"The Three"

  "It was by faith that Isaac promised blessings for the future to his sons, Jacob and Esau. It was by faith that Jacob, when he was old and dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons and bowed in worship as he leaned on his staff. It was by faith that Joseph, when he was about to die, said confidently that the people of Israel would leave Egypt. He even commanded them to take his bones with them when they left." (Hebrews 11:20-22 NLT)

  "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1 KJV)

 As I was saying, about those first two decades of my doubts, now and again about the Deity of Christ; it was pretty much this singular verse that sealed my heart, and made be totally and completely believe that Jesus Christ, was, is, and forever will be God! As a matter of fact, every translation of a Bible that I might look at or think to read, if this one verse, John 1:1, does not say what it should say, then I will refuse to read that translation, and I will warn anyone else that might be reading it to throw it away! 

 I determined that my lessons from growing up and being told that Jesus not God, had sometimes made me doubt, even though it was that exact point that made me stand, raising both hands, as the Preacher asked, "If you want to ask Jesus to come into your heart, raise your hand." When he preached the words, saying, "You see this watch? This watch tells me that somewhere out there, there is a Watch Maker. And you, me, and all that we see, tells me that there is a Creator! And have come here today, to tell you, that Creator is Jesus Christ!" 

 In just a flash, as soon as he said those words, I envisioned Jesus on the cross! I thought to myself, "My Creator died on a cross, to save me!" It really was overwhelming me; especially when he followed up reading several verses from the Bible that verified that what he said was true. You have got to know, we really never just read the Bible; we read the Scripture Studies, and verified them, by looking up certain Scriptures. 

 As a matter of fact, we were told, reading the Scripture Studies with the Bible, would bring us into the light; but if we set the Scripture Studies aside, and read the Bible alone, we would be in darkness. You really need to know, I was being raised in a cult! I was 23 when I got saved; and it took almost 20 years for me to be totally freed from that false teaching; even though it was that simple fact that brought me to the point of asking Jesus into my heart! 

 If that doesn't make sense to anyone, then I would simply say, you don't really remember what it was that caused you to give your life to Jesus! It is the thing that pulled the trigger that will be the thing the devil will use against you, time and time again. Sooner or later, you will figure it out! 

 I really love John's closing statement...

"This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true. 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 21:24-25 KJV) 

"The Reckoning!" - Too

 "Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received in him a figure." (Hebrews 11:19 KJV)

  "But tell me this - since we preach that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying there will be no resurrection of the dead? For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless. And we apostles would all be lying about God - for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can't be true if there is no resurrection of the dead. And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world." (1 Corinthians 15:12-19 NLT)

 If you really don't understand the term, "reckon," it isn't really that difficult to see Paul's reckoning of what might be if it was true that Christ didn't raise up from the grave; what pitiful life it would be for all of us that believe, if that was really the case. Thankfully, we are assured that He did, because it can be easily proven, if we clearly believe in the written Word of God!

 I really don't know how else to say this, except to say that somehow the believer's in God, from a very long time before Jesus came, actually believed that He was coming to save the world, and that He was going to be killed, and that God would raise Him back up from the dead. Other than that, why would Abraham even consider it possible, except for the fact that God said his son would have many children? 

 Here is the thing that made be sure, surer of who Jesus is, was, and always will be: By truly believing what the Bible says, from the beginning to the end, it is all very plain to see; if that is, you're willing to believe! I suppose that if God had made everything through His Son, which is the Word, then I also figure that He is also God! It is really undeniable to reckon that is true...

"In the beginning the Word already existed. The Wood was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him." (John 1:1-3 NLT) 

"The Reckoning!"

 "Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure." (Hebrews 11:19 KJV)

  "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. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen." (Ephesians 3:19-21 NLT)

 As much as might think I know, there is always something that causes me to doubt, thinking that I know nothing at all; as strange as that might sound, it isn't hard for it to happen, even to someone that thinks they know everything. I reckon, those who think they know everything, don't even have a clue about God!

 When I was saved, back in 1981, there was something that I discovered that made me feel as though nothing else mattered but knowing and learning about God, especially about God's Son, Christ Jesus! I have shared this before, but during the first couple of weeks during my new life in Christ, I worked hard on making a crossword puzzle that listed all the Scriptures that showed or pointed to Jesus Christ being God. 

 Without going too far into the reason that was so important for me to do, let's just say I had been told that He was not God, in so many ways, that I needed to prove it to myself that He was, indeed, God! However, even after that, there would be times when I doubted it was true. For probably twenty years or so, now and then I would have this battle in my mind over the fact that Jesus is truly God, thinking what I have heard and read was wrong, and all of it was a lie. 

