Joh 14:13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
Joh 14:14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
No, these are NOT magic words. This is not a magic formula. This was not Jesus saying that he will do anything for us no matter it is. When we ask for something in HIS name, we are asking for something HE would approve of, something we KNOW He would desire for us. All too often we ask for things that we *THINK* Jesus wants for us, or should want for us, but the truth is (and this is the a BIG truth) that all we should really want- is God's will to be done.
Yes, I've been writing about this for a long time now, but everything just keeps pointing back that way and for a good reason- it's truth and a truth we need to comprehend fully not just partially.
Asking in Jesus' name.
If we ask in someone's name what exactly are we hoping for?
If I ask my sister for something in my mother's name, for example, if I ask my sister for a loan in my mother's name, what am I doing? I'm asking her to look at my mother and what she stands for and by my mother's good grace, through my mother's merits I want her to grant me this loan. Now if my mother was against loaning out money for whatever reason and my sister knew this she might just decide that because it's against my mother's will as she's known it that it's not a good idea to give me that loan. My sister might also decide that because she knows I want the loan for something that isn't exactly going to help me in the long run so she denies me the loan. However, my sister might realize it is in my best interest regardless of how my mother felt about loans, and she might think that my mother would have given it to me under my circumstances and with all that in mind I would get the loan from her. Do you see the poor analogy I'm trying to make here?
Jesus will do nothing for us if we ask in His name for something that would be against God's will.
Jesus will do everything for us if we ask for God's will to be done and believe that the answer we receive is God's will.
So when we read these words of our Savior--
Joh 14:13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
Joh 14:14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
Whatsoever ye shall ask IN MY NAME, THAT will I do- we have to remember we are asking in the name of our Savior and in His name we it will be the will of the Father that will be done just as it always was in His life.
When we read… if ye shall ask ANYTHING in MY NAME, I will do it… we MUST understand without any question that the ANYTHING is ALWAYS part of God's will. Jesus would do nothing without it being God's will, absolutely NOTHING. So when we dare to ask for something in Jesus' name we need to do it asking wholeheartedly for God's will, not ours.
Does is hurt to ask for frivolous things? Does it hurt to ask for say a million dollars? Most of genuinely would love the security that a million dollars could give us. Security to keep a roof over our heads, a working car on the road, food in our bellies, health care. I'm not talking about asking for a million dollars to spend wildly on anything we have a whim for. Most of us would use it resourcefully, so is it wrong to ask for it? I don't think it is… as long as we are asking that it be according to God's will, not ours. As long as we aren't turning around and chastising God for not hearing us, for not answering us in a way we desire. God knows much more than we can ever, ever hope to know and we are SAFE in Him. And when I say SAFE in Him I mean our ETERNAL life is SAFE in Him. Our life here and now, this flesh life we were brought into the world in, is not the life we will one day have by the grace and mercy of our Savior. We need to live for eternity- beyond the here and now. All the suffering we are called to endure in whatever form it takes- is only temporary.
By His amazing grace and in Jesus' name may His will be done, may the Father's will be done, in our lives now and forever.
Amen.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Saturday, May 14, 2011
We find God when our heart belongs to Him.
Jer 29:12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
Jer 29:13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
Search for me with all your heart.
We know all about searching don't we? Every single one of us at one time or another has searched for something. Even if our search was simply in a text book at school looking for an elusive bit of information to answer a homework question. Or perhaps we've only searched a telephone book for a phone number- that analogy too out dated? Maybe it's only been a search in our smartphone, as we look for a phone number. Searching takes on many forms- we search for so many things. You've searched the laundry for a favorite shirt, right? You've searched the dryer for a sock match that just seems to have disappeared, yes? Suffice it to say we've ALL searched for one thing or another in our lifetime however short or long the searching. Yes, babies even search for a bottle or breast to suckle on to get nourishment. Toddlers search for toys- not always happy with a toy they are offered but preferring a favorite.
We search, we are searchers. If we aren't searching for something tangible we are searching for something intellectual- knowledge of some sort. The fact is we really are on a constant search throughout our lives, perhaps for a good meal, or something to wet our whistle, or a good nights sleep. We want these things and we live in hope of having things. Many search for love, yes? Wanting someone they're compatible with to give them love- to care about them. Others search for someone they can care for, not necessarily fall in love with, but they have a need to be giving. There are so very many ways we search throughout our entire lives. This isn't to say that some people don't give up on searching, they do. The world unfortunately has many people who would rather die by their own hands than keep living- which means keep searching for the many elusive things they need to give them the will to live. We have a daily quest for whatever drives us for whatever it is that keeps us holding onto life. There are many very sick people who cling to life searching for a little more time- holding onto life just because to be without it seems impossible.
While we search on many levels throughout our lives, how often do we search for something with ALL OUR HEART? You mean you did search for that lost ring with all your heart, giving it everything you had to find it? But there came a point didn't there, when it became futile to continue searching? You exhausted every possible avenue of search, turned everything upside-down and inside-out. You looked high and low even in the impossible places- just in case. Then finally you gave up the search. Inevitably we do get to a point when searching for something constantly begins to wear on us and hopelessness can set in. We might buy *another* if it's something that we can buy another of, hoping the replacement will do. Not everything has a replacement though. When we can't replace something we've lost and give up searching for it there is an emptiness where that something used to be. Time usually eases the pain of losing something we cherish and cannot replace, but sometimes there's always a little ache for that loss. Time might ease the pain of the lost thing or lost love, but it never fully fills in that spot where the loss occurred.
So as we go through life, is it safe to say some people search for happiness and they try to find it in many, many things and ways? Is it equally safe to say that we are all searchers even those most content in their lots in life? Even the most content might have to search for something to eat, yes? The search being they desire something and go to retrieve it. I'm not saying the search has to be for something impossible to find. We search a newspaper for information on current events. We search online search engines for answers to questions- again, wanting knowledge. We look for jobs, we look for a good place to see a movie, we search for a nice restaurant. Searching is something we are endlessly involved in. Even when we watch a movie on television aren't we searching for entertainment? Many search for good recipes, yes? Content, able to have others search for us, even then we are searching for their success at finding what we desire them to find. Some searches are much more active than others. Some searches require very little effort so we barely call it searching at all, but ultimately we search for much more than we care to realize.
Do you think God would tell us to search for something that is impossible to find? I don't.
Jer 29:13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
So, if God isn't asking the impossible, just how do we seek Him, how do we search for Him with all our heart?
*******
Deu 4:29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.
Deu 4:30 When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice;
Deu 4:31 (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.
Turn to the Lord and be OBEDIENT unto His voice.
