Infinite Importance- the Sabbath.

'Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance.'

 C. S. Lewis

On the seventh day- God rested.

Gen 2:1  Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 

Gen 2:2  And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 

Gen 2:3  And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. 

Seven days, we mimic the seven days in our weeks and for most people that's as far as it goes. The count of seven days. On the Jewish calendar they call the days differently-  First Day, Second Day, Third Day and so on until Shabbat (God's Rest Day- which is the Seventh Day). The first day corresponds to our Sunday, the second to Monday and so on until Saturday - the seventh day.

The activity that comprised creation was work- active work. The words were spoken and the work took place. So few words for so much work.

Gen 1:11  And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. 

The sheer number of grass species that exist is astounding. According to wikipedia there are about 12,000 species!  When God spoke the words of creation- in those word were something so profoundly incomprehensibly amazing we can scarcely begin to understand. It's easy to say on the third day God created grass, and in our mind's eye pops up a lawn of grass, or  field of green grass, or a hill covered in grass. However there were created over 12,000 different kinds of grass in those words of creation. 

We see again- in our mind's eye- that God speaks and instantly a thing appears. With this our belief - we who can imagine speaking things into existence could make so much happen. God did make so much happen but our generalization of everything can instantly take away from the comprehension of the sheer majesty involved.

Even this…

Gen 1:1  In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 

Gen 1:2  And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 

Gen 1:3  And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. 

Gen 1:4  And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. 

Gen 1:5  And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. 

While we want the instant to occur and it does, the whole of creation escape us.

A nothingness, then a heaven and an earth.  An earth with no form, empty, liquid deep. Over this dark, shapeless mass of liquid called into existence the Spirit of God moved and then spoke light into reality. Light was separate from dark, and so the first dark void of formless earth was night - no light, and the light became day. 

Did this all occur in a moment of time, a split second between thought and spoken word? Did it truly take an expanse of time ruled by what we use as our days the time the earth takes to rotate bringing it into the light of the distant sun? The sun at this point doesn't even exist. This day is purely the time allotted to it by God for His spoken word to create. And yes, I imagine it as a genie granting an instant wish no matter that the thing wished for might in all actually take a lot of time to create - an example- the wish for a huge mansion to live in. Instantly there, but to truly create that mansion would take months, years to complete.

Why all this speculation and such? Because we need to comprehend the work of creation in order for us to comprehend the rest day allotted.

Let's assume for a moment you can fully understand all that was created- the entire system we know as universe. And if you're knowledgeable in science-fiction, some would claim multiverses- multiple universes. Which could lead to infinityverses - a never ending existence of universes. For now, let's go back to just one universe.  In our one universe we have --

"Universe is the name that we use to describe the collection of all the things that exist in space. It is made of many millions of millions of stars and planets and enormous clouds of gas separated by a gigantic empty space. Astronomers can use telescopes to look at very distant galaxies."  (Simple Wikipedia)

All things that exist in space. And we can see out so far into space now with advance technology that we can comprehend on the smallest level the magnitude of creation.

All that exists was created, and the creation took place in six days of which we now know as days with the earth rotating once each day so that part of it at different times enter the light of the sun, and part enters the darkness from the lack of light from the sun. These we call days. My day is later than the designated day for those let's say in England. Their sun sets earlier than my sun, ( all the same sun ) their position enters the darkness before mine. The time we designate as a new day 12am (in darkness) is different for each of us. For England is may be five hours earlier than for me here in the USA all depending on the odd thing of daylight savings time and such.  They can say happy new year before I can, time being what it is.

In truth God chose Jerusalem as His promised land, and it all comes from thereabouts.  The Garden of Eden's location is unknown, guarded in such a way none can know. I like to imagine God wouldn't stray too far from the original home of our first ancestors to the promised land, but what do I know.

We have creation and we have no creation- which is rest.

Six days we work, we live our lives according to our own interests.

