1John 4:9 (CJB)

Here is how God showed his love among us: God sent his only Son into the world, so that through him we might have life.

Romans 5:8

But God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful.

To die for...

God loves us so much that He thinks we are to die for, literally. John 3:17 says "God did not send his Son into the world to condemn its people. He sent him to save them!" God wants us in His fold, His family, he has adopted us as His own dearly beloved. As Adam said when He saw Eve for the first time Genesis 2:23 "Adam: At last, a suitable companion, a perfect partner. Bone from my bones. Flesh from my flesh. I will call this one “woman” as an eternal reminder that she was taken out of man." In the same way Jesus, our bridegroom, looks upon us, His Church, the bride and exclaims, she is bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh Genesis 1:26"Then God said, “Let Us (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) make man in Our image, according to Our likeness [not physical, but a spiritual personality and moral likeness]; " Jesus looks upon us as part of His own being. He does not want us feeling lonely, abandoned, left out and unloved. Jeremiah 31:3 "The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, “Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee." He draws us to Himself with loving kindness. He does not want us groping in the darkness stumbling and struggling. He is the Light of the World that takes away it's sorrow. He brings healing to us, love to us, joy to us and has made us His own treasured possession. His banner over us is love. He rejoices over us just as a bridegroom rejoices over His bride. In the words of the song writer "O the deep deep love of Jesus, vast unmeasured, boundless, free" Romans 8:38-39 "For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Nothing can separate us from God's love, EXCEPT ourselves by rejecting Him. Like the worldly song says " Every breath you take and every move you make
Every bond you break, every step you take, I'll be watching you
Every single day and every word you say
Every game you play, every night you stay, I'll be watching you" God is watching over you, He never lets you get out of His loving wing UNLESS you walk away willing REJECTING His love. Sometimes he laments over our unbelief and lack of trusting Him Matthew 23:37 "how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!" Once again in the words of the songwriter, I exhort you to " Be sheltered in the loving arms of God" who thinks you are to die for literally...

Isiah 6:3

And one cried unto another and said, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory.”

Revelation 4:8

and they rested not day and night, saying, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come!”

Meeting our Maker

In the verses above we see that when the angels of God came before Him, they proclaimed loudly the holiness of the Creator. Facing God does that to you. If we were to face God today we would react in a similar fashion. We can't help but cry out Holy are you Lord. Isiah the prophet states in Isiah 6:5 "Then said I, “Woe is me! For I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.” When our eyes see the Lord or when we enter his presence we cannot help but exclaim in awe at His holiness and in comparison our unworthiness. Sometimes in this world we are considered good people maybe because we have not murdered anyone or robbed a bank. We judge ourselves by human standards which in itself is flawed. We are by nature sinful and if we judge ourselves by our standard we are not judging righteously. However when we are confronted with the Holiness of the Almighty we see ourselves as the sinful people we really are. We exclaim like Peter the apostle t Jesus in Luke 5:8 "When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” We need to judge ourselves. 1 Corinthians 11:31 For if we searchingly examined ourselves [detecting our shortcomings and recognizing our own condition], we should not be judged and penalty decreed [by the divine judgment]. We need to evaluate ourselves according to God's standards established in His word and not according to man's flawed and sinful standards. Ezekiel 18:30"That is why I will judge each of you by what you have done, people of Israel,” declares the Almighty Lord. “Change the way you think and act. Turn away from all the rebellious things that you have done so that you will not fall into sin." Once we see our sorry sinful state in comparison to the spotless Holiness of God we will cry out to Almighty " Deliver us O Lord" and He will most certainly deliver us from evil, including the evil inherent in our nature and give us a new nature, created in His image in Holiness and Righteousness. Hebrews 10:16 "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;" 1 Corinthians 5:17 " For if a man belongs to Christ, he is a new person. The old life is gone. New life has begun." Enjoy your new life in Christ. Amen.

Acts 19:15 (ICB)

But one time an evil spirit said to these Jews, “I know Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?”

Acts 19:15 (Phillips)

But there were some itinerant Jewish exorcists who attempted to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus when dealing with those who had evil spirits. They would say, “I command you in the name of Jesus whom Paul preaches.” Seven brothers, sons of a chief priest called Sceva, were engaged in this practice on one occasion, when the evil spirit answered, “Jesus I know, and I am acquainted with Paul, but who on earth are you?” And the man in whom the evil spirit was living sprang at them and over-powered them all with such violence that they rushed out of that house wounded, with their clothes torn off their backs. This incident became known to all the Jews and Greeks who were living in Ephesus, and a great sense of awe came over them all, while the name of the Lord Jesus became highly respected.