 Don't get thinking that I was messed up, because it really wasn't really what I believed: I absolutely did believe Jesus was who He said that He was; I just, now and again, doubted that it was true. If you think that isn't possible for someone that truly believes, then think again, because Peter once proclaimed that Jesus was God, but after He was arrested and being tried, he declared three times he didn't know Him! 

 Here is something that might sound weird or strange; but in a strange sort of way, Abraham actually felt as though Isaac had come back to life. Not to say that he had been killed, because God stopped it from happening. But you must realize what was going on in Abraham's heart and mind, as he was preparing to stick that knife in the chest of his, one and only son, the son of the promise!  

 I can only imagine the joy he felt, when God said, "Stop!" What a relief he must have felt, his son was saved; his life was spared! He had thought all along that God would do something, because He had promised that Isaac was the one; so, he even thought about him being brought back to life, if he had actually killed him. 

 When you truly think about it, I reckon God used this illustration to be the figure of His Son, Jesus Christ, the one that became a sacrifice for our sins! Even though He knew that He would rise again, the thought of what He would endure was overwhelming, so much so, that He sweat blood, praying that the Father would change His mind, and make it all stop! 

 Unlike Abraham's situation, even though God provided the sheep to take Isaac's place, our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ, prepared Himself to be the Lamb, saying, "Not my will, but Thine be done"...

"But it was the LORD'S good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the LORD'S good plan will prosper in his hands." (Isaiah 53:10 NLT)

"The Seed" - To

 "Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall they seed be called:" (Hebrews 11:18 KJV)

  "Tell me, you who want to live under the law, do you know what the law actually says? The Scriptures say that Abraham had two sons, one from his slave wife and one from his freeborn wife. The son of the slave wife was born in a human attempt to bring about the fulfillment of God's promise. But the son of the freeborn wife was born as God's own fulfillment of his promise. These two women serve as an illustration of God's two covenants. The first woman, Hagar, represents Mount Sinai where people received the law that enslaved them. And now Jerusalem is just like Mount Sinai in Arabia, because she and her children live in slavery to the law. But the other woman, Sarah, represents the heavenly Jerusalem. She is the free woman, and she is our mother." (Galatians 4:21-26 NLT)

 Having said all that stuff yesterday, it was primarily put out there for this post today. Not that it is not something we must always strive for, to bring everything to God before we do it; because I seriously doubt that anyone really does. Much like Abrham, who when told by his wife to take her handmaid, Hagar, to provide for the son God promised; I seriously doubt that Abraham prayed over that, asking God if that was His plan. 

 However! As I have said at least a hundred times: God knows beforehand and prepares the way for all the things that we do wrong, to be things which work for the good, in some form or fashion! We have really no idea what might happen based upon the wrong that we have done. Most of the things that are made to happen from what we do, either good or bad, will happen without us even knowing. 

 The other day I heard someone say that Rahab the harlot was not the same Rahab that was associated with King David's birth. I'm really not sure why, because she, and three other women which had, shall we say, strange sexual back grounds, are listed in the ancestor lines in Matthew. I truly believe that they are all listed there for a specific reason. 

 What's more, is that Ruth was a Moabite, from the land of Moab, which was the offspring of one of Lot's daughters, who had a sexual relation with her father, Lot, in order to keep the family line going. And then we have Tamar, who dressed as a harlot to get even with Judah, for not giving her his last son to wed. Even Bathsheba is mentioned, the mother of Solomon, the widow of Uriah! 

 The only other woman listed in Matthew's record of Jesus the Messiah's ancestors, is Mary; and she was a virgin, conceived before marriage, and have had to deal with the rumors of infidelity, even though she was pure...

"When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit's words to explain spiritual truths. But people who aren't spiritual can't receive these truths from God's Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can't understand what the Spirit means. Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others. For, "Who can know the LORD'S thoughts? Who knows enough to teach him?" But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ." (1 Corinthians 2:13-16 NLT)    

"The Seed"

 "Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:" (Hebrews 11:18 KJV)

  "Well then, has God failed to fulfill his promise to Israel? No, for not all who are born into the nation of Israel are truly members of God's people! Being descendants of Abraham doesn't make them truly Abraham's children. For the Scriptures say, "Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted," though Abraham had other children, too. This means that Abraham's physical descendants are not necessarily children of God. Only the children of the promise are considered to be Abraham's children. For God had promised, "I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son."" (Romans 9:6-9 NLT)

 The thing that is important for us to realize, is that God is the one who makes the rules! As much as we think that we have the ability to make changes on our own, if we do anything without His approval, or His say-so, then we deal with whatever happens, down the road. I'm not saying this because I faithfully do pray for all that I do; but I am saying it because I know it is something I don't do, quite frequently! 

