Mercy Has An Expiration Date.

Four hundred years in captivity had taken its toll on the Israelites. They knew their history, from generation to generation, the tales were passed down in a special way that they no longer are today. When owning books (scrolls) was reserved for only the elite, you got by on the tales told and set to memory. I don't have such tales in my family. I can pass on things about my own experiences and a very few that were owned by my mother and father passed to me of their parents. I have no stories in my recall of my great grandparents told to me by them, in fact my memory only holds a single great grandparent living. I do have a few tales told to me by my parents, more specifically my mother about her parents, and grandparents but no memories from my father about his grandparents. I have pictures of them, but no real memories at all in any form. The tale of my ancestors making their way to America was not given to me, but I do know my blood contains at least a bit of native American so part of me actually comes from here and wasn't brought from overseas. At most a few memories from the early 1900's belong to me now and I've passed them on to my children but do they remember them enough to carry them onwards? 100 years ago, 120 years ago… not even 400 years ago.

When Joseph brought his family to Egypt it was a good thing, a life-saving thing. But as time passed and those who knew Joseph died off and the memory of his life saving, dream interpreting, famine predicting all faded into the past- known by tale and history but not personally felt, it became easy for things to change. The Egyptian rulers worried that the Hebrews would take over their country and ruin their way of life so they began to alter the relationship to one of subservience and slavery.

Time passed until that's all the Israelites knew- slavery- except through the stories told of their history.

Among them was the body of Joseph, mummified and kept against the day they would leave Egypt for their own land promised to them by God. Joseph knew that their stay in Egypt was temporary, just as we know today that our stay here on earth is temporary. Whether it's four hundred years or four thousand years…it is still temporary.

Released from captivity a new chapter in their history began and the Israelites began to write down and record all that had befallen them, the stories passed down from generation to generation, and more importantly, the Holy Spirit led and inspired, guided and touched the lives of the scribes giving them the words that the Author needed them to write down. The history of the Israelites tells of their stopping on their journey from Egypt to their own land, at a mountain, Mount Sinai. There they were spoken to by God, Himself. They held that mountain in reverence because of God's walking upon it and talking to them from that mountain. Yet even with that great importance attributed to that mountain it still was NOT as important as the Son of God walking among them, living among them, taking on the flesh they had.

Yet many refused to move away from their history, wanting their story to end there until it could unfold in such a way as they expected- with great fanfare and freedom from their captivity to the Romans.

Today they still wait for the great fanfare of redemption, even though as a people they are free from the captivity of all. There are no rulers over the Israelites right now. They have their own government, in their own country, the land given to them by God. Yet, they still refuse to believe in the Son of God.

Paul, inspired of God, guided by the Holy Spirit wrote to the Israelites telling them that their history had expanded, yet the people as a whole race refused to believe, clinging to their past tightly.

Jesus came preaching the kingdom of heaven, not the kingdom upon the earth. Jesus came and revealed the future which involved the sacred temple the Israelites worshiped in being destroyed. Jesus told those who would listen that their kingdom wasn't here upon the earth but in heaven. Jesus told them to put their treasures- the things they cherished most- in heaven, not here upon the earth. Jesus pointed heavenward to a place ruled by God, not Satan. Jesus explained the meaning of all their sacrificial rituals culminating in the greatest sacrifice of all- the sacrifice of a God for them, yet they preferred over that sacrifice their own offerings, not His.

God spoke to their ancestors and they feared and knew they were to keep the sayings that God spoke to them. God spoke to them revealing Himself more fully beyond all the tradition clouded beliefs they'd taken on, and extended mercy.

The mercy was temporary though, it had an expiration date upon it. This is truth. Some like to believe mercy will go on forever and ever and ever, but that's not true.

Jesus foretold of a time when He would leave the world and then later return to the world. When He returned to the world it would be for those who belong to Him, those who choose Him, and those who died having chosen Him, but it would NOT be for everyone.  The timer will have gone off, the final bell rung, the show will be over, the race ended, go on- insert your own metaphor here. When that timer stops- mercy stops and all those that will have chosen to receive the mercy will have been sealed as belonging to Jesus. Then soon after that, Jesus will return for His chosen people and the rest, all of those who refused to avail themselves of the mercy of God when it was offered to them, will be found wanting. They might want mercy now, but there will be no mercy left. And when they realize their mistake it will be too late.

Our God is the same God that spoke from the mountain, our God is the same God that consumed with fire the many who rebelled against Him after they promised they would not. Our God will return. Our God's promises are truth. We must serve Him with the reverence due to Him, with Godly fear- comprehending that He is an exacting God, not a God of endless mercy, but a God who is a consuming fire!

