"Something More!" - Once More

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Something More!" - Too

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Something More!"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Wherefore!" -To

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Wherefore!"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Things Which Cannot be Shaken" - 2

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Things Which Cannot be Shaken"

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

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

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

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

"Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything. For God in all his fulness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ's blood on the cross." (Colossians 1:18-20 NLT) 

"Shaking Things Up"

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Making Excuses" - Two

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Making Excuses"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"The Unshaken Kingdom"

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Better Things!" - Two

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

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

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

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

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

"Better Things!"

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

  "Don't worry about anything: instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7 NLT)

 There are some things that might not make any sense, even though we might have to do them anyways, it is just the way God works; mostly because, if we can do it ourselves, then He won't! Hopefully you can understand what I am talking about, because when we feal as though God wants us to do something, that might not make any sense, we will be sure to have a lot of people that will say, 'Don't!' 

 Paul is a good example of that, as he was told that he needed to go to Jerusalem, even though there were several people that wanted to kill him; he felt that God's way was the best, no matter what. As things where, it was God's plan to have him go to Rome, which was the hub of wheel, if you will; as the saying goes, "All roads lead to Rome." 

 Another thing that makes perfect sense, is that God's way is the only way; even if it looks like it does not work, it still works! If there was something that might make someone say, "That doesn't make sense," that might be the thing that makes people wonder, "How can that be?" 

 Looking at some of things Jesus did, the greatest was His death on the cross; as those who watched His death seemed overwhelmed, all of His followers were scared and totally heart broken. You can only imagine what they were going through and how they felt that it didn't make any sense! 

 Tonight I will be reading Isaiah 53 to my wife, which is the chapter that Isaiah describes the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Isaiah 52 was last night, which actually opens up to some of the details of what would happen in the last three verses...

"See, my servant will prosper; he will be highly exalted. But many were amazed when they saw him. His face was so disfigured he seemed hardly human, and from his appearance, one would scarcely know he was a man. And he will startle many nations. Kings will stand speechless in his presence. For they will see what they had not been told; they will understand what they had not heard about." (Isaiah 52:13-15 NLT)      

"Written in Heaven!" - Too

 "To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect," (Hebrews 12:23 KJV)

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

 On another note, hope is always something that we must keep alive in our hearts; it is not just a thing that we think about, as if it might happen, hopping it will be true: it is the truth, therefore it is not a matter of if, but it is the matter of when! When will this happen and give me the strength to endure!

 As most of you should know, I started this blog sharing about God's will, verses His perfect will; as if there was something that was a maybe involved in the things that might happen. Having said that, we really must understand something that is really hard to wrap our heads around: things might be maybes for us, as we don't really have a clue what God will or will not do; but God has no maybes in His plans and purposes! 

 With that, I will rest my case, saying that we must have faith and believe that we have been chosen, that He has chosen us to be with Him, and this is real, every bit of it, both the good and the bad; which will all one day be no more! We really must remember that this is not our true home anymore, that we are just pilgrim's waiting to go home...

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

"Written in Heaven!"

 "To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect," (Hebrews 12:23 KJV)

  "The Scriptures tell us, "The first man, Adam, became a living person." But the last Adam - that is Christ - is a life-giving Spirit. What comes first is the natural body, then the spiritual body comes later. Adam, the first man, was made from the dust of the earth, while Christ, the second man, came from heaven. Earthly people are like the earthly man, and heavenly people are like the heavenly man. Just as we are now like the earthly man, we will someday be like the heavenly man." (1 Corinthians 15:45-49 NLT)

 If you had a chance to read my post yesterday morning, early enough, then you might have witnessed a very strange paragraph that somehow has weird words with symbols and characters that made no sense, whatsoever. There was something going on that I can't explain, but I deleted that paragraph and upgraded the post. Every once in a while, I have strange things that happen while I am typing; which could just be my fault, so I won't make much more talk about it.

 The title of this post today involves something that I truly believe, with all my heart. It is something that I have understood almost less than a month after I was saved, back in 1981. I might have shared this before, but it is something that I believe is truth, so I will share it again. 

 On that day that I was born again, two very important things took place in my life: the first of which, was that I became a new creature! What that means, is that I was no longer the same, I had been changed in a moment; almost as if I felt like a massive weight had been taken off of me. Even though I was living in a Correctional Facility, I felt totally free! 

 I began to fellowship with other believers; having Bible Studies and praying with one another; going to church services whenever they might have taken place; I tried hard not to miss a single one. This was something I never quit, because I was filled with joy and had a peace I just couldn't explain. 

 Not more than couple weeks after my salvation, I had the duty of cleaning up the dorm; which was just a draw, not something I did all the time. As I was cleaning, I found this magazine behind one of the bunks, and I started looking at the pictures. That's all I will say about that; but I felt as though I had lost something and suddenly felt totally ashamed. 

