“IMAGE!”

Genesis 1:26-27                                         (ESV)

“And GOD said, Let US make man in OUR “IMAGE”, after OUR likeness: and LET THEM have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.  So GOD created man in HIS OWN IMAGE, in the image of GOD created HE him; male and female created HE them.” 

One problem with “this world” is it always seems to want to “classify” others, but never wants to be one who is “classified”!  Whether wealth or lack of wealth, racial makeup, physical or mental stability, or any other way to “DIVIDE” us, all “this world” wants to discuss is our differences.  We are ALL CREATED in HIS “likeness”, but none were created to be a god!  

When ALMIGHTY GOD Created us, Genesis 1:26-27 says “And GOD said, Let US make man in OUR “IMAGE”, after OUR likeness: and LET THEM have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.  So GOD created man in HIS OWN IMAGE, in the image of GOD created HE him; male and female created HE them.”  We are only HIS “IMAGE”, not HIS EQUAL!!!  The only division GOD ordained was “male and female created HE them”, and that is the one division “this world” would LOVE to do away with!  

Just like man can’t change what race he/she is born as, we cannot determine what gender we are.  GOD will not be swayed by man’s actions nor his desires, it cannot happen!  If I “decide” that I want to become something that I am not, I make myself out to be wiser than our CREATOR, which is exactly what satan did in Genesis 3:4-5.  And evidence of how that turned out is plain to SEE for those who have had their EYES opened (Luke 24:31)!

GOD IS HOLY, and I am NOT!  You are NOT!  Nobody ever born in the bloodline of Adam and Eve is HOLY!   JESUS was born when the power of the HOLY SPIRIT (Luke 1:35-38) came over her and she carried the GIFT OF GOD inside her body until “the time came for her to give birth” (Luke 2:6) and GOD became flesh (John 1:14)!  The “god of ‘this world’” (2 Corinthians 4:4) is “blinding the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the LIGHT of the gospel of the glory of CHRIST, WHO is the image of GOD”.  I share these words in an effort to help “this world” SEE that we are NOT GOD ALMIGHTY, rather simply an “IMAGE” of HIM, and we don’t need to be misled like Adam and Eve!  

“EXAMINE YOURSELVES!”

2 Corinthians 13:5-6                                  (ESV)

“5 “EXAMINE YOURSELVES”, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that JESUS CHRIST is in you?-unless indeed you fail to meet the test!

6 I hope you will find out that WE have not failed the test.”

How many times do we schedule an appointment at a doctors office and expect the doctor to perform a examination that is uncaring about a diagnosis of what is wrong with us?  Most of the time we want to find out what is causing our symptoms, and we expect the doctor to do whatever they can to find why OUR BODIES aren’t doing what we believe they should be doing.  But, with very few exceptions, these BODIES are built to last MAYBE 100 years and then they expire.  

It is rather obvious that MOST people prefer to examine others actions with a magnifying glass, while their own actions are observed with a telescope, if at all!  There is something about the human “nature” (natural man) that doesn’t want to discuss its own mortality and weaknesses, but we will discuss others imperfections AT LENGTH, whether SPIRITUAL or physical.  

The most glaring example of this in my life is my weight.  Being “BIG RAY” has become part of who I am.  I even own a vanity license plate that is “BIG RAY”!  Being 6’6” tall, it is real easy to say I’m just big boned.  But the “extra baggage” that I carry can’t be a testimony to anything Holy in my life?  I must “EXAMINE YOURSELVES” and make changes to improve my health, and therefore my life!  My body will NOT live forever, (Hebrews 9:27) and I look forward to a Heavenly body one day, but I must do a better job of caring for this TEMPLE the LORD has entrusted me with until then.

Unlike our earthly bodies, our SPIRITS will live for eternity!  Where our SPIRIT will spend eternity is something we must “EXAMINE YOURSELVES” and determine.  Either we will live forever WITH JESUS in Heaven, or live in ETERNAL TORMENT in hell. You can’t do anything about someone else’s body not being taken care of, and you certainly can’t do anything about someone else’s SPIRIT not being taken care of.  Scripture instructs us to “EXAMINE YOURSELVES”, not examine everyone else, because we don’t have the power to help them, only ourselves!!!!

“MY GLORY I WILL GIVE TO NO OTHER!l

Isaiah 42:8                                                  (ESV)

“I am the LORD; that is MY name; “MY GLORY I GIVE TO NO OTHER”, nor MY praise to carved idols.”