Do not forget this!

Heb 12:18  For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, 

Heb 12:19  And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more: 

Heb 12:20  (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart: 

Heb 12:21  And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:) 

Heb 12:22  But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, 

Heb 12:23  To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, 

Heb 12:24  And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. 

Heb 12:25  See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: 

Heb 12:26  Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. 

Heb 12:27  And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. 

Heb 12:28  Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: 

Heb 12:29  For our God is a consuming fire

Final Rejection.

Heb 12:15  Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled

Heb 12:16  Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. 

Heb 12:17  For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears. 

These words--

Mat 7:22  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 

Mat 7:23  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. 

What is happening in both instances?

Final rejection.

Esau could care less about his birth right, it was something to be given away in the face of hunger. His birth right held absolutely no honor to him, it wasn't a precious gift at all. Esau used his birth right to indulge in a personal gain, to get instant gratification. He was very hungry, he saw something his brother had made to eat and he wanted that food. He would not be denied that food. His brother didn't want to give him the food he'd made, most likely he'd made it because he was hungry as well.

Imagine, you go to your fridge and pull out the ingredients to make yourself a sandwich, why? Because you're hungry and want to eat. You take the time to make a really nice sandwich, thick with all the things you are feeling hungry for. Then a family member walks into the kitchen and seeing your sandwich right there already made and ready to be eaten and they want it. You made the sandwich because you wanted to eat it, you wanted to assuage your own hunger. Your family member begs you for it telling you they're starving and will die without it. Obvious exaggeration on their part. You ponder for a moment and then tell your family member that sure, they can have it but only if they give you their birthright. The birthright being their place as first in the inheritance of their father. Well, the family member can't even begin to imagine how long it will be until their father dies and the birthright really matters, so sure, he tells you that you can have it. Instantly you've become the inheritor of your father's fortune whatever that may be. Amazing! Something you couldn't imagine your family member agreeing to! It was only a sandwich! The family member could have taken the time and made their own sandwich, or even gone to someone else for a sandwich, but they wanted yours right then and there in their exaggerated state of hunger. I'm not saying they weren't really hungry, but not on death's door to be certain or they wouldn't have been bargaining with their birthright. It was convenient and it would satisfy a desire acutely felt, and any benefit from a birthright seemed too far off to even worry about.

You gained something amazing by denying yourself that well-made, delicious looking sandwich, crafted by your own hands.

Truly, Esau gave away something he could not get back when he traded his birthright for food. It revealed just where Esau's heart was at, and it wasn't on the important things in life, the spiritual.

We too are in danger of giving away the important spiritual things all for the physical, instantly gratifying, things in life. We will risk final rejection for the pleasures and lust fulfillments of here and now. Final rejection. When people come face to face with the realization of final rejection, they will know instantly that the rejection was based upon their own choices. There will be a wailing, an overwhelming despair because they'll know they had a choice and the choice they made was not one for God.  Even if they pretended to be God's the truth will be revealed. All their pretenses will be gone.

Lord, we would be Yours! Heavenly Father, we would be Yours! We need the Holy Spirit in our lives revealing ANYTHING that would keep us from being wholly Yours in all truth! Please keep us from the evil of self-gratification, help us to recognize the ease we seek now, the pleasure we seek now is not worth giving up our spiritual walk with You. Help our choices be for You over our own desires. Help our desire be for YOUR WILL. Help us to comprehend the truth of final rejection as a reality should we live our lives contrary to Your Love. Help us, Lord, save us from ourselves!

All through Jesus Christ our Lord, now and forever, through our Savior's love!

Peace, Holiness, Christ In Us, Always.

Heb 12:14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord

Peace with all men. .. imagine that, peace with all. We live  in a world filled with so much angst. Around every turn we have another upset  another flash of anger ignited by the simplest of things. A wrong expression can cause a fight even if that wrong expression is the result of an internal thought and nothing actually done to upset someone. An innocent, not dangerous, harmless mistake while driving can  cause another person to become furious. We jump to conclusions that lean more to condemnation towards each other than forgiveness. Thinking the worst quickly- this is the common go to. If we are truly seeking to follow peace with all how can we be so quick to judge? We convict and condemn in a moment of time. Where is our compassion?  We don't know the real struggles that occur with others, we assume people are a certain way and do not let our understanding go further than that. We mock them silently for their behavior and call it lazy, selfish, ungodly- when we do not walk in their shoes, or live within the limits of their brain- their emotions, their mental capabilities. We do not let peace reign in us for all others, but rather condemn them in our hearts where God alone can see.

