BRIEF THOUGHT!

 When we love someone as CHRIST loved, we might need to drive them out of the temple with a whip???? (Matthew 21:12; Mark 11:15; John 2:13).  

“THE WORD OF CHRIST!”

 Romans 10:14-17                                     (ESV)

“14 How then will they call on HIM in WHOM they have not believed? And how are they to believe in HIM of WHOM they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?

15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!"

16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "LORD, who has believed what he has heard from us?"

17 So FAITH comes from hearing, and hearing through “THE WORD OF CHRIST”!  

On rare occasions I listen to a news program, not on a network television channel, but a station that is TRUTHFUL in its reporting, and not biased.  I usually cannot listen to more than an hour or so of it as I have become “addicted” to TRUTH, and TRUTH can only be found in “THE WORD OF CHRIST”!  There is no other vehicle to have PEACE and COMFORT delivered to my soul than to seek our CREATOR.  When HE applies HIS balm of Wisdom and Guidance to my helpless spirit, it invigorates me to serve HIM all the more!

Television, radio, CD players, anything that creates noise can be used for good, but when we allow “THE WORD OF CHRIST” to be secondary to anything, we are on dangerous ground.  Just SLOW DOWN and consider our choices for a minute.  The CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSES has a LOVE LETTER/manual written through the inspiration of THE HOLY SPIRIT for our guidance and when we CHOOSE to allow our minds to be bombarded with noise of “the enemy”, we are using the avenues of anything other than “THE WORD OF CHRIST”!  

Every so often there is a “challenge” issued by people in an attempt to get them to change their habits and try something that they will benefit from.  How wonderful it would be to have a challenge issued to develop an addiction to “THE WORD OF CHRIST”?  Since “FAITH comes from hearing, and hearing through “THE WORD OF CHRIST”, it is understandable that our FAITH would grow initially, but as our FAITH grew our OBEDIENCE would soon follow.  My obedience could definitely stand some improvement.  As our obedience improves, our testimony would surely follow, which GOD will use for HIS GLORY.  

Allowing my spirit to be engulfed by whatever “this world” is offering up at the particular time is a sure sign of spiritual ignorance or immaturity.  This may seem a little hard, but PEACE and COMFORT is the LAST THING that Satan wants us to experience.  If he can cause us to be agitated and upset about the turmoil that he is generating, his battle is almost won.  “THE WORD OF CHRIST” is like a water blanket on the fires that Satan tries to sustain all around us.  James 4:7 states “Submit yourselves therefore to GOD.  RESIST the devil, and HE WILL FLEE from you”.  “THE WORD OF CHRIST” is the best way that I know of to RESIST!!!

“WE DO!”

 “WE DO!”

2 Corinthians 10:9-12                                    (ESV)

“9 I DO NOT WANT TO APPEAR to be FRIGHTENING you with MY LETTERS.

10 For they say, "His letters are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech of no account."

11 LET SUCH A PERSON UNDERSTAND that WHAT WE SAY BY LETTER WHEN ABSENT, “WE DO” WHEN PRESENT.

12 Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.” 

Attempting to paint with a broad brush can sometimes be taken in a completely different way than the artist intended.  Likewise, the words used at times can be viewed through a prism that gives a totally different meaning than the intentions they were spoken.  Spending time with my grandchildren this weekend was great for me.  One of my sons was overheard saying something to the affect that his wife and he might have to adjust their parenting methods to achieve the desired results.  What others hear from us isn’t always what we were trying to convey to them, despite our best intentions.  

Our testimony, is NOT what we say, but what WE DO in our daily lives.  We can SAY we love JESUS continually, but how we reflect HIS LOVE when we are “put to the test” (James 1) REVEALS our TRUE testimony!  What “WE DO” speaks far louder and more succinctly than the most eloquent words can ever enunciate.  Our ACTIONS are far more convincing than our WORDS.  Occasionally, my ACTIONS have been exactly opposite of what I taught to my children, something that I will answer for one day.  My prayer is that as GOD has matured me that MY WORDS aren’t listened to as much as what “WE DO”!

