"A Slap in the Face"

 "And when he had thus spoken, one of the officers which stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, Answerest thou the high priest so?" (John 18:22 KJV)

  "This is what the LORD says: "Was your mother sent away because I divorced her: Did I sell you as slaves to my creditors? No, you were sold because of your sins. And your mother, too, was taken because of your sins. Why was no one there when I came? Why didn't anyone answer when I called? Is it because I have no power to rescue? No, that is not the reason! For I speak to the sea and make it dry up! I can turn rivers into deserts covered with dying fish. I dress the skies in darkness, coverings them with clothes of morning."" (Isaiah 50:1-3 NLT)

 And then, where are those who will stand? Are there any that are willing to protect the children? Isn't strange that the whole point in this, so called justice, is completely the opposite of justice, but is a slap in the face to God! I saw a clip yesterday, I believe it might have from the State of the Union address, where Biden said how he was going to stand up for the children that were part of gay and trans community, so that they can fulfill their God given rights. 

 Let's step back for a moment and think of the beginning! If we are going to bring God into this, we ought to at least illuminate the Right way that God has made us! "So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Then God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground."" (Genesis 1:27-28 NLT)

 Several points have been made, like, we were created male and female; not either or, but that which we have been created! Therefore, when we pretend that we can be whatever we want, it too is a slap in the face to God. It is basically saying, 'You don't have a right to make me what you say I am!' Really? Is that even a possibility? That God doesn't have a say in the matter, is not just a stupid thing to even think, but it is outright rebellion to the Creator; the One that is in control of your very soul! 

 Jesus said, "Don't be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matthew 10:28 NLT) Because this is something that cannot be ignored, doing so, simply implies that you do not believe that God is real! How can anyone reference God in a sentence, if they actually don't believe that He is real? 

 Obviously, they are liars! Interesting enough, the devil is the father of lies; so that might give us a clue on which side they are coming from, and who it is that is trying to control things. Add to that, the crazy notion that a man can somehow get pregnant and give birth to a baby; I pity the man that tries! I seriously doubt a man could handle that kind of pain! 

 Sorry for the rant, I'm just sick of seeing this flaunted about as if it was all perfectly good and that God somehow approves it. According to what my Bible says, He does not! That said, He is more than willing to save anyone for anything! Even if you slap Him in the face, He will still be willing to forgive...

"I offered my back to those who beat me and my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard. I did not hide my face from mockery and spitting." (Isaiah 50:6 NLT) 

"Check It Out"

 "Why askest thou me? ask them which heard me, what I have said unto them: behold, they know what I said." (John 18:21 KJV)

  "Be sure to answer the foolish arguments of fools, or they will become wise in their own estimation." (Proverbs 26:5 NLT)

 If you have ever been in an argument with someone that might doubt the timing of God's creation, then you know that it is almost impossible to convince them of anything that they do not understand; especially if they believe in the science of what they have been taught throughout their lives! If they have been told that the earth is billions of years old, you will find that it is almost impossible to convince them that it is only thousands of years old! 

 First off, growing up in the 60's, we were taught that the earth was millions of years old; but since then, they have discovered that it must have been billions of years, because there needs to be more time to explain the evolution of certain living things, such as the creatures in the insect world; especially in those that consume other insects; you cannot have one insect that lives off the other, if the other insect did not come first! 

 Secondly, the sun has been determined to have lost mass, as it is a big ball of fire. Even if it was only millions of years old, the mass of the sun would have been too close to the earth for any life to exist. Therefore, the time of the Bible's creation is more than believable, it is a fact! 

 Thirdly, if you really want to get technical, God created the earth, the moon, the sun, and the stars, all that we see and that He has spoken into existence, within six days! As the Bible clearly says, after He created the moon, the sun, and the stars: "And evening passed and morning came, marking the fourth day." (Genesis 1:19 NLT)

 Fourthly, backing up the bus a day or two or three, all of the earth was formless, and then God said, "Let there be light!" The waters covered the earth, God made the water separate, forming the land on which we now live, and then making all of the plants to grow, which then required the sun and the moon, in that particular order! 

 After having the substance for life to exist, God created the fish and the birds to live off of the vegetation that He created; then He created to livestock, both small and great, as well as man; all on the sixth day! The morning was the animals, then at noon was man made, after His image! (My thoughts on the matter, just FYI.) 

 What, pray tell, does this message have to do with this verse? Well, as deep as that subject might be: We don't need to wait for God it speak to us about how it happened, because He already has: It is already there for us to examine and explore, all that that He has done: we just need to believe it and know that it is His word, and His word is always true and accurate! 

 Basically, that is my take on what Jesus is saying: If you what to know what God has to say, listen to the words of those He spoke through, and what they have written...

"But you must remain faithful to all the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work." (2 Timothy 3:14-17 NLT) 

 

 

"The Rebuke"

"Jesus answered him, I spake openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in secret have I said nothing." (John 18:20 KJV)

  "For the LORD is God, and he created the heavens and the earth and put everything in place. He made the world to be lived in, not to be a place of empty chaos. "I am the LORD," he says, "and there is no other. I publicly proclaim bold promises. I do not whisper obscurities in some dark corner. I would not have told the people of Israel to seek me if I could not be found. I, the LORD, speak only what is true and declare only what is right."" (Isaiah 45:18-19 NLT)

 As it turns out, most of what the devil does is to take as many people with him, as he possible can; as my mom would often say, "Misery, loves company." Here is the point in which Jesus speaks straight to the heart of the matter! God has never held back from trying to reason with us; it is His compassion for each and every one of to be saved, not that any should perish! (2 Peter 3:9)

 Hell was created for the devil and the angels that rebelled with him, not for man; it is God's great love for us, that caused for His Son to come, sacrificing Himself for our sins! And then here we have, dare I say, a man of the cloth, a man that is to be standing between the people and God, to honor God before the people, and to sacrifice and offerings to help with the burdens of their sins: who chooses now to convict the One that came into this world to save all, included himself! 

 It is really hard to understand, yet it is easy to see! This is about power and pride; nothing that Jesus says will satisfy the question that they ask, because they refuse to accept Who Jesus is or why He has come; no matter what He has done, it is impossible for them to believe, because they do not know Him! 

 Again, I was once there, living a lie, thinking that I knew the way, but heading towards the pit of hell! As I have said before, I had really no desire to change or move from my comfortable beliefs; those things were based upon something I thought I could do on my own! We are broken and condemned, right from the moment we entered this world; and there is nothing we can do to make things right! 

 That is why He reaches out to us, because He loves us and wants us to know Him! Not that we would just know of Him, but that we might have a personal relationship with Him, which only comes from us being free of our sins...

"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. As the Scriptures tell us, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced." Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call in him. For "Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved."" (Romans 10:9-13 NLT) 

"Kick Against the Pricks"

 "The high priest then asked Jesus of his disciples, and of his doctrine." (John 18:19 KJV)

  ""Brace yourself like a man, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer me. "Will you discredit my justice and condemn me just to prove you are right? Are you as strong as God? Can you thunder with a voice like his? All right, put on your glory and splendor, your honor and majesty. Give vent to your anger. Let it overflow against the proud. Humiliate the proud with a glance; walk on the wicked where they stand. Bury them in dust. Imprison them in the world of the dead. Then even I would praise you, for your own strength would save you."" (Job 40:7-14 NLT)

 This might now be the loudest point to make, but I believe it might be the deepest, to stimulate your thoughts, and to maybe help to understand Who it is that is in control! There are only a few areas of the Bible where God will ask us to prove ourselves or to test Him; most of the time, it is man, or woman, that will ask God to prove something that He might say, or to prove their ability to do what He tells them to do. 

 With this simple verse, we can understand what might be that defining moment between those that are called, and those that are destined to hell. No, this is not a lesson on the proof of Calvinism; if it ends with an "ism" then it usually does not agree with the true nature of God! However, we do not control our own destiny; nor can we have any control or ability to save ourselves! 

 I know this might sound indifferent to some, based upon our ability to make choices; but we are what we are by the choices we make! But God! He is the One that makes the connection! He is the One who comes into our stupid and foolish life, and makes Himself known; otherwise, we would have no clue or desire to listen to or hear His voice. 