Follow peace with all men…and holiness.

We need to seek peace, to seek holiness in every single one of our dealings with other people. You read that right. There is not even one situation where we should deal with others without the peace and holiness of our Savior living in us, working in us, being revealed in us.

When we try to separate ourselves from our Christian walk at any moment we are in danger of denying Christ and if we deny Christ then He will not have any part of us, He will NOT know us.

Christ in us…

Col_1:27  … Christ in you, the hope of glory:

Col 3:11  … Christ is all, and in all. 

Joh 14:17  Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. 

Joh 14:20  At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. 

Christ is a PART of us who choose to let Him be.

Christ is not a piece of clothing that we can put on and take off at will. We can push Christ away, He'll never force Himself on us. When we choose Christ He lives in us as a constant companion. We don't separate ourselves from Him, we allow Him to live in us and He guides us in all we do. We must let Him be a part of our entire life in all our interactions. It is HIS peace and HIS holiness that we have to interact with others…all others, at all times.

All by His grace!

I'm So Vain.

Please, Lord, help me to not be filled with the vanity that is threatening to disrupt my life. Help me to not be consumed with how I look, not at all.

Psa_119:37  Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way.

Pro_30:8  Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me

Ecc_1:2  Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.

Pro_31:30  Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.

Your word tells me all is vanity and yes, all is vanity because we are so caught up in ourselves. We are indoctrinated from a very young age to care about our appearance. We are called names by others who want us to know we don't meet the standards of acceptable appearance. We are told we have nice smiles in order to keep us from being called homely, plain, ugly. We grow up and this never changes. We just get to see the beauty in the younger ones around us as age takes its toll on our flesh- regardless of our attempts to use the touted products to slow down the wrinkling, crinkling, crepe-like, mole appearing, skin deteriorating flesh we possess. We console ourselves with words like- my genetic makeup predisposes me to aging badly- we're a family of early wrinkling. There is just so much that is TOTALLY out of our ability to control. I can't stop a single wrinkle from appearing, I can't stop a single mole from showing up. I can't keep arthritis from disfiguring my hands. I cannot take my flappy, loose flesh and make it taut.  I can't do any of that without becoming rich enough to afford a lot of plastic type surgery. VANITY!  I'm so vain! Satan wants me to want to hide away, to become bitter about my lot in the appearance pool of life. Satan would have this depress me, to turn my outlook on my life completely inward and let this keep me from walking in the path Christ wants me to walk.

Should I care if people whisper behind my back saying how old I look, how I look so much older than my years? How I look older than they are when in fact they are much older than me? Should I care if it is TRUE? Should I feel shame that I can't look better for my spouse? Should I feel apologetic for aging badly and now he has to be seen with the ugly old lady looking me? Should I care? Should I care if when he looks at me he sees his great grandmother looking back at him? Should I care?

If people are judging me in this way- or consoling themselves by saying they're not judging - just observing facts-  should I care? If people are making themselves feel better about their own aging and their own appearance by holding up mine as something to make them happier because they look better, should I care?!  Doesn't it just make me awful, because I in turn must be hoping I look better than they do, that I'm aging better than they are if it bothers me they are wanting the same thing?!

Why am I caught up in this nightmare? I care because Satan wants me to get caught up in the CARES OF THIS LIFE! Satan wants to trap me any way he can and he's trying so hard to rip me away from Christ. All stops are being pulled out - one plug after the other is coming undone because Satan knows how incredibly short his time is.

My SAVIOR is stronger than Satan! My Savior WILL save me and keep me from all these awful traps being thrown up all around me to trip me up! My Savior has told me that this LIFE is temporary, it is ETERNITY WITH HIM that is the most important thing ever! My Savior tells me to put my TREASURES in heaven!  I can't have my treasures here on earth or they are not in eternity with Him!  The treasure of my appearance must be the treasure of transformation when I'm finally with Christ, not the treasure of earthly beauty fading quickly away.  If I become the most physically ugliest of all here and now it shouldn't matter one bit! If I'm despised for the horrors of my aged, weight abused flesh it shouldn't matter not in the slightest! NONE of it should matter except living for CHRIST and eternity with HIM.

We are to count ALL things as loss but CHRIST. Meaning nothing but CHRIST and living for HIM, with HIM in us directing our way of life so we can reveal HIS love to others, should matter. What good would all the beauty in the world do me if I don't have Christ?! Just as riches are the root of all evil, people believing having riches would solve so many of life's problems, beauty is a close second- people thinking if only they were better in appearance then a lot of life's problems would be swept away- LIES.

