"Waiting For Him!" - Again

 "So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation." (Hebrews 9:28 KJV) 

  "Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. They will say, "What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the since the world was first created."" (2 Peter 3:3-4 NLT)

 Not so surprised about how this happens, but I must admit, keeping our focus on the Lord's soon return is sometimes overtaken by life's engagements and pleasures. It is really nothing we actually set out to do, but more about that which we find ourselves doing, all the while, we forget about the Lord's soon return, and focus more on living and planning a good life. 

 This isn't just a personal matter, because big plans are made over and over, even in the corporate settings of the churches. The show must go on, even while we wait, life and fellowship must keep going; and as it does, sometimes the times of planning and going through the trials of this life, keep us focused on the things we must do, and less time on being focused on His return. 

 What is a good pilgrim to do! We can't just neglect our responsivities of our work and families; I am certain that is not what the Lord is expecting us to do; but we also need to keep our focus on the fact that He is coming soon, making every effort to work His coming into everything we do. That includes the days when we are enjoying life's pleasures, such as golf, biking, and taking the family to the ski-park! 

 I say that, only because it is on my list of things to do; so please don't judge me for trying to enjoy time with the kids, as we practice snowboarding. There are certain things that require engagement with family, which is meant to show how much you care and love to spend time with them; something some of us forget to do also, in this busy life. 

 We can still wait for the Lord's return, even while we are riding on the chairlift...

""You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected. A faithful servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. If the master returns and finds that servant has done a good job, there will be a reward. I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns. But what if the servant is evil and thinks, 'My master won't be back for a while,' and he begins beating his other servants, partying, and getting drunk? The master will return unannounced and unexpected, and he will cut the servant to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."" (Matthew 24:44-51 NLT) 

"Waiting For Him!" - Too

"So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation." (Hebrews 9:28 KJV)

  "For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control." (Philippians 3:18-21 NLT)

 If you have been following this blog for some time, you might have realized that I tend to get carried away from time to time, making more of a focus on the things which are wrong, and less of a focus on the things which actually matter most. It's not because I am not always looking for the positive things, because that is not my real reason, at all. There are just too many things I have seen happening in the church; some of which, I really wish I had not witnessed. 

 When you are an elder in the church, especially a small church of 200 or less people, things are usually not that easy to keep unnoticed; especially when it comes to the reaction of some to the things they might not agree with. Having been a witness to several of those things, I have learned that we really don't know who we are and what we are capable of doing, until it is actually done. This stands for everyone, including those that are leading in the church. 

 We must always pray for those in leadership, especially for those that are leading our churches! You just can't image the great bullseye they have on their backs; the more they serve and put forth sound doctrine, the bigger the bullseye gets, and the more the enemy tries to take them down. 

 Anywho, this might not sound as though I am staying in line with this Scripture, but without question, this is exactly in line with every single part of this, as we look for Him to appear! If there is something that is associated with the oil in the lambs of those ten virgins, that Jesus shared about, those five foolish virgins were not looking and waiting for His return. Yes, it could be the Holy Spirit, that is the oil in the lamps; or it could be an indication of their passion to see Him return. 

 Maybe there is something that is more about love, as in really loving one another, just as Christ loves us, giving up Himself for us...

""Be dressed for the service and keep your lamps burning, as though you were waiting for your master to return from the wedding feast. Then you will be ready to open the door and let him in the moment he arrives and knocks. The servants who are ready and waiting for his return will be rewarded. I tell you the truth, he himself will seat them, put on an apron, and serve them as they sit and eat! He may come in the middle of the night or just before dawn. But whenever he comes, he will reward the servants that are ready. "Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would not permit his house to be broken into. You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected."" (Luke 12:35-40 NLT) 

"Waiting For Him!"

"So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation." (Hebrews 9:28 KJV)

  "So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back." (1 Corinthians 15:21-23 NLT)

 If you really think about it, there must be some sort of mystery to this resurrection, as to what might be that of our soul, and that of the body. I know that when this body dies, I will immediately be with the Lord, this I have learned to understand, almost from the very beginning of this new life in Christ. Even so, I also know that there will be a resurrection of this dead body, if I have left this body already.

 Not that I know exactly how it all will work, but based upon the Scriptures I have understood, these earthly bodies will be changed into heavenly bodies, that will never decay or grow old. And this will happen to both, those who are dead already and those of us that are still alive, when He returns at the time of the rapture. 

