"Breath"

 "Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity." (Ecclesiastes 1:2 KJV)

 ""LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered - how fleeting my life is. You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand. My entire lifetime is just a moment to you; at best, each of us is but a breath." Interlude" (PSALM 39:4-5 NLT)

 As it turns out, the things that we do which are for the Lord, are the only things that will last; everything else can be recorded in our obituary, which will soon be forgotten. We must not neglect to ask God each and every morning: "Father, what would you have me to do today?" If you don't hear anything, just be prepared for a door of opportunity to open. 

 Not that I have a very good habit of making myself available, because it comes and goes, like the wind. Speaking of wind, Breath is what we are given by God; when our time is up, He takes that Breath away! And there is really nothing that we can do about it, no matter how much money you might have, your money is useless in that regard.  

 Basically, Solomon is starting off by setting the table for life; life being the number of days that are used up in the time here on earth, that actually count for something, that isn't meaningless. All the things we can do to better ourselves, whatever that might look like, really don't work out being the things we can take with us when we leave this earth; unlike what the world will try and tell us. 

 Jesus said, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed?" (Luke 9:23-25 NLT)

 Breathe is something we are allowed to do, which is a verb, meaning that it is an action word. Not that I have been very faithful using the Breath that God has allowed me to use, but if I had to put any type of number towards using it for the Lord, I would hope that it would be at least 10%...

"Don't be misled - you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessings if we don't give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone - especially to those in the family of faith." (Galatians 6:7-10 NLT)

"Just A Vapor"

 ""Everything is meaningless," says the Teacher, "completely meaningless!"" (Ecclesiastes 1:2 NLT) 

  "Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." (James 4:14 KJV)

 Matthew Henry gives a little insight into Solomon's reason for this opening verses, as it is his way of saying that he knows what he is talking about: "But who is it that speaks thus slightly to the world? Is it one that will stand to what it says? Yes. he puts his name to it-saith the preacher. Is it one that was a competent judge? Yes, as much as ever any man was. Many speak contemptuously of the world because they are hermits, and know it not, or beggars, and have it not; but Solomon knew it." 

 When God asked Solomon what he might have given to him, Solomon said he wanted wisdom to be the King over Israel. Then God said, He would give him wisdom; but also bless him with riches and glory! It was God that made the man, placing him into a life of riches, beyond belief. 

 Now, the question we might ask ourselves: Do we believe God knew what Solomon would do with all of that worldly pleasure? It's really not a matter of how far he turned away from God; but what matters most is that he came back to God, realizing the things of this world were meaningless...

"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof; but he that doeth the will of God adideth forever." (1 John 2:15-17 KJV)    

"Heritage"

 "The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king of Jerusalem." (Ecclesiastes 1:1 KJV) 

  ""Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, and you will find life. I will make an everlasting covenant with you. I will give you all the unfailing love I promised to David. See how I used him to display my power among the peoples. I made him a leader among the nations. You also will command nations you do not know, and peoples unknown to you will come running to obey, because I, the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel have made you glorious."" (Isaiah 55:3-5 NLT)

 To set the record straight, Solomon fell, big time! He got twisted up in all sorts of pagan worship, built several shrines for worship to take place, and fell into the life of over-indulgence. They say that he was the richest man that ever lived, having such excess of material things, people came from all over the world to see if it was true. 

 As I tried to say, at the start, this is not something that God did not know would happen! He knew all along that Solomon would get corrupted by all of his wealth and glory; but He also knew that he would come to his senses and turn back to Him. This might sound atrocious, but without falling into his sinful life of pleasure and over-indulgence, he would not have had the experience to share what is penned in this Book! 

 You must understand something that is very, very, important: When you are called and chosen by God, you are His, no matter how far you might fall, you will still be His! You might be smoldering when you stand in His presence, your life on earth totally wrecked, but you will end up in the House of God...

"All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance - and inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see." (1 Peter 1:3-5 NLT) 

"The Teacher"

   "These are the words of the Teacher, King David's son, who ruled in Jerusalem." (Ecclesiastes 1:1 NLT)

  "A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart might discover itself." (Proverbs 18:2 KJV)

 Well, yesterday was quite interesting, to say the least. We went through 1 John 2:18-27, and during the teaching, Pastor Bryan got on the subject of, "opinions," I believe it was right around verse 24, and then continued to the end. If you had a chance to read my blog yesterday, I stated that in my humble opinion, I believe that Solomon is ministering to the secular humanist. 

 I don't believe that I was speaking anything new, because this is something that several very famous people agree with, I just happen to agree with them. There is really only a half-dozen things which I have an opinion on, which might be challenged; none of which is something that goes against the doctrine of who Jesus Christ is, and what He came to do on the cross. 

 Most of these opinions are based upon the circumstance and the impute from well-known Bible teachers; many of which have gone home to be with the Lord. Dr. Chuck is one of those teachers, having said, "Sometimes there is more said between the lines, then in the actual Scripture." That is his opinion, but it is also something that can be proven! 

 I am not trying to create some sort of new illustrations of why Solomon has written this Book; but I will say this: If it is in the Bible, then it has a purpose and will not return to LORD void...

 "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." (Isaiah 55:7 KJV) 

"ECCLESIASTES"

  "Now King Solomon loved many foreign women. Besides Pharaoh's daughter, he married women from Moab, Ammon, Edom, Sidon, and from among the Hittites. The LORD had clearly instructed the people of Israel, "You must not marry them, because they will turn your hearts to their gods." Yet Solomon insisted on loving them anyway. He had 700 wives of royal birth and 300 concubines. And in fact, they did turn his heart away from the LORD." (1 KINGS 11:1-3 NLT)

 "The Preacher." If you look at the meaning of the word, 'Preacher,' there is something of a plurality to the meaning, meaning that you cannot be a preacher unless you have an audience to preach to! It is my humble opinion that Solomon is preaching to those that are secular humanists, which are those that think we can be capable of morality and self-fulfillment without belief in God. 

 Not all secular humanists live without a belief in God, because in their mind they might believe there is a God; but they just believe that they can govern their own lives and destiny without a dependance upon Him, or without Him being involved in their lives. It might sound a little strange, but the truth be told, there are many people within the churches today that have this mentality and live their lives out as if God has no control over them, living as if they do not need to pay attention to what He might say! 

