are but smoke screens to conceal the real cause that lies behind them? Was it this greedy desire for honor from man that made men into Pharisees and Pharisees into Deicides? Is this the secret back of religious self-righteousness and empty worship? I believe it may be. The whole course of the life is
upset by failure to put God where He belongs. We exalt ourselves instead of God and the curse follows.

In our desire after God let us keep always in mind that God also hath desire, and His desire is toward the sons of men, and more particularly toward those sons of men who will make the once-for-all decision to exalt Him over all. Such as these are precious to God above all treasures of earth or sea. In them God finds a theater where He can display His exceeding kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. With them God can walk unhindered, toward them He can act like the God He is. In speaking thus I have one fear; it is that I may convince the mind before God can win the heart. For this God-above-all position is one not easy to take. The mind may approve it while not having the consent of the will to put it into effect. While the imagination races ahead to honor God, the will may lag behind and the man never guess how divided his heart is. The whole man must make the decision before the heart can know any real satisfaction. God wants us all, and He will not rest till He gets us all. No part of the man will do.

Let us pray over this in detail, throwing ourselves at God's feet and meaning everything we say. No one who prays thus in sincerity need wait long for tokens of divine acceptance. God will unveil His glory before His servant's eyes, and He will place all His treasures at the disposal of such a one, for He knows that His honor is safe in such consecrated hands.

_O God, be Thou exalted over my possessions. Nothing of earth's treasures shall seem dear unto me if only Thou art glorified in my life. Be Thou exalted over my friendships. I am determined that Thou shalt be above all, though I must stand deserted and alone in the midst of the earth. Be Thou exalted above my comforts. Though it mean the loss of bodily comforts and the carrying of heavy crosses I shall keep my vow made this day before Thee. Be Thou exalted over my reputation. Make me ambitious to please Thee even if as a result I must sink into obscurity and my name be forgotten as a dream. Rise, O Lord, into Thy proper place of honor, above my ambitions, above my likes and dislikes, above my family, my health and even my life itself. Let me decrease that Thou mayest increase, let me sink that Thou mayest rise above. Ride forth upon me as Thou didst ride into Jerusalem mounted upon the humble little beast, a colt, the foal of an ass, and let me hear the children cry to Thee, "Hosanna in the highest."_

Overcome This World.

We need to overcome the world.

Faith is the victory, truly. Faith in Christ is the victory in overcoming the world.

This world will drag you down to great depths of despair. If you don't think so then I'm really surprised. There is not a person alive with sound, or mostly sound, mental faculties that can't agree that there are times in this world where we are knocked down to an emotional abyss where everything is dark, sad and very, very dreary. I don't know ONE single person who hasn't experienced some sense of despair in their life time. I'm not saying everyone has been brought to the point of wishing for death over life (not necessary suicidal) but just having the wish even momentarily for an end to whatever suffering it is they are going through. This world offers us plenty of opportunities for suffering in all sorts of ways. 

If I were to be a promoter of Earth and humanity upon Earth to- let us say, an alien race, trying to get them to want to help earth by coming to live here with us and bring their own technologies etc, what would I have to offer in way of promotion?

Yes, there are a lot of beautiful, amazing and wonderful things on Earth, but let's get down to the nitty gritty. Even those people who have everything money can buy, often lack things money can't buy. Even those people who have nothing, lack the things money can buy. People who have money often use (employ) those who don't and those employees are not always happy in their positions of subservience to the rich, rather they wish they had the riches and had servants of their own. Yet, there has to be a servant- there has to be those who are not living the life of ease so many dream of in this world we live in.  If we brought an alien down here and showed them the rich lifestyle and the most beautiful that Earth has to offer, they would not be able to help but see that not all the people on Earth are in that rich lifestyle- it'll be all around them every time one of the rich people has a not so rich person do something to accommodate the alien.

And if I were an alien race looking to possibly share my technologies with and maybe enjoy mingling of alien races for the sake of exploration and way of life- I would want a sample of all Earthlings and how they all live. I'd want an overall picture, not just the one presented at its best.