Not long ago I was wanting to MAKE SURE that I was hearing from GOD, mainly that I wasn’t missing HIM speaking to me.  As much “trouble” as I have been through, I didn’t want to have to be taken to the proverbial woodshed again physically, Spiritually and mentally, just because I was TOO BUSY to hear from GOD!  C.S. Lewis is one of my favorite authors, and in the book THE PROBLEM OF PAIN he writes, “We can ignore even pleasure. But pain insists upon being attended to. GOD whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, BUT SHOUTS IN OUR PAINS: it is HIS megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”

When the children of Israel were practically “ran out” of Egypt, GOD had caused SO MUCH GRIEF to the Egyptians that the Israelites “plundered” (Exodus 12:35-36) the Egyptians as they left, with the blessings of the Egyptians!  Yet, in Exodus 14:4, scripture records “And I (GOD) will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue them, and I WILL GET GLORY over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I AM THE LORD." And they did so.”  In Exodus 14:10, the Israelites were on the banks of the Red Sea observing the Egyptians closing in on them and “THEY FEARED GREATLY” thinking they were still under control of their enemy, even though GOD had earlier said that I WILL GET GLORY over Pharaoh and all his host!!!

But have we learned anything in the time since?  GOD’s WORD tells us that “MY GLORY I GIVE TO NO OTHER”, yet we seem to do everything we can to build earthly treasures, eventually that will rust and be destroyed in the end.  C.S. Lewis understood that ALMIGHTY GOD sometimes uses tragedies for HIS GLORY!  We are not created to be glorified, but to GLORIFY HIM.  Our wealth and prosperity will never satisfy us, nor will it buy our way into PEACE and contentment.  We can only experience PEACE and contentment by GLORIFYING GOD ALMIGHTY.  

Recognizing that “MY GLORY I WILL GIVE TO NO OTHER” does not include me being elevated to a lofty position while I am here on this earth.  GOD elevated us with JESUS (Ephesians 2:6) “and seated us with HIM in heavenly places” because of HIS great love for us, so why should we desire temporary gains?  Just like the children of Israel were promised by ALMIGHTY GOD to be delivered from the Egyptians, we have been promised an eternity with HIM!  JESUS prayed in John 17:23 “The glory that YOU have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as WE are ONE”.  “MY GLORY I WILL GIVE TO NO OTHER” can only be shared by we who are HIS.  Are you HIS???

“SPIRITUAL FORCES OF EVIL!”

Ephesians 6:10-12                        (ESV)

“10 Finally, be strong in the LORD and in the strength of HIS might.

11 Put on the whole armor of GOD, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

12 For we do not wrestle against FLESH AND BLOOD, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present DARKNESS, against the “SPIRITUAL FORCES OF EVIL” in the heavenly places.”

It is so easy to falsely identify who “the enemy” is and what kind of battle we are involved in.  Blaming a political party, or a certain race of people, the rich people, the poor people, a flawed education system, and big money hungry corporations are just a few of the tools used by “the enemy” to accomplish his work, and we are kept SOOO BUSY at the pace this world operates that we fail to identify who is causing the havoc we are experiencing.   And I am one of the world’s worst at recognizing and identifying “the enemy”, even though I have studied about him for years, and in depth at times!  

FLESH AND BLOOD is NOT our enemy!!!  The devil wants to shift our focus to something other than the true culprit, but our battle, struggle, our warfare is against “SPIRITUAL FORCES OF EVIL” in heavenly places!  It is EXTREMELY tempting to blame FLESH AND BLOOD, as we most often are used by satan, partly because we do not recognize and identify him. Once that is accomplished, he is defeated because “greater is HE WHO is in you, than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4)!  Allowing “the enemy” to camouflage himself is the most effective tool “the enemy” has at his disposal, and we generally are SO easily swayed, even complicit!

Being able to recognize and identify “the enemy” is crucial to living a victorious LIFE IN JESUS!  Allowing satan to hide behind the actions of people or circumstances is precisely what he prefers!  Don’t allow him to trick you like he did Eve in the Garden of Eden.  The “SPIRITUAL FORCES OF EVIL” in heavenly places are who we are wrestling with, and we need to recognize and identify that!!!

“ALL THINGS!”

Colossians 1:15-20                      (ESV)

“15 HE is the image of the invisible GOD, the FIRSTBORN of ALL creation.

16 For by HIM “ALL THINGS” were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-“ALL THINGS” were created THROUGH HIM and FOR HIM.

17 And HE is before all things, and in HIM “ALL THINGS” hold together.

18 And HE is the head of the body, THE CHURCH. HE is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, THAT IN EVERYTHING HE MIGHT BE PREEMINENT.

19 For in HIM all the fullness of GOD was pleased to dwell,

20 and through HIM to reconcile to HIMSELF “ALL THINGS”, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of HIS cross.”