 Understandably, we are living in a very peculiar time, as it is a time when lawlessness abounds, when children do not respect their parents, when the things that are evil are called good, and good is called evil; a time when churches are being compromised, accepting the things the world desires, making them things which become part of their new doctrine or policies! These are the last days, which Paul spoke to Timothy about, saying, "For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound doctrine and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths." (2 Timothy 4:3-4 NLT)

 As for Solomon, yes, he fell away from God, obviously! God judged him for it and the kingdom was torn apart because of it. But that does not remove Solomon from God's love; God still loved him and kept him secure within the Kingdom of God! Do not think for a moment that God did not know how things would go in Solomon's life, because the God we serve knows everything about us! He lives in all times present, and there is no place we can go where He cannot see us: 

 "The LORD looks down from heaven and sees the whole human race. From his throne he observes all who live on the earth. He made their hearts, so he understands everything they do. The best-equipped army cannot save a king, nor is great strength enough to save a warrior. Don't count on your warhorse to give you victory - for all its strength, it cannot save you. But the LORD watches over those who fear him, those who rely on his unfailing love. He rescues them from death and keeps them alive in times of famine." (Psalm 33:13-19 NLT) 

 As it turns out, Psalm 33 is one of those Psalms that does not show who the author was, yet many prescribe it to King David. Regardless of who, it was most likely a king, someone that had a lasting relationship with God, and someone that knew that God never abandons those whom He has called and chosen, no matter how bad they might mess up and hurt Him, His love never fails...

"We put our hope in the LORD. He is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. Let your unfailing love surround us, LORD, for our hope is in you alone." (Psalm 33:20-22 NLT)

"The Power of Your Testimony!"

 "ECCLESIASTES"

  "[[To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.]] Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and clear when thou judgest. Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide they face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free Spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee."" (Psalm 51:1-13 KJV)

 How much do you feel that you were saved by your own will? That is not a trick question, because the moment you were saved, it was your heart that made you need God's free gift of Salvation. But, in the spiritual sense, it was God's hand upon your life, guiding you and leading you towards that particular moment, when everything would be prepared for the perfect invitation. 

 There are two verses in John's introduction to his Gospel, (which, as previously stated consist of the first 18 verses of his Book,) verses 12 and 13, which say, "But as many as receive him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." 

 The point that I am trying to make, carefully, is that we really do not have a will to go after God; it is God that goes after us! If it weren't for the fact that God called me, spoken out, saying, "Come to me!" I would have just stayed in the same condition I was in, thinking that I was okay! 

 I spent all my spare time reading the Bible, religiously, and still had no clue who it was that I was reading about; nor did I think I needed anything else to make my life different. As far as I was concerned, everything was perfect, except for the fact that I was in jail. I was happy, had a great job waiting for me, my wife and son were being taken care of; I even had a good life in jail: being the Duty Lightbulb Man, I got to travel freely all over the compound, even outside the compound as well, if the parking lot lights were out. 

 I also had a store, which was not unusual in that time period; but now is something that doesn't involve cash anymore. This store that I had involved selling cigarettes, candy bars, and instant coffee: which is what was probably the thing that helped me to be somewhere where I could listen to God.

 It might sound silly, but God knows you better than you know yourself! He knows what is required, to have you let down your guard, to sit still long enough to hear His voice, to move towards Him, and to pay attention to what you really need, more than anything else! And He makes it happen! 

 You can think whatever you want, but if God didn't have me there and then, then when would I have had the chance to listen! I have been approached so many times, even by friends, even by my wife! Yes, my wife; she went to Calvary Chapel of Downey with our next-door neighbor, and then tried to get me to go the following Sunday, but I refused to go, because I hated religion. I even hated marriage, because it was so badly respected in my life growing up. 

 Regardless of my wishes and feelings, God found a way, made the way, or planned to show me the way, way before I even had the chance to previously reject Him! How do you like me now...

"For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures: and that he was seen of Cehpas, then of the twelve: after that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me." (1 Corinthians 15:3-10 KJV)  

 

"Enough Said!"

 "And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen." (John 21:25 KJV)

  ""These are just the beginning of all that he does, merely a whisper of his power. Who, then, can comprehend the thunder of his power?"" (Job 12:14 NLT)

 We looked at it from what we should know, having the Holy Spirit living within us; now we will look at it with a little different perspective; one that shows, what I think, John is saying, and why it is important to know what it means. Actually, as I thought about this last night, it actually works well as a springboard to the Book I will be starting tomorrow morning, Lord willing!  

 With that, the main words to show what I believe John is saying here, are the words, "should be written," which make the statement about something which doesn't need to be said. In other words: If you have already read the testimony that was given, and you haven't believed what was said, then nothing else that is written will matter, at all, no matter how much of it is available to read! 

 This is the way that it works: When you harden to heart to the truth, you become blind to the love that God is offering; instead, you have shut yourself off, thinking one of two things: that God is just trying to control you, or that He doesn't exist. The crazy thing about that way of thinking, is your subconscious mind knows He really does exist; and because you have read what was said, your heart has seen what love is available, but it is buried deep within and hard to bring out. 

 The Good News in all of that, is that you can still be saved! Regardless of how hard your heart is or whether your mind is shut off; you still have a chance to get saved, as long as you are alive, you still have a chance! If you think I don't know what I am talking about, then you haven't heard my testimony. 

 Basically, I thought I had it all figured out, that the church just wanted bodies, that God was okay with me using and selling drugs, and that heaven was for those that believed He existed, and that's it. But that day when I was saved, They, tag-teamed me! The Father, Son, and Spirit all at once, so much so, I had no other choice but to run down to the place where the message was going to be given, hear the brief message, and then open my heart to Jesus Christ! 

 If I think hard about it, I might bet that was my last chance to let Jesus into my heart! We really don't know how many times He will knock, but when it gets to the point when He is dragging you into a church, (or as in my situation, a dining hall,) then you should consider it is serious...

"But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn't worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. Instead of worshipping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshipped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles. So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other's bodies. They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshipped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen." (Romans 1:18-25 NLT) 

"Neverending Story"

 "Jesus also did many other things. If they were all written down, I suppose the whole world could not contain the books that would be written." (John 21:25 NLT)

  "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; and having a high priest over the house of God; let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; for he is faithful that promised; and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." (Hebrews 10:19-25 KJV)

 As I have mentioned, many times before, John's message is meant to show that Jesus was God; that He was before everything came into existence, that all things were made by Him, and that in Him is life! There could be no life, if not for the Word, and Jesus was the Word! 

 John uses this as his opening statement to the message, saying, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of Men." (John 1:1-4 KJV)

 I don't care how many times you read the Bible, you will never have learned all that there is to learn from it, because it is the Living Word of God; God has no beginning and no end! I can try to say that I know something about a single verse, having studied it, over and over again; but in the light of some sort of new experience, it will be transformed into something that meets me in that perfect moment: Because God's Word is alive! 

 We really shouldn't pretend that we know all that the Bible has to share with us; doing so will make you a fool, and fools can't comprehend what they cannot see, because that requires a heart which is open to hear God speak! Which is exactly what the Word of God does: HE SPEAKS...

 "For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable." (Hebrews 4:12-13 NLT) 

 

"Eyewitness News"

 "This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things, and we know that his testimony is true." (John 21:24 KJV)

  "This salvation was something even the prophets wanted to know about when they prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you. The wondered what time or situation the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about when he told them in advance about Christ's suffering and his great glory afterward. They were told that their messages were not for themselves, but for you. And now this Good News has been announced to you be those who preached in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. It is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen." (1 Peter 1:10-12 NLT)

 To be clear, this is the disciple John, the one who leaned on Jesus, asking Him, "Lord, who will betray you?" This is the one who followed Jesus with Andrew, before Andrew went to tell Simon (Peter) about having found the Messiah. This is the disciple that Jesus spoke to from the cross, "This is thy mother," speaking of His mother, Mary, the one that brought Him forth as a man! 

