Tag Archives: Lord Jesus Christ

There yet?

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My sin earned me nothing but death.  I coveted no lasting relationships, enhancements, allegiances, improvements or trust.  Nothing good ever came from any of my sins, except that it made me eligible for Christ’s offer of forgiveness, redemption to God and eternal life.  If by my acceptance of that forgiveness and pardon for my “sentence”, I agree to live an entirely different life, as a new man, what then are the implications if I continue on the same sinful path sans course correction?  What then does it say about my belief in that sacrifice if I lack obedience to direction or evidence of belief?  Does it diminish Christ’s surrender to God’s Hand of Judgment or perhaps does it nullify my access to aforementioned absolution?  If I truly believe that my sin earned me a death sentence, and I truly believe that Christ sacrificed His perfect life as ransom for my crime, would I not demonstrate requisite evidence of said belief via transformation through my future actions?  Have I determined to remain earning nothing for my continued sin, remaining in my original position?  Or have I been transformed into a new man, freed of the sentence for which I received pardon?  What is the price for backsliding, is it perhaps nil and only effectively mentioned to increase financial deposits or renewed vigor in service missions?  These submissions remain inconsistent with the warnings of Jude, James, Paul and other Apostles as to the costs of falling away from faith.

Does my imagination count?  Paul said that none of us can comprehend what awaits us through Grace in Glory.  I imagine that Adam had significant authority as he was tasked with naming all the animals and tending God’s creation in the garden.  My mind causes me to speculate if he even had the capacity to communicate and direct the animals.  What then are we to do in our tasks for the Lord throughout eternity?  Am I to be placed in charge of gardens on many planets, tending God’s creation as we were once originally intended?  You see Paul’s comments sponsor this type of grand speculation.  What does await us in eternity?  The Lord has always had purpose and intention for each of our lives, shall eternity be different?  In His plan I have always had a job to perform that fulfilled my spirit and utilized my specific talent for His Good Glory.  What then shall be my purpose in God’s New Heaven and New Earth.  I certainly do not wish to be sitting around strumming a harp, sitting on a cloud counting millennia, unless of course that is the job God has planned for me.  What then am I living for in this short but important life?  Am I looking forward to my place in eternity or am I attempting to capture legacy and glory on the practice field, before even entering the commencement of the “real” game?

Does what I do here in some measure limit the spectrum of options available throughout my place in eternity?  I won’t comment on that but I believe you may find evidence to support this concept, crowns, mansions, contact with God, etc.  I do not live for the accolades of glory but I know that we serve a God who loves us and remembers our fealty.  Spending eternity with God is enough for me, but I also know that He has always had a plan for this life, I have to assume He has one for the next.  Paraphrase from Proverbs; It is the nature of God to conceal a thing and the nature of kings to figure it out.  I delight in what God has waiting for us in heaven, I rejoice in the comfort that I will spend eternity with the faithful, free of sin, intimately acquainted with God.  That is what keeps me going through the storm, knowing that He has this all figured out and that somehow I am part of the winning team.  Rejoice in God through salvation in Christ Jesus.  Find joy and peace in kinship to Christ.  We have won by His victory over sin and death on the cross.  Rejoice, I say rejoice.  Thank you Jesus.

That seed

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A doubting man proclaimed to me that he couldn’t see inside the mystery as everything he’d heard of God made him stop and wonder why?  He had listened with ears you see, but all the time he couldn’t see, the glory in the story when Jesus chose to die.  This thinking man wracked his brain to the point of having mental pain but the depths of his analysis produced insufficient clues.  He looked for evidence in science and fact, yet never thought of how to react to the simplicity implicit to the Gospel News.

It is just so hard to see the light when all you’ve known is darkest night, when everything you’ve learned on faith had to be bought or sold.

So hard to let go of pride when logic, passion and evidence collide, forcing you to rethink every thing you believed or had been told.

This young man looked me in the face as if I were born in outer space, I could see the moorings of his ship were floating free from dockside.  His eyes were clear and he pretended to hear as the door to his dilemma suddenly flung open wide.  He reached inside his reserve of words, all that escaped were bats and birds, leaving him no alternative but to run and hide.  But he was caught as the truth was wrought and the universe revealed as I began to wield the Word of the Lord.  His shoes were stuck and his mind was sparked, his resistance had been locked and parked as I told him everything about my God that I’ve adored.