 In Matthew Henry's commentary of this verse, he shows the high priest, not accusing Jesus, but he urges Jesus to accuse Himself. This might not seem all that important, but it is the same type of trickery that Satan used, first in the garden with Eve, who failed, and then in the wilderness with Jesus, Who did not fail!  

 As I was in the shower yesterday, I thought about that closing verse yesterday, and wondered if it really even connected to this verse, or if it was just my imagination. Then I saw something that seemed to show the connection: The response! Did Annas really what to know anything about Jesus? No! He wanted to know what He was up to and whether or not His followers and His teachings were a threat! 

 What kind of man doesn't want to know the true identity of the one he is accusing? The man that has really no desire to know! "I don't care who you are, to me you are a threat!" Same basic principle; same basic desire! The best illustration I can give for this term, "kick against the pricks," is when the owner of an oxen might be herding his ox into a certain direction, but the ox will not go; so, the owner uses a cattle prod to correct it, but the ox kicks back against him. 

 Ultimately, God is in control! When He prods us, we should do what He says, not kick back! Those that don't care Who it is that is speaking, or prodding, are the ones that are destined for hell...

"These false teachers are like unthinking animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed. They scoff at things they do not understand, and like animals, they will be destroyed." (2 Peter 2:12 NLT) 

 

"The High Priest Questions Jesus"

  "Inside, the high priest began asking Jesus about his followers and what he had been teaching them. Jesus replied, "Everyone knows what I teach. I have preached regularly in the synagogues and the Temple, where people gather. I have not spoken in secret. Why are you asking me this question? Ask those who heard me. They know what I said." 

 Then one of the Temple guards standing nearby slapped Jesus across the face. "Is that the way to answer the high priest?" he demanded.

 Jesus replied, "If I said anything wrong, you must prove it. But if I'm speaking the truth, why are you beating me?" 

 Then Annas bound Jesus and sent him to Caiaphas, the high priest." (John 18:19-23 NLT) 

  "Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said, Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, answer thou me. Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou hast understanding? Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? Or who stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? Or who laid the cornerstone thereof; when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?" (Job 38:1-7 KJV) 

 As much as I would like to say, 'I told you so,' it really wouldn't matter, because most people would still not believe that it is happening! Without a doubt, this might be the oddest conversation that has taken place so far in this message; just about everyone knew what Jesus was teaching, but Annas was more interested in motives than he was in knowing the truth. 

 "What did you mean, saying, 'The meek shall inherit the earth?' We that hold the power, are those that rule! Those that rule will decide what the meek shall do!" Or so those that control their present, and soon to be dissolved, world, might think! There is only One that is in control; and He is not moved by anything man might do or say! 

 I had a small opportunity to share my testimony, at Man Camp, of how it was that God saved me. In doing so, I was reminded of the way God uses the darkness to bring forth light! We should never be afraid or worried by the darkest days of our lives, because it is in our darkest times, that we can more clearly see the Light... 

"And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, and desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round him a light from heaven: and he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for you to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do." (Acts 9:1-6 KJV) 

"The Chill"

 "And the servants and officers stood there, who had made a fire of coals: and they warmed themselves: and Peter stood with them, and warmed himself." (John 18:18 KJV)

  ""Simon and Levi are two of a kind; their weapons are instruments of violence. May I never join in their meetings; may I never be a party to their plans. For in their anger they murdered men, and they crippled oxen just for fun."" (Genesis 49:5-6 NLT)

 For your information, yesterday morning I was broken as I was typing those words, "those watchmen on the walls," because it reminded me of the way we react when there is a trial or difficulty in our lives, as if we think that God is taking something out on us, for something we might have done wrong. As if God is causing the trouble in our lives because of our sins! 

 More than ever before, I can see the power that the enemy has in our lives, based upon the guilt we allow him to see in us! He cannot read our minds, but he sure can see our reactions and our feelings towards one another! Pastor Chris kept using the term, "Iron sharpens iron," as he confirmed the need us men must have to be in fellowship with one another. 

 Well, we must be like iron to be able to participate in that, sharpening, which basically means, that we know without a doubt, that our sins have been forgiving! We must settle that issue once and for all! If you might recall, if you have stuck with for any length of time, when I shared about Jesus' parable of the servant that was forgiven by the King, of a debt he never could have repaid, that the reason he could not have forgiven his fellow servant, was he still felt connected to that debt, as if it was still his to hold onto! 

 Paul shared on this issue in Romans and Galatians; both of which speak about being free from bondage! Jesus Christ has set us free from the bondage of sin; therefore, that old man, the one that would always sin, has been crucified with Christ, and has been raised up a new man, that is now living for and in the righteousness of Christ Jesus; the One sits at the righthand of the Father, making intercession for the mistakes we might make! 

 Peter should have taken a quick 180 degree turn right out of that gate! But instead, he chilled out by the fire, most likely feeling numb from the words that he had spoken. If we do not confess our sins and get right, we will be tossed to and fro! As though we have learned nothing; being held up by the sin we are still in, instead of being the man of God we should become... 

"Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God's law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the lifegiving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin's control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit." (Romans 7:24-8:4 NLT) 

"The Fire Pit"

 "Then saith the damsel that kept the door unto Peter, Art not thou also one of this man's disciples? He saith, I am not." (John 18:17 KJV)

  "The night watchmen found me as they made their rounds. They beat and bruised me and stripped off my veil, those watchmen on the walls. Make this promise, O women of Jerusalem - If you find my lover, tell him I am weak with love." (Song of Songs 5:7-8 NLT)

 Okay, so we sometimes don't get it right! It isn't really a surprise the God; He knows are frame, our weaknesses, and the sometimes cold and hard hearts! But He still keeps loving us, regardless of the stupid things we might do; even when we might refuse to acknowledge Him for the love, He has poured out for us!   

 This is not really something that Peter thought he would do, as we should remember that he said, with confidence, ""I will lay down my life for thy sake?" But it really did not enter his mind, that he would not acknowledge that he knew Him, just to save his own life; at the very least, to not be embarrassed! 

 As you might recall, if you were following this blog during the Song of Songs period, that I believe the Women of Jerusalem might have represented the Holy Spirit; or at least, the spiritual condition of our hearts. This is actually very much a part of the "Full Armor of God!" 

 If you have studied those articles of our warfare, they really are all one unit, none of which should be left out, because they are all needed to be the "Full Armor of God." When I shared on this, quite some time ago, there was three items, even four, counting the belt, which is worn: the breastplate of righteousness, the helmet of salvation, those shoes that spread the Gospel, and then, that belt of Truth! 

 Not that any one of them is really greater than the other, but the helmet of salvation is what protects our mind; that part of us which has the ability to not think sometimes! It sometimes does not remember what it is that we hold firmly within our hearts! We are saved! There is no turning back on this...

"We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves." (2 Corinthians 4:7 NLT) 

"The Open Door"

 "But Peter stood at the door without. Then went out that other disciple, which was known unto the high priest, and spake unto her that kept the door, and brought in Peter." (John 18:16 KJV)

  "I slept, but my heart was awake, when I heard my lover knocking and calling: "Open to me, my treasure, my darling, my dove, my perfect one. My head is drenched with dew, my hair with the dampness of the night." But I have responded, "I have taken off my robe. Should I get dressed again? I have washed my feet. Should I get them soiled?"" (Song of Songs 5:2-3 NLT)

 Maybe this might be the wrong way to approach this subject, but I do believe there is something here that God wants to show us, or maybe it's just for me; either way, here it goes! Hopefully there is something that we can take from this to make us more aware of the circumstances of being in the places we go, the things we allow ourselves to do, and the people we associate with. 