 Then I found something out, that I have never forgotten! We all are vulnerable to sin, even though we have been changed, we still have to fight the beast and depend upon the Holy Spirit to help us! But when we do mess up, if we confess our sins, He is always faithful to forgive us! 

 Secondly, and most importantly! Our names are already written in Heaven! This is by far the most important thing we need to remember, no matter how hard things get, or how far you fall, your address in Heaven never changes! I heard this message from a dear saint, who has passed, that the Prodigal Son that Jesus spoke about in a parable, never lost his address; even though he lost his way, he was always able to go home...

"If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts." (1 John 1:8-10 NLT)  

"Deep Respect!" - To

"But ye are come unto Mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels," (Hebrews 12:22 KJV)

  "Then he asked them, "But who do you say I am?"" (Matthew 16:15 NLT) 

 Most of us know this question that Jesus asked His disciples, and what brought it on, as He asked the question regarding Himself, using the name that He made for Himself: "The Son of Man". When we read the Book of Ezekiel, this is what the LORD kept calling Ezekiel, many times He would ask or tell him things, showing him the heart of His people, and His great power to know everything! 

 When Jesus had crossed the lake, after having answered the demand from the Pharisees, "Show us a sign!", He gave them a sign that they needed to figure out on their own, saying, "Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign, but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah."" 

 Having been raised as a child in the religion that didn't believe that Jesus was God, most of the times there were comments from people that said He was God, really didn't make much difference, as the Bible that I had said He "was a god". Which pretty much meant, a lesser god; meaning He lacked all authority! 

 Anywho, when they had crossed the lake, the disciples discovered that they had forgotten to bring bread; and Jesus said, "Watch out!" Jesus warned them. "Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees." Then the disciples argued with each other because they didn't bring bread; but He knew what they were thinking. 

 This is not really about bread; and it isn't really about a miraculous sign; this is about GOD! When we really begin to understand that God is, Father, Son, and Spirit, then we can truly understand why Jesus came and hung on the cross to pay the price for our sins! Only a perfect sacrifice could do that; and only God is perfect! 

 Besides that, God is eternal, meaning that He cannot die! To those that cannot figure it out, the only way that God could die, (if that is what was needed, and it was,) was for God to be born on the earth as a man. Thus, Jesus called Himself, the Son of Man; not because He had an earthly father, because He did not; but the woman was made from man...

"Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can't see - such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together." (Colossians 1:15-17 NLT) 

"Deep Respect!"

 "But ye are come unto Mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels," (Hebrews 12:22 KJV)

  "Many of the people of Israel are now enemies of the Good News, and this benefits you Gentiles. Yet they are still the people he loves because he chose their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For God's gifts and his call can never be withdrawn. Once, you Gentiles were rebels against God, but when the people of Israel rebelled against him, God was merciful to you instead. Now they are the rebels, and God's mercy has come to you so that they, too, will share in God's mercy. For God has imprisoned everyone in disobedience so he could have mercy on everyone. Oh, how great are God's riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!" (Romans 11:28-33 NLT)

 Now, about that thing about fear of God; it is not that we are afraid of Him, because we know how much He loves us; and because He loves us, we know that He is for us; meaning that He wants us to make it through this journey, so that we will be united with Him, once all of this is over! There are some things that are hard to understand, mostly because His ways are sometimes too complex, they just cannot be figured out; and if we try, we will only be more confused, by the time we think we know the answer! 

 This thing about fear, is not something dreadful or a bad thing, but something that gives us reverence, awe, and respect, for the One who Created us...

"For who can know the LORD'S thoughts? Who knows enough to give him advice? And who has given him so much that he needs to pay it back? For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever. Amen." (Romans 11:34-36 NLT) 

"Inspiring Fear" - 2

 "And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:)" (Hebrews 12:21 KJV)

  "It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a holy throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. Attending him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two wings covered their feet, and with two wings they flew. They were calling out to each other; "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Heaven's Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!" Their voices shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire building was filled with smoke. Then I said, "It's all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the LORD of Heaven's Armies."" (Isaiah 6:1-5 NLT)

 Just to be clear, the whole thing about Cyrus was the LORD showing us that He can make things go the way that He chooses; even with those that don't even know who He is, He will make Himself known, one way or another! I truly believe that when I make it into Heaven, there will be many people that I didn't expect to be there, and some that I thought I would see, but they were not! 

 If you have been following this blog for a while, about 10 or so years ago, I was reading this portion of Isaiah 6; when I suddenly saw a vision in my mind about "The Train of His Robe," that filled the Temple. As I focused on the fabric of the robe, it wasn't a robe at all, but more like a wedding dress, which had a long train that filled the Temple. I discovered that there were patterns in the fabric, and I began focusing on the patterns; when I started to see people inside the woven fabric. As I looked closer, I could actually see a face, and the face was mine! 