 I can say with all honesty that I don't even realize when I do not ask Him first before I decide to do certain things; mostly because they don't involve church or ministry. If I am buying a new truck, I will just buy a new truck, not even thinking about praying about it first, to get His approval. I know that doesn't sound like it is a really big deal, to some people; but everything we own or have belongs to God!

 Really, the things we plan and the things we do, always should be things that are prayed over first; yet there are things we might think are ours to do on our own, without even asking Him if we should. If it sounds as if it isn't really that important, the little things we do on our own, all add up; before you know it, you are stuck with a pile of garbage! 

 You have sung that song, at least you heard it: "He gives and takes away," He can do that because it is rightfully His! We really own nothing in this world; when we die, we leave just as we came, with nothing but a soul. And guess what, He owns that too...

"So it is God who decides to show mercy. We can neither choose it nor work for it. For the Scriptures say that God told Pharaoh, "I have appointed you for the very purpose of displaying my power in you and to spread my fame throughout the earth." So you see, God chooses to show mercy to some, and he chooses to harden the hearts of others so they refuse to listen. Well then, you might say, "Why does God blame people for not responding? Haven't they simply done what he makes them do?" No, don't say that. Who are you, a mere human being, to argue with God? Should the thing that was created say to the one who created it, "Why have you made me like this?" When a potter makes jars out of clay, doesn't he have the right to use the same lump of clay to make one jar for decoration and another to throw garbage into? In the same way, even though God has the right to show his anger and his power, he is very patient with those on whom his anger falls, who are destined for destruction. He does this to make the riches of his glory shine even brighter on those whom he shows mercy, who are prepared in advance for glory. And we are among those whom he selected, both from the Jews and from the Gentiles." (Romans 9:16-24 NLT) 

"The Only Begotten Son" - Too

 "By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son," (Hebrews 11:17 KJV)

  "So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham's. For Abraham is the father of all who believe. That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, "I have made you the father of many nations." This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing." (Romans 4:16-17 NLT)

 Over the past two days, I have heard several different messages about those who believed that Jesus was who He said He was, and about all of the historical things that were made to represent His time here on earth. As it goes, there appears to be a time, possibly before the dark ages, when most of humanity was honoring Christ, in all sorts of ways. The actual time of history was counted, based upon His birth and the time of His departure, B.C. and A.D., which have recently been altered to mean something else. 

 I am saying this because there is some proof that the idea and belief in God sending His one and only begotten Son to save us from our sins, has been something that was known, in some form or fashion, ever since Adam sinned in the Garden. They might not have seen the whole picture, before He came and was the sacrifice for our sins, but they knew that He would be coming!

 It has been said that the place where God told Abraham to go; the place where he was to sacrifice his son, was the same place where Jesus was crucified on the cross. It has also been told that this was the place where David paid for the threshing floor, to build an altar. Without a doubt, the whole reason for the test that God put Abraham through, was also a window to the place for Jesus to be crucified, right there in the same location. 

 There is more evidence of these being the last days, between the changing of the times of Jesus coming and going, to the way things are speedily getting stranger and technology is changing the way we live; this should be something that brings everyone who believes to a know that He will soon come for His bride! I really do hope that we all will be ready!

 One other thing, that really should make this story more alive, is that Abraham said something to Isaac when he asked his father, "Where is the sacrifice for the offering?" The answer is sometimes not told by some the way that it should be. Some say that Abraham said, "God will provide the sacrifice," while others, say, "God will provide Himself a sacrifice." Based upon what I know, I choose the later, but regardless, they both are correct...

"Isaac turned to Abraham and said, "Father?" "Yes, my son?" Abraham replied. "We have the fire and the wood," the boy said, "but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?" "God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering, my son," Abraham answered. And they both walked on together." (Genesis 22:7-8 NLT)   

"The Only Begotten Son"

 "By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son," (Hebrews 11:17 KJV) 

  "Some time later, God tested Abraham's faith. "Abraham!" God called. "Yes," he replied. "Here I am." "Take your son, your only son - yes, Isaac, whom you love so much - and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you."" (Genesis 22:1-2 KJV)

  As we all know, Abraham did have another son, who was named, Ishmael. As it was, God did bless him, telling his mother, Hagar, "Go to him and comfort him, for I will make a great nation from his descendants." Even though God did bless the older son, that son was not the one that was the son of promise, but the making from the work of man, not the power of God! 