One day we are to rest in God's finished work, we are to live in God's interest.

Some shut out the entire world and enter into a zombie-fied existence of doing absolutely as little as possible- they might as well be in bed sleeping for all of 24 hours- this they call God's rest.  However we know that God would have us do His WILL on this day of His rest. Any other day we are doing our will with God directing our paths should we allow, but this day we should seek to do only God's will.  Is it God's will we eat? Yes, it could be unless you are called to fast. Is it God's will you interact with others? Yes, it could be unless you are called to solitude. God's will is a constantly flowing, living, breathing action that we must allow for without the strictures of traditions past down pointing to things fulfilled. The honoring of the Sabbath day in which we are to do no work, is our holding fast to seeking God's will upon that day and setting aside our own will.

We need to know the will of God- and we do know to have Him first and foremost is paramount and others after Him next, and ourselves last. We must remind ourselves of this all important truth constantly, and more than ever we gain a reminder on the Sabbath day how much this has to be if we would belong wholly to God for eternity.

May we be blessed with any and all comprehension we need to be wholly God's now and forever!!!!!!!

We Would Be Yours, Christ Jesus. Healed or Not Healed According to Your Will.

Repent and be healed?

How many people do you suppose Jesus and His Apostles preached repentance to and then set about healing them? How many did they heal first then preach repentance after the healing?  Maybe someday we'll know the actual number, or maybe someday it won't matter a bit. I like to imagine it was a lot- whole villages, whole towns, whole cities, of people. We know 5000 people sat down to listen to Jesus and He fed them miraculously. Out of those 5000, how many do you suppose sought healing?

Today and throughout time I imagine people have been sick.  As soon as we sinned sickness took over us. Decay began inside our bodies where it was never supposed to be. A few days ago or so I posted a study that included the fact of the extensive changes our bodies had to have undergone upon sinning. Serious extensive changes that if we really take time to think about would shock most of us. We were NOT created to decay. We were NOT created to die at all. We were NOT created to be sick.  The bodies we were given were magnificent creations. Our hearts were not formed within our chests with the intention of ever being able to be faulty in any way. Veins, arteries, muscle, bone, all of this was created in us perfectly, without flaw. We were never intended to be cut, to bleed, to have blood that could leave our bodies. We simply were NOT created to have finger and toe nails that would need trimming, hair that would need cutting, bodily wastes in need of expelling, we were NOT created for these things.  All these transformations were sin induced. Seriously, every flawed thing about us that can possibly bring us shame, pain, and ultimately death was NOT how we were intended to live.  The first parents were meant to live in a luxurious garden with access to a tree of life.  Do you for one moment think they had to worry about the wastes their bodies would expel and the germs in that waste? No and no. The changes sin brought to our bodies was instantaneous and horrible. Is it any wonder Adam and Eve knew they were suddenly naked?  They'd been changed! The light of God that had given them all they needed had been stripped from them. No longer could they live in perfection. They now had bodies which would decay and all that meant. Bodies subject to death from any number of ways. Bodies that could be starved, dehydrated, frozen, overheated, any number of internal organs could cease to function properly. Veins could burst, arteries could clog, blood could be lost to the point of death. Air could be trapped in the lungs with no way to expel it, or expelled and no way to inhale it. Death by countless means was now possible where before they'd sinned it was impossible. Cellular disorder, growths inside our bodies, I could go on and on about the number of ways we can ultimately die. Also, there are ways too numerous for us to be sick, maimed, and so on.

When we are changed to immortality upon the return of our Savior, Jesus Christ we will be given the bodies intended for us to inhabit and they will bear little resemblance to what we look like now. 

Healing. Jesus healing people by the thousands was truly miraculous- no other since His ministry upon earth has been able to heal as He healed so wondrous, so constant. The Apostles could heal but they did not heal the sheer number of people that Jesus healed.