 These things are true, because they have been recorded in ancient history; Jesus the Christ, was nailed to a cross and crucified, there are written accounts in the journals of writings from all over the world. History records the darkness that covered the earth when Jesus died; too long of a period of time for it to have been an eclipse. Roman soldiers that witnessed it, wrote about it, as well as the earthquakes that happened at the time of His death.

 The curtain, which was torn from top to bottom, in the Temple was recorded and listed as something of a great mystery of how it could have happened. Dead people came to life, walking around the city, going into the Temple, making the news, as if nobody knew how to explain it; but to say, it just happened!   

 And then, we have the eyewitness account of His resurrection! This disciple was the only one who did not get killed for his testimony for the resurrection of Jesus Christ; all the other disciples, as well as many others, were killed because they knew full well that He was alive! They could not deny it, and wouldn't deny it, because they knew it was true! There is life after death! 

 If you have come to this conclusion, don't ever turn away from or deny what you know to be the truth, no matter how much you pressured to do so, you will regret it if you do! John may not have been killed, but that doesn't mean that they didn't try, because they did! 

 That too is another testimony of the truth, as he survived his torturing because the Lord wasn't done with him yet! If it's not you time, your time is not up; period...

"We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life. This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was revealed to us. We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that you may fully share our joy." (1 John 1:1-4 NLT) 

"Common Sense!"

 "Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?" (John 21:23 KJV)

  ""God alone understands the way to wisdom; he knowns where it can be found, for he looks throughout the whole earth and sees everything under the heavens. He decided how hard the winds should blow and how much rain should fall. He made laws for the rain and laid out a path for the lightening. Then he saw wisdom and evaluated it. He set it in place and examined it thoroughly. And this is what he says to all humanity: 'The fear of the Lord is true wisdom; to forsake evil is real understanding.' "" (Job 28:23-28 NLT)

 Yesterday afternoon, I was gazing out into the backyard of my house, watching all the trees that were swaying in the wind, seeing the clouds being pushed around in the sky, and thinking about just how little, if anything, we can do about the weather, the earth's shifting, or anything else that might cause any movement or changes to this earth. We are wholly dependent upon God's laws and protections, because there is no way to control what God has placed in motion! 

 These wise guys that go around the world spreading, so called, "climate change," warning us about things to come, really have no clue what our climate is doing, how it works, or where it will be ending up. If they really wanted to know what will happen to this planet, then they should start reading the Bible; because there is nothing that we humans can do, except believe in Jesus and hope to be spared from the real destruction that is to come. 

 As much as I would like to say that they are all just fools and really don't know; I believe they know who it is that is controlling them, and why they think they can out do God. They are being fooled, if they think CO2 has anything to do with the change this earth is going through; because this change, if any, is the earth trembling and getting ready for what God is going to do, not what man can do or not do! 

 If you don't believe me, look it up; the Bible will show you what is really happening, not the world's spin on what's up. Besides, when they try to spin it, they say that Mother Nature is mad at what we are doing, so she is causing the climate to change. Oh no, they forget about Father Time, because if the earth was 800 billion years old, it would have once been part of the sun! 

 Sorry for the rant, but I just get so frustrated by how little common sense is used to evaluate and understand that God is real, and that none of this just came into existence on its own. We are not alone, that much is for sure; but the One watching over us is our Judge, and He is going to judge rightly and true! 

 As to the issue we are talking about today, the rumor that John was not going to die; there are really some of our brothers and sisters within the church that have commingled there understanding with the world's way of thinking and what the Bible says, or what they think that it says. God might take someone off of the earth, but nowhere in Scripture does it show that He leaves someone on the earth, indefinitely. 

 Just a little observation, which most anyone can clearly understand. Besides, when Jesus told His disciples, in Matthew 17:20: "if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you." We look at that and think that is about having the power to do this or that; when in reality, the power is God's, not ours. We have faith to call on God, believing in what God wants, not what we can ask Him to do for us! 

 Men and women of strong faith in the Bible were able to do what God called them to do, which was what their faith brought them, obedience to let God do the impossible! However, for many, that same faith is what would cost them their lives! As Pastor Chuck notes: "Faith is not an instrument to get my will done, but to get God's will done; it may be that it is God's will that I should suffer; it was surely His will that His Son should suffer."    

 Just a little bit of common sense is all it takes to see the truth; but it takes a lot of non-sense to believe a lie! Believe in God, truly and faithfully, and everything will make more sense...

""When my sanity returned to me, so did my honor and glory and kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored as the head of my kingdom, with even greater honor than before. Now, I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and glorify and honor the King of heaven. All his acts are just and true, and he is able to humble the proud."" (Daneil 4:36-37 NLT) 

"What's The Matter You?"

 "Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me." (John 21:22 KJV) 

  ""Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. He couldn't pay, so his master ordered that he be sold - along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned - to pay the debt.

  "But the man fell down before his master and begged him, 'Please be patient with me, and I will pay it all.' Then the master was filled with pity for him, and he released him, and forgave his debt.

  "But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment. 

  "His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. 'Be patient with me, and I will pay it,' he pleaded. But his creditor wouldn't wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full.

  "When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, 'You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. Shouldn't you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?' Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt. 

  "That's what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart."" (Matthew 18:23-35 NLT)

 I am sorry for the long Scripture, but it needs to be all shown together in one light. If you might have been reading this blog, oh, say about 10 years or so ago, then you might remember when I shared my thoughts about this "Unforgiving Debtor." 

 Having had several issues with forgiveness, it is easy to relate to why this man didn't feel the need to forgive someone, after having been forgiven so much! Forgiveness works two ways: There is the One who forgives, and then the one that is forgiven. If the One who forgives you says that you are forgiven, then you should truly believe it, rejoice in it, and live out that wonderful blessing throughout your life! 

 What happens to some of us, (maybe most,) is that we get back into old habits, (or plan to,) and then we forget about the great forgiveness that we have been given. The Good News is about Forgiveness; which was something we could have never accomplished ourselves; it was the Gift of God! 

 Jesus said it again, "Follow me," but this time He adds, "Thou," which means, "You". In other words, as Jesus has forgiven you, for denying Him, forgetting about Him, or not loving Him as you should, you must walk accordingly, with the passion of forgiveness... 

"So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ's ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, "Come back to God!" For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sins, so that we could be made right with God through Christ." (2 Corinthians 5:16-21 NLT)

"Stay in Your Lane"

"Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do?" (John 21:21 KJV)

  "Soon the news reached the apostles and other believers in Judea that the Gentiles had received the word of God. But when Peter arrived back in Jerusalem, the Jewish believers criticized him. "You entered the home of Gentiles and even ate with them!" they said."" (Acts 11:1-3 NLT)

 Help one another and judge not! Isn't that the take-away from what the Word says we must do to one another? If you read Matthew Henry's commentary on this verse, he has about five different scenario's which could be the intention of Peter's question, "Lord, what shall this man do?"

