My Coveted Comfort Zone.

Luk 12:15  And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

Beware of covetousness.

The things we covet go beyond possessions, right? We can covet comfort, in particular we can covet a way of life, and that isn't necessarily a way of life that is rich in possessions.

Being asked to step outside of our comfort zones, to not covet our life to the detriment of others. To put aside our own desires in order to do for others this is what we are called to do. Doing for others isn't this more important than our own comfort?

I am so caught up in my own comfort- and not especially luxurious comfort, but comfort of a routine way of life. I don't like when things interfere with my normal routine but after fifty-six years of living I really should comprehend that NOTHING stays the same for long, not really.  There are constant changes in lives, constant interruptions to routines. We settle into our ways of life and changes that are gradual are acceptable. Changes that are masked as small alterations that turn permanent over time are so much more acceptable than sudden changes.  We can handle the subtle so much more than the shocking.

I want to help others, I want to be someone others can rely on. I don't want to be an angry, stress filled person taking out my stress on others who never deserve it simply because I'm stress when my comfort routine is altered.

Being able to accept interruptions, changes, alterations to my every day routine with grace, with love, with acceptance, without is causing me to lash out at others is the lesson I need to learn.

I covet my time as being my time to do as I please and plan- so much that it truly is a sin.

I shouldn't have a comfort zone- a coveted zone- a coveted comfort zone. 

Taking a saying from a show I watch- expect the unexpected- this should be my outlook, not expect the expected.

I should be prepared for the unexpected to the point that when it occurs I am able to be used by God for His plans, not mine. I try to pray every single morning for God to take me as wholly His, to use me in His plans, to lay ALL MY PLANS at HIS feet so that He can do as He needs to do with those plans. And then… then shamefully when He alters those plans, I rebel. Forgive me, God, forgive my hypocrisy. Teach me, lead me, open my eyes to my shortcomings so I can seek Your grace, Your teaching, Your leading.

Help me, Lord not to covet time as my own, for my own desires, my own comforts. Help me to live for You now and always, help me to learn all the lessons you have to teach me.

All through the Holy Spirit, all by YOUR mercy and grace. NOW and FOREVER.

Treasures For Ourselves, Or Rich Towards God?

Luk 12:13  And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me. 

Luk 12:14  And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you? 

Luk 12:15  And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. 

Luk 12:16  And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: 

Luk 12:17  And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? 

Luk 12:18  And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. 

Luk 12:19  And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. 

Luk 12:20  But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?

Luk 12:21  So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. 

Treasure for ourselves or rich towards God?

Truly our lives do not consist in the abundance of the things we own. And yet, we've made it a sign throughout our human history that to own things- the MORE the BETTER, especially if these are high quality, expensive things. The more money the better. The newer cars (the most expensive compared to the older), the newer houses, the newer possessions in the house, the most up to date styles in clothing and fashion in general- these are the things we've been taught to desire. I say taught to desire because the media, the society we grow up in, all of it plays a part to teach us this. The very fact that we worship, yes, worship movie stars- people who are good at pretending to be other people convincingly enough to follow scripts, directions, and they look appealing on camera, this tells us about the world we are growing up in. These movie stars are worshipped, literally, in so many ways. We ask ourselves to name one actor/actress that we would love to meet, and should that day ever come we'd be awestruck by just another human being, but one who has become idolized.

I have an abundance of earthly treasures in my life, so much so that were I directed to leave them all I would be hard pressed to do so. My first thought would be - where can I put all my things in storage. What if I were called to sacrifice ALL my earthly treasures? Besides being considered a lunatic in need of locking up for a bit, could I do it? I take joy in the memories provoked by my material possessions. My eyes could light upon my curio/china cabinet and I can spy a certain Precious Moments figurine and instantly it pleases me because I enjoy these adorable figurines.

Earthly treasures.

Luk 12:15  And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. 

Take HEED- warning, warning, warning!  BEWARE of covetousness!

Our lives do NOT consist in the abundance of what we possess.

More on this tomorrow by the GRACE and WILL of our LORD AND SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST!

Cobwebs.

I woke up tired, and now I'm waiting for the sleep cobwebs to dissipate. The heaviness of these particular cobwebs today seem overwhelmingly numerous and extra dense. You know what I'm talking about. Some cobwebs are light and airy, easy to brush away. Other cobwebs, like those of a very old garden shed left to natures mercy for a couple of decades now strewn thickly with crisscrossing strands of web that the many spiders spun over those decades and have long since vacated. Their sticky home, no longer very sticky because of the heavy coating of dust caught upon the webbing, yet even the sight of their abandoned nests is quite impressive. Yes, I have the old garden shed, sleep cobwebs, festooned in my head today and frankly rather than sweeping them out I wish I could just go back to bed.