To find God as we search for Him with all our heart we must be OBEDIENT to His will. Does that seem contrary, it's not. We must believe God IS in order to search for Him otherwise we are searching for nothing. Those who search for Bigfoot, the Yeti, the Lochness Monster, the Abominable Snowman all believe these creatures EXIST. If they didn't believe they existed they'd be searching for nothing. You might laugh and say that's exactly what their doing, but the point is THEY BELIEVE in them. When we search for God with all our heart we believe that He is. By faith we believe in all He's done through the men moved by the Holy Spirit to write down His words. We know from the Word we read that our God would have us be OBEDIENT to Him. In searching for God we need to be obedient to Him- choosing to believe the commandments He's set forth for us. If we choose NOT to be obedient to the Lord then our heart is NOT fully believing in Him, we are NOT seeking Him when we choose to disregard His word. In fact we are searching for reasons NOT to believe, rather than searching with all our heart and soul to believe.
*******
Deu 30:6 And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.
Jer 4:4 Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.
Rom 2:29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
Col 2:11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ
The LORD our God will circumcise our hearts- cutting off all that would keep us from Him.
Circumcising ourselves to the Lord- we open our hearts to our God's will.
Circumcised in spirit, made acceptable to God.
Circumcised without hands- cutting sin from our lives through Christ!
We find the Lord when we allow ourselves to be circumcised of all that would prevent us from finding Him. We can choose to keep sin in our lives, we can choose to accept sin, embrace sin and let it be a part of our lives- this is the choice we make. We can choose to not believe. We can choose not to accept Christ's sacrifice. We can choose to ignore all thoughts of God. But if we are truly desiring to search for the Lord with all our heart and soul then we will purge all that we can from our lives that we know is unacceptable to Him. We will give ourselves to Him and allow Him to purge us from all that is unacceptable through His power, we will trust that He will prepare us, that He will do all for us that we cannot do.
*******
Deu 30:10 If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul.
Deu 30:11 For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off.
Deu 30:12 It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?
Deu 30:13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?
Deu 30:14 But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.
Deu 30:15 See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;
Deu 30:16 In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.
Deu 30:17 But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them;
Deu 30:18 I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it.
Deu 30:19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
Deu 30:20 That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.
We MUST listen to God! He speaks to us and we MUST listen! Too many believe in God in a very abstract many. He's there but as a silent being who requires nothing of us. Like a genie in a bottle we just rub a little prayer and He'll listen and because He's a finicky genie He'll only answer when He feels like it. This idea of God is a false belief. God speaks to us through His Word and He has a lot to say to us. He'll put His word right in our hearts if we allow Him to, but we MUST listen to Him.
*******
Isa 55:6 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
Isa 55:7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
Listen to HIM! Forsake the evil thoughts and ways!
*******
Jer 3:10 And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the LORD.
Truly seek the LORD with your WHOLE heart!
*******
2Ch 31:21 And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered.
Psa 119:2 Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.
Psa 119:10 With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.
Psa 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
Psa 119:145 KOPH. I cried with my whole heart; hear me, O LORD: I will keep thy statutes.
Joe 2:12 Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning
Act 8:35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.
Act 8:36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?
Act 8:37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
Psa 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts
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.
Ecc 12:14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
The CONCLUSION of the WHOLE MATTER!
Fear God and keep His commandments!
When we seek to do this from the heart we are doing so with a singleness of purpose, using our whole heart not just a tiny part of it, not just half of it, not even three-quarters but our WHOLE entire heart must be seeking God. He must be our all in all even in a world crammed full of people. When HE is our all in all, then others are precious to us for HIM, not for our selfish purposes. All those that live around us that are a part of our lives are precious to us because they are precious to Him and have the potential to fully give their whole heart to Him as well. He loves us and because He loves will love through Him! Is it no wonder Jesus could tell us to love our enemies… He could do that because it is HIS love we are loving them with, not our own. Our love comes from Him. And if He can love us- the sinners that we are- we must love others with His love.
Yes, we are to FEAR GOD and KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS- everything else comes as a result of this obedience, of this faith in God.
Our searching for God must be a real and constant seeking, a believing, a living breathing believing that affects our entire lives. We find God when our heart belongs to HIM.
By His grace! By His mercy! By His righteousness! All through His love!
Amen.
Jer 29:13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
Search for me with all your heart.
We know all about searching don't we? Every single one of us at one time or another has searched for something. Even if our search was simply in a text book at school looking for an elusive bit of information to answer a homework question. Or perhaps we've only searched a telephone book for a phone number- that analogy too out dated? Maybe it's only been a search in our smartphone, as we look for a phone number. Searching takes on many forms- we search for so many things. You've searched the laundry for a favorite shirt, right? You've searched the dryer for a sock match that just seems to have disappeared, yes? Suffice it to say we've ALL searched for one thing or another in our lifetime however short or long the searching. Yes, babies even search for a bottle or breast to suckle on to get nourishment. Toddlers search for toys- not always happy with a toy they are offered but preferring a favorite.
We search, we are searchers. If we aren't searching for something tangible we are searching for something intellectual- knowledge of some sort. The fact is we really are on a constant search throughout our lives, perhaps for a good meal, or something to wet our whistle, or a good nights sleep. We want these things and we live in hope of having things. Many search for love, yes? Wanting someone they're compatible with to give them love- to care about them. Others search for someone they can care for, not necessarily fall in love with, but they have a need to be giving. There are so very many ways we search throughout our entire lives. This isn't to say that some people don't give up on searching, they do. The world unfortunately has many people who would rather die by their own hands than keep living- which means keep searching for the many elusive things they need to give them the will to live. We have a daily quest for whatever drives us for whatever it is that keeps us holding onto life. There are many very sick people who cling to life searching for a little more time- holding onto life just because to be without it seems impossible.
While we search on many levels throughout our lives, how often do we search for something with ALL OUR HEART? You mean you did search for that lost ring with all your heart, giving it everything you had to find it? But there came a point didn't there, when it became futile to continue searching? You exhausted every possible avenue of search, turned everything upside-down and inside-out. You looked high and low even in the impossible places- just in case. Then finally you gave up the search. Inevitably we do get to a point when searching for something constantly begins to wear on us and hopelessness can set in. We might buy *another* if it's something that we can buy another of, hoping the replacement will do. Not everything has a replacement though. When we can't replace something we've lost and give up searching for it there is an emptiness where that something used to be. Time usually eases the pain of losing something we cherish and cannot replace, but sometimes there's always a little ache for that loss. Time might ease the pain of the lost thing or lost love, but it never fully fills in that spot where the loss occurred.