 It might not help, but there is a difference in the "seeth" of the last verse, and "seeing" that is spoken of today. The one from yesterday's was more about beholding, as if to examine, understand, or even, beware of; much as someone might do if you came across a stranger while walking down the street at night. Not that Peter didn't know who he was, but that he didn't quite know how to deal with his presence. 

 Today's word, "seeing," speaks of something on a whole different level; one that causes a person to consider the meaning of and relationship to; to ascertain what must be done about it. They say the brain reacts differently to sight than hearing: auditory reaction time is faster than visual reaction time. The only reason I point this out, is that sight is the biggest issue that causes us to sin! 

 Call it want ever you want, but that tree in the midst of the garden probably did say much at all, but it sure looked tempting! Our brain also processes the things we see and hear differently; what you see is right there in front of you; things you hear are imagined in your mind. Why does any of mumbo-jumbo matter to anything? 

 Putting the two things together, as we hear things spoken to us concerning life, we imagine and process how these things pertain to our lives, if they even matter, or if they have the ability to change the way we live. And then we see someone else, wondering, Do they have the same issues? Are they going to deal with the same things which I must engage? Why do they get all the breaks? 

 The more I think of it, the more convicted I feel! No wonder we sometimes feel as though we are being neglected or let down; no wonder there are so many of us with a frown on our faces! We need to count our blessings and be thankful for what God called us for, whatever that is, it is the path God has put us on! Cherish the ride...

"Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again - rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." (Philippians 4:4-8 NLT)       

"Heart-To-Heart"

 "Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee?" (John 21:20 KJV)

  "That same day two of Jesus' followers were walking to the village of Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem. As they walked along they were talking about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things, Jesus himself suddenly came and began walking with them. But God kept them from recognizing him. He asked them, "What are you discussing so intently as you walk along?" They stopped short, sadness written across their faces. Then one of them, Cleopas, replied, "You must be the only person in Jerusalem who hasn't heard about all the things that have happened there the last few days." "What things?" Jesus asked. "The things that happened to Jesus, the man from Nazareth," they said. "He was a prophet who did powerful miracles, and he was a mighty teacher in the eyes of God and all the people."" (Luke 24:13-19 NLT)

 If you have ever felt this, a heart-to-heart without conversation, then you might get where this is coming from, and maybe understand why John makes this point relevant. For starters, Peter was pretty much aware that John was Jesus' favorite, so it is the reason John points this out. The reason John mentions the night at the last supper, was because it was Peter who asked John to ask Jesus who it was, because Peter knew that he was the one closest to Jesus, both literally and personally.

 To point out the larger meaning of what had taken place, it would be easiest to suggest that they saw, eye-to-eye, but there was more to it, as they settled the score of competing; at least John was trying to make it a thing of the past. I hope that shines a little light on what we are looking at, because it is something that takes place in the heart, which can be misconstrued. 

 The example given in the passage for Luke, sort of makes the point of two hearts connecting, looking at the same issue, and being on two totally different pages. Jesus knew full well what they were talking about, but what they were saying was not what they truly were. Yes, those things did happen, and they were right in feeling upset, due to their lack of knowing; but these were all the plans of God! 

 As to the previous statement I made about Peter, the Stone: everything which Peter went through, even the three times he denied Jesus, were all the plans of God. Yes, Satan wanted to sift Peter, but it would be the discouragement of his denial that would be his sifting, not the actual act of doing it. Jesus knew exactly what Peter would do, and He knew that the devil would use it against him. Jesus also knew that Peter be able to strengthen others by what he went through. 

 It might seem confusing to understand how God works, His thoughts and His ways are too far above our paygrade! That said, Jesus prayed for Peter to overcome his discouragement, even though he would still deal with it. But it was his denial and his recovery that actually made it God's way to show others His abundant mercy and grace! 

 You really can't offend someone that knows you will do something to offend them, but still loves you anyway...

"Where is another God like you, who pardons the guilt of the remnant, overlooking the sins of his special people? You will not stay angry with your people forever, because you delight in showing unfailing love. Once again you will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean! You will show us your faithfulness and unfailing love as you promised to our ancestors Abraham and Jacob long ago." (Micah 7:18-20 NLT)  

 

"To The Glory of God"

 "This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me." (John 21:19 KJV)

  "For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die. For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don't know which is better." (Philippians 1:20-22 NLT)

 As Jesus knew how Peter was going to die, I believe that our death too has been predetermined, that God knows the day and the hour, as well as the manner by which we are taken. The one's who get hurt by our passing are those that we leave behind; hopefully they will celebrate the life they spent with us, as it should be! 

 When my son passed, we had a beautiful service for him, with an open casket. Towards the end of the service, while I was passing out the boutonnieres to those that would be carrying out the casket, I saw that there were about five or six of the family and friends standing around the casket, sharing memories of some of the funny things that Buddy did. Some of them even had their hands on the open casket, and I saw some even place their hands on him, as if he was still there. 

 I know that he had some very hard times in the end, but I also know that he belonged to Jesus! No matter what we might do that might appear to be missing the mark, Jesus has paid the price for that; all of our sins were paid for, those from the past, present, and future; nothing is left that isn't covered by the blood of Jesus Christ, in the eyes of the Father! 

 I have been in this family of God long enough to see more than I ever wanted to see. But in the words of Bryan's dad, Less, "When we get to heaven, we will be surprised by those we don't see, and those that we do." We should not judge who is worthy, only God is the judge of that; we need to judge ourselves and see if we are worthy! Hopefully you will judge rightly, knowing that without Christ you are not... 

"As the Scriptures say, "No one is righteous - not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one. Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave. Their tongues are filled with lies. Snake venom drips from their lips. Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. They rush to commit murder. Destruction and misery always follow them. They don't know where to find peace. They have no fear of God at all."" (Romans 3:10-18 NLT) 

"He Knows Our Ending!"

 "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not." (John 21:18 KJV)

  "For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it's not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit." (2 Corinthians 5:1-5 NLT) 

 Here is something I feel pretty confident about, that we are here on this earth as long as God will have us here; when our time is up, He will take us home! This might be hard for some to deal with, but it is all based upon His plans and His purposes, not on what we want or hope for! The Holy Spirit is within us to show us that there is a better place, preparing our hearts for the day of our departure. 

 Some go quickly and without any notice; while others go gracefully, having friends and family around them, as they depart for their new home. Regardless, here, there, or in the air, we that know Jesus assured we all make it to our eternal home! This is something that you must commit your hope upon, as you believe in faith the words that Jesus spoke, on so many different occasions; He does not lie! 

 When I first started this blog, I shared upon the will of God, asking what the difference was between His perfect will and the will that He allows to happen. After all of these many years, I have made some sort of change in my thinking, that God's perfect will is always at work, He doesn't ever have a back-up plan! 

 The post was dealing with Hezekiah's 15 years of extended life; as it was, Isaiah came in and told him to get his house in order because the sickness he had was going to kill him. Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and wept; so, God sent Isaiah back to tell him that he had 15 more years to live. 