Oh, that I could grab hold of my sister, her daughter, her husband - my husband, my daughter, my son, my sisters, my brothers and place them on a mat large enough to fit them all and lower that mat down before the Savior, entreating Him, imploring Him, begging him to please heal them all! To let the oil of healing anoint them all, and allow the Holy Spirit to move upon them removing the demons, healing the sicknesses, repairing all the damage that needs to be repaired. I can't bring them before the Savior, He no longer walks the earth in ministry. I can't seek Him out in a nearby town as His glorious fame as a physician spreads far and wide.  I can come to Him through the Holy Spirit's intercession and plead for the touch of the Savior, and I do this, I do. I ask that ultimately let all healing take place in such a way that it leads each person closer and closer to Christ. I don't know the plans God has for people. I don't know if one severe health crisis is what it will take to break the stony heart from someone and restore it with a heart of flesh knowing Christ as Savior. I have no way of knowing the ends from the beginnings of people, I can only pray and believe God's will is being done in ways I cannot see, or comprehend at all.

All glory, all power, all praise and honor, with all thanksgiving, and all love to our God, our Father in heaven, the only begotten Son, the Holy Spirit - all three Gods, may they forever reign in all truth, in all love.

Amen!!!!!!!

Healing.

Luk 10:9  And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. 

Healed then taught.

Healed. More and more as people around me, and I, myself, start to experience the pains of aging I think about healing. Not that I haven't thought about it before, I have a chronically ill daughter that I've longed to be healed of her many chronic illnesses for a long time. She was born premature and not just premature but a tiny premature. Let me explain- she was born 9 weeks early, though by her size it appeared she was born much earlier than that, all the fetal charts say 28 weeks and not 31 weeks. I wanted to dispute the 31, but I have a sonogram at six weeks where she is perfectly on track for the time frame given. So somewhere along the line my unborn baby girl stopped growing like she should and by the time she was born 9 1/2 weeks early, she was only as big as she should have been at 28 weeks. I'm sure all that had something to do with the many chronic illnesses she suffers so terribly with. So, yes, healing has been something constantly on my mind for loved ones. I suppose it is this way for most people though. We mostly all have extended family, and barring that at least friends even if they are only on the internet friends. The point being here the need for healing is a constant in our lives.

When Jesus ministered on earth for three years a very large part of that ministry was spent healing people. He gave his apostles the power to heal others as well. He taught them the need for fasting and praying for certain healing that wasn't easily done. There was talk as well about oil and healing.

Jas_5:14  Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord

Mar 6:12  And they went out, and preached that men should repent. 

Mar 6:13  And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them. 

Oil anointing, prayer, preaching repentance, all this goes hand in hand.

Jesus preached constantly as he healed.

Oh, to be able to take oil and preach repentance, and pray over those around me who are suffering so very terribly! Oh, for the healing of the many sicknesses, the many demon induced sicknesses, the emotional, the mental… we need healing!

If only I could heal the sick and tell them the kingdom of God is nigh to them. Let me rephrase that. If only GOD could heal the sick using me if needed in any capacity to help this happen just as He told the apostles to go and heal the sick and tell the people God is nigh to them.

God's grace is sufficient for me, I have to believe this and I have to pray, God help my unbelief.

Right now I long for special healing for my sister, Elizabeth and her daughter, Rayne-  and so many others. Lord please.

Heart of the Law.

What is the common theme in all the following verses-

Ecc 12:13  Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:

Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. 

Our WHOLE duty is to Fear God and Keep His Commandments.

Joh 6:28  Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 

Joh 6:29  Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye BELIEVE on him whom he hath sent. 

Jesus said-

Mat_19:17  … but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.

Mat 19:18  He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, 

Mat 19:19  Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 

Mat 19:20  The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? 

Mat 19:21  Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. 

Mat 5:17  Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 

Mat 5:18  For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 

Mat 5:19  Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 

Mat 22:36  Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 

Mat 22:37  Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 

Mat 22:38  This is the first and great commandment. 

Mat 22:39  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 

Mat 22:40  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. 