If I had to witness the enormous amount of suffering that takes place all over Earth, would I truly want to consider mingling with such an existence?

Yes, these fictious aliens are living in a world with no pain, heartache and suffering- these are my fictious aliens so I can have them that way if I want them that way, right?

The aliens don't die, they don't hurt, they don't have any diseases, or sickness at all. The aliens don't have any mental or emotional illness, but truly are a contented people that have never had to live with the ravages of sin. When they come here and witnesses all that sin has done to this world and us who live upon it, there is no way they would want to live here exposed to all the heartache, the pain, and the horrors of life upon planet Earth.

Do we need to OVERCOME this world? We most certainly do!  And how do we overcome this world? We live, by faith in the ONLY ONE who can help us because HE overcame this world and promises us that help. We overcome this world by living for the world to come, the promised world found only through Jesus Christ our LORD and SAVIOR, the SON OF GOD.

1Jn 5:1  Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. 

1Jn 5:2  By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. 

1Jn 5:3  For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. 

1Jn 5:4  For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 

1Jn 5:5  Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? 

May God help us live for HIM, for believing in HIM and all HE would have us believe. May we through HIS power live for HIM. We surrender our entire life to GOD to use according to HIS WILL, for HIS purposes. We believe and ask that HE help any unbelief that arises in us. We long for the return of our would be KING after His priestly ministry is completed in the Sanctuary in heaven. We long for our KING to lay aside the priestly garb and come for us to take us from this pit of sin into His heavenly home, and eventually bring us back to Earth as He destroys all that sin has done to the world and makes it new for us. This is our HOPE that we find only in the ONE who can save us from ourselves, from all that sin has brought to this world. Please, Father God, please keep us from evil. We believe in Jesus Christ our Lord, our Savior, the Son of yours, God, and wipe away any unbelief we might harbor anywhere within us. Lead us in the way everlasting. Help us to love YOU and love all others as YOU would have us love. All through JESUS!

Amen.

Believe and You Overcome the World.

1Co 15:58  Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

Steadfast, immoveable.  Hold your ground. Remain firm and unflinching. Do not give in to the temptations that would yank you from your foundation. You are built upon the solid Rock of Christ. The house that is being built upon that Rock needs to be as solid as the foundation. We must abound in the work of the Lord.

THE WORK OF THE LORD.

Jas 1:19  Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: 

Jas 1:20  For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. 

SLOW to wrath.

SLOW to speak.

Jas 1:21  Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. 

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

DOERS of the WORD.

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

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

Jas 1:25  But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. 

DOER of the WORK.

Jas 1:26  If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain. 

Jas 1:27  Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. 

BRIDLE our tongues.

VISIT the fatherless, the widows, be UNSPOTTED from the world.

Rom 2:13  (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. 

Rom 2:14  For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: 

Rom 2:15  Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;) 

DOERS of the law.

THE WORK of the law written in their hearts.

Joh_6:29  Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

THE WORK of GOD- BELIEVE ON HIM WHOM HE HATH SENT.

Believe on Jesus Christ our Lord, our Savior- sent by God. THIS IS THE WORK. BELIEVE.

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

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

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

Joh 3:36  He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him

Joh 5:39  Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. 

Act 16:31  And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. 

Heb 5:5  So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee. 

Heb 5:6  As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. 

Heb 5:7  Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; 

Heb 5:8  Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; 

Heb 5:9  And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; 

Heb 5:10  Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec. 

1Jn 3:23  And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. 

1Jn 3:24  And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us. 

1Jn 5:1  Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. 

1Jn 5:2  By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. 

1Jn 5:3  For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. 

1Jn 5:4  For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 

1Jn 5:5  Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? 

We overcome this world because we believe in the world of the Son of God, of Jesus. We live for a better world to come. Our hope is founded in the One offering the Way to the better world. Our belief in the One offering the better world is counted to us as all it takes to obtain the better world. Our belief in the Son of God, the One who offers us the better world sustains us in Him. We overcome all the obstacles of the world we live in, because we live for a better world.

I believe, help Thou my unbelief.

