"Knowing The Father's Love"

"It is written in the prophets, And they shall all be taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me." (John 6:45 KJV)

  "And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children." (Isaiah 54:13 KJV)

 As I sit here, morning after morning, I sometimes wonder what God is doing with my life? if anything I share is really making a difference? and how long I am meant to be keeping this up? I know I said I would continue doing this as long as my wife is still with us; but some days I feel like really giving up! And then, out of the blue. without any warning, God pricks my heart with a ray of hope: "Just know that I love you!" 

 It might seem so simple, but it is more complicated than we could ever really understand. Paul sharing this in his letter to Ephesus, saying, "That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God." (Ephesians 3:17-19 KJV)

 Yes, we can absolutely know the Father's love for us, but we will not fully understand the complexity of His love until we are able to stand in His presence, being totally emersed in His glorious light. Strange as it might seem, but as much as we think we know, the truth and power of His love blows completely past any understanding that we might be able to actually comprehend. 

 In the meantime: Wait and do not give up! Just like His glorious love, the more we endure, the more we get to know what unconditional love might feel like; because it endures! It never gives up...

"I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowlines and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ." (Ephesians 4:1-7 KJV)  

   

"Source of Force" - Too

 "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:44 KJV)

  "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil." (Jeremiah 13:23 KJV)

 Hopefully I did not offend anyone with my quick words of frustration; as it is, this too shall pass, this sudden urgency to awaken a sleeping giant! What you need to know, is that the word for draw, a simple word that is very close to a word that means, "to take for oneself, to prefer, choose," with a little more force, like, "drag off," or, "drag," both literally or figuratively. 

 I'm not saying that we do not have a choice or a say in the matter, because that is simply not the case. But, when God wants to use you and have you, your life is going to change, one way or another! Now, about that message from Jeremiah, I have mentioned this before, as it was something my mother would always say: "A leopard cannot change his spots." No doubt that is true, as it is proclaimed; but God can do it, from the inside out! 

 Which brings me to the metaphor of the word for draw, "to draw by inward power, lead, impel," which is more about changing the heart! Spotty or not, your heart is hardened when you refuse to answer God's call upon your life; it is just the result of saying no, when your heart earns for yes! That said, you need to be aware of something that you cannot control: when you are called by God and say No, you literally will be sorry; which is the "impel" part of the source of your circumstance. Sticky situation, to say the least! 

 You can call it what you want, but if you're being honest, without God's help to drag you towards the alter, you most likely would not have ended up there on your own...

"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." (Philippians 13:12 KJV) 

"Source of Force"

"No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:44 KJV) 

  "For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life." (Titus 3:3-7 KJV)

 As much as it hurts me to say this, but I felt bewildered by some of the examples I saw of what it means to many schooled Bible teachers concerning, "In season and out of season," because there are some that have it to be, and I quote: "For thy work, set apart no definite and fixed hours, no appointed times." Obviously, this must be some sort of interpretation based upon ministers that never have feeling of being unworthy or out of sorts; something I am sure spontaneous back aches or instant laryngitis have nothing to do with. 

 Anywho; enough is enough! We are all sinners that have been saved by grace! Those that might not have any sin in their lives, have already died and gone to be with the Lord! If not for God dragging you towards His love, you would still be lost and living in sin; but now, sin makes you dirty and you must drag yourself to the alter to get cleansed. Just saying! 

 That is the bases for this reheated message; not that Jesus needed to say it again, because it has a little different context, based upon a whole new set of principles. Murmuring is like complaining about a thing that you have caused to happen, based upon a circumstance you feel that you do not deserve: you point your finger, and there are three fingers pointing back to you...

"For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." (Romans 8:5-8 KJV) 

"Can I Get a Witness"

 "Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves." (John 6:43 KJV)

  "Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do." (Hebrews 4:13 KJV) 

 I truly hope that you remembered what Thanksgiving was all about; because knowing the Truth, is one of the things we sometimes take for granted, as if it is common place for us to know Him, seeing that it so easy for us to understand and fellowship with our Creator. Be ready, in season and out of season, to give a testimony of what you know, no matter how simple it is for you to understand, the Truth is hidden from the lost! 

 For whatever it is worth, just telling someone about Jesus and the cross, even though it might seem old news to us, it is by far the greatest sign of God's love, (unconditionally loving us, all of us,) that most people that are not saved are ashamed and feel unworthy of receiving it. Because of this condition, they feel as though there will be some sort of great sacrifice that they must make, just in order to receive His forgiveness. 

 I really like what Gavin's character says, in The Resurrection of Gavin Stone, as he tells the Rich Young Ruler who walks away: "Don't Go! Don't walk away! You'll be missing out on so much more!" He was totally out of script, but he was speaking from his heart and from experience. This are simple things that God can do so much with. Oddly enough, the man that portrayed to character of the Rich Young Ruler, who being in character, actually thought about coming back towards Gavin during the sequence, which would have also been out of script. 

 Yes, I know, it was all about acting. But, stop and think about something very important, and do not forget: out of season is the point in which you act out what you know, because God can work in and through you, no matter what you might feel like about yourself! We are a vessel...

"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison doors to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified." (Isaiah 61:1-3 KJV)

"The Cooing of Doves" - Too

 "The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?" (John 6:41-42 KJV)

  "And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natual; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly." (1 Corinthians 15:45-49 KJV)

 Just is case you might have wondered where, "The Cooing of Doves," might have been taken from, it is one of the definitions for the word that murmuring comes from. Must be some sort of a pattern, if that is even the way to describe what murmuring looks like, especially when those that murmur have no clue what they are talking about and have not basis to be raising a question that they can't even answer on their own. 

 As Paul is sharing about, in 1 Corinthians 15, those that are earthy, cannot connect a thought with that which is heavenly; they might murmur about such things, speculation is about as far as they might get; but until they have the Spirit living in them, they are, at best, speaking from the head, not from the heart. Even then, they cannot make proper sense of what they might have thought about, because there is nothing to connect those thoughts to, besides their earthly home. 

 Anywho, those are my thoughts, so don't try and make too much about them. This is just another way that John is showing the disconnect between the Jews and their Messiah! He was right there, speaking directly to them, and they did not believe Him, because they could not see who He was; they just couldn't get past the earthy! Probably wasn't their fault...

"The said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots." (Luke 23-34 KJV)

"The Cooing of Doves"

 "The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?" (John 6:41-42 KJV)

  "Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of this world: But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father." (Galatians 4:3-6 KJV)

 I know, strange title! Yes, but what are they saying? Really, what do they say to one another, as those doves or pigeons are gathered together, constantly cooing, as if they just enjoy hearing their own voices? Really, this is about complaining about what we know nothing about; and not being thankful for, that we have been given, which we can't even see, even though it is right there in front of us! 

