Looking out over the Watchtower.....

Jehoshaphat, King of Judah. He can be a picture of us, spiritually speaking who know and walk with Jesus Christ. He did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, though there were some areas where he did not walk in fellowship with the Lord. This can be a picture of us, with Jesus Christ. We are made perfect and we are united with the Lord through faith in His Son. We trust Him and surrender to Him to transform us, changing us to His image.

Just as Jehosphat was in a place of peace and rest in the Lord, 11 Chron. 20, the enemy came upon him suddenly. He experienced a sudden attack of the enemy, just like it can be said of us, who walk with the Lord, we know that often the enemy comes upon us (upon our minds, etc.) with a sudden vicious onslaught, meant to paralyze us and destroy our faith and confidence in the Word of God.

Jehoshophat's eyes it says in verse 12 remained on the Lord. He humbled himself and kept his eyes on the Lord even though he did not know what to do. In this way his heart was open to hearing the Spirit of the Lord speak to him. Verse 15 - Jehosphaphat says to the Lord in the midst of the gathered children of Israel, WE TRUST YOU. OUR CONFIDENCE IS IN YOU! This battle belongs to you Lord was his declaration. It can be ours too ~ in the midst of a sudden attack against us, against our minds, against our families - unfortunately, we can become filled with fear and uncertainty OR we can boldly declare our trust in JESUS CHRIST AND ALL THAT HE HAS DONE FOR US. The sudden attacks can become places where our despair and trials can become opportunities to choose Christ and trust Him and come to know Him more.

Finally, we see a bold declaration of God's faithfulness and keeping power in verse 17: "Ye shall not need to fight in this battle; set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you" .... and finally scripture says, "and Jerusalem fell before the Lord and worshipping the Lord." (verse 18)

This great confidence and bold declaration of their trust and faith in a great trial enabled them to climb a great tower where they saw not the circumstances, but instead they saw the dead bodies of men all around them. (Spiritually speaking we"see" this around us as well when we walk by faith and not by sight , .. this is a place where we are lifted up, with our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our Faith. Out of our circumstances we are granted faith to believe and trust the Lord - CHRIST OUR HIGH TOWER) "And when Judah came toward the watchtower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and , behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped. And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves; more than they could carry away, and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much." ( verse 24,25)

I just encourage us to continue to trust and lean upon the Lord who will never leave nor forsake us, and is surely with us all in our times of despair, where in the midst of peace and rest, we too, may experience an unexpected and sudden attack of the enemy. If we humble ourselves the Lord will give us the faith to see "spiritually" speaking for a place of a high tower in CHRIST JESUS. Our faith in Him will be our bold declaration of a great Victory (the great spoil that is ours , amen !)

Praying Always For You .....

1 ¶ Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother,
2 To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 ¶ We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,
4 Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints,
5 For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;
6 Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:

Isn't Paul's words beautiful in Colossians Chapter 1 : ??

He wants these precious Saints to know how God works !! Paul realized they would come to know Christ and His Will only because they had a revelation of the grace of God in Truth. Not vice versa, ie.. if I work hard, then I will somehow earn grace, and come to know grace ... No,, Paul's confidence and giving of thanks for these saints was such an encouragement to them!!

Incidentally, if you put your confidence in something you can work to achieve , then it is not grace at all, but only human goodness. (No man can in any way enter the kingdom of Heaven by this route )

It seems his message is one where he prays for them in the hopes that they will have an enduring faith (like being able to endure the unendurable). This would only be possible because they had truly heard and cast all their confidence on the enduring message of the Cross of Jesus Christ, the Grace of God in Truth.

He is not condemning them nor demanding of them that they conform and get their act together, is he? What a tremendous example he gives us all of the quiet confidence a Saint such as you or I should demonstrate to those who are without, those who have not tasted of the Lord's salvation wrought only by grace, not by works. Oh Come and See the Lord our God, whose mercy truly endureth forever and ever. ....

Paul's words are so encouraging, filled with such hope! He sounds very confident that they have received a tremendous grace. Therefore he is assuring them that whatever endurance will be necessary to endure, they will endure, not because they have got their neat perfect doctrines orderly, no, ... because instead they understand the absolute grace necessary for the salvation of all mankind.

Paul had this revelation.