 However, as I have said before, God used the mistake of Abraham's choice to listen to his wife, as a tool to save the whole family of Jacob, in a time of a very serious famine. Even still, Isaac was the son of the promise, which is why God used the term, "only begotten son." 

 I really don't know how else to put this, except that God is able to forgive our mistakes! This is really the whole point of what makes people doubt God's forgiveness, because even though He forgives, we have a really hard time forgiving ourselves. 

 Last night Pastor Bryan was sharing about Paul's statement from Philippians 3:13, as he said, 'Paul has not forgotten; but is not letting those things of the past, interfere with what he does today." Or, saying, something of that nature! We must completely and truly believe in the cross of Christ, that all of our sins have been completely forgiven! 

 When Jesus died on that cross, He took upon Himself the sins of the entire world; even those from the very beginning to the very end; there was no one who's sins were not paid for on that cross! Yet, it is a free gift of salvation that must be received in order for it to work...

""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 judgement 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."" (John 3:16-18 NLT) 

"Abraham's Test"

 "It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God's promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, even though God had told him, "Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted." Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead." (Hebrews 11:17-29 NLT)

  "For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith." (Romans 4:13 KJV)

 Having been following the Lord, mostly, for all of these 45 something years, I have had several times to feel as though God was testing me, as if to see if I truly did trust Him, and I know that He was not only faithful, but that He was more than able to do things that I never even had seen or thought about. When we think that God is doing something, which might be within our inner circle, we really have no idea where or how far His something will go! 

 I'm not saying that I know the outcome of anything; I don't think any of us really truly do. But I do know what God promises will be, because He is always faithful, even if I'm not! If I have said it once to many times, I will say it again: If God choose you to be His child, He knew full well what you might do to break His heart; but His forgiveness is unending! He saved you broken, and He made you unbreakable!

 As I thought about what I had posted yesterday morning, I really planned to make it another message about the same; yet I felt that enough was said about how we get prepared, because we really cannot be consistent and totally faithful. But what we must do, is trust that He is constantly faithful, no matter if we are not; He will make a way for us make to the other side of this journey, justified and purely clean... 

"But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." (1 Corinthians 2:9 KJV) 

"Preparation"

 "But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city." (Hebrews 11:16 KJV)

  ""Be dressed for 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 and 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 who 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 must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected."" (Luke 12:35-40 NLT)

 So, here is a little twist on the illustration in most people's mind regarding this verse in Hebrews, as we sometimes forget that we too have to prepare ourselves to enter into the house that God has prepared for us! Much like it was for those Israelites that prepared for the first Passover, they marked their doorposts with the blood of a lamb, cooked their meal, and got dressed; standing around their tables, with shoes on and staff in hand: as if they were ready for a journey. 

 There are several different Scriptures that are running through my mind, as to what this really looks like. The interesting thing that blows my mind, is that our preparation is really not all that hard, as a matter of fact, God is the one that does all the heavy lifting, so to speak: we just need to be ready to go! 

 The first thing that comes to mind, is the cross of Christ, which was most definitely hard on the Lord to go through it; but the result of what He did, made it very easy for us to have our sins washed away: we just needed to believe and receive the grace we were given! As easy as it might sound, many people are not able to believe it; not because they can't believe, but because they don't want to believe because they don't want to be changed or give up doing what they are doing. 

 Additionally, there are certain thing that seem hard to some, but they make things hard on themselves because they try doing them on their own, instead of letting God lead them. This has been one of my difficulties for as long as I remember! You know what I mean, it's a lot like that message about God telling someone to move a big rock, they obviously can't move. They push and push, but it never works, it only makes them discouraged and wanting to give up. When all the time, God was waiting for them to ask Him for help, which would have made their heavy burden rather easy! 

 It might not make total sense, but it really doesn't require strength to do what makes God happy, it only requires the real desire to serve Him, and He will make it very easy; as Jesus has said...

"Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light."" (Matthew 11:28-30 NLT)   

"No Turning Back!"