 Could I begin to tell you what is on my heart? Who really would care, if I even tried? We really have so much to be thankful for, most of which we take for granted. There is really so much more to this life than living for it; we must be living in it, making a difference, and taking every opportunity to share the Love of God. I hope you understand what it is that I am trying to say, because it is about living in the moment!

 I know, strange idea coming from a guy that always has his head in the clouds; but if you were to look carefully at the times Jesus spent going from one place to another, He was always looking towards that which was to come, but He also never stopped living in the moment! Anyone He dealt with or healed or made contact with, He made sure that the current moment counted for something that meant something to them. 

 Even though a healing would not last more than their lifetime, it mattered to them; and because it was something which mattered to them, it was something that gave Jesus joy to be a part of, no matter how long it would last. Also take note of how often Jesus was interrupted, yet He never hardly turned down a sudden request; well at least one time He totally ignored many, save one...

"The crowd watched and the leaders scoffed. "He saved others," they said, "let him save himself if he is really God's Messiah, the Chosen One." The soldiers mocked him, too, by offering him a drink of sour wine. They called out to him, "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!" A sign was fastened above him with these words: "This is the King of the Jews." One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, "So you're the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself - and us too, while you're at it!" But the other criminal protested, "Don't you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn't done anything wrong." Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom." And Jesus replied, "I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise."" (Luke 23:35-43 NLT)

"The Father's Will for the Lost" - 2

 "And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:40 KJV) 

  "The LORD hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God." (Isaiah 52:10 KJV)

 Not all the verses of the NLT are able to match what the KJV is able do; the interpretation made, makes it say a certain point of view, that is hard to say something towards another point of view. Basically, Isaiah had subject matter in many of his writings, he might not have even known what they meant himself, but God spoke them into his heart, and he faithfully wrote them down. 

 Believe it or not; isn't that what they say about questionable matters? Well, what if the questionable matter can be proven; doesn't that then make it no longer questionable? This world has that question totally wrong, because the only thing that is true in the world's view, is what suits the point of view that they want to believe; whatever makes them happy and does not condemn the lifestyle they pursue. 

 Let me tell you what I see, just in case you don't. My mom had told me, God will save the pigmies in the hidden places of the word, because they have not been given the Gospel Message; but I thought she was being simple minded, because I believed that God was able to reach everyone's heart. What we don't know, is what they might know, only because God makes everything known in the heart of man. Like most everyone else, those that hear from God directly, have the same opportunity that anyone else might have: they can choose to listen, refuse not to obey, or simply pretend they never heard from God at all. 

 I have no doubt that God is just and righteous; but this thing that Isaiah says, "hath made bare his holy arm." suggests that God has somehow rolled up His sleeve and shown the bareness of His holy arm; which, in my mind, it the perfect illustration of the bareness of Jesus hanging upon the cross. Not that it has got to be interpreted that way, but if it was shown to all the nations, I do believe that most every single person alive today, has in one form or another seen a Crucifix with the body of Jesus hanging on it; which is the Salvation of God being shown to the entire earth!

 Simple questionable subject to think about, much like Jesus telling Nicodemus, "And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life." (John 3:14-15 NLT) Did it really happen; there is no doubt that it did, because history records that it actually did. So that can be believed, because it can be proven! 

 Now, this is where the subject changes to the people: What do you do with what you have been shown...

"For God, who commanded the light to shine out of the darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." (2 Corinthians 4:6 KJV) 

"The Father's Will for the Lost"

 "And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have eternal life: and I will raise him up on the last day." (John 6:40 KJV)

  ""Gather together and come, you fugitives from surrounding nations. What fools they are who carry around their wooden idols and pray to gods that cannot save! Consult together, argue your case. Get together and decide what to say. Who made these things known so long ago? What idol ever told you they would happen? Was it not I, the LORD? For there is no other God but me, a righteous God and Savior. There is none but me. Let all the world look to me for salvation! For I am God; there is no other. I have sworn by my own name; I have spoken the truth, and I will never go back on my word: Every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will confess allegiance to me."" (Isaiah 45:20-23 NLT)

 Bizarre as it might sound, but the Father's will for the lost, is that everyone might be saved! This is not something that we should forget or take lightly; but, to understand what lengths the Father has went to in order to provide salvation, to the entire world, we need to look no further than the cross of His Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 

 That said, not everyone will take Him up on the free gift that He offers! We all know that, so it is really not something new; but, maybe something we might not have fully understood, is that everyone will be given eternal life! Bizarre as that might sound, we all have an eternal soul that belongs to God! Yes, it is true, our soul will live on in eternity forever and ever. 

 Now then, just in case your friend or family member might not be interested in God's free salvation, you might want to remind them that this present life is not over at the grave; there is another life that will be on the other side; one side is going to be in heaven, while the other side will be in hell; for all eternity, one or the other! Understandably, the hell side is really not eternal life, but more about eternal death; which means to be eternally separated from God.

  What that might appear like, I don't really know; but if you have anything that belongs to God, and that God still owns, even though it were as dead, what a terrible and miserable eternity that would be! Whatever state you might think you will be in, we will all somehow confess allegiance to God...

"But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; how that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit. But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And of some have compassion, making a difference: and others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen." (Jude 17-25 KJV) 

"The Father's Will for All Creation" - 2

 "And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day." (John 6:39 KJV)

  "For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory." (Colossians 3:3-4 KJV)

 Maybe it might not appear that God is winning, but there are more important things to be dealt with than this physical life that we get to deal with. Not sure if you were aware, but this little blue ball is filled with molten lava; and circling a big giant ball of fire! We can pretend it doesn't matter, but just a little adjustment in our rotation, and this place is toast. FYI. 

 Having thought about certain aspects of this life, way too yearly in my own childhood, I have given quite a lot of thought to things that are wrong and that could go wrong. For example: the oil that is taken out of the ground, and sometimes replaced with ocean water; What's to say that it might be lubricant for the plates, which sometimes move? My mom believed that it was made from dead dinosaurs; but I think it was just something God put between the layers of rock and soil, just to absorb a little vibrations. 

 And then, there is all of this nonsense about carbon dating; as if God's creation started as a new born planet! Did God make Adam a little baby, which grew up into a man? If so, what was Eve created as, because whatever she was, she needed to fit the size of one of Adam's ribs! No, it is more than just the dating, it is the quest to imagine that God does not exist; one layer at a time, they peal away at the onion, only to discover, every single layer cries out, "There is a GOD!" 

 Now, there is this other little mess we have gotten ourselves into; something that was heavy upon my heart, about the time of Richard Nixon's impeachment. It's something that is becoming a little more noticeable; yet, back it the 70's, all my friends thought I took one too many hits of acid. It is called the Supply Chain; basically, it is the process to bring food and supplies into the heavily populated cities, most of which have no way to produce that which they need. 

 Be that as it may, I still don't worry! God is still on the throne, and in complete control! This place might be spinning out of control, but it can't really go too far. What do you think holds it all together? Our God has some mighty big hands...

