"A Call to Persevere"

   "And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven's Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God's house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ's blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.

  "Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

  "Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice that will cover these sins. There is only the terrible expectation of God's judgment and the raging fire that will consume his enemies. For anyone who refused to obey the law of Moses was put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Just think how much worse the punishment will be for those who have trampled on the Son of God, and have treated the blood of the covenant, which made us holy, as if it were common and unholy, and have insulted and disdained the Holy Spirit who brings God's mercy to us. For we know the one who said, "I will take revenge. I will pay them back." He also said, "The LORD will judge his own people." It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

 "Think back on those early days when you first learned about Christ. Remember how you remained faithful even though it meant terrible suffering. Sometimes you were exposed to public ridicule and were beaten, and sometimes you helped others who were suffering the same things. You suffered along with those who were thrown into jail, and when all you owned was taken from you, you accepted it with joy. You knew there were better things waiting for you that will last forever.

  "So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God's will. Then you will receive all that he has promised. "For in just a little while the Coming One will come and not delay. And my righteous ones will live by faith. But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away." But we are not like those who turn away from God to their own destruction. We are the faithful ones, whose souls will be saved." (Hebrews 10:19-39 NLT)

  "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do you spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David." (Isaiah 55:1-3 KJV)

 Sorry for the long message, it was pretty much all I could do, just to type it all out. Hopefully it was not filled with all kinds of mistakes; it really has been a very brutal weekend, and it doesn't seem to be getting any better...

"How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light we shall see light." (Psalms 36:7-9 KJV) 

"Making it Mean Something"

 "Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin." (Hebrews 10:18 KJV)

 "Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heaven! Praise him for his mighty works; praise his unequaled greatness!" (PSALM 150:1-2 NLT)

 There is something else I have discovered over all these years, the whole notion of aliens is really not true; there are many people who think they are real, as more and more are believing that we are not alone. Well, I agree, we are surely not alone! Never have we ever been not alone! There was a time, a brief time when God quit communicating to us through the prophets, which around 450-425 B.C., when the Book of Malachi was written, telling of coming Messiah, but not before that day the prophet, Elijah, must come. 

 We should all know who that was, as it was John the Baptist; the one who came in the spirit of Elijah, to announce Jesus, "The Lamb of God", the Messiah that came to save the world! Oddly enough, He was not what they were looking for, even though the Scriptures clearly said why He would come and what He was meant to do. 

 So you can see, there are many ways that people can be deceived by certain phenomenon; even Jesus was thought of as being a spirit, and those that crucified Him thought that He was demonic or crazy. Even His own brothers made fun of Him, thinking He just wanted popularity. This is really not all that hard to see: There are supernatural encounters all the time, whether it be demons or angels; we are surely not alone, because they are absolutely real! 

 The apostle Paul uses this as an example of the real battle we fight, saying: "For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places." (Ephesians 6:12 NLT) 

 As to the statement in Hebrews, "there is no more offering for sin," that is because sin was defeated on the cross; Jesus paid the full price for everyone's sin, once and for all! And it is just like when Moses lifted up that snake in the wilderness, those who looked upon it and believed were healed; those that did not, died. They died because they did want to do what God asked them to do, even though they were told that it would heal them!

 Talk about strange things happening in outer space; stranger things are happening right here on earth... 

""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 3:17-21 NLT)     

"Before I Go"

 "And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more." (Hebrews 10:17 KJV)

  "For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. The LORD is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust. Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die." (PSALM 103:11-15 NLT)

 I really think that God made the universe to amaze us and show us just how wonderful and powerful He really is! You might not know this, but the fear of the LORD is not meant that we should be afraid of Him, which was the reaction of Adam and Eve, in that garden after they ate the fruit, they were told not to eat. But what it really means is that we reverence Him, we are in awe of Him, and we recognize His awesome power and authority! 

 This is something Solomon knew and understood, even though he might have broken a few of God's commands. I am more that certain he be seen by us when we make it into Heaven! Hopefully you're in favor of that, because everything, that means all of the stuff we have done, will be forgiven for those who fear the LORD.