Exorcists

In the passage above we see there were some inexperienced exorcists who had watched Paul cast out demons in Jesus name and tried to use the same formula. However they were whipped and stripped by the demon spirits.The reason for this was they had no relationship with Christ the Savior. The demon spirits recognized Jesus and Paul but had no clue who these sons of Sceva were. Once we become intimate with Christ the Lord we automatically come in the radar of Satan. There is a poster in hell with my picture which says wanted dead or alive. However at the name of Jesus demons tremble. They cannot harm a single hair on my head because of the protection we have in Christ. Every person who has an intimate relationship with Christ is known in hell and demons tremble when we use the name of Jesus. Whether it be sickness and disease, anger, envy hatred all these things must flee at the name of Jesus. Philippians 2:9 For this reason God raised him to the highest place above and gave him the name that is greater than any other name. GNT. Ephesians 1:21 There Christ sits far above all who rule and have authority. He also sits far above all powers and kings. He is above every name that is appealed to in this world and in the world to come. NIRV. As pr the verses above Christ was exalted to a place where His name has power and authority over all the power of the wicked one. That authority was given to us to use Jesus name to defeat satan's power on the earth and establish Christ's rule in our lives. Luke 10:19 I’ve given you true authority. You can smash vipers and scorpions under your feet. You can walk all over the power of the enemy. You can’t be harmed. Many of us do not face literal snakes and scorpians however we deal with satan every day and face his attacks such as bacteria and viruses and all other forms of afflictions. However we are instructed to "Above all, take the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked"Ephesians 6:16. Our faith in Christ gives us the power to rise above the circumstances and the trials and temptations the enemy throws across our paths and overcome. 1John 5:4 And this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. We need to keep our spiritual weapons sharpened and be on the lookout for every assault on our faith. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God for the pulling down of strongholds 2 Corinthians 10:4. We need to pull down strongholds in our lives, strongholds of anger, malice, envy, pride, discontent, hatred, sickness, greed. Ephesians 6:12 For we are not struggling against human beings, but against the rulers, authorities and cosmic powers governing this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm. Before we go out trying to exorcise others we need to get rid of the strongholds in our own lives and make sure we are in close intimate fellowship with Christ the King so we will be known in hell. The demons should say yes I know her, I know him just as I know Jesus and Paul and tremble when we wake up.

Daniel 3:24-25 (NKJV)

Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste and spoke, and said unto his counselors, “Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?” They answered and said unto the king, “True, O king.”
25 He answered and said, “Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.

1 Peter 4:12 (CEV)

Dear friends, don’t be surprised or shocked that you are going through testing that is like walking through fire.

Job 19:25 (GNT)

But I know there is someone in heaven who will come at last to my defense.

My Defender

To summarize the passage from the book of Daniel, there were 3 Hebrew children who defied the Kings decree by NOT bowing down to the golden idol in obedience to God's word, an offense punishable by death, in a fiery furnace. Many times today we face similar situations when we stand up to uphold God's laws in defiance to societies norms and standards by refusing to bow down to their form of idolatry. People of God are often mocked and ridiculed and made a spectacle of simply because they stand up for Biblical principles. The prince of the power of the air (satan) controls and manipulates the minds of the masses through the media. Many of God's generals are ridiculed and classified as bigots for standing up for Biblical principles. However, not to worry. As we see in the above verses, when we are facing fiery trials that seem to us like walking through fire, we are not alone. God is with us releasing the shackles that bind us and we are unhurt. In the passage in the book of Daniel, it says 'not a hair on their head was singed" God walks with us through every fiery trial we are facing and will come to our defense. An interesting passage to read in this regard is from the book of Esther 6 concerning Mordecai. And the king said, “What honor and dignity hath been done to Mordecai for this?” Then said the king’s servants who ministered unto him, “There is nothing done for him.” 6:11 Then Haman took the apparel and the horse, and arrayed Mordecai and brought him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaimed before him, “Thus shall it be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honor!” Even when there are challenges we are facing the Lord will keep someone up at night who cannot sleep until they reward us for our service to them. To close this passage with a word of encouragement from God's word. Remember when you are facing trials and difficult circumstances, Jesus is right there with you and in the words of Job (19:25KJV) I know that my redeemer liveth and He shall be the last one to stand. In other words Jesus has the last word and the final say in what concerns us so as long as we live our lives pleasing in His sight, according to His precepts outlined in the Bible,we have nothing to fear for he shall come to our defense. In the words of the songwriter Jesus is our rock in a weary land and a shelter in the time of storm. Amen.

Luke 2:32 (GW)

He is a light that will reveal salvation to the nations and bring glory to your people Israel.”

Luke 2:32 (WEB)

He is a light which will shine for those who do not know God. He is the one who will bring praise to your people Israel.