I did my job as a hired hand and planted the seed there in the sand, knowing that the Father would sprout to growth and flower.

That young man has been set free by the Lord of Lords who chose to use me as the vessel of His loving kindness through everlasting power.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2014/12/07/249256_suspected-israeli-war-jets-strike.html?sp=/99/117/&rh=1  Israel apparently has made good on their declared prohibition of the advanced Russian Missile System begin deployed in Damascus, Syria.  Read Ezekiel 38 and 39 and Isaiah 17, be educated on how all of this fits into Bible Prophecy.

The God of Order

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There is order to the universe.  There is gravity and erosion and molecular change throughout God’s creation,  placed in perfect balance, effect and process.  This order and our human desire toward averting or prohibiting chaos are reflections of the King who made us.  This order is reflected throughout the Bible.  His Word makes sense, even the perfect flowing design that effectively lays out the wonderment of God’s Plan for human kind.  There is one place where this order is so clear that even the blind may see evidence of God’s reflection.  We have but to look to the two commandments that Lord Jesus told us which all the law and the prophets depend, both regarding “love”.  As with any other idea created by the Lord this rests on orderly principles for understanding.

Lord please allow me to say this in a manner that is both correct and appropriate for describing Your intention.  We must first Love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, a love reserved for no one or no thing else.  Through our understanding of just how much God loves us especially/even when we were lost, broken, shaken, alone and wicked we begin to grasp the concept of unconditional love.  From this point we move to a similar understanding of self worth, based now entirely on the fact that if God loved us at our worst then we are in fact “worth” loving.  Learning at this point to love ourselves, because it feels good to be of value, a value that has been entirely established by God’s view of our worth, we start to understanding “how each of us wants to be loved”.  Having a solid grasp of this idea we can now see our way toward loving other people in such a manner, thus loving them as “we ourselves wish to be loved”.

All God’s teaching, demonstrates this same order and patience in “studying to show ourselves approved”  or “rightly dividing the Word of God”.  First we must read or hear a concept, spoken in God’s Word, this is the primmer for “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God”.  From that point it is entirely orderly to request more from God and seek answers, as is the nature of Kings, Proverbs.  It is orderly to hear a thing, study a thing, determine and choose to believe a thing and then take actions in life based upon that established belief.  We cannot believe what we first have not known.   Now as with Peter, there are orderly exceptions, faith in God may make us privy to ideas beyond our realm or station, but this is the orderly process of God in His reward of true faith.  If you seek Him You will find Him.  You cannot get more orderly, straight forward or simplistic than that.  Think on it, simple if-then statements are the most orderly formulaic concepts available in this world, if this then that.

I do not seek to serve God because I am odd, strange or simply hopeful of a different reality/universe.  I serve and love God because He loved me enough to leave me direction, providing order even where there is chaos.  Because of my relationship with God I am able to have PEACE in the midst of circumstances beyond any human control.  God gives me a semblance of His order to dissolve the frantic and fearful parameters of circumstance, taking my fear and replacing it with courage and victorious understanding.  Following Christ makes sense.  No amount of scientific pontification, charismatic oral presentation or repeated media implication/indoctrination will reduce the impact of God’s Orderly presence in the life of each Christian.  The enemy has been defeated in our lives, we have nothing to fear, even death has no hold upon our imminent future.  We have been sent free for eternity, and you know what that makes a whole lot of sense to me.  Choose Christ, choose order, receive life, forgiveness and freedom, a gift from the God of Order, Almighty God maker of both Heaven and Earth.  The one God, God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob, holder of Truth, Justice, Righteousness and Faith.  In Jesus’ Holy Name.

The day!

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Am I preparing for Christ’s return for His Church, tonight?  If not then I fail to comprehend, accept or contemplate the principle of imminence.  I also have become determined to overlook or ignore that Jesus continued to offer preparedness parables to the faithful.  Jesus, although He continually expressed the need to spread the Gospel, so that the lost would find salvation, He repeatedly offered teaching regarding, “being ready” to the saints.  Being ready for what, you ask?  Thank you for asking.  Being ready for His return for the Church.