 Talk about fear! I really didn't know what to think, whether it was good or bad! But after much trying to gather my thoughts, I determined that it was better to be there than anywhere else! The greatest thing we have to fear, is that of not making it into Heaven. I know that some people might doubt that Heaven is real, but it's mostly because they don't fully and completely believe that the Bible is real! 

 I believe that God has given us the Bible as a guide to know Him and truly believe that He is real! That every prophecy that was written, is not just to show us how He does things, but to prove that He knows what is going to happen, years and years before they even happen. 

 Besides that, I know He lives in me! He talks to me and walks with me; He knows everything about me! Just knowing that is enough to inspire fear; the kind of fear that makes me know He loves me...

"God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure. And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ - everything in heaven and on earth. Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan." (Ephesians 1:9-11 NLT) 

"Inspiring Fear"

 "And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:)" (Hebrews 12:21 KJV)

  "On April 23, as I was standing on the bank of the great Tigris River, I looked up and saw a man dressed in linen clothing, with a belt of pure gold around his waist. His body looked like a precious gem. His face flashed like lighting, and his eyes flamed like torches. His arms and feet shone like polished bronze, and his voice reared like a vast multitude of people. Only I, Danial, saw this vision. The men with me saw nothing, but they were suddenly terrified and ran away to hide. So I was left there all alone to see this amazing vision. My strength left me, my face grew deathly pale, and I felt very weak. Then I heard the man speak, and when I heard the sound of his voice, I fainted and lay there with my face to the ground." (Daniel 10:4-9 NLT)

 I really don't know what happened yesterday, except the verse I was using to share wasn't there! As I opened up the site this morning, it just wasn't there, yet I truly do remember typing it out; but regardless, I got it posted again; so there! 

 The first thing I wanted to share about this verse, was the point about Moses putting something over his face to hide the glory of the LORD'S light that shined on him, when he would come down from the mountain, after spending many days with the LORD. This is something people think was a thing Moses did so people wouldn't be amazed or astounded by the way he looked. Which may or may not be the reason that he did it. Truth be told, he covered his face, not so much because he didn't want anyone to see his face shine; but because he knew it would soon wear off...

"This is what the LORD says - your Redeemer and Creator. "I am the LORD, who made all things. I alone stretched out the heavens. Who was with me when I made the earth? I expose the false prophets as liars and make fools of fortune tellers. I cause the wise to give bad advice, thus proving them to be fools. But I carry out the predictions of my prophets! By them I say to Jerusalem, 'People will live here again,' and to the towns of Judah, 'You will be rebuilt; I will restore all your ruins!' When I speak to the rivers and say, 'Dry up!' they will be dry. When I say of Cyrus, 'He is my shepherd,' he will certainly do as I say. He will command, 'Rebuild Jerusalem'; he will say, 'Restore the Temple.' "" (Isaiah 44:24-28 NLT)   

"To Much To Bear" - Two

"For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart:" (Hebrews 12:20 KJV) 

"But suppose we seek to be made right with God though faith in Christ and then we are found guilty because we have abandoned the law. Would that mean Christ has led us into sin? Absolutely not! Rather, I am a sinner if I rebuild the old system of law I already tore down. For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me. So I died to the law - I stopped trying to meet all its requirements - so that I might live for God. My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die." (Galatians 2:17-21 NLT)

 Maybe this might help, if anyone might feel as though this doesn't make any sense. As the Bible has clearly shown us, there is nobody that is without sin! We all sin; some more than others! But God, who made everything, with the intension to make us holy, even though could never be holy on our own; has made the way for us to be perfectly holy: as white as snow! 

 This is really not something that we easily believe; most of us still feel guilt and shame for the things we have done; which is constantly something we think about, even though we believe that God has forgiven us. The hardest part in our journey, is to be able to forgive ourselves! Much like Paul, we are most likely always going to remember some of those things we have done; but that does not make us unable to believe that we have been forgiven; as a matter of fact, it keeps reminding us of God's great and powerful love and grace...

""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 eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. "There is no judgment 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. And the judgment is based on this fact: God's light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants."" (John 3:16-21 NLT)  

"Too Much To Bear"

"(For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart:" (Hebrews 12:20 KJV)

  "Obviously, the law applies to those to whom is 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 be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are." (Romans 3:19-20 NLT)

 It is pretty strange that some people can't actually believe that God has made this His plan all alone; some of the most misunderstood reasons that some believer's quit believing, is because they cannot except God allowed something to happen; which ends up causing them to give up. 

 This world has been in a fallen state ever since Adam ate of that forbidden fruit; and this was not God's fault! He knew that it would happen, only because He knows all things! There is nothing that He does that is a mistake or a something that He regrets doing; even though some might think He regrets making man! Genesis 6:6 gives many people that idea; but God's love for us is greater than we could ever understand; it broke His heart to do what He had to do, when He flooded the earth...