Recently the SPIRIT OF GOD has been dealing with me about the majesty and magnificence of GOD, just how much HE is, and how much I am not!  We seem to display through our actions that the surroundings we are exposed to is “our world”, and nothing else should matter?  

Well, here is a NEWS FLASH, “ALL THINGS” were CREATED THROUGH HIM and FOR HIM.  HE is the FIRSTBORN of ALL CREATION and we have the awesome privilege of living our physical lives for a brief span, reflecting HIS Image and demonstrating HIS grace.  Some of us are “called out” of the darkness into HIS marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9), and some have yet to SEE the LIGHT, until Judgement Day when everything will become visible (1 Corinthians 3:13).  

It is my desire for everyone to have their EYES opened and to be able to SEE the things of the SPIRIT, but only GOD can do that (Luke 24:13-35) and HE has shown me many times that HE doesn’t need me to help HIM!  HE made “ALL THINGS” and HE made us for HIS Glory.  We are here to Glorify HIM and to evangelize “this world”!  We should leave “ALL THINGS” other than these to HIM!  

Jeremiah 28:2-4

 Jeremiah 28:2-4                          (ESV)

“2 "Thus says the LORD of hosts, the GOD of Israel: I HAVE BROKEN THE YOKE OF THE KING OF BABYLON.

3 Within two years I will bring back to this place all the vessels of the LORD's house, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place and carried to Babylon.

4 I will also bring back to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the exiles from Judah who went to Babylon, declares the LORD, for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon."

“I HAVE NOT COME TO BRING PEACE!”

Matthew 10:34-39                                     (ESV)

“34 "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. “I HAVE NOT COME TO BRING PEACE”, but a sword.

35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.

36 And a person's enemies will be those of his own household.

37 Whoever loves father or mother more than ME is not worthy of ME, and whoever loves son or daughter more than ME is not worthy of ME.

38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow ME is not worthy of ME.

39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for MY sake will find it.”

it is extremely dangerous to “carve-out” selected scripture and build a theology out of what a few verses say, especially when they are taken out of context.  Personally speaking, I know for certain that JESUS brought PEACE to my heart and life. Isaiah 9:6 says that JESUS shall be called “The Prince of PEACE”!  Yet JESUS says in Matthew 10:34 “...”I HAVE NOT COME TO BRING PEACE”, but a sword.”  Is the BIBLE contradicting ITSELF?  What more can you add when JESUS HIMSELF is saying “I HAVE NOT COME TO BRING PEACE”???

Since my testimony is that JESUS brought my life PEACE, is HE choosing to whom HE brings PEACE, and to whom HE brings a sword?  HE definitely delivered PEACE to me as late as April 2017 when I was faced with open-heart surgery.  But HE was crucified by “this world” 2,000 years ago and so one would think that PEACE wasn’t to be found in those actions?  But at the same time, Scripture indicates HE gave Pilate no answer, not even to a single charge, basically sealing HIS fate in Calvary!  

JESUS is HOLY, more than HE is anything else.   “The enemy” is anything BUT holy!  When the two factions are represented, there is going to be conflict.  The “war” has already been won by JESUS, however the enemy still has to be sentenced to his eternal reward. Everyone who doesn’t cry out to JESUS will join him in hades.....for eternity!  

While JESUS is the PRINCE OF PEACE, HE came to defeat satan and his lawlessness.   Satan and those who fail to call on JESUS as LORD will definitely experience NO PEACE in their eternity.  Being HOLY is being SET APART from others.  When JESUS sets those apart into eternity in hell, it will be PLAIN to SEE that “I HAVE NOT COME TO BRING PEACE”!!!

“HAVE FAITH IN GOD!”

Mark 11:22                                     (ESV)

“And JESUS answered them, "HAVE FAITH IN GOD.”

It has been said by many (probably most) parents, “...because I said so”!!!  When we say these words to our children, we probably just don’t want to be bothered with explaining to our children why they have to do what they have been told.   ALMIGHTY GOD is SOVEREIGN and we shouldn’t expect an explanation as to why HE acts, or is going to act, however HE chooses.  But we are made “in HIS image”, which might explain why some think they are god!!!

ALMIGHTY GOD, on the other hand, knows that we “can’t handle the TRUTH” at times and we need to “HAVE FAITH IN GOD” to lead us on our journey.  There are times where we try to “do what is best” IN OUR OWN MINDS usually leading us directly INTO A STORM!  

When the Children of Israel left Egypt following 430 years of captivity, GOD did not lead them through the quickest and shortest route to the Promised Land.  Instead HE led them on a 40 year pilgrimage through the desert, the Red Sea, and difficulties beyond imagination SO HE COULD BE GLORIFIED!  Regardless of what prosperity preachers want you to believe, life is not about humans having an easy life.  History reflects that all but one of the disciples of JESUS died a martyrs death!  As we have moved through history, many have been brutally tortured and eventually put to death all because “this world” still wants to “snuff out” the Gospel!

