ISAIAH 55:13 - "The Everlasting Sign"

"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." (v. 3) The word for 'sign' is 'Oth'; which means: sign, mark, token, badge, standard, monument, memorial, warning, omen, prodigy, symbol, miracle, miraculous sign, proof. 'Oth' is an indicator or signal of something. For David, it was God's covenant with him, that upon his throne God would establish His throne for all eternity; no matter what David was to do, but it was based upon what God had established to be done. For God, it was sending His Son to die on the cross, that we could be brought back into a relationship and into fellowship with Him; and that He could establish a Glorious Church, for all eternity. For us, it is the proof that God Loves us, and the mark upon our lives as we walk out His promises in our lives. Whether we are looking towards Heaven, or living within this world, our proof of God's covenant is real, and is made perfect in our obedience to the call upon our lives. For, whatever we are dealing with, or going through, we can be assured that whatever it is, it will work out for the good. And if we are taken from this world, we know that there is something far more glorious that awaits us. This is our sign which can not be cut off! But for those that do not know Him, we are the sign of God towards them. We have the proof of God's love, that must be manifested in our lives; to demonstrate in our lives that He is real, and that He cares for them. I am sorry to be beating the same drum over and over, but it is a drum that must be beaten. I have another song in my heart right now: "I'll play my drum for Him..." The Little Drummer Boy; who did not have expensive gifts to bring, but what he did have, mattered to God, and to all those that stood around. We have a choice set before us; whether we will hide this Gift that we have been given and keep it to ourselves; which really can make us selfish and unworthy of the Gift to begin with. Or, whether we will share this Gift, and see that it really is the Gift that keeps on giving. God's Grace will abound! For, His Grace is the Gift that keeps on giving; and what is His Grace? Bestowing upon us what we do not deserve; and what is that which we do not deserve? It is that place with Him for all eternity! A place which God has made available for all those that believe upon His Son Jesus Christ; for those that choose to believe that He has established it, it is the signal of things to come; what we place the Hope of our salvation in; what we must focus upon. Why do we spend our time and our resources upon that which is cursed? It is only because we are living for this world and not for the Kingdom of God. If you truly think about it, the time and the effort we spend bettering our lives here, could be better spent. Jesus said in John 7:37 & 38, "In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow Rivers of Living Water." Do you believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour? If so, do you have Rivers of Living Water flowing out of you? Is the Holy Spirit being poured out into and out of your life? He wants to be, and is meant to be flowing through us; to be Living Water to a thirsty world. A world that may not even know that they are thirsty. Just like the woman at the well, did not know that she was thirsty for the Water that Jesus had to offer until He presented it to her. But once she received it, she knew the Truth, and the Truth had set her free. We are His workmanship, and we have His Light to share to a world that is trapped in darkness. It is really what we are still here for; because there is nothing left on this planet that is holding us here, except to declare onto those that don't know, that we have the answer, and that answer is Jesus!!! "So when the Samaritans were come unto Him, they besought Him that He would tarry with them: and He abode there two days. And many more believed because of His own word; and said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard Him for ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world." (John 4:40-42)

ISAIAH 55:13 - "Pardoneth"

"Who is a God like unto Thee; that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He retaineth not His anger for ever, because He delighteth in mercy." (Micah 7:18) Do we that are forgiven have a reason to rejoice? You bet we do!!! And it is because of that reason that we are given the Joy and the Peace that we able to demonstrate. Joy, because we know that God loves us, and it is the knowledge of His love for us that gives us that Joy. There is a difference between happiness and joy; because happiness is just an expression of joy; but joy is an expression of God's Love for us. Our happiness will come and go with the things of this world that will affect it; but our Joy can not be moved; Why is that? Simply because His Love for us is always the same, and can not be moved. When Micah made this declaration in the opening verse, it was after a proclamation of how corrupt Israel was, and how alone he felt in a land that had forsaken their God. In Micah 7:7 he states, "Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: My God will hear me." In verses 4-6, he states the therefore: "The best of them is as a brier: the most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge: the day of thy watchmen and thy visitation cometh; now shall be their perplexity. Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom. For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in -law; a man's enemies are the men of his own house." This statement made by Micah reflects the teaching which Christ had given to His disciples in Matthew 10:35-37. Jesus was showing how complete dedication to Him would bring about rejection from those that were close to them; even those within their own families. Jesus called those that would place family ahead of service to Him 'Unworthy', (Matthew 10:38). The assurance given by Micah in verse 7 is that it is worthwhile to trust completely in God for our salvation; that resting in Him is the only way to find Peace when even our own families forsake us. This Peace that God gives to us is based upon His assurance that He will never leave us, or forsake us; even though all around us might; yet He will not! However, there is a grander picture here, and it involves those friends and family members; because we should not give up on them, because God wont. And it is because of the Joy and the Peace that we possess, that even through much rejection, betrayal and persecution; that their hearts can be won for Christ. In fact, it is through adversity that our faith can be tested, and when our faith is tested, it becomes stronger. Besides, we are told not to worry what man can do to us; that includes our friends and family. Even the most hardened heart can be won for Christ; so we should never give up on anyone. Micah had not given up on his fellow countrymen; thus was the reason for what he declared in verse 18; because he knew that God was true to His word, and the Promise given to his fathers. The word for 'Pardoneth' is not the same word for 'Pardon' found in Isaiah 55:7, which was the word 'salach'; which if you remember was a word used to describe only a forgiveness that God can provide, never a person forgiving someone else; to is not on a human level, but on God's level of forgiveness. This word for pardon in Micah is 'nasa', which means to raise or to lift up (the face, the eyes, the voice, or the soul); to bear, carry, take, take away; to be elevated. The word basically means: 'To Lift Up'. For example: To lift up one's head, would mean to take a census, or declare independence. To lift one's face, would mean to look someone straight in the eye, to have a clear conscience, or to anticipate that things would go well. To lift up one's hand, would be like a gesture, to salute, to pray, or to take an oath. To lift up one's eyes meant to look up, or even to lust after. To lift up one's voice meant to wail, or lament, to call out, declare a proverb; or even slander and carry a false rumor. To lift up one's soul meant to be entirely dependant upon something. 'Nasa' also signifies the taking away of sin; to bear the guilt or punishment of sin; that a substitutionary representative is needed to carry the guilt elsewhere. Another example of lifted up is seen in the illustration of Noah's Ark being lifted off of the land by the flood waters; it also refers to support, and to transport. Okay, so you are probably wondering why I am boring you with all of these definitions of a word; but it is very relevant to this last verse of Isaiah 55, because there is a 'pardoning' that is taking place here, and it has to do with the metamorphose from something that is meant for no good, to something that is glorified and lifted up. The word 'name' in Isaiah 55:13 is the word 'shem', which means to bestow honor, authority, character and fame. These are virtues owed to God for what He has done; but they are also virtues that can be brought out in us as we declare what He has done, and as we declare His Word; especially to those that we love and care for. When Jesus said that those are unworthy who put family before service to Him, He did not mean that we should forsake our families in the sense that we would no longer care for them; but that we should not let their rejection for us deter our following and serving Him. Besides, what kind of a testimony would that be of the wonderful work God has done, if a little rejection would sway us? "He will turn again, He will have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities: and Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old." (Micah 7:19 & 20)

ISAIAH 55:13 - "Metamorphose"

"Instead of thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the Lord for a Name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off." Let's take a moment and dissect this verse a little. There is only one thing that God will exalt above His Name, and that is His Word. But if we back up a few verses, we see that God is speaking about His Word in verses 10 and 11; which then led to verse 12, and the manifestation of Joy and Peace. So what are thorns and briers? If we look at what they are to us, as regular everyday people, they are easy to figure out; they are annoying. What are they good for? Absolutely nothing; except of course, to make us appreciate when they are not there. If you can imagine how it feels when you get stuck in one of these bushes; they can hurt. So then, what do they mean for God? Pretty much the same thing; worthless, thorny bushes, that just cause Him pain; they just make things difficult and get in the way. If we look these two words up in the Hebrew dictionary, they are both quite similar in meaning. Thorn is: 'Naatsuwts'; which means to prick; a brier; a thicket of thorny bushes. Brier is: 'Carpad'; a nettle (as stinging like a burn). If you have ever fallen into one of these bushes, you would know that that pretty much sums it up. They are prickly, thorny bushes, that will sting like a burn if you get into it; in other words, they are something that causes pain and anguish. Which is much like the 'curse' that God bestowed upon man in the Garden; that with pain and anguish, he would live out his days. But for God, we can become thorns and briers to Him, by the way we treat Him; by following other gods, and by worshipping idols. Now then; What are fir trees and Myrtle trees? Fir trees are typically trees which can be used for lumber; to be used for building something, like a house. Myrtle trees are trees that produce a flower, and are very beautiful to look upon. There is quite a contrast between thorns and briers, and these two types of trees. Thorns and briers just cause pain and anguish; while fir trees and Myrtle trees, can be used for something and can be admired. But this illustration can really go a whole lot further than that...as we shall see! "Ephraim shall say, What have I to do any more with idols? I have heard Him, and observed Him: I am like a green fir tree. From me is thy Fruit found." (Hosea 14:8)

ISAIAH 55:13 - "It's Not An Option!"

