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It gives me great peace when the words of Christ Jesus are challenged by others. It’s not that I go looking to pick a fight. But the slightest mention of His name or the judgment to come often raises the hatred in God’s enemies.
One thing I note, is that though they will rail against me, they do not pursue me. This had bothered me just a bit. Till I remembered that when the Light comes on the vermin of God’s creation scatter.
By His Grace.
Never taunt an angry drunk. Especially, don’t taunt a very large, angry drunk. You will become his target. And the violence he had done in the past will become a storm of hatred. He will become like every vicious animal. And you will regret it.
The world is angry because it can’t have what it wants. And some, if not many, are drunk with desire. Unless you are willing to die, it is not wise to taunt them. Yet, isn’t it the effect the Gospel has on the world?
The Gospel speaks of the wickedness of man as leading to certain death. And it speaks of the glories that await those who obey the Lord Jesus. The combination presented to those drunk with desire for the things of the world will certainly rouse their anger.
Look at the situation in America, Egypt, Lybia, Grease, and others. See how desire for riches, power, and world strength have killed so many already. And I am confident that when they have attained enough power and riches they will turn to God’s people.
Yet I will taunt them. I will speak of the Love of God displayed in His Gospel. I will present myself for their salvation, if they will have it. But I will also brace myself for what surely comes of that. I remember how some were treated before I knew the Gospel. I remember how they were cast out of friendships. I remember how the whispers about them were abundant. And I remember how they lost what was dear to them as they served the Lord.
Bring a Bible into the home of a happy couple. Allow that one of them will believe the message. That one will start to pull away from the world’s ways. While the other will hate this change. There will be tension. There will be a falling out. And, if one remains in unbelief while the other grows in Christ Jesus, there will be an explosion between them.
It will be the same for everyone who believes the Gospel in this world. Though they were once married to a hatred of God, now they learn to love Him. As their love grows, so do the tensions. And at some point, His people are cast out. If you think this isn’t true, then I ask you, “Why are so many who think they are Christians keep their mouth shut?” It is because they fear what they know is certain to happen.
But I will proclaim! I am not afraid of being cast out. The Lord has allowed that I should be cast out all my life. And it has become my advantage now. You have nothing I want, world. The Lord’s ways and promises are my desire, and this by His Grace. I urge you to come and consider this strength. You think it is strong to remain in the world. But the world is a coward before the Most High God. He will appear. And all who put their trust in the things of this world will be utterly ashamed.
By His Grace.
The Gospel is a two fold message of promises from God, through Christ Jesus, to all men. On one hand, and first, is the message of sure death. This is to be delivered to the world with all wisdom and courage. It is the message of God to those who are already judged because they have not believed in the One and Only True God through Jesus’ sacrifice. They will hate this message. And they will desire to destroy anyone who brings it to their ears.
The other side of the message of God is that of mercy and tenderness. And this is to be delivered to everyone who humbles themselves under the Mighty hand of God. In this message are rebukes, for the heart of man is desperately wicked and must be caused to submit to the Holy Will of God. But even in the rebukes we find the Mercy that flows from the Throne of He who is forever.
Do not listen to those who say God is love and He will accept every man. Only that which is God will enter eternal life. And to the measure that you have accepted God’s rule in your life, that measure of you will be allowed to enter His presence. Nothing unholy will ever stand before the Lord of Life. Only what God has built will last. Submit yourselves to God and learn from Him. The more you delay the less time you have left.
Jesus Christ is the exact representation of the Holy Father. And He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. What was expected of the servants of God from the beginning still remains as an expectation of His servants today. Man has watered down this message. But God remains the same.
By His Grace.
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This message is to those who call themselves Christians. It would make no sense to speak this word to those who do not believe. Yet, even those who do not believe and read this with a desire to believe can benefit.
A man stands in a valley and feels the tiny breeze float across the valley floor. The day is hot and the breeze is a welcome addition to the evening heat. Where the breeze came from, where it will go after it touches the man, and how long it will last, are under the Mighty hand of The Lord of Life. The man is happy to receive, and that is all he can be. He did not create the valley. He did not create the mountains from which the coolness of the breeze appeared. He did not create himself, nor choose the place where he now stands.
So it is with the Love of God in our faith and belief. We are the product of His Glorious Will. He desired to create this place of testing according to His endless wisdom. And we are only the product of an Endless and Beautiful Love which is our God. We are of those who receive and become blessed by His Lovely touch. And from our perspective, this is where we find our end. We are receivers. We are not providers or creators. This realm belongs to He Who Is. And, with great joy, those who are aged in His wise counsel, will appear as understanding such things.
We have no wisdom but that it comes to us from the Only Wise God. We have no task we can do which will find a lasting value, but that we are given such things from He who works to cause life in His people. When we pray we are given words, thoughts, feelings, and attitudes according to the Lord’s leading. And we are keenly aware that we belong to Him who has No End. When we speak of the Gospel, we speak with words that are only ours in that they found sound through us. All things Good belong to He who is Good. What work, word, attitude, or emotion, which belongs to the Gospel did any of us create? Without His guiding and loving hand we are nothing. But with His hand and guiding we are ambassadors of the Living God. And all that I have just said remains held in the Glory of the One and Only Son, Jesus!