 This is not just something I think will happen; this is something that I felt sure of, from the very moment I asked Jesus to come into my heart. Death was no longer the threat to me, from that very moment, I was given a peace that totally made me feel as though I was indestructible and nothing could kill my soul. All that was once something I worried about, became lifted off of my shoulders; I was free from that shadow of death! 

 I still don't know how it works, but I really believe it has something to do with eternity, which has no time involved with it, it is eternal; something we won't understand until we get there! I the meantime, I am waiting and looking for Him to come very soon; just as the Bible tells me to do...

"Jesus replied, "Marriage is for people her on earth. But in the age to come, those worthy of being raised from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage. And they will never die again. In this respect they will be like angels. They are children of God and children of the resurrection." (Luke 20:34-36 NLT)    

   

"We Only Die Once!"

"And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:" (Hebrews 9:27 KJV)

  "God's law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God's wonderful grace became more abundant. So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them death, now God's wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 5:20-21 NLT)

 As there is only once that we get to die on this earth, the death that accrued to was when we accepted Christ, was the final death we would go through; not including this tent that is called a body! The death of this tent is bound to happen; but we will be still alive and will just be moving on, to be with the Lord! To anyone that can't really believe that is true, I pray that you totally and completely make it true in your heart, and you not only believe it is so, but that you also have peace and hope for when it might happen! 

 This is really what our faith is meant for: To really positively believe that we have been given eternal life and that when our time comes, we will absolutely be with the Lord! If you don't really believe that, then what are you really looking for? If we can't really trust in what Jesus has guaranteed to us and what this salvation is all about, then what are we doing, accept wasting our time, playing church! 

 Nothing is more important than the salvation that we have been given; it is the whole reason that Jesus came down from Heaven to die on the cross, so that we could be saved and have eternal life with Him and the Father! That was the plan all along! And it was totally successful...

"Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask." Jesus told her, "Your brother will rise again." "Yes," Martha said, "he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day." Jesus told her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believe in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this, Martha?" "Yes, Lord," she told him. "I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God."" (John 11:21-27 NLT)  

"Plainly Recognized" - To

 "For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." (Hebrews 9:26 KJV)

  "For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds." (Titus 2:11-14 NLT)

 There was something else I remember that might have been the reason for those times when I would feel as though I needed to get saved again, it was a night, maybe around a week or two after I first asked Jesus into my heart; one of the Officers at the facility was giving us a Wednesday Night Study, sharing about the Scripture we find in Psalm 103:12, which says: "He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west." 

 After reading that verse, he described what that looked like, and how the Scripture said, east and west, not, north and south, illustrating the globe as if we were to go north to south, we would always be going to two different directions; but, by going east to west, we would always be going west. Then after giving this illustration, he said, "But you can always turn back to your sins and start walking east." 

 This is not just something that caused me to doubt my security in Christ, every time I sinned; but it made me feel as though I needed salvation again; which as we will see soon enough, is something absolutely wrong and impossible! Jesus died once and for all, and His death on that cross only needed to be performed once; so too, we are only born again once! 

 That doesn't mean we shouldn't rededicate our lives to Christ, whenever we might slip away, because I believe that is something needed, especially in a public church setting, where you are recommitting your life to the Lord, and illustrating the healing of being broken. Which is the primary reason the Jesus washed the feet of His disciples, because they were going to be cleansed, but their feet would surely sometimes get dirty. 

 Maybe that doesn't make much sense to you, as to the fact of east verses west; but that whole thing about walking east again, is the whole point; if you continue always going to the west, you remain totally clean, but going back to the east, you're going to need a little cleansing! There is something else I observed about the illustration of going east, instead of west: this direction of east to west might not charge are direction, but going west to east will make us see a new day every morning... 

"Seek the LORD while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the LORD that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously." (Isaiah 55:6-7 NLT) 

"Plainly Recognized"

 "For then he must often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." (Hebrews 9:26 KJV)

  "This salvation was something even the prophets wanted to know more about when they prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you. They 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 the Good News has been announced to you by 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) 

 For such a time as this! Isn't it amazing to see what is happening everywhere, throughout this entire world; almost every kingdom and country is involved, in one way or another, to what end, I don't think they really know. But there is some kind of a connection to all that is taking place, which I pray will be the trigger that causes the Father to say, "Son, go get your bride!" 