Whose Son Is the Christ?

Rom 13:8  Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. 

Rom 13:9  For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 

Rom 13:10  Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. 

Rom 13:11  And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. 

Rev 14:12  Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. 

Rev 12:17  And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. 

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? 

*******

The common theme is LOVE. When we love as God intends us to love, we NATURALLY keep the royal law- the commandments of God- the ten commandments. It's true. There is so much talk of Jesus teaching love and not law, but the truth of the matter is you can't separate the two, not when we are talking about the royal law, the ten commandments given by God Himself and placed in the Ark of the Covenant as no other law was. Jesus spoke the words pointing to the royal law as the great law. Jesus said all the law hangs on two - loving God and loving others.

Jesus lived this love perfectly.

Jesus wants us to live this love perfectly through Him.

Jesus wants us to recognize the love in the law.

When we take love out of the law we are left with nothing.

You see, when Jesus talked to the rich young man about keeping the law, the rich young man told Jesus he did that from his youth. Then Jesus grabbed the law and put heart into it to see if the rich young man comprehended the love of the law and not the formality. He told the rich young man to go sell all that he had and give it to the needy. The rich young man went away sorrowing, not able to part with his riches. The rich young man did not see the love in the law only the mere form of it. No, he didn't hurt anyone, didn't steal from anyone, didn't covet anything, didn't lie, didn't dishonor his parents, didn't worship other gods, didn't bow down to other gods, didn't speak of God in vain, and he remembered the Sabbath day to keep it holy- all these wonderful things he did- but not from a place of love.  As the law was opened up to him and its heart revealed, he rejected the heart of the law.

Saying you love God and love others but not keeping His royal law, the ten commandments is making yourself a liar.

Keeping the royal law, the ten commandments and not loving God and not loving others, is making yourself a liar.

The two are intertwined and this was revealed in the life of our Lord and Savior- Jesus Christ.

Lord, as our eyes are opened to Your truth, enable us to keep Your truth as we need to, as we long to, as we hope to. We believe, help our unbelief. We would be known by You, Lord. We would be known by You as those who love You and desire to know and keep the heart of the law, Your law. Guide us, help us, live in us and change us!

All in the name of Jesus Christ, now and forever!!!!!!!

Fear God.

The wisest human (other than our Savior) was Solomon.  You know the history of Solomon's wisdom, right?  Let me recap it.

Solomon was made king …

1Ki 3:3  And Solomon loved the LORD..

1Ki 3:5  In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee. 

1Ki 3:6  And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. 

1Ki 3:7  And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in. 

1Ki 3:8  And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. 

1Ki 3:9  Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? 

1Ki 3:10  And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. 

1Ki 3:11  And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment; 

1Ki 3:12  Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. 

1Ki 3:13  And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days. 

1Ki 3:14  And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days. 

1Ki 3:15  And Solomon awoke; and, behold, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and offered up burnt offerings, and offered peace offerings, and made a feast to all his servants. 

Solomon wanted to be a good king, like his father, David. Solomon wanted to serve God and others before Himself. The Lord told Solomon IF he would walk in God's ways and keep God's statutes and commandments - as David did, then God would lengthen his days- something Solomon didn't ask for.

The wisest of the wise said this--

Ecc 12:9  And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs. 

Ecc 12:10  The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth. 

Ecc 12:11  The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd. 

Ecc 12:12  And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh. 

Solomon spoke of himself, knowing he was wise and he taught others from his knowledge. He wrote down a lot of these words of wisdom, and still no matter how much he wrote there would always be more to write, more wisdom to share and yet… the unending flow of words made Him weary. Around and around He went dispensing words of wisdom right and left, up and down, in and out and ultimately they boiled down to this…

Ecc 12:13  Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:

Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. 

Fear God.

Keep God's Commandments.

Whether we belong to the wisdom club, or the lack of wisdom club, or perhaps fall somewhere in a club in between the two- we are to FEAR GOD and KEEP GOD'S COMMANDMENTS- this is the WHOLE duty of humankind.