It is easy to say that we believe in GOD.   James 2:19 says “You believe that GOD is ONE; you do well. EVEN THE DEMONS BELIEVE-AND SHUDDER!”  But to “HAVE FAITH IN GOD” when the guillotine is falling on your neck, not that GOD will stop the guillotine, but that HE will be Glorified, is what we are commanded to do.  The same GOD that allowed the Israelites to be held captive for 430 years is the GOD WHO got Glory over Pharaoh and all his hosts in Exodus 14:4!  “HAVE FAITH IN GOD” and trust HIM with the results!!!!

Are you tired of “WALKING IN DARKNESS “???

There is a great discussion about how to stop the madness known as school shootings.  We try and try to find an answer, because nobody wants to see defenseless children brutalized by a deranged killer.  

In John 8:12 says “Again JESUS spoke to them, saying, "I am the LIGHT of the world. Whoever follows ME will NOT WALK IN DARKNESS, but will have the LIGHT of life."

THE ANSWER IS JESUS!!!  Unless “this world” returns to the LIGHT, we will continue drifting into darkness.  This answer may not be the one a lot of people are wanting to see, but HE never has been what “this world” is looking for.  

JESUS PROMISED “Whoever follows ME will NOT WALK IN DARKNESS”!  You can “cease striving” (Psalms 46:10 NASB), the answer is right in front of your eyes!  Mankeind WILL NEVER find anything that will satisfy the question that can only be answered by ONE, and that is JESUS!!!

“BY YOUR WORDS!”

Matthew 12:33-37                       (ESV)

“33 Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. 

34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.

36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for EVERY CARELESS WORD THEY SPEAK,

37 for “BY YOUR WORDS” you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." 

Today these scriptures require little expounding to give me the direction that I need.   There are times in my life when I have been “quick” to make a joke about someone or something without considering whether or not my WORDS were going to edify or hurt!  And there are MANY times that I have been compelled to seek forgiveness because of my sharp, even mean-spirited remarks.  Those times are when I have been condemned “BY YOUR WORDS”!!!

Forgiveness is a strange thing.  It has been said that “a cut will heal, but very often it leaves a scar”!  It is amazing how when I was younger the practice of berating someone we used to call “cutting down”.  How many times have I left a scar when I was just trying to get a laugh??  Maturity has brought a realization that those scars, although healed, never go away!  

Having a tree that consistently produces fruit intended for anything but Glorifying JESUS should be a tremendous concern for a Believer!  Of course, we can’t understand the things of the Spirit if our EYES haven’t been OPENED to them (1 Corinthians 2:14-16)!  Unless you have a desire to SEE the things of the Spirit, you cannot HEAR or SEE from HIM!  My prayer is that my actions will reflect HIS presence in my life and “BY YOUR WORDS” I will be known as a follower of CHRIST!!!

“OUR SUFFERINGS!”

2 Corinthians 1:7-9                       (ESV)

“7 Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in “OUR SUFFERINGS”, you will also share in our comfort.

8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of THE AFFLICTION we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we DESPAIRED OF LIFE ITSELF.

9 Indeed, WE FELT that we had received the SENTENCE OF DEATH. But that was to make us rely NOT ON OURSELVES BUT ON GOD who raises the dead.”

With all of the conversation being spoken about the so-called “Prosperity Gospel”, it makes it difficult to expound on these scripture verses, especially at a time when  Divine Intervention is needed as the banks of the Red Sea are in sight.  When the Apostle Paul (known then as Saul) was “called” into the “marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9), JESUS said to Ananias in Acts 9:15-16 “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of MINE to carry MY name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.  For I will show him how much HE MUST SUFFER for the sake of MY name."  Surely the CREATOR was more aware than anyone about “OUR SUFFERINGS”???

Now certainly Scripture is filled with a bunch of people who GOD used who experienced earthly wealth.  Immediately, Abraham, King David and his son King Solomon comes to mind when one considers earthly possessions?  King David dreamed of building a temple, and King Solomon was used to build the temple, a masterpiece in honor of ALMIGHTY GOD.  

But great wealth has a drawing to self glorification, and GOD doesn’t share HIS GLORY (Isaiah 42:8) with anyone!  Maybe that is why HIS Word says in the first three Gospels that WE MUST DENY OURSELVES to follow HIM?!?  Being placed in difficult places so HE can be Glorified can be a FAITH CHECK, instead of a GUT CHECK!  We can talk about GOD being GOD, but “walking by FAITH” must sometimes entail not knowing where where your “manna” is coming from?  Even Paul says in 2 Corinthians 1:9 that WE FELT that we had received the SENTENCE OF DEATH, but GOD delivered  them from the bondage they were in.  