 "And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned." (Hebrews 11:15 KJV)

  "Don't worry about anything. 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." (Philippians 4:6-7 NLT)

 This might just be the same topic from the last two days, as it takes into consideration to what really matter most, and how knowing what the Lord has promised, is not only true, but we have the peace of God in believing it is where we are going. That really makes a very big difference to any reason we might think about turning back to our old life, which, in my opinion, is not possible for those who truly believe that Jesus is coming back to bring them home.  

 As silly as it might sound, but the other night when President Trump was again in a situation where he might have been taken out, the first thing that popped into my head was, 'The Last Trump', which is the trigger that actually sets off the rapture to happen. Not that I am looking for anything to happen, because I do truly believe he has been appointed by God and is doing good; much different than the one who was before him, that much is for sure! 

 We must always be ready for the Lord's return to take up the church; even though we might slack off from time to time, living and planning in this world in which we are Pilgrams! There really isn't any reason to stop living and providing for others; but there is a very special reason that we do our best to be ready...  

"As they were walking along, someone said to Jesus, "I will follow you wherever you go." But Jesus replied, "Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head." He said to another person, "Come follow me." The man agreed, but he said, "Lord, first let me return home and bury my father." But Jesus told him, "Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead! Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God." Another said, "Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say goodbye to my family." But Jesus told him, "Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God."" (Luke 9:57-62 NLT) 

"Our Heavenly Home!" - Too

 "For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country." (Hebrews 11:14 KJV)

  "Yet when I am among mature believers, I do speak with words of wisdom, but not the kind of wisdom that belongs to this world or to the rulers of this world, who are soon forgotten. No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God - his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began. But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord. That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him."" (1 Corinthians 2:6-9 NLT)

 Looking at it from a little different vantage point, God has been telling us throughout all the Old Testament Scriptures what He has been planning, ever since to beginning; it just wasn't made plainly seen until Jesus Christ came and made all those dots into a picture, that made the mystery plainly seen! Yes, we still don't know everything; but we know enough to see the truth: and it is the Truth that sets us free!

 A message I heard the other day made me realize what that actually looks like, because Truth is the first article the is put on, for us to be dressed in the Armor of God. Truth is the Belt, with which everything else is made usable and with which we can hold both the Shield and the Sword, without having hold up something else; if you know what that looks might like.

 Without the Truth, there really is nothing else that is absolutely absolute! Without the Belt of Truth, you will have no way to completely and sincerely use all the other articles of The Armor of God, for real! 

  Your Breastplate of Righteousness will not shield your heart, because without Truth, you feel as though in your heart, that God has fully forgiven your sins. Your Shoes of Peace will wear out quickly, because without Truth, the Good News won't seem good enough to spread the Message. Your Shield of Faith won't shield you from the fiery darts, because without the Truth, your faith will not be strong enough to stop the devil, with his lies. Your Helmet of Salvation will not protect your mind, because without Truth, you will not truly believe as you should and will not really know His peace. And you're taking up of the Sword of the Spirit, without Truth, will not yield the power, the Word of God should yield!   

 What that all means, unconditionally and completely: With out the Truth, how can you truly believe that Heaven is your Home! Knowing the Truth means that we believe what God has written, and when we truly believe, then everything else will be perfectly fine, no matter what trials we might go through...

"For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for the Christ. So I really don't know which is better. I'm torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live." (Philippians 1:21-23 NLT) 

"Our Heavenly Home!"

"For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country." (Hebrews 11:14 KJV)

  "That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever." (2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NLT)

 Just to set the record straight, I make every effort to express the truth that is throughout the Bible, mostly because I believe it and know, without a doubt, it all is real and cannot be proven wrong; besides all of that, it gives me hope, that is keeping me filled with the joy, a joy this world can never give me! For those who might doubt that the Bible is really true, I would challenge you to read all of the prophecies that are written, just the ones about Jesus Christ, and then research when they were written; you will be amazed! 

 That said, this is the reason we never give up, no matter who says what, or how we might struggle over certain things we just don't understand, which are most likely many! There are so many different ways that people give up, whether it be personal or because of someone else, things just don't go the way they were expecting and feel they let down or abandoned. We are never alone! Everything that could go wrong in this world is because this isn't where be belong, our real home is in Heaven! 

 I truly hope that is what you believe, also, because it is the only real way that you can have peace in any storm and joy in every circumstance...

