"Brotherly Love" - Too

 "Let brotherly love continue." (Hebrews 13:1 KJV)

  "As soon as Judas left the room, Jesus said, "The time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory, and God will be glorified because of him. And since God receives glory because of the Son, he will soon give glory to the Son. Dear children, I will be with you only a little longer. And as I told the Jewish leaders, you will search for me, but you can't come where I am going. So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples."" (John 13:31-35 NLT)

 Wow, that was hard to type! I couldn't help but think of the post from yesterday, the 'give' and 'receive' that Jesus mentions over and over, in so many ways; it just made everything so clear and incredibly easy to understand. Our obedience brings blessings; the more we love, the more we are loved...

"I am writing to remind you, dear friends, that we should love one another. This is not a new commandment, but one we have had from the very beginning. Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning." (2 John 1:5-6 NLT)  

"Brotherly Love"

 "Let brotherly love continue." (Hebrews 13:1 KJV)

  "Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another." (Galatians 5:25-26 NLT)

 There are so many illustrations in the Bible that we can find to make mirror this verse, "Let brotherly love continue," I can think of at least twenty right off the top of my head. I picked these two verses from Paul's thoughts in Galatians, because it is the Holy Spirit that is the power within us to love one another, as we should. 

 There are four words in this short verse; two of which are completely the same: "Let," and "continue." I think this makes perfect sense, because there is forward movement to do what the Spirit says, and the follow-through to make it happen! In other words, there are two sides working together as one: the power of God and the action we carry out...

"But don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are just fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don't obey it, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don't forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it."  (James 1:22-25 NLT) 

"Live Right"

  "Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters. Don't forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without knowing it! Remember those in prison, as if you were there yourself. Remember also those being mistreated, as if you felt their pain in your own bodies.

 "Give honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage. God will surely judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery.

 "Don't love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, "I will never fail you. I will never abandon you." So we can say with confidence, "The LORD is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?" 

 "Remember your leaders who taught you the word of God. Think of all the good that has come from their lives, and follow the example of their faith." (Hebrews 13:1-7 NLT)

  "If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, fulfill my joy, that ye may be likeminded, having the same love, being in one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man in his own things, but every man also on the things of others." (Philippians 2:1-4 KJV)

 If you thought I was trying to make a point, with those last three posts, it was pretty obvious that I was; as the statement that I made in the first post about Mark, should have given you the hint. Maybe that really didn't matter, as most of the time I stop short of finishing things, mostly because I want people to think some things out on their own. 

 Mark, in his Gospel, primarily focuses on the superhuman power of Jesus; many scholars believe that he was the young man he described in his letter, shown in Mark 14:51-52. His mother was Mary of Jerusalem, who had the home which had the upper room, where Jesus had the Last Supper. 

 As many of you know, I am overwhelmed by the thought of Mark being the "Young Rich Ruler," who is described in three of the Gospels; the one that walked away from Jesus sad, because Jesus told him to sell all he had and give it to the poor. 

 It is Mark's Gospel where we can see a more vivid description of that encounter. But there is a very small statement that Jesus makes, towards the end of that scene, one that makes me believe that there was a change in that Young Rich Ruler's heart; a change, because God changed his heart! Crazy as it might sound, but Mark's uncle was the first to sell the land he owned and give the money to the church; which I believe he did base upon what Mark had previously done.

 When you discover what Mark had done, and all of the churches he established, it only makes sense if you understand how it works: for those that once had much, that they know how to make much...

"Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give it to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up your cross, and follow me. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions. And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter the kingdom of God! And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answered again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard it is for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. And they were astounded out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved? And Jesus looking upon them said, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible." (Mark 21-27 KJV)  

 

"Something More!" - Once More

 "For our God is a consuming fire." (Hebrews 12:29 KJV)

  "This is what the LORD says - the Holy One of Israel and you Creator: "Do you question what I do for my children? Do you give me orders about the work of my hands? I am the one who made the earth and created people to live on it. With my hands I stretched out the heavens. All the stars are at my command. I will raise up Cyrus to fulfill my righteous purpose, and I will guide his actions. He will restore my city and free my captive people - without seeking a reward! I, the LORD of Heaven's Armies, have spoken!"" (Isaiah 45:11-13 NLT)

 Just so you know, we might have a choice, something they call, "Free Will," but even then, if we are His children, (even though we don't know it,) He will guide us to Himself, one way or another! The whole point about the fact that Jesus can make things happen with just a command, is really everywhere all throughout the Bible. As Pastor Bryan says, "Read the Bible slowly!" If we take the time to read with the ability to stop and think what we are reading, then things come alive to us; so many things which can be easy to pass over. 