 Were there two different paths that God had in mind, or was there just one? If you think God changed His mind, I will beg to differ; God does not change, because God does not learn! There is nothing He does not know, so why would He need to change the plans that He has already set in motion. 

 Could it be that Hezekiah needed to feel privileged or special: as if God needed to remove some of his humility in order to have him fulfill what He had already planned. The things that God had put in order were carried out by Hezekiah, during the 15 years of his extended life. It was something that God had already planned, Hezekiah would be the one to change, not God!  

 We can take great comfort in whatever comes against us, knowing that God's hand is upon our life! We go when God says it is time to go, not one second sooner or later...

""After this time passed, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven. My sanity returned, and I praised and worshipped the Most High and honored the one who lives forever. His rule is everlasting, and his kingdom is eternal. All the people of the earth are nothing compared to him. He does as he pleases among the angels of heaven and among the people of the earth. No one can stop him or say to him, 'What do you mean be doing these things?'"" (Daniel 4:34-35 NLT) 

"Our Times Are in His Hand"

  ""I tell you the truth, when you were young, you were able to do as you liked; you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted to go. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and others will dress you and take you where you don't want to go." Jesus said this to let him know by what kind of death he would glorify God. Then Jesus told him, "Follow me." 

 Peter turned around and saw behind them the disciple Jesus loved - the one who had leaned over to Jesus during supper and asked, "Lord, who will betray you?" Peter asked Jesus, "What about him, Lord?" 

 Jesus replied, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? As for you, follow me." So the rumor spread among the community of believers that this disciple wouldn't die. But that isn't what Jesus said at all. He only said, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?" 

 This disciple is the one who testifies to these events and has recorded them here. And we know that his account of these things is accurate." (John 21:18-24 NLT)

"In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind." (Job 12:10 KJV)

 Just a little food for thought, the "feed" that Jesus spoke of, saying "Feed my sheep," was also a little different, actually quite a lot. Thinking of Lot, it almost is the difference between his relationship with God and Abraham's relationship with God, as they were both very different; one was close and had his sight set on another place, while the other was distant and looked for what the world could offer. 

 The first time Jesus said, "Feed my sheep," He was speaking of the present concerns, using the word, "poimaino," which means to tend a flock, to feed, as in provide for, to rule or govern, to furnish a pasture for food; in other words, to be a shepherd for the flock, providing for the needs of the body. The second time Jesus said, "Feed my sheep," He was speaking of their spiritual needs, using the word, "bosko," which speaks of something more long lasting, such as the duty of a Christian teacher; giving them something that they can chew on, over and over. 

 There is something of a connection between this and the time Jesus renamed Simon, calling him Peter. As it turns out, Simon means 'a hearing,' or 'to hear'. While Peter, or Cephas, means 'stone,' which make some confuse the Rock and stone, as if Peter was a little Christ. Nope, he was just a stone in the hand of God...

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:8-10 KJV) 

"Love of a Friend"

 "He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep." (John 21:17 KJV) 

  "In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God's promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone." (2 Peter 1:5-7 NLT)

 Looking at this from the point of Peter's perspective, each of the first two times Jesus asked Peter, "Lovest thou me? He was using 'Agapeo' as the form of love; yet in Peter's response, Peter was using the 'Phileo' form of the word, which is the "Love of a Friend." Now, Jesus hits him with the same word: 'Phileo thou me?'

 John makes the point to share Peter's grief, as if to say that he was grieving because Jesus asked him the third time; but in reality, this third time pretty much cut him in his heart! Not only that, but the way John says it, shows the difference in the way it was put worth, as John says, "Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, 'Phileo thou me?" which shows that John was pointing out that there was a difference from the first two times Jesus asked, using the word, 'Agapeo'. 

 Yes, there is a great difference between the two, because one is a love that is mandated and is given as instruction, as in, this is what you do. While the other, is the love based upon being in love with your friend, which is from the heart, not mandated or given as instruction; but the kind of love that you would gladly die for, even to the very end! Thus...

"The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But those who fail to develop in this way are short sighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins. So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away. Do these things, and you will never fall away. Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Therefore, I will always remind you about these things - even though you already know them and are standing firm in the truth you have been taught. And it is only right that I should keep on reminding you as long as I live. For our Lord Jesus Christ has shown me that I must soon leave this earthly life, so I will work hard to make sure you always remember these things after I am gone." (2 Peter 1:8-15 NLT)   

"Love That Cares"

 "He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep." (John 21:16 KJV)

  "For God called you to good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps. He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone. He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly. He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed. Once you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls." (1 Peter 2:21-25 NLT)

 Although these two 'Loves' are the same, they are made different by the application; as one addresses the feeding of lambs, and the other addresses the feeding of sheep. There is a difference between the two, as one requires the responsibility to look after, and the other requires caring for well-being. They might seem the same, but this type of love must make accommodations to adjust for the young and the old, the new and the well-seasoned saints. 

 What we are looking at is a love that is the verb of Agape Love, which is a noun, as it is from God, therefore it never changes! We don't have the capacity to love as God loves, but we do have the ability to allow God to love through and in us! We just have to surrender to His will, and He will show us how and what to do! 

 I watched at really interesting movie last night, "The Dreamseller". The whole point of what was meant in this movie, was about the "pause," something we seldom think about, but is more important than we could ever imagine. Just stop what you are doing, and do what you must do, that will make the greatest difference! 

 We can see that in Jesus, if we just could understand the things which He did, between doing the things He set out to do. I break my own heart so many times, just because I don't pause what I think is important, when there is so much more I could have done, that was much more important and meaningful! 

 It is really hard to explain what it means to really care, mostly because we think caring just requires a blessing or handing out some food or money. We have a Loving God that cares for us, so much more than we could ever know: He sacrificed more than His time for us...

"When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. Three things will last forever - faith, hope, and love - and the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:11-13 NLT)

  

"Love as a Moral Emotion"

 "So when that had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs." (John 21:15 KJV) 

"So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that you faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold - though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls." (1 Peter 1:6-9 NLT)

 To start, as to this point nothing was brought up about Peter's denial of Jesus, although it was most likely something Peter was expecting to have to deal with. Which one would expect, if you were really fond of someone, then said you didn't know them, you would at least want to clear the air, even if it was what they expected you do, you still wouldn't feel good for doing it.

 Now that it is time to be dealt with, Jesus doesn't bring it up, as if it was the point of the conversation; instead, He uses love, love in the sense of what is right, what is the priority of the heart, and what is to be expected from someone who knows what love should look like! Basically, it is Jesus' way of calling him out, but from the inside-out. 

 Regarding the "these", these could be a lot of things, none of which really matter, because Jesus has told them, in so many different ways, 'If you love anything more than me, you cannot be my follower.' He used family, friends, self, money; you name it, even an occupation or work or stuff! 

 If I had to pick something, I would say it was the fish, such as matters...