""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 if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ever gone heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven. And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life." (John 3:9-15 NLT)   

"Real Supplication"

 "And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more:" (Hebrews 12:19 KJV)

  "Dear friends, I am not writing a new commandment for you; rather it is an old one you have had from the beginning. This old commandment - to love one another - is the same message you heard before. Yet it is also new. Jesus lived the truth of this commandment, and you also are living it. For the darkness is disappearing, the true light is already shining." (1 John 2:7-8 NLT)

 Something to see, if you are still not convinced! There is a very special reason that God's had a plan for man to fail; it was not that He wanted man to fail; but because He already knew that it would happen. So, He prepared for mankind's redemption and eternal salvation. The Bible clearly shows us that the plan for Christ to pay the price for our sins, was planned for, even before the very beginning of creation. Therefore, we must also assume that God knew in advance that man would fail, making a way for real supplication! 

 If you don't know what that means, it is the action of asking or begging for something earnestly and humbly! With that, it was not the way things seemed during the fall, meaning once the sin of eating the fruit had happened. Adam and Eve were ashamed, as the Bible says, and they felt ashamed of their nakedness, because their sin caused death to something they had with God, something very special!

 The story does not reveal everything that went on after the fall, but there was real supplication from Adam and Eve; even though they refused to take the blame in the beginning. As I said before, Eve ate the fruit because she was deceived; but Adam ate the fruit knowing full well what he was doing. When he saw that Eve didn't die, he fulfilled his desire and ate the fruit with her; and everything changed! 

 The Bible says that they hid from God; supposably because they were naked; but truth be told, they lost something more important, which was fellowship and the Spirit of God...

"There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. "Rabbi," he said, "we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you." Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God." "What do you mean?" exclaimed Nicodemus. "How can an old man go back into his mother's womb and be born again?" Jesus replied, "I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life; but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don't be surprised when I say, 'You must be born again.' "" (John 3:1-7 NLT)  

"More Than a Feeling" - Too

 "For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest," (Hebrews 12:18 KJV)

  "This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid hands on you. For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline." (2 Timothy 1:6-7 NLT)

 Keeping up with the message from yesterday, it doesn't really matter how we feel, whether it is some kind of tingling sensation, burning of the bosom, or as some might call it, 'a check in my spirit'; feelings come and go, like the wind, they are caused by passion, desire, fear and rejection; among many other things that might change the heart. There really is a reason that the heart is so critical and hard to understand; the heart is pretty much the main character of the soul! 

 If there is anything I have discovered over this last couple of decades, it is that the heart is stronger than the brain; you can stay alive with a heart that still works, even though your brain doesn't work; but if the heart stops working, your dead! Trust me, I know what that looks like!

 Anywho, the thing about Adam and Eve, and the situation that caused the fall. We must know that there were real feelings involved in everything that went wrong in that garden; starting with Adam, even before God made Eve; who, by the way, was God's final creation; that is, until Jesus was born! 

 I have shared on this before, and it is something some don't agree with, but it is still something I believe was part of God's plan. Two things that took place before Eve was created: the first being was God telling Adam not to eat of a certain tree, the second was to name all the animals. Seems pretty simple; don't do this, and then, do this; something that causes want, which means, a passion or desire for something that he did not have.

 In other words, Adam saw something in all those animals he was naming, that he did not have, a female mate; something all of those animals had, a mate! Adam had to have thought, "Where is the mate for me?" If you don't understand what I am saying, don't worry about it, because many have not been able to get what I am trying to say. Want is something that we learn, based upon something that we do not have; and we don't know that we even need it, unless we discover that it's there. 

 There was something that Eve said to the serpent, while he was tempting her to eat that fruit, she said, "It's only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, 'You must not eat of it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.'" (Genesis 3:3 NLT) It is not what God said, but something either Adam told Eve, or something that she added unto want God said; maybe because she saw Adam touching and admiring the forbidden fruit. 

 No matter what, it was Eve who was deceived, but Adam knew exactly what he was doing! It felt good to do, until it was done...

"When Judas, who had betrayed him, realized that Jesus had been condemned to die, he was filled with remorse. So he took the thirty pieces of silver back to the leading priests and the elders. "I have sinned," he declared, "for I have betrayed an innocent man." "What do we care?" they retorted. "That's your problem." Then Judas threw the silver coins down in the Temple and went out and hanged himself." (Matthew 27:3-5 NLT)  

"More Than a Feeling"

 "For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest," (Hebrews 12:18 KJV) 

  ""Go out and stand before me on the mountain," the LORD told him. And as Elijah stood there, the LORD passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake there was fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire there was a sound of a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And a voice said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"" (1 Kings 19:11-13 NLT)

 Have you ever been ministered to by Morman Mistionary's? They have this certain thing that they do, as they share something with you, and then speak about the 'burning in the bosom,' as if that is a means of confirmation that what they are telling you is true. That might work for some, but those of us that know how God works, feelings are physical, meaning they are of the flesh, not of the Holy Spirit! 