The prodigal son, returning from a life of riotous living, had a knowledge of the Father's Love and Forgiveness (his Father's grace). He became the son who was clothed with the Robe (of righteousness) the ring (sign of authority) and the shoes (gospel of peace). Much to the lamenting of the self righteous son however, who believe he somehow had earned and was deserving of His Father's precious inheritance. Today, is it possible we are seeing the same? Are we seeing the church, returning unto the Lord to understand grace? Yes, we are seeing the return of a bride of Christ, much the same way the prodigal son returned, who will this time return to Christ with a full appreciation of His Son. The lukewarm apostate church, however, like the son who never left the father, did not have the value and appreciation that the weayward prodigal son (wilderness church) now desires. It was the wayward son that had the revelation of the Father's love and forgiveness, having "wasted his substance with riotous living". The self righteous somehow think they are truly deserving and fail to appreciate the gift the Father gave of the Son.


Imagine how much the reality of these precious words to this church at Colosse must have impacted these Saints, exhorting them to endure and continue to look unto Jesus as the Author and Finisher of His Faith.

God's prayer it seems in these scriptures is not to labour & work hard in the hopes of getting it right, istead it is come to know the Lord, that through that revelation (of knowing who he was & is and how He is working in their lives) somehow through that simple revelation, they would enter into His Kingdom and be participating in the life and witness that only He can produce on this earth.

Jesus was and still is trying to help the merely religious fakes and those blinded to the knowledge of His love and grace to come to truly know Him. Because of His great love for all, and for these as well, He wants to deliver us all of this mindset; from the thinking that we could ever get to a place where we devalue His grace.

Nathanael's heart ....

43 ¶ The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.
44 Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
45 Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.
46 And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.
47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!
48 Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.
49 Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.
50 Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these.
51 And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.

(my comments)

Jesus saw Nathanel's heart. Even though he was skeptical, Jesus saw his heart, wherein Jesus saw there was no guile (pretense, hypocrisy). Yes there was skepticism, which I like the way that Phillip just said basically, come and see for yourself! He did not try to convince Nathanel, but instead invited him to come to know Jesus for himself.

Jesus saw that he was an honest seeker of the Lord and that he wanted truth, and the rest of the verses show that he was not just saying that, he truly wanted to agree with the truth as it would be spoken to his heart.

The fig tree could symbolize a place of rest, or a place of meditating. Which again points back to the fact that Jesus saw his heart. As soon as he turned toward Jesus, with this heart, willing to overcome his skepticism , (which he didn't hide, but acknowledged, again .. that is part of keeping our hearts ) All this showed that he was seeking a type of a genuine relationship with the Lord. He did not want pretense. He wanted the real thing ~ Jesus knew that ! It was a great reward, for Jesus immediately spoke to him. Because his heart was open to Jesus, he quickly and immediately was able to receive Him and declare Him Lord and King of Israel.

Our relationship with the Lord is one that must touch our heart constantly. It is all about the heart. We must be willing to sweep away all of the pretense, all of the pretending and hidden motives, attitudes, and self assertions that deny us of the relationship where we could come to acknowledge His greatness and He can become all in all, in us and through us. Where we could come to know Him more as He truly is. We will look away from those things that set us off in a different direction. WE will recognize "wrong directions" as misguided impulses, even though it may appear as religious, godly, upright, or a good thing to do, it will not move or impact our heart. We will search our heart in the day to day experiences that come our way and be quick to keep our hearts right, recognize that if we take any wrong directions, we will end up exalting ourselves and not Christ alone in our lives.

We will discern the way to a relationship with the Lord which causes Him to be glorified in us and through us in the day to day simple realities of life. Which is what we want, we want Him each and every day, His life flowing into each circumstance, no matter how trivial it may seem, Jesus has come that we would have life and have it more abundantly!! This life is in His Son !!

The centurion's faith vs. the elders of the Jew's ?? uhmm, ... faith ?? ..

Luke 7:
2 And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die.
3 And when he heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the elders of the Jews, beseeching him that he would come and heal his servant.
4 And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying, That he was worthy for whom he should do this:
5 For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue.
6 Then Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof:
7 Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed.
8 For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.
9 When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.
10 And they that were sent, returning to the house, found the servant whole that had been sick.

(my comments)

I noted when I was reading these scriptures this morning, that the elders of the Jews truly had no faith to believe in Jesus Christ. They rather chose to try to convince Jesus of the centurion's goodness (worthiness). They believed in their hearts that Jesus only answered prayers, not by mere faith, but instead according to one's own righteousness, one's own goodness and tireless efforts to be good. This was because they expended all their energy and resources to display and declare how good they truly believed they were! This showed their hearts were far from God/ they showed this to be so true considering how they paraded themselves around and displayed their righteousness to the oppressed and needy.