 Having said that, I know from experience that we sometimes still feal guilty for some on the things we have done, which is why I truly believe that those stars in the sky were placed there for us to gaze upon and think of His awesome power. If my God can do all of that, amazing work, imagine how much more He is capable of forgiving our sins! 

 If that was His plan from the very beginning, even before He made the heavens and the earth, then we who believe and are saved have nothing to worry about; if you are His, His you will be...

"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. When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins. I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels." (Isaiah 53:10-12 NLT) 

"Spiritual Consecration"

 "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;" (Hebrews 10:16 KJV) 

""When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, 'The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.'"" (John 16:13-15 NLT)

 Looking up the definition for the word, "Consecration," it typically means to make, declare, or ordain something to be sacred or holy. Whether you know it or not, your salvation comes with a sacred and holy body, because God's Spirit is living within you! The church does not exist in a building; we are the church; we might gather in buildings, but the church is the body of Christ, not sticks and stone, but flesh and blood that belongs to Him, Christ Jesus, who is the Head of the church. 

 Most of the believers have that understanding and will agree that it is our sacred duty to watch what we do with this body, as it is ordained and belongs to the Lord. Whatever it is, but there is some sort of fog or forgetfulness that happens when we sin; especially when it becomes a craving, even after we are told not to do it! If you don't know what I mean, then good for you. The rest of us, mostly, that know, from experience, will think you are lying and just don't think whatever you did wasn't all that sinful. 

 It could just be me, but I have been through some times when I actually learned how to sin and thought I was getting by with it. It isn't really all that hard to do, because if you are trying to satisfy a craving, of any sort, it will just grow naturally. That was the cause of that very first sin, performed by Adam and Eve. It was the desire to fulfill a craving; and when you have a caving, guess how shows up to help you get what you want! 

 Anywho, the main thing that must remain the Main Thing, and that is, that the Spirit of God is abiding within you; therefore, you must make every effort to remain pure and consecrated by the Power within you...

"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." (Romans 8:5-7 NLT)  

"Devine Inspiration"

 "Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before," (Hebrews 10:15 KJV)

  "Jesus replied, "All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them. And remember, my words are not my own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me. I am telling you these things now while I am still with you. But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative - that is, the Holy Spirit - he will teach you everything and remind you of everything I have told you."" (John 14:23-26 NLT)

 This is meant to be a reminder to all, that the Holy Spirit is more than a Comforter, a Helper, and a Teacher; He is also an Advocate, who speaks for our transformation and reminds us of what we are and how we must keep moving forward. The actual term, "Advocate," is a person who publicly supports or recommends a particular cause or policy; a champion, upholder, supporter, backer, and promoter.

 Yes, He is also a Gentleman that is not forceful, but guides us where we should go, which sometimes is not where we want to go, but because He is our Advocate He will not give up on us! He will remain, always ready to inspire and teach us, always on our side; even when we mess up, He has still got our back, waiting patiently for us to turn and be ready to do what He says! 

 This reminds me of the time when I wanted to write a book, called: "Champion of Companionship." I really can't even remember when it was, maybe back in 2015; but I was inspired to do it because of the words of a brother who has moved on, as he was speaking on the News about Companionship, saying that he felt it would be okay for a spouse to divorce their significant other, if they had some sort a brain disorder; just for the sake of Companionship.

 I was standing over my wife at the time he said that and felt as though I wanted to scream at him, not really believing that he knew what he was saying and how wicked it was to even say what he said. When we who are Christians make a vow, before God and all of our witnesses, we take an oath: "I, Richard, take you, Marianne, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part, according to God's holy law; and this is my solemn vow!" 

 There really isn't any point of debate in what that vow means! Besides that, Companionship is not something you just walk away from, because you are One! That is how the Holy Spirit works too, He will be there always, even if you lose your mind, He will still be there to comfort and help you, to the very end...    

""Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you."" (Deuteronomy 31:8 NLT) 

"Perfection!"