Jesus’ second coming will be nothing if but spectacular, coming down from the clouds, the faithful behind, to speak into existence the level judgment of the disobedient and salvation to the Jews.  Why then did He continually remind the saints that “He would come like a thief in the night”?  Clearly He referred to two differing events, one a return to snatch the Church from the judgment to come, which they were not designated to suffer, the next a dynamic entrance to take back the deed to the Earth and pass judgment on the wicked.

The Lord will at some point come to remove the faithful.  I prefer to understand and obey His repeated calls to “readiness” as a Christian.  Current evidence in the powerlessness of the Church unfortunately cries out to the absence of the Holy Spirit within those who believe they are within the Body of Christ.  Since the Lord continually called us to have “oil in our lamps”, being filled, so that we might be found “ready” when the Master comes, then the answer to this questioned readiness resides in the filling of the Holy Spirit.  This was one of the Lord’s most frequent topics when teaching to believers.  It is essential that we seek to understand this teaching and take adequate steps in faith to making our hearts, minds and spirits ready for His coming.

I look forward to the Day of the Lord.  Not because wickedness will finally be dealt a resounding blow by the Creator, but because this world will finally accept that there is one Creator, who is the rightful ruler of all universes, to include mankind.  I weep the deception ever present in today’s discussion, I mourn those lost to pursue magic potions, divination and escapism, I crave a day when the truth is no longer argued and we can get about the business of doing the work without question.  I want to serve.  I don’t want to be king.  I don’t want to be God or be honored for how well I’ve worshiped His Glory.  That is where satan’s travesty began, probably accepting glory for how well he worshiped God.  My pride is just as dangerous.  May I lead you to the Cross where you may understand God’s eternal Glory and bask in His righteousness.  May I only exist to encourage you and love you in your travails.

I am sorry that the terrorist’s quest for peace with God has left them destitute, angry and misshapen.  I pray that the Lord our God, touches their hearts in such a way that the veil of hate is removed from their eyes and they may finally see their sin, so that they may be cleansed by the Blood of Jesus Christ the King.  I am sorry that God’s enemies had to suffer death at the hand of our soldiers, I only wish that they had found Jesus reflected in our hearts, words and faces before they found it necessary to enter in war against us.  May the fire of heaven rain down upon the enemies of God and may we find it in our hearts to forgive those who have brought misfortune, pain and death to our families.  Heal us Father, take from us the bitterness that leads to rage and separation from Your Everlasting Love.  Grant this Earth Peace.  Lord rebuke Your enemies if it is in Your Will to do so, and let us love them enough to forgive them and change their hearts forever through the Power of Your Love for mankind.  In Jesus’ Name.

Love them

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Love for God is forgiving them when they are stoning you for telling the truth about God.  Father, I look at the examples set by Bible believers, I see the models in the world today, giving their all, their lives, their families for Jesus and I cannot but feel ashamed.  I know that Christianity and being free of sin, law and the devil takes away the need for self recrimination or comparison, but I still feel bad when I see how little it is that I give.  So many times I want to love them but end up criticizing or worse yet forgetting to remind them how wonderful they are.  My dreams are of that day when I have done to others as You have done for us.  When does the self serving end in this walk toward Your likeness?

Father so many are hurting, even the elect are challenged by holding out as the world spirals, hoping that they are ready for Your return.  It is so hard to love in the midst of confusion and disarray, teach us to remain clear in our resemblance.  You did not come to hate, you did not come to criticize, you did not come to settle once and for all which set of rituals is proper for worship, learning or service.  You came to proclaim the truth and set the captives free, taking all the sins of humanity upon You.  If you did this even for the murderers, skeptics, hypocrites how then may I hold anything against those who simply think ill of me.  Forgive me for needing so much of Your attention in learning the same lessons over and over each day.  I guess I should start by stopping my own self judgment for I have been set free, once and for all of my shortcomings, my sins and my failings.  Maybe if I stop being so hard on myself, then the Spirit may teach me to be long suffering, tolerant and gentle to others.  Thank you for the struggle.  I have interacted with so many great people in my efforts to work out my salvation.

Praise You in Your Glory.  Jesus is King.

Decision, transition and maintenance

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Adam, Eve, Noah, Job, Abraham, Sarah, Lot, Jacob, Leah, Rachel, Joseph, Moses, Zipporah, Joshua, Rahab, Samuel, David, Solomon, Elijah, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Daniel, Esther, Nehemiah, Ezra, John the Baptist, Christ, Peter, Andrew, John, Matthew, Mark, Mary, Paul, Timothy, James, Jude.