At least for me, slowing my entire life down and SEEING and HEARING from THE FATHER is the most crucial REVELATION that I have experienced.  Proverbs 3:5 says “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and DO NOT LEAN IN YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING!”  Simply doing WHAT WE FELT was the best thing to do has gotten me into TROUBLES beyond my comprehension.  We ( mainly I) must be led by the SPIRIT OF THE LORD and focus on what “WE DO”, the testimony that I am leaving in serving HIM!

“THE WILDERNESS HAS SHUT THEM IN!”

 Exodus 14:1-4 (ESV)

“1 Then THE LORD SAID TO MOSES,
2 "TELL THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL TO TURN BACK AND ENCAMP in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-zephon; you shall encamp facing it, by the sea.
3 For Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, 'They are wandering in the land; “THE WILDERNESS HAS SHUT THEM IN”.'
4 And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue them, and I (THE LORD) WILL GET GLORY over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD." AND THEY DID SO.”

Being in a position that we can’t understand, a situation that just doesn’t make sense to us, can leave us perplexed and unsure of what our next actions should be. The Israelites were in such a position leaving Egypt after 430 years (Exodus 12:40) of living there. Now GOD was telling Moses TO TURN BACK AND ENCAMP on the banks of the Red Sea! They had finally been delivered from their oppressors, and now GOD was leading them to WAIT!

Pi-hahiroth is a peculiar name. According to one commentary “The name, however, sufficiently explains the situation of the children of Israel; who were hemmed in at this place, between the sea in front, and a narrow mountain pass behind; which no doubt encouraged Pharaoh to make his attack upon them in so disadvantageous a position; thinking that they must inevitably fall an easy prey into his hands, or be cut to pieces: when their deliverance, and his own destruction, were unexpectedly wrought by the parting of the waters of the sea”! Everything SEEMED to be lining up for the Egyptians to keep the Israelites in the bondage they were accustomed to, BUT for the intervention of YAHWEH!!!

Keep in mind that the Israelites were in Egypt to begin with because of GOD blessing HIS servant Joseph, who was sold into slavery by his brothers and rose to the Pharaoh’s palace because of GOD’s Favor on his life. The Egyptians didn’t worship the GOD of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, so why would GOD bestow HIS BLESSINGS on them? Since GOD was favoring Joseph, why was now HE leading his posterity APPARENTLY to be overtaken and carried back to Egypt? Just like GOD blessed Egypt FOR A TIME, HE has the ability (and sometimes propensity) to turn what “this world” would refer to as “circumstances” dramatically....and immediately!!!

GOD WILL BE GLORIFIED! We can give HIM praise, honor and glory even when things are bleak, or HE can change our “circumstances”.....and immediately! If ALMIGHTY GOD can conquer the mightiest army on earth at the time (Exodus 14:28), HE can get GLORY from us whenever HE chooses! When “THE WILDERNESS HAS SHUT THEM IN”, miraculous occurrences need to be expected!!!

“ABRAHAM’s OFFSPRING!”

 Galatians 3:23-29                                           (ESV)

“23 Now BEFORE FAITH came, WE WERE HELD CAPTIVE under the law, IMPRISONED UNTIL THE COMING FAITH would be revealed.

24 So then, the law was our guardian UNTIL CHRIST CAME, in order that we might be JUSTIFIED by FAITH.

25 But now that FAITH has come, we are no longer under a guardian,

26 FOR IN CHRIST JESUS you are all sons of GOD, THROUGH FAITH.

27 For as many of you as were baptized into CHRIST have put on CHRIST.

28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in CHRIST JESUS.