 Much of what we see, plainly, is only sparsely noticeable and hard to determine what happens next; it is that way for us, as we are just pieces of God's tapestry, only able to see the horizon, never able to see the whole picture. But God sees everything, even the things which will soon happen! That just blows my mind and gives me a peace, the kind of peace that lets me know that He absolutely loves me! 

 As I have been trying to say these last few days, we must never quit believing that God loves us! Not only does He love us, but He is rooting for us, knowing full well that we will make it, because He is the one that decides who is are His children, and those that are not. That doesn't mean that we don't have a choice, but it does mean that we can be absolutely certain that He chose us, if that is never ever stop believing that He loves us and will never give up on us! 

 With all of my heart, I truly believe that is the truth, no matter what we might think or do, we are always still His children! Once you are made His child, you will forever be His! That is what I pray we will all fully recognize...

"So the trouble is not with the law, for it is good. The trouble is with me, for I am too human, a slave to sin. I don't really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do what I hate. But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can't. I want to do what is good, but I don't. I don't want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. But if I do what I don't want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong, it is sin living in me that does it." (Romans 7:14-20 NLT)  

"Won and Done" - Too

 "Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood for others;" (Hebrews 9:25 KJV)

  "My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins - and not only our sins but the sins of all the world." (1 John 2:1-2 NLT)

 Basically, it all comes down to our willingness to believe that Jesus' blood, shed on that cross, was all it took to cleanse us from our sins! Sad is it might be, but there are so many people that just can't come to grip the death of one man on a cross was all it took to cleanse us from our sins. Well, that might be easy to question the result, if you are believing that Jesus was just a man; but believing that He is God, that shines a whole new light on the power of the cross! 

 To be very honest about my understanding of who Jesus really was, the first few years of salvation, there were times when I doubted that He really was God. That was mostly because of the religion I grew up in, as they make every effort to believe that Jesus is not God; but if He was, the title would be a little god, much in the line of an angel; or even of Satan. 

 Not that it made me change my mind, because whenever I doubted who Jesus was, I would read those Scriptures that specifically say that He was indeed God, the True and Living God! Once we make that the Truth in our hearts, even when our mind may start to think differently, our heart will speak His love and sacrifice, which will trump every doubt, again and again.  

 As I have said before, and I will say it again: When I received Christ into my heart, I was totally undone; without even thinking twice, I was overwhelmed by the fact that the Creator, my Creator, was willingly crucified on a cross to save me from my sins! The image I saw of Jesus in my mind, was like a punch to my heart; it was so vivid, yet it just flashed into my mind. I knew right there and then that it really was the truth. 

 There is really nothing that can I think of that can stop me from believing that He saved me, and that He will get me to the other side! I don't believe that, even if I fall, my salvation will be lost, because He will not let me go! Not that there haven't been times when I felt as though I messed up, so badly, that He was not going to forgive me, because there were; but He always makes a way for us to stand back up again, and again!  

 Seriously, I picture it as if we are "Weebles," as it goes: "Weebles wobble but they don't fall down"...

"For God, who said, "Let there be light in the darkness," has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies." (2 Corinthians 4:6-10 NLT)

"Won and Done"

 "Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;" (Hebrews 9:25 KJV)

  "When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God." (Ephesians 3:14-19 NLT)

 When I was released from jail, in November of 1981, there were several times I remember thinking that I needed to get saved again; actually, there were probably at least six times; some of which included my wife, as we would both go up and kneel before the alter, asking and begging for forgiveness. This might sound strange, but those lase few months in jail, after I first got saved, there really wasn't any time that I felt the need to get saved again. Even though I had a few times when I sinned, there was really nothing that made me feel as though I wasn't really saved, I would just repent and ask for forgiveness. 

 To make any excuse for what I felt after my release, I would only say that I felt that I had real purpose in that place; so, I spent most of my time looking for way to serve the Lord, which I believe kept me alert to what the Holy Spirit was asking me to do. Once I was released, I spent more time getting to work on selling, and less time on serving the Lord. 

 Not that we didn't go to church or I didn't pray and read my Bible every morning and night, because I did; but in the real world, having a wife and kid, you feel an obligation to provide for your home. My wife didn't work, as I wasn't really wanting her to; she focused on making a happy home and raising our son. There might have been a few times when she would baby-sit for people, mostly at our home; but she never tried to get a job until around 1995 or 1996, when I was unable to give her the money I usually did; which was for her to shop and buy the things she wanted or needed. 