Now some might start to instantly spout that fearing God is reverencing Him, not being terrified of Him, however shouldn't we be a bit terrified of God? Tell me that I shouldn't be in awe- reverencing and in awe- scared, as well as in awe with love of God- HE is all powerful, all knowing, all consuming, all in glory, power, and honor, HE is everything!

Oddly enough a memory of a movie most of us have watched comes to mind. The Wizard of Oz. The scene in the movie is the one where Dorothy and the misfits with her are walking in the emerald city towards the great and powerful wizard of oz and the wizard is bellowing out loudly in his commanding voice, while appearing as this great mystical being hovering before them.  The FEAR was enough to send a coward running, the others were shaking in their shoes, and rightly so. The show the con-man was putting on was quite impressive and meant to instill fear because out of that fear he gained respect and reverence.

God is no wizard, in fact, God condemns wizards and wizardry. God is so much more than any sort of wizard. God is more than any human being that ever existed and still exists and yet people put fear into each other all the time. We give the power of life and death to judges and juries (people). We give authority to a lot of figures, authority we are then expected to respect. A lot of those in authority like to instill fear into others because it makes them feel powerful.

How can we read these words-

Heb_12:29  For our God is a consuming fire.

-without a bit of fear?

Fear God, comprehend this--

Ecc 12:14  For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. 

God is so powerful that EVERY single thing we do is brought into judgment, every SECRET we've ever kept from anyone- good or bad- will be known and judged.

Isn't this truly something to fear?  It would be terrifying, and completely life shattering to us if we are judged based on our own self-serving actions alone. Our acts will be judged, all of them, every secret known and it will be only because we fear God and keep His commandments - that gives us hope. You may be shaking your head a bit violently right now, saying Christ alone gives us hope, and you know what, you are RIGHT. And Christ is the epitome of fearing God and keeping His commandments. Christ did this perfectly! Christ taught that we too can do this perfectly through Him, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Christ held His Father in such awe and wonder, and Christ also pleaded with His Father to take the cup from Him so He wouldn't have to go through the awful suffering He knew was to come. Christ felt the fear of what was to come and He didn't let that fear turn into the sin of distrust, but rather He allowed it to guide Him to an even stronger resolve in the love of His Father.

Comprehending the magnitude of our God is worthy of a healthy fear, the fear that we experience and allows us to bow down at the feet of the One who holds our lives in His hands. Awe, wonder, trembling, frightened all the while secure in the love of God.

Most children (I cannot say all) know what it means to fear their parents, and yet know their love at the same time. How many times have I as a parent been harsh and tried to instill fear in order to teach my children to protect themselves from things like cars in the road, deadly scorpions, cliffs, electrical sockets and so on. I did it out of love for them. God is an exacting God, a consuming fire, He will give out judgement and we need to know and comprehend this so we may belong to Him. We would be His. We want Him to know us, and be known by Him as being His. We comprehend He is the Creator, the Savior, the One without beginning and without end. He is all in all. He deserves our reverence, our fear, our love.

Ecc 12:13  Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:

Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. 

Our WHOLE duty is to Fear God and Keep His Commandments.

Joh 6:28  Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 

Joh 6:29  Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. 

Jesus said-

Mat_5:19  Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Mat_19:17  And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.

More on this tomorrow by the grace of God.

Spiritual Savior Shepherd.

We are metaphorically sheep in need of shepherding and anyone who believes otherwise is deceived.

(CEV)  …our bodies return to the earth, and the life-giving breath returns to God.

The very breath in our lungs is given to us by God, when we die that breath returns to God.

If a person has trouble with the idea that they are dependent upon God, then they most assuredly do not believe in God. To believe in God is to comprehend His being our Heavenly Father. We have to comprehend that God is our Creator. We have to accept our position in the grand scheme of things when we believe in God.