Isiah 9:2 (VOICE)

The people who had been living in darkness have seen a great light. The light of life has shined on those who dwelt in the shadowy darkness of death.

John 8:12

Once again Jesus spoke to the people. This time he said, “I am the light for the world! Follow me, and you won’t be walking in the dark. You will have the light that gives life.”

Enlightened

The above verses illustrate to us that Jesus is the Light that shined in the darkness in which the world was languishing. Many who have not made Jesus their Lord and Savior are still "walking in the dark". When people walk around in the dark they will obviously stumble and fall and may even walk into a wall or any other obstacle. People walking around in the dark have their vision restricted. The majority of the people in the world today are operating their lives with restricted vision. Many religious leaders are blind themselves and it becomes a case of the blind leading the blind. However there is literal change like night and day once we accept the gift of eternal life through Jesus. The Light of Life shines down on us and we begin to see clearly. In the words of John Newton, author of Amazing Grace, we can certainly say "I was blind but now I see". Many people follow different religions in an attempt to reach God or please God, however all those are like building the tower of Babel in the Word of God, Bible. True Christianity is God the Heavenly Father reaching out to us people through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. People gloss over sin or disobedience to God's word. However sin (disobedience to God's Holy Word) is an offence punishable by death. The whole world is under the death penalty as a result of our disobedience to God's word and our propensity to sin. The sin nature is encoded in our DNA, however when Christ enters into our lives He gives us a new nature created in righteousness. Although our bodies and our soul do not change overnight, our Spirit is transformed because the Holy Spirit now dwells in us. We are "enlightened". We who were once blinded by our sins are now able to see things in the right perspective. Christ died, the just for the unjust, so we can now have the ability to commune with God. He lifted the death penalty and has offered us eternal life through Christ our Savior. Colossians 3:4 And when Christ who is our real life comes back again, you will shine with him and share in all his glories.(TLB) or in another version: Christ gives meaning to your life, and when he appears, you will also appear with him in glory. (CEV). We can conclude then that Christ gives meaning to our life and when He returns for us we will share in all His glories eternally. Be "enlightened", invite the Light of the World to illuminate your life. Amen.

Matthew 2:1-2

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the East to Jerusalem,
2 saying, “Where is He that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”

Seek Him

With the Christmas season approaching let us take time to do as the wise man of old did: seek Him who is born the king of the Jews. The commercialization of the Christmas season leads us to stress over the time together and instead of thinking about the birth of Jesus, people only think about snagging the best deals and over the Christmas menu. It has been said Wise men still seek Him. At the birth of Jesus there was a great celebration in the heavens with an angelic choir proclaiming peace on earth and good will towards men. This peace comes from having a broken relationship with God almighty restored through accepting Christ's sacrifice. As the carol says: 'sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying sealed in a stone cold tomb. Glorious now behold Him arise, King and God and sacrifice. Alleluia, alleluia earth to heaven replies' What better time to reconcile our souls to God and truly establish peace on earth through Christ. Merry Christmas season and Let the love of God well in you richly...

John 10:9 (AMP)

I am the Door; anyone who enters through Me will be saved [and will live forever], and will go in and out [freely], and find pasture (spiritual security).

Entry

In the book of Genesis, mankind lost their communion and fellowship with God, as a result of Adam and Eve's disobedience to God's word. The same disobedience to God's word is prevalent among us today and mankind is alienated from the comfort, promises and love of God. However through Jesus Christ the broken fellowship between mankind and God is restored. In the garden of Eden, after the disobedience of Adam, God forbid them from living eternally in a sinful state. However Jesus rectified everything that was lost in the garden by Adam and Eve. Through Jesus we can enjoy an intimate fellowship with God our Father. As we see in the above verse, Jesus is the Door and anyone who enters through Him will live forever. and will find spiritual security. Besides Jesus there is no other. This may seem exclusive however there is one way for all. John 3:16 “For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son. God gave his Son so that whoever believes in him may not be lost, but have eternal life. God opens up the door to Whoever believes in Jesus. Although previously eternal life seemed exclusive, we see now it is indeed inclusive and God opens up the door to whoever believes in Jesus. In closing there is a rhyme which goes as follows: There is one way and it is God's way, there is one Hope it's in His Word, there is one life and His name is Jesus, one way , one hope, one life is in the Lord. Deuteronomy 30:19 I am now giving you the choice between life and death, between God's blessing and God's curse, and I call heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Choose life.

Matthew 7:13 Phillips

Go in by the narrow gate. For the wide gate has a broad road which leads to disaster and there are many people going that way. The narrow gate and the hard road lead out into life and only a few are finding it.”