"We Love Him, Because He First Loved Us". (1 John4:19) So; What must we do to walk in God's Perfect Will for our lives? Really, it is quite simple! God will never ask us to do more than we are able to do; and when you really think about it, the commandments that we are now told to do are not suppressing, or things which we are under, or told not to do; but instead are refreshing, renewing, and rejuvenate our New Life in Christ. You might notice that I said 'New'; because, even after walking in the Lord for almost 30 years, it is still New; Why? Because, He really does make things New Every Morning! Besides, that is what the word 'Rejuvenate' means: "To make young again"; and when we do the things which Jesus commanded us to do, our lives are renewed. What are His commands again? There are only two: "To Love God with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength; and to Love our neighbor as yourself"; because on these two commands, are all the other Laws hung. So, we are no longer under the Law, but we are actually above the Law; which basically means that the weight of the Law has been lifted, or removed. No longer are we told, "Don't do this, and Don't do that"; but we have a New Standard to live by, which is refreshing, and brings New Life; and that is Love. Okay then; maybe you don't quite see what I am saying yet? It really is not that hard to comprehend! When we are walking in the Love of God, we are not going to do those things which are contrary to His Will. We are not going to hurt others, or be an offence to others; because we will be motivated by Love. And when we are motivated by the Love of God, we will actually care for one another in a way that causes us to share the Love of God; and to share Jesus with those that are condemned, and that need to know about His Love for them. I am not saying that we need to go door to door sharing the Gospel; but you can, if you feel so led to; but what I am saying is that we must be willing to share the Gospel with whomever He makes available for us to share with. It really is not a 'Work' kind of thing that we are talking about; it is more of a 'Life' thing. Where we are living testimonies of what God has done in our lives, so that others are drawn towards us; and then we are able to share with them what it is that gives us the Joy and the Peace that we possess in our hearts. We can not, and should not try to force Jesus on other people; God will make their hearts ready to receive Him; but we must be ready to declare what He puts upon our hearts to share. I really like this illustration in John chapter 4, with the woman at the well; because here we see Jesus start out by just asking for a drink of water; which led to hundreds coming to Him. It really is all about opportunities; where we ask God to provide us with those opportunities to share with others; and guess what: He Will... "If a man say, I Love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: For he that loveth not his brother, whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from Him, "That he who Loveth God, Love his Brother Also". (1 John 4:20 & 21)

ISAIAH 55:13 - "The Curse Reversed"

"And unto Adam He said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field: In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: For dust thou art, and unto dust shall thou return." (Genesis 3:17-19) We who are called, and have been chosen, have a choice set before us; whether we will live for the things of this world, or whether we will live for the things of God, and towards the New Home which is waiting for us. The things of this world are cursed, and have been every since the fall of man; but the things of God bring Life, and are not under the curse. I had mentioned before, more than once, that there are two types of Believers; those that are living their New Life in Christ as a person who is just Forgiven; and then there are those that are Living their New Life in Christ as One who is Glorified. Some will debate this type of illustration, and claim that there is no difference in those that are in Christ. Well, I will be glad to debate this topic with whom ever would like to step up and duke it out; because I have lived both lives, and know it to be so. You see, when I first received Jesus Christ into my heart, I started out my New Life in Christ as a Glorified Believer. Actually, it really came naturally; and it was apparent to me and everyone that knew me, that I was no longer living for this world. From the time I woke up in the morning, until the time I went to sleep at night, I had my the eyes of my heart fixed upon the Prize. Everything that went on in my life was for a purpose; even if I did not know what that purpose was, it still mattered towards God, and towards His Kingdom. Even my prayer life was specifically towards the things of God, and how I might be used of Him. But then something happened; I began to focus more and more upon the things of this world. I started looking more at my own circumstances here, as a father, and as a husband; focusing more on the things required to better my life here; instead of focusing upon the things that really mattered; which were the things that were not of this world. Even my prayer life changed; to the point where I prayed more for God's help in gaining control of my finances, or things that pertained to this world; instead of praying for lost souls, and the things of His Kingdom. Which really meant that instead of praying for how I might be used for His Kingdom, I was praying for how His Kingdom might be used for me. I other words; I was living the life of a 'Forgiven Believer'; which means that I was living my life as a saved person just trying to make it through this world; instead of a Glorified Child of God, that is no longer of this world. There is a difference! But; If you want to look at it another way; the two different types of Believers are the same person; just the same person making different choices. What it really comes down to is this: One chooses to be free from the curse; while the other chooses to live in the curse. But, really there is no need to live any longer under the curse, because the curse has been reversed! "Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the briar shall come up the myrtle tree: And it shall be to the Lord for a Name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off." (Isaiah 55:13)

ISAIAH 55:12 - "ALL THE ABOVE"

"You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: Forasmuch as you are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the Living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshly tables of the heart." (2 Corinthians 3:2 & 3) What we are really talking about here is Real Fullness of Joy, and a Peace that Surpasses All Understanding. Do you really know what that means? Let me ask you this: Do you really experience that kind of Joy and Peace in your life? You might say, 'Do you?'; to which I can honestly say, "Yes; I have and I do". But what we are talking about here is something that must be walked in, because I can also say, 'I want, and need more'; but we should not have want for anything; because fullness, really means that we are full; which means we don't want more; Right? However, when I do want more, what must I do? What provides me and you with more Joy and a deeper Peace? Everything that God requires of us is so simple; really it is. He has done all the work; He has provided the Way; He proved His Love towards us, and did all that was required to give us Life: Life Abundantly; which means Rich with Joy and Peace beyond measure; which means that it is beyond all that we will ever need, or even ask for. What then does this mean for my desire for more? It must mean that the things that I desire, are really already there; and that they have been all along; all I needed to do was to walk them out! Really! That is all there is to it! Okay; just think about this for a moment: Think about what God has done for us; all that He went through to provide a way for us; and all that He has established to prepare a place for us; a place which we will be able to be with Him, for all eternity. There is really nothing else that we need: So why would this issue be any other way? Do you want more Joy? Do you really want more Peace? Then really all we need to do is to experience more of Jesus!!! That is really all there is to it; experience Jesus more, and we have more Joy; walk out Jesus more, and we know more Peace. Don't even begin to ask me how, because I really don't want to have to start this whole study over. But I will briefly remind myself and you, that it has to do with Living Water. Remember, in order for water to be living, it must flow; water that does not flow, becomes stagnate and dead; like the Dead Sea. For water to be living it must have movement; and for us to fully experience The Living Water within our lives, that Living Water must flow into us, and out of us. The more it flows, the more Joy and Peace we will experience! It is there already, and has been all along; we just need to walk it out. And how do we do that? Really? I know that you did not ask that; but just in case you did: SHARE JESUS!!! Okay? Do you get that? Let me ask you this: Where does your Joy and Peace come from? It comes from Knowing Jesus, and because we Know Jesus, He provides this Joy and this Peace to us through the Holy Spirit. So, if we want to experience more of what the Spirit is providing us, then we must experience more of the Holy Spirit; and what does the Holy Spirit do? The Holy Spirit declares Jesus; that means for us to experience more of what the Holy Spirit does, then we must also declare Jesus; and what is the Living Water? It is Jesus!!! We can know, and have all the Joy and Peace which is available for us; which is really more than we could ever want or need; by just taking every opportunity that God allows, to share Jesus with whoever will listen; and to live out Jesus in our lives. We really can not forget this vital part: "People don't care what you say, until they know that you care"; so we must really settle this issue within our hearts, and ask God to forgive us of judging others; and ask Him to help us to love others more than we love ourselves. If we do not get that fixed, than really we are just a noisy instrument... "Therefore, seeing we have this ministry, as we have received Mercy, we faint not; But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but, by manifestation of Truth, commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. But if our Gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:" (2 Corinthians 4:1-3)

ISAIAH 55:12 - "Spiritually Speaking"

"Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in all Holy conversation and godliness." (2 Peter 3:11) Okay; Now if we consider the later part of verse 12 in Isaiah 55, to mean that this is a spiritual experience, then we must assume that it is both literal and a metaphor. Which would mean that this is an actual experience that takes place within our spirit, or our soul; which actually means: Deep Down Inside Our Very Existence! Sounds a little out there, doesn't it? But then again, so did worshipping God in Spirit and in Truth; however, that is what we are instructed to do. So really, what does it mean for our souls to delight themselves in fatness? Do we have control over our souls? I believe the answer is Yes. We are told "To Love God with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength; so we must have some kind of control over it. Remember, our souls are who we really are; for they live on after this mortal shell has passed away. So then, if we are to look at this in this manner, we can assume that our eternal souls are motivated towards their eternal existence; which is what? Heaven of course! And if you can picture for a moment, what this type of spiritual realm might consist of, it would be more likely that in this dimension of our existence, more things come to life than in the world in which our mortal body dwells. Did you get that? Don't feel bad if you didn't, because I barely understood it myself. I can sense it from deep within, but I can not put it into words. But if we have faith, we can walk in it, and know that it is more real than we know. That is really what faith means; for if we can see it, then faith is not required. Which would actually mean that this Joy and the Peace that we obtain, is not based upon what we see, but is based upon what we hope for, and believe in. For example: 'The White Stone', which I touched upon earlier; this is our High Calling in Christ Jesus; which of course, we can not see; but none the less, it is presented to us and for us. And what is this White Stone? It is the greatest of all the treasures in Heaven; for this Stone is One in the Body of Jesus Christ: The New Jerusalem depicted in Revelation, which descends down, and John is instructed to measure. It is constructed of these White Stones; all of which are the Glorious Church; which make up The Bride of Christ. And if you were to see these Stones, you would see yourself within One of them; which has your New Name written within it; and where you are, there Christ is also; for all eternity. This is what our souls long for; and what makes them groan as we move contrary to the things of God; Why? Because not only is this Stone White, but it is Holy; and when we are walking outside of the Will of God, our souls groan; for they know what awaits, and they know that what we are doing is contrary to that place that awaits them. So with all this groaning, where is the Joy and the Peace? Well; I did not say weeps, or is worried; but it is more like: "Oh, Come On!, or "Give Me A Break"; it is that kind of groan. Our soul lives for what is to be; but our flesh lives for today. Did you get that? "Nevertheless, we, according to His Promise, look for New Heavens and a New Earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that you look for such things, be diligent that you may be found of Him in peace, without spot, and blameless." (2 Peter 3:13 & 14) (I recommend that you read this whole chapter of 2 Peter 3; And read it 2 verses at a time; taking a moment to pause between each two verses, to pray, and meditate upon what you have just read.)

ISAIAH 55:12 - "Literally Speaking"

"Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto the Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the Joy of the Lord is your strength. So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, Hold your peace, for the day is Holy; neither be ye grieved. And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great mirth, because they had understood the words that were declared unto them." (Nehemiah 8:10-12) The people of Israel were deeply sad, because as Ezra the priest, brought the Law before them, and read it to them; then as they worshiped God, they began to understand it, and see just how far they had fallen short: "And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is Holy unto the Lord your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law." (v.9) The word 'Literal' means: Accurate; True; Undeviating; Precise; Original. If we are to consider verse 12 of Isaiah to be literally speaking about a Joy and a Peace, which would manifest such a mighty response of praise; then we would have to conclude that this Joy and this Peace was provide by God. In other words; it is God who literally gives us this Joy and this Peace for our journey towards Him. Just as with the people of Israel, who had they walked in what they actually felt, would have walked in sorrow and misery; for they had realized just how far they had fallen short of keeping His Laws. But God; instructed the people to be glad, and to be full of His Joy, and to have His Peace upon them; because He was doing a great work in their lives; which was in despite of themselves, but was for His Glory. So, since this Joy and this Peace is given to us by God, it is True Joy and Peace that can not be moved; it is established in our hearts, and is not based upon what we do, or do not do; but instead is based upon what God has done and is doing. Therefore, we must walk in obedience, and move out in our lives declaring it; anticipating that it is there and will be manifested; because God has said that it is so. When we look upon it in this way, we can then come to realize that the reason the mountains and the hills break forth before us into singing, is because the Lord is being praised for the Joy which He has provided; and since He has provided it, it shall not be moved. And the trees of the fields will clap their hands, because the Peace that He has given us has been established for all eternity; it can not be removed. It is a mighty covenant; God's promise to us; and it is the beginning of the knowledge of Him; as we walk in it, we see Him, and experience the fullness of His Joy and His Peace. "The Lord hath taken away thy judgments, He hath cast out thine enemy; The King of Israel, even the Lord, is in the midst of thee: Thou shalt not see evil any more. In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not; and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack. The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; He will Save, He will rejoice over thee with Joy; He will rest in His Love, He will Joy over thee with singing." (Zephaniah 3:15-17)

ISAIAH 55:12 - "Metaphorically Speaking"

"For you shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands". There are several different ways that we can view the second part of verse twelve; one is metaphorically. Which if we did, we would most likely consider this to express a feeling, or an emotion: the expression of joy and peace that is within us. To relate this type of expression to something more familiar, it would be like someone saying, "it was like being in heaven", to express a moment of enjoyment; or a term which is used for someone that is giving a speech, "knock 'em dead". But remember, this is God speaking, and what He says matters far more than that. However, if we are going to look at this portion of the scripture from that point of view, we must remember this: that even though this world may be ruled by Satan, the earth is the Lords, and so are we who have been chosen. When Jesus came into Jerusalem on the colt, He received great praise and worship, as the people declared: "Blessed be the King that cometh in the Name of the Lord; peace in Heaven, and Glory in the Highest". Then some of the Pharisees from among the crowd said to Him, "Master, rebuke thy disciples"; but Jesus answered: "I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out". (Luke 19:35-40) Was Jesus speaking metaphorically? No, I don't think He was; because He commands water to be turned to wine, trees to whither and die, oceans to stand still, the wind not to blow, and the earth to stop it's rotation; He commands worship also! There is another place in the scripture where there is a similar declaration to verse 12; it is found in Psalms 96; you remember that Psalm don't you? Remember that I was stuck on verses 1-5 for several days, verse 5 being: "For the gods of the nations are idols: but the Lord made the heavens". Now look at verses 11-13: "Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fullness thereof. Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice Before the Lord: for He cometh, for He cometh to judge the earth: He shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with His Truth." Now, if we look at the whole of Psalms 96, we will see that it is speaking to declaring God among the heathen, or the lost, (that means walking dead for you in Shasta Lake). In Luke 9:1-6, Jesus is sending out His disciples to go about the region and share the Good News, and to perform signs and wonders; in verse 5 He tells them: "And whosoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them". This He did to demonstrate several things: first, that this rejection was not of them, but of Him; secondly, that those of that city were accursed, and thus, so was the very dust of that land; and thirdly, that the joy they would have experienced in proclaiming the Good News, and by performing signs and wonders, would not be affected by the rejection that they might receive. So, if we are to consider that the 'For' in verse 12 of Isaiah is in relation to verses 10 & 11, which speak about God's Word going forth; we can assume that the joy and the peace spoken about here is associated with the declaration of His Word; just like Psalms 96 speaks about declaring His Word among the heathen, or the lost. In other words; there is a special Joy and a Peace that is obtained by doing His work, which is far, far better than the Joy and the Peace we would know if we were not. Then, what we are talking about, is fullness of Joy; wait a minute; full? "Wherefore do ye 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." (Isaiah 55:2)

ISAIAH 55:12 - "Magnum Opus"

"Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: and this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; that you may approve things that are excellent; that you may be sincere and without offense till the Day of Christ; being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the Glory and Praise of God. (Philippians 1:6; 9-11) 'Magnum Opus': A masterpiece; Chief Work of an Artist. God has crafted together a mighty and glorious work, which is so spectacular, that those that have been blessed to look upon it, and share what they have seen, can not even put it into words. Where does our Joy come from? Here is a clue: It does not come from this earth! There is a Joy that is set before us, that is greater than anything imaginable; it is a Joy based upon what we have been given in Christ; based upon what awaits us in Heaven, for all eternity. It is that Joy which causes our hearts to withstand even the harshest of trials, and the greatest challenges that we may face. It is not a joy that is based upon what we are going through, but rather a Joy based upon what we will become. In fact; the trials which we are faced with can, and should increase the magnitude of that Joy in us; How is that? Because they cause us to focus more upon that place where we will be, and less upon this place that we are currently in; that is of course, if we so choose to set our hearts and minds upon that place, and not upon this world. As I started this study in this chapter, I spent several days describing what the difference was between knowing what is the Will of God; in knowing the difference between what is His Will, verses our will. To see what the difference was between God's Perfect Will and His Permissive Will; and I used three separate illustrations: the children of Israel choosing a earthly king over the King of Kings; King Hezekiah and his choice to live rather than to go into glory; and divorce. All of these had one thing in common: where the heart was; or rather, what really mattered most in our hearts: the things of this world, or the things of God. Because, if what matters most in our hearts are the things of Him, then we will be walking in and living towards His Perfect Will. It really comes down to one simple fact: What are we living for. If we are living for that Place in Heaven that awaits us; that Place where we will be joined together with Jesus in Glory, for all eternity; than nothing can take the Joy of that Place from our hearts; absolutely nothing. (I have another song in my heart: "So set your mind on Him, and let your praise begin...) There is a Place; a Glorious Place, that awaits us all; a place that can not even begin to be described. And as John tried to describe it in the Book of Revelation, he had to stop trying to tell what he saw that it was like, and just declare the Glory of the Church: "And there shall be no more curse: but the Throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and His servants shall serve Him: And they shall see His face; and His Name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever." (Revelation 22:3-5)