29 And IF you are CHRIST's, THEN YOU ARE “ABRAHAM’s OFFSPRING”, HEIRS ACCORDING TO PROMISE.”

It can be confusing to understand what is meant by being “ABRAHAM’s OFFSPRING”?  Humanly speaking, everyone who was born in the bloodline of Abraham would be a descendant of Abraham.  But GOD IS SPIRIT (John 4:24) and to limit HIS efforts to solely the physical would be an insult to HIS MAJESTY!  We who are CHOSEN (Ephesians 1:4) continue to have our EYES opened to more and more TRUTH as we mature.  To be honest, I could not have handled some TRUTH when I was younger as I had to be humbled and groomed by the SPIRIT OF GOD to accept HIS instruction.  

BEFORE FAITH, I couldn’t identify with the transformation necessary to grasp Galatians 3:28!  We are whoever GOD CREATED us to be.  But GOD didn’t CREATE us to never be CHANGED, to never become a NEW CREATION (2 Corinthians 5:17)!  Since we are CREATED IN HIS IMAGE (Genesis 1:27), we also are spirits.  Romans 12:1 says “I APPEAL TO YOU therefore, brothers, BY THE MERCIES of GOD, to PRESENT YOUR BODIES AS A LIVING SACRIFICE, HOLY AND ACCEPTABLE TO GOD, which is your spiritual worship.”  GOD’S MERCIES are on display as we Spiritually mature in this decaying body (2 Corinthians 4:16).  

Being “ABRAHAM’s OFFSPRING” has everything to do with being SET FREE from the IMPRISONMENT OF THE SINFUL life of our past!  Hebrews 11:6 says “And without FAITH it is IMPOSSIBLE impossible to please HIM, for whoever would draw near to GOD must believe that HE exists and that HE rewards those who seek HIM”!  We can be SET FREE in CHRIST, but we must accept that JESUS CHRIST has completed our Salvation, it is not something that we can improve upon.  FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST and HIS finished work is our only hope, and our saving Grace!

Whether we were created being Jew nor Greek, or slave nor free, or male and female, for you are all one in CHRIST JESUS.  Once we have been BROKEN by the SPIRIT OF GOD, THEN YOU ARE “ABRAHAM’s OFFSPRING”, HEIRS ACCORDING TO PROMISE.”  We cannot wish our way into Heaven, we cannot even do enough good work to enter Heaven!  We can only have FAITH in JESUS, exactly what ABRAHAM did!

“THE JEWS!”

 Acts 17:1-9                                           (ESV)

“1 Now when they (Paul and Silas) had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of “THE JEWS”.

2 And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the SCRIPTURES,

3 explaining and proving that IT WAS NECESSARY for THE CHRIST to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, "This JESUS, WHOM I proclaim to you, is the CHRIST."

4 And SOME OF THEM were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women.

5 But “THE JEWS” were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, THEY FORMED A MOB, SET THE CITY IN AN UPROAR, and ATTACKED THE HOUSE OF JASON, seeking to bring them out to the crowd.

6 And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, "These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also,

7 and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, JESUS."

8 And THE PEOPLE AND THE CITY AUTHORITIES WERE DISTURBED when they heard these things.

9 And when THEY HAD TAKEN MONEY AS SECURITY from Jason and the rest, they let them go.”

As Believers, we can be deceived into hearing what we hear from people who are anything but OF FAITH, people who are instruments of “the enemy”!  In the passage of Scripture above, the term “THE JEWS” is NOT identifying people of FAITH IN GOD, it is specifically speaking to those who were “outside of the FAITH”! In John 8:39-47 JESUS explained to “THE JEWS” that they were of their father the devil!  Just because you IDENTIFY with a sect or group doesn’t indicate that you are a part of them.  As Believers, we are CHOSEN based on the mercy and grace of GOD (Romans 9:24-29), not because we are worthy!  We will be HATED (Matthew 10:22) for the sake of JESUS by “this world”, so we need to expect to not be treated very well!

