"With Purpose!"

"And brought out Israel from among them: for his mercy endureth for ever." (Psalms 136:11)

  Yes, your flesh too is an idol; just in case you needed to know how that all works out. Talk about "out", it would appear by the meaning of, "brought out," that this is something more than just an action, this has reason and purpose behind it, and reason and purpose ahead of it; in other words, it has direction, from beginning to end! I wish I could spend several days on this, but I am afraid many of you would get bored by some of the things that are just too elementary and what many consider to be old news. With that, however, I will go around and take a little shortcut; kind of like sneaking in through the back door, trying to unlock the front door from the inside out. (Again, no pun intended!) We that have been called and chosen for God's purposes are an odd and a peculiar people; to say the least! Peter uses the purpose for this, by saying, "that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of the darkness into his marvelous light." (1 Peter 2:9b) This is by far the most exciting thing that we have to share, as far as the testimony of what we have been created for: to give God the glory for what He has done! You may not realize this yet, but once to you are in heaven, there will be no doubt what you were called to do: Praise God! I feel as though it might be harder than I thought to say this, but from my own personal experience, just like the children of Israel felt, I too lost some the experience of being called out of the darkness into His marvelous light. I really hate to admit it, but it is absolutely true. Call it adjustment or maybe even a little blending; but don't call it backsliding, because that is a slippery slope. Seriously, it is more about the newness wearing off then it is about the creeping back into something old; but then again, even an experience we have had can become an idol...

"For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope; for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn of many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, then he also glorified." (Romans 8:24-30)