"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 be human hands." (2 Corinthians 5:1 NLT) 

"Seeing With Your Heart" - To

 "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth." (Hebrews 11:13 KJV) 

  "Hear my prayer, O LORD! Listen to my cries for help! Don't ignore my tears. For I am your guest - a traveler passing through, as my ancestors were before me." (PSALM 39:12 NLT) 

 As with almost every other person who loves the Lord, asking for help is sometimes hard to do; mostly because you feel as though He is already helping, so why try and mess things up, when you know that He is working all things for the good? Thankfully, I truly believe that He loves that we ask Him for help! As a matter of fact, He has made it perfectly clear throughout the entire Bible: "Call on Me, and I will listen!" 

 Hopefully we can all agree that is true, and He really does care about all the things we are dealing with, here on this place we call earth. By the way, earth is about eight light-minutes away from the sun; so, if you really want to worry about anything, that might be an interesting subject to deal with. Fortunately, I know somebody that has it all taken care of, at least for a while! 

 The whole point in all of this, has to do with our ability to totally and completely trust in God, no matter what! We might not know what tomorrow brings, but we can be absolutely certain about the future! At least that is what I'm going with, because the Bible tells me so...

"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 the 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. For we are not making up clever stories when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw his majestic splendor with our own eyes when he received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice from the majestic glory of God said to him, "This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy." We ourselves heard that voice from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain. Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shinning in a dark place - until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts." (2 Peter 1:12-19 NLT)     

"Seeing With Your Heart"

 "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth." (Hebrews 11:13 KJV) 

  "The crowd responded, "We understood from Scripture that the Messiah would live forever. How can you say the Son of Man will die? Just who is this Son of Man anyway?" Jesus replied, "My light will shine for you just a little while longer. Walk in the light while you can, so the darkness will not overtake you. Those who walk in the darkness cannot see where they are going. Put your trust in the light while there is still time; then you will become children of the light." After saying these things, Jesus went away and was hidden from them." (John 12:34-36 NLT)

 Last night Pastor Bryan shared something that was interesting about his travels, as he told us that he takes his wife with him the first time he goes to a new location, like Nepal; so that when he goes there again to do ministry, she will picture where he is at, feeling somewhat connected with him. I thought that was really something really close to what I shared the other day, about the dream God gave to Abraham, when He showed him how his descendants would be slaves in a foreign land for 400 years, making Abraham remember they were real and they were always seen in his heart.

 That reminds of a song we use to sing, many years ago: "Open the eyes of my heart." There really is something that takes place in us, when we actually open up our hearts to not only believe, but receive what we are longing for and make it something real in our hearts! Something to think about, when you are feeling a little down and think you are alone.

 You are never alone! You might think you are, but that is just your mind that creates the illusion that tries to trick you, making feel as though it is safe to do whatever you want. There really is a big difference between believing and receiving; when you know He is living in you, you pay closer attention to what you are doing! It is really a matter of the heart...

"But despite all the miraculous signs Jesus had done, most of the people still did not believe in him. This is exactly what Isaiah the prophet had predicted: "LORD, who has believed our message? To whom has the LORD revealed his powerful arm?" But the people couldn't believe, for as Isaiah also said, "The LORD has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts - so their eyes cannot see, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and have me heal them." Isaiah was referring to Jesus when he said this, because he saw the future and spoke of the Messiah's glory. Many people did believe in him, however, including some of the Jewish leaders. But they wouldn't admit it for fear that the Pharisees would expel them from the synagogue. For they loved human praise more than the praise of God." (John 12:37-43 NLT) 

"Faith That Endures"

 "All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them." (Hebrews 11:13-16 NLT) 

  ""Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know."" (John 14:1-4 KJV)

 I know that I can sometimes get carried away and be, shall we say, over the edge; but this little heart of mine really does want to shine, so I keep trying to let it! When I first started this blog, it basically was to just become something that included Marianne and me, and this spectacular journey. If you have been able to see the home page, then you would maybe have noticed we were in a motorhome, which was one of the times we were leaving on a trip. 

 If you look closely enough, there is a caption up in the left-hand corner, below our names that says, "Count it all Joy!!!." What else can we possibly do? What a miserable life we would be having if all we did was complain and feel as though life was over. When I really can actually have joy in knowing that God is working in both of our lives, for His will and purposes! 

 I don't really get to see everything that God is doing, but I do know that He is doing something and that there will come a time when everything will be revealed, because He has said so. In the meantime, we are meant to rejoice and be glad for what we have been given; even if it doesn't aways feel good, God is always good, no matter what! 

 I have said it before, and I will keep believing it is so: God will absolutely heal my wife, this much I am very sure of, one way or another, she will be totally healed! In the meantime, we must count it all joy, and keep looking forward to that glorious home...

"Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many people." (1 Timothy 6:12 KJV)