So as we go through life, is it safe to say some people search for happiness and they try to find it in many, many things and ways? Is it equally safe to say that we are all searchers even those most content in their lots in life? Even the most content might have to search for something to eat, yes? The search being they desire something and go to retrieve it. I'm not saying the search has to be for something impossible to find. We search a newspaper for information on current events. We search online search engines for answers to questions- again, wanting knowledge. We look for jobs, we look for a good place to see a movie, we search for a nice restaurant. Searching is something we are endlessly involved in. Even when we watch a movie on television aren't we searching for entertainment? Many search for good recipes, yes? Content, able to have others search for us, even then we are searching for their success at finding what we desire them to find. Some searches are much more active than others. Some searches require very little effort so we barely call it searching at all, but ultimately we search for much more than we care to realize.
Do you think God would tell us to search for something that is impossible to find? I don't.
Jer 29:13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
So, if God isn't asking the impossible, just how do we seek Him, how do we search for Him with all our heart?
*******
Deu 4:29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.
Deu 4:30 When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice;
Deu 4:31 (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.
Turn to the Lord and be OBEDIENT unto His voice.
To find God as we search for Him with all our heart we must be OBEDIENT to His will. Does that seem contrary, it's not. We must believe God IS in order to search for Him otherwise we are searching for nothing. Those who search for Bigfoot, the Yeti, the Lochness Monster, the Abominable Snowman all believe these creatures EXIST. If they didn't believe they existed they'd be searching for nothing. You might laugh and say that's exactly what their doing, but the point is THEY BELIEVE in them. When we search for God with all our heart we believe that He is. By faith we believe in all He's done through the men moved by the Holy Spirit to write down His words. We know from the Word we read that our God would have us be OBEDIENT to Him. In searching for God we need to be obedient to Him- choosing to believe the commandments He's set forth for us. If we choose NOT to be obedient to the Lord then our heart is NOT fully believing in Him, we are NOT seeking Him when we choose to disregard His word. In fact we are searching for reasons NOT to believe, rather than searching with all our heart and soul to believe.
*******
Deu 30:6 And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.
Jer 4:4 Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.
Rom 2:29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
Col 2:11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ
The LORD our God will circumcise our hearts- cutting off all that would keep us from Him.
Circumcising ourselves to the Lord- we open our hearts to our God's will.
Circumcised in spirit, made acceptable to God.
Circumcised without hands- cutting sin from our lives through Christ!
We find the Lord when we allow ourselves to be circumcised of all that would prevent us from finding Him. We can choose to keep sin in our lives, we can choose to accept sin, embrace sin and let it be a part of our lives- this is the choice we make. We can choose to not believe. We can choose not to accept Christ's sacrifice. We can choose to ignore all thoughts of God. But if we are truly desiring to search for the Lord with all our heart and soul then we will purge all that we can from our lives that we know is unacceptable to Him. We will give ourselves to Him and allow Him to purge us from all that is unacceptable through His power, we will trust that He will prepare us, that He will do all for us that we cannot do.
*******
Deu 30:10 If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul.
Deu 30:11 For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off.
Deu 30:12 It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?
Deu 30:13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?
Deu 30:14 But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.
Deu 30:15 See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;
Deu 30:16 In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.
Deu 30:17 But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them;
Deu 30:18 I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it.
Deu 30:19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
Deu 30:20 That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.
We MUST listen to God! He speaks to us and we MUST listen! Too many believe in God in a very abstract many. He's there but as a silent being who requires nothing of us. Like a genie in a bottle we just rub a little prayer and He'll listen and because He's a finicky genie He'll only answer when He feels like it. This idea of God is a false belief. God speaks to us through His Word and He has a lot to say to us. He'll put His word right in our hearts if we allow Him to, but we MUST listen to Him.
*******
Isa 55:6 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
Isa 55:7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
Listen to HIM! Forsake the evil thoughts and ways!
*******
Jer 3:10 And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the LORD.
Truly seek the LORD with your WHOLE heart!
*******
2Ch 31:21 And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered.
Psa 119:2 Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.
Psa 119:10 With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.
Psa 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
Psa 119:145 KOPH. I cried with my whole heart; hear me, O LORD: I will keep thy statutes.
Joe 2:12 Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning
Act 8:35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.
Act 8:36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?
Act 8:37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
Psa 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts
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.
Ecc 12:14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
The CONCLUSION of the WHOLE MATTER!
Fear God and keep His commandments!
When we seek to do this from the heart we are doing so with a singleness of purpose, using our whole heart not just a tiny part of it, not just half of it, not even three-quarters but our WHOLE entire heart must be seeking God. He must be our all in all even in a world crammed full of people. When HE is our all in all, then others are precious to us for HIM, not for our selfish purposes. All those that live around us that are a part of our lives are precious to us because they are precious to Him and have the potential to fully give their whole heart to Him as well. He loves us and because He loves will love through Him! Is it no wonder Jesus could tell us to love our enemies… He could do that because it is HIS love we are loving them with, not our own. Our love comes from Him. And if He can love us- the sinners that we are- we must love others with His love.
Yes, we are to FEAR GOD and KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS- everything else comes as a result of this obedience, of this faith in God.
Our searching for God must be a real and constant seeking, a believing, a living breathing believing that affects our entire lives. We find God when our heart belongs to HIM.
By His grace! By His mercy! By His righteousness! All through His love!
Amen.
Friday, May 13, 2011
He WILL shut the door
Dan 12:1-3
And at that time shall Michael stand up
the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people
Heb 10:10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Heb 10:11 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:
Heb 10:12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God
Christ sat down and Christ will stand up.
When Christ sat down at the right hand of the Father He did so with the hope His sacrifice would be accepted by the people He made the sacrifice for.
As with any sacrifice to God- it was made to bridge that gap sin created between God and man. It wasn't a mistake that God gave a sacrificial service to those who lived before Christ died. God wanted people to understand that this ULTIMATE sacrifice- not of a perfect lamb without blemish, not a perfect bullock, not a perfect animal of any sort- but rather the sinless, perfect Lamb of God- was there to step in and do what none of the animal sacrifices could ever do.
Sacrificed once- Christ as the ultimate Sacrifice uses the blood of that Most Holy Sacrifice to atone for our sins. Just as on the yearly DAY of Atonement, there was an end to the sacrificial ceremony performed- there will also be an end to the Atonement Christ died to make for us. The end of the Atonement is when Christ finishes the work He began so long ago and the very last person that will accept His sacrifice, accepts it, and there are no more. Then Christ will stand up. Those who accepted His sacrifice will be at-one- with God once more as mankind was intended to be. Those who chose not to accept His sacrifice will be kept out of the kingdom of heaven. Those who chose not to accept His sacrifice will face eternal death and eventually will cease to exist altogether.
There will come a day whether we want to believe it or not, when it will all be finished. If we believe Christ will come a second time to take us with Him to heaven then we HAVE to believe there will be an end. There will have to be a moment in time when it is decided that ALL has been done that could be done for mankind. Probation for mankind will be over. Time will be up.
Rev 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Our names in the book of life. At some point all the names that will ever be in that book will have been written in there. All that needed to be blotted out will have been blotted out and Christ will come!