Matthew 7:13-14 KJV

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Easy Street

In Matthew 7:14 Jesus admonishes us (MSG) “Don’t look for shortcuts to God. The market is flooded with surefire, easygoing formulas for a successful life that can be practiced in your spare time. Don’t fall for that stuff, even though crowds of people do. The way to life—to God!—is vigorous and requires total attention. Living life on easy street, finding the path of least resistance, is often the precursor to failure. Following the mass media would lead us in the direction the media is headed, to the flames of hell. Following popular opinion and being in agreement with mainstream media would lead us down the wrong pathway, the broad way to destruction with the masses headed to the same destination. I was watching a documentary on salmon swimming against the current and noticed how the had to overcome the harsh currents and predators just to return to the spot where they were born to lay their eggs. This reminded me of how our Christian life should be. For us to get to the divine destination where the streets are paved with gold and there is no sorrow or sadness, we need to fight an uphill battle striving against the sinful standards established in the world we live in and uphold God's righteousness in the midst of the darkness we are surrounded with. We need to battle hell and high water and like the salmon swim upstream against the tide of he current and against societies politically correctness. We need to buck the world's standards in order to establish Christ's laws in our lives and in those in our surroundings. Upholding God's laws will require us to go against the norms established by society. So in closing I encourage you to swim against the current and uphold God's laws in living in conformity to God's standards. In the words of Paul the apostle Hebrews 12:4 After all, you have never yet struggled against sin and temptation until you sweat great drops of blood.(Message) In this all-out match against sin, others have suffered far worse than you, to say nothing of what Jesus went through—all that bloodshed! So don’t feel sorry for yourselves.

Song of Solomon 2:4 (GNT)

He brought me to his banquet hall and raised the banner of love over me

Song of Solomon 2:4(VOICE)

He placed me at his banquet table, for everyone to see that his banner over me declares his love

1 John 3:1 (GNT)

See how much the Father has loved us! His love is so great that we are called God's children—and so, in fact, we are.

Love

In the verses above we see that the Lord delights over us and lavishes His love upon us. The entire Bible is God's love letter to us His children and in it we find instructions for living. In this world we are living in we face trials and tribulations. The world is sometimes devoid of true love. Most of what is considered love is just glorified lust to see what one can get out of it. However God's love is one which see how we can meet the need of another. The God kind of love is a giving love and not a getting love. Just as we soak up the love that Jesus lavishes upon us, we are so filled, renewed and restored with His Godly love, that we can see how we can transmit His love to our surroundings. The world we are living in needs true Godly love manifested through our lives and our actions. In order for us to give out this love, we need to first receive this love from God to us through Jesus. Words cannot describe God's love for us. In this was the love of God manifested towards us, that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Once we open up our hearts and accept His love then we have the ability to display His love to those God puts in our lives or across our paths. Our cups have to be filled with the Love of God before we can pour ourselves out to those who are in need of love. We cry out to the Lord, in the words of the song writer, Fill my cup Lord, I lift it up Lord, come and quench this thirsting of my soul. Bread of heaven fill me till I want no more, here's my cup fill it up and make me whole. We need to direct others to the one who has the capacity to satisfy the longing of their souls. In the words of the song writer again, I never found true satisfaction until I found the Lord. Only Jesus can satisfy your soul. Only He can fill your life and make you whole. He has loved you with an everlasting love and has drawn you with His loving kindness. In summary the answer to the problems in this world today is the Love of God. God is Love 1 John 4:8 God is love. [He is the originator of love, and it is an enduring attribute of His nature.] Amplified Bible.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died[a] will rise from their graves. 17 Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. 18 So encourage each other with these words.

1 Corinthians 15:52

It will all happen in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For there will be a trumpet blast from the sky, and all the Christians who have died will suddenly become alive, with new bodies that will never, never die; and then we who are still alive shall suddenly have new bodies too.

In the twinkling of an eye

We see in the passages above Christ will return at the sound of a trumpet and with the voice of the archangel. When He does return, the dead Christians will be resurrected with new incorruptible bodies. Then those who are still alive will have new bodies too which will never decay. The living and the dead will rise to meet up with Christ in the air. All this will happen in the blink of an eye. Christ will then rule the nations with a rod of iron or harshly, To the one who is victorious, who carries out my work to the end, I will give authority over the nations, just as I myself have received authority from my Father, and I will give him the morning star. ‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the potter’s vessels shall be broken to pieces’. Let the listener hear what the Spirit says to the Churches .Revelations 2:26-28. Christ first came as a lowly baby in a manger who laid down His life for us by dying on the cross for our sins. His second coming will be as a conquering King come to judge the world and establish His rule over the entire earth. 2 Timothy 4:1 I solemnly call on you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who is going to judge those who are living and those who are dead. I do this because Christ Jesus will come to rule the world. It is better for us to bow our knees in surrender to Christ while his hand of mercy is extended to us rather than when the rod of His judgement is brought down on us after His return. Just as King Xerxes extended the golden scepter to Queen Esther symbolizing his favor and acceptance, God the Father is extending his mercy to us in these last days. The Father's voice is urgently beckoning us to come in from the darkness of this world prior to His wrath and judgement are poured out. Just as at the reluctant preaching of Jonah, all of wicked Nineveh repented, God is calling out to a lost and dying people to turn back from the pig pen of their lives and return to the Father's house as rightful heirs.