 If you have understood the situation with Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, then you should know that Jesus knew already that Lazarus was going to die, before it even happened. There is this thing that the people of Isreal believed, that you are really not dead until after three days; so, Jesus timed His arrival to Lazarus' tomb for the fourth day. We know this because Martha said to Jesus when He asked them to roll the stone away, "Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible?" (John 11:39) 

 That is not all, but it has also been said, that when Jesus shouted out, "Lazarus, come out!" that He had to say the name, "Lazarus," or everyone else in their graves would have woken up and came out of their graves! Without a doubt, I am certain the God can do whatever He wants to do, even though we don't know that He is doing it; even if we don't know that it is Him who is doing it! 

 Much like the blind man that was born blind; which by the way, Jesus used His hands to heal him of his blindness; much like He made the very first man, from the dirt of the ground, in the garden...

"As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. "Rabbi," his disciples asked him, "why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parent's sins?" "It was not because of his sins or his parent's sins," Jesus answered. "This happened so the power of God could be seen to him. We must quickly carry out tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work. But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world." Then he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva, and spread the mud over the blind man's eyes. He told him, "Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam" (Siloam means "sent"). So the man went and washed and came back seeing!" (John 9:1-7 NLT)  

"Something More!" - Too

 "For our God is a consuming fire." (Hebrews 12:29 KJV)

  ""Look! I am creating new heavens and a new earth, and no one will even think about the old ones anymore. Be glad; rejoice forever in my creation!"" (Isaiah 65:17-18a NLT) 

 There was something more that I wanted to share, something that I have shared before, which was the first thing that Jesus did to demonstrate His power, without even really lifting a finger, but just by speaking out. It was when He changed the water into wine, not because He wanted to do it, but because His mother asked Him to do something, because they had run out of wine. 

 We might think was something simple, something like when Moses dipped his rod into the river, turning the water into blood; but this real wine that Jesus made, it was not just grape juice; this was fermented wine, that was not only alcoholic, but aged and the best wine that was made! It was real good wine; so much so, the master of ceremonies, who tasted the wine said, "A host always serves the best wine first. Then when everyone has had a lot to drink, he brings out the less expensive wine. But you have kept the best until now!"

 I am saying this because Jesus created the heavens and the earth, in much the same way; without using His hands, but simple with His commands! And, without a doubt, I believe that everything He made was not a thing that needed to mature into something, but it was made fully grown and already aged. Which is something that many can't understand; trying to base, what looks like things that needed billions of years to form; when they were actually already created in that condition! 

 They say that the sun is getting smaller, as it consumes itself more and more. If that is true, which I do believe it is, then if the earth is billions of years old, then it would have been consumed by the sun before it started. Sometimes I think they don't want to believe, only because they don't want to know or believe about God; otherwise, they might actually have make the connection.

 There was a thing that happened when Jesus had returned to Capernaum, and is asked to do something from a Roman officer, that goes well with this, something more...

""Lord, my young servant lies in bed, paralyzed and in terrible pain." Jesus said, "I will come and heal him." But the officer said, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I need only need to say, 'Go,' and they go, or 'Come,' and they come. And if I say to my slaves, 'Do this,' they do it." When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to those who were following him, he said, "I tell you the truth, I haven't seen faith like this in all Israel! And I tell you this, that many Gentiles will come from all over the world - from east, and west - and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven. But many Israelites - those for whom the Kingdom was prepared - will be thrown in utter darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Then Jesus said to the Roman officer, "Go back home. Because you believe, it has happened." And the young servant was healed that same hour." (Matthew 8:6-13 NLT) 

"Something More!"