ISAIAH 55:12 - "PRESSING ON"

"Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethern, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:12-14) I know that there might be some that wonder what 'Not Judging Others' and 'Loving Others' have to do with this twelfth verse of Isaiah, and "To go out with joy, and be led forth with peace". Well, just in case you were; there is something which restricts the flow of Joy and Peace in our hearts, and it is called 'bitterness'. This is a nasty little monster, straight from the pit of hell, that many do not even know that they harbor within their hearts. But really, we can not fully experience the Joy of the Lord, and the Peace which passes all understanding, if we are harboring bitterness within our hearts. How do we know if there is any bitterness in there? Quite simply, if we are judging others! It really is not to hard to tell if we do or not; because we continually will measure the lives of others up to a standard that we have established, which we fell is right, or the way they should be walking. Looking at the outward appearance of others, and comparing our walk to theirs. You see, we are all One Body, and because we are all different, we make up a diverse Body of Believers; but we all really have the same goal: "The Prize of the High Calling of God in Jesus Christ". And just what is that Prize? 'A Glorious Church'. That is really what it is all about. God has made way for us to be One with Him; and this which He has established is the final result of what Jesus died on the cross for; that there would be a place where We will all be together as One. So, when we start to have thoughts against a Brother or a Sister that are not edifying, we must rebuke those thoughts from our minds, and focus with love in our hearts on the things which are of Jesus. Do you understand what I just said? In other words; we must be looking to those things which bring Glory to God in the lives of others, instead of the things which tear down, or are contrary to bringing Glory to the Body of Christ. It really is quite simple if you stop and think about it. When ever we think ill of another, we are storing up bitterness within our hearts; and this bitterness can then cause our hearts to become hard to the real Joy of the Lord; actually we can feel the pain of that bitterness, instead of the joy which we should be feeling. Do you wonder how that is? Because we may not even realize that it is there. It is kind of like a groaning within our spirit, which knows what we have done is wrong, but that we tend to ignore, and push it aside as if it just comes with the territory. When in reality, this groaning is telling us that somethings wrong; that there is something that needs to be dealt with within our hearts which is holding us back from knowing the real peace and joy that is available. I know this might sound like I am splitting hairs here, but this is something I feel is deeply wrong in not only our churches, but also within myself. I know what my problem is, and I have wrestled with this more than once. But it has a tendency to creep back into my heart over and over again. I think it stems from the fact that I always want to feel better about myself; so one way that I can, is by looking for the flaws in others. The problem with that line of thinking is that we are all One Body; and if you don't like the way you look in the mirror, you will not be happy with yourself. "Finally, brethern, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." (Philippians 4:8)

"Good Morning: But I Digress"

Our Dear Sister, Dawn Burroughs Has Gone Home To Be With The Lord!!! Dawn departed to be with Jesus at 11:20 Tuesday night; just like that she was swept up into His arms; to return to us no more, but we shall be able to go to her. As I think about Pastor Gene, his girls, family, friends and our church, I can see that some of our early questions have been answered, Questions like: 'Is this a distraction, or something to focus upon?' So, was it a distraction? Yes it was indeed! For it distracted all of us that were paying attention from our normal lives we were stuck in, and made us take notice; it made us pay attention to what God was doing, or trying to do; and it made us come together to pray, and to seek God for answers and direction for our own lives. For me personally, it was the reason I started this blog to begin with. Watching my friend and Pastor go through this ordeal, has made me appreciate more my own wife, and the special gift that God has given me in her. Was this something to focus upon? Oh, you bet it was, and is! Because there are souls that are departing from us every day; some to Glory, and some not. This must cause in us an awareness that this is real life stuff we are dealing with; and that there are souls on the line every day; and that we have the answer. We must believe, and know like never before, that Jesus is the only answer; that no one can convince us otherwise; but rather we must all the more diligently convince them of the Truth. To what end that this roller-coaster ride has brought us all, we may never truly know the full affect; but we can all take away a piece of treasure in knowing that God is Glorified, and that He is doing a work in us all. My prayer is that we do not allow ourselves to slip back into the normal everyday life, but that we continue to focus on the work that God is doing through what has happened. Knowing that we all have a purpose and a calling upon our lives to make a difference and to be used for the Kingdom of God! "Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the briar shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off." (Isaiah 55:13)

ISAIAH 55:12 - "Dihedral"

"When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity." (1 Corinthians 13:11-13) The word 'dihedral' means: Having two sides, as a figure. Having or formed by two plane faces, as a crystal. It is an adjective, which denotes qualities of a noun; but it is also a noun; which is a person, place or thing. There are several ways that we could use this word in the context on what I have been sharing about; some good, and some not so good. For example: "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone." (James 2:17) This is a double edge sword; for it cuts both ways. We must walk by faith, and know that it is by the Grace of God that we are saved; but in the same token, we are to demonstrate our faith by our works. It is really not that complicated to understand, you just can't have one without the other; the main thing to remember is that faith comes first; then works is our faith demonstrated; or come to life. In the opening verse, Paul is presenting a small illustration of what it means to realize what you are a part of. Just as a child growing up, does not really know the reasons why they are instructed in the things that they are being instructed in; for them, life is really all about having fun, and doing things which bring them pleasure. But as they grow older, they come to realize that life is far more serious, and that there are more to relationships than just being friends, and having a playmate. So it is also within the church; we are more than just fellow Believers in Christ; we are all One in the Body of Christ, and as such we must walk in love for one another. Paul says that we are motivated by faith, hope and love; but the greatest of these is love. You see, when we first come to Christ it is by faith; wherein we believe that He loved us and died for our sins; which then produces in us the hope that we will be with Him in Heaven for all eternity. But then there also must be the later, which is the greatest, and that is love; for we love God, knowing what it was that He has done for us, which causes our hearts to be turned towards Him. This same love also equips us with the ability to love one another; because in reality we are all one in Christ; which really means that we can not have love for God and not love one another, because we are all One. Then we have to ask ourselves: 'Who is my Brother?' There, I think is the problem within the church today; there has been a disconnect in the realization of who our brothers and sisters are. We move in and out of our small circles of friends, but to the rest, they get mostly a cold shoulder, or at best a kind greeting. When in reality, we really do not know who is meant to be our brothers or our sisters. If you really think about it, for the world to know that we are real, and that our God is real and alive, we must demonstrate that He is; and we do that by our love. It is a love that is first and foremost for God, then for one another, and then for those that are lost; but here is the disconnect, where we have these different levels of love that we share. Because really, there is only One love; which means that we love everyone the same! "Oh, but I can't love them because"; is not really part of the equation. Because, who are we to say who is our brother or our sister; we just don't know. As we move and walk in this world, there are people watching our lives; they are paying close attention to the way we treat others, and they take notice when we put down this person or that person, for this or for that. Asking within themselves, "I wonder what they really think of me?" And this actually takes place within the church, not just throughout; where someone is speaking ill of another brother or sister, to a brother or sister; and then that person they are speaking to will begin to realize, that they are really not much different than the person you are speaking ill of; and will wonder what you must think of them. There is another illustration for this word 'dihedral', and it is: "Two Faced". My mother would always tell me to never say anything about somebody that I would not say to their face; some good wisdom in that! "Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessings and cursing. My brethern, these things ought not so to be." (James 3:10)

ISAIAH 55:12 - "Corporate Joy"