Unless the return of JESUS comes rapidly, we must prepare for “OUR SUFFERINGS” to continue to manifest themselves and for HIM TO BE GLORIFIED!  We may not relish the thought of going through a purifying fire, but as long as JESUS gets to deliver us from the fire, we should Glory in that HE is magnified.  Romans 8:18 says “OUR SUFFERINGS” of this present time are not worth comparing with the Glory that is to be revealed to us”.  Don’t forget that!!!

“SHE IS A SINNER!”

Luke 7:36-40                                (ESV)

“36 One of the Pharisees asked HIM to eat with him, and HE went into the Pharisee's house and reclined at table.

37 And behold, a WOMAN OF THE CITY, who was A SINNER, when she learned that HE was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment,

38 and standing behind HIM at his feet, weeping, she began to wet HIS feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed HIS feet and anointed them with the ointment.

39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited HIM saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, HE would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching HIM, for “SHE IS A SINNER”."

40 And JESUS answering said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." And he answered, "Say it, Teacher." 

This passage of scripture is so rich with “nuggets” that can’t be overlooked that this devotional will be quite lengthy.  I’ll apologize up front to you who are like me, with a very short attention span, but The SPIRIT is saying too much that I cannot ignore!  

To begin with, “One of the Pharisees” immediately brings to mind those who were of the establishment, or the “temple religion”.  The Pharisees were known for STRICT adherence to “the law” and living by the rules that man added to “the law”.  Generally, they were not recognized as followers of CHRIST, for they would have to humble themselves to do that and that was something that was foreign to them!  “Denying themselves” (Matthew 16:24) wasn’t on the “to do” list of the Pharisees, not were they interested in serving anyone!  “They thought” they were the elite religious leaders of the time who should be consulted to determine just who was going to Heaven, instead of allowing GOD to be GOD!  

On the other hand we have “a WOMAN OF THE CITY, who was A SINNER”!  She approached JESUS from behind and washed HIS feet with her tears and then anointed HIS feet with ointment.  Humbling herself before JESUS was not an issue for her.  She knew who she was......... AND she knew WHO HE was!  

When your EYES are opened to SEE the Sovereignty of ALMIGHTY GOD, you quickly begin to SEE how “undone” you really are. Conversely, until we recognize WHO our CREATOR is and what all HE has done, we will have a falsely elevated opinion of everything we look at, especially our fellow human being.   

This Pharisee said that this WOMAN OF THE CITY was a SINNER, but it doesn’t indicate who he thought he was?  Evidently he thought JESUS was okay coming to his house because society couldn’t see his heart.  But he didn’t realize that JESUS could SEE “the thought and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12)!  HE SEES the SPIRITUAL, which most of us would prefer NOT be seen, for “our righteousnesses are as FILTHY RAGS” (Isaiah 64:6) before a HOLY GOD!  

The Pharisee said of the woman “SHE IS A SINNER”!  He didn’t need to convict her, the HOLY SPIRIT was already working on her heart.  But do we do the same thing to people who sin differently than we do?  The standard we are going to be judged by is not an earthly one, rather a HEAVENLY ONE!  Scripture states (Romans 3:10; Psalms 14:2-3) that “None is righteous, NO NOT ONE”!  Unless we want to be a the Pharisees and condemn even when we are guilty, we must worry about our own lives and let the HOLY SPIRIT convict her that “SHE IS A SINNER”!!!

“YOU HAVE MADE MY DAYS!”

Psalms 39:4-5                              (ESV)

“4 "O LORD, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! 

5 Behold, “YOU HAVE MADE MY DAYS” a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before YOU. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath!”

It seems the more I mature, the less I am concerned about what others think about me.   When I was younger I would see what “this world” would glamorize and I would think that was what I wanted.  Maturing physically and recognizing my body built for strength and endurance isn’t as strong as it formerly was is very humbling, yet a reality!  Nearing 60 years of aging has brought me to the position where I have to admit that I am not as mobile and flexible as I was at 23 years 6 months old, when I was married.  

I am currently 57 years 9 months old.   Having survived a “Massive Brain Hemorrhage” in 2007 and quadruple bypass heart surgery in 2017 has certainly caused my perspective to be adjusted.  Could being “more (or less) wealthy” have aided in my quest for better health?  There was a friend who died at 57 years 10 months old and at the time of his death was worth a little more than $1 BILLION!  Another friend died a little earlier at age 9 whose family never experienced great wealth.  Both are gone now, and their wealth (or lack there of) and I are still here.  