John 2: 1-10 (GNT)

Two days later there was a wedding in the town of Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine had given out, Jesus' mother said to him, “They are out of wine.”
4 “You must not tell me what to do,” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.”
5 Jesus' mother then told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
6 The Jews have rules about ritual washing, and for this purpose six stone water jars were there, each one large enough to hold between twenty and thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill these jars with water.” They filled them to the brim, 8 and then he told them, “Now draw some water out and take it to the man in charge of the feast.” They took him the water, 9 which now had turned into wine, and he tasted it. He did not know where this wine had come from (but, of course, the servants who had drawn out the water knew); so he called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Everyone else serves the best wine first, and after the guests have drunk a lot, he serves the ordinary wine. But you have kept the best wine until now!”

Do what Jesus says

In thee passage above John 2:5 says :Jesus' mother then told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” In a nutshell this is the universal answer to any question we might have and the solution to every problem we face. The answer to a lot of questions we have is often found in the written Word of God, the Bible. The Bible outlines the principles and precepts we need to live by and following them would normally help us answer our questions and concerns. In specific circumstances we face which cannot be answered by the written Word of God such as whether to buy house A or house B, we need to have our hearts tuned to what the Holy Spirit has to say. As long as our lives conform to his principles, the Holy Spirit will lead us in making the right choice. We need to be able to hear the spoken Word of God. In the passage above they were faced with a problem: No wine at the wedding. Solution: do whatever Jesus tells you to do. In another familiar bible passage there was another problem: No food for the multitudes. Jesus once again solved the problem by multiplying the bread and the fishes. We need to ensure that Jesus is a welcome guest at our parties and gatherings and in general, in every aspect of our lives. As long as Jesus is there, whether navigating through a storm tossed sea or facing lack or missing the essential 'new wine' we can be assured that we will come through as gold. Job 23:10 But He knoweth the way that I take; when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. Make sure Jesus is in the boat with you and regardless of what you may be going through you will come forth as gold.

Romans 12:2 (Philipps)

Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all his demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity.

2 Corinthians 3:18 (TLB)

But we Christians have no veil over our faces; we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him.

Philippians 3:13-14 (ERV)

Brothers and sisters, I know that I still have a long way to go. But there is one thing I do: I forget what is in the past and try as hard as I can to reach the goal before me. 14 I keep running hard toward the finish line to get the prize that is mine because God has called me through Christ Jesus to life up there in heaven.

A Work in Progress

Many others hold us Christians to standards of perfection, expecting us to never mess up, forgetting that we are also human and subject to weaknesses and failures. The world makes a big deal out of our shortcomings. However we are imperfect people who serve a perfect God. The standard of perfection was placed on Jesus and He is the only one who never sinned. Moses was a murderer who killed an Egyptian and fled to the wilderness in hiding. The Apostle Paul who wrote 2/3rd of the New Testament was aiding and abetting in the murder of Steven. King David was an adulterer who killed a man to have his wife. Need I continue? Solomon with his multitudes of wives and concubines. Pretty dumb thing to do for the wisest man of all times! Although this does not give us a license to sin and continue in immorality we need to recognize that we are "under construction" or "works in progress" . We strive to excel and reflect God's love to those around us, however we are limited by our frailties. One day eventually after Christ's second coming we will be given an incorruptible body. Now all we have is the incorruptible seed of the word of God germinating and growing within us. As we continue to mold our thinking to align with God's word and to reflect His love and glory to those in our surroundings striving for Christ-likeness in our characters, we are reaching for the heavenly prize. Instead of letting the world beat us down for our failures and shortcomings we pick ourselves up and continue to run that race as one striving for the gold standard. Proverbs 24:16 Though the just fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble from only one mishap. In closing if you've fallen or slipped in your faith walk, get up and dust yourself and continue running the race as one who will attain the goal. Remember we are not yet perfect however are a work in progrress or under construction.

Jeremiah 24:7 (TLB)

I will give them hearts that respond to me. They shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with great joy.

Jeremiah 31:33 (TLB)

But this is the new contract I will make with them: I will inscribe my laws upon their hearts, so that they shall want to honor me;* then they shall truly be my people and I will be their God.