They truly did not understand the kingdom of God, nor did they understand the scriptures for which they took much pride in. It says they "besought him instantly, saying, That he was worthy (a good person, a good man) for whom he should do this: (hmmm) for he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue. (good works) : Though Jesus recognized their attempts to control the situation and convince him of this man's worthiness, perhaps Jesus knew something they didn't. Perhaps He knew only of the centurion's faith. Perhaps he saw that the centurion had a love for his servant which was unusual in those days ... Jesus recognized this ... (Much like Jesus Christ who came to save us in our lost condition, he had a love for all whom He died for)

Jesus turned towards the Centurion's house where the servant lay dying. It says friends of the centurion then came to Jesus who was on the way to house. But interestingly, rather than like the attempts of the Pharisees to convince Jesus to heal the servant, these friends declared the opposite, the centurion did not consider himself even worthy for Jesus to come into his house, he was rather a humble man who declared that he was not worthy; he did not depend upon his good works of any sort thorugh this trial. Such was his humility, he had come to recognize who Jesus was and His authority over himself. He recognized in humility that Christ did not need to visit his house, that He could answer by His Word alone and that he should not have troubled Him to come to his house. ( ... Imagine the self righteous jewish elders and pharisees confounded by this whole thing as they stood around about... )

The centurion had gained an understanding of the authority of Jesus Christ on this earth. What a great revelation he had been given of the kingdom of God, through this whole trial of his servant's illness. We often come to a deeper understanding of Christ as we walk through our trials. That is what Christ is after, often, isn't it ? HE IS AFTER THE TRIAL OF OUR FAITH. It is more precious than gold because it is in the TRIAL that we can come to know * trust Him. We can look from the trial and see Jesus, standing in the midst of it. We can know His sovereignty and authority over our lives! Do not beguiled into thinking that we need more faith, no, he is often after the FIERY TRIAL because that is where the revelation can come to us, of who Christ truly is, just as it was in this centurion's trial.

And so, as scripture promises, the Kingdom of God came near unto him. He understood that Jesus' authority was established and there there was no need whatsoever to try to convince Jesus of his own goodness. He knew that was pointless. He did not look at himself, you see, in this trial. Though he desired the healing of his servant, he did not try to control the outcome by determining how good and deserving he was of this miracle ... but the opposite, he rather saw how undeserving he was ... the revelation he had gained was that he had come to know that Jesus Christ was in a position of authority over him and His Word also.

What a wonderful work of the Holy Spirit! Perhaps some of the jewish elders were offended, but maybe some began to glimpse during this miracle and transformation what the Kingdom really was about. How it operated in the opposite of what they had supposed and spent the entire lifetime striving towards; perhaps they realized that the way to come to know the Lord was not as they supposed, to work and strive under the law to achieve a form of goodness and self-righteousness. Perhaps they began to see how far removed that was from the Truth.

Interesting quotes I found ....

Pray hardest when it is hardest to pray. ~ Charles H. Brent

THERE IS NO DEATH, THAT THERE WAS NOT FIRST A LIFE! AND THERE CAN BE NO LIFE IN CHRIST, UNLESS THERE IS FIRST A DEATH TO SELF. ~ Gary R. Kane

Some have more faith in the ability of Satan to keep them in bondage, than they do the ability of God to deliver them!
~ Gary R. Kane

Mechanical worship is easy, but worthless. ~ Charles H. Spurgeon

It is not enough to have truth on our side, if we have not truth in our hearts
~ William Gurnall

The gospel, what is it ?? but God's heart in print
~ William Gurnall

The only way the Lord can use us as a fine tuned instrument, is by first tightening the strings.
~ Gary R. Kane

The kingdom of heaven is not for the well meaning: it is for the desperate.
~ James Denny

God creates out of nothing, therefore, until a man is nothing, God can make nothing out of him.
~ Martin Luther

The only right a Christian has is to give up his rights.
~ Oswald Chambers

I have now concentrated all my prayers into one, and that one prayer is this, that I may die to self, and live wholly to Him.
~ Charles H. Spurgeon

The Word of God is like a lion. You don't have to defend a lion. All you have to do is let the lion loose, and the lion will defend itself."
~ Charles Spurgeon

Why, then, is there so much unfreedom in religious circles today? The sad truth is that many Christians fear the responsibility of being free. It's often easier to let others make the decisions or to rely exclusively on the letter of the law. Some men and women want to be slaves."

~ Brennan Manning in The Wisdom of Tenderness

"I think almost without exception that if I want to go deeper with God, be more spiritually alive, I probably need to do less of something. For so many years I saw being more spiritually alive as throwing one more duty on top of the pile."
~ Ben Patterson in Leadership Journal

"It is my deep conviction that we must be wholly prepared to abandon anything that retards our moving toward the place where Christ is all and in all, where we come to overflow with that which has flowed over us. This is true even though we may have to forsake things we have been taught or conditioned to believe are essential ingredients of church life." (amen)
John Beaumont in Revelatory Adventure.