 For the passage of Scripture, Song of Songs 5:2-3, it is just a little bit of what I believe keeps us from doing the right things, even though our heart might say, "I shouldn't be doing this!" Call it being lazy, if that is the excuse you prefer, or being stubborn, which might be the problem; but the bottom line, is and always will be sin: "You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! ""Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master."" (Genesis 4:7 NLT)

 First off, Peter should have been aware of the position he was placing himself into; but his curiosity had taken over his commonsense, placing him into the situation where he was going to sin. It is easy for us to see what was happening, having known the story; but when you are the character in the story, things are not all the obvious, especially when you are focused on what you want to do, and not what you shouldn't be doing. 

 Secondly, John was doing his part, without even really knowing what he was doing. Everything was in order, to take care of sitting the table for Peter to fall; now he just needed to sit at the table and partake! Whether we realize it or not, but we are always given a choice; sometimes, multiple choices and opportunities to change the course of our lives. 

 When the door is opened, pay attention and be ready to do what is right! There is always the right way and the wrong way, no matter if God opens the door, or if you open it yourself...

"My lover tried to unlatch the door, and my heart thrilled within me. I jumped up to open the door for my love, and my hands dripped with perfume. My fingers dripped with lovely myrrh, as I pulled back the bolt. I opened to my lover, but he was gone! My heart sank. I searched for him but could not find him anywhere. I called out to him, but there was no reply." (Song of Songs 5:4-6 NLT)

"The Other Guy"

 "And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple: that disciple was known unto the high priest, and went in with Jesus into the palace of the high priest." (John 18:15 KJV)

  ""And so, my children, listen to me, for all who follow my ways are joyful. Listen to my instruction and be wise. Don't ignore it. Joyful are those who listen to me, watching for me daily at my gates, waiting for me outside home!"" (Proverbs 8:32-34 NLT)

 If you look at the other three references to this event, all three put it in a different light, as if Peter walked into the courtyard on his own. So, in my simple mind, I can only assume that Matthew wasn't there, Mark was still trying to find some clothes to put on, and Luke was not even a part of the group yet; so, this puts all of the other interpretations on the testimony of Peter. 

 Having said that, I can only assume that there was something going on between Peter and John; not that there was strife between them, but that there might have been some sort of jealousy or previous business competition between them, with their previous fishing exploits and endeavors.

 Matthew Henery gives a suggestion that John knew the high priest because he might have sold him his fishing business or had been the supplier for his fish that supplied the palace. For whatever reason, John makes this the way that things were, yet none of the other Gospel's have it this way.

 Some think, this other guy might have been Nicodemus, the one who had come to Jesus by night. If that were so, I would have thought John would have referenced it was him; but then again, maybe Nic might have told him not to? But wait, I heard some Pastor sharing that Nicodemus could have been the Rich Young Ruler, which would have made him willing to have given all of his money away. 

 Then again, he was the one that supplied all of the spices to bury Jesus in his friend's tomb. This is just so confusing; it makes me believe in the simple and logical solution: The Other Guy is John! Many people believe that John wrote this Gospel message towards the end of his life, which would mean that his interpretation of the events was given after Matthew's for sure, and maybe even after Mark's and Luke's. 

 Regardless, we do know that both Peter and John were always competing against one another, so it is easy to see why this would have been left out in the other Gospels. Matthew wasn't there, so he most likely received his side of the story based upon Peter's testimony; Mark surely got his side of the story from Peter; and Luke, he remained neutral...

"So they arrested him and led him to the high priest's home. And Peter followed at a distance. The guards lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat around it, and Peter joined then there." (Luke 22:54-55 NLT)  

"Peter's First Denial"

 "Simon Peter followed Jesus, as did another of the disciples. That other disciple was acquainted with the high priest, so he was allowed to enter the high priest's courtyard with Jesus. Peter had to stay outside the gate. Then the disciple who knew the high priest spoke to the woman watching the gate, and she let Peter in. The woman asked Peter, "You're not one of that man's disciples, are you?"

 "No," he said, "I am not." 

 Because it was cold, the household servants and the guards had made a charcoal fire. They stood around it, warming themselves, and Peter stood with them, warming himself." (John 18:15-18 NLT) 

  

(Shin) "Power people harass me without cause, but my heart trembles only at your word. I rejoice in your word like one who discovers a great treasure. I hate and abhor all falsehood, but I love your instructions. I will praise you seven times a day because your regulations are just. Those who love your instructions have great peace and do not stumble. I long for your rescue, LORD, so I have obeyed your commands. I have obeyed your laws, for I love them very much. Yes, I obey your commandments and laws because you know everything I do." (Psalm 119:161- 168 NLT)

 Yes, indeed! God knows everything that we do; even the things that will be done, even though we don't think about doing them; even though we might think we would not ever do them! You really cannot get away with anything, no matter how hard you might try to cover anything up, God knows your hidden secrets! 

 Just to make something clear, the "other disciple," is John. That little bit of information is not made clear; but because he did not mention the disciple's name, it is pretty obvious he is speaking of himself. Just a little bit of technical information. 

 Which reminds me of a little bit of correction to, "the first two disciples," which some have listed as "Peter and Andrew." As I have stated before, it was John and Andrew that first followed Jesus, as He took them to where He was staying; after they left following John the Baptist and started following, "The Lamb of God." 

 After hanging out with Jesus for a while, Andrew decided he needed to go find his brother, Simon. John stayed there with Jesus after Andrew had left. How awesome it is that John remembered the time of day! I cannot remember the date that I got saved, but I do know it was on a Sunday, because that is when they have church services in the jail. And I do remember it was about 11:00 in the morning...

"The following day John was again standing with two of his disciples. As Jesus walked by, John looked at him and declared, "Look! There is the Lamb of God!" When John's two disciples heard this, they followed Jesus. Jesus looked around and saw them following, "What do you want?" he asked them. They replied, "Rabbi" (which means "Teacher"), "where are you staying?" "Come and see," he said. It was about four o'clock in the afternoon when they went with him to the place where he was staying, and they remained with him the rest of the day. Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of these men who heard what John said and then followed Jesus. Andrew went to find his brother, Simon, and told him, "We have found the Messiah" (which means "Christ")." (John 1:35-41 NLT) 

"As Comely"

 "Now Caiaphas was he, which gave counsel to the Jews, that it was expedient that one man should die for the people." (John 18:14 KJV)

  "But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no wonder that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. In the end they will get the punishment their wicked deeds deserve." (2 Corinthians 11:14-15 NLT)

 Just in case you might be wondering about the title, "As Comely," it is the meaning of the name, Caiaphas. Oddly enough, it's a description that suites him fine, as he disguises himself as comely, which basically means that he has the appearance as someone pleasant and of beauty, but within, he is nasty and dark! 

 This mention by John of the counsel he gave, in the original quote, John mentions that he did not say that on his own, but because he was High Priest at the time, he was led to say it; John 11:46-52. However, if you want to get technical and true, Jesus was not just a man! Not just any man could die to save the entire world! 

 Which leads me to wonder how he was led to say what he said, whether it was by the Holy Spirit, or if it was by another spirit? This goes back to Isaiah 53, as anyone who knows that chapter and has been able to study it, as Caiaphas should have done, would have known that only the One who had no sin could take the place of all sinners! 

 So, in that regard, Caiaphas was not speaking of people being saved, as in forgiven for sins, but he was speaking of the disruptions caused by what Jesus was doing to the people, and how His death would be able to prevent the Roman's from doing something to maintain order in the region. As if that was going to happen! 

 Again, I must remind anyone who might still doubt: Only God is Holy and Righteous, and only God is worthy enough to give Himself for the entire sins of this world! There was no other way for our sins to be forgiven; there is always punishment for sin, and He took that punishment upon Himself...

"Who has believed our message? To whom has the LORD revealed his powerful arm? My servant grew up in the LORD'S presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. He was despised and rejected - a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, and punishment for his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God's paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all." (Isaiah 53:1-6 NLT)

"Questions of Origin"

 "And led him away to Annas first; for he was father in law to Caiaphas, which was the high priest that same year." (John 18:13 KJV)

  "It was now the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius, the Roman emperor. Pontius Pilate was governor over Judea; Herod Antipas was ruler over Galilee; his brother Phillip was ruler over Iturea and Traconitis; Lysanias was ruler over Abilene. Annas and Caiaphas were the high priests. At this time a message from God came to John son of Zechariah, who was living in the wilderness. Then John went from place to place on both sides of the Jordan River, preaching that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven." (Luke 3:1-3 NLT)

 Well, if you think you have seen it all, this is not all that unusual! Solomon was right, "Nothing New under the sun." What we have here is the guy named Annas, High Priest from 6 A.D. to 15 A.D., but still, in a sense, holding office. It is believed by some that this was the 'rich man' in the story Jesus told about The Rich Man and Lazaras. As mentioned before, if Jesus used names of people or places, then it was a real event, not a parable. 