Why am I telling you this? Because today I feel the weight of an unseen oppression and I woke up this way. My bible tells me this--

'We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. So then death worketh in us, but life in you. We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak; knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;  while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.'   2Co 4:8-18

What does that have to do with my sleep cobwebs? I'm troubled by them, a bit perplexed, and I feel somewhat afflicted because I have such a fuzzy, depressing brain today.  So while maybe the above verses aren't strictly speaking about sleep cobwebs, but they are speaking about life.

My troubles, your troubles, we all have troubles and not all of them are the same. We have afflictions, persecutions that are unique to us and not all of them are physical- a lot of them are spiritual. Just because I'm not being hunted by Christian persecutors (and many sadly are in this world of ours), doesn't mean I'm not being hunted by spiritual demons intent on bringing my life with Christ following to an end by constant bombardment with spiritual explosives.

I can be troubled and when I am troubled and faced with the daunting task of a shed full of icky cobwebs, I don’t have to let that trouble distress me like it intends to.  I can be perplexed with my current existence on many levels, yet not despairing of the lack of comprehension. I may be spiritually persecuted but that doesn’t mean I'm forsaken by my Savior. I could even be cast down but that doesn't mean I'm destroyed! I KNOW my Savior died for me. I KNOW my Savior suffered unimaginably, in ways I'll never fully understand because I will never be a GOD who took on frail, sin degraded, human flesh and endured the agony of such. My Savior suffered and told me I would suffer too, and for me to think it should be otherwise is me living a devil inspired lie. We suffer, and we JOY in that suffering, with the JOY that is this knowledge of a slain Savior who rose from death's deepest sleep and gained salvation for me, no matter what happens to me mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually- I have the hope that is Jesus Christ!

I THANK GOD for all things He guides me through in my life. Each and every day, even when garden shed cobwebs threaten to  overwhelm me, I thank GOD, because I know my affliction is only temporary! Even if my affliction lasts fifty years, it's still temporary! All my deepest longings are eternal treasures in heaven and they are not temporary. The cobwebs are temporary even if I face them again tomorrow and the shed grows bigger with millions more vacated spider webs. I may have to endure the shed but I can endure it knowing my Redeemer endure His own cobweb shed and came out on the other side into an everlasting life cobweb free.  All glory, praise, and honor, all thanksgiving and love for our Savior, our God, and the Holy Spirit!

Not On Things On Earth

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

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

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

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

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

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

Broken Life

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chronic health care issues- most senior have these.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Truly we are…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Animated Dust.

You are nothing more than animated dust.

Does that sound preposterous? It does to me. To think I am nothing, absolutely nothing more than animated dust seems bizarre. I think of a wooden puppet brought to life and then that magic of life is taken away and the puppet is nothing more than wood again- lifeless. Are we all in some way dust Pinocchio's? Is Pinocchio who was made of wood, ultimately a dust Pinocchio if the wood decay breaks down to that level? Wood decays, it rots. Even some of the best preserved wood without renewed applications of preservative would over time hundreds, thousands of year eventually end up as dust- right? Wood rots and is eventually ground into dust.

When our animation ceases and the last breath of life is expelled from our animated dust bodies and returns to God who gives that breath of life, another part of us sleeps death's sleep.

Every animated dust person is given a uniqueness that makes them special, one of a kind. We are flesh, spirit and soul.

Heb_4:12  For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Soul divided from the spirit, just as bones from their marrow.

1Th 5:23  And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Your whole spirit AND soul AND body.

We animated dust beings are more than the dust. Just as- yes, I'm going back to Pinocchio- when he was brought to life everyone became invested in him as a living wooden being because he had a personality, he was more than an automaton that simple responded to commands. He had a power of choice in him, a curiosity in him- he wasn't brought to life only to remain a controlled puppet.

We are not controlled animated dust beings.

Along with the life in each and every particle of our bodies that will eventually return to the dust as the original, first ever animated dust body was created from, we were given a power of choice and a spirit that could be born within us united to the Holy Spirit, one of the three separate beings that had a hand in our very creation.

When Adam's dust created body lay there on the ground newly formed it had no breath of life in it, it had no ability to think, it had no ability to communicate with its Creator. Separated from the breath of life, separated from the ability to think, to choose, to commune with God- the body was an empty shell.