Rev 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
Do we really understand that there ISN'T a forever probation. Life will not continue always as it does now. There is no instantaneous life right after our body dies which gives people the illusion that they live forever, merely exchanging one existence for another. Our Savior will return and those who have died and have their names in the Book of Life will rise up from their graves and meet Him in the air.
1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
God's word- not mine. God's truth- not mine. Truth that we need to believe. Christ will stand up. Probation will end.
And at that time shall Michael stand up
the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people
and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered,
every one that shall be found written in the book.
And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake,
some to everlasting life,
and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament
and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.
Luk 13:25 When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are:
Luk 13:26 Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets.
Luk 13:27 But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.
He will RISE UP.
He will SHUT the door.
People will knock at that shut door thinking they have every right to enter, but He won't let them in because He knows they are workers of iniquity. Apparently they don't believe they are workers of iniquity, but they are. By the grace of God may we NOT be found among them! By the righteousness of our Savior may be where He is at and not left without Him.
Amen.
And at that time shall Michael stand up
the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people
Heb 10:10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Heb 10:11 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:
Heb 10:12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God
Christ sat down and Christ will stand up.
When Christ sat down at the right hand of the Father He did so with the hope His sacrifice would be accepted by the people He made the sacrifice for.
As with any sacrifice to God- it was made to bridge that gap sin created between God and man. It wasn't a mistake that God gave a sacrificial service to those who lived before Christ died. God wanted people to understand that this ULTIMATE sacrifice- not of a perfect lamb without blemish, not a perfect bullock, not a perfect animal of any sort- but rather the sinless, perfect Lamb of God- was there to step in and do what none of the animal sacrifices could ever do.
Sacrificed once- Christ as the ultimate Sacrifice uses the blood of that Most Holy Sacrifice to atone for our sins. Just as on the yearly DAY of Atonement, there was an end to the sacrificial ceremony performed- there will also be an end to the Atonement Christ died to make for us. The end of the Atonement is when Christ finishes the work He began so long ago and the very last person that will accept His sacrifice, accepts it, and there are no more. Then Christ will stand up. Those who accepted His sacrifice will be at-one- with God once more as mankind was intended to be. Those who chose not to accept His sacrifice will be kept out of the kingdom of heaven. Those who chose not to accept His sacrifice will face eternal death and eventually will cease to exist altogether.
There will come a day whether we want to believe it or not, when it will all be finished. If we believe Christ will come a second time to take us with Him to heaven then we HAVE to believe there will be an end. There will have to be a moment in time when it is decided that ALL has been done that could be done for mankind. Probation for mankind will be over. Time will be up.
Rev 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Our names in the book of life. At some point all the names that will ever be in that book will have been written in there. All that needed to be blotted out will have been blotted out and Christ will come!
Rev 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
Do we really understand that there ISN'T a forever probation. Life will not continue always as it does now. There is no instantaneous life right after our body dies which gives people the illusion that they live forever, merely exchanging one existence for another. Our Savior will return and those who have died and have their names in the Book of Life will rise up from their graves and meet Him in the air.
1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
God's word- not mine. God's truth- not mine. Truth that we need to believe. Christ will stand up. Probation will end.
And at that time shall Michael stand up
the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people
and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered,
every one that shall be found written in the book.
And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake,
some to everlasting life,
and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament
and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.
Luk 13:25 When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are:
Luk 13:26 Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets.
Luk 13:27 But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.
He will RISE UP.
He will SHUT the door.
People will knock at that shut door thinking they have every right to enter, but He won't let them in because He knows they are workers of iniquity. Apparently they don't believe they are workers of iniquity, but they are. By the grace of God may we NOT be found among them! By the righteousness of our Savior may be where He is at and not left without Him.
Amen.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Believing ye shall receive
Mat 21:21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.
Mat 21:22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
Is this the truth? It has to be true there is no doubt about it whatsoever. So, why haven't mountains been moved- cast right into the sea? Are there NONE who have faith? Our Lord speaks so much in parables and we know this to be true don't we? We have to know this. Jesus didn't expect all his Apostles, and disciples then and now to test their faith by pushing mountains into the sea. If this was what was meant then there would at least have been several mountains pushed into the sea and I have a feeling we would have heard something written about that by the disciples. The point here is Jesus revealed power, Jesus gave a lesson. The fig tree was unproductive. There was an expectation of produce on that tree and none was found. The tree didn't produce and Jesus desires production, Jesus desires fruit to be produced not only in trees but in all of us. So what did Jesus mean by telling the apostles they could do the same? They could take something unproductive and rebuke it, cause it to wither? The power was there to reveal the truth of a matter. Couldn't Jesus have just as readily caused the tree to produce figs? Yes. The point our Savior wanted to make was that WHATSOEVER we SHALL ASK in prayer, BELIEVING, we will receive.
If ALL is to the glory of God then what we ask will be for HIS will to be done, not ours and if we believe that His will- will be done- it will be done.
That's why we cannot pray for OUR will to be done. We can't pray selfishly, we have to pray for God and His will and when we ask anything according to HIS will and believe, then it will be done.
If it is God's will that a mountain be removed into the sea, then it will be done.
Do we need a mountain to move into the sea? I know I don't right now but if someday I do, I know that if I pray for God's will to be done that a mountain be moved into the sea and it really is GOD'S will for this- it WILL happen! We get into so much trouble when we want our own will to be done. We pray for things we will and expect them to be answered because God said they would be if we believe.
People love to throw this up into the faces of Christians, this verse…
Mat 21:22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
Saying- didn't we ask for such and such to be healed? Didn't we believe? Didn't we have faith? Obviously we didn't have the faith we needed, or… God's word isn't true. This is how some people believe and they would have us doubt ourselves and God because what we want, and what we really pray for believing, doesn't happen.
Ultimately it has to be God's will we pray for and believe in Him knowing that HE sees the eternal picture. He knows whether or not healing someone we love will be best in the grand scheme of eternal life. I've said it before and I'm going to keep on saying it because it's pure TRUTH in our Savior.
When we read these verses…
Mat 21:21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.
Mat 21:22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
We do so knowing that He's already taught us to pray- 'Thy will be done'.
Jesus even prayed that way…
Luk 22:42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
Jesus wanted the cup He had to drink from to be removed- the cup being His brutalization and death at the hands of His accusers. He wanted not to have to endure torture and a horrific death but did His Father will that? No. Why? Because God the Father KNEW that the sacrifice had to be made, God knew this was the plan of salvation that had to be followed, a plan that the WORD who became flesh agreed upon before the world began should man sin… and man sinned. This was the way things had to be. God's will had to be done then and it has to be done NOW, and it must be done FOREVER.