 Besides being somewhat in the midst of everything political, he also had great power to influence the Jewish leaders; especially those that were connected to the High Priest office, as that was a pretty close-nit group. It is also believed that Annas was the one who plotted to kill Lazaras, the one that Jesus rose to life, after he had been dead four day. It had to be four days, because Jewish belief was that the soul would hang out around the body for three days, waiting to re-enter the body. So, they technically didn't consider that they were dead-dead till after three days. 

 Anyway, who this guy was, was the guy that determined the next place to take Jesus; whether or not, that the High Priest should be the one, or if they should send Him off to a Ruler first. The religious rulers were always concerned about what the people would think, so Annas was a good first start, seeing that he actually was not currently sitting as High Priest.

 Besides that, he also was closer to the place where Jesus was taken, as others tend to believe. After all, if you are going to be in on the plot, you don't want to make yourself a bad guy; although they both were more concerned about money then were where about serving God. Therefore, he being the apparent leader, passed Jesus off to his son-in-law. It was only because Caiaphas married his daughter, that he was even given the honor of High Priest. 

 Things just never change! "Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely!" By the way, the time of his death is really not known; but he did have five sons...

"It is God's privilege to conceal things and the king's privilege to discover them." (Proverbs 25:2 NLT)   

"Taken!"

 "Then the band and the captain and officers of the Jews took Jesus, and bound him," (John 18:12 KJV) 

  "Bless the one who comes in the name of the LORD. We bless you from the house of the LORD. The LORD is God, shining upon us. Take the sacrifice and bind it with cords on the altar. You are my God, and I will praise you! You are my God, and I will exalt you! Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever." (Psalm 18:26-29 NLT)

 I really can't imagine what this could have been like, but there had to be someone in that crowd who felt a little bit uneasy binding someone that could raise the dead and heal the blind. Just imagine what Jesus was doing in this moment: He was surrendering to the mob! Wow, what this might have looked like to the devil and his demons. They were at the very least, surprised, if not astounded; how could they bind the One who binds the demons? 

 As I was taken by the verse, the number twelve caught my attention, so I spent a few moments looking up what the number meant in the Bible. It happens to be rather interesting because for one, it represents a symbol of perfection and authority. Think about that for a moment, as the Perfect Sacrifice has just been taken, but based upon His Authority! If He did not comply, there was no way that they could take hold of Him! 

 The main meaning used by many, is completeness, as it represents the tribe of Israel, the descriptions of the dimensions of The New Jerusalem; among many more things that represent and lead to New Beginnings! Which is a first for what we see happening here, as the Son of God is being bound and taken, much as He had told Peter would happen to him.

 By the way, I was reminded yesterday at church that death is a doorway! It is not the end of our life, but the door to the eternal life we will have with Jesus! Therefore, we should not fear that which is going prove a glorious new beginning! One way or another, we will be with the LORD...

"Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth. Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in the tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance; knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shown me." (2 Peter 1:12-14 KJV)  

"Jesus at the High Priest's House"

  "So the soldiers, their commanding officer, and the Temple guards arrested Jesus and tied him up. First they took him to Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest at that time. Caiaphas was the one who had told the other Jewish leaders, "It's better that one man should die for the people."" (John 18:12-14 NLT)

  "Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 1:10-11 KJV)

 After saying those things, I cared about and those I did not, I couldn't get them out of my mind, making myself feel as though I was somehow testing myself, and looking back to all my failures in those areas of my life. This is why we need to keep our focus on Jesus and not on ourselves! We are bound to fail and see our difficulties to perform; but Jesus has already overcome every issue and every failure, becoming the Way for us to inherit eternal life through what He has already done! 

 As we move through these final chapters, there we be many more times that John will share very detailed information about the things that had taken place. Most of which many people look over, as if those details really don't matter. If you want to know, it is very much like the way Jesus gives names or places in the teachings of the Kingdom of God, those that are actual references, have details of who and what He is talking about! 

 I heard another reference, yesterday, to what Dr. Chuck had said, referring to the space between the lines in the Bible, "This great discovery is that the Bible is a message system: it's not simply 66 books penned by 40 authors over thousands of years, the Bible is an integrated whole which bears evidence of supernatural engineering in every detail." (Chuck Missler, 'A Hidden Message') 

 Read and believe...

 "Wherefore, I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth. Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance; knowing shortly I must put off this tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus hath shown me. Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance. For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty." (2 Peter 1:12-16 KJV)

"Kingdom First!"

 "Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?" (John 18:11 KJV)

  "Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places." (Ephesians 6:11-12 NLT)

 I can see that this world is getting worse and worse, by the day; it's really only a matter of time, and the things that we once held dear will be no longer the things we seek, for survival will be the number one priority in most people's life. But we, the followers of Christ, have another goal, one that is towards the Kingdom of God, not this temporary place! 

 Don't get me wrong, I really don't like much of what I see happening, especially what is taking place in our public schools; but these things have been foretold in God's word, they are what God said would happen: As good will be seen as evil, and evil will be looked upon as good! This will be allowed, mostly because those that are good will not speak out, but will hold their peace, which basically means, they are giving up their rights, in order to remain safe from prosecution. 

 How ironic is that? There is more and more protest, but those who protest the evil, they get punished for speaking out; while those who protest the good, have no limits; yelling, burning, tearing down; it's all about free speech for them, no matter what they might damage. 

 Anywho! I have decided to just prepare for the worst and pray that Jesus will come quickly! Hopefully those that I have been praying for will be saved, and we will all depart together. But just in case, I keep trying to make a point of showing the Way, hoping that they will change their heart and believe that the Bible really is true, evil really is real, and Jesus Christ really did die for their sins! 

 There three things I care about in this life: My wife, how I conduct myself, and trying to love others; other than that, nothing much else matters, not even my health, my wealth, or what might happen to me on this earth. I see more and more people that are homeless who look as though they once lived well off, but for one reason or another, they live on the streets. When I see them, I say to myself, "But for the grace of God, there go I." 

 Whatever cup God gives us to drink from, we must never forget to be strong in the Lord and stand...

 "Therefore, put on every piece of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere." (Ephesians 6:13-18 NLT)

 

"Kingdom Servants"

"Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus." (John 18:10 KJV)

  "As you enter the house of God, keep your ears open and your mouth shut. It is evil to make mindless offerings to God. Don't make rash promises, and don't be hasty in bringing matters before God. After all, God is in heaven, and you are here on earth. So let your words be few." (Ecclesiastes 5:1-2 NLT)

 Have you ever been quick to react to something, doing something really stupid, and then wished that you could have taken it back? I'm pretty sure we all have, from time to time. Peter is trying to prove Jesus wrong about his lack of courage and commitment to stand up for his Lord. Although, he probably picked the weakest and most humble guy in the crowd, to try and make his point with! 

 As we know from the other Gospel's, Jesus put the ear back onto Malchus' head, which was His last miracle that He would do, before being nailed to the cross. Isn't that ironic, that the last healing would be to correct something stupid done by one of His disciples? I find it pretty interesting the John makes a point of giving us the servant's name; as it was, John is also the only one that says who it was that cut off his ear. 

 Not that John and Peter had some kind of confrontation with each other, but they did sometimes try to outdo each other and make themself appear greater than the other. We have this natural gift, as James calls it, the spirit of envy, (James 4:5). 

 First of all, we must be focused on the Kingdom of God, first and foremost! This life is going to be over, and the eternal life that awaits is what we need to be getting ready to address. If we can just make that to be our number one priority, we would find that the things we often worry about, really won't matter all that much. 