 There is more to this than I can explain in a way that might make sense; but if we go back to the beginning, to Adam and Eve, and the fruit that they were told not eat, feelings were a big part of what caused them to do it anyway! You know that simple phrase: "If it feels good, do it!" This is more or less just something the devil uses to distract us from listening to God's voice...

"Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in the sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God's grace." (Romans 6:12-14 NLT) 

"Contrast of Sinai and Zion"

  "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: "If even an animal touches the mountain. it must be stoned to death." Moses himself was so frightened at the sight, 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 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 12:18-24 NLT)

"Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not; behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; he will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped." (Isaiah 35:3-5 KJV) 

 So, last night I was reading to my wife about Hezikiah's sickness; which reminded me of the beginning of this blog, having used that to illustrate God will, verses, God's perfect will. Having discovered several different points of view on that subject, I had reached the determination that God's will is always perfect; He never makes mistakes, and He is always working out His perfect plan, whether or not we even know what it is that He is doing.

 The thing about Hezikiah's sickness, which was a question of whether or not God changed His mind: it has been made abundantly clear to me that He worked everything out as planned. If you know the whole story, the 15 years that He gave Hezikiah were meant for something totally different; as the children of Israel were not keeping the command that God gave them for resting the land.

 It was Hezikiah's actions after being healed that put everything in motion; as it was, he had some Ambassadors from Babylon visit him, and he was showing off all the treasure; which set up the reason that Babylon would one day take all the treasure and exile his sons.

 With that, I was reminded yesterday about a certain thing the mother of John and James asked Jesus, that her two sons could sit, one on His left and one on His right, in His Kingdom. She was one of the women that were at the foot of the cross, when Jesus was crucified between two other men. In that moment, she felt glad that Jesus didn't grant her wish...

"But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able." (Matthew 20:22 KJV) 

 

"The Narrow Door"

"For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears." (Hebrews 12:17 KJV)

  "Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he went, always pressing on toward Jerusalem. Someone asked him, "Lord, will only a few be saved?" He replied, "Work hard to enter the narrow door to God's Kingdom, for many will try to enter but will fail. When the master of the house has locked the door, it will be too late. You will stand outside knocking and pleading, 'Lord, open the door for us!' But he will reply, 'I don't know you or where you come from.' Then you will say, 'But we ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.' And he will reply, 'I tell you, I don't know you or where you come from. Get away from me, all you who do evil.'"" (Luke 13:22-27 NLT)

 There are some things that are hard to understand, when it comes to repentance and forgiveness; the most important thing we sometimes neglect, is the part where we must for forgive, or else we cannot receive the forgiveness we think that we have! If you know the story of Jacob and Esau's birthright and blessing, then you should know how Esau pled for the blessing that Jacob had taken; yet he also had in his heart the desire to kill his brother Jacob, as soon as his father had died.  

 That might not seem like it was the same thing, as most of us really aren't planning to kill; but the real important thing we must understand, is hate, is pretty much the same...

""You have heard that our ancestors were told, 'You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment,' But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell."" (Matthew 5:21-22 NLT)  

"Don't Go There!"

 "Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright." (Hebrews 12:16 KJV)

  "When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outburst of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God." (Galatians 5:19-21 NLT)

 There are only so many things we can fall into that might cause us to turn and throw away this wonderful gift that we have been given; following the desires of our sinful nature is by far the biggest of them all! Sometimes there are some that fall away due to being hurt or disappointed with outcome or crushed by certain tragedy. Most of which, is curable, and there is always light at the end of that tunnel.

 But following the desires of our sinful nature, is the thing that causes certain disasters, the kind that make even the strongest of us, whither and fall away. I have witnessed this happen to several well-known people; it almost seems like the stronger they are, the harder they can fall. 

 Not that I have anything to boast about, because there have been times when the desires of my sinful nature caused me to go online, searching for things I thought would satisfy my craving. Just so you know, it doesn't work! We can never satisfy the cravings of our sinful nature! They only get stronger and want more and more, never are they satisfied; not until to turn away and beg for God's help! 

 Anywho, that's my confession; as most pretend to do, they make it seem as though they are not really hurting anyone; but truth be told, love is cheapened and hearts are broken; making it really hard to put the pieces back together again. But God...

"But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another." (Galatians 5:22-26 NLT)  

"Looking Diligently" - 2

 "Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and many be defiled;" (Hebrews 12:15 KJV)

  "Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other's burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself, you are not that important. Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won't need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct." (Galatians 6:1-5 NLT)

 Did you get a chance to watch the celebration in Washington D.C. Saturday night? If you missed it, there was something special that took place, where everyone had to leave due to weather. Some mingled on the streets, some went into the U.S. Agriculture Building, and some went into a double-wide trailer. The trailer was where many of the old soldiers were; the oldest was 107 and the youngest was 98. 