LORD, please help me to live YOUR TRUTH, protect me from Satan's many evil traps! Help me to truly have my TREASURES in heaven. Help me to care first and foremost for YOU!

Php_3:8  Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ

This includes my looks, my youth, any comeliness I may have ever possessed at all. Help me count it all but loss so I may live in the knowledge of YOU, my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

Help me to ONLY care about what YOU think of me and no other!

Let my beauty be YOU in me, and nothing else. Please, Lord, please.

Help me! Help my head know and live what my heart knows and desires to live- all for YOU. Help my heart and head, Lord as only You can do!  Thank you, Lord! Thank you!

Make Straight Paths.

We grow weary…yet we must not faint.

Heb_12:3 …lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

Heb 12:12  Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; 

Heb 12:13  And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed. 

We must look to Jesus and when we look to Jesus find His strength for our spiritual existence. Satan would trap us in so many ways trying to keep us from ever looking to our Savior- as truly being our Savior. Satan wants us to stare at our lives and dwell on the places our feet have taken us- down paths of unrighteousness, through fields of sin, over hills of despair. Satan doesn't want us to make straight paths for our feet- the path that leads to Christ, the path that we follow as the world reveals millions of other paths tempting us towards the crooked ways.

We must make straight paths for our feet… when we make straight paths for our feet any lameness we incurred as we were on the crooked paths can be healed! Our feet which can barely move will gain new strength in Christ! We don't have to be stuck in the thick muddy paths Satan entices us with. Every single path Satan puts in our way will look amazing, fun, fulfilling, satisfying… his paths do NOT present as haunted horror trails meant to terrify you. The paths that Satan dresses up are more like the candy laden lanes that lead unsuspecting children into witch houses. You might not be tempted by a candy lane, but put your besetting sin, your most tempting of all temptations in the place of that candy and you will find yourself wanting almost desperately to head down that path- it's HOW Satan works. And barring entrapping you with pleasure inducing paths, Satan will construct paths that will call to our despairing, depressive, self-depreciating, self-sabotaging sides. Do not think all people are enticed by the feel good- some are enticed by the self-pity, self-centered sides that give them an opportunity to bemoan their existence. They'll enter the path of pain and pity secretly (sometimes even to themselves a secret) just so they can be caught up in the cares of this life so much so they can't even imagine the straight path that leads to salvation in Christ. 

Tricks and traps surround us on every side making their snaking, sneaking ways off the path of righteousness, but truth will shine out as a brilliant beacon of hope guiding us through it all. We must make a straight path towards that Light so we can be healed from all that would cause us to go spiritually immobile, sinking us into whatever evil Satan can use to entrap us.

We must…

Heb 12:14  Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: 

Heb 12:15  Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled

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

Do Not Faint!

Heb_12:3 …lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

Faint in our minds. That means it is possible for us to faint in our Christian walk, our spiritual selves can faint in our minds, we can grow weary in the lives we are living for Christ, this possibility exists.

Let's talk about fainting for a moment.

Fainting- the dictionary meaning-

Not bright, but dim. Done feebly without conviction. Dizzy or weak, about to be unconscious. Remote, slight. Weakened, losing courage.

Being faint of heart most certainly eludes to being weak, losing courage, losing conviction. If we are fainting in our Christian walk, that means we are not growing stronger in Christ, we are giving into Satan because the hardships of the walk we are called to endure becomes too much for us. We are in essence, relying upon ourselves for strength. We are allowing Satan to interfere.

Luk_18:1  And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint

Pray - Don't Faint.

Prayer is one safeguard we need to use in our striving not to lose courage as we fight our spiritual war.  Just as a soldier in physical combat is given armor and weapons, we too are given spiritual armor and spiritual weapons.  After we are given - in great detail- our armor and weapon, we are told to PRAY ALWAYS. (Ephesians 6:11-18)  Prayer is reaching out by faith to God, it's putting our lives in His hands, for His will to be done. Prayer is powerful and able to keep us from fainting, from giving in. Prayer reinforces our comprehension that we are creatures and our Creator reigns over us. We look to our Creator knowing so much of life is totally out of our control, but it is all in His control.

Pray even if it is a singular cry to our God.

Rom_8:26  Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

Pray, don't faint.

2Co_4:1  Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not.

Faint not.

2Co_4:16  For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

Faint not.

Our outward man perish… we live in perishing flesh bodies subject to all sorts of flesh ailments. Paul prayed to God three times asking God to rid him of a flesh ailment, and God chose not to do so. Paul who went about healing others constantly, was not healed of the infirmity he possessed in his flesh and why not-

2Co 12:7  And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. 