So when Jesus told us that we could move mountains if we believe, that whatsoever we asked in prayer and believe we would receive, it was with the understanding that in prayer we would ask for God's will to be done, NOT OURS! We have to ask and believe that God's will IS being done even when what we *want* isn't done, but God's will *IS* done- it's this we must believe - fully, wholly in God!
When we are in doubt, when we pray for someone we love to be healed, to live, to feel no pain, to stay safe, to find love, to find happiness…all these things no matter what they may be and no matter HOW pure and righteous our request may seem… have to be prayed first and foremost that God's will be done. We have to believe in God, not our ability to pray so wonderfully, so beautifully that God can't help but hear and answer us. Our faith has to be IN God and God alone! Jesus wants us to pray, Jesus wants us to ask for things so we can receive them as God's will now and throughout our lives here and forever.
God's will now and always!!!
In His LOVE!
Amen.
Mat 21:22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
Is this the truth? It has to be true there is no doubt about it whatsoever. So, why haven't mountains been moved- cast right into the sea? Are there NONE who have faith? Our Lord speaks so much in parables and we know this to be true don't we? We have to know this. Jesus didn't expect all his Apostles, and disciples then and now to test their faith by pushing mountains into the sea. If this was what was meant then there would at least have been several mountains pushed into the sea and I have a feeling we would have heard something written about that by the disciples. The point here is Jesus revealed power, Jesus gave a lesson. The fig tree was unproductive. There was an expectation of produce on that tree and none was found. The tree didn't produce and Jesus desires production, Jesus desires fruit to be produced not only in trees but in all of us. So what did Jesus mean by telling the apostles they could do the same? They could take something unproductive and rebuke it, cause it to wither? The power was there to reveal the truth of a matter. Couldn't Jesus have just as readily caused the tree to produce figs? Yes. The point our Savior wanted to make was that WHATSOEVER we SHALL ASK in prayer, BELIEVING, we will receive.
If ALL is to the glory of God then what we ask will be for HIS will to be done, not ours and if we believe that His will- will be done- it will be done.
That's why we cannot pray for OUR will to be done. We can't pray selfishly, we have to pray for God and His will and when we ask anything according to HIS will and believe, then it will be done.
If it is God's will that a mountain be removed into the sea, then it will be done.
Do we need a mountain to move into the sea? I know I don't right now but if someday I do, I know that if I pray for God's will to be done that a mountain be moved into the sea and it really is GOD'S will for this- it WILL happen! We get into so much trouble when we want our own will to be done. We pray for things we will and expect them to be answered because God said they would be if we believe.
People love to throw this up into the faces of Christians, this verse…
Mat 21:22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
Saying- didn't we ask for such and such to be healed? Didn't we believe? Didn't we have faith? Obviously we didn't have the faith we needed, or… God's word isn't true. This is how some people believe and they would have us doubt ourselves and God because what we want, and what we really pray for believing, doesn't happen.
Ultimately it has to be God's will we pray for and believe in Him knowing that HE sees the eternal picture. He knows whether or not healing someone we love will be best in the grand scheme of eternal life. I've said it before and I'm going to keep on saying it because it's pure TRUTH in our Savior.
When we read these verses…
Mat 21:21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.
Mat 21:22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
We do so knowing that He's already taught us to pray- 'Thy will be done'.
Jesus even prayed that way…
Luk 22:42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
Jesus wanted the cup He had to drink from to be removed- the cup being His brutalization and death at the hands of His accusers. He wanted not to have to endure torture and a horrific death but did His Father will that? No. Why? Because God the Father KNEW that the sacrifice had to be made, God knew this was the plan of salvation that had to be followed, a plan that the WORD who became flesh agreed upon before the world began should man sin… and man sinned. This was the way things had to be. God's will had to be done then and it has to be done NOW, and it must be done FOREVER.
So when Jesus told us that we could move mountains if we believe, that whatsoever we asked in prayer and believe we would receive, it was with the understanding that in prayer we would ask for God's will to be done, NOT OURS! We have to ask and believe that God's will IS being done even when what we *want* isn't done, but God's will *IS* done- it's this we must believe - fully, wholly in God!
When we are in doubt, when we pray for someone we love to be healed, to live, to feel no pain, to stay safe, to find love, to find happiness…all these things no matter what they may be and no matter HOW pure and righteous our request may seem… have to be prayed first and foremost that God's will be done. We have to believe in God, not our ability to pray so wonderfully, so beautifully that God can't help but hear and answer us. Our faith has to be IN God and God alone! Jesus wants us to pray, Jesus wants us to ask for things so we can receive them as God's will now and throughout our lives here and forever.
God's will now and always!!!
In His LOVE!
Amen.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Ask Seek Knock
Mat 7:7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
Mat 7:8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
How simple that sounds, doesn't it? Seriously, it sounds amazingly simple. Ask and receive. Seek and find. Knock and the door is open. Simple.
Ask and it SHALL be given you.
Seek and ye SHALL find.
Knock and it SHALL be opened unto you.
And everyone that does this will have the same results. It doesn't get more simple than that, right?
How lovely it would be if all life was this way- if all that we asked for we received, if all we sought we found, and every time we knocked the door was opened. But I don't believe there is a single person who hasn't experienced asking and not receiving, seeking and not finding, knocking and not getting that door to open. We live with this throughout our lives. So what exactly does Jesus mean by telling us that everyone who asks, everyone who seeks, everyone who knocks- SHALL get what they 're wanting to get?
We need to remember what Jesus' message is for us-- preaching the Kingdom of Heaven.
What is Jesus teaching us?
How to receive the Kingdom of Heaven.
Jesus' life was all about this message, the gospel, salvation in Him, salvation from evil and reward in eternity. This is what Jesus was all about and NOTHING else! This is the love of our God, saving us. There is NO greater love, none! Being saved when we do not deserve saving- this is LOVE! If anyone tries to tell you differently they'd be steering you in the wrong direction.
Knowing this, we have to read this teaching message of our Savior with His message, His mission, in mind.
For seekers of Eternal Life in Jesus Christ-
Mat 7:7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
Mat 7:8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
Ask- acknowledge that you need to ask.
Seek-acknowledge that you need to seek.
Knock- acknowledge that you need to knock.
We are NOT given eternal life automatically.
We ARE given the choice to choose eternal life or not choose it.
We must ASK to be forgiven, we must ASK to be saved. We need to seek God, we need to seek life in Christ, we need to seek a relationship with our God. We need to knock and knocking is requesting entrance and we need to request entrance into the kingdom of heaven through our Savior, it is our Savior who OPENS that door we are knocking on.