Why is this place? Have you asked yourself that? Why are we here? Why are we set to receive the Glory of our God, Christ Jesus? What is this place I have come to speak of as a “Place of Testing”? And what should be our response to the answer if we could but know it?
This place is so that the Glory of God might be proved once and forever. Why should the perfect and Holy God need to prove His Glory? Because there was a place where one challenged the Holy Wisdom of God. There was a place where a lie was born. Yet it was not as we know lies. It was a slight variant to God’s perfection. A challenge was born and presented before the Most High God. What was the challenge? It’s not possible for me to know the words nor the time when it happened. But in my limited understanding of our God, it went something like this.
“You ask too much. You want perfection from Your creatures. You demand perfection. But You ask too much. What you require of Your servants is not possible for us to endure. You will ask. You will demand. And we will strive to comply. But You did not give us the strength to endure.”
From what little I know about our God, I do not perceive Him arguing the point with the accuser. Perhaps there was a word of thanks for the information given. But the end of the conversation came quickly. And God ended the conversation quickly as a display of mercy. For, surely if this one could accuse the Most High God of an imperfection such as this, there was a whole lot more to come. Why allow this one to fall deeper into rebellion than necessary at the moment? Immediately, God knew what to do. And without fail, He began what would be a marvelous reply.
What I perceive happened next was an order given to Jesus, the Word of God. “Build a black void in this certain place. Make it of such and such measurement. And place it in this certain place.” And so it was done by He who is the very Word of God. “Create lights within this void in these certain places. Create them of this and make them shine according to my vision.” And so it went until we come to the scripture announcing God’s crowning end to this creation, “Let us create man in our image”. The two trees were planted and orders were given as to how they are to be treated. “Of this one you cannot eat, or you will surely die”.
“And on the 7th day, God rested from His work”. Now His answer to the accuser was presented as a place of testing. A place was made where the accusation could play out. And proof could be known, not spoken as an answer of words, to he who did not believe.
We are presented by the Mighty hand of God as an answer to he who accused. We are tempted by he who accused. And we succeed according to He who was accused unjustly. We are become the answer to an accusation. How much are we valuable to He who Lives Forever? We are His spoken word. We inhabit His will. And we are His jewels according to His Great Wisdom. How then should we act? How then, shall we believe? How then, should we build our faith in the Holy One of Israel? And, how then, should we obey what we hear?
We do not serve out of fear. For He who made us into His answer is sure in His Holy ways. If my God desires obedience and all that I have, how shall I muster up a place to say no? I am His. I am a part of His answer to an unholy doubt. How then, should I live with doubt? I am proof of His Glorious will. The power of God is within me to obey and to know He is True! There is no fault within Him! I will say it again, “There is NO fault within the Most High God!” Any fault perceived remains within me. And such things must be crushed into utter destruction. By this I am provoked to believe to the point that I do. What is this “doing” He demands from me? He demands that I receive from His Holy Hand. He demands that I believe that what He says He is willing and able to accomplish. And He does not ask too much. What He demands from His creation He provides the strength to accomplish. Shall we join with the accuser and say this is not so? It should never be so!
Set your heart to understand. Set your soul to receive His gift. For we are on display according to His Holy and Perfect answer to an accusation. Remember how the Lord Jesus spoke of that one? “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come of my own; but he sent me. Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me!” (John 8: 42-45)
Stand firm upon this sure and singular truth: God is true. And there is no shadow of turning within Him. Present yourselves as those who believe. Put down your childish doubt. Believe that you might do! Hone your faith so that you might receive His Holy Will. When we question and doubt we join with the liar. I will say it once more with all the importance of eternity: BELIEVE!
By His Grace.
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The target of this blog is God the Father through the sacrifice of Jesus. And often I will write things which bite at the pride of man. I do not apologize for anything I’ve posted. Yet it is important to note that I do not hate anyone.
The Lord teaches His people to hate what is evil and to cling to whatever knowledge of His ways we can accumulate in our soul. So if you are offended by what I write, what am I supposed to say? The Lord is Righteous and Pure. There is nothing on earth with which we can compare His completeness. And anyone who speaks of the Lord with a focused eye to what is True is going to grate against the pride of man.
On the other hand, I too am a man. And you can be sure that the turmoil between the pride of man and the Glory that is God resides in my heart too. It is impossible for me to say I love the Lord in the same way He loves us. But with all that I can muster I return to Him the measure of love He has been successful to teach me.
This brings me to the following scripture as an aid to explaining what has just been written:
“1Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, 2make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. 3Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. 5Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2)
May the Lord give eyes to see for all who desire His will. Regardless where you find yourself today, the Lord can lead you into far more. Only turn from the ways of the world and seek His ways.
By His grace.
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My eyes have seen another morning.
Precious will it be.
To speak of things eternal,
To lift up One called “He”.
I crave a day when eyes will open.
And never more will shut.
To speak a praise eternal,
To lift up One called “He”.
“23But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; 24yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. 25Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith, 26so that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again. ” (Phillipians)
By His Grace.
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