We are metophorical sheep, and this is an amazing thing to be.

However, there are lost sheep. There are sheep that have gone astray. There are wandering sheep. There are sheep which stray from the fold.  The picture here is of a lone sheep which has wandered off. The analogy of human beings as sheep which go astray is fitting in the context of our having a Shepherd which seeks to find us and lead us back to the fold.

We are sheep in need of rescuing.

Mat_18:12  How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?

Mat_18:13  And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.

Psa 119:176  I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments. 

Isa 53:6  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way…

Joh 10:11  I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. 

Joh 10:12  But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. 

Joh 10:13  The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. 

Joh 10:14  I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. 

Joh 10:15  As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. 

Joh 10:16  And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. 

Joh 10:17  Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. 

Joh 10:18  No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father. 

1Pe 2:25  For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd …

Straying sheep are in danger of losing their lives to predators, animal or people. Straying sheep are not under the protection of a shepherd. Straying sheep are also in danger of being injured with no help in sight to help them. These wandering sheep also risk losing a food/water source and thereby they may starve or die of thirst. A sheep is safest with a shepherd of that there can be no doubt at all.

We are safest with a Shepherd. Our spiritual Shepherd, Jesus Christ will protect our spiritual life. I emphasize the spiritual life part because too many point to God and condemn Him because bad things happen to them physically, mentally, emotionally. They hold the concept that Christ's protection as a Shepherd should mean we are kept safe in all ways.  How do we equate this with the numerous hardships that Paul and a lot of other disciples went through? They were closest to Jesus, if anyone were going to accuse Jesus of not being a very good shepherd it would one of them. They knew, as we need to know, that our eternal life is what our Savior Shepherd guards above all. Jesus came to preach the Kingdom of Heaven, not safety on earth here and now.

We need to be under the protection of our Spiritual Shepherd, without Him we are completely forever lost.

Please, Lord, we need You as our Good Shepherd -  help us live for you. Through all the hardships of life let us cling to You and Your promises that will come to pass. Let Your promises be our reality, Lord. Please! Let us be Yours!

The Choice For Faith Is Ours.

So what exactly happened to us the moment Eve bit into that forbidden fruit?

Some may think I'm crazy, and they could be right, but I believe the changes that took place from what we were upon initial creation and what the sin poison in the fruit did to us were drastic beyond imagining fully.

Using said imagination many have written stories which have fantasy/horror creatures stemming from an initial good source and are turned into some evil, unrecognizable creature.   I believe that is us. I do.  I believe we are unrecognizable beyond the very basics as to what we were intended to be. The change that is going to take place in us upon receiving immortality is going to be so magnificent we just have to use our imagination to think about it.

Every single flaw, every single function of our bodies that contains anything we need to bury, hide, wipe away, wish were less inconvenient and messy, all those functions and flaws will be gone as instantaneously as they were initiated in us as the poison touched the lips of Eve, and then Adam.

It's safe to say that just as we were physically altered, we were mentally and emotionally altered as well.

The light in us was snuffed out, and in its place darkness became a very real thing. The door to darkness was fully open and the very first child born to mankind was born into that darkness. The very first child was a child void of selflessness. Cain had within himself a dark seed that was watered and encouraged to grow by Satan (You don't really think Satan stopped His work after He won the prize of introducing mankind to the dark side, do you?)  Oh yeah, I went there, I made a Star Wars reference and why not, the fight against good and evil is REAL. Fictionalize it all you want, in whatever way you choose, it won't keep it from being a reality.

Imagine the evil joy of Satan as he watched Cain grow and begin to act in self-serving ways. When Cain offered a sacrifice to God-- the God His parents had known personally- face to face, the God His parents lamented their disobedience towards, when his sacrifice was offered it was rejected…WHY?

Gen 4:3  And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. 

Gen 4:4  And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: 

Gen 4:5  But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect..