"For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that He might be Lord both of the dead and the living. But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? For we shall all stand before the judgement seat of Christ." (Romans 14:7-10) Yes, there is a difference in walking individually, and in walking as One. Why? Because when we walk as an individual Believer, we have a tendency to be judgemental of others; to be always judging other Believers; Why is that? I think it is mostly because we are so focused on ourselves, that we begin to start looking upon the outward appearance, of not only ourselves, but of others too. Then we are living the life of a judge, and being judgemental of everyone and everything. Sometimes we will even express that judgement outwardly; but usually only with those that we find within the Body that are also expressing an outward judgement; this is commonly referred to as sowing discord; which means: causing division within the church. But here is the funny, but not so funny thing about what I just described: You can not be judging others and not feel judged yourself; and your judgement of yourself is 10 times more; Why is that? Okay, look at your circle of friends; and then figure that there are at least 10 friends that you have that you will confine in and share openly with. These are the ones that are judging you! The fingers pointing back at you; who actually may not even actually be pointing back at you, in reality, but because you are living this life of judging others, you believe in your heart that they are. It is really a mess, when you stop and think about it. This is the reason Jesus said what He did in Matthew 7:1 & 2, "Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgement ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured unto you again." The life of living a judge will only lead to isolation and individualism; which is not what brings glory to the Lord. There is a Joy and a Peace that is greater than we can know as individuals, and it comes from the church moving together as One. What must happen in our churches to create a change in this? This I believe is quite simple. Remember, with God, everything He requires of us is simple; in other words, it is really not complicated, (even someone living in Shasta Lake can do it). We must focus on Jesus! Really, that is all that there is to it. You see, He is the Head of the Church; which means that He is the One that we must all answer to; and as such, we are all members of His Body. Which can really be easy to understand, if you think about your own body, and how you treat yourself. If your arm is hurting, do you cut it off and discard it, or do you pamper it, and treat it with kindness? You can see that what you do is care for it, and protect it from any further harm; Right? Yet, in so many of our churches today, we will not treat each other with this type of respect and consideration. Instead, we do the opposite and cut it off, as if it is not really that important to us as individuals; but it is!!! Because what you do to your arm will affect you; it will cause harm to yourself, whether you know it or not, it does. We can not discard one of our members, without feeling the effects of it being discarded; we can not put down a brother or sister, without feeling put down ourselves. You may not realize that this is happening to you right away; in fact, you may actually feel as though you are lifting yourself up in the process; but in reality, you are weakening not only yourself, but you are weakening the Body of Christ; and when you do that, you are in essence taking away from the power of unity that comes from being a Body of One. We must be focused on Jesus, and on the fact that we are the Body of Christ. He is the Head, and we are the Body; it is really that simple..."Behold, I have given Him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people". (Isaiah 55:4)

ISAIAH 55:12 - "Acclaimed"

"And he that reapth received wages, and gathered fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. And herein is the saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. I sent you to reap that whereon you bestowed on labour: other men laboured, and you are entered into their labours." (John 4:36-38) As you may have gathered from the last few days of posting, that I have begun to change the focus from that of us as individuals, to that of us as a church. Why? There is a whole new level of Joy and Peace that we must be aware of, and that we must move in; it is the Joy and Peace that comes from living as "The Body of Christ". I know it may sound a little odd, but that is the best way I can put it. We have been called to a Higher Calling than just ourselves. I am not saying that we do not matter to God as individuals, because we do, and He loves us all individually; He has even given us New Names! But His Greatest Reward is 'The Bride of Christ', of which we are One; each and everyone of us as Believers in Christ Jesus, are all members of the same Body. There is a whole other dynamic of Joy to be known and experienced; there is a more excellent Peace that there is to walk in. It is on a level that can only be known by walking in it! Have I said that I have walked in it? I might have? It would have been when I first received Christ, back in 1981. Because back then, I had experiences of Joy and Peace in my Life that were so profound, I could not even begin to explain them in words. I knew right away that we were all to be working together for the furtherance of the Gospel; we are to be One Body of Believers, and to be pushing back against the world, that would want to persuade us to be still and shut up. I do not think I am alone in saying this: "I have not been faithful to the Calling upon my Life". No, it is true; the world has been able to get it's talons in my heart, and has made my focus be on other things; things more selfish and more set towards me individually. As I look back and ponder this path which was taken, I think I might have figured out how I let it happen: Sin! That's right; sin that I should have otherwise not been focused on, I was focused on because it was there; and in so doing, I took my focus off the Body of Christ, and began to deal more with my own body. This is really sad, and such a waste of many years which otherwise could have been far more fruitful. I hope you can see what I am saying here; Can't you? You see, the sin that so easily stumbles me, is not the root of my problem; the root of my problem is that I have focused on the sin. Jesus died for that sin, once and for all; He does not need to die for it again, it has been dealt with, and I must move past that sinful barrier that holds me back from walking in the fullness of Christ. I know I will sin, I must accept the fact that sin is still present; but I must focus on living as One in the Body of Christ, and not as one outside the Body dealing with sin. Did that make sense? Okay, let me try and put it another way. I have a greater purpose to be holy other than myself; this greater purpose is the Body of Christ. With me so far? The Body of Christ is just that, the body of Christ Jesus, of which He is the Head; and in Him is no sin!!! Well what about my sin? Let me see; I am wondering what that stuff was He died for on the cross; oh yea, I remember, it was that sin. I seemed to have forgotten about those White Robes we are all wearing, and the Blood of my Saviour that covers me; instead I focused upon my own sinfulness and my individual need to deal with it; when I wasted so much time dealing with something that had already been dealt with. What more could I do for it? Could I ask Jesus to come and die for it again, cause maybe it didn't work for me? How about this one; could I maybe die myself? Now, maybe I might have begun to see the whole problem. It was all about self; my sin, my problem, my walk, my, my my. We can not truly begin to experience the Joy and the Peace that He has prepared for us within The Body of Christ, if we are still living for ourselves; they are just two different worlds!!! The word 'Acclaim' means: To applaud; salute. To proclaim or recognize officially. We have a Father in Heaven who loves us individually; and He has set out to provide a Way, a Perfect Way, that we no longer suffer in sin and death. It involved the death of His Son, who died in our place; to give us a place, where we will all be Acclaimed together, for all eternity. 'Lord Jesus; forgive me for not walking in the newness that you provided for my life; for not giving you the glory that you deserve for what you did on that cross; and for not living out the calling upon my life. I pray also for my Bothers and Sisters in You, that there would be an awakening within Your Church, to cause us to forget about ourselves, and to focus on You and the Prize. In Your Name, Lord Jesus I pray. Amen'

ISAIAH 55:12 - "Proclaimed"

"Which things we speak, not in words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." (1 Corinthians 2:13 & 14) As we can see by the Ethiopian's result in salvation, that God's Word does not return void; for even if those that proclaimed His word, did not really know what it stood for, it was proclaimed none the less. We can only feel that much more assured that the Word we share with others, will be more than just received, even though it may not appear that it has; it will have been planted. The word 'proclaim' means: To announce, or to publish; but it also means: "To govern by proclamation". And the word 'Proclamation' means: "A decree set forth by a Sovereign, or Supreme Ruler"; in other words, for those that are called, that He has chosen, their lives are governed by the proclamation of His Word which He has spoken; thus is the meaning of predestination. I think a good illustration of this is found in 1 Corinthians chapters 2 & 3; even though it might be confusing at first reading it, Paul is trying to put forth, to whoever will listen, that he is not preaching as a man, or from a human perspective; but rather by the Spirit, and in a spiritual perspective. In other words, it is the Spirit of God that must reveal to someone what is Truth; because to the world, the gospel message is foolishness, but to those that are called, it is Life. We do not know who they are which His Word is meant for; in fact, they do not even know who they are; but the Spirit does. Thus is the great mystery of predestination fulfilled; because we that are His, have been chosen from the foundations of the world. We did not know that we were prior to receiving Christ into our hearts, but as soon as we did, we knew that we were. Likewise, we do not know to whom we should be sharing with, but God knows; rather, we should just be obedient to follow what the Spirit tells us to do; because God knows what He is doing, even though we may not. Someone sows, another waters, and then another reaps; but we they all work together to bring about what God has ordained, or proclaimed. When I think back in my own life, I can remember a time in Sunday School; I can't remember when exactly, but I was very young. But I remember seeing a picture of Jesus standing at a door and knocking; and I remember singing the song "Yes Jesus Loves Me". This I believe was the Seed that was planted within my heart. Then after that, and over a period of at least 15 years, there were people that came into my life and watered that seed. Until that glorious day in September of 1981, when that plant was finally harvested. I had no clue, but God did; which is why the Spirit came upon me and led me to attend that church service, to hear a message. Little did I know that it was the message meant for me to receive; but God knew. That man that was sent there that day with that message, whether it was a canned message, one prepared that morning, or one that the Spirit just spoke forth; that message had already been prepared in my heart to receive. How is that? I am not sure actually, but this much I do know: God knew me before I was in my Mother's womb, and as I look back upon my life, I can see that I was always filled with questions of why, and from what, and for what, and to what end. I had always tried to look for the things which were not obvious; and when that seed was planted so long ago about who Jesus was, and why He came; and then through many years of seeking answers in wrong places; there were people sent to water that seed, and to nourish it; until the glorious day. The message that God had prepared for my heart that day, my heart had been prepared to receive. Then after I had received it, my life was changed in that very instant; and I did go out with Joy; Joy abundantly. The more I shared what God had done, the more Joy I received; I could not even give it away. "I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. For we are labourers together with God: you are God's husbandry, you are God's building." (1 Corinthians 3:6-9)

ISAIAH 55:12 - "Accomplished"