God breathed that life into Adam, God brought to life the spirit within Adam, God gave to Adam the power of individual thought outside of His control. God did not raise a robot to life, a controlled dust being forced to obey His commands.

The power to bring us to life to form us so that we live was not an accident, it didn't happen over billions of years, we were created beings, designed beings. When we chose to leave our Creator's guidance and step out on our own- drastic changes occurred all around us and in us.  With the glorious light of our Creator stripped from us, we became creatures subject to pain, to decay, to death. So much of us was altered so that we could continue to function physically without God's glorious light, without the fruit from the tree of life to sustain our grand design. With those things taken from us we reverted to a most basic animated dust being without the power of eternal life. That we were allowed to continue to live at all was a blessing, and it was given to us only because there was a way already in place to save us and return us to the eternal glory originally designed for us- should we individually choose to accept the Way.  The accepting of the Way, is an accepting wholly and truly that the power behind that Way was of God, and NOT anything we could manufacture on our own.  The Way was given to us, not made by us. The power is God's.

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

The Way is the TREASURE in our dust animated bodies (earth made vessels). The Power of God is the Way. The Kingdom of God was preached to us by His only begotten son, Jesus Christ- who is the WAY.  Jesus came to expound on the knowledge that there is a HOPE for a return to our original God designed being. We can be reunited with God! We can be brought back to eternal life! All hope is not lost! We don't have to return to dust permanently! On resurrection day, the day our Lord returns and calls us from our graves, or from this world still living should we be among those blessed, we will be raised up and transformed back into the original design!

1Co 15:52  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 

1Co 15:53  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 

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. 

Changed. Yes, we'll still be animated dust beings but restored to immortality, to eternal life, to incorruption- to the light of God's presence!

All glory to God in the highest! All praise and honor unto Him! All worship to our Creator, our Sustainer, our Redeemer, our LORD, Jesus Christ! All through the Holy Spirit may we belong to them and no others!

Fragile Earthen Vessels.

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

Earthen vessels. That's all we are made of, right, materials that eventually return to dust? We can be damaged in many, many ways, too many for me to count. We are fragile in the grand scheme of things. Many a person has spent their lives longing for a way for humans to live longer, better lives.  We have not been able to extend our lifespans much beyond 120 years at the very, very best and it's more like 84 for men and 86 for women- but that's not always the case either. Both of my parents and all of my grandparents died before 86 years old. I have only a couple of aunts and uncles left who are getting up there into their 80's. If my dad had lived longer he'd be 89 today, but he died at the much younger age of 55. People die all the time, the very young- barely born, the unborn, and every single age in between can claim many lives. There is no magical age of life where you can't be destroyed in some many. We are simply earthen vessels.

A part of us deep down inside comprehends that this isn't how our lives were meant to be though. Death is an anomaly though many have come to terms with it being the norm. We know in our hearts it is not the norm. We do not want to die. I heard something the other day about the people who have survived suicide attempts, the majority will tell you that the moment after they committed to death and that step was taken off the ledge, the bullet released, the stool kicked away- the thought they had was they wished they hadn't, that no problem they had couldn't have been figured out in another way.  Now this is a majority thing, not just a few suicide survivors. The suicide successes (though I hate to call them successes) can't tell their stories of their almost last thoughts, but to even consider for a moment they felt the same way it's heartbreaking.

We were not meant to live the lives we have to live today. We were not meant to live in the shadow of death, in the grip of pain day after day, in the heartache of losing loved ones, and loved ones losing us. Our existence was meant for more and that is why we strive to comprehend a true belief in life after we die.

I believe in life after we die, but not instant life after we die.

I believe that supernaturally I will be resurrected when my Savior returns and ushers in our new existence- the existence we were always meant to have, not this one.

We were not created to be fragile jars of clay, we were created to live forever. When sin entered the world the alteration of our beings on many levels had to occur to allow for death- and truthfully- it took hundreds of years for us to run down into the fragile beings we are today. People used to live into their hundreds, one man lived to be nine hundred and some years old before succumbing to death. We weren't meant to die easily, we were made for eternity.

The fact we became subject to death is a constant, unending reminder that we messed up things and stepped out of the life offering us a source of eternity. We turned our backs on eternal life but the GOOD NEWS is we can still accept a future eternal life! We weren't cut off from the promise entirely, just temporarily!

More on this tomorrow by the grace and will of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!