We do know this-

Heb 11:4  By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain

Two offerings, each from the occupation taken on by the giver. One a worker of the fields- brings field items, the other a worker of sheep brings a sheep offering. One of these offerings was accepted, the other wasn't and the reason we are told is--  BY FAITH one offering was given and one was not.

Two people come before a king, president, ruler of whatever sort and bring offerings from their native countries. One comes before the ruler with good intentions the other does not. Outwardly they both appear to be giving acceptable tributes, but this ruler sees beyond their outward actions and into their minds and hearts.

Abel offered his offering to God through faith- through belief in the Kingdom of Heaven, through belief in the truth that God would one day restore human kind to belong to Him once more, that God would destroy all the evil. You see, Adam and Eve had been told there would come a Savior, one who would destroy evil's originator. Adam and Eve explained all this to their sons- their creation by God, their disobedience to God and the result of that disobedience. They explained how they lived in a garden of beauty, clothed in the light of God's righteousness, how they ate of the fruit from the tree of life and then how it was all taken from them because of their own disobedience. They explained God's forgiveness, God's goodness, God's authority, to their children. They taught them to worship God, to make offerings to God through faith- the belief in God to ultimately save them through the love He has towards them.

So when Cain made his offering from the fruits of his harvest, he did not make it with that faith which had been taught to him existed. His sacrifice was being done out of duty but not from the heart and God knew this, just as Cain knew this. Cain wanted God to accept what he brought to Him, but the contrite spirit, the heart broken by comprehension of sin's great separation between God and man was not in Cain. Abel's sacrifice was brought with faith- with that comprehension of the need for restoration between God and man.

Gen 4:5  But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. 

Gen 4:6  And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? 

Gen 4:7  If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. 

God asked Cain why he was upset, because Cain knew that how he made his offering wasn't how God wanted it to be. God wanted Cain to have faith just as Abel had faith. God told Cain if (obviously in the future) he would do well he would be accepted. However, if he chose not to nurture within Him the truth taught to him by his parents about having faith in God, then he was going down a very wrong path to sin and he would in truth exercise sin towards Abel. He would seek to dominate Abel because of his jealousy towards Abel's favor with God.  God spells it out, tells Cain that he has a choice to make that it's not already made, but Cain will have to choose doing well or falling into sin. Cain wasn't lost to God at this point, he had a chance to repent- we know he didn't choose to repent.

Here we have two children one choosing faith the other choosing self. The flaws were there and each one chose to react to their flawed selves in a different way.

TODAY we all have the same choice to make. We can embrace the flaws in our nature and use them or we can rebel against the flaws in our nature and choose not to indulge them. Every day we make these choices.

I read something recently that I found very interesting…

Bethel Baptist Church of Wister, Ok- Facebook Page- August 16, 2019

"The fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. These attributes are supernatural. Our human nature doesn't naturally possess these qualities.

As we follow Jesus, they’ll begin to show up in our lives. For instance, we’ll start loving people more, have greater patience with people, and show kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control in every area. When we mature in these areas, that’s a good indicator that we’re growing in our faith. This can also serve as a warning when we are lacking in any of these attributes, reminding us to repent and return to Jesus. We need his help to produce the fruits of His Spirit in our lives."

Selfless love-  joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control all these and more are not things that are naturally within us. This isn't to say we don't have bits of them in us, but they can be readily rooted out when we choose self-serving and we can choose this from a very young age.

When we choose faith- just as Abel chose faith- to believe in God and His plan for mankind, we choose to serve God and others before ourselves and the result of that choosing will produce the fruits of the Spirit because the Spirit will give us this fruit. The stony heart in us will be replaced with a heart of flesh.

Eze_11:19  And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh

Joh 17:21  That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 

Joh 17:22  And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: 

Joh 17:23  I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. 

We need this faith and we need to choose this faith and choose it constantly over and over and over again.

The choice is ours.

God help us believe, help our faith, heal any unbelief and faithlessness that may be in us!

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

Amen!!!!!!!