 Just something I thought was special to take part in, as there were several people who sang songs and spoke about the Lord; many of which were part of the entertainment for the event. To be perfectly honest, I felt as though each and every one of them were fellowshipping together; everyone enjoying the chance to be stuck in a room, having the opportunity to see each other in a new light. 

 Anywho; these are very interesting times we are currently in, as we celebrate the freedom we have as a Nation; that we have been somehow able hold together; but I feel we are being tested! If you don't know what I mean, it is the pride that makes us different; and the pride is also what will tear us down...

""Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land."" (2 Chronicles 7:14 NLT) 

"Looking Diligently"

 "Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;" (Hebrews 12:15 KJV)

  "If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn't love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God's secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but I didn't love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I had to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I don't love others, I would have gained nothing." (1 Corinthians 13:1-3 NLT)

 No matter what place you have in your walk with the Lord, you are responsible for everything that you do, or do not do; unfortunately, I believe that the latter is more important than the first! There is something we should know about that parable of the three servants; although they each had different amounts of money, they all three had the same amount of ability to share and increase what they had been given. 

 This might not be easy to share, but there many things we can do to serve the Lord; but if we are doing them to for self-esteem or popularity or worth, then we are messing the mark, and it is all worthless; it be tossed in the fire! Something we need to do, is to look at ourselves as servants, which takes away the thought of self, making every effort to love others, more than self; which is simple, but sometimes hard to do...

"Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever." (1 John 2:15-17 NLT) 

"Without Which" - Too

"Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:" (Hebrews 12:14 KJV)

  "Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body and spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God." (2 Corinthians 7:1 NLT)

 There is another illustration the Jesus made, regarding the last days and what it might look like to be left behind, "The Parable of The Ten Virgins." If you know that story, then you should know that there was five that had oil in their lamps, and five that did not have enough. Whatever that oil was meant to be, it was enough to make a difference in who goes and who stays! 

 I know this day of celebration is important to many people; there is really a good reason we can feel the need to celebrate the freedom we have to worship and share about Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior! We need to make it count, before that door is closed; because these are the last days, and we have only so much time to fill up our lamps! 

 I say this because there was another parable Jesus shared between the parable of the Ten Virgins and the parable of the Sheep and the Goats; that would be The Parable of the Three Servants...

""Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last - dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip.

 "The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more. The servant with the two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master's money."" (Matthew 25:14-18 NLT) 

"Without Which"

 "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:" (Hebrews 12:14 KJV)

  "When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely. Three things will last forever - faith, hope, and love - and the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:11-13 NLT)

 There are so many things being said in this verse we are looking at today, I tried to count all of the verses that are listed as cross-references, they are just too many to look up and explain the connection. These verses from 1 Corinthians 13 are the ones I already knew would be easy to compare; yet they are also complicated to put into action. 

 There was something that Jesus publicly said, regarding the sheep and the goats; which a parable that spoke about those who serve the Lord, and those who serve for themselves. That might seem like a quick and easy illustration of what this parable meant; but for the sake of time, it pretty much sums up why they were separated, those on the right, and those that were on the left...

""But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.

 "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.'

 "Then these righteous ones will reply, 'Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?' 

 "And the King will say, 'I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these brothers or sisters, you were doing it to me!'"" (Matthew 25:31-40 NLT)  

"The Body" - Too

 "And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed." (Hebrews 12:13 KJV)

  "But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God's love. And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives." (Jude 20-23 NLT) 

 Having a little experience in the way things can get out of hand in churches that have major breakups and serious judgment against leadership, I know that it is really hard to change people's mind, let alone, to get them to change their heart's. If you have been part of a church split, then you might not like what I have to say, because there really isn't any compassion or love that comes from those who take part in something that tears apart a fellowship; especially if it is all about nonsense and misunderstandings. 

 More than anything, I wish that people could just get along, no matter what differences they might have with one another; we all have different opinions on certain things; especially the things that might be about what we do or do not do; following the law, or whether your salvation can be taken away, if you might fall or get your name stricken from the Book of Life. 

 Much of what we fight over, has very little to do about loving one another; no one really feels like loving when they feel as though they have been offended or judged. What makes matters worse, is the spiritual warfare that takes place, without even knowing it! That is by far the biggest issue that is ignored, mostly because of cold, hard hearts. 

 This much is certain: We are all the body of Christ! If we fail to love one another as we should, then the body becomes sick and falls apart...