"O LORD, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou them all: the earth is full of thy riches." (Psalms 105:24 KJV) 

"The Father's Will for All Creation"

"And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day." (John 6:39 KJV)

  "For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself." (Philippians 3:20-21 KJV)

 There is something very strange that is happening in the world, as if there is a dark force moving across the entire globe, one nation at a time, is being subdued. As crazy as it might sound, there are around 150,000,000 more people across the world that have been driven into poverty since this pandemic first began. Now, because of massive lock downs and vaccine mandates, many more will be added to the list of those that are impoverished. 

 In case you might not understand that word, "impoverished," it means to be made poor; to be deprived of strength or vitality. Basically, it is the beginning of creating a lifestyle that is dependent upon someone else to provide for all of your needs and all of the life choices. Oddly enough, I am not all that worried about it, as much as I hate to see it taking place; it is what God allows, and it is for His glory in the end, regardless of the evilness that might be portrayed in it. 

 Enough of that: Let's talk about Jesus! Because Jesus is the Creator of everything, He is also the One who will restore everything back into perfection and under His mighty rule. Amen to that! We can see this in the instance of the Lamb, as if it had been slain, portrayed in Revelation 5:6; as it is only He who is worthy to open and read the book, which many believe is the deed to all of creation; or at least to all of the earth. 

 Because this world will soon be made new, there is really no harm that is being done to God's plans. Truth be told, there is absolutely nothing that anyone or anything can do to disturb what God has intended to happen; because it is His mighty plan to scrap it all and make it all brand new...

"But beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all theses things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless, we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." (2 Peter 3:8-13 KJV) 

"One Desire"

 "For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me." (John 6:38 KJV)

  "Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart." (Psalms 40:7-8 KJV)

 What is really amazing about this, is that the Jews will have missed much of what Jesus will say about the Father's will, because they will be still trying to deal with this, "I came down from heaven," statement. Isn't that pretty much how it is? Forget about the why's and the what's; focus upon the who's and the where's; that is what and why it matters, because it is all about who you are and where you might be from. 

 If you will allow me, I need to share something about expectations and desires. First of all, when it comes to anyone that is preaching the Gospel, no matter who they are, or where they might be from, there is one rule to remember when you are there: They have been sent, and you need to listen! Basically, if you are there, even if it is common for you to be there, you should expect God will move upon your heart. To help you with this expectation, I find that it works well for you to pray for the speaker. Pray that he will speak the word boldly and directly; and then pray for God to soften people's heart; especially your own. 

 Secondly, when you go to speak to any church; expect that God use you, to whatever degree, that you have one desire, to be a vessel for Him, and not of yourself; and, above all else, pray that you don't hold back when it comes to sharing His heart! I know that might sound really simple and easy to follow; but when it comes to closing your message, it should not end with a closing moment. (Inside secret.) 

 Anywho; this is by far the simplest example of what it looks like to be stuck on stupid! The Jews are so wrapped up in where Jesus said that He was from, and that they knew His upbringing and His earthly father and mother; they totally blew off everything that He said about why He came and what He came for. It was like nothing said after that really mattered; He had lost their attention because they were still trying to unwrap what was previously said.

 Have you ever been there and done that? How about when the speaker shared about certain sins; do you start thinking about someone you know that has a similar issue? Isn't that the ticket out of being convicted; think of someone else that might have a sin worse than yours? Best idea to prevent that, is to compare yourself to Jesus only! Ask Him to give you the desire of His heart, not of your own! 

 If I have said anything that you did not like, I hope you will not hold it against me. I tend to share by experience more than I do from sharing the meaning of the Scriptures. So I have heard, that is not the way it should be done. Well, truth be told, this world is quickly going out of control, so explaining anything normally is out of the question; as soon as you mention God, you have lost their attention...

"For it was not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. That is why, when Christ came into the world, he said to God, "You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings. But you have given me a body to offer. You were not pleased with burnt offerings or other offerings for sin. Then I said, 'Look, I have come to do your will, O God - as it is written about me in the Scriptures.'"" (Hebrews 10:4-7 NLT)  

"Arrived and Present!" - 2

"All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." (John 6:37 KJV) 

  "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be manifest that they were not all of us." (1 John 2:19 KJV)

 As you might have known, anyone that is sent, they were first called; it is everywhere throughout the entire Bible, God calls people unto Himself, and then sends them where they must go. Not that there is any mystery about that; but, the same is true in the moments that we are saved: God calls us out, and then sends us to His Son! 

 Maybe it might not have happen to you in a way that helps you agree with that; but maybe you just have never thought about in that way, so it does not appear that is how it happened. I my case, I was called: as I was relaxing in my bunk, God used the voice of a very old Chaplin, to call me out of my slumber; and then I was sent, almost running, down to where the church meeting was taking place. 

 It was the Father's love that made this happen; not that I understood any of that at the time, because I did not. Looking back, I can see that there was something that motivated me to got off my bed and make me pay attention. What it was that I was paying attention to, I believe, was the love of my Heavenly Father. It was my Father's love; that still small voice that simply said, "My son, wake up, it's time to come alive!" 

 All my life, up to that point, I was traveling endlessly, going nowhere; in that moment, I felt that it was time to off that train, because I had arrived at my destination: I now needed Jesus! My experience is not unique, only the place and the circumstance is what changes: because the Father's love is what we have been missing, and it is His love that wakes us up! 

 Anywho; that is my experience, so you can think about how you can to Jesus, and then see how you might have been made to come alive. That said, once we have been made alive in Christ, we are alive for good! I absolutely 110% believe that there is nothing that can separate us from His love, and that there is no such thing as undoing being Born Again in Christ. 

 I remember my mom saying this, "Don't throw out the baby with the bath water." It always became a very visual picture in my head, as she said it, I would picture a mother tossing the baby out the window with the bath water, and then seeing her scream it horror, and she just realized what she had done. Let that vivid picture sink in, because God can throw out the dirty water without you being tossed out with it! 

 I'm just saying...

"All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance - an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see." (1 Peter 1:3-5 NLT)   

"Arrived and Present!"

 "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." (John 6:27 KJV)

    "The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit in the place of honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet." The LORD will extend your powerful kingdom from Jerusalem; you will rule over your enemies. When you go to war, your people will serve you willingly. You are arrayed in holy garments, and your strength will be renewed each day like the morning dew. The LORD has taken an oath and will not break his vow: "You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek."" (Psalm 110:1-4 NLT)

 How else can I say this, but to say: Oh, what a blessing it is to be chosen by God! You must make that something you don't ever forget, because it really does make such a wonderful difference when you might not feel up to it! God has chosen you to be His child, so if there is something wrong in your relationship, it is no surprise to Him; He loves you because you are His!!! 

 I know that might sound as though it makes it okay to be unruly, but we all have our own particular sins; some are more obvious than others. But when it all comes down to what shall become, there we be all Saints standing in His presence! Some might have bandaged knees, and some might have tears in their eyes; but He has promised to wipe away every tear and give us new eternal bodies, that last forever and ever! 