""No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life - whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn't life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren't you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?"" (Matthew 6:24-27 NLT)  

"The Love Motivation"

 "After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?" 

 "Yes, Lord," Peter replied, "you know I love you."

 "Then feed my lambs," Jesus told him. 

 Jesus repeated the question: "Simon son of John, do you love me?" 

 "Yes, Lord," Peter said, "you know I love you." 

 "Then take care of my sheep," Jesus said.

 A third time he asked him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" 

 Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, "Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you." 

 Jesus said, "Then feed my sheep."" (John 21:15-17 NLT)

  "When he came into the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written: "The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the LORD'S favor has come." He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently. Then he began to speak to them. "The Scripture you've just heard has been fulfilled this very day!"" (Luke 4:16-21 NLT)

 Sometimes it might take more than once for us to get the message, even though we understand it, we may not be willing to accept it, nor believe that it was intended for us! We could call that, "Lying to ourselves," which is what we do when we convince ourselves that the message was intended to be for someone else; even though our heart says differently! 

 If you have been following this blog for a while, then you might have gotten my message which was shared on the types of love Jesus is asking, when He says, "Do you love Me?" I love meat, and even if I was told that I couldn't eat it anymore because it was killing me, I would probably still eat it, anyway! That is the kind of love which is meant for pleasing myself; none of those love's Jesus is speaking of has anything to do with that kind of love! 

 That said, when we love as Jesus wants us to love, we experience a love that makes us real, as in, undeniably His...

"In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church." (Ephesians 5:28-29 NLT)

"Thirdly"

 "This is now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead." (John 21:14 KJV)

  "Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."" (Mark 8:34-38 NLT)

 So, recalling the fourth morning, including today, the opening to these three Scriptures was titled, "Jesus Provides." Usually, it is how I break up the passages, making them based upon the headings, whether it be in the NLT or the BLB, whichever one I am feeling led to use; sometimes I use both. The NLT, in this instance, only had the one heading at the beginning of the chapter, but the Blue Letter Bible has four. Hopefully that makes sense, because there are at least two more sections to dive into; maybe three, if the last verse of the chapter gets looked at on its own. 

 There are three very important things that Jesus provides, besides those three from yesterday, they were all part of one, primarily based upon the fact that He abides within us. The first of which was obviously the fellowship of His presence; when we have Jesus within our heart, He is Lord, but He is also our Friend, to walk with us, talk with us, and to show us how we must show Him to the world. 

 Secondly, Love, Justice, and Dependance, have more than what we could ever need or ask for. These are also the three things we constantly struggle with, doubt about love, both getting it and giving it; being ashamed for whatever, even though, we have been washed clean and made right with the Father; and worried that He might not actually provide for those things we need or ask for! These are really all tied together, and they show how much we believe that He is both Lord and Friend. 

 Thirdly! New Life! Even though we can't know what it is, most of the time, He really wants us to experience the new life we can have, by abiding in Him! He abides in us, giving us the friendship and all that comes along with it; but we abide in Him, to pick up our cross and follow Him; which basically means, turning from our selfish ways, taking up our cross, and following Him! How close do we need to follow? Close enough to abide in Him...

"The LORD is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guilds me along the right paths, bringing honor to his name. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the LORD forever." (PSALM 23 NLT)    

  

"Necessary Things"

 "Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise." (John 21:13 KJV)

  "Even in the womb, Jacob struggled with his brother; when he became a man, he even fought with God. Yes, he wrestled with the angel and won. He wept and pleaded for a blessing from him - the LORD God of Heaven's Armies, the LORD is his name! So now, come back to your God. Act with love and justice, and always depend on him." (Hosea 12:3-6 NLT) 

 Last night's message was rather interesting, as there were a few things I needed to take note of, in my notes! In case you don't get that, I take notes always, but not very often do I take notes in my notes. But there is some things Pastor Byran said last night that I needed to regurgitate. First of which was the difference between happiness and joy: "Joy is a decision; happiness is something that happens." The second thing, I am still chewing on: "Not a Believer, but a Knower!" 

 The text was in 1 John 1, as John is explaining how they were with Jesus: not just in just, but that they hung out with Him, ate with Him, touched Him, and knew Him, not just as "the Word of life," but as a friend! We live in a really crazy time, as it is, most of the younger generation have friends that they really hardly even know. They spend so much time on Facebook, Tic-Tok, and whatever else, thinking that is where friends are made, and the more the merrier. At the end of the day, they find themselves alone. 

 As to the verse above regarding Jacob, he was a man that had do many things for himself; even in the womb, he had to try and fight for the chance to be first. When he wanted his brother's birthright, he bought it with the stew that he made, as his brother was hungry. When he wanted the blessing, he had to pretend that he was his brother, tricking his father into blessing him. 

 And then he met his mother's brother, Laban; it's pretty obvious which side of the family his trait to be a deceiver came from! Yet, Jacob outwitted him in the long run; fleeing from him and being caught alone with God, wrestling with Him all night, having thought that he won, God touched him with a finger, and he was changed forever! 

 Just because we are forever changed, does not mean that we are perfect; at least not here and now! But we are perfect in the eye of the Father, who sees us through the blood of His Son! This is the change that matters, which comes from knowing Christ; not just knowing about Him, but knowing the love He represents, the justice that the Father created with Him, and just how much we depend upon Him, to be perfect in Him...

"For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can't take any credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." (Ephesians 2:6-10 NLT)  

"Obviously!"

 "Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord." (John 21:12 KJV)

  ""And we apostles are witnesses of all he did throughout Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a cross, but God raised him to life on the third day. Then God allowed him to appear, not to the general public, but to us whom God had chosen in advance to be his witnesses. We were those who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. And he ordered us to preach everywhere and to testify that Jesus is the appointed by God to be the judge of all - the living and the dead. He is the one the prophets testified about, saying that everyone who believes in him will have their sins forgiven through his name."" (Acts 10:39-43 NLT)

 Not to argue with anyone about this, but I feel as though Peter was staying out of sight as to respect Paul and his ministry in Rome; to not try to step in and take his place, as if he was the new leader of that church. That just my opinion, because he truly did respect Paul and his writings! 

 If you were wondering why this catchy title is, as it were, accentuated, it is because there is obviously a reason that the disciples didn't ask him, "Who art thou?" Friends know who their friends really are! Jesus came as their friend, asking them to dine with Him, was the thing friends do, after a table is set for eating! 

 Matthew Henry adds a little twist to this, using the one thing that Jesus said, which caused many of His followers to turn away: "The call Christ gives his disciples into communion with him in grace here. All things are now ready; Come, and dine. Christ is a feast; come dine upon him; his flesh is meat indeed, his blood drink indeed. Christ is a friend; come, dine with him, he will bid you welcome."...