This message to us is incredibly important, more than a simple directive. More than using this as a formula to try and wheedle our desires from God. So much more than us begging for material things in our lives, or our desires. It's a lot more than praying for things even very important things to us. There is nothing more genuine than a person praying for a sick loved one whether that loved one is a newborn babe or an elderly parent, and even this is more important than those genuine hearts desires. Nothing is more important than loving our God because it is FROM Him we have any ability to love whatsoever. Without God we do not have a real love to give others, it's just not possible. The love we might think we possess isn't the love that is true and pure because that love can ONLY come from God. It is by the grace of our Savior we can have this love through HIM.
It is NO mistake, no slip of our Savior's tongue when He told us this--
Mat 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Not a mistake at all! This is life advice, eternal life advice, the advice of love unfathomable love!
By the grace and mercy of our Lord may we come to understand this message fully all in Him!
Amen.
Mat 7:8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
How simple that sounds, doesn't it? Seriously, it sounds amazingly simple. Ask and receive. Seek and find. Knock and the door is open. Simple.
Ask and it SHALL be given you.
Seek and ye SHALL find.
Knock and it SHALL be opened unto you.
And everyone that does this will have the same results. It doesn't get more simple than that, right?
How lovely it would be if all life was this way- if all that we asked for we received, if all we sought we found, and every time we knocked the door was opened. But I don't believe there is a single person who hasn't experienced asking and not receiving, seeking and not finding, knocking and not getting that door to open. We live with this throughout our lives. So what exactly does Jesus mean by telling us that everyone who asks, everyone who seeks, everyone who knocks- SHALL get what they 're wanting to get?
We need to remember what Jesus' message is for us-- preaching the Kingdom of Heaven.
What is Jesus teaching us?
How to receive the Kingdom of Heaven.
Jesus' life was all about this message, the gospel, salvation in Him, salvation from evil and reward in eternity. This is what Jesus was all about and NOTHING else! This is the love of our God, saving us. There is NO greater love, none! Being saved when we do not deserve saving- this is LOVE! If anyone tries to tell you differently they'd be steering you in the wrong direction.
Knowing this, we have to read this teaching message of our Savior with His message, His mission, in mind.
For seekers of Eternal Life in Jesus Christ-
Mat 7:7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
Mat 7:8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
Ask- acknowledge that you need to ask.
Seek-acknowledge that you need to seek.
Knock- acknowledge that you need to knock.
We are NOT given eternal life automatically.
We ARE given the choice to choose eternal life or not choose it.
We must ASK to be forgiven, we must ASK to be saved. We need to seek God, we need to seek life in Christ, we need to seek a relationship with our God. We need to knock and knocking is requesting entrance and we need to request entrance into the kingdom of heaven through our Savior, it is our Savior who OPENS that door we are knocking on.
This message to us is incredibly important, more than a simple directive. More than using this as a formula to try and wheedle our desires from God. So much more than us begging for material things in our lives, or our desires. It's a lot more than praying for things even very important things to us. There is nothing more genuine than a person praying for a sick loved one whether that loved one is a newborn babe or an elderly parent, and even this is more important than those genuine hearts desires. Nothing is more important than loving our God because it is FROM Him we have any ability to love whatsoever. Without God we do not have a real love to give others, it's just not possible. The love we might think we possess isn't the love that is true and pure because that love can ONLY come from God. It is by the grace of our Savior we can have this love through HIM.
It is NO mistake, no slip of our Savior's tongue when He told us this--
Mat 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Not a mistake at all! This is life advice, eternal life advice, the advice of love unfathomable love!
By the grace and mercy of our Lord may we come to understand this message fully all in Him!
Amen.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Dogs and Swine
Mat 7:6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
Let's look at a few other verses on dogs-
Php 3:2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.
We are not being told to beware of CANINES, but of men who are likened unto dogs- evil workers. Dogs as a creature beneath a human being, a lower creature.
Rev 22:15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
Dogs-sorcerers-whoremongers-murderers-idolaters, all of which are HUMAN being references, not canine. A human creature that acts more like an animal than a human.
2Pe 2:22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.
A dog's behavior is far below that of a human being's behavior. A dog will eat it's own vomit, but a human would not. A freshly cleaned pig would just as soon be dirty- not having the intelligence to desire cleanliness over dirtiness.
We read these references and we have to use them to help us understand--
Mat 7:6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
What do dogs do to people? Not all dogs, but wild dogs and sadly some tame dogs who go feral for one reason or another. They attack people. You can train a dog to attack people. I've seen shows on television that have trained attack dogs go after people dressed up in protective gear and those dogs can be vicious. It's not unheard of for dogs to kill people. More recently Pit Bulls and Rottweilers have received a reputation for being attack dogs brutally attacking and yes, sometimes killing people. Wild dogs that run in packs are very ferocious, and when you hear of them attacking and rending a person into pieces you know exactly how to visualize it. Dogs as our pets don't seem to be dangerous at all, but underneath all their docile ways there is an animal that can bite and do so to inflict great harm, even death.
This verse here is talking about people. People who act like untamed, uncontrolled animals who are letting their base nature take over and not at all encouraging their spiritual connections with God. These people have actually severed themselves from God, choosing to deny Him, choosing to debase Him, choosing to let their flesh nature have full control and we know who is really in control when we choose not to accept God as our Lord and Savior. Satan will take control and when he is in control men begin to act like animals in many, many ways.
We are not to give that which is holy unto dogs- lest they turn again and rend us.
Dogs- those who are completely unreceptive to our Lord and His word, His message of the Kingdom, are not going to listen. How do we tell when someone is unreceptive? I'm sure most of you reading this have had an opportunity to want to share the good news of salvation with others and have faced opposition. Maybe you haven't been ridiculed, or bodily harmed, but even having someone tell you they don't want to hear it is opposition. When opposition is encountered we are NOT to ever force ourselves, our message on others, not ever! Jesus never, not once forced His message on anyone at all whatsoever. Time and time again He riled up a crowd full of opposition and He left, He didn't fight them, he didn't force His will on any. Why people sometimes think they need to try and force their message on people is something I cannot fathom. Forcing ANYONE to listen under any sort of duress is wrong on many levels. The history of Christianity is filled with crusades and campaigns, tortures and inquisitions all in the name of God as people fought against non-Christians wanting them to become Christians as they are Christians. Jesus would be the LAST to approve of any sort of torture in His name! Jesus would be the LAST to advocate any sort of forced message. The choice that needs to be made needs to be made freely without any coercion whatsoever. So when we face *dogs* we cannot force the holy message of the Kingdom of Heaven upon them. Yes, it's awful to imagine people as *dogs*. We don't want to think of family members and friends as *dogs*. Calling someone a dog is very derogatory. No one likes to be called or thought of as a dog. When we call someone a dog we aren't calling them a fluffy, friendly pet. We are calling them a dog in a term that is most offensive.
This isn't about calling anyone a dog though, this is about how we are to react to dogs. Even as I write I don't like to think about people as dogs, it goes against everything I was raised to believe and that is to NOT believe the worst of people, not to judge them. Remember that bit about not judging? Well, we HAVE to be able to judge situations and this is one of those situations.