 "For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified." (Hebrews 10:14 KJV)

  "For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ's blood on the cross. This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault." (Colossians 1:19-22 NLT)

 I know it might not feel as though we have been perfected, as we still struggle and stumble, as we live in this world trying not to sin; but as long as we believe and abide in Christ, these imperfections are all just temporary, just as this tent will be transformed, so too, we go from being sanctified to glorified, into His glorious presence. Have you made that something you expect to happen? 

 The whole point to the salvation we have in Christ, is more than just the struggles we deal with here on this earth, because all of us will be dealing with struggles from time to time, it is just bound to happen. If you don't think it could happen to you, beware! We must always know, that in our flesh, we all are subject to temptations and making wrong choices. Whenever we think that we have overcome certain things and defeated the struggle against sin, things will start to get testy.

 It is all about the power of God, to overcome! No matter how hard it gets, He is greater than your failure and struggles! It is like that illustration of God telling us to move a giant big rock. We push and push, trying as hard as we can to move that rock, all the while we feel defeated and sometimes want to give you. But after a while you just have to cry out to God, saying, "Why did you asked me to do something I can't do?" God will say, "Why are you complaining? You got stronger trying to move that rock; and besides that, you never asked for my help." 

 That is us trying to deal with something we just can't seem to overcome; sometimes, God just wants you to deal with it and keep asking for His help...

"You see, we don't go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, "Let there be light in the darkness," has made his 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 cray jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves." (2 Corinthians 4:5-7 NLT)  

"Expectation!" - Too

 "From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool." (Hebrews 10:13 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)

 Hopefully this is something we can all agree upon, because this is pretty much what this journey is all about! We all are waiting for that glorious day when we will be united with Christ, whether it is while we are here living on this earth, or have already pasted on, when Jesus returns for His bride, both those who have already died and we who remain will be transformed and taken up, in the blink of an eye!

 Whether that is what you believe or not, you must still believe that He is coming back to take you home; in one form or another, you must have hope that everything He has said is absolutely true. God does not lie! When He says that something will happen, it will happen, one way or another. 

 As to that Parable of the Talents, all of us are given something to do, whether we know what it is or not, He is doing a work in us, one way or another. Get use to that term, because you must believe that your life in Christ does not exist without some sort of a meaning. Which reminds me of the Potter that makes things out of clay; some for something beautiful to be put into, and something to throw trash into; we really do not know which one we are, until we see the results in Heaven; at least that is the case for most of us. 

 It is just a thought, but sometimes just the encounter with one lost soul, is enough to cause a change in thousands of souls that are headed to hell! Think about that, because sharing Jesus with anyone, could be more profitable that you could ever expect...

"As the Scriptures tell us, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced." Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. For "Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved." But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, "How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring the good news!"" (Romans 10:11-15 NLT)

"Expectation!"

 "From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool." (Hebrews 10:13 KJV)

  "The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit in the place of honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet."" (PSALM 110:1 NLT)

 As much as it is an expectation for the Lord, as He waits with anticipation, knowing full well that there will be complete and total victory; we are given the opportunity and the privilege to do the same, as we are expecting the completion of the salvation that He has promised!  

 I truly believe this is what we should be doing, no matter how long it takes, we must always remember that are real home is in heaven, and this place we are in right now is just temporary! Even though it is not our real home, we are also expected to be a vessel that He uses to share the same Good News that we have been given, much like that Parable of the Talents. 

 If you don't know what the Parable of the Talents means, it is about you doing what you can with what the Lord has given you to do. Pretty simple to do, but not all do! Some just hide it away and keep it to themselves, when it meant to be shared and multiplied through others. 

 The expectant servant is always looking for a way to please his Master, which is our reason to be here...

""Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and untrusted his money to them while he was gone. He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last - dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on this trip. "The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more. The servant with the two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master's money."" (Matthew 25:14-18 NLT)  

"Victory on the Cross!"