"For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands." Okay then; now, I hope we have established what it is that we as individuals are to be about; now let's see what God is all about doing. For His plan is so much bigger than us as individuals, although He does care for us as such, and knows us by name; but His ultimate plan is about establishing His Church: The Bride of Christ. Again, here in verse 12 we start off with the word 'For', which is to continue, build upon, or establish a previous thought or statement. We can look again at the previous 2 verses, which we will, but we can also look all the way back again to verse 1, and then continue up through verse 9 also. Yes, that's right, even verse 9, "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts". Really: How is that? you might be wondering. Well, let's look at this new verse in the context of the complete Word. First let's establish the link to verses 10 & 11, by getting a feeling for what it is that this verse is saying. The most basic thought here is that there is something established in our lives, which causes us to 'Go out with Joy', and to be 'Led forth with Peace'; this is pretty easy to get a handle on. The joy that we go out in, can be based upon several things; but for the time being, let's just deal with the facts: We are Loved by God; Redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb; and Jesus has a place prepared for us in Heaven, waiting for us to go to, when He is done with us here. Those are pretty much the basic source of our Joy; right? Good; now the 'Go out' portion of this statement speaks to a forward motion; in other words, we are stepping out in faith because of the joy that is set before us; because we are Loved, Redeemed, and have a Home. So, to be 'Led forth with Peace, is based upon the simple fact that God is in control, and no matter what fate awaits us, we know that our lives are in His hands; correct? Good; now the 'Led forth' portion of this statement speaks about being led by God; in other words, we are to be led by Him in all our ways; which is the real basis for the Peace that is established in our hearts. Because God is in control, we can be assured that His Word will be established to perform that which He has set out to accomplish. Therefore, we can rest assure that when we proclaim His Word it is not up to us to bring about a result, but it is Him that will perform it. Case in point; Philip and the Ethiopian: Here is a man that just came from the Temple, where he went to worship God. We can assume that while there, he was instructed in, or led to the Book of Isaiah. So, while traveling home, he is reading the text which he was instructed in, to try and understand what it really meant. Chances are, he did not get the proper instruction from the Temple, because all the Believers were spread abroad, because of the death of Stephen; who was killed for his testimony of Jesus, and his proclamation that those running the Temple didn't have it right. Then God leads Philip to the Ethiopian to teach him what it was that he had received, and to lead him to Christ. To which, he not only believed, but was also baptized that very same day. Not only that, but he witnessed a mighty wonder at the same time; because when he came up out of the water, Philip was gone; being caught up and taken away by the Spirit of God. Which then caused the Ethiopian to go home rejoicing, for not only his New Life in Christ, but also for the fact that he had witnessed the power of God, firsthand. You can bet that when he returned home to the Palace, he had some things to share with those that were there. So, we can begin to see why God would proclaim: "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts."

ISAIAH 55:10 & 11 - "Bread To The Eater" - 2

"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." (Isaiah 55:2) I am sorry for the growl yesterday; it is just that I know that there are many which do not understand what it is that I am saying. How do I know that? Because half the time, I don't even know what I am saying; it really depends from where I am looking, that I can even grasp what it is that God is speaking into my heart. If you noticed, I said my heart and not my mind; because my mind wants to take the things which God speaks into my heart and rearrange them to allow me take His will and conform it to my will. When what I should, and must be doing, is to conform my will to His will. This is not works that we are talking about here! I am not saying we must work in order to experience God's Grace! I am saying that when we do His will for our lives, what ever that is for us individually, that is when we are being filled, because our lives are being fulfilled, because we are fulfilling His will for our lives. Besides, it is only labour when it does not satisfy; when we are satisfied by doing what we should be doing, then really we are not experiencing work, but rather it is enjoyment. I remember when I was a very small child, my Mother would make my favorite treats; Graham Crackers with chocolate frosting in the middle. She would always have to hide them from me, or put them somewhere where I could not reach them. Do you think that would stop me? No way; I would labour for hours into the night to get to that cookie jar. Did I think that was work? No way; that was a quest, and the harder it got, the more determined I became. I do remember she caught me once; I had reached a small dilemma and was trying to figure it out, so I was taking longer than usual to get the prize; but I knew that the jar was in the cabinet above the refrigerator, and somehow I had made my way to the top of the refrigerator; but the problem I had faced was that I could not open the cabinet, because I was in the way. So here I was sitting on top of the refrigerator, pondering how I should solve this dilemma, and here was my Mother opening the refrigerator to get a drink of water. She finally saw me, as she began to drink the water; which she almost choked on. I remember her asking me over and over, 'How did you get up there?'; and when I finally told her, she gave me one of those treats. It is not labour when we are going after something which is more valuable to us than what it takes to get there; in fact, the climb is really a joy when we are focused on the prize. Would I have figured out a way to get that jar? You bet I would have, in fact I was about ready to make my move when she came in; I was actually surprised that she did not notice the door cracked open, when she opened it; because that was my ladder to the top: the door! We might say, 'But those people you listed yesterday were all specially equip to serve God'; to that I would say, "True; True". Yes they were; they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. That was their equipping; was being filled with the Spirit of God; but they also had something else in common, and that was a desire to be with Jesus. This was more important to them than anything that this world could offer; nothing could compare to the great and glorious day when they could see Jesus. For some, this would be a great reunion, but for others it would be home; and not just any home, but the ultimate home for all eternity. Look at Stephen and Philip; these were men who were chosen to serve tables. That was what they were appointed to do, was to serve widows and orphans. Do you see what God did through them? After the death of Stephen, Acts 8:4 says that the church was scattered abroad, but that they went preaching the Word. In verse 5, we see Philip in Samaria preaching Christ; but then in verse 26 it says, "And the angel of the Lord spake to Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert." So Philip goes, and then there was a Ethiopian treasurer traveling home after worshipping in the Temple at Jerusalem; and he was traveling in his chariot, and sat reading the book of Isaiah. In verse 29 it says, "Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot." So what does Philip do; he runs up to, and along side this chariot as it is going down the road; listening to this man from Ethiopia read the Book of Isaiah; then asked him if he understood what he was reading. So Philip comes up into the chariot, witnesses to the man, then they stop for the man to be baptized, and then watch what happens to Philip. Verse 39 & 40: "And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went away rejoicing. But Philip was found at Azotus; and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea." I don't know if you realize what just was said, but the way I figure it, Philip had just traveled at least 160 miles, by foot; or rather, by Spirit. He went from Samaria, south to the desert below Jerusalem to Gaza, which was about 80 miles; then when he was caught away and taken to Azotus, that was about 30 miles; and then up to Caesarea, which was at least 60 miles. When it says that he was caught away, the word is 'harpazo', which is the same word that we get for the Rapture, which is found in 1 Thessalonians 4:17. Basically, what I am trying to say, is that we are not required to be superhuman, but we are required to be obedient, if we want to experience all that God has for us to experience. Can you see that yet? It is not about works; it is about fulfillment! "Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; Who For The Joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the Throne of God." (Hebrews 12:1 & 2)

ISAIAH 55:10 & 11 - "Bread To The Eater"

"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 you soul delight itself in fatness." (Isaiah 55:2) There are at least two ways for us to experience this 'Bread to the Eater' which is mentioned in Isaiah 55:10; which God explains as His Word being sent out from His mouth, just as the rain is provided from the sky. The first is the easiest to realize first hand, which is when we receive His Word. We can receive God's Word several different ways: We can read it first hand, as we make it our daily bread to nourish our souls; we can hear the Word as it is proclaimed by others, and we receive it as God speaking through them onto us; and we can receive His Word that He speaks directly into our hearts, as we worship Him. All of these are ways in which we take in, or receive God's Word into our hearts and minds to feed our soul. The other way to experience this 'Bread to the Eater', is when we give out His Word by sharing it with others. This is what I believe is the way to experience the most joy and satisfaction in our lives between the two; however both are absolutely necessary, it is just that it is better to give than to receive; but we must receive it in order to give it away. Okay, it's like this: We are already saved and have been grafted into the Body of Christ, therefore the Word that we receive is meant to fortify our souls, build us up, and provide knowledge and direction for our lives. But when we have an opportunity to share God's Word with someone who is trapped in darkness, then there is a whole new level of fulfilment; why? Because there is new life stuff going on, that's why! It is really all about us serving others with the abilities that God has given to us; and it really is the way that we experience real joy and peace, that can not be compared to anything else. Why? Because our souls are delighting themselves in fatness!!! I will even go as far as to say this: every Word that we receive is good, but every Word we give out is at least twice as good. You might think that that is a rather strong statement, but really, when we are giving out His Word, we are ministering to at least two people; who? Well, whoever we are sharing with, how ever many that may be; and ourselves. And how do we minister to ourselves? Growl; by experiencing the joy of the Lord in our lives as we allow the Living Water to flow through us and onto the world. This is power from on High that is generated through us, which actually provides something to our souls, which we can not receive any other way, but by serving God. How is that? (I'm sorry, I just like being quizzical.) Okay, just think for a moment about those that served God in the New Testament; say people like Paul, Peter, John, Stephen and Phillip. There was something that they all had in common as they denied themselves, and were yielded to the Holy Spirit; they all had joy, and this joy that they had could not be shaken. When we who currently live in these United States think of the trials and persecution we can receive in sharing the Lord, they are things like: losing our job, or friends, or being made fun of; real serious stuff, aren't they? Things that make us hesitant to share our faith, for fear of being persecuted. But then when we look at their lives and the real persecution that they endured for the sake of the Cross, how can it compare. They were beaten, jailed, stoned, and killed; yet they all were full of joy through all of that; because they were being satisfied in a way that could not be taken away by what they suffered. When Jesus said, "Pick up your Cross and follow Me", He meant to follow Him in serving others; in dying to ourselves and denying ourselves for the sake of others. Because as we are now to be living for the Kingdom of God, this world really has nothing left to offer us, but to give us opportunities to share Jesus with those that don't know Him. In doing so, we are storing up treasure in Heaven that can not be taken away; thus we are also experiencing joy that also can not be taken away. "If you then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on the things above, not on things on the earth. For you are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God." (Colossians 3:1-3)