The Psalm from where today’s text is taken was written by King David, a man after GOD’s own heart.  One might think that being a man after GOD’s own heart would indicate a long life span?  But King David was believed to be only 70 years old when he physically died.  David realized that “YOU HAVE MADE MY DAYS” only “a few handbreaths”, meaning a very short time!  If a man after GOD’s own heart can only stay on earth 70 years, what makes us think we should last any longer?  But most of us live as though we are going to live to, and through, the rapture!  

Since “YOU HAVE MADE MY DAYS” and those days are numbered, why do I fret about doing everything I possibly can about remaining in “this world”?  GOD has a purpose for me being here and when we have completed our purpose, we will made our “Exodus”!!  There should be nothing more important than living for YOU, O LORD, for only “YOU HAVE MADE MY DAYS” and I am at YOUR disposal!!!

“DOERS OF THE WORD!”

James 1:22-25                              (ESV)

“22 But be “DOERS OF THE WORD”, and NOT HEARERS ONLY, deceiving yourselves.

23 For if anyone is a HEARER of the word and not a DOER, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror.

24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.

25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no HEARER who forgets but A DOER WHO ACTS, HE WILL BE BLESSED in his DOING.”

Pontius Pilate was the person many blame for the crucifixion of JESUS.  As a child I had bad thoughts about Pontius Pilate because I believed what a movie had portrayed him as.  But as I matured I quickly came to the realization that Pilate was a weak vessel who the Jews (John 19) convinced to crucify JESUS.  But what the JEWS meant for evil, GOD MEANT FOR GOOD (Genesis 50:24) so that “many people could be kept alive”!!!

Physically HEARING the WORD does nothing for the SOUL of man.  Being changed SPIRITUALLY by THE WORD to become “DOERS OF THE WORD” allows us to become Children of ALMIGHTY GOD!  Until ALMIGHTY GOD changes our hearts, we will be like the Jews that crucified JESUS, following tradition and rules into death and destruction!  

Being a “DOER OF THE WORD” is what we should strive to become.  Too often some people HEAR THE WORD and continue living their lives as if nothing has changed!  Being ‘exposed’ to THE WORD is vastly different than being ‘transposed’ by THE WORD.  When a person becomes a “DOER OF THE WORD”, then HE WILL BE BLESSED in his DOINGS!!!

“FOR MAN TO DIE!”

Hebrews 9:27-28                         (ESV)

“27 And just as it is appointed “FOR MAN TO DIE” once, and after that comes judgment,

28 so CHRIST, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for HIM.”

Evidently Sunday is Mother’s Day.   My mother exited this world on February 27, 2008.   She was 77 years and 7 months old.   When the doctor told us she had Breast Cancer on February 05, 2008, she looked at me with a steely look and said, “you ain’t putting a drop of that poison in my body”!  

Mom knew where she was going, and evidently was READY to be there!  Seeing a lot of people saying they wish they could visit with their mom causes me to think about the possibility of visiting my mom, maybe for about a half of a second!!!  She wouldn’t leave Heaven, not even for her grandchildren, whom she loved more than life itself!  And I wouldn’t DARE ask her to come back to the sinful world, not even to save me from death or disability.   She is experiencing her eternal reward and I am extremely happy for her.  

Here is a newsflash for everybody, unless we are raptured, we ALL are going to die!  “FOR MAN TO DIE” is part of the Masterplan to get us to our eternal reward.  Some are fearful of death because of the unknown, but for those of if who are being led by our SHEPHERD, HE’s gone before us to prepare the Way!  What do we have to fear???

The enemy tries to deceive us into thinking we know what is best for ourselves, including our future.  Nothing has changed since Genesis 3.  JESUS said in John 8:44 “.....he is a liar, and the father of lies”!!!!  You should prepare, “FOR MAN TO DIE” PHYSICALLY is more than a rumor!  However, thanks to the sacrifice paid by JESUS, we don’t have to die Spiritually!  

“KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL!”

Genesis 2:15-17                                         (ESV)

“15 The LORD GOD took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.

16 And the LORD GOD commanded the man, saying, "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden,

17 but of the tree of the “KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL” you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it YOU SHALL SURELY DIE.”  

A few years back there was a saying that became popular among the younger generation.  “TMI”, or TOO MUCH INFORMATION, was a way of saying that you were privy to something that you might have been better off not knowing!  

When ALMIGHTY GOD Created man, HE placed him in the Garden of Eden to “work it and keep it”.  The only “commandment” that GOD gave Adam was to NOT eat “of the tree of the “KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL”, for if he did, YOU SHALL SURELY DIE!  Despite what man has “dreamed up”, the forbidden fruit wasn’t an apple, it was CHOOSING to know right from wrong.  When Adam and Eve were deceived by “the enemy”, they immediately saw they had violated GOD’s Word and were ashamed!  Until then, Genesis 2:25 says “....they were not ashamed”.  