 "But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;" (Hebrews 10:12 KJV)

  "And the result of God's gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man's sin. For Adam's sin led to condemnation, but God's free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God's wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:16-17 NLT)

 I am very certain that many of us don't plan for the Lord's return any moment; as we all pretty much live as if we need to keep going on with life; planning how to make it through the next month of bills and how we keep it all together. I know this, because it is true about myself, and just about everyone else I know; we must go on living! 

 That said, I also know that He is coming soon; but it doesn't mean that we stop providing for our family or paying the bills. What it means is that we are loving one another and expecting Him to come back at any time; while we still do all that we can to provide for our families and to be a good witness to the grace we have been given. 

 As far as this "Victory on the Cross", there are so many things we need to remember about how God's way of making things right, have practically nothing in common with our ways! I could not help but think about my growing up as a kid, thinking what a shame it was for Jesus having to die on that cross, and how He suffered for just being good and serving others. 

 You must realize that there are many that don't even know what that death on the cross even meant; let alone who He was and why He came to pull it off...

"The massage of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. As the Scriptures say, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent."" (1 Corinthians 1:18-19 NLT) 

"Touching the Surface" - 2

 "And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:" (Hebrews 10:11 KJV)

  "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too. We know we love God's children if we love God and obey his commandments. Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God." (1 John 5:1-5 NLT)

 You might have heard about the Christian's that are being killed in certain countries; it is not really anything that hasn't been happening before, but it is something that should make us aware of the way that the world and the church are different from one another. We are blessed to live in a country that doesn't persecute those who believe in Christ Jesus; at least it hasn't happened yet! 

 This is the thing about sin, whether or not you have been saved from it! Those who have had their sins forgiven, can actually feel free from the power of sin and know that they have a Heavenly Father that loves them. Those who don't want to be forgiven of their sins, hate those that do; much the same as Cain hated his brother. 

 There really isn't much more I can say about that, but it is more and more something we are seeing in the news, because the news is more and more viewable. Everyone has a phone to take pictures and record the things going on, all over the world. You must realize that these truly are the last days! 

 Please be ready, the KING will be coming for His bride very soon...

"But you, my dear friends, must remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ said. They told you that in the last times there would be scoffers whose purpose in this life is to satisfy their ungodly desires. These people are the ones creating divisions among you. They follow their natural instincts because they do not have God's Spirit in them. But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God's love. And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives." (Jude 17-23 NLT) 

"Touching the Surface"

 "And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:" (Hebrews 10:11 KJV)

  ""O my people, listen as I speak. Here are my charges against you, O Israel: I am God, your God! I have no complaint about your sacrifices or the burnt offerings you constantly offer. But I do not need the bulls from your barns or the goats from your pens. For all the animals of the forest are mine, and I own the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird on the mountains, and all the animals of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for all the world is mine and everything in it. Do I eat the meat of bulls? Do I drink the blood of goats? Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High. Then call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory."" (PSALM 50:7-15 NLT)

 There is something else that I failed to mention, which I have said previously, many times before. There is this thing called Sanctification, which is much like that dash on your grave marker, which is the life you live between you birth and your death. There is a major difference between the earthly dash and the one that is heavenly; the earthly one is your doing life and living in this world, but the heavenly dash is God's doing and living in you! 

 Just so you know, we are all just fragile jars of clay, breaking and spilling out over and over, while God keeps on fixing us and filling back up again, over and over again, throughout this wonderful journey! It might not feel as though He is working sometimes, but that is because we are really not paying attention: because He never stops working! 

 Besides all of that, mumbo-jumbo, I for one believe that we are already securely in a place called Heaven, from the time of our New Birth in Christ, we have entered into God's glory! That is what that title was meant for, "Catapult to Glory," because it is exactly what takes place when we are born again and entered into the Kingdom of God. We are now His children, and He is not letting go of us, ever...