Nothing happens until a decision/choice is made.  From the outset when our ancestors fell from God’s original intent it was accomplished through considered or rash choice.  Our walk has always been to the largest part, directly based upon the choices we have made and those choices are always; what God wants for our lives on one hand and what we want on the other.  There are no other positions in this life. Though many would wish to provide additional options, looking to the lives of each of the above named Biblical characters, the review produces a single analysis for reflection.  Each of these people were given God’s direction, law or wishes and made a decision as to whether they would comply or serve some other motivating force, emotion or god.  Once the choice was made each of these characters was faced with the subsequent circumstances based upon the previously declared decision.

Some transitioned into a long term life-style based upon their desire to serve God, keeping themselves set apart from the poisonous taints of this world, remaining in service to the King.  Others, whether out of misplaced fear or internal ambition chose to disobey God’s prophets, pursuing outcomes that inevitably brought them to significant episodes of danger, corruption, loss and eventual death.  The unmentioned factor throughout most of Man’s History is the collateral impact or damage that these choices did to siblings, families and descendants.  Offspring were often forced to endure years and some times centuries of brutality, inequality, struggle, exile and corruption because their ancestors chose to turn their faces from God’s Righteous Direction.  We are currently in such a transition with the bulk of humanity clearly struggling due to decisions made by our grandparents.  The quizzical component is that we also have the same “choice” to make for ourselves, separating each of us from the misinformed or poorly determined ancestral choices.  The unique Glory of God’s forgiveness and Grace through belief in Jesus Christ puts an immediate halt to the sins of our past, including those poorly made choices of our predecessors, freeing us to pursue God’s initial and remaining intent of maintaining our purity.

That has always been the struggle of the Earth.  Itself a crucible meant to lure away the passions of each man’s heart to the point of eventual freedom or corruption.  Again the same two choices remain.  The Lord has always commanded that we be the keepers of the Holy Fire, cleansing ourselves and remaining illuminated as the Lord’s beacon, beckoning humanity to the foot of God’s Throne.  All things associated with goodness in this world, kindness, purity, love, innocence, truth, character, patience and service, stem from their capacity to maintain exception from the self serving detractors involved with being entirely human.  We must gravitate toward Godliness through being cleansed, set apart, designated and remaining faithful by a power beyond the capacity of mortal or angelic influence.  Our decision, transition and purity is defined and commanded by God, all other choices are foolishness, leading to eventual and certain demise for us and our children.

Choose God through belief in His Son, Jesus Christ.  Be transformed by a renewing of your mind through Grace and sanctification.  Keep yourself pure, being filled with Spirit, shining His light, drawing the world to His truth in salvation of humanity forever.  Praise God in Jesus’ Name.

Take Care

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For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth.  Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you, knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me.  Moreover I will be careful to unsure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease. 

For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.  For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”  And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.  And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. 

But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who brought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.  And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.  By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber. 

For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them in to chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but save Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of ungodly; and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; and delivered righteous Lot who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)– then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority.  They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries, whereas angels, who are greater in power and might, do not bring a reviling accusation against them before the Lord. 

But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption, and will receive the wages of unrighteousness, as those who count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime.  They are spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you, having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls.  They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children. 

The Second Epistle of Peter 1-12 through 2-14 NKJV

  • Do not be negligent in your reminder of those things which God has made known for this life is short.
  • We do not follow fiction or fable, of these things remind yourself until the Holy Spirit fills your heart, for the Word of God is Holy Spirit delivered, not simply the interpreted soundings of men.
  • Beware of existing and coming false teachers who will blaspheme the Holy Spirit’s Word for their voluntary destruction is assured.
  • God has not changed and if He punished angels, cities of historical men by flood and fire then He will judge “all” of humanity especially those who foolishly speak ill of things they do not understand, corrupted by their own internal lusts.
  • Pity those who will be caught by their own unrighteous, but be aware they are among you and will corrupt those souls who are unstable in the faith.
  • Be aware of yourself and your surroundings.

Praise the Lord God for the Holy Spirit inspired direction leading us to and beyond the Cross where Jesus paid the price for all humanity.  Be free in forgiveness and faith.