Intimacy

Many have heard over the years the stories of Jesus. They know a lot about Him, however do not know Him at all. True Christianity begins with an intimate personal relationship with Jesus. Religion is a disconnected knowledge of information regarding whatever gods the religion represents. Even mainstream christian religion consists of knowing events of Jesus life and facts concerning biblical events. However the new covenant is knowing Jesus personally. It stems from intimacy with the King of Kings. I may know about a lot of infamous and famous people such as Hitler or Winston Churchill Ghandhiji etc.. However the level of relationship I have with them is zero. We have a relationship with members of our family, our grand mothers, parents, children, spouses , siblings and even our friends with whom we are not related. Our relationship with our families and friends is obviously more personal and intimate than knowing about a celebrity we may have heard or read about on the news. We know what makes our intimate friends happy, how to bring joy into their lives what displeases them and we enjoy spending time in their company. In the same way once we open our heart's and welcome Jesus into our lives we begin to enjoy intimacy with Him. It's that relationship that God restored to us through Christ. Jesus did not come to start a new religion but rather to restore a broken relationship with God. He puts His Laws in our inward parts and we become His own treasured possession. We become the apple of His eye. We are His dearly beloved family. Many in the religious world think they know a lot about Jesus and they do, however they do not know Him at all personally. Matthew 7:22-23 Many will say to Me in that Day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name, and in Thy name have cast out devils, and in Thy name done many wonderful works?’
23 And then will I profess unto them, ‘I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity. This is a scary verse. The Lord wants us to know Him personally and intimately like we do our spouses or close members of our inner circle. In the words of the song writer, the longer I serve Him the sweeter He grows, the more that i love Him more love He bestows, each day is like heaven my heart overflows the longer I serve Him the sweeter He grows. In closing get to know Him by name and love him from the bottom of your hearts. Amen.

Judges 7:15-21

Then he went back to the Israelite camp and shouted, “Let’s go! The Lord is going to let us defeat the Midianite army.”Gideon divided his little army into three groups of one hundred men, and he gave each soldier a trumpet and a large clay jar with a burning torch inside. 17-18 Gideon said, “When we get to the enemy camp, spread out and surround it. Then wait for me to blow a signal on my trumpet. As soon as you hear it, blow your trumpets and shout, ‘Fight for the Lord! Fight for Gideon!’”
19 Gideon and his group reached the edge of the enemy camp a few hours after dark, just after the new guards had come on duty.[a] Gideon and his soldiers blew their trumpets and smashed the clay jars that were hiding the torches. 20 The rest of Gideon’s soldiers blew the trumpets they were holding in their right hands. Then they smashed the jars and held the burning torches in their left hands. Everyone shouted, “Fight with your swords for the Lord and for Gideon!”
21 The enemy soldiers started yelling and tried to run away. Gideon’s troops stayed in their positions surrounding the camp 22 and blew their trumpets again. As they did, the Lord made the enemy soldiers pull out their swords and start fighting each other.

Unusual strategy

To recapitulate the chapters preceding the passage above, the people of God were under attack and greatly outnumbered, captive to fear and lack of leadership. God singled out Gideon who was hiding and called him a mighty man of valor. To summarize Gideon's unusual strategy was to arm each soldier with an empty clay pot, a lit torch within the clay pot and a trumpet. These things signify what we need to use in our fight against the spiritual enemies we face. 2 Corinthians 4:7 We are like clay jars in which this treasure is stored. The real power comes from God and not from us. We are the clay jars the Lord uses in His fight against the spiritual enemy. Mathew 5:16 let your light shine before people, so that they may see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven. We are like clay pots carrying the light of Jesus to the world. Psalm 51:17 The sacrifice God wants is a broken spirit. God, you will not ·reject [despise] a heart that is broken and ·sorry for sin. (My sacrifice is a humble spirit, O God; you will not reject a humble and repentant heart). As we are repentant for our sinful nature inherited from Adam, the Lord breaks the clay jars and the light of Christ shines through us. This unusual strategy caused so much confusion in the enemy's camp that it caused them to destroy each other and flee in terror. Micah 6:8 He hath shown thee, O man, what is good: and what doth the Lord require of thee but to do justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?. In closing as we humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God by being repentant our clay jars are broken and the light of Christ shines out and the enemy is driven back in confusion. Isiah 55:8 The Lord says: “My thoughts and my ways are not like yours. Following the Lord's way, no matter how ridiculous it may seem to our intellect, will always bring victory in every circumstance and battle we face in our lives.