""I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me. Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began! "O righteous Father, the world doesn't know you, but I do; and these disciples know you sent me. I have revealed you to them, and I will continue to do so. Then your love for me will be in them, and I will be in them."" (John 17:22-26 NLT)  

"Catapult to Glory" - Too

 "By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." (Hebrews 10:10 KJV)

  "Dear children, let's not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth we love by our actions. Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything." (1 John 3:18-20 NLT)

 When it comes to gifts, the ones that we are given by God, every gift that He has given us, to actually be a gift, it must be put to use! In other words, if you have a gift, such as the gift of healing, if you have never actually healed anyone, then where is the proof of that gift? We are all given something, even the simple act of sharing the Lord to someone; but even that requires an action: You open your mouth and speak! 

 Real love is also a gift from God! We know this because He loves us; and because we know that He loves us, unconditionally, we have been given the gift of knowing God's love; that love then abides in us, but it isn't of any use, if it is not put into action! Therein is the point of learning to love! It requires us to do something we sometimes fail to do: We must die to ourselves, just as Jesus sacrificed Himself in order to give us life and right standing with the Father! 

 It just doesn't get more real than that! Yet there are certain things we all have in common, most of which is the fact that we are not perfect, and we will at times put ourselves first, even though we know it is wrong, we will do it anyway. Yes, it happens with the best of us, even with Paul, when he and his friend Barnabus had their argument about Mark. 

 Much of what we go though in this life is about learning; that is what Pilgrim's do, they learn how to get through this life and come out on the other side victorious...

"Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? And comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don't look out for you own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross." (Philippians 2:1-8 NLT)     

"Catapult to Glory"

 "By the which will we be sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." (Hebrews 10:10 KJV)

  ""I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one - as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me."" (John 17:20-23 NLT) 

 Looking at this from a different direction, there are several things that I feel could be challenging to just about anyone of us, if we don't learn how to love one another. There are several points of view on the way that works; some of which will say it is really not possible to learn love, that it is something given to us by God. Well, if that is something you believe, then why does God need to teach us how to love one another, instead of just giving us the ability to love as we should? 

 If you don't understand what I am talking about, learning to love, think about this basic principle of how God makes this work. If you pray for God to help you love others as you should, does He make them all warm and fuzzy towards you, or does He challenge you to love them unconditionally, as He loves you? 

 Hypothetically speaking, the Holy Spirit within us is able to assist us to love; but to be perfectly true to the facts of life, sometimes we don't want to do what we should, even when we are told to do it. The Holy Spirit is a Helper and Comforter, but when it comes to relationships and differences, there are times when we don't want help or comfort; we want justice and want to be proven right.  

 If you look at the prayer Jesus is asking for us, believers, the thing that He says repeatedly, is about being one; one is the thing we seldom think about when have conflict with one another. Instead, we break off the oneness, forgetting that each part of the body of Christ is needed! Whatever it is that is making you not love as you should, it is best to embrace it, own it, and then give it to God! That is how you learn to love! It might be easy, but it is hard to learn...

"And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice - the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don't think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ's body. We are many parts of one body, and we belong to each other." (Romans 12:1-5 NLT) 

"OVERRIDDEN"

 "Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second." (Hebrews 10:9 KJV)

  "I will praise you in the great assembly. I will fulfill my vows in the presence of those who worship you. The poor will eat and be satisfied. All who seek the LORD will praise him. Their hearts will rejoice with everlasting joy. The whole earth will acknowledge the LORD and return to him. All the families of the nations will bow down before him. For royal power belongs to the LORD. He rules all the nations." (PSALM 22:25-28 NLT)

 There is really something important here, for us, those of us that have been born outside of the family of Isreal. I can recall being in church, at that compound, the one that I never wanted to go into; making it the place I never wanted to leave. There was at least ten or fifteen of us gathered in a circle, all of many races. We were singing and marching in step, bobbing our heads, and swinging our arms; singing that song, "Father Abraham, had many sons; Many sons had Father Abraham, and I am one, and so are you." 

 You would have had to be there, to really understand how important this was for all of us to be in one accord, without feeling any embarrassment, whatsoever! It definitely was the power of the Holy Spirit that was at work in that circle. Something I will never forget.