[Young Man] "I have entered my garden, my treasure, my bride! I gather myrrh with my spices and eat honeycomb with my honey. I drink wine with my milk." [Young Women of Jerusalem] "Oh, lover and beloved, eat and drink! Yes, drink deeply of your love!" (SONG OF SONGS 5:1 NLT) 

"Jesus Provides"

  ""Now come and have some breakfast!" Jesus said. None of the disciples dared to ask him, "Who are you?" They knew it was the Lord. Then Jesus served them the bread and the fish. This was the third time Jesus had appeared to his disciples since he had been raised from the dead." (John 21:12-14 NLT)

  "For thus saith the Lord GOD, My people went down aforetime into Egypt to sojourn there; and the Assyrian oppressed them without cause. Now therefore, what have I here, saith the LORD, that my people is taken away for nought? they that rule over them make them to howl, saith the LORD; and my name continually every day is blasphemed. Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I." (Isaiah 52:4-6 KJV)

 It is time to be reminded how John is writing this, having maybe been some 60 years since these events had taken place, the memory of what had taken place was still able to distinguish emotions and certain details, as if this was from just days before. They say that this was written between 90 and 100 AD. 

 Having been saved now for around 43 years, I can hardly remember getting baptized, except that it was Pastor Jeff that did it, to both my wife and I at the same time, and that it happened at Pirate's Cove. Other than that, I remember the next time we were there, after our wedding, and Marianne's brother and his family were all there getting baptized. For some reason, that stands out more than even my own. 

 I can hardly remember a certain time in this Gospel when John uses the word, "I," or even, "We." He is constantly referring to the group, "the disciples," or when he does speak of himself, it is, "the disciple whom Jesus loved." 

 As to that point I made yesterday about being bold and speaking out; there comes a time in our life, (life being the New Life we have in Christ,) when we need to express that which Christ has placed upon our hearts. Call it a mark, or word, or certain character; but whatever it is, it is the calling that had changed your heart, making you turn to Life! 

 It could happen early in your journey, mid-steam, or at the very end, at which point you would be called a "Shooting Star." But without a doubt, it will happen, at one point in your New Life, in some form or fashion. I like Shemane's theme Scripture, it gives hope and encouragement to be strong...

"Again Esther spake unto Hatach, and gave him commandment unto Mordecai; All the kings servants, and the people of the king's provinces, do know, that whosoever, whether man or woman, shall come unto the king into the inner court, who is not called, there is one law of his to put him to death, except such to whom the king shall hold out the golden sceptre, that he may live: but I have not been called to come in unto the king these thirty days. And they told to Mordecai Esther's words. Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews. For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:10-14 KJV) 

"Strength in Weakness"

 "Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all the were so many, yet was not the net broken." (John 21:11 KJV)

  "No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow - not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below - indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:37-39 NLT)

 Yesterday I listened to a brief message from Pastor Jack, about Peter and the reason that he asked to be crucified upside down, as to not try and be associated with the way Christ was crucified. The way that Jack put it, Peter was ashamed because he did not represent Christ as well as he could; based upon that which had happened in Rome, after Paul was beheaded. 

 If you know that story, then you know that the emperor had lost mind, and set out to destroy all the Christians, lighting them on fire, feeding them to lions; doing whatever he could to take out the ones which had made him feel, shall we say, less than worthy. The point Jack made in this, is that Peter was there at that time, but remained in hiding. 

 I shared on this quite a long time ago; and I don't even know why or when it was; but my belief is that Peter went there is bring Paul's body back to Jerusalem, to have a proper burial. Many people, especially the Catholic church, believe that Peter was the one that started the church in Rome; but the truth is, Paul was the one that started the church in Rome, having ministered to them for several years, before and after actually going to Rome to be put on trial. 

 Without making a big deal about this, it was much like the night when Peter denied knowing Jesus; three times he denied Him, each time, with a little more passion and aggression. As a leader in the church, he should have used whatever authority that he had, to at least represent the church; but, as Jack explained it, he stayed out of sight and tried not to be seen as a Christian. 

 John is showing us something about Peter that some might not know, that Peter was not weak or frail, but he could take on the task of six men, and then some! The other six pulled the net in the water, up to the shore; Peter pulled the net filled with 153 fish, from the shore to the campsite! That had to be some sort of demonstration of how strong he really was. 

 Last night I was watching Shemane Nugent's show, Faith & Freedom, and she had a Pastor of a church, "Tip of the Spear Church." The point I received from his message was that the church needs to be bold and loud, not squeamish and timid. If we have the mighty power of Christ, we are not called to be silent and hiding in the shadows! 

 Yes, the world all around us is a mess and getting worse and worse, as the day approaches; but we are the Light that needs to shine in the darkness; it is Christ in us that gives us the strength and the bold authority to spread the Good News of the Gospel, even though it is not legal in some parts of the world, portions of the United States included!

 It's only going to get worse, no matter who the President is, the system has been lost to the enemy, and he isn't going to freely give it back. By the way, Pastor Bryan's message yesterday was awesome! He had shown the connection between Jeremiah 32:14 and Revelation 5:9-10; how God was going to take back the deed of this earth, and give it back to man, through Christ Jesus, the One that bought it back by His death on the cross! 

 Therefore, by His death, which was the greatest form of weakness, He not only died for our sins, but He redeemed and took back the fallen earth, as well! Mighty and Powerful is our KING...

"Then I began to weep bitterly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll and read it. But one of the twenty-four elders said to me, "Stop Weeping! Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the heir of David's throne, has won the victory. He is worthy to open the scroll and its seven seals." Then I saw a Lamb that looked as if it had been slaughtered, but it was now standing between the throne and the four living beings and the twenty-four elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which represent the sevenfold Spirit of God that is sent out into every part of the earth. He stepped forward and took the scroll from the right hand of the one sitting on the throne. And when he took the scroll, the four living beings and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they held gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of God's people. And they sang a new song with these words: "You are worthy to take the scroll and break its seals and open it. For you were slaughtered, and your blood has ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. And you have caused them to become a Kingdom of priests for our God. And they will reign on the earth."" (Revelation 5:4-10 NLT) 

 

"Moving Forward!" - 2

"Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught." (John 21:10 KJV)

  "This is what the LORD says: "You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me."" (Jeremiah 29:10-13 NLT)

 Let me try this again! Whether you can believe it or not, God has known you all of your life; as a matter of fact, before you were even conceived in your mother's womb, He knew you and had plans for your life! I know that might me hard to swallow, as they say; but we don't know what or how or when, but God knows everything, past, present, and future!

 Hopefully we are on the same page, because what I am going to say, howbeit too lightly, will depend upon that understanding: God has guided and moved you around, all through your life! We obviously did not know anything about what He was doing, because we still don't know what He will do next! But we can, with all that we know now, trust Him to get us through this life and be securely with Him, on the other side. 

 I'm really trying hard not use so many exclamation marks, but this is something I think is important. To get right to the point: It really doesn't matter what you might go through, good, bad, or destructive, if you are His child, you will come through whatever it is, His child! There is nothing you can do right now, or later on, that He didn't already know you would do, the moment you accepted Jesus Christ into your heart! 

 Sorry, but I had to do it! That said, I believe that God will prepare us for everything we must go through, in one way or another, so that we can withstand whatever it is, without giving up on Him and falling from grace. Even then, I still believe that we are not forsaken or condemned; whatever someone else might say, God is the judge! 