"Yes, the body has many parts, not just one part. If the foot says, "I am not part of the body because I am not the hand," that does not make it less a part of the body. And if the ear says, "I am not part of the body because I am not the eye," would that make it any less part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were and ear, how would you smell anything? But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. How strange a body would be if it had only one part! Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, "I don't need you." The head can never say to the feet, "I don't need you."" (1 Corinthians 12:14-21 NLT)

"The Body"

 "And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed." (Hebrews 12:13 KJV)

  "The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we share the same Spirit." (1 Corinthians 12:12-13 NLT)

 Shining a little different light on the weak and strong, this morning I felt that fellowship was most meant to be the topic of this verse. As it is, we are all part of the same body of believers, each and everyone us are filled with the same Spirit, serve the same God, and share with the same love, for one another; at least that is what it should be!  

 The point I feel that needs to be made, is all about those that are of the body which might be lame, that doesn't necessarily mean those that are crippled, but those that are not fitting in, or don't really know how to truly associate and fellowship with their brothers and sisters. They might be referred to as the weaker parts of the body, which are actually those that should get a little more attention. 

 Almost every church has certain groups that all hang out together and keep each other in fellowship; but it should be the way we treat everyone! Especially those who might seem timid or weak in their faith, as they might be turned out of the way, feeling as though they don't fit...

"In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary." (1 Corinthians 12:22 NLT)  

"Uncertain Affinity"

"Wherefore life up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;" (Hebrews 12:12 KJV)

  "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, but not from ourselves. We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies," (2 Corinthians 4:7-10 NLT)

 Very interesting affirmation of our condition, living in this world, yet not of this world! The title is not meant to be derogative or negative, in any sense. It is more about things which might seem unclear, yet still important. Really thinking what that looks like, is much like comparing the thought about being strong in the Lord; yet at the same time, we are meant to be weak. 

 It is a lot like that illustration of God telling us to move a rock that cannot be moved. We are too weak to move it, but we somehow get stronger by trying. And in the end, it is only when we ask God to help, that the rock gets moved...

"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 12:8-10 NLT) 

"A Call to Listen to God"

  "Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord. Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many. 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." (Hebrews 12:12-17 NLT) 

  "Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD. Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways. Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently. O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes! Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments. I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments. I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly." (Psalms 119:1-8 KJV)

 There comes a time when we must evaluate our ability to listen to God; not as if we don't listen to Him, but that when we hear Him speak into our hearts, we actually do what He says! Looking at the things, we know God wants us to do, but not doing what He wants, not only causes us to feel ashamed, but we lose out on God's blessings and the peace of knowing we at least try to obey. 

 Maybe this sounds a little legalistic, almost as if we are meant to follow the law, making the law the thing that is giving us the righteousness that God wants to see? I wish that could be the case; because I know full well that the law saves no one; the law is there to show us how sinful we really are, so that we can know how desperately we need Jesus! 

 This is not about the law, as in following a rigorous set of rules; it is about being a servant and paying attention to what the Master says and doing it! Happy is the one who walks in His instructions...

 "Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word. With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes. With my lips I declared all the judgments of thy mouth. I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches. I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways. I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget your word." (Psalms 119:9-16 KJV) 

"Nevertheless!" - Too

 "Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." (Hebrews 12:11 KJV)

  "But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!" (Galatians 5:23-24 NLT)

 Thinking of this in a simple way, we also have a Helper that gives us help when we go through the fire, whatever that might be; as it goes, "it is simple, but it isn't easy." If that doesn't make sense to you, it isn't really that complicated to figure it out. God doesn't give us complex issues or things we can't figure out; His commands, laws, and principles are very simple to understand; they are just not easy to always obey, especially when we don't want to! 

 The whole reason that He needs to chasten us, is always to get us going in the right direction! I can recall something a loved to do as a kid, with these rectangle magnets I had; which was to put them on my desk and push one around the table with the other. But when I flipped the one in my hand in the other direction it would pull the other magnet and lock together, and they would both be one. 

 Using that illustration might not make sense, but when you are really going through a very serious trial or circumstance, you really feel as though your being pushed further away from God, until all you have left is to turn around and surrender to His open arms...

"This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Isreal, says: "Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it. You said, 'No, we will get our help from Egypt. They will give us swift horses for riding into battle.' But the only swiftness you are going to see is the swiftness of your enemies chasing you! One of them will chase a thousand of you. Five of them will make all of you flee. You will be left like a lonely flagpole on a hill or a tattered banner on a distant mountaintop." So the LORD must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the LORD is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for his help." (Isaiah 30:15-18 NLT)  

"Nevertheless!"

 "Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." (Hebrews 12:11 KJV)

  "Therefore, since we have been made right in God's sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God's glory. We can rejoice too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance." (Romans 5:1-3 NLT)

 Now, about yesterday's post, although it was short, I had many more things to say but didn't feel like I had the time to say them; as it was, I overslept and needed to start getting ready for work. Even my time of prayer was somehow cut in half: what usually took an hour, was completed in less than 30 minutes. Not sure how that happened, except to say, I must have had some kind of help. 