ISAIAH 55:10 & 11 - "Seed To The Sower"

"Jesus answered and said unto her, 'If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee Living Water." (John 4:10) You do realize that we are required to be a Light unto the world; right? Did I say required? Yes; there is a requirement to take what has been given to us and to freely share this Gift with the world. Remember, Living Water is water that is living; it must be flowing. When Jesus was speaking to this woman at the well in John 4, He was sowing seeds; and as we saw previously, these seeds that He had sown would be reaping an instant harvest. But for us that are Believers, we are required at the very least to sow seeds for the Kingdom of God; How are we required to do that? Well the most important way that we sow seeds is by our lives; we must walk in a manner the demonstrates the Love of God. Why? Most of the people that we will reach are people that will not go to a church; so we must bring the church to them. The way that we do that is by the Light of Jesus shinning through us, and as they see our lives, the Light is revealed to them; God begins to do a work within their hearts. This is the time when we will be approached for the opportunity to share; because in all reality, we have already been sowing seeds; just by letting the Light of Jesus shine forth from our lives, we are sowing seeds. Now comes time to plant them; to literally take a seed and plant it into some one's heart, as the Holy Spirit softens their heart, and then speaks through us. This is what Jesus did to this woman at the well; He planted a seed within her heart, and then she was able to go and spread that seed throughout her town. And when you really think about it, look what kind of a person that she was; yet God was able to use her instantly to prosper in the thing which He wanted to do. There is really something that we must realize when it comes to serving the Lord; we will not always see the results of our labours; but we will always feel the Living Water flow through us as we are serving Him. That is what Living Water is all about: Alive in us! In verse 10 of Isaiah 55, God says, "That it may give seed to the sower"; when He puts out His Word, He is doing so to accomplish a work. We may, or may not be able to see this work which He is putting in motion; but then again, our ways and not His ways, so we really can't know what He is trying to accomplish. What we must do is to be ready in season and out of season to declare Jesus to whomever asks us for the reason that we are what we are; if it goes further than that, praise the Lord; but if it doesn't, praise the Lord. Because God is the one who is going to do the work, not us; we are just required to do our part and let Him do the rest. Look again at what happen with this woman at the well; she took the message that Jesus gave her, and spread it out throughout her city. Instantly, hundreds, if not thousands of people came to Jesus; and all from the words that were sown from her mouth: "Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?" (John 4:29) God's Word that is sown into our hearts is intended to be spread out; He has given it to us for us to share; that is how His Word becomes alive to us. Oh, we can experience it first hand, and we can be blessed by the Word we receive in our hearts; but the joy we experience when we take what He has given to us, and the share that with others; well, it must be something you live in order to know. Think for a minute if the woman at the well would have rather taken everything that Jesus revealed to her, and then just went about her day. She would have heard the Word, received the Word, and maybe even kept the Word; but she would not have been able to experience the Word, had she just kept it bottled up inside herself. Why is that? Because His Word is alive, and because it is alive, we must let Him live in us, and through us; just like that electrical current must flow; to have any power at all, it must complete the circuit. Then guess what we get to experience; Bread to the Eater: "In the mean while His disciples prayed Him, saying, Master eat. But He answered them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought Him aught to eat? Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me, and to finish His work." (John 4:31-34)

ISAIAH 55:10 & 11 - "For; For; For; So"

"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 ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labor for that which satifieth 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." (Verses 1-3) So; what have we come to? We have come to a point, where we realize that God wants us to be usable; He wants us to be able to experience His Love, and in order to fully be able to experience His Love for us, we must have that Love flow through us. Did you get that so far? I hope you did, because there is a reason for everything that He does; and even everything that He allows us to do. What was that? Yes, that is what I said: there is a reason for what He allows us to do, and for what He allows us to go through. You see; there really is only One Will that is going to be done: His Will!!! So what God is asking us is: "How do you want to do this?" I have noticed that there are more and more people getting caught up in the 'Build a Barn', or Build a Galaxy', or whatever; but we as Christians have the same thing available for us spiritually. How is that you wonder? We are told to store up treasures in Heaven, where moth do not corrupt, and where fire does not burn up; it is this treasure we must be living for. Each and every opportunity we have to serve God and not ourselves, is another opportunity to store up treasure. Do you want to find the Golden Gem? Do you want to find the Dazzling Diamond? Seek it out, earn it, polish it off, and store it up; this is acceptable to do, because you are storing up treasure in heaven, not here on this earth. I do hope that you see this; don't you? Now, as for the opening verses; I wanted to show something that may help to explain what I am talking about. In verse 11, God says: "So shall My Word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." What we must come to realize, is that God is in control, and what He wants to bring to pass, will be brought to pass; He has established it to be So. We are called to seek to know what is His perfect plan; to seek out what His will is for our daily lives. We are not to be living to satisfy our flesh, because we will never be able to satisfy the flesh; it will just want more and more; so we must deny the flesh, and live to satisfy our souls; which require more and more. And herein is the great and wonderful news: God wants to supply as much as your soul desires! Do you want to experience more of Jesus in your life? Do You??? Then guess what; live for Jesus, and you will. Do you want to have power over the sin that keeps on pushing you around? Then Live For Jesus!!! Remember that illustration of electrical current from yesterday? That is very similar to the power generated within our lives when we let The Living Water flow though us; and what is The Living Water? The Living Water is Jesus! As we begin to stop living for ourselves and start living for others, we will experience what power there is in letting His Living Water flow through us. It really does wash away a lot of filth and slime from His living stones; which we are; we are His Gems; we are His Pleasure. Listen; if God gives you a word for someone, or puts upon your heart to share His love for them; you need to do it; you need to be obedient to the Holy Spirit. And what you will discover as you do, is that He will pour out more; and as you submit to Him, and His leading, He will pour out more. Really, He doesn't want to stop pouring out Grace into our lives; it really is dependent upon how much we want; He wants us to "Let our Soul delight itself in fatness"; which really means: Eat as much as you want!!! Heavenly Father; I pray that you use my life to be a vessel of honor; that I can be poured out for Your kingdom, for Your glory. That my life will no longer be my life, but that my life will be for you to use as you see fit. Holy Spirit; fill me overflowing, and please lead my life on every level, that even my me time is your time. And Jesus; be Lord of my life; I surrender to you my will, and my ways, and my thoughts; for you alone have the Way to Eternal Life. Please help me keep my eye on the goal; that Perfect High Calling. In Your name Lord Jesus. Amen

ISAIAH 55:10 & 11 - "Let It Flow"