 "For our God is a consuming fire." (Hebrews 12:29 KJV)

  "The LORD is King! Let the earth rejoice! Let the farthest coastlands be glad. Dark clouds surround him. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. Fire spreads ahead of him and burns up all his foes. His lightning flashes out across the world. The earth sees and trembles. The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the LORD of all the earth." (PSALM 97:1-5 NLT)

 Okay, this might not be good and beautiful to some, but there really is more to this than a consuming fire that burns everything up. Although Peter does say, "On that day, he will set the heavens om fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames." (2 Peter 3:12b NLT)

 Yesterday I was listening to Pastor Jack, as he was illustrating the position of Christ Jesus in the Trinity of God. As he was describing the role of Christ, I couldn't help but remember the day that I was saved, and how I remembered that Preacher saying, "Our Creator is Jesus Christ!" As Jack put it, "Jesus was the Contractor that put everything together; and He did it for Himself!" 

 It took me a moment to think about that, the thing about, "for Himself." But I did remember a verse in the Bible that confirmed that very same thing. As I pondering what I had heard, I remembered another message I heard Sunday on my way to church, which was given by a Jewish Rabi, about the verse in Genesis that say, "Let us make man our image," as he was showing the plurality of God.

 With that, I must retreat from this message, as today I have very little time to go any further. But there is something more I want to say, that might make me look like a fool: I believe that this little trinket was something that Mark added into the conversation...

"Only Luke is with me. Bring Mark with you when you come, for he will be helpful to me in my ministry." (2 Timothy 4:11 NLT)  

"Wherefore!" -To

 "Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:" (Hebrews 12:28 KJV)

  "For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps." (1 Peter 2:21 NLT

 Whether you like it or not, will all have our own cross to bear; we will all have trials and times when we are tested, not because we are doing wrong, but because He wants us to trust Him more! If you doubt what I am saying, then you need to read Genesis 22:1-18, as God tested Abraham. Talk about doing something that you don't really want to do, yet preparing to do it anyway, just because you trust God and know that He knows what He is doing; even if it doesn't make any sense! 

 By the way, we see this on a completely bigger picture, in the death of Christ Jesus; not that the Father was testing Him, because it wasn't about a test, it was what He came for, to fulfill the work was that meant to be done; that which was planned from the very beginning, even before the earth was created! How it compares is the way other people see it, having it all make sense, not because He was killed, but because of His resurrection! 

 That sign He told the Jewish Leaders, He would show them, a sign of Jonah in the belly of a fish for three days and three nights; which was shown to them when He rose from the grave, after three and three nights, just as He said that He would! That was the main topic of Pastor Bryan's message on 1 Corinthians 15, last night: "Without the resurrection, this would all be meaningless!"

 Hopefully you get the message, because there is always a good side, because God is always good! By the way, most likely Abraham also believed in the resurrection of the dead...

"Abraham never wavered in believing God's promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. And because of Abraham's faith, God counted him as righteous. And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn't just for Abraham's benefit. It was recorded for our benefit too, assuring us that God will count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God." (Romans 4:20-25 NLT) 

"Wherefore!"

  "Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:" (Hebrews 12:28 KJV)

  "All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son." (Ephesians 1:3-6 NLT) 

 When I think about some of those who I hope to see in Heaven, it gives me peace in my heart for the day that is quickly approaching; whether it is by His soon return, or by soon passing, I am looking forward to the fellowship that is going to take place in Heaven! If we truly believe that Heaven is our home, then we need to be looking forward to being there, because that is our greatest hope!

 There is a word in this verse that has me wanting to know what it actually means: "acceptably." This word is shown to only be in this verse, which is an adverb meaning, "quite agreeably." That might not seem as though it is all that and more; but it probably the most important thing we need to do: Agree with God, no matter what! 

 There are certain things that we might go through, thinking that whatever is going on, that God's not doing what we want or asking for Him to do; which really causes many to feel discouragement or think that God doesn't care. Whatever it is that has us feeling that way, we need to change the direction that we are looking for, accepting what God wants to do or not do.

 Either HE is GOD, or He is not; that is something we need to make real in our own hearts...

"The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the LORD holds them by the hand." (PSALM 37:23-24 NLT)  

"Things Which Cannot be Shaken" - 2

  "And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain." (Hebrews 12:27 KJV)

  "All who believe in the Son of God know in their hearts that this testimony is true. Those who don't believe this are actually calling God a liar because they don't believe what God has testified about his Son. And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God's Son does not have life." (1 John 5:10-12 NLT)

 It might seem too simple to some, but this is about the easiest way to try and understand, regardless of any other thing that might be wrong in our lives: If we believe in Christ Jesus, and if we know that He died on that cross for our sins, and that He rose from the dead, and has given us eternal life in Him; we are saved! That is pretty simple, but we sometimes forget what we have been saved for and from!