Paul and Silas KNEW this, for they had just been imprisoned in Acts 16 for simply for removing an evil spirit from a young lady.  They were stripped and beaten and then thrown into the inner most walls of the prison, BUT GOD intervened!  

“THE JEWS” were considered the hierarchy of the church, but they had not exhibited humility or servanthood, traits that GOD has a way revealing in HIS CHOSEN. “THE JEWS” were jealous and sought rioters to try and get their way.  But even though “THE JEWS” dragged Jason and others in front of the authorities, they basically had to pay a fine and were released.  Scripture doesn’t indicate that “THE JEWS” suffered anything from this ordeal, only the Believers!  Jason and his house had to pay a price for being known as Believers in JESUS CHRIST.  Just because “THE JEWS” were known by most to be what “this world” was good didn’t change who they really were.  They were actually of their father the devil, and they spoke lies!  

Living in TRUTH will cost us!  “THE JEWS” were living in darkness, so they didn’t have to worry about paying the price for living for JESUS!  Are we willing to pay the price for living for HIM?  Paul and Silas had paid through beatings and imprisonments.  Jason and his house had to pay fines!  What will I be required to pay for HIS GLORY???  As long as I am not thought of as part of “THE JEWS” that were against JESUS, I understand that the persecution WILL COME!

“THEIR WORKS WERE EVIL!”

John 3:18-21                                         (ESV)

“18 Whoever believes in HIM (JESUS) is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only SON OF GOD.

19 AND THIS IS THE JUDGMENT: the LIGHT has come into the world, and PEOPLE LOVED DARKNESS people loved the darkness rather than the LIGHT BECAUSE “THEIR WORKS WERE EVIL”.

20 For EVERYONE WHO DOES WICKED THINGS HATES THE LIGHT AND DOES NOT COME TO THE LIGHT, LEST HIS WORKS SHOULD BE EXPOSED.

21 But WHOEVER DOES WHAT IS TRUE COMES TO THE LIGHT, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in GOD."”

The HOLY BIBLE is an amazing, intricate, PRECISE compilation of “precepts” used by ALMIGHTY GOD to reveal TRUTH to we who are CHOSEN by HIM for HIS GLORY.  The verses above in the Gospel of John have so many WORDS that could be highlighted, as TRUTH is being revealed to “this world”, but today I am led to focus on “THEIR WORKS WERE EVIL”!  One glaring problem is, that unless the HEARTS of people are changed (Acts 28:27), they will never SEE that their way is leading them into JUDGMENT!  

AND THIS IS THE JUDGMENT should be the most fearful statement ever spoken, as THE LIGHT was sent into the world, yet HIS CREATION LOVED THE DARKNESS they were in so much that they chose to remain, because “THEIR WORKS WERE EVIL”!  “This world” actually experienced GOD IN THE FLESH in their presence, yet decided to eradicate HIM rather than to SUBMIT to HIM?  The god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4) has BLINDED THEIR EYES!  Describing “the lost” might better be stated as “the blind”?  

But WHOEVER DOES WHAT IS TRUE COMES TO THE LIGHT, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in GOD doesn’t indicate that these people are “goody-two-shoes” in a world of “sinners”.  WE ARE ALL SINNERS according to Romans 3:10-11.  The thing is that when HIS CHOSEN break the law, JESUS responds with PAID IN FULL, applying HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS to our imperfections!  I hate that I am so unholy, but I LOVE that JESUS is so merciful!!!

My heart hurts for those who cannot see that “THEIR WORKS WERE EVIL”!  They cannot SEE that they are headed to JUDGMENT, and that JUDGMENT is real!  One sure identifying trait of these people is “THEIR WORKS WERE EVIL”, even hurtful to them and their loved ones!  Only the SPIRIT OF GOD can draw them unto HIMSELF (John 8:44), but HE can use us as instruments for HIS GLORY!  “THEIR WORKS WERE EVIL”, but we need to come to THE LIGHT (John 1:5)!!!