CHOOSING to be able to SEE the difference between RIGHT and WRONG carries a HUGE responsibility.  When we have the “KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL” we are allowed to experience the rewards of GOOD choices, and the consequences of EVIL choices.  Of course, you can say that Adam and Eve had a CHOICE, but we inherited certain “traits” from our ancestors, and SIN is a “trait” that we ALL have passed on to us!  We ALL have sinned (Romans 3:23), and so our choice has been made time and again to be god of our own lives.  

John 4:24 begins with “GOD IS SPIRIT.....”.  Genesis 1:27 says “So GOD created man in HIS OWN image......”.  Genesis 2:27 says “but of the tree of the “KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL” you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it YOU SHALL SURELY DIE.”  Adam and Eve didn’t die physically when their eyes saw the “KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL”, but they did die SPIRITUALLY as they had disobeyed their CREATOR.  

Just like Adam and Eve, we ALL choose to violate GOD’s Holiness.  IT’S IN OUR NATURE!!!  But JESUS didn’t have the bloodline of Adam in HIM, for HE was conceived of the HOLY SPIRIT (Matthew 1:18; 20), so HE didn’t inherit the same traits  that we inherited.  JESUS offers ALL of us the opportunity to overcome the bad choices we ALL make.  TOO MUCH INFORMATION and the “KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL” was OVERCOME by nothing other than GRACE from GOD above through JESUS, our LORD and SAVIOR!!!

“I SHALL NOT!”

Psalms 23:1                                   (ESV)

“The LORD is my shepherd; “I SHALL NOT” want.”

A lot of times the passage above is used in an eulogy being delivered at a wake or funeral.  Because Scripture often speaks of mankind as being sheep, I have been studying about how sheep are best cared for.   To SEE why we are referred to as sheep isn’t surprising at all, as humans and sheep are very similar!   

One website points out that “A thorough understanding of sheep behavior is the first step towards developing an effective method of handling sheep”.  Since ALMIGHTY GOD is our Creator, WHO better to lead us?  HE knows all pitfalls and obstacles in our way, but sometimes we are moving too quickly to wait for HIM?  Or maybe we think that going a different route is better than following HIS direction in our lives and we get off the path HE has prepared for us?  

The same website indicates that sheep do better when they are “led” rather than being “herded”.  Being “led” indicates that our SHEPHERD has already been where HE is leading us, so the path has already been declared a “safe zone”.  Knowing that the CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSES has ordained our steps SHOULD give us confidence that we are being used to Glorify HIM?  After all, isn’t that what we are here for???

Remembering when I was a child, I had to be shown how to do work I was assigned, and sometimes repeatedly, for my mind would begin to wander and my actions would more than likely follow.  Now that I am older, do I perform any better?  Does my mind wander as often, and when it does do I recognize the enemy and declare “I SHALL NOT” ignore my LORD?  One who is maturing IN CHRIST should not continue making the same wrong turns!  SHALL  NOT” be blinded by the enemy’s tactics, but will follow the path where HE IS LEADING!!!

“ANYTHING ELSE!”

Romans 8:37-39                                      (ESV)

“37 No, in all these things we are MORE THAN CONQUERORS through HIM who loved us.

38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,

39 nor height nor depth, nor “ANYTHING ELSE” IN ALL CREATION, will be able to separate us from the love of GOD in CHRIST JESUS our LORD”.

Sometimes we try to “twist” Scripture to say more or less than what it says according to the situation we find ourselves in at the time.  Allowing “the enemy” to “twist” what GOD has spoken is precisely what happened in the garden of Eden, and those results speak for themselves!  

Recently seeing a story from a self-described drug-addict reminded me that GOD usually doesn’t take the cream of the crop, HE most commonly CALLS those who will honor HIM for the transformation HE makes in their lives!  This young person said they thought they were too far gone to be rescued, but one of my favorite quotes is “GOD delights in impossibilities”!  When we are beyond hope of man, GOD is the only ONE WHO can get credit!  

The author of Romans says that “neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor “ANYTHING ELSE” IN ALL CREATION, will be able to separate us from the love of GOD”!  A fine example of this in Luke 23:43 when JESUS told the thief on the cross, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with ME in paradise."  JESUS said “this day”, not when you obey the rules that mankind has added to the equation.  “ANYTHING ELSE” pretty much covers it all!  