Mark 10:47-55 MSG

They spent some time in Jericho. As Jesus was leaving town, trailed by his disciples and a parade of people, a blind beggar by the name of Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus, was sitting alongside the road. When he heard that Jesus the Nazarene was passing by, he began to cry out, “Son of David, Jesus! Mercy, have mercy on me!” Many tried to hush him up, but he yelled all the louder, “Son of David! Mercy, have mercy on me!”
49-50 Jesus stopped in his tracks. “Call him over.”
They called him. “It’s your lucky day! Get up! He’s calling you to come!” Throwing off his coat, he was on his feet at once and came to Jesus.
51 Jesus said, “What can I do for you?”

Yelled even louder

In the passage above we see Bartimaeus, a blind man begging on the streets heard of Jesus power to restore and heal and started crying out to Him for mercy. Many of the religious crowd tried to hush him up however he yelled even louder. Jesus however did not rebuke him but rather called him over and healed his vision. Many times we are in a situation like blind Bartimaeus. We may have 20/20 eyesight but sometimes we cannot see a solution to the circumstances we are facing. Many are spiritually blinded and Satan has them begging for scraps instead of living like the King's kids. Instead of feasting on the riches of His grace, many are begging for scraps for forgiveness, for a second chance, for mercy, for a clean slate, a new lease on life. Religion cannot meet these needs and instead of directing those in such situations to the Master, who can save, deliver and heal, religious people try to hush up those needy people with useless rituals. However w need to respond like Bartimaeus, yelled even louder asking for mercy. When we do that we get the Master's attention. Jesus stopped in His tracks and asked to bring Bartimaeus over. When Jesus calls our number we can rest assured our problems will be solved. The blindness which had afflicted us all our lives will once and for all be gone and our vision will be restored. We need to overcome religious obstacles and cry out to have our spiritual vision restored. No more begging for scraps from religion. Now that our vision is restored our lifestyles will have to change accordingly. The Bible says Without a vision, the people perish. We need to have our vision restored, our broken relationship restored. No longer blind beggars but sons and daughters of the King of the Universe. We live like the children of kings. We ourselves are kings and priest unto Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. Let the light of the world shine through the darkness in your lives and restore spiritual vision as to who you are in Christ. Look unto Jesus the author and perfecter of your faith. The repairer of the breach, Let your lives be restored through Jesus. Overcome religious obstacles and cry out to the King of kings and the Lord of Lords to restore spiritual vision. See clearly who you are in Christ, seated with Him in heavenly places. Amen.

Matthew 28:19

Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,

John 4:24 GNT

God is Spirit, and only by the power of his Spirit can people worship him as he really is.

Triune God

The concept of Trinity may be hard for us to wrap our minds around. However when we seek to worship God we need to seek with our spirit and not with our human intellect. Just like when we love someone we need to love with our heart and soul and not our reasoning power. We as people are created in God's image. S.o God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. We are a spirit, we have a soul and live in our body. See the section on spirit, soul and body for more details. The concept of the Trinity is interwoven in all creation.There are three states to matter: solid, liquid and gas. Three components to the atom: proton, neutron and electron. Three tenses, the past present and future. However to get a better understanding of who God is we need to approach Him through our spirit. Our human intellect is limited in it's understanding and sometimes the concept of a triune God may be hard to wrap our minds around. Even though I have three components I'm just one person. I am a spirit which is the essence of who I am. i have a soul which comprises of my mind will and emotions and i live in a body. The three are essentially one of me. It is the same thing with God. There is the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit and they are essentially one. We can comprehend that when we approach the topic with our regenerated Spirit. ‘The time will come when I, the Lord, will write my laws on their minds and hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. Request God for a renewed spirit through Jesus' finished work on the cross and an infilling of the Holy Spirit and then the concept of the Trinity wiil crystallize in your Spirit.

1 Corinthians 13 :3-8, 13, (GNT)

I may give away everything I have, and even give up my body to be burned[a]—but if I have no love, this does me no good.
4 Love is patient and kind; it is not jealous or conceited or proud; 5 love is not ill-mannered or selfish or irritable; love does not keep a record of wrongs; 6 love is not happy with evil, but is happy with the truth. 7 Love never gives up; and its faith, hope, and patience never fail.
8 Love is eternal.

13.Meanwhile these three remain: faith, hope, and love; and the greatest of these is love.