 This life might have its ups and downs, but if we can just be focused on that which God has promised, we will find that life's troubles are really not all that threatening and hard to deal with. Not that I have been very good at keeping that attitude the pattern of my life, because I have not! But it's the little things in this life that get under my skin; the little things that I feel are my problems, so I really don't try to let God deal with them. Instead, I deal with them on my own, which usually brings out the flesh. 

 Secondly, and most importantly, try your very best to be calm and patient. Don't rush into reacting to things without first praying about what you should say or do; counting on the Holy Spirit to guide you and give you a right attitude in everything you do, or don't do. Again, not my routine in most instances, so I really don't have the authority to offer advise; I can only tell you that is what I am always praying God would help me to do! 

 Thirdly, and most assuredly! If you ask God to give you a certain attitude or ability, then you should be prepared to practice it, because you going to get challenged in that area of your life...

"May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus Christ our Lord. By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world's corruption caused by human desires." (2 Peter 1:2-4 NLT) 

"The Essential Word of God"

 "That the saying might be fulfilled, which he spake, Of them which thou gavest me have I lost none." (John 18:9 KJV)

  "God's way is perfect. All the LORD'S promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection." (Psalm 18:30 NLT)

 As I was saying, we really do have nothing to fear, as long as we are trusting in the Lord to get us through, bringing us safely to the other side of this life! This is just a journey for us, but one that has a promised outcome, that cannot be taken from us, because His promises prove true! 

 I was reminded of a message I gave, almost ten years ago, which had to do with Abraham's covenant with the LORD. If you know the portion of Scripture that I am talking about, it takes place in Genesis 15, as Abram prepares a contract agreement with the LORD; but the LORD causes him to fall into a deep sleep, giving him a vision of those that would be his descendants, by telling them how they would be slaves in a foreign land for 400 years. 

 In this covenant that he was to make, Abram was to pass thorough the contract, as it was custom; for in this contract, animals were cut open and laid out on the ground, while those that were making their agreement to each other, would walk through the carcasses, making the agreement binding by saying, "This too, and more, be done onto me if I fail to keep my promise in our agreement."

 As it turned out, Abram never walked through the pieces of animals, God signed it Himself, for both of them! As the NLT says, "Abram saw a smoking firepot and a flaming torch pass between the halves of the carcasses." (Genesis 15:17) God signed both His and Abram's agreement! 

 We must understand something about God's word: His Word never changes! It might take longer to be fulfilled, but it will always be just as He said it would be, that much we can be sure of! If God makes a promise, it will be done! He knows the end of everyone's life here on this earth, so the promises He makes are always proven true, there cannot be any doubt, because they have already been proven! 

 Another aspect of that message was how God instilled in Abram a heart for his descendants, by letting him see the suffering that they would all go through. That is a little twist on the closing Scripture from yesterday, because God always does His greatest work in the darkness, in the suffering, in the trials, and in the tribulations! 

 We must never give up, because He has a firm grip on us, and He is not letting go...

 "But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord isn't really slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent." (2 Peter 3:8-9 NLT) 

"The Compassionate Servant"

 "Jesus answered, I have told you that I am he: if therefore ye seek me, let these go their way." (John 18:8 KJV)

  "For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God's word. He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault." (Ephesians 5:25-27 NLT)

 Everyone is given a chance; even the worst and most hardened heart is given to opportunity to turn and come to the LORD! That is what I was woken up to this morning, as if God was showing me that there really will be no excuse on judgment day, because everyone and anyone will have no excuse! 

 What is so amazing, is the fact that everyone will not be judged for what they might have done, but by the way we accepted or rejected God's Son! As for us who have accepted Him, judgment is going to be a matter of compassion and love, not sin or keeping of rules and regulations; but our judgement we be from Christ Jesus and based upon what we did with what He had given opportunity to do. 

 The Bible shows us, throughout almost every Book, that God's compassion is never-ending; He shows mercy and grace over and over, even to those who might not listen! That said, He is also just and fair! Something we must never forget or take lightly! Christ suffered an incredible death for us, because our sins are incredibly ugly and hurtful towards God! 

 As far as this passage of Scripture from Ephesians, and why is it so important, especially to me: this is what it means to love, without judgment or compromise, but with an unconditional love that is filled with compassion and a desire to admire the best in everyone! For husbands, that is your wife! 

 I might not have the greatest love, but I know that I have love committed to show compassion for all that my wife cannot do, and the desire to admire, even the little things, she can do! Regardless of what this life throws at us, we will be holy and without fault...

"If I wanted to boast, I would be no fool in doing so, because I would be telling the truth. But I won't do it, because I don't want anyone to give me credit beyond what they see in my life or hear in my message, even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That's why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:6-10 NLT) 

 

 

"Reinforced Error"

 "Then asked he them again, Whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth." (John 18:7 KJV)

  "Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking. For if the children of Israel did not escape when they refused to listen to Moses, the earthly messenger, we will certainly not escape if we reject the One who speaks to us from heaven!" (Hebrews 12:25 NLT)

 What we are talking about here, is apples and oranges! Jesus' humility forgives their error, but they should have corrected the mistake, especially, after the experience of falling down. However, hard hearts are made even harder by making everything more worldly! If they could only see the spiritual side of the moment they were in, then they would realize the One they were up against! 

 By the way, there is more and more believers who are starting to get engaged with secular ways to deal with emotions, feelings, and disorders. Now, it is beginning to move towards the use of drugs and even psychedelic medicine. This really can't be good; but there are those in ministry that are trying to make it okay, as if it is just a natural means to get enlightened. 

 That is a serious error in reason! In the words of Katy Bates in the movie Waterboy, "Drugs are the devil!" Believe me, I know; I have been there and have seen the spiritual side of that ride! They are all really connected, from the least to the greatest, they all have the same demonic thread running through them. 

 Becoming one with the world, is really not where a follower of Christ should want to be; we are called to be separate and set apart; being filled with the Spirit, focusing on the Word of God, and the power of prayer; not trying worldly ways to get ourselves in the right frame of mind! Your mind might get sharper, but your spiritual walk will get dull and less effective, at least in the arena of God and the wonder-working power of blood of Jesus Christ! 

 We should not replace what God can do in us, with the tools which are given out to the worldly! I know that there will be arguments and people trying to prove that is wrong; but when it comes to certain forms of drugs, keep your mind out of the frying pan! Someone told me yesterday there were even Christian Brodcasting stations that are advertising Cannabis products. What's next? Mushrooms! 

 You think I am kidding, think again! They are all connected; and where the center of that wheel is, you really don't want to go...

"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled." (2 Corinthians 10:3-6 KJV)  

 

"The I AM"

 "As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground." (John 18:6 KJV)

  "God replied to Moses, "I AM Who I AM. Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you,"" Exodus 3:14 NLT)

 As to the whole willing servant thing, Jesus was a willing servant, from the time He was formed in His mother's womb; but in this moment, He was the LORD of Heaven's Armies, determined and set to take on the most important task to all of all mankind. From here on out, He shall be the Lamb of God, being led to the slaughter; the Creator of Heaven and Earth, sacrificed for the world that He created! 

 Yes, He was continuing to serve His Father; but from here on out He only needed to be humble and take whatever they dished out. This incident that John is showing proves that Jesus had given up any Divine power, offering Himself to be taken freely and voluntarily giving Himself over to them.

 Imagine what He could have done, had He resisted! Just look at Elijah, what he had done when Israel's king had sent groups of fifty men to capture him; and he was just a prophet...