 As I was thinking about this verse and what I might title it, I thought about a traveler on a train, not really knowing quite where he was going, but waiting for that spot to get off. That is pretty much my experience with how God saved me...

"But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus; that in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness towards us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:4-10 KJV)   

"Hardened Hearts"

 "But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not." (John 6:36 KJV)

  "Then shall they answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?" (Matthew 25:44 KJV)

 Before you begin thinking that this might be a hit piece on selfishness, let me direct you to the point Jesus is making about a past tense event, as in, "But I said unto you." When did Jesus say this? Practically all throughout the Scriptures! To give a really good example, Isaiah 53:3, "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not." 

 As with everything else, God knows the human heart; so too, He knows those that will believe in Him, and He knows those that will not. That said, Jesus is speaking in the Jews, which will be, as it were, them that will condemn Him to the cross! You might say that is could be a pretty good sign that they did not believe in Him! 

 What this is more about, is those that require a sign, as in, the proof beyond just belief! Don't get me wrong, signs and wonders are real and they still happen; but that is not the sign to are to be looking for, because the true sign that matters the absolute most, has already taken place! Jesus came, He was nailed to the cross, He died for our sins, and He rose again on the third day: just as predicted, and as it was told that it would happen, it happened! 

 There really is nothing else that needs to be said: God Loves Us And Gave His Son For Us; now we must love Him and one another...

"Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakeable, let us be thankful and please God by worshipping him with holy fear and awe. For our God is a devouring fire." (Hebrews 12:28-29 NLT) 

"The New Testament"

 "And Jesus said unto them, "I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst." (John 6:35 KJV)

 "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the water, 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 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 55:1-2 KJV) 

 As you probably know, this is one of my favorite chapters in the Bible; Isaiah 55 is the so simple, and yet, it is filled with so much complexity and power. Basically, it is all about giving ourselves completely over to the Lord; no reservations, just say: Take me as I am, and make me yours!!! 

 I titled this, The New Testament, because that is basically what Jesus told his disciples when He showed them how to take communion and what it was to represent. This was the point to which God made the law, not because we were expected to not to break it; because that is completely and assuredly impossible for any man or woman to pull off. If Adam and Eve, who had one rule to follow, could not keep it; how then, does anyone expect to keep ten rules? Basically, it was a test! 

 Epic fail! Have you ever planed to do something extraordinary and totally failed at it? Say, like maybe a total fast, no food or water for at least a week? I have made it for about three days, one or twice; but for the most part, when I try to just do three days, about the middle of the second day, I am usually broken and ashamed of myself for quitting. 

 This is how I believe we can relate to the hunger and thirst that is being spoken of; as we have no ability to please God, in our fallen state, and in our sinful bodies. It is this hunger for righteousness that makes us frail and starving for something to give our soul strength. Thirst is just a stronger way to see that need, as the dryness of desert cries out for any kind of moisture, so too, there is nothing in us to satisfy the need to fellowship with He that made us and loves us, despite what we are! 

 All those sheep and bulls and doves, sacrificed for generations, they were nothing but a covering for sin; they did nothing to remove the stain! It was a stain that God could see; it was also a stain that we could see also! I know that God forgives me, because He has said that He will and He does; but I am troubled still by my sins; even though I know that they are forgiven by God, they are still a pain in me. 

 The hunger has been satisfied, as I have all the righteousness that I need, because Jesus is that righteousness! But, I thirst; each and every day, I thirst for fellowship that is not easily broken or that is always taken down by my distractions and connections with this world. Other than that, all is well and I can simply rejoice in abiding in Christ; but when it comes to maintaining that fellowship, it is like breaking a fast, epic fail! 

 I know that it is just me, and nobody else can relate. So don't feel bad if you can't understand what I am trying to say. But, it is something that I must continually deal with, as if it is haunting me to think about the past. Something we all cannot change! The past is gone; we cannot go back to change what has already been done: just like we cannot undo what Christ has done to redeem our souls! It is Finished...

"And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take of the water freely." (Revelation 22:17 KJV)

"Everlasting Gobstopper"

"Then they said unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread." (John 6:34 KJV)

 "Offer sacrifices in the right spirit, and trust the LORD. Many people say, "Who will show us better times?" Let your face smile on us, LORD. You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine. In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O LORD, will keep me safe." (Psalm 4:5-8 NLT) 

 Looking at the request, on the surface it might appear to be sincere and the best response to all that Jesus has been saying; practical response for people that are looking for something to make life a little easier and less complicated or demanding. Guess what? That's not how this gig works! The same issues that fall upon the unjust will fall upon the just; the difference is how we handle everything better, because we have optional things to look forward to, besides the things that the world might hand out! 

 By the way, talking about the world, have you seen the latest thing that Bozo is talking about? Really, it is beyond the realms of reality; but then again, what is real now in this world? Because the fact that someone can say, 'We can spend a couple trillion dollars and it will not cost anything,' they must have figured out how to defy the laws of gravity. Which is exactly what I think Bozo did, at least for a moment while he was outside of the earth's atmosphere! 

 Anywho; I am pretty sure that the request was legit, at least for the current life and the way of life we would all love to live in. Unfortunately, life is not always about having fun! Sometimes, life gets right-down ugly and painfully unbearable. But, no matter what this life might take us through or how hard the wringer might crush us, we will be just fine in the end! 

 Was that what you had in mind? I am pretty sure that is not something we get out of bed to take on, as if it were just another holiday adventure; but, it is not going to change my decision to follow Jesus! Did you happen to see what Jesus went through? "Lord, evermore give us this bread," really? Sometimes we just don't really know what we are asking for...

"Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God's right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory." (Colossians 3:1-4 NLT) 

"The Son Giveth" - Too

 "For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world." (John 6:33 KJV)

  "May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. Jesus gave his life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue from this evil world in which we live. All glory to God forever and ever! Amen." (Galatians 1:3-5 NLT)

 I know that you probably don't want to hear this, but the little story about that floating Ax Head, it has all the elements of the Gospel Message; in a very strange sort of way, God has a way of showing the Way, even in the midst of something we could otherwise not understand. Think about these two factors: the black hole, with the cross in the middle, and laminin, a cell adhesion molecule; both of which we could have never seen, without the help of lenses that provided the way. 

 As I have discovered, there are things we cannot see, until God allows us to see them; that pretty much counts in every single area of life; even within our very own hearts! Which reminds me of something I really need to address about that First Love thing: passion is not just a feeling, as if you can make it happen or cause it to become stronger; it is based upon something you believe in and know that you need, with all of your heart. 

 The Life we have been given in Christ Jesus, whether you can accept it or not, it is not our own! We are dependent upon Christ, to live in the Life He gives; and we cannot live in the Life without abiding in Jesus Christ, the Savior of our soul. Please help me Jesus to see you more clearly and to hold on more dearly...

"Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. Through their faith, the people in the days of old earned a good reputation. By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed by God's command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen." (Hebrews 11:1-3 NLT) 

"The Son Giveth"

 "For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world." (John 6:33 KJV)

  "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief." (1 Timothy 1:15 KJV)

 Before I quit, (as if that is even an option,) I want to make this perfectly clear: God knows every thought of our heart, so there is really nothing we can try to get away with; and there is surely nothing we can try to pretend we believe in, if we truly don't believe it. That said, I know for a fact that doubt, in and of itself, is technically a sin; if you fall short on anything pertaining to God's laws and requirements, that is what you should consider to be sin! 

 As I have been taught, this New Covenant is based upon a new set of rules and requirements; previously everything was based upon the Law of Moses: The Ten Commandments. I remember studying those as a child, having opened up the Family Bible, finding that they were positioned right in the middle, as if it were the center of the entire Book. Obviously, that must have been a Catholic Bible, because we know that the Ten Commandments are found in Exodus chapter Twenty; which is really towards the beginning of the Book. 

 Now, according to Jesus' own words, there are two rules that we must live by: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On theses two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." (Mattthew 22:37-40 KJV) 

 So then, let me take this opportunity to ask: How is that going for you in your life? Are you loving God with all you got? Do you love your neighbor as yourself? Can you say in all honesty, that you haven't yelled at someone this last week, or put anyone's cares below those of your own? Forget about the week, how about within the last 24 hours! 

 Yes, it is abundantly clear: we are still sinners, each and every one of us still need a Savior! If you might have noticed, Paul is speaking to Timothy in the present, "of which I am chief." This sounds as if it should be something of a non-issue, seeing that all of sins have been washed away; but we still sin! Truth be told, it is still part of who we are, but it has been weakened, to a certain extent. Depending on what you live for and what you want to be governed by, this is more a matter of choice, than it is part of what we will to happen. 

 Why is any of this relevant? THE LIFE! It is the life that Jesus gives to us, which is of God! It is right there, living inside of us, from the very moment that we first believed! This life, much like any other life, it needs to be feed, nourished, cared for, and invested into; if we fail to attend to the new life, the old life will gladly take over! 

 Something to think about, if you are looking for the answer for reasons of doubt! I doubt I can do what I should do, if I keep doing what I should not do: DUH...

"We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, who we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life. This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was revealed to us. We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that you may fully share our joy." (1 John 1:1-4 NLT) 

"The Father Giveth" - 2

 "Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven." (John 6:32 KJV) 

  "They even spoke out against God himself, saying, "God can't give us food in the wilderness. Yes, he can strike a rock so water gushes out, but he can't give his people bread and meat." When the LORD heard them, he was furious. The fire of his wrath burned against Jacob. Yes, his anger rose against Israel, for they did not believe God or trust him to care for them. But he commanded the shies to open; he opened the doors of heaven. He rained down manna for them to eat; he gave them bread from heaven." (Psalm 78:19-24 NLT)

 To the point of that ax head, as you might recall, there is a message buried within that story of God's provision of our redemption: the main point of which, is that we must reach out and take it! Yes, it is true; God's love is based upon nothing more than us receiving what He has given us; if you receive it willingly and faithfully, then it is given freely and without a price, PER SE! 

 Work is probably a bad choice of words to describe the action needed for us to demonstrate our acceptance of God's free gist of Salvation; as it is most likely work to someone that is in a coma to reach out and grab a bit of food! You can do the math, because that is practically an impossible move on behave of someone in that condition. 

 The point to this is practically a no-brainer; God gives us everything, including the will to reach out and grab what we otherwise might reject on our own! So, you think it doesn't work like that, because it is totally based upon what we choose to do? There is more to this order, say sequence of events, than just you making a choice what to do. 

 Look carefully at the verses above from Psalm 78; because there was something missing from the people's dietary needs. Did they do anything to create the answer to their problem? They complained about it; but usually that does not do anything except make ourselves complainers! God provided it; He gave it willingly and without much of a condition; not much at all.

 I can only go so far into this, because I have another life; but it requires trust that God will care for your needs; every bit of what you need! Is there a difference between needs and wants? You better believe it! God gives us the reason to need, based upon that which we cannot do on our own! We need to be saved, because we absolutely cannot save ourselves; no matter how hard we might try, or how good we might think that we are, He is the Judge and the Jury; He gives us the Salvation, all on His own! 

 How many times did you get offered the free gift, and rejected it? What was it that made you change your mind? Yes, you got it: it was you finally seeing that need; as if your very life depended upon it, you finally saw your absolute need...

"Then the LORD said to Moses, "Look, I'm going to rain down food from heaven for you. Each day the people can go out and pick up a much food as they need for that day. I will test them in this to see whether or not they will follow my instructions. On the sixth day they will gather food, and when they prepare it, there will be twice as much as usual."" (Exodus 16:4-5 NLT) 

"The Father Giveth"

 "Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven." (John 6:32 KJV)

  "One day the group of prophets came to Elisha and told him, "As you can see, this place where we meet with you is too small. Let's go down to the Jordan River, where there are plenty of logs. There we can build a new place for us to meet." 

  "All right," he told them, "go ahead." 

  "Please come with us" someone suggested.

  "I will," he said. So he went with them. 

  When they arrived at the Jordan, they began cutting down trees. But as one of them was cutting a tree, his ax head fell into the river. "Oh, Sir!" he cried. "It was a borrowed ax!" 

  "Where did it fall?" the man of God asked. When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it into the water at that spot. Then the ax head floated to the surface. "Grab it," Elisha said. And the man reached out and grabbed it." (2 Kings 6:1-7 NLT)

 Have you ever wondered why the center of the earth is molten? Not that it much matters, since there appears to be nothing much that it does, except spew lava upon the surface of the earth, every so often. But if God made it that way, there is surely some reason that it is made the way it is made. God does everything in order! Order is a word that has several very distinct meanings, yet there are always some over-lapping connections that link them together.

 Please forgive me if I speak out of sequence or step too far outside the lines; but there is something here that we must really investigate and see if there is something to ooze out of what Jesus is telling these misguided people. Maybe it really doesn't matter; after all, the Book of John makes it very clear, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made." (John 1:1-3 KJV)

 In order to understand the sequence of the origin of the Manna, it might be worth our time to see the reason that God provided that bread from heaven in the manor that He did. He could have just made loaves of bread fall from the ski; or He could have sprung up wheat or barley or rye, right up out of the desert ground. There was a specific order at work in what was done; which might have been, in order to make it something that caused man to participate, and to learn how to trust. 

 Whether we can understand it or not, but God's ways are surely not always the way we might do things; and they surely don't always make things easier for us to understand. Quite frankly, I am still trying to understand things that happened years ago; so it is only natural for me to just stop trying to figure things out, and just go with whatever, whenever, and however it might happen.