We are not to give that which is holy unto dogs- lest they turn again and rend us.
We are not to cast our pearls before swine- lest they trample us underfoot.
Wild swine, like wild dogs are both very dangerous and can inflict great harm upon human beings, even death- this is something that is undisputable.
Neither dogs nor swine are worthy of the message of the kingdom, especially when the dogs and swine CHOOSE to be dogs and swine. Unlike the animals- dogs and swine, people who are dogs and swine were at least at one time able to choose between right and wrong. I word it that way because sometimes when we make the choice to be blind we can no longer see. Not everyone is given chance after chance because they've hardened their hearts, they refuse to see, in their heart of hearts they reject salvation from God. It seems impossible to me, but people reject salvation, they do.
Can we really judge who is a dog or a pig? We have to be able to judge when NOT to give that which is holy to them. We have to be able to judge when NOT to cast our pearls before swine. You see the danger is… being HURT by them if we don't listen to our Savior. These are our Savior's words! We can be HURT by these people. We're not invincible. Our spiritual lives can be in danger as well and Jesus wants to protect our spiritual lives more than anything, right? Our bodies can be forfeit for Christ but our spiritual life is never forfeit, never. Our Savior wants to protect our spiritual lives and He is teaching us to do this. We put ourselves in DANGER when we choose to try and give the message of the kingdom of heaven to those who do not want to hear it. Those who are not receptive to the gospel of Christ are likely to turn around and try to destroy our belief in our Savior. They will! Don't for one moment think that the *dogs* and the *swine* won't try, they will trample and rend us every opportunity they get because they are being controlled by Satan.
This isn't an idle half-hearted message given to us by Christ, it's much, much more and we need to take it to heart.
By the grace of our Savior we will be able to tell the dogs and the swine from those who genuinely need and want to hear His word. While we cannot judge any person's eternal life ever, we have to be able to judge actions and by judging actions we can judge responses. When we judge responses we need to pray that the Holy Spirit guides us to discern when we are to speak and when we are not to speak, keeping us protected by His love, His grace, His mercy, His righteousness.
Amen.
Let's look at a few other verses on dogs-
Php 3:2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.
We are not being told to beware of CANINES, but of men who are likened unto dogs- evil workers. Dogs as a creature beneath a human being, a lower creature.
Rev 22:15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
Dogs-sorcerers-whoremongers-murderers-idolaters, all of which are HUMAN being references, not canine. A human creature that acts more like an animal than a human.
2Pe 2:22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.
A dog's behavior is far below that of a human being's behavior. A dog will eat it's own vomit, but a human would not. A freshly cleaned pig would just as soon be dirty- not having the intelligence to desire cleanliness over dirtiness.
We read these references and we have to use them to help us understand--
Mat 7:6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
What do dogs do to people? Not all dogs, but wild dogs and sadly some tame dogs who go feral for one reason or another. They attack people. You can train a dog to attack people. I've seen shows on television that have trained attack dogs go after people dressed up in protective gear and those dogs can be vicious. It's not unheard of for dogs to kill people. More recently Pit Bulls and Rottweilers have received a reputation for being attack dogs brutally attacking and yes, sometimes killing people. Wild dogs that run in packs are very ferocious, and when you hear of them attacking and rending a person into pieces you know exactly how to visualize it. Dogs as our pets don't seem to be dangerous at all, but underneath all their docile ways there is an animal that can bite and do so to inflict great harm, even death.
This verse here is talking about people. People who act like untamed, uncontrolled animals who are letting their base nature take over and not at all encouraging their spiritual connections with God. These people have actually severed themselves from God, choosing to deny Him, choosing to debase Him, choosing to let their flesh nature have full control and we know who is really in control when we choose not to accept God as our Lord and Savior. Satan will take control and when he is in control men begin to act like animals in many, many ways.
We are not to give that which is holy unto dogs- lest they turn again and rend us.
Dogs- those who are completely unreceptive to our Lord and His word, His message of the Kingdom, are not going to listen. How do we tell when someone is unreceptive? I'm sure most of you reading this have had an opportunity to want to share the good news of salvation with others and have faced opposition. Maybe you haven't been ridiculed, or bodily harmed, but even having someone tell you they don't want to hear it is opposition. When opposition is encountered we are NOT to ever force ourselves, our message on others, not ever! Jesus never, not once forced His message on anyone at all whatsoever. Time and time again He riled up a crowd full of opposition and He left, He didn't fight them, he didn't force His will on any. Why people sometimes think they need to try and force their message on people is something I cannot fathom. Forcing ANYONE to listen under any sort of duress is wrong on many levels. The history of Christianity is filled with crusades and campaigns, tortures and inquisitions all in the name of God as people fought against non-Christians wanting them to become Christians as they are Christians. Jesus would be the LAST to approve of any sort of torture in His name! Jesus would be the LAST to advocate any sort of forced message. The choice that needs to be made needs to be made freely without any coercion whatsoever. So when we face *dogs* we cannot force the holy message of the Kingdom of Heaven upon them. Yes, it's awful to imagine people as *dogs*. We don't want to think of family members and friends as *dogs*. Calling someone a dog is very derogatory. No one likes to be called or thought of as a dog. When we call someone a dog we aren't calling them a fluffy, friendly pet. We are calling them a dog in a term that is most offensive.
This isn't about calling anyone a dog though, this is about how we are to react to dogs. Even as I write I don't like to think about people as dogs, it goes against everything I was raised to believe and that is to NOT believe the worst of people, not to judge them. Remember that bit about not judging? Well, we HAVE to be able to judge situations and this is one of those situations.
We are not to give that which is holy unto dogs- lest they turn again and rend us.
We are not to cast our pearls before swine- lest they trample us underfoot.
Wild swine, like wild dogs are both very dangerous and can inflict great harm upon human beings, even death- this is something that is undisputable.
Neither dogs nor swine are worthy of the message of the kingdom, especially when the dogs and swine CHOOSE to be dogs and swine. Unlike the animals- dogs and swine, people who are dogs and swine were at least at one time able to choose between right and wrong. I word it that way because sometimes when we make the choice to be blind we can no longer see. Not everyone is given chance after chance because they've hardened their hearts, they refuse to see, in their heart of hearts they reject salvation from God. It seems impossible to me, but people reject salvation, they do.