Fear of Death.

Heb_2:15  And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

We are in bondage to death. Bondage-  a few dictionary definitions are -

1. Slavery - the condition of being enslaved.
2. Restriction- the condition of being controlled by something that limits freedom.

The verse above talks about delivering those who through FEAR OF DEATH are all their lives subject to that FEAR, they are enslaved to that FEAR, they are controlled by that FEAR of death knowing it is inevitable.

I want to talk a little bit about the fear of death because yesterday I came closer to that fear than I'd ever been before. I swallow a large vitamin pill the wrong way and it was stuck in my throat and I truly thought I might die. As my son rushed me to the ER, I kept saying and thinking, 'I DON'T WANT TO DIE.' Yes, you might sit there all comfy with your non-pill stuck throat and think, well if she can talk she's not choking. Wrong and right. I was as close as you can come to choking without choking, a moment away from that pill possibly moving and blocking off my air way as it lodged there in my throat with my throat contraction over and over trying to dislodge it. The woman at the ER kindly explained to me AFTER the drama, that they kept me sipping hot water and then carbonated soda because 1- they keep that flap which decides which way to go- food or air - open to the food side so there is less chance of it heading towards the airway.  And 2 - it helps dissolve the pill.  Of course they monitored my oxygen the entire time too, just to be sure.

I was TERRIFIED.  As I entered the ER I expected instant care in my terrified state but that's another story for another time. I was terrified of dying. I felt as if I were on the edge of cliff with a fraying rope ready to break at any moment. Fear of death was right there! People say your life flashes before your eyes and maybe it does if you're a little closer to death than I was, who knows. I do know I prayed not to die, I prayed for God to help me. I thought about my family and not wanting to leave them. I thought about my cousin, who was six months younger than me who died tragically a few months ago. I asked God to use me for His purpose and please keep me living. My mind kept shouting, I DON'T WANT TO DIE!

Fear of death.  Maybe that verse doesn't mean the dramatic circumstance of possible imminent death, but the more broad sense of our inescapable outcome of inevitable dying over all.  We will all die. Unless our Savior returns during our lifetime, we will all die. Death is possible for each of us at any moment. We are subject to death, we are enslaved to death. The healthiest person alive will still die from something. Our bodies no matter how well they are kept up will wear out in time.

Heb 2:14  Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; 

Heb 2:15  And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. 

We can find deliverance from the permanence of death and this is our hope, yes? To be one day resurrected by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

I suppose, and I could be very wrong, that having a terminal illness and slowly edging closer and closer to death- feeling your body breaking down, has to be terrifying as well. Does a reconciliation to death occur, a preparation as it draws closer? Does the terror remain? Does that longing to live remain right to the end, or is there a welcoming relief of being pain free, of struggling to keep living? I suppose it varies individually, and situationally.

Jesus will deliver us- people who truly are in bondage to the fear of death.

We are temporary beings in our flesh and blood and the only way we will ever truly be more than temporary beings is if we have faith in salvation through Jesus Christ.  Jesus was in fear of death…

Mar 14:34  And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch. 

Mar 14:35  And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. 

Mar 14:36  And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt. 

Jesus did NOT want to die. He knew what was coming, and He PRAYED to the Father to be able to escape from what was to come. He didn't want to die! He resigned Himself to God's will and the cup that lay before Him to drink- the cup that meant His suffering and death, but He didn't want it.  Jesus also was subject to that fear of death we are all subject to, and His overcoming death is the hope we have to cling to as we acknowledge death at any time during our own lives. Whether it is through a sudden, unexpected fearful experience such as the one I had, or a knowledge of death creeping over us slowly, we must have HOPE in Jesus Christ, that one day DEATH WILL BE DESTROYED!

Heb_2:14  Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil

He has the POWER to DESTROY the ONE WHO BROUGHT DEATH INTO OUR LIVES- the Devil!

1Co 15:54  So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 

1Co 15:55  O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 

1Co 15:56  The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 

1Co 15:57  But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 

1Co 15:58  Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. 

Death will be swallowed up in victory, the victory of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! 