 It is all about Trust! We must trust God, no matter what it is or how little we know about the way or the what of it; if it is happening or has happened, it is in order for something good...

"And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen." (1 John 5:20-21 KJV)  

"Jesus, The Bread of Life"

   "Jesus said, I tell you the truth, Moses didn't give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now he offers you the true bread from heaven. The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." 

   "Sir," they said, "give us that bread every day."  

   "Jesus replied, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But you haven't believed in me even though you have seen me. However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them. For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will. And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day. For it is my Father's will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day."     

   "Then the people began to murmur in disagreement because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven." They said, "Isn't this Jesus, the son of Joseph? We know his father and mother. How can he say, 'I came down from heaven'?"        

   "But Jesus replied, "Stop complaining about what I said. For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up. As it is written in the Scriptures, 'They will all be taught by God.' Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. (Not that anyone has ever seen the Father; only I, who was sent from God, has seen him.)  

  "I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life. Yes, I am the bread of life! Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died. Anyone who eats the bread from heaven, however, will never die. I am the living bread that came from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh.""

  "Then the people began arguing with each other about what he meant. "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" they asked."

  "So Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you. But anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise that person at the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. I live because of the living Father who sent me; in the same way, anyone who feeds on me will live because of me. I am the true bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will not die as your ancestors did (even though they ate the manna) but will live forever."" 

  "He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum." (John 6:32-59 NLT)

 Alrighty then! That was fun; so now where do we go from here? Not sure about much in this life, except one very important thing: I do firmly believe that I am gong to Heaven! 

 Isn't that what really matters? Do you firmly believe that is where you go when you die? Strike that! Do you firmly believe that you will never die, but that you will pass from here, straight into Heaven? Something to ponder: You will be headed up yonder!  

  As I figure it, this will most likely take us through to the end of the year; if anyone will still be hanging with me that long. To be totally honest, I simply feel sometimes that I am flying solo and really don't have hardly anyone reading this. Can't say I don't blame anyone for not listening! Besides that, this is just something I said I would do; I hardly expected to be doing it this long; let alone, that there would be anyone still hanging around. 

  Interesting as it may or may not be, there are some very strange things that are happening in this world; some of which, the fake news is really trying to hide and keep people from seeing. However, it might appear that there are some chinks in the armor, because the truth can only be hidden for so long; sooner or later it just becomes too obvious to keep it hidden. 

  Pray for those that hold the microphones and ask the right questions; pray for those in control of the levers and switches; and by all means, Pray For The Churches, Pastors, and Our Children...

"Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back into perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul." (Hebrews 10:35-39 KJV)                    

"The Truth Misdirected"

"Our Fathers did eat manna in the desert: as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat." (John 6:31 KJV)

  "Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of this place, except thou repent. But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which also I hate. 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 tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God." (Revelation 2:4-7 KJV)

  Just so you know, my goal was not to make us aware of the weaknesses that we deal with; those are made perfectly clear, every night that we lay down our heads. My intention was to remind us that Jesus died on the cross because we are unable to be perfect; which we need to be, in order to have fellowship with a Holy God! That said, there is something very real about where these people have directed there thinking to, because the focus is upon this life: What can you give me to get through this life!  

 As to the issue of, "thou hast left thy first love," there are several points of view on what Jesus is talking about, as first love, may or may not be the same for every new believer. I might not understand as much as I should; having been saved for over forty years now, you would think I might have a better grip on what is what and all the basic workings, of what makes a Christian, Christ like! Forgive me for my ignorance!

 For me, my first love, was the Power of Change! Yes, that is what I said, the fact that I was changed in an instant, and it was the most amazing thing that I ever felt. I hope you are listening to what I just said, as it is really not what I am proud of saying; as a matter of fact, it really confused my understanding of the Gospel. I felt moved, transformed; from sinner to saint, within minutes; unfortunately, I also felt that I went back to sinner, rather quickly. 

 Did you know, Moses wore a veil, not to hide the glow on his face; but so as to not bring judgment upon himself from the people, once the glow had faded away. The way I understood it, it is much as with everyone of that serves the Lord by teaching or preaching the Good News; there is an anointing that comes upon them, making them preach and teach God's word with authority and passion; but then, unfortunately, it soon goes away. 

 It's called the Power of God; like a light switch, it's manifested when we need it, and gets turned off when we don't. Whether you can control the switch or whether it be God, not quite sure that I have figured that out totally yet. But this much I know, the Holy Spirit will not force us to do anything we do not want to do. But if we ask Him, He is always willing to assist us with the power needed to get the job done: Bringing Glory to God! 

 To get through all the nonsense and cut to the chase, That saint that ain't, is hooked on a feeling! We can feel in and out of love, really, more often then we should: But love is not based upon feelings! It took me way too long to learn that; not quite sure that I have learned it well enough! But, God is still working on me, so I am not giving up...

"Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too." (Philippians 2:1-4 NLT) 

"The Truth Diverted"

 "They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?" (John 6:30 KJV)

  "Ask thee a sign of the LORD thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the LORD. And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also? Therefore, the Lord himself shall give you a sign: Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." (Isaiah 7:11-14 KJV)

  To the point of what they requested; Jesus will soon go into great depths making His point. But this is not something that can be shown in a simple demonstration or by example; this, again, is that which must be believed first, and then it becomes something that can be believed! Oddly enough, it is much like the sign that was made regarding the birth of Jesus; it was not manifested for hundreds of years, but it was meant to be believed, regardless! 

 I heard a little bit of a message about a week ago, from Pastor Mike V.; in which he spook about the two levels of miracles that God will manifest: Level One, and Level Two; One is that which defies all the laws of nature, Two is that which is possible, but highly unlikely. (I might have them upside-down, as I typically only get confused!) The difference between the two can be easily seen in the birth of Jesus and the birth of John the Baptist. Mary was a virgin that gave birth to a Son, as predicted or shown; without the help of a man; which was impossible and defied the laws of nature. Elizabeth had the help of her husband, and she also gave birth to a son, as was predicted; it wasn't really impossible, just highly unlikely because of her age.

 The Truth is not something that is like a home, a place you can safely go and live in without being led astray or taken for a ride; because the Truth will never change, but we do not even know our own hearts, let alone can we stay true to the Truth! We must stay in the Truth by staying in the Word of God! Don't let yourself be diverted by strange fables and mysterious signs and wonders. If the Word of God does not agree with the idea or logic, then don't even park there long enough to listen.

 By the way, What sign are you looking for to satisfy the reality of your salvation? Is it your ability to be strong against temptations? How about, your great relationship that is easy to keep with God? Is there no issues of retaining the peace and the joy, you so easily fell into? I hope you do not try and compare anything you might do or have the ability to do or not do, with the very special gift of God's Salvation! 

 There is nothing that we can do or not do, that can take away from that which we did not deserve and can never ever earn; neither does God need to prove Himself worthy of our attention; that He has already done...