 One of our favorite things was to go the mall, where she would go shopping, and I would sit on a bench outside the store, reading a Chick Tract, waiting for someone to sit nearby. As soon as she came out of the store, I would sit the Tract down on the bench, walk away, and we would pray for the person to pick it up and really read it. 

 Wow, I really miss that! You really don't fully appreciate what you have until it is gone! The last time we did that was the Thanksgiving before her surgery, in 2002. The next Thanksgiving, I was taking care of her at our new home, my life turned up-side-down; but I still kept on serving the Lord...

"When you came to Christ, you were "circumcised," but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision - the cutting away of your sinful nature. For you were buried with Christ when you baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. You were dead because or your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave your sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them at the cross." (Colossians 2:11-15 NLT) 

"The True Sanctuary"

 "For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:" (Hebrews 9:24 KJV)

  "Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. Against its will, all creation was subjected to God's curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God's children in glorious freedom from death and decay." (Romans 8:18-21 NLT)

 Looking at this from the way it is meant to be, there are certain things we need to understand about the way things really are, most of which, are the things that are really not our fault. The moment I was born into this world, I was destined to have a sin nature; not that I wanted it that way, but because it was passed down and, in my blood; that blood, which was in Adam, passed down through all generations.

 Most people don't really realize that, but we really don't have a choice; at least not until we are born again; then it is a whole different life, because we are living by the blood of Christ! Not that our blood has been changed, because it still remains the same; but by the blood of Christ, we who have been saved are completely purified and set apart. What was once something we could not control, has now become that which is controllable, by the power of the Holy Spirit that lives in us. 

 There is now a choice! If you really don't understand what I am talking about, it is really not that hard to figure out. The power of sin over our lives has been broken, the curse handed down from Adam has been removed, and we are no longer obligated to follow that old sin nature; we have been renewed and now obligated to walk in the Spirit! 

 This is not something we can do on our own! If we try to do it on our own, we will fail, again and again; over and over, until we become totally broken! Not really the kind of choice you want, because at that condition, your only choice is complete surrender...

"Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God's laws, and it never will. That's why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God. But you at not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God." (Romans 8:5-10 NLT) 

"Heavenly Things" - Too

 It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these." (Hebrews 9:23 KJV) 

  "And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time as "foreigners in the land." For you know that God paid a ransom to save you the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but he has now revealed him to you in these last days." (1 Peter 1:17-20 NLT)

 Just so you know, that closing message yesterday was to demonstrate what it looks like for those who are chosen, such as Peter was, that the things we might do that are wrong, such as to deny that we know Christ, (which is not something any of us should do,) will not be the thing that causes us to forfeit the eternal life we have waiting for us in Heaven. I know that there are some who will not agree with what I just said, because of the verse that says, "But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 10:34)

 It might not seem right, but John's version of Peter's denial was covered over with that next statement of Jesus saying, "Don't let your hearts be troubled," With all the competition between Peter and John, John wrote his gospel message towards the end of his life here on earth; so there was no more worries over what either one of them might have done, they both died knowing full well that they were totally forgiven!  

 Interesting enough, Jesus never really was offended in Peter's denial, because He knew perfectly well that Peter would repent, as we see in Luke's Gospel, He says, "Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers." 

 After Jesus said that to Peter, he proclaimed how faithful he was to the Lord; it was after that Jesus told him what he would be repenting about; that he would deny Him three times. And that is what exactly happened! So, what I am trying to say, hopefully without offending those who think differently, is that we have the kind of forgiveness that is foolproof and cannot be taken away! 

 What I know, and truly believe in my heart, is that there really is no condemnation for those who are in Christ, as long as we believe and ask for forgiveness when we mess up! And even if we are stubborn and don't think we need to be forgiven, God will correct us one way or another, as He will never leave or forsake us!

 Those who might not want to ask for forgiveness, may not have ever been really forgiven, not really believing how it all works. But each and every one of us are responsible for our own salvation, as to what we believe and hard we want to keep it; even though it cannot be taken away... 