 One of the things I wanted to share, concerning the Father's hand, was what He planned, from the very beginning, and how willingly the Son went through with it. We know from the Matthew's word, that He was overwhelmed with sorrow in the Garden of Gethsemane, sweating blood, as He pleaded with the Father, praying, "My Father! If it is possible let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine." (Matthew 26:39 NLT) 

 The thought of what Jesus was willing to go though, must have become exceedingly grewsome, as it was time to suffer through that which He knew would happen, for thousands of years! He had told the ones that followed Him several times, but it was spoken as if it was not that big of a deal; almost as He told them of Lazarus' death, as if it wasn't a big deal and it was all going to be alright. 

 Nevertheless, when it came time for it to fall into place, the suffering He was about to go through was overwhelming and Jesus, the Man, meaning the flesh which He walked in, was about to be torn and put to death. As I thought about that yesterday morning, it was more that I could take just trying to imagine what it was like. 

 That was pretty much the reason for my quick change to share about the wonderful outcome, to a very complex and grewsome plan; seemingly, something my stepdad would say, just before I was given the paddle, "This is going to hurt me, more than you." I say this, only because the Father didn't answer...

"Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you. He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun. Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for him to act. Don't worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their schemes." (PSALM 37:5-7 NLT)  

"The Father's Hand" - To

 "For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure: but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness." (Hebrews 12:10 KJV)

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

 I can recall the musical play that came to our church, back in the early 90's, the play was called, "Toy Maker and Son." As John puts it, in his writing, "In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1) To be honest, the whole thing about us being 'toys' was a little much, but the play was pretty good. As it really goes, God said, "Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us." (Genesis 1:26a) 

 There is only so much that we can really imagine, based upon what we read in the Bible; but this much is sure: When we get there, things are going to be overwhelmingly amazingly perfect...

"I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, "Look, God's home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever."" (Revelation 21:3-4 NLT)   

"The Father's Hand"

 "For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness." (Hebrews 12:10 KJV)

  "This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault." (Colossians 1:21-22 NLT)

 More than ever, there is a certainty that these surely are the last days; mostly because Jesus said that we needed to be ready; and if there could be any better signs than what I see happening in this world, this is the time to make ready! That doesn't mean we shut ourselves up and isolate ourselves from the world; because Jesus clearly said that two would be working, meaning that we continue with what we do; but one will be taken, and the other one left. (Mathew 24:40) 

 Anywho, this word for 'profit' that is very close to that of 'partakers' in the verse ten; as it is, there is a form of fellowship in both of the translations. This might sound too easy to believe, but God's whole purpose in creating us was to have fellowship with us. As I have said several times before, true fellowship was not available between us and Him, even in the very beginning. He might have been able to visit Adam in the Garden, but Adam wasn't holy enough to visit Him in heaven. 

 We must understand that Jesus was planned to come and pay the price for our sins, even before the world was made; therefore, God already knew in advance that we were flawed and would sin. Why else would He place a tree in the middle of the Garden, to give Adam a reason to sin or not sin? That was the whole reason it was named: "The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil."

 We must also know that tree will not be in Heaven; but the Tree of Life will be! God's perfect plan to make it possible to have fellowship with His children...

"For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God's wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ. Yes, Adam's one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ's one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous." (Romans 5:17-19 NLT)  

"Our Good Good Father"

 "Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?" (Hebrews 12:9 KJV)

  "The LORD is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. He does not punish us for all of our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. The LORD is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust. Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die." (PSALM 103:8-15 NLT)

 So, I really never had a father growing up; I had a stepfather, but most of the time we didn't get alone; to say the least. My mother and my real dad separated before I was two, and I really didn't meet my real dad until he came with my mother and my aunt to visit me in Fire Camp, when I was about 16, going on 17. I think the visit was meant to be some sort of an intervention, as they were trying to stop me from being a life-long criminal.   

 Not that my stepdad didn't try to correct me, because he did. He worked at a plant where they made things like plastic glass, so he brought home paddles that he made; some of them had holes, just for me. By the time I was 12, we really didn't get along at all. When I came home one night, around 11:30 or so, the lights were off, and he was waiting for me to show up. As I walked through the living room, he hit me square in the face; I had a broken nose and two black eyes. 

 That was pretty much the last straw; as it was, he went to jail, my mother had a nervous breakdown and was hospitalized; and my sister and two younger brothers were placed in juvenal hall. But I was on probation, and my probation officer didn't think it was a good idea for me to be locked down, so I lived at my girlfriend's house, for a few weeks. 

 I know I have shared this before, but I truly believe my Heavenly Father was always there, keeping a close eye on me. I truly believe that the Father knows who His children are, long before they ever even know Him. So, the way I see it, He knows us already, waiting patiently for us to surrender...  

"You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous - how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day has passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can't even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!" (PSALM 139:13-18 NLT)