Like I said to begin with, we can “twist” things however we choose, but the thief was literally minutes from the end of his physical life.  He had NOTHING to offer GOD bu his belief that JESUS was THE CHRIST, the SON OF THE LIVING GOD!!  “ANYTHING ELSE” would make it JESUS AND SOMETHING??  Sure, living HOLY is what we should do, FOR HE IS HOLY!  But “ANYTHING ELSE” means “ANYTHING ELSE”, and I’ll not be accused of “twisting” HIS WORD!!!!

“THE LAST ADAM!”

1 Corinthians 15:45-49                (ESV)

“45 Thus it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being"; “THE LAST ADAM” became a life-giving SPIRIT.

46 But it is not the SPIRITUAL that is first but the natural, and then the SPIRITUAL.

47 The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; THE SECOND MAN IS FROM HEAVEN.

48 As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the Man of HEAVEN, so also are those who are of HEAVEN.

49 Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust (natural), we shall also bear the image of the Man of HEAVEN (Spirit).”

Most of mankind has no problem identifying with being a “Natural” man. How often is it said that we “naturally” respond or react in a certain manner?  Speaking about “THE LAST ADAM” though is not as comfortable to speak about.  As a matter of fact, the SPIRITUAL MAN is almost “taboo” to speak openly about, as “this world” would rather us ALL ignore the SPIRITUAL!  

Now I’m not gullible enough to believe that just by sharing what I SEE in Scripture will penetrate the souls of great masses, but I plan to put these words out there and allow ALMIGHTY GOD to use them as HE chooses to prick someone’s heart and hopefully change their life?  After all, only HE can change a heart.  Ask Pharaoh in the book of Exodus about that???

The first Adam, the natural man, finds it extremely difficult to SEE the things outside of the his comfort zone, the natural state.  1 Corinthians 2:14 says “The NATURAL PERSON does not accept the things of the SPIRIT of GOD, for they are “folly” to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are SPIRITUALLY discerned.” John 4:24 begins saying “GOD IS SPIRIT....”, so it shouldn’t surprise us that GOD’s provision (JESUS) is the only way to see GOD!

1 Corinthians 2:10-13 precedes this verse by saying, mainly in verse 12, “Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the SPIRIT who is from GOD, that we might understand the things freely given us by GOD.”  GOD is the ONLY WAY we can SEE TRUTH, not by human intellect, or through anything “natural”, but by HIM “drawing” us to HIMSELF!  

My WAR ROOM Prayer List begins with this sentence from a devotional I read over three years ago.  “Only by choosing NOT TO BE SLAVES to our own reasonings and emotions can we win the battle for our minds and begin hearing the voice of GOD within us”.  Submitting to the “natural” is agreeing to live in slavery, to not accept freedom provided by JESUS CHRIST.  Only by becoming a NEW MAN can we say goodbye to the old man and accept “THE NEW ADAM” provided by HIS SACRIFICE!!!

“THE LORD KNOWS THE THOUGHTS OF THE WISE!”

1 Corinthians 3:19-20                     (ESV)

“19 For the wisdom of THIS world is folly with GOD. For it is written, "HE catches the wise in their craftiness,"

20 and again, "The LORD KNOWS THE THOUGHTS OF THE WISE”, THAT THEY ARE FUTILE."”

Far too often people who have been blessed with an advanced degree from an institution of learning develop a disease that is contagious, and can be fatal if left untreated.  The disease I speak of is a prideful heart because of there supposed “increases knowledge”.  How many times do we “give” the benefit of believing what is being said without verification from Scripture, all because someone has a few letters before or after their name?

We ALL would benefit if we acted like the Believers at the church in Berea (Acts 17:11) who examined “the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so”.  Just because someone is taught something in school doesn’t indicate that it is Scriptural.  We should ALL research what is preached by every minister, even if we trust what they have always said has lined up.  GOD’s WORD is not to be twisted and manipulated to fit an agenda.  Heresy can be squelched before it has time to mature when TRUTH is the measuring stick.  

“THE LORD KNOWS THE THOUGHTS OF THE WISE” and THEY ARE FUTILE Scripture says!  There are some “wise” people who actually say they think that GOD doesn’t exist, that the entire solar system has been put together by chance!?!  Read Job chapters 38 and 39 and then tell me how everything just “happened” to fit together with great precision and fluidity.  

1 Corinthians 1:27 rather plainly says “But GOD chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; GOD chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;”.  “THE LORD KNOWS THE THOUGHTS OF THE WISE” and HE ain’t impressed!  HE IS IMPRESSED with a humble heart (James 4:10)!  There are many people I consider friends who have titles and initials next to their name, but having a humble heart requires GOD breaking a person.   Fellow humans aren’t required to judge others to determine their hearts, “THE LORD KNOWS THE THOUGHTS OF THE WISE” and HE will judge them on THAT DAY!!!