"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 eternal 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) 

"Heavenly Things"

 "It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but rhe heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices that these." (Hebrews 9:23 KJV) 

  "Simon Peter asked, "Lord, where are you going?" And Jesus replied, "You can't go with me now, but you will follow me later." "But why can't I come now, Lord? he asked. "I'm ready to die for you." Jesus answered, "Die for me? I tell you the truth, Peter - before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me." "Don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father's home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will came and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. And you know the way to where I am going."" (John 13:36-14:4 NLT)

  Last night I watched a movie called, "What If...", which I have probably seen at least a dozen times. In this movie, Kevin's character goes to a hospital to minister to a rich guy that is getting ready to die. He starts out asking the man, "How would like to upset a lot of religious people?" He then goes on to talk about the parable of the vineyard owner, that hires workers throughout the day, to work in his vineyard.

 In this parable Jesus shows that the people who only worked for an hour, they received the amount of money for a whole day's wage. And those that worked all day long, felt as if they were going to get more than they were originally told they would get. But everyone was paid the same amount, no matter how long they worked, they were all paid the same. 

 Not that it is something that we don't already know, because the Thief of the Cross, basically was saved on the spot, without even needing to do anything but believe that Jesus could save him, saying, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom." Because anyone can be saved, even in their final minute; maybe even with seconds before they die. But it only takes a second to say good-bye...

"Then the two men from Emmaus told their story of how Jesus had appeared to them as they were walking along the road, and how that had recognized him as he was breaking bread. And just as they were telling about it, Jesus himself was suddenly standing there among them. "Peace be with you," he said. But the whole group was startled and frightened, thinking they were seeing a ghost! "Why are you frightened?" he asked. "Why are your hearts filled with doubt? Look at my hands. Look at my feet. You can see that it's really me. Touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost, because ghosts don't have bodies, as you see that I do." As he spoke, he showed them his hands and his feet. Still they stood there in disbelief, filled with joy and wonder. Then he asked them, "Do you have anything to eat?" They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he ate it as they watched. Then he said, "When I was with you before, I told you that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled." Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. And he said, "Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day. It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: 'There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.' You are witnesses of all these things."" (Luke 24:35-48 NLT)   

"A Better Sacrifice"

 "That is why the Tabernacle and everything in it, which were copies of things in heaven, had to be purified by the blood of animals. But the real things in heaven had to be purified with far better sacrifices than the blood of animals.

 "For Christ did not enter into a holy place made with human hands, which was only a copy of the true one in heaven. He entered into heaven itself to appear now before God on our behalf. And he did not enter heaven to offer himself again and again, like the high priest here on earth who enters the Most Holy Place year after year with the blood of an animal. If that had been necessary, Christ would have had to die again and again, ever since the world began. But now, once for all time, he has appeared at the end of the age to remove by his own death as a sacrifice.

 "And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ died once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him." (Hebrews 9:23-28 NLT) 

  "Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: 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 55:6-7 KJV) 

 As I was thinking about this portion of Scripture, I remembered something that I was shown, not too long after my wife and I were married. To be truthfully certain, I needed to look it up for myself, because it was hard to believe, seeing that sinning was still something I still had to deal with, again and again! The best way for me to illustrate what it was, is the idea that God doesn't have favorites, and we are all equal in His sight; no matter what, we are all precious and loved the same! 

 It is kind of hard to believe it, especially when we might mess up from time to time; but it is something we must try and remember, He really does love us, all the same... 

"Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: but in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him." (Acts 10:34-35 KJV) 

    

"Complete Anointing"

 "And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission." (Hebrews 9:22 KJV)

  "These people left our churches, but they never really belonged with us; otherwise they would have stayed with us. When they left, it proved that they did not belong to us. But you are not like that, for the Holy One has given you his Spirit, and all of you know the truth. So I am writing to you not because you don't know the truth but because you know the difference between truth and lies. And who is a liar? Anyone who says that Jesus is not the Christ. Anyone who denies the Father and the Son is an antichrist. Anyone who denies the Son doesn't have the Father, either. But anyone who acknowledges the Son has the Father also." (1 John 2:19-23 NLT)

 Yesterday's post was a little short because I had to be somewhere, and I wanted to be early. That is just who I am, the guy that hates to be late, and loves to be early, mostly because I don't like it when people don't show up on time, so I make every effort to never be late. That's just what you might, call being an example, because you really can't judge anyone for being late, if you yourself do the same.