All praise, glory and honor unto our Savior, now and forever!!!!!!!

Thank you, Lord, thank you, Father, and thank you Holy Spirit!

Thank you for keeping me alive, and please, please use me for Your purposes whatever they may be!

Where Is Your Treasure?

Mat 6:21  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 

What do you treasure in life? Treasure…

The dictionary tells me the following about treasure-

1. Jewels and precious objects.
2. Something valuable.
3. Somebody highly valued.

I'll ask again, what do you highly value in life? What is important to you?

You wake up in the morning and you go about your day to day life and often you hear it referred to as the daily grind, the daily routine, the mundane. You wake, and do you follow a routine? Most of us do follow routines after waking up. We have things we do daily, yes, even on days off from work. A supposed typical day of life is wake, bathroom activities, get dressed, (some make their bed not all), get breakfast (again this is a typical and perhaps average day for a person, not everyone), go to work or school, or set about house keeping/child rearing duties that are legitimately work and then for those working outside the home they return home and in between there they may have lunch, then dinner later, then a lot of people relax in the evening before going to bed. In there somewhere you may shower some are morning shower takers, other evening. Of course many details are missing from this description but most people I could ask the following questions-

What time do you wake up/go to sleep everyday?

What did you have to eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack yesterday?

What time do you usually go to bed?

What time of the day do you take your shower/wash up good?

When do you brush your teeth, hair?

Do you get the picture? Our lives are filled with various routines that we seldom do without. Even our weekends and time off work or out of our normal routines we will keep to some routines we have taken on as a part of our lives.

What about your life do you highly value in that day to day routine? Where is your treasure in life?

Are you one of the many, many people who find life hard on a day to day basis? Do you struggle to find value in life? Are you finding it difficult to tell me what you treasure in your life? The weight of living weighs down on a lot of people and they can answer in honesty that they don't treasure anything.  A lot of people treasure their loved ones, their family- children, parents, siblings, relatives of various kinds, and their friends, spouses of course. Some can honestly say they live for their various loved ones, meaning that life would be very, very hard without that loved one because their existence is so connected to the other person, or people, maybe even beloved pets. They find the value of their own life in the life of another.

When the Word of God tells us this…Mat 6:21  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.  

The Word is speaking truth. Where is your heart? Where do place your love?

Luk_18:22  Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.

Is your treasure in heaven, is your love in heaven?

Mat_13:44  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.

When we find the kingdom of heaven (life through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior), we are finding an eternal treasure and we give all that we have to have that treasure. If we are making God the thing, the One most valuable to us in life- if our heart is with God, our love with God, then He truly is our treasure.

Does God have that place in your life? Upon opening your eyes in the morning, and closing them again at night- is God foremost on your mind because He lives in your heart and you live for Him and His will? Amid all the day to day routines we talked about above, is God a part of them? Are you willing to sacrifice anything and everything, for God? Would you die for Him? And if you'd die for Him,  do you live for Him? Where is your treasure? Is your treasure in heaven- your hope for the life you know deep down is a life worthy of living for, in heaven?  If we place our treasures on earth we most certainly will end up without the treasure of heaven and we will end up losing everything. If we lose everything we highly regard upon earth, but keep God and our heavenly treasure, we know that one day all that we placed even the smallest value upon on earth will be taken care of by God. When we give our hearts to anything upon the earth, we know we can lose that thing and it can disappear from our lives in a moment. If we keep God first, giving Him our heart, and from that we extend our hearts as He wills us to, towards others, then we can know that anything we lose on earth is a part of God's will for us and one day we will comprehend the loss, but for now we choose to trust in God's wisdom for our lives- no matter how painful in any way.

Mar_10:21  Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.

Luk_12:33  Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.

The value of putting our treasure in heaven far exceeds any earthly treasure.  If we treasure loved ones before we treasure God, we do them no favors at all. Only God never fails, we fail time and time again. God first, others next extending from the love we have from God.

God help us put our treasures in heaven! Help us value You, LORD above all else. All through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, now and forever!!!!!!!

Amen.