 Most of those who are listed in the Hall of Faith, if not all, had some kind of issue that caused them to sin. As the Bible clearly says, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"; but that is way Jesus came, was to pay the penalty for our sins, and to give us eternal life in Him. If there was one thing that cannot be removed, it is the gift of Salvation that we have been given! 

 Yes, we are still broken and have times when we make mistakes; some of those mistakes we make are actually planned out, which makes them sins that are harder to forget; but regardless, we have grace that gives us something that we do not deserve, which cannot be shaken... 

"Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: "Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless." (1 Corinthians 15:54-58 NLT) 

"Things Which Cannot be Shaken"

 "And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain." (Hebrews 12:27 KJV)

  "Therefore, since we have been made right in God's sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God's glory." (Romans 5:1-2 NLT) 

 More than once or twice I have shared a few things that I believe with my whole heart; only to be told that I don't know what I'm talking about. That really doesn't bother me, in the least; because these things are etched into my heart, and I believe God has shown them to me them for a reason. I have had various times when there has been confirmation to what I believe; but I keep it to myself and just thank God for showing me, and to keep it buried in my heart. 

 This is not about those few things, because they are things which are temporary and only matter in the presence. The things that really matter will be the things that remain, and are in the eternal, with God, forever and ever...

"Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything. For God in all his fulness 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." (Colossians 1:18-20 NLT) 

"Shaking Things Up"

 "Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven." (Hebrews 12:26 KJV)

  "Jesus shouted to the crowds, "If you trust me, you are trusting not only me, but also God who sent me. For when you see me, you are seeing the one who sent me. I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark. I will not judge those who hear me but don't obey me, for I have come to save the world and not to judge it. But all who reject me and my message will be judged on the day of judgment by the truth I have spoken. I don't speak on my own authority. The Father who sent me has commanded me what to say and how to say it. And I know his commands lead to eternal life; so I say whatever the Father tells me to say."" (John 12:44-50 NLT)

 If you are wondering what I meant about having an excuse to trust God, it is really not that difficult to understand what it means. We easily have an excuse to not trust, because might fear what will happen; but we have an excuse to obey, because we know what He tells us to do leads to eternal life! 

 I shared this little joke, once or twice before, but I think it explains what I am saying: 'There was a man who was walking along the side of a cliff, who happened to fall off the edge. On his way down he was able to grab hold of a root that was hanging out of the side of the cliff; saving himself from falling to his death. However, he had no other way to get up the cliff, so he began crying out for someone to help. He cried out, "Is anybody up their?" and a voice said, "I am here." So, he answered back, "Can you help me?" and the voice said, "Yes I can." So, he answered back again, "Will you help me?" and voice said, "Yes I will." And the man cried out, "What do you want me to do?" and the voice said, "Let go of the root!" 

 I know that might seem a little bit off topic, but it makes more sense if think of it as challenges we are given, comparing them to the power of an Almighty God; who actually loves us and wants the very best for us; as He has proved it...

 ""For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."" (Jeremiah 29:11 NLT) 

"Making Excuses" - Two

  "See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:" (Hebrews 12:15 KJV)

  "I lie in the dust; revive me by your word. I told you my plans, and you answered. Now teach me your decrees. Help me to understand the meaning of your commandments, and I will meditate on your wonderful deeds. I weep with sorrow; encourage me by your word. Keep me from lying to myself; give me the privilege of knowing your instructions. I have chosen to be faithful; I have determined to live by your regulations. I cling to your laws. LORD, don't let me be put to shame! I will pursue your commands, for you expanded my understanding." (PSALM 119:25-32 NLT)

 I know that there are things in my life that I do, that I might hide behind some kind of excuse, as if it isn't really wrong, or that because I don't feel convicted, it really doesn't matter to God. When it comes to the point of listening to God, sometimes we just pay attention to the things are willing to do; ignoring the ones that we don't want to do, as if they don't matter. 

 Yesterday I was listening to a message which caused me to think about the way we sometimes can neglect to listen, not because we don't want to do what we are told to do, but because we might not know what will happen, or how it might turn out. There is this thing called, Trust, which is something that makes our minds spin in several directions, as we think of the plan, we don't even understand.  

 If there was some kind of way to make sense of it all, the simple way is to stay in His Word, asking Him to show us His instructions, and then follow them! It might not seem easy, because, truth be told, it is not! But as crazy as it might sound, His instructions are simple; they are not complex or too hard to understand, because He knows everything about us and what we are capable of doing! 