"When the messengers returned to the king, he asked them, "Why have you returned so soon?" They replied, "A man came up to us and told us to go back to the king and give him this message. 'This is what the LORD says: Is there no God in Israel? Why are you sending men to Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, to ask whether you will recover? Therefore, because you have done this, you will never leave the bed you are lying on; you will surely die.'" "What sort of man was he?" the king commanded. "What did he look like?" They replied, "He was a hairy man, and he wore a leather belt around his waist." "Elijah from Tishbe!" the king exclaimed. Then he sent an army captain and fifty soldiers to arrest him. They found him sitting on top of a hill. The captain said to him, "Man of God, the king has commanded you to come down with us." But Elijah replied to the captain, "If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and destroy you and your fifty men!" Then fire fell from heaven and killed them all. So the king sent another captain with fifty men. The captain said to him, "Man of God, the king demands that you come down at once." Elijah replied, "If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and destroy you and your fifty men!" And again the fire of God fell from heaven and killed them all. Once more the king sent a third captain with fifty men. But this time the captain went up the hill and fell to his knees before Elijah. He pleaded with him, "O, man of God, please spare my life and the lives of these, and your fifty servants. See how the fire came down and destroyed the first two groups. But now please spare my life!" Then the angel of the LORD said to Elijah, "Go down with him, and don't be afraid of him." So Elijah got up and went with him to the king." (2 Kings 1:5-15 NLT)   

"The Willing Servant"

"They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them." (John 18:5 KJV)

  "I have entered my garden, my treasure, my bride! I gathered myrrh with my spices and eat honeycomb with my honey. I drink wine with my milk. Oh, lover and beloved, eat and drink! Yes, drink deeply of your love!" (Song Of Songs 5:1 NLT)

 Oh my, I really didn't see this coming; but I am absolutely certain that God knew everything, every little detail, from start to finish! There is so much going on here, as it appears and does not appear, most of this has been shown throughout the history of Israel, the children of Jacob. 

 To start, Jesus of Nazareth, although that is what they called Him, that was not really true, because He was born in Bethlehem, which was the place by which the Messiah would come from. They either had this name as the name written on His warrant, or the Jews, that totally denied who He was, had given that name as the person that they wanted arrested. 

 Either way, Jesus took no opportunity to correct them or make any defense for His identity. He simply took the opportunity to tell them that He was the one they sought. Willingly, He was prepared for the grueling night and day that would be ahead; and now it was His moment to express that! 'You came for me, now take me!' 

 On the flip side of that, we have Judas; the one that betrayed Him! You must realize that Judas was a man of the world; nothing that Jesus had done or said made any sense to him, and he only wanted Jesus to be that Messiah that would free Israel from Roman rule. He also only cared about the money, as he was the one that had kept the money bag; he was also the one that complained whenever money was wasted. 

 That said, this moment most have seemed quite awkward for him, as he was standing with those who were coming against Jesus, when he once had stood beside Jesus! Who was the most willing servant in this crowd? Was it the One who knew all that would happen? or was the clueless one, that was being used to do evil? 

 To be clear, Jesus had no fear of what He was doing; He knew full well that this was something that had to be done; and He also knew that the outcome would please the Father! So, in some form or fashion, this was His honor to do what He was going to do. Besides, all He needed to do from here was to just remain humble and human! 

 Judas, on the other hand, had no clue what he was doing, what was to come, or how all of this would be turning out. Jesus had mentioned it, many times and in several different way; but Judas hardly paid any attention, because it was not what he wanted to hear. He wanted to hear Jesus say that He was going destroy the Romans, not that He was going to be crucified on a cross. 

 Think about that; how much Jesus knew, being in control but being led into what was about to happen; while Judas was out of control, being led by the devil. Which one has now the characteristics of a servant? Servants are told what to do, but not really given all the details why. Servants only do what they are told; blindly led from one place to the other. 

 Anywho, as far as the verse from Song of Songs, although that might not mix well, it totally matches...

""Oh, how can I give you up, Israel? How can I let you go? How can I destroy you like Admah or demolish you like Zeboiim? My heart is torn within me, and my compassion overflows. No, I will not unleash my fierce anger. I will not completely destroy Israel, for I am God and not a mere mortal. I am the Holy One living among you, and I will not come to destroy. For someday the people will follow me. I, the LORD, will roar like a lion. And when I roar, my people will return trembling from the west. Like a flock of birds, they will come from Egypt. Trembling like doves, they will return from Assyria. And I will bring them home again," saith the LORD." (Hosea 11:8-11 NLT)

"Whom Seek Ye?" - Too

 "Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye?" (John 18:4 KJV)

  ""I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I what you to know me more than I want burnt offerings."" (Hosea 6:6 NLT)

 Forgive me if I don't say too much, but I hope to say enough. This might be the one question that God says more than any other, "Whom seek ye?" as it shows us a door to open, as if there needs to be the connection established between the creature and the Creator, Whom is the One that made us! 

 Simply put, God is in everything and is everywhere; and many people imagine He is somewhere else, somewhere like heaven or up in the shy somewhere, where we can never reach Him. Listening to the message yesterday from one of the Pastors teaching on Ecclesiastes, the one who said God is not shown in that Book, it seemed as though he had changed the tune of his message, now saying that Solomon was comparing the two different ways to think, by Philosophy and Theology.

 As he put it, there are some who, although they might believe there is a God, they think that God created everything there is, and then walked away, as if to say, "You are on your own; have a nice life!" This too is all about meaningless thinking! Why are we here? is the question that many ask, as if there isn't a reason that God has created us! 

 God wants fellowship with His children! "Then God said, "Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us."" (Genesis 1:26a NLT) That is something we don't think about much, but it is something that God has put a lot of thought into...

"Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love - not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins." (1 John 4:7-10 NLT) 

"Whom Seek Ye?"

 "Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye?" (John 18:4 KJV)

  "I am not afraid of ten thousand enemies who surround me on every side." (Psalm 3:6 NLT)

 Without getting too carried away, I will try to make this simple and straight to the point. As many should know, we have a question that should be presented when there is, "therefore," at the beginning of a verse: "What is it there for?" To be specific, John is letting us know that Jesus had absolutely no fear for His life! As much as He wasn't thrilled about what was going to happen later, He knew full well that this band of men couldn't do anything but arrest Him. 

 To get right down to it, He was pretty much toying with them, as He stepped forward and asked, "Whom seek ye?" He knew exactly what they were there for, and who it was that they wanted to arrest. But the question is spectacular, and it continues to this day, to be asked: "Whom seek ye?" 

 When those who come to Christ seeking answers, most likely they will walk away with more questions than they originally had. When those who come to Christ looking for a better life, they will find that life felt better without Him. When those come to Christ for healing, they realize that feeling good for a little while. didn't really help. 

 Yes, it's true that Jesus has the answers we might seek, can give us a better and more complete life, and can heal us from anything; but none of that is important, if we aren't looking for the Savior of our soul! Better than that, He gives us eternal life, making all those other things seem meaningless and not all that important! 

 As I think about that I can't help but think a Ray's book, "Hell's Best Kept Secret." There is a portion in his book where he gives an illustration of two men on a plane; one is given a parachute and told, "This will make your ride pleasant and comfortable; while the other man is given a parachute and told, "This plane is going to crash! Put this on and it will save your life!" 

 The first man was not comfortable with the parachute, as he sat in his seat; and he didn't feel pleasant, as others mocked him for wearing it, so he felt pretty out of place and weird. While the other man, no matter what anyone said, he felt secure; and no matter how uncomfortable it might have felt, he wasn't taking it off! 

 The question is very important and needs to be asked: "Whom seek ye?" Big question, for a Big God...

"Make sure that no one is immoral or godless like Esau, who traded his birthright as the firstborn son for a single meal. You know that afterward, when he wanted his father's blessing, he was rejected. It was too late for repentance, even though he begged with bitter tears. You have not come to a physical mountain, to a place of flaming fire, darkness, gloom, and whirlwind, as the Israelites did at Mount Sinai. For they heard an awesome trumpet blast and a voice so terrible that they begged God to stop speaking. They staggered back under God's command: "Even if an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death." Moses himself was so frightful at the sight that he said, "I am terrified and trembling." No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the Living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to the 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 now 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 Abel." (Hebrews 12:16-24 NLT)  

"Over the Top!"

 "Judas then, having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons." (John 18:3 KJV)

  "My enemies surround me like a herd of bulls; fierce bulls of Bashan have hemmed me in! (Psalm 22:12 NLT)

  If you have ever imagined what this might have been like, you probably forgot the part about the way Jesus had suddenly vanished out of their sight, several other times when they had tried to seize Him. This time they were not going to let Him get away, which was perfectly fine with Him, because now was His time to be taken! 