A more excellent way

In the world out there people are on a quest for some form of love. Popular song writers question "I want to know what love is" and most of them "Still haven't found what they're looking for". The Bible outlines what love is. The God kind of love sees a world in distress and reaches out to alleviate the pain and suffering of those around us. We as individuals cannot alleviate the pain and suffering of the whole world around us, however we can display God's love to those in our immediate surroundings and make their lives better. We can display God's love to our family and keep our homes and our lives a more pleasant place to be. God's love in us has a life changing and transforming power. God's love is not something week or feeble but rather a powerful force to be reckoned with changing the world one life at a time. Sometimes just a smile, a hug, a gentle caress or a pat on the back, a kiss a kind word gently spoken may brighten up the life of someone in distress. Sometimes I notice in the world around us patience is wearing thin. There is road rage, people are trying to get to work on time and tempers are frayed and the world is seasoned with swearing and cussing. The Bible says in proverbs " A gentle answer turns away wrath" There is a lot of wrath in this world. A lot of anger, bitterness, strife, discord, pain, malice. Displaying God's love in our lives and to those in our surroundings will without fail make this world a better place to live in. Not only that, our own personal lives will be better and the quality of life we are striving for so hard will dramatically improve. The Bible says " we reap what we sow" Sow love in those around you and reap an abundance of peace, joy, and love. The greatest of these is love.

Matthew 14:27

But straightway Jesus spoke unto them, saying, “Be of good cheer. It is I; be not afraid.”

Matthew 14:27

Immediately, Jesus said, “Calm down! It’s me. Don’t be afraid!”

John 16:33

“I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33

I’ve told you this so that my peace will be with you. In the world you’ll have trouble. But cheer up! I have overcome the world.”

Cheer up

To put things in perspective in the book of Matthew 14 we see the disciples struggling to navigate through a storm on the see of Galilee when they see a figure approaching them walking on the water. Jesus answered and said calm down, it's me don't be afraid. many times when we are facing storms in life, be it an emotional upheaval, a physical problem or a financial crisis, the Lord does not leave us to battle alone. He walks over the stormy seas or the difficult circumstances we are facing and comes to aid us in our battle. He says to us Calm down, my child, I'm here now, do not worry , do not fret, relax and rest assured that all will be well. Also in John 16:33 he says in Him we have peace amidst the troubling circumstances in this world. Cheer up because He has overcome the world and deprived it of it's power to harm us. In the midst of economic collapse, emotional turmoil and upheaval, physical problems and every other challenging circumstance we face in the world, Jesus says to us Cheer up. I have deprived the world f it's power to harm you. Even while Peter was walking on water, as long as he kept his vision fixed on Christ he overcame the stormy seas, however as he reverted his vision to the stormy seas or the difficult circumstances he was facing he began to go under. Even at that time the Lord reached out and pulled him out before he drowned. Sometimes we may feel like we are drowning or going under the challenges we face however the moment we cry out to Jesus, He immediately comes to our rescue walking over the stormy seas of our lives and pulling us out to safety. Jeremiah 23:23 this message is from the Lord. “I am God, and I am always near. I am not far away. The answer to our problems is only a prayer away. Call unto Jesus the author and perfecter of your faith. He will reach out and speak peace into every situation you are facing.

2 Corinthians 5:20

Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His plea through us. We plead with you on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God!”

John 18:36

Jesus said, “My kingdom does not belong to this world; if my kingdom belonged to this world, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish authorities. No, my kingdom does not belong here!”

Colossians 3:4

Your real life is Christ and when he appears, then you too will appear with him and share his glory!

Ephesians 2:12

At that time you were apart from Christ. You were foreigners and did not belong to God's chosen people. You had no part in the covenants, which were based on God's promises to his people, and you lived in this world without hope and without God.

Representing Christ

As Ephesians 2:12 says we were once strangers and aliens to the covenant of God and to God's promises. When we look around us we see a world filled with people who are strangers to the promises of God and are without God and hope in this world. We were once just like them. Hopeless and forsaken. However God in His infinite mercy was kind enough to reveal Himself to us who know Him through Christ. Now He has appointed us as ambassadors of Christ. As you may have heard it said: this world is not our home, we are just passing through. Our citizenship is in heaven, a city whose builder and maker is God. As Jesus said in John 18:36 His kingdom does not belong to this world. We set our eyes on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. If our hope were only in this world we would be the most miserable of all people however our hope is in Christ and as Colossians 3:4 says when Christ who is our life appears then we also will appear with Him in glory. We need to lift up our eyes since our redemption draws nigh. As it is stated in the Bible Christ will return one day to judge the world, not as a meek baby in a manger rather as a conquering King with a two edged sword. On that day we need to be found in Him. Our hope, our lives our being should be in Him and in the meantime we act as His ambassadors on earth being ruled by heavenly laws and representing heaven to all who dwell on earth. We are messengers of His love and we bring peace with God and reconciliation. Christ did not come into this world to condemn the world but rather to bring hope to the world. We need to do the same as His ambassadors reconciling the lost of this world to God. The world is thirsting for the love of God. We need to direct them to Christ who is the fountain of living water. Amen