2Co 12:8  For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 

2Co 12:9  And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 

A thorn in the flesh- a messenger of Satan buffeting him… and this thing was NOT healed, not removed from Paul. God's strength was being revealed in Paul's weakness. Even though Paul had to contend with this weakness which was bad enough for him to seek God, asking Him to remove it more than once, He persevered in spite of its continued existence. He didn’t take God's choice not to remove the infirmity from him as a sign that God had forsaken him. That's something we like to do. We like to assume God has decided not to act in our favor when things go horribly wrong in our lives, with us, and with people we love. Nothing could be further from the truth. God's choice to allow all the chastening, all the infirmities, all the buffeting we receive by Satan is for us to grow ever closer to the source of all love, all life. God wants us to partake of His holiness and He is trying to hone our comprehension of what it means to have complete and utter faith in Him.  Paul prayed, God answered, Paul accepted. Paul did not faint.

Gal_6:9  And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

Faint not.

We can grow weary in well doing. Satan wants us to grow weary. Satan will set up scenarios designed to test us to our spiritual limits wanting us to despise our doing good to the seemingly undeserving, to the ungrateful, to those who turn right around and ridicule and malign us, and go on expecting us to keep doing well for them. And WE MUST continue in well doing, to give in and refuse to do well because we are buffeted relentlessly by Satan, is to faint under the pressure of our spiritual attacker who is using all he can to cause us to faint and give in to him and the limits he's placed upon love, something that is limitless in God. Yes, Satan places limits on love telling us our love is too precious to give to the undeserving, the unappreciative, the abusers of that love. Yet, how we have abused the love of God is incalculable, and He still loves us. You can love with God's love, without compromising the truth of another's hatred and abuse. Your love will not negate their wrongs, it simply allows you to let God's love work in them. They will either come to know the love of God and seek true forgiveness, or they'll dig themselves deeper into Satan's hold and be dealt with accordingly when all fates are decided.  We love, we continue in well doing, and allow them to continue in their path of choice, never letting their choice affect our choice. When we allow the bad choices of others to affect our choice to do well- Satan gains a victory.

Eph_3:13  Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.

Faint not.

Tribulations. Yes, life is filled with tribulations tailor made to fit every single life- rich, poor, sick, healthy… you name it, each life no matter how seemingly tribulation free- will have its tribulations.  We cling to the hope beyond the tribulations, all by the grace of God.

Heb_12:3  For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

Faint in your minds.

Jesus paid the ultimate price in tribulations, in facing the mocking. He taught the ultimate well doing in spite of Satan's many attempts to make Him grow weary in His well doing. Jesus, we must look to Jesus, if we look elsewhere- especially to ourselves for our own strength to endure- we will grow faint in our convictions.

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:

Don't faint.

We will be taught many lessons. We will be chastened severely. The Lord will allow all this tribulation and we must use it all to overcome through HIM. We will be tempted to despise the chastening, the constant tribulation and to allow ourselves to give up our choice of trusting in spite of it all, in spite of being rebuked by the Lord. We must not give in to the temptation to give in, to faint, to grow weary! We are told it exists! We know it exists! We must NOT give in! Please, Lord, help us NOT give in!

Grievous Chastening.

Grievous chastening. NO ONE likes to be chastened. 

Chasten means- to subject someone to discipline. 

Being discipline means-  enforcing the acceptable patterns of behavior, punishment to teach obedience.

Grievous chastening is not something we are supposed to enjoy. We are to endure it because we know that we are being taught to obey, taught to follow the Lord as we need to. We endure it because we know that the ultimate goal of the many hard learned lessons will be our holding fast to Christ's righteousness, and being partakers with God's holiness. The ultimate result of enduring the chastening and allowing ourselves to be taught obedience to God's will is only for our good.

Heb 12:11  Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. 

The many trials and tribulations we go through in our lives, the many chastening's we endure as we navigate this sin-filled existence, struggling to find the narrow way, struggling to be known by our Savior- known so that we may be called His, belonging to Him- are for a purpose. Teaching us that to obey our Creator, our Savior, to obey our Heavenly Father, the Holy Spirit, and the Only Begotten Son of God.. this is the lesson we must learn. Obedience- surrendering our will which would have us try and demand obedience rather than give it. Surrendering to the love of God. We must be exercised by the tribulations, the chastising, the grievous times of our lives that can happen often, constant, or seldom. We need to allow God to work in us and let it be for His glory. We need to have all the situations we find ourselves in draw us closer to Christ, being exercised by the very things that would destroy us if Satan had his way.

Please, Lord, help us surrender, help us endure, help us learn obedience, help us be YOURS in all things, in all ways!

All through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, our Lord, now and forever!