 There was something that is sometimes easy to overlook in that "Parable of the Evil Farmers", as it may be showing how the Gentiles replaced Isreal's position to watch over the garden. Not that God has made Isreal obsolete, because He has not! God does not abandon His children! We must believe that is so, because we are all broken and every one of us need to be saved; sometimes, more than once, if that is even possible...

"I want you to understand this mystery, dear brothers and sisters, so that you will not feel proud about yourselves. Some of the people of Israel have hard hearts, but this will last only until the full number of Gentiles comes to Christ. And so all Israel will be saved. As the Scriptures say, "The one who rescues will come from Jerusalem, and he will turn Israel away from ungodliness. And this is my covenant with them, that I will take away their sins." Many of the people of Israel are now enemies of the Good News, and this benefits you Gentiles. Yet they are still the people he loves because he chose their ancestors Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. For God's gifts and his call can never be withdrawn. Once you Gentiles were rebels against God, but when the people of Israel rebelled against him, God was merciful to you instead. Now they are the rebels, and God's mercy has come to you so that they, too, will share in God's mercy. For God has imprisoned everyone in disobedience so he could have mercy of everyone. Oh, how great are God's riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways! For who can know the LORD's thoughts? Who knows enough to give him advise? And who has given him so much that he needs to pay it back? For everyone comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen." (Romans 11:25-36 NLT)  

"Stepping Back" - Too

 "Above when he said, Sacrifice and offerings and burnt offerings and offerings for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;" (Hebrews 10:8 KJV)

  "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life." (PSALM 139:23-24 NLT)

 If you were questioning this title, "Stepping Back," it shows the importance of 'pausing or distancing yourself from an activity, problem, or situation in order the think about it calmly and objectively.' There is this thing that has made me think about certain instances in the Bible, where I feel as though God did something that seemed at tad-bit extreme; something that was a little too much.

 Case in point was the too points in the Old and New Testaments: the first being the death of Uzzah, who simply just tried to steady the Ark of God, because it felt like the right thing to do. Second, were the two deaths of a husband and wife during the start of the church: Ananias and Sapphira, who gave a portion of the land they had sold to the church, but gave the impression they had given it all. 

 All three of those who had their lives taken, but I do believe that we will see them in heaven as God was using them as an example of the justice and holiness of His law. In Uzzah case, there was a very strict law that only a very few were allowed to touch that Ark, and they had to be totally purified to do so. In the case of two that lied about what they gave, this was the beginning of the church, which was an example to show that God's Spirit meant business. 

 Don't get me wrong, because God has every right to do whatever He does, as He knows best what is good and perfect, even if we don't understand why, His ways are always perfect! In this regard, those who are giving the message, whoever they might be, are showing us that when it comes to His law, which is based upon His justice and holiness, what we do can never be sufficient enough to cleanse us by the sacrifices that we might give or any work we might do.  

 As the Bible clearly says, "We are all infected and impure with sin, when we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags." (Isaiah 64:6a NLT) This means that there is nothing that we can do in order to make ourselves worthy; we are all sinners that need to be saved from our sins, nothing we try to do on our own will save us...

""'What will I do? the owner asked himself. 'I know! I'll send my cherished son. Surely they will respect him.' "But when the tenant farmers saw his son, they said to each other, 'Here comes the heir to this estate. Let's kill him and get the estate for ourselves!' So they dragged him out of the vineyard and murdered him. "What do you suppose the owner of the vineyard will do to them?" Jesus asked. "I tell you - he will come and kill those farmers and lease the vineyard to others." "How terrible that such a thing should ever happen," his listeners protested. Jesus looked at them and said, "Then what does this Scripture mean? 'The stone that the builders rejected has now become the corner stone.' Everyone who stumbles over that stone will be broken to pieces, and it will crush anyone it falls on." The teachers of religious law and the leading priests wanted to arrest Jesus immediately because they realized he was telling the story against them - they were the wicked farmers. But they were afraid of the people's reaction." (Luke 20:13-19 NLT)