"Herein is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit; so shall you be My disciples. As the Father hath loved Me, so have I loved you: continue in My love." (John 15:8 & 9) Let's think again about something we may have overlooked from yesterday's post. What do you think that could be? It has something to do with 'Letting Our Light Shine"; do you know what that is? Okay, how about this: What do we need to do in order to know how to walk? How about this for an answer: We need to know how to walk! But how do we know that? That's simple: By Walking! So then, How do we let our Light shine? Are you thinking? Still pondering? I know, it's just to hard to figure out; isn't it? There has to be more to it than that! You know, the hardest thing that we learned as a child, was how to walk. It was hard, and took months of training our minds, to be able to even accept the fact that we could do it. Even after months of stepping forward, we still would walk as if we were on stilts. But after we trained our mind to accept the fact that we could do it, it came naturally. So, how do we let our Light shine? When I joined the Navy in 1976, I wanted to work on engines; but the Navy tested my abilities, and thought I was best suited to work with electricity; go figure. My favorite job on board ship was the 'Safety Shop'; which was actually the 'Tool Shack', where people would go to check out power tools, and to drop off power tools that needed repair. I had 'Buffer Detail', and I was actually pretty good at it. I even lined them up in ranks; there were that many. Why were there so many floor buffers that needed to be fixed: Solenoids; which was a device used to start the electrical motor to spin. The problem was, that it was not intended to be shut off and on the way it was being shut off and on. Have you ever used a floor buffer? The second most needed replacement item was the power cord; Why? From letting go of that crazy thing, and then it winds it's cord around itself. Now why was I talking about this, oh yea; the one thing that I discovered rather quickly about electricity, is that there three things needed in order for it to work: a source, a conductor, and a load. Did you get that? No? Okay, for our average world; the source would be the outlet on the wall; the conductor would be the cord that gets plugged into that outlet; and the load would be whatever was on the other side of the cord. But here's the thing, it still does not work until you turn on whatever is plugged into that outlet. In order for the electrical current to flow, the circuit must be completed, which is what a switch is for; and then electricity works, because there is a load, which mean that there is something that is using the electricity to operate. So how do we let our Light shine? I am thinking of a song: "This little heart of mine, I'm going to let it shine". To be a Light for Jesus, we must let His Light shine through us; and how do we do that? How about by letting His Light shine through us? It really is that simple! There is a flow that must take place, where we are actually using the source of that Light; where our lives are the conductor to provide a Light source to a world in darkness. And then what is the load? Do you need to ask that? Look around you, and you won't need to look far to see someone that is lost, blind, condemned, and dead; and guess what? We have the Light that they need within us!!! When we look at things from God's point of view, we can start to understand what we must do; we must be about our Father's business...And what is His business? Love!!! He loves us; we must love Him; and when we love Him, we keep His commands. "If you keep My commandments, you shall abide in My love; even as I have kept My Father's commandments, and abide in His love. These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is My commandment, That You Love One Another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends". (John 15:10-13)

ISAIAH 55:10 & 11 - "God's Rain"

"The people that walked in darkness have seen a great Light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the Light shined." (Isaiah 9:2) Have you ever tried to walk around with your eyes closed and pretended to be blind? I remember as a child doing just that. I can't remember for how long I did it, but it was long enough for my Mother to be concerned. She would tell me not to pretend that I was blind, or I might become blind. She always told me stuff like that: don't make that silly face, or it will be stuck like that; don't crack your knuckles, or you will have arthritis; don't eat those watermelon seeds, or you will have watermelons growing out of your ears. I remember once, asking my Great Grandfather, if he eat watermelon seeds; I don't think he understood the question. Anyways, I do remember that I would have to practice my walk blind thing in the privacy of my room, so that my Mother would not know; until that is, that I would stumble into something, and there would be a crash, or a yell. Then she would pop into my room and flip on my light; at which point I could see what my problem was; my room was a mess. In the opening verse, there is a reference to "The people that walked in darkness". This word 'darkness' has several different meanings, almost all of which are not good. The Hebrew word is 'Choshekh', (it almost sounds like something I would exclaim when I stumbled), it means: dark, darkness, obscurity, night, dusk; misery, falsehood, and ignorance. It can refer to the darkness of the grave; such as dead; not alive; lost; forsaken. It has a figurative meaning of blindness, hiddenness, and judgement. The sad thing is, unlike what I did as a child, wherein I knew I was walking in darkness; many do not know that they are in darkness; and darkness loves darkness. They are lost, but do not know they are lost; blind, but do not know they are blind; condemned, but do not know they are condemned; and they are dead, but do not realize that they are dead. So what makes them to realize the state that they are in? The Light!!! In Isaiah 55:10 & 11, God is making a very great proclamation; besides that fact that He sends forth His Word, He declares that just like the rain is intended to make things grow, which means to give life; so too His Word is poured out to give Life, and to spread Life. Another term which can be used for Life is Light; but Light is always associated with Life. Verse 10 says: "For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater". This verse starts off with the word 'For', and if you remember, this word 'For' is meant to establish a previous thought, or statement. So, if we go back to the previous statement which God makes in verse 9, we can see why God is now saying what He is saying. What does this declaration in verses 10 have to do with His ways and His thoughts being so much higher than ours? Well, to see the answer to that, we look to verse 11: "So shall My Word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." So what does this have to do with people that are walking in darkness? Simply this: When God sends forth His Word, one way that He chooses to do it is through us that have the Light shinning within us. Those people that are walking in darkness, do not realize that they are in darkness, until they get exposed to the Light. And what are we called to be? We are called to be Light; and as we walk through the land of the shadow of death, we are to shine with the Light of Jesus. And what is Jesus? He is the Word!!! You know, sometimes we just make things so complicated; when really, they are quite simple. We think for instance that we must lead someone to the Lord; when really all we are being asked to do is to turn on the Light. How do we do that? By simply proclaiming Jesus! That is all there is to it, Really! In other words; we must be specific about the God that we know and serve. And why do we have to do that? It is really quite simple to understand, Really! We can not just say that we are what we are because we know God; but we must be more specific and declare that we are what we are because we know Jesus. Why is this important? Okay, let me give you a for instance: If for example you have a coworker, who sees your life is full of joy and peace; so they approach you with this question, "Why is your life so different?" If you said simply that it was because you had God in your life, and left it at that; then, if you coworker wanted to search out God, they might pick a lessor god, and be led astray. However, if you were to be more specific and say, "It is because I have Jesus"; then really, that is all that you would be required to say. But of course, you could go on and on; but for now that's all I have to say... (I wonder if they have the Internet in Heaven? Oh, well it really doesn't matter. Happy Mother's Day Mom!)

ISAIAH 55:10 & 11 - "The Highest Worship"

"He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the Hidden Manna, and will give him a White Stone, and in the Stone a New Name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it." (Revelations 2:17) As we have seen through God's declaration in verses 8 and 9 of Isaiah 55, that His thoughts are not our thoughts, nor are our ways His ways; because, as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are His ways so much higher that our ways, and His thoughts are so much higher than those thoughts which we imagine within our minds. The only way to even begin to know the thoughts of the Father are in the Spirit, and then through His Word; but in doing so, we must worship Him in spirit, because He is Spirit; and it is in the Spirit that we will have fellowship with Him. But then, as we approach the Father, we discover that, wow and behold, there is Jesus, who is manifested as the Father; Why is this so? Quite simply, we can not see God the Father, who is Spirit; but we can see the Son, who is manifested as the Father. Does that make any sense to you? Really, this would explain a few things; like one, is the declaration of Jesus in Isaiah 9:6, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His Name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." You could really find quite a few more Names for Jesus throughout the Word of God; especially the one the says it all: The Word; because God has declared Himself through His Word. Now, regarding the opening verse, which is the reward to those that have overcome in the Letter to the Church in Pergamos; there are three rewards that are listed here. Two of these rewards, I believe are for our current benefit; meaning that they are to be used now, while we are living within this mortal body; and the other one is for the hope which we have in glory, which actually can be used now also, indirectly, but we will get to that later. The first which is for our current use, is to eat of the Hidden Manna. What is this Hidden Manna? Okay, what was manna? It was bread that came down from Heaven, which God provided for food to the children of Israel in the wilderness. And what does bread refer to in the Bible? God's Word! So if we are going to eat God's Word, then what is the Hidden Word? This is the read between the lines kind of Word; a New Word, that only God will be able to reveal to us; treasures of His Word that are spoken into our hearts. Things which are not apparent by just reading the words which are printed on the pages; but rather, the things which He reveals to us as His children; our Father, speaking directly into our hearts as we read His Word. This is why it is so vitally important that we enter into a spirit of worship that must be in Spirit and in Truth. God can, and still does speak to us otherwise, but to be able to eat of the Hidden Manna, we must do so through the heart of worship, and we must be in fellowship with Him. The other item which is for our current benefit, is the New Name Written, that is within the White Stone. This I believe is a Name that is known only by the Father, and by the person receiving the Name; which is for us to use now, as we are within this mortal shell. To be used as we fellowship with the Father; which the Father uses to call us by our Name, which He has given unto us, and only we know it. Okay, I know that may seem a little out there; but to those that know, it makes perfect sense. You do know, at least, that you will have a New Name in Heaven; Right? Well that New Name has already been established by God, and when we are worshipping Him in spirit, He will call us by that Name. Okay then, The White Stone; well this my dear brothers and sisters is the Hope of our Glory in Christ Jesus, because it is a Stone which is part of the Glorious Church. This is our highest calling, and that which we are called for; to be part of His Church; The New Jerusalem which is depicted in Revelations 21, as The Bride of Christ. So, because we know what is our High Calling, there is a New Oneness which we must come to realize; which is the Oneness of the Church; which is our Brothers and Sisters in the Lord. This is a portion of Jesus' prayer, which He prayed in the upper room, prior to going to the Garden of Gethsemane: "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on Me through their word; That they all may be One; as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be One in Us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent Me. And the Glory which Thou gavest Me I have given them; that they may be One, even as We are One: I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be made perfect in One; and that the world may know that Thou hast sent Me, and hast Loved them, as Thou hast Loved Me." (John 17:20 - 23)