 If you really think about the things that could be possible, then you might have an excuse to trust Him more...

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take." (Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT) 

"Making Excuses"

 "See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:" (Hebrews 12:25 KJV) 

  "When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the LORD God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the LORD God among the trees. Then the LORD God called out to the man, "Where are you?" He replied, "I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked." "Who told you that you were naked?" the LORD God asked. "Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?" The man replied, "It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it." Then the LORD God asked the woman, "What have you done?" "The serpent deceived me," she replied. "That's why I ate it."" (Genesis 3:8-13 NLT)

 If there was any other way, making excuses are what we are born to do; it's almost as if they are a part of our DNA! Adam and Eve did it, and it was passed down to us! It is what we do; sometimes without even realizing that we do, we just feel like we deserve to do whatever, without even counting the cost. 

 This is just something that I referenced in the meaning of the word, "Refuse," which is shown in the verse we are looking at today. It really makes better sense if we have an excuse, so we think; because there is one very important item we forget about: God knows your heart! 

 When we sometimes feel as though God is telling us something that might need to be changed in our lives, we sometimes will avoid it being about us and think it is someone else. If that isn't an excuse, then I don't know else you can call it; because an excuse is taking the blame off you and putting it on someone else!

 Maybe it is just me; but sometimes when I hear a message in church that might cause me to feel guilty, it really doesn't hurt when I make it about someone else...

"So the LORD sent Nathan the prophet to tell David this story: "There were two men in a certain town. One was rich, and one was poor. The rich man owned a great many sheep and cattle. The poor man owned nothing but one little lamb he had bought. He raised that little lamb, and it grew up with his children. It ate from the man's own plate and drank from his cup. He cuddled it in his arms like a baby daughter. One day a guest arrived at the home of the rich man. But instead of killing an animal from his own flock, he took the poor man's lamb and killed it and prepared it for his guest." "David was furious. "As surely as the LORD lives," he vowed, "any man who would do such a thing deserves to die! He must repay four lambs to the poor man for the one he stole and for having no pity."" (2 Samuel 121-6 NLT) 

"The Unshaken Kingdom"

  "Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking. For if the people of Israel did not escape when they refused to listen to Moses, the earthly messenger, we will certainly not escape if we reject the One who speaks to us from heaven! When God spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise: "Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also." This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain.

  "Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. For our God is a devouring fire." (Hebrews 12:25-29 NLT)

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

 Now that I have gone through several things that I truly don't fully understand, it comes to the things that are too mighty to even think about. When we open the Bible to the first verse, Genesis 1:1, we given the opportunity to begin believing something that is amazingly hard to comprehend: "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." 

 As I have told you several times, this rocked my world the day that I was told that Jesus was the One that created the heaven and the earth! Not only was it told to me, but there were several Scriptures that were presented that verified it was so! You really must understand, I was raised not knowing who Jesus really was; so you can only imagine my shock and awe, when this was told to me; and to make things shake me even more: in my mind, I actually saw Jesus on the cross, while I was thinking about my Creator giving up His life for me...

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. And all things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made." (John 1:1-3 KJV)   

"Better Things!" - Two

 "And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel." (Hebrews 12:24 KJV)

  "All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God's path to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all. He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. Unjustly condemned, he was led away. No one cared that he died without descendants, that his life was cut short in midstream. But he was struck down for the rebellion of my people. He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man's grave. 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 53:6-10 NLT)

 There are several things that don't make sense in this illustration of that which was to come; as it is, on the day that all of this happened, most everyone there who witnessed His crucifixion, had no clue what it was all about or what was about to take place. The Jewish Leaders mocked Him; only John was at the foot of the cross, all of His other disciples were far away; and when the time had come for Him to die, the Roman soldiers that were there, acknowledged who He really was: "The Son of God!" 

 Having been following the Lord for all these years, I have witnessed several things that didn't make any sense; yet God's way of doing things are never our ways! The real purpose in just about every single person's complex situation, is for God to make all things new; which is what He does! Even if it might not seem to be happening, there is always way, if that is, we have the ability to surrender...

"Jesus replied, "Now the time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels - a plentiful harvest of new lives. Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity. Anyone who wants to be my disciple must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me."" (John 12:23-26 NLT)