 If you don't believe it, then you really need to read the Bible, from start to finish, leaving nothing out, not even those books that seem as though they don't mean much, because they wouldn't be there if they didn't mean anything to God! That is what matters more than anything else: Do what God wants, not what we think; because He is God, and we are not.

 Added to that, are the ways and means by which we are prepared for suffering. Again, God will never allow you to go through something that you cannot handle; and when I say handle, I mean that your soul will survive, but your flesh might get wrecked, or even torn to pieces. One of my greatest fears, is that of dying in a fire; but even then, having heard about some of the saints that were burned at the stake, that they sang songs to the Lord as they flamed on, into eternity; I have to imagine Jesus was with them in the fire! 

 If I haven't shared this before, I'm sorry; and if I have, this is a good time to share it again. When I was in the hospital with my wife, there was a situation going on in Florida; a woman named Terri was in this same situation as my wife, health wise that is. As I sat next to her bed watching the news, her life was shown, and I looked at her, and then looked at my wife, realizing that they both had the same injuries. 

 As it turned out, her husband had already moved on, and had two children from another woman; as Terri had been in a facility for 15 years in her condition. Her husband wanted to have her starved to death, but her parents and siblings wanted to care for her. He was stopped by the Govenor and the State Assembly, only to later find a judge to overrule what they had done.

 I say this because it is more than interesting to me that God allowed me to see that, because it was that heartless act that made me determine in my heart that I would never take my wife's life, but that I would care for her as long as God has her here on earth! Even though people give me a hard time, saying things like, "How can you let her continue in that condition?" I believe, it's not me, but God who keeps her here; I'm just the one who promised to love and care for her, no matter what... 

""For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God's one and only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God's light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants."" (John 3:16-21 NLT)   

    

"Moving Forward!"

 "Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught." (John 21:10 KJV)

  "For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true. Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said, "Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light."" (Ephesians 5:8-14 NLT)

 If you didn't get the point of yesterday's post, it had to do with how the Lord has made the way, (all the things which we might have to go through, either good or bad,) that we might be prepared to serve Him better and easier than we might have otherwise, worked or labored to do, within our own strength. That might seem like it is really complicated and hard to figure out; but He works best in those that are the weakest and are more dependent on Him, not on themselves! 

 Case in point, this illustration above, as Jesus gives a simple command, which is based upon something that is hard to comprehend! They fished all night without catching a thing; but Christ shows up, telling them to cast their net to the other side, and they are overwhelmed with the catch; making it hard to even lift the net out of the water. 

 So, they work together as a team, as one body! Now they are called to move forward, with what they have now caught! Caught is the same word as, "apprehend," or "possess," which Paul uses in Philippians 3:12, but a little different tense; as one speaks about it being done, while the other speaks about doing it! When, whether you realize it or not, in this life, we are never done...

 "I want to know Christ and experience the might power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead! I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us." (Philippians 3:10-14 NLT) 

"Setting Things Up"

"As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread." (John 21:9 KJV)

  "In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad." (1 Corinthians 12:22-26 NLT)

 Don't ask! I really don't know what this means, so if there is something wrong with this post, I am telling you up front, it is not my fault! I actually was thinking about how Jesus set things up for them to all have breakfast together, which then became something about the body of Christ! 

 Have you ever wondered why some people need to suffer, while others just seem to have nothing go wrong in their lives? Thinking about the way Jesus was sacrificed, it reminds me that His suffering was to show how much God really cares for those who have to suffer in this life. If Christ didn't have to suffer the way that He did, then those that suffer wouldn't feel as though they are participating in His suffering! 

 Just a little reminder of why any suffering we go through should draw us closer to Christ, not push us away! It reminds me of the movie, "God's Not Dead," when Dean Cane's character visits his mother, showing her how she was treated by God, saying, 'Look and you; you have served God all of your life, and here you are! But me, my life is perfect!' 

 You know that saying, "All things happen for a reason," well, it is really not too far off from being the truth! God works on the little things as much as He does the bigger things; everything is His, including the things which seem to belong to someone else...

 "The next morning as they passed by the fig tree he had cursed, the disciples noticed it had withered from the roots up. Peter remembered what Jesus said to the tree on the previous day and exclaimed, "Look, Rabbi! The fig tree you cursed has withered and died!" Then Jesus said to the disciples, "Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, 'May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you've received it, it will be yours. But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too."" (Mark 11:20-26 NLT) 

"Dragging The Line"

 "And the other disciples came in a little ship; (for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits,) dragging the net with fishes." (John 21:8 KJV)

  "What do people really get for all their hard work? I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end." (Ecclesiastes 3:9-11 NLT)

 Just prepping for what will be starting in a few weeks, God willing! If you have been alive for sixty years or so, you might remember this hit song from the 70's, "Dragging the Line," and how popular it was back then. I remember having a small transistor radio, that I kept close by me, wherever we went, listing to the countdown of the current hits. 

 Having been somewhat stressed, these last 16 hours or so, I think we can safely say that we are going to be home soon, as my father-in-law will hopefully be released from the hospital at 7am this morning. You have got to know that I hate hospitals; even though I know it's not nice to hate, I feel as though it works well for me, as they haven't treated our family too well. 

 I sat in the waiting room from 10am till 5:30pm, at which time I insisted on going into the recovery room to check in on Jim. The clerk that checks people in didn't think that I should go in there, but I told him the Doctor that performed the operation said that I could, so he escorted back to where Jim was, and said in just, "You are on your own, but the nurse might kick you out of here!" 

 Anywho, we have to think about these six guys that are pulling in the net, filled with fish. Just imagine how happy they were, both to have so many fish, and to be able to be with the Lord! I thought about that song, remembering how it made me feel as a kid, even though my life at that time was rather hectic. "I feel fine; I'm talking about peace of mind!" 

 As Solomon is saying, God has planted eternity in the human heart, which, if you think about it, makes us long for something else, something that is beyond this life and existence. As I have shared before, I have always believed in God; that God created everything that we see, all of the planets and the stars. So having a feeling of infinity pretty much comes with knowing that you have a Creator, who is Infinite! 

 Basically, nothing that goes wrong in this life is going to affect my eternity with God! This much I have already determined to be a fact, based upon the Scriptures and what God has placed in my heart. There might be things which cause me to be upset, but they are always temporary and soon dealt with, as soon as I can! 

 We should never go to bed angry or upset, especially with someone that we love being hurt! We should never judge someone based upon how you feel, because your feelings don't count when it comes to love; real love is not a feeling, but a commitment! And, by all means, pray before you go to sleep, and ask God to forgive you for any on the stupid things you might have done! This is what I believe dragging the line means for me...

"Do not waste your time arguing over godless ideas and old wives' tales. Instead, train yourself to be godly. "Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come." This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should except it. This is why we work hard and continue to struggle, for our hope is in the Living God, who is the Savior of all people and particularly of all believers." (1 Timothy 4:7-10 NLT)