"No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering. You have come to the assembly of God's firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God himself, who is the judge over all things. You have come to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven who have been made perfect. You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Able." (Hebrews 12:22-24 NLT)   

"The Simple Truth!"

 "Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." (John 6:29 KJV) 

  "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." (John 3:16-18 KJV)

 All joking aside, there is nothing that the Father wants more, than for us to believe in His Son! Yes, we are meant to be people of God, doing the works the display the great Gift we have been given; but, in the long-short version of this spectacular story, those that are putting their trust in Jesus, will be saved! That is the simple Truth; whether you work or don't work, there is still a place for you in Heaven! 

 Of course, these are only speculative observations, based upon the fact that some come to believe right before they take their final breath; or, as many might come to understand, there is an inner court and an outer court, specially for them which served God, and for those that might have served themselves. Just a little food for thought, in case you might have missed the memo! 

 Please forgive me if I sometimes run around in circles; it is not because I don't know anything worth talking about, but because I am constantly torn between two worlds. Yes, that's right; one part of me wants to just throw in the towel and stop trying to keep my company running; because it keeps me feeling like a hamster running a wheel that gets me nowhere. The other part of me wants to be used of God, doing something totally and completely different; something that stops pulling me back into the worldly things, and lets me stay focused upon the heavenly things that really matter.

 That is just my simple truth, as I should have changed my life, way back in 1981, when I had a chance to stay focused upon the things that really matter! That said, I cant say that I wouldn't have any other way, because I would if I could; but I can't, those things are behind, only what is ahead matters, so I must say: I wouldn't have it any other way, regardless how I feel, I am where God has me to be, until God takes me to be somewhere else! 

 So, there you have it! Based upon all that I know, we cannot change most everything that is wrong in our lives, but I know the One who can, and His name is Jesus! You might be in the worst job ever; but I you have Jesus running your life, even if you're seemingly going nowhere, you are going somewhere very special. And that my friend, is the Simple Truth...

"So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God's will. Then you will receive all that he has promised. "For in just a little while, the Coming One will come and not delay. And my righteous ones will live by faith. But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away." But we are not like those who turn away from God to their own destruction. We are the faithful ones, whose souls will be saved." (Hebrews 10:35-39 NLT)   

"The Hidden Truth" - To

 "Then said thy unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?" (John 6:28 KJV)

  "Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God." (John 3:3 NLT)

 Technically speaking, works do matter, they just don't make us into a believer; but they cause us to be seen as one! There are so many more Scriptures that affirm that we must have works in order to show off what God has done in us; whether you are speaking of Israel and their relationship that they have with their God; or, we speak about the followers of Jesus under the New Covenant, as they shared their faith, even to the point of being killed for doing so.

 It is not about what we want that matters; it is about what God wants! This is very important, as if it doesn't need to be said, because it absolutely does! If we pray for something and expect that it will come to happen, as if God is our wish giver; then, if it seems as if God is not giving what we ask for, and we seem let down by God; then we are not living the Truth, because the Truth is about us pleasing God, not Him pleasing us! 

 If that offends you in any way, I pray that you see things differently and begin to acknowledge what God has already done. At least try and start sharing what He has done in your life; just the little things, like given you peace or joy; start out small, and then get excited about all that He is still going to do; then watch it happen!

 But, and I say this with great experience, don't be surprised if you find yourself in a hail storm when you start getting things right! That is when you really need to start getting excited, because you are making a difference towards the Kingdom of God! Just saying...

"What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say that you have faith but don't show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, "Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well" - but then you don't give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith be itself isn't enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless." (James 2:13-17 NLT) 

"The Hidden Truth"

 "Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?" (John 6:28 KJV)

  "Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?" (Isaiah 53:1 KJV)

 Yes, I know, sometimes I can be weird and like to keep things a mystery; especially those things which might be, shall we say, hard to swallow. If you have been following this blog, then you probably know by now, I can sometimes paint outside the lines of reality. However, this is not something you come to know by listening to someone else telling you how it works; it will only work for you, if you live it for real! 

 The conflict that we must realize, goes way back to the very beginning: What is it that God wants? We like to make it all about us; even in the ministry of teaching how Jesus came to die for our sins, there is this happening, almost as if it is gravity, the focus gets put on God, but then it falls back down towards us! Look what God did for us; He sent His Son to die for our sins! 

 Not that we should not realize and acknowledge all that He has done, because we should; but what was it for? Didn't He do it for love, because He loves us so so much? We might not even think about His want for our fellowship, because I am pretty sure that is what He has upon His heart. When Jesus wept before He raised Lazarus back to life, what was it He wept for? Because it wasn't what everyone might have said it was for; it was about what God wants! 

 It's alright, go ahead and laugh; I don't really care what anyone thinks. Anymore, the world has all gotten stupider than I have ever seen it before, so there is really nothing that surprises me anyways. By the way, if anyone believes that you can spend four trillion dollars and it not cost anything, there must be some very powerful drugs being filtered into our drinking water! I heard Dr. Carson say, "You can count a million dollars in a year, a billion dollars in 30 years; but to count a trillion dollars would take about 31,000 years." 

 I guess I will need to wait until I get to heaven if I ever want to count to a Trillion...

"What can you bring to the LORD? What kind of offering should we give him? Should we bow before God with offerings of yearling calves? Should we offer him thousands of rams and ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Should we sacrifice our firstborn children to pay for our sins?

"No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." (MICAH 6:7-8 NLT) 

"Living The Truth" - To

 "Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for the meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed." (John 6:27 KJV)

  "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." (Philippians 2:13 KJV)

 On the plus side of all of this, we are given the Helper; who, with our, for lack of a better term, our permission, is there to encourage, lead, direct, and fulfill, a better work in us. I say better, because without the Holy Spirit's guidance and direction, most of everything we do would not be in line with God's will and purposes. 

 That said, I still hold to the fact, that even our mistakes and misjudgments can be used for God's will and purposes; we might not see those results, but God can work everything towards the good; even those bad things we might have done, are things God can use for Good! If we are truly God's servants, we are and will be under His care and direction; even though we make mistakes, God will always forgive us, correct us, and turn those mistakes into His opportunities to do something good according, to His purposes. 

 I remember when I was in Woodshop in the 7th grade, as my teacher was very good at helping us made something good out of our mistakes. If we took too much off of one side of something, then he would show us how to use dowels and glue, to add to the side we might have ruined; making it all work, even though we thought it needed to be thrown away and we needed to start all over again.

 If you stop and think about what this is implying, Jesus has used something from way back in the beginning, to express something that is unconditional and can not be broken. I know this is hard to understand, and most people might even disagree; but there are some people that are messed up and do things which seem to be wrong, but without those things being done, there might not have been the opportunity for the good to have been work out. All things work "together" for good! 

 Be that as it may, we must always strive to be good, knowing that we are bound to make mistakes. But God, who is always able, and willing, can take even our worst mistake, and He can turn it to good! Why is this even relevant? The Truth will set you free...

"Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts." (Jeremiah 15:16 KJV) 

"Living The Truth"

 "Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed." (John 6:27 KJV)

  ""Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength? Why pay for food that does you no good? Listen to me, and you will eat what is good. You will enjoy the finest food."" (Isaiah 55:2 NLT)

 Stranger things have happened; but when it is something that is worked for, is becomes less strange, and is like a welcomed friend! (Rich's Wisdom!) All kidding aside, this is probably the most practical part of living faithfully in this fallen world: working on being a faithful servant! The more you work on doing the right things, the easier the right things will be done! 

 I actually heard a message the other day, I believe it was from Pastor Robert, as he explained something that was taught by someone else, saying, "Your soul will want whatever the body feeds it." Basically, the point of what that means, is that your soul already knows what it needs, but if you feed it more and more of the worldly things, then it will care more for those things, then the things that it needs. 

 Believe it or not, but we are born separated from God: having a soul, we lack God's Spirit, which died within man, being Adam, at the fall. God does not lie! He told Adam not to eat from the tree, because if he did, he would die; yet, he did not die, physically, he died spiritually! Separated from God because of his sin; he was no longer connected with God, due to his willingness to disobey what God said not to do.

 Basically, that is more than reality, it is the Truth! We need to be willing to change our way, of not doing what God wants us to do! That was the basic concept from the very beginning, to just obey what God says, and you will always be doing what is right. Don't do it, and you fail at doing right. What's so hard about that! 

 Not sure if you know this, but their really are people in prison that kind of like being there, because they never really need to think for themselves; from the time they get up, till they go back to sleep, they are told what to wear, when to eat, what they will eat, and everything else they need to do. There life is actually quite simple and, depending on your job, it can be quite enjoyable; not having hardly a care in the world. 

 This is not about works, as if we need to work for our salvation; this is about working on our salvation, as in, exercising our faith and making it become real; as it will become more real, the more true it becomes...

"For if you listen to the word and don't obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror, You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don't forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it." (James 1:23-25 NLT)   

"Defending The Truth"

 "Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you. Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled." (John 6:256 KJV)

  "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God." (James 4:3-4 KJV)

 Have you ever wondered why there is any opposition to the teaching of God's word from the pulpit? Is it really all that big of a deal? Where does the opposition come from? and why does it offend someone when it is mentioned? If you must know, most people just want to be left alone and just want to enjoy life; not be hindered by even the thought of needing to change the way that they are living. 

 Call it whatever you want, it makes the difference in who you serve, and why you get up each morning to live out your day. I am really not one to talk, just another person like most everyone else, trying to keep this train rolling down the track! But, I did experience a change in my life; and I am eager to be changed again! This is what you might call, the normal Christian life; to struggle between what we need to do and what we want to do; it's just living in this broken world, and trying to not get broken! 

 If there was an easier way, I think that it would be more popular and well received; but it is hard! But, the more you fail to change, the harder it seems to get; at one point in the journey you need to say, 'Enough is enough! Take my life and make it yours, Lord! My way doesn't work, and I need you to make me more like you!' (That is my prayer, just so you understand where it came from!) 

 I hope you noticed that Jesus totally ignored the question, "Rabbi, when did you get here?" The real question that should have been asked, is, 'From where did you come?' That is one of our most basic problems, dealing with the here and now! I think I spend more time thinking about what I should eat next and when, then I do thinking about where I will be after I die. But then again, I usually don't think I need to worry about it, because my ticket is already punched! 

 As to the church in which Jesus was knocking, it was considered to be, the, Now Dead Church!  Much like the Dead Sea, which was considered to be dead because there was no water flowing in and out of it; so too, is the church was considered to be dead, because there was no need for any change; Jesus was standing outside the church, and needed to be let in!  

 I have these things in my house, Rabbit Air, they are called; five of them in all. Right now, they are all breathing! Yes, they are seemingly each taking their turn breathing, much like you and I might sound when we are catching our breath. That is pretty much the whole point of what we are meant to be doing, like the air we breath, we breath in Jesus, and we breath out Jesus: He is the Breath of Life! 

 I'm sorry if I stepped out of bounds and may have gotten a little carried away; but there is quite a few things on my mind today, and I am feeling a little bit overwhelmed by things that are way too far out of my control! But, with all of my heart, I believe that God is still on His throne, and we are not alone...

"But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control." (Philippians 3:20-21 NLT) 

"The Truth is Obvious"

 "And when they found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither?" (John 6:25 KJV)

  "Once again a message came to me from the LORD: "Son of man, give your people this message: 'When I bring an army against a country, the people of that land choose one of there own to be a watchman. When the watchman sees the enemy coming, he sounds the alarm to warn the people. Then if those who hear the alarm refuse to take action, it is their own fault if they die. They heard the alarm but ignored it, so the responsibility is theirs. If they had listened to the warning, they could have saved their lives. But if the watchman sees the enemy coming and doesn't sound the alarm to warn the people, he is responsible for their captivity. They will die in their sins, but I will hold the watchman responsible for their deaths.'"" (Ezekiel 33:1-6 NLT)

 As many of you know, I am pretty stuck on the fact that we must read the Bible word for word. It is the whole reason that I am so faithful to attend Calvary Chapel's, because that is typically what most of them do, teaching the Bible, line upon line, precept upon precept, one Book at a time! This is primarily what it means to teach the Bible; but the greatest part of this method, is that the Teacher also gets taught, the whole Truth! 

 You really can't dodge the truth is you are taking in everything that God's word says; especially if you are exploring all of wonderful messages, as well as the warnings. Even if the message is a little off, the Teacher, like the watchman, has an obligation to teach or share the truth; otherwise, the Teacher will be responsible for not sharing what they know, and telling the people what God has shown in His word. 

 Basically, it all comes down to this: God's word is not something that is mysterious and hard to understand; not when you actually read though it! If you jump around, picking topics, or just looking for feel good messages, the rest of what you don't read will not make any sense; and if it does make any sense, you are probably not going to like what it has to say. 

 I have heard Pastor Mike say this over and over: 'If you were the only person on an island and all you had to read was a Bible, then you would learn the Truth!' The Truth is obvious because God makes it easy for us to understand Him, if we would just listen...

"Now, however, Israel is led by drunks who reel with wine and stagger with alcohol. The priests and the prophets stagger with alcohol and lose themselves in wine. They reel when they see visions and stagger as they render decisions. Their tables are covered with vomit; filth is everywhere. "Who does the LORD think we are?" they ask. "Why does he speak to us like this? Are we little children, just recently weaned? He tells us everything over and over - one line at a time, one line at a time, a little here, and a little there!" So now God will speak to his people through foreign oppressors who speak a strange language! God has told his people, "Here is a place of rest; let the weary here. This is a place of rest." But they would not listen." (Isaiah 28:7-12 NLT)