 This might seem like it is a little extreme; but Matthew Henry says that there could have been 500 to 1,000 men that showed up to capture Him. That is how determined they were to take Him, to have such a band of men, most of which were just doing what they were told, not even knowing who or why they were there. On the battlefield, you hardly ever know who you are going to fight; all that you are told is that you are fighting the enemy. 

 Psalms 22 is a song that depicts, in vivid detail, many of the things that Jesus went through, including the things He felt as He hung on the cross. This was His battlefield! There is only one person in this crowd that Jesus has any concern over, and his name is Judas; everyone else is just there for the ride, playing a part in something that He not only knew would happen, but He predicted it would be, just as it was. 

 As we look at this, it might remind us of some things we see happening now, right here in the United States. As I watch what is happening to President Trump, I can see that the 'waterspout' has been turned wide open, everything and anything they can find to do, they will throw at him! This morning I saw one of the most ridiculous statements I have heard, in quite some time. 

 Mayor Adams actually blamed the influx of migrants in New York on Donald Trump! The man that tried to secure the border, is now being blamed for the border being open! You really can't make this stuff up; but the sad thing is, the media will spin it and make people believe it is true. 

 Lies travel and spread quickly, and are distorted; truth, on the other hand, comes out slowly, but clearly! All that said, God is on the Throne! No matter what happens, either here or anywhere, God allows it, and He will work everything into His plan! 

 You want to talk about, "Over the Top," God is the TOP! He controls everything and uses all things for His glory! Yesterday I heard a message regarding Joseph, how God uses the darkness to create Light! The message began speaking about a famous person who created way to develop great pictures by using and manipulating the negatives in the darkness. 

 As we look at Joseph's life, everything which happened to him was wrong; from being the spoiled son, to then being hated by his brothers; sold into slavery, falsely accused, and sent to prison. But God used those bad things to do great and powerful things in, not only his life, but for the entire world! 

 Again, I will remind anyone that might have forgotten: The devil might be cleaver in many of the things he might do, but he is clueless as to Who he is dealing with! He might know some things, but he has not realized yet the fate awaiting him. And if he has, then he just wants to take as many of us with him when he goes! 

 Not matter what, God will be victorious... 

""When you go out to fight your enemies and you face horses and chariots and an army greater than your own, do not be afraid. The LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, is with you! When you prepare for battle, the priest must come forward to speak to the troops. He will say to them, 'Listen to me, all you men of Israel! Do not be afraid as you go out to fight your enemies today! Do not lose heart or panic or tremble before them. For the LORD your God is going with you! He will fight for you against your enemies, and he will give you victory!'"" (Deuteronomy 20:1-4 NLT)

"A Familiar Place"

 "And Judas also, which betrayed him, knew the place: for Jesus ofttimes resorted thither with his disciples." (John 18:2 KJV)

  "I was thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God's way of making us right with himself depends on faith." (Philippians 3:7-9 NLT)

 Getting back to the Preacher, Solomon, who had more riches than most, smaller current countries, currently have; for him, everything was absolutely meaningless and resulted in vanity! What that means, is that everything we think we own or that is ours, ends up, at one time or another, going to our heads, which makes us puffed up and think that we have earned something. 

 Not that we don't need to work, because we must all work to be better people and to show mercy, as we are all blessed by the mercy we have been given; but that we don't need to think our work is gaining us anything that we can take with us, as if any of these matters, matter, more than loving God! He alone is our refuge and our salvation; nothing on the earth can save us! 

 Anywho, this is meant to be the continuation of those last three words of yesterday's post: "Where are you", is really not the question, as if we need to figure something out; but it is the place we find ourselves in everyday life. No matter what you might think of yourself regarding your standing with God, you are only where you should be, when you are abiding in Christ! 

 Looking back at these many years of walking with the Lord, if I had to be totally honest, I would say that I have spent more time doing my own thing, outside of Christ, then I have doing what Christ would have me to do, abiding in Him. Whether or not that is true, that I don't think will be totally clear to me until I stand before Christ. Most of the things I have done through Christ, I take no credit for them, and they slip my mind; but those things that I did wrong, they continually cloud my mind! 

 We all pretty much have one thing in common, our flesh! As long as we are living here on this earth, our flesh will be continually needing to be cared for, in some form or fashion, (no pun intended). It is sometimes hard to go through any day, without thinking about something that we need to do for ourselves, whether it be nutritional, physical, or metal, we live and die caring for those things we need to sustain ourselves, naturally and without even thinking about doing it. 

 It just is life, here, under the sun... 

""That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life - whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn't life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren't you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? Why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don't work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? "So don't worry about these things, saying, 'What will we eat? What shall we drink? What shall we wear?' These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need."" (Matthew 6:25-33 NLT) 

"Into The Garden"

 "When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden, into which he entered, and his disciples." (John 18:1 KJV)

  "When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the LORD God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the LORD God among the trees. Then the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?"" (Genesis 3:8-9 NLT)

 Okay, so to start with, my thoughts were that Jesus had been in the garden all along; when He was asking the disciples to pray and watch, when He was pleading with the Father, "If there be another way," and while He was praying, all throughout that last chapter. Don't ask me why, but it was just the place where I had pictured Him, all the time that I remembered reading the verses. 

 That said, it is amazing to me that Jesus' place where He hung out was this garden. I can only imagine it being something that was a representation of the beginning, to which He was going to right a wrong, being determined to do that which Adam failed to do, to be the Man! 

 As you might have known, God did not call out to both, Adam and Eve, but only called out to the man, "Where are you?" This was not because God did not know where Adam was; but because Adam did not know where he was, nor did he understand why he felt the way that he felt, afraid of God! 

 These are some very strange times we are living in, as the family unit is being torn away, piece by piece; the roles of the fathers and mothers are becoming distorted and minimized; the commitment to what it means to be husband and wife are being minimized. You can maybe blame that on technology: too much TV, addiction to cell phones, easy access to pornography, and way too much information! 

 For the last few days, I have been hearing several different pastors teaching on Ecclesiastes, as it must be that Book that each of them is teaching through now. That is one of my favorite things about most Calvary Chapel churches, they teach the word, in season and out of season, wherever that Book is that they are in, that is what they are teaching, in one way or another. 

 Some think that Solomon had lost his mind; some think that he had too much of the world in him; some think that he was in a fallen state because he had too many pagan wives; whatever you might think of him, he was a vessel that was used by God! Messed up, mixed up, or loving too much of life, he was God's vessel, doing that which God had already known he would do! 

 The two variations of teachings that I heard, were as totally different as they could possibly be. One had Solomon hardly refereeing at all to God, while the other had him circling back and forth from the world and to God. I am sticking to the thought of the second version, as he was comparing living under the sun, to living under the Son! 

 Anywho, God knows what each of us will do before we are ever even thinking about doing it! We get surprised by the things we do, feeling ashamed, and being fearful of God! Where are you...

 "So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don't need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God." (Hebrews 6:1 NLT) 

"Jesus Is Betrayed and Arrested"

  "After saying these things, Jesus crossed the Kidron Valley with his disciples and entered a grove of olive trees. Judas, the betrayer, knew this place, because Jesus had often gone there with his disciples. The leading priests and Pharisees had given Judas a contingent of Roman soldiers and Temple guards to accompany him. Now with blazing touches, lanterns, and weapons, they arrived at the olive grove.

 Jesus fully realized all that was going to happen to him, so he stepped forward to meet them. "Who are you looking for?" he asked. 

 "Jesus the Nazarene," they replied. 

 "I AM he," Jesus said. (Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them.) As Jesus said "I AM he," they all drew back and fell to the ground! Once more he asked them, "Who are you looking for?" 

 And again they replied, "Jesus the Nazarene."

 "I told you that I AM he," Jesus said. "And since I am the one you want, let these others go." He did this to fulfill his own statement: "I did not lose a single one of those you have given me." 