Can we really judge who is a dog or a pig? We have to be able to judge when NOT to give that which is holy to them. We have to be able to judge when NOT to cast our pearls before swine. You see the danger is… being HURT by them if we don't listen to our Savior. These are our Savior's words! We can be HURT by these people. We're not invincible. Our spiritual lives can be in danger as well and Jesus wants to protect our spiritual lives more than anything, right? Our bodies can be forfeit for Christ but our spiritual life is never forfeit, never. Our Savior wants to protect our spiritual lives and He is teaching us to do this. We put ourselves in DANGER when we choose to try and give the message of the kingdom of heaven to those who do not want to hear it. Those who are not receptive to the gospel of Christ are likely to turn around and try to destroy our belief in our Savior. They will! Don't for one moment think that the *dogs* and the *swine* won't try, they will trample and rend us every opportunity they get because they are being controlled by Satan.
This isn't an idle half-hearted message given to us by Christ, it's much, much more and we need to take it to heart.
By the grace of our Savior we will be able to tell the dogs and the swine from those who genuinely need and want to hear His word. While we cannot judge any person's eternal life ever, we have to be able to judge actions and by judging actions we can judge responses. When we judge responses we need to pray that the Holy Spirit guides us to discern when we are to speak and when we are not to speak, keeping us protected by His love, His grace, His mercy, His righteousness.
Amen.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Clear Eyes
Mat 7:3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
Mat 7:4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
Mat 7:5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
Seeing the faults in others is easy, isn't it? We are so full of self that we can't help but look at others through our own selfish eyes. They are selfish eyes, aren't they? Or maybe it's just me who has selfish eyes, but somehow I doubt it. Do I like having selfish eyes? God forbid! I pray that all my selfishness is refined in the Holy Fire of the Holy Spirit so that I'm purged of it all. I need to have my eyes opened to see the beam in my own eyes. It's so easy to close our eyes to our own failings. Of course, there are those who love to dwell on their own failings, but they do so ironically enough, selfishly. There is a line and I'm not sure how fine a line it is, between realizing our selfish faults and dwelling on our selfish faults making that in itself a fault. Only by the grace of God can we ever hope to be saved and this is the most important lesson we have to learn. Recognizing our selfishness and all the faults that stem from that is important to realizing our dependence upon God.
Is it any wonder that we are told to stop looking for the FAULTS in others and start looking at the FAULTS in ourselves? How dare we presume to *FIX* others. Seriously. We think we are being helpful when we reveal to others where we think they could improve but it's more counterproductive than anything else. UNLESS a person is seeking help, UNLESS a person is receptive to being helped- when we presume to help them all they see is our arrogance. Come on, you know what I'm talking about. Surely you've been in the situation before- someone offering to *help* you and you resent it. If you've not been in that situation you're a better person than I am by far. Also, I've been in the opposite situation. I've tried to help and been unable to help, and even if I say the words that I think people believe are almost magical, 'I'm only trying to help.' I could tell there was resentment there for my trying to help. I've had it thrown in my face on several occasions that 'just because I'm perfect…' which you know right away that the help is being resented and any help will do no good. Of course I'd counter with I'm not perfect, but that does about as much good as 'I'm only trying to help.' does.
Is there a conundrum then? Wanting to help but unable to help? I believe we should forever be *ready* to help anyone in anyway we can, but at the same time know better than to try and force our help upon anyone. We really HAVE to be humble and genuinely humble, not forced humble, not falsely humble. Christ has to be working in us, all glory has to go to God.
Mat 7:3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
Mat 7:4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
Mat 7:5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
First we HAVE to look to ourselves but NOT selfishly, but to NOTE our selfishness, to note our intentions, to note that we are fully dependent upon our Savior. What good would it do for us take any beams or motes out of anyone's eyes if our own are filled with them? We need to see clearly, we need to see selflessly if we want to help anyone else. As long as we have our eyes filled- clouded by the faults we possess- we cannot help anyone. No, this doesn't mean when we are called on to help someone we shouldn't do so, but we need to do so praying for the grace of God to help us help only in ways that will be for His glory and in no other way. We can't actively strive to help another imposingly, ever.
By the grace of God may we do His will and only His will, not our own! May we be filled with the Holy Spirit able to get the beams out of our eyes so that we may help others as He wills.
In His love always!
Amen.
Mat 7:4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
Mat 7:5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
Seeing the faults in others is easy, isn't it? We are so full of self that we can't help but look at others through our own selfish eyes. They are selfish eyes, aren't they? Or maybe it's just me who has selfish eyes, but somehow I doubt it. Do I like having selfish eyes? God forbid! I pray that all my selfishness is refined in the Holy Fire of the Holy Spirit so that I'm purged of it all. I need to have my eyes opened to see the beam in my own eyes. It's so easy to close our eyes to our own failings. Of course, there are those who love to dwell on their own failings, but they do so ironically enough, selfishly. There is a line and I'm not sure how fine a line it is, between realizing our selfish faults and dwelling on our selfish faults making that in itself a fault. Only by the grace of God can we ever hope to be saved and this is the most important lesson we have to learn. Recognizing our selfishness and all the faults that stem from that is important to realizing our dependence upon God.
Is it any wonder that we are told to stop looking for the FAULTS in others and start looking at the FAULTS in ourselves? How dare we presume to *FIX* others. Seriously. We think we are being helpful when we reveal to others where we think they could improve but it's more counterproductive than anything else. UNLESS a person is seeking help, UNLESS a person is receptive to being helped- when we presume to help them all they see is our arrogance. Come on, you know what I'm talking about. Surely you've been in the situation before- someone offering to *help* you and you resent it. If you've not been in that situation you're a better person than I am by far. Also, I've been in the opposite situation. I've tried to help and been unable to help, and even if I say the words that I think people believe are almost magical, 'I'm only trying to help.' I could tell there was resentment there for my trying to help. I've had it thrown in my face on several occasions that 'just because I'm perfect…' which you know right away that the help is being resented and any help will do no good. Of course I'd counter with I'm not perfect, but that does about as much good as 'I'm only trying to help.' does.
Is there a conundrum then? Wanting to help but unable to help? I believe we should forever be *ready* to help anyone in anyway we can, but at the same time know better than to try and force our help upon anyone. We really HAVE to be humble and genuinely humble, not forced humble, not falsely humble. Christ has to be working in us, all glory has to go to God.
Mat 7:3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
Mat 7:4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
Mat 7:5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
First we HAVE to look to ourselves but NOT selfishly, but to NOTE our selfishness, to note our intentions, to note that we are fully dependent upon our Savior. What good would it do for us take any beams or motes out of anyone's eyes if our own are filled with them? We need to see clearly, we need to see selflessly if we want to help anyone else. As long as we have our eyes filled- clouded by the faults we possess- we cannot help anyone. No, this doesn't mean when we are called on to help someone we shouldn't do so, but we need to do so praying for the grace of God to help us help only in ways that will be for His glory and in no other way. We can't actively strive to help another imposingly, ever.
By the grace of God may we do His will and only His will, not our own! May we be filled with the Holy Spirit able to get the beams out of our eyes so that we may help others as He wills.
In His love always!
Amen.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)