 Anywho; this post is pretty much the completion of yesterday's, "Come What May," post; which was the illustration of how God has anointed everything in our lives, even those things we should not do! I know that might not make sense to some; especially those that judge and condemn people for being different than they are. We all have our own journey and hangups in this world; but each and every one of us are still sinners that have been saved by God's grace; none of us are perfect, but we that are saved have been completely anointed and purified by the blood of Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior! 

 If that doesn't make sense to you, then I will pray that you will change your heart and truly believe that we are redeemed, set apart, and seen as righteous in the eyes of the Father! All of our sins have been forgiven, even those that some might not think are worthy of forgiveness. Don't think for a moment that God does not know what we will do, because He knows everything about us; and each and everything we do, He has already prepared for the reaction and the circumstance that will follow. 

 Maybe we just need to remember that we are His children; and because we are His children, He has the right to do whatever He feels we need, in order to obey and love Him more. Some people might call it Tuff Love; but there is really no comparison to the sacrifice and love that was demonstrated on that cross! Talk about Tuff Love! 

 That is why we must never stop believing and always remember what Jesus did in order to save us; and we must never forget that it was the Father that sent Him here to die for us. Imagine what that Tuff Love looked like from the Father's point of view; it was certainly groundbreaking...

"So you must remain faithful to what you have been taught from the beginning. If you do, you will remain in fellowship with the Son and with the Father. And in this fellowship we enjoy the eternal life he promised us." (1 John 2:24-25 NLT) 

"Come What May!"

 "Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry." (Hebrews 9:21 KJV)

  "The LORD is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful springs. He renews my strength. He guides me along the right paths, bringing honor to his name. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for your rod and 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)

 To try and make a point, (no pun intended), there is really nothing that I can do in this life that will take away my salvation; this much I am very sure of, because there is no way that I am going to quit believing that God loves me and the blood of Jesus has given me eternal life! That said, I do whole-heartedly know and believe that there are consequences for the things we do that are wrong; there really is still justice for the things we do here, as we live out our time on this earth.

 Besides that, what we do on this earth, stays on this earth; we do not take this garbage with us when we go! If you don't believe that is so, then you need to read your Bible more, especially Revelation, as there are no more tears in Heaven! I still cry like a baby thinking about some of the things I have done; mostly those things I did that hurt my wife and the arguments I let happen.

 Maybe everything was not my fault, (I try to say to myself), but I honestly know that my role was meant to be like Christ treats the church, sacrificing myself for her! As I have said before, and I say it again: You husbands most love your wife as Christ loves the church! Just as the light of the moon is not its own, so too, the love you show your wife, will be a reflection in her, just as the Light of Jesus shines on all of us, and lets us shine as well.

 The way I see it, is that we are meant to keep on believing, no matter what we might do, no matter how hard we might fall, even in the worst situation and under the most sever circumstances, never ever quit believing in the mighty blood of Jesus and the Father's wonderful grace...

"We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are." (Romans 3:22 NLT)

"A Man's Disposition" - Too

 "Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you." (Hebrews 9:20 KJV)

  "If I wanted to boast, I would be no fool in doing so, because I would be telling the truth. But I won't do it, because I don't want anyone to give me credit beyond what they see in my life or hear in my message, even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work in me. That's why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:6-10 NLT)

 The point I was looking for yesterday was pretty much given, but it was not totally made clear. There is something else that needs to be added, which is most important to this, "disposition," that a man or woman may come to understand and acknowledge as something that they must be familiar with, and at the same time, deal with according. We all have flaws and cravings for things, some worse than others; but these things are the things that remind us of our weaknesses and keep us knowing how much we need God's grace!  

 Disposition is inherent, not learned. As we can see in this Scripture above, it says, "which God hath enjoined unto you." What I see this to mean, is much like a marriage between husband and wife; except in this case, the bond together is between us and God. Much like Abraham being righteous in God's sight, he still had issues and did things that were not righteous; but God is the one who made him to be righteous! And it was God who made his name known, throughout the entire Bible, as righteous because of his faith, not because he was perfect, but he believed in a perfect God that kept His promises! 

 What I am trying to say, is that we will mess up, and we will also have difficulties and hardships; but, in everything that life throws at us and in everything wrong we might do, God is still joined to us, as we are to Him. He is not letting go of those He has chosen and called His own...

"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 weaknesses 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 8:38-39 NLT)