 Then Simon Peter drew a sword and slashed off the right ear of Malchus, the high priest's slave. But Jesus said to Peter, "Put your sword back into its sheath. Shall I not drink from the cup of suffering the Father has given me?"" (John 18:1-11 NLT)

 Getting into some really interesting things, as John shows the boldness of our Lord, in the midst of the more important part of His life. We see, this happening, as something He could have avoided; but it was now His ambition and determination to get it done! When Jesus said, "Not my will, but thine be done," He wasn't speaking out something catchy, He was telling the Father that He was committed to get it done! 

 If you have seen Kirk's movie, "Unstoppable," then you know how important this was to Jesus that He do what the Father sent Him to do. As Kirk points out in his movie, Adam was instructed to take care of the garden; and God said to Adam, "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it." This might not come thru as strong as Kirk's presentation; mostly because it took the whole movie to make his point; but I will try! 

 There are three points God makes, "Be fruitful, and multiply," is that which means to fill the earth; so He really didn't need to repeat what He said, using the word, "Replenish," which has a 'whole' different meaning, no pun intended! Because that is the basic meaning, 'to be whole,' much like when Jesus asked the lame man, laying by the pool waiting to be healed, "Wilt thou be made whole?" (John 5:6)

 Basically, it is a word that means, to be complete, fulfilled, be armed, to confirm; in essence, it has the meaning that shows Adam the goal God has in mind for him, as he grows his family; and then, God says, "and subdue it," as the means of maintaining order; as if to say, "And Guard It!" As Kirk says in his movie, "Guard it from what?" 

 Adam did not do the most important thing: he did not protect that garden, nor subdue the serpent that betrayed his wife! That is the difference between the first Adam, and the second Adam, Jesus Christ! Jesus came to fulfill and complete that which Adam could not...

"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. But not as the offense, so also is the free gift: for if through the offense of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And not as it was by one that sinned, so it is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offenses unto justification. For it is by one man's offense death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) Therefore, as by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Moreover the law entered, that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: that as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 5:12-21 KJV)  

"Living God's Love"

 "And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them." (John 17:26 KJV)

  "In this new life, it doesn't matter if you are Jew or Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us. Since God chose you to be the holy people that he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tender mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful." (Colossians 3:11-15 NLT)

 Yesterday I had this crazy thought, as I was listening to a message and God's love, I recalled something that Pastor Bryan mentioned Wednesday night: that part of God's plan in having His people taken off into Babylon, was to get them to be offended by idols. Which caused be to think about the very first post of this blog, which was about God's will, verses His perfect will.

 There I was, visions of Hezekiah facing the wall in his bed, after being told he was going to die, praying to God and pleading for more life. And, it dawned on me, God knew! It was His plan all along! When He gave Hezekiah 15 more years, those were years that God had set for the several things to take place, to put His perfect plan in action. 

 Because God had given Hezekiah more time, the extra time went to his head. All of the sudden he felt as though he was gifted with something special, and it lifted him up, making him, if you will, boastful and proud. This was also God's plan, to show him death, but then give him more life; just to make him able to work out His plan and perfect will. 

 One thing that happened was the blunder that Hezekiah did, by showing off the treasures to the Babylonian ambassadors. It wasn't a blunder after all, because God already knew that would happen! The other, important issue was the birth of Manasseh, the worst king of all; also, the longest king to reign. Yet, as bad as he was, and as much evil that he did, he repented, and God forgave him! 

 Not quite sure that you got that picture, but God's loving kindness is far greater than our sins; no matter how bad we are, He is always willing to forgive us and show us His great mercy! Therefore, since we have been given such great mercy, we must also be willing to show mercy for others! 

 We must be willing to see things as they are; primarily, we are obligated to be tenderhearted towards others, because we have a tenderhearted Father in Heaven. As His children, we must represent His character and love, as if we are His children! It is not a command; it is a must! Man, O man, I need to get a handle on some things in my life! I must...

"Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law. After all, is God the God of the Jew only? Isn't he also the God of the Gentiles? Of course he is. There is only one God, and he makes people right with himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles. Well then, if we emphasize faith, does that mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law." (Romans 3:27-31 NLT)

"Knowing God's Love"

 "O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me." (John 17:25 KJV)

  "Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are." (Hebrews 3:19-20 NLT)

 To start with, there must be the realization that we are guilty of sin, that we have no way to cleanse the sin out of our lives, and we will be punished for those sins, unless they are removed from us. Once we can see those facts, believing that there is punishment awaiting us, if we were to die in our sins, then we can be able to know why Jesus was sent by the Father, and just how much the Father loved us! 

 Before I was saved, I really had no clue about the facts of sin. I knew what sin was, I knew that I had sins in my life; but I never realized that God had made a way for me to be cleansed and set free from my sin! I had just imagined that we would all be judged, and that the chips would fall where they may. Some would be allowed into heaven, and the rest would be sent to hell. I figured that hell was where I would most likely end up; and didn't give it much more thought. 

 I had knowledge of the Bible, had read it from time to time, and had some reference to the Gospel, but had never really connected to dots. Even knowing and memorizing John 3:16, as plain and simple as that verse declares God's love for the lost, it never really struck me as the solution; it was mostly just a verse in the Bible that had shown me why Jesus was crucified, but not who He was, or how powerful His blood actually was for taking away my sin. 

 Those that are lost, cannot see the answer to what they need; even if they know that need is to be saved, they will try any other way, but that which God has provided, because they just can't see how it makes sense! Those that died in the wilderness because they did not look upon the brazen serpent that Moses lifted up, they too did not believe that it would work, so they didn't even try to come out of their tent. 

 Again, I will share what I was asked, about almost 10 years ago: "Why would God need to come down here and die on a cross?" Can you see the answer? The answer will show that you know God's love...

""How are these things possible?" Nicodemus asked. Jesus replied, "You are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don't understand these things? I assure you, we tell you what we know and have seen, and yet you won't believe our testimony. But if you don't believe me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly believe me if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven. And as Moses lifted up the bronze serpent 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. "For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. "There is no judgement against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God's one and only Son."" (John 3:9-18 NLT) 

"Love Manifested" - Too

 "Father, I will that they also, whom you hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world." (John 17:24 KJV)

  "There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends." (John 15:13 NLT)

 As I was getting ready to fall asleep last night, I was reminded of the vison that Stephen witnessed, just before he was about to be killed. He declared the vison he saw, as if it was real, as if it was right there in front of him, which was Jesus standing at the right hand of the Throne of God. 

 If you will, let me try and put this into something which is a little hard to grasp, but is hopefully easy to understand and less threatening than some might interpret it. First off, we that have been born again are no longer a citizen of this world; our new citizenship is secured and awaiting our arrival in Heaven. Secondly, we have been given eternal life, which has been guaranteed and made real by the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ! 

 Thirdly, and of utmost importance, this body is temporal, it is not going to Heaven with us, and it is going to go back into the soil, from which it came! Therefore, the greatest thing that this useless flesh can do, is to be used for the glory of God! We can use this flesh for so many different things, like serving others, being a messenger of the Good News, and many other sorts of ministries that can give God glory. But there is no greater thing that this body can be used for, then to be laid down for the sake of others. 

 I know that some might not sit well with that, but it is something I feel is important for us all to come to terms with. If we cherish this body, then we are very capable of shying away from being bold and unafraid to stand up for Jesus! The way things are going, it might not be too long from now that your faith will be tested. And, if that be the case, you are going to need to be in the frame of mind that this body just doesn't matter, but only holding your ground matters in that situation. 

 That doesn't mean that you fight, or resist being persecuted, because that is just what the enemy would have you to do. It means that you set your eyes on the Lord, gaze up into Heaven, and let out a smile! After all, they can take your body, but they can't take your soul.

 There are greater things ahead, for those who lose their heads...

"The first time I was brought before the judge, no one came with me. Everyone abandoned me. May it not be counted against them. But the Lord stood with me and gave me strength so that I might preach the Good News in its entirety for all the Gentiles to hear. And he rescued me from certain death. Yes, and the Lord will deliver me from every evil attack and will bring me safely into his heavenly Kingdom. All glory to God forever and ever! Amen." (2 Timothy 4:16-18 NLT)