The Value of our Burdens ?

"Cast thy burden upon the Lord" Psalm 55:22

Galatians 6:2 Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. 3 For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. 4 But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. 5 For every man shall bear his own burden. 6 Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things.

(my comments)

It seems to me there is a burden that we are called to bear (with the Lord) and one that we are not called to bear, but meant instead to bear with the assistance of other sensitive & caring saints.

It is a call & a growing up of Saints to get to the place in relationship with our Saviour where we can identify our own burdens, and see their value in terms of our spiritual growth as well as the growth of others. Growth is relative to our sensitivity and ability to determine the nature of burdens, which we see all around. We must, as the Lord guides, be able to encourage one another on our journey of casting daily burdens & hardships upon the Lord.

This is actually what a true Leader in the body of Christ will do. .... he will come along side of a saint, and He will labor and painstakingly often at times, not to carry their burden for them, but allow a sister or brother to grow in the Lord. I find often he does not attempt to carry the burden. He does not have a desire to make a saint dependant upon himself but rather painstakingly grow through trials and burdens, and become soley dependant upon the Lord. The servant is very sensitive to that point. He serves others in such a way however, and this is the key, that he is able to truly convey to this saint (who may be burdened ord troubled ) a great confidence in Jesus Christ (in Who Christ is) and confidence in this saint's relationship with the Savior. This is a great duration and moments for prayer. He does not try to carry the load out from under the saint. Overall the saint is encouraged in their own relationship with the Lord, which causes vital growth & trust during a trial and hardship. This is the nature of leadership and servanthood in the new testament.

I have experienced this type of interaction, free from the control and manipulation so evident often in religious leadership & authorities. There is such a joy and such an opportunity for often rapid growth in this type of atmosphere. If you are willing, by God's grace to become able to identify it when is comes your way, you will be truly blessed!! I would encourage us all to continue to seek this type of relationship within the body, ...but be aware, it may but sadly may not be found in the hierarchial institutional arrangements we often see. So often, eventually, they become detrimental to one's relationship and ability to respond to Christ in their lives as the saint becomes more and more dependant upon the system and not Christ.

The burden I believe scripture admonishes us to all carry is simply the day to day toil of our lives. It is wise to understand this through and through so we don't burden others with trying to get them to carry what we alone are meant to carry and ultimately grow through. It is also wise to realize when someone else is trying to get you to do the work of carrying the load of their day to day burdens, and I would say, step aside carefully but quietly. The brother or sister may not understand at first, but eventually, they will reach a place where they will appreciate and gain a deeper understanding of true discipleship and how important obedience is, at times costly, yes, but vital to remain connected and growing up into Jesus Christ.

When a brother or sister in Christ goes through a crisis, HOWEVER, that often is a time for others to come along side of them and help them carry that unbearable load.

Eventually as we mature on in Christ, we can be sensitive and knowing as to the nature of burdens we see in each other's lives. We begin to know by God's grace when we become a hindrance or a stumbling block to a Saint, even if we feel compelled at the moment, we need to get clear direction from the Lord concerning the nature and purpose of burdens in one another's lives.

So this text in Galatians is not a contradiction, as it might seem. There is great wisdom in digging down in the Word, and what it has to say about burdens. Verse 2 meaning when a saint goes through a "crisis", just be careful to bear the burden of others as Christ shows you, for we all will at one time or another need the load bearing assistance of others on this journey. Verse 4&5 refers more to the day to day burden that many of us are called to experience, the day to day burdens and travails that we encounter as we journey daily with Christ.

Our hour of greatest Need ...

the Journey
27 And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered. 28 But after that I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee. 29 But Peter said unto him, Although all shall be offended, yet will not I. 30 And Jesus saith unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. 31 But he spake the more vehemently, If I should die with thee, I will not deny thee in any wise. Likewise also said they all. 32 ¶ And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray. 33 And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy; 34 And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch. 35 And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. 36 And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt. 37 And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour? 38 Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak. 39 And again he went away, and prayed, and spake the same words. 40 And when he returned, he found them asleep again, (for their eyes were heavy,) neither wist they what to answer him. 41 And he cometh the third time, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: it is enough, the hour is come; behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

(my comments)

In Jesus' greatest moment of need, despite His love and care for these precious disciples, they were found sleeping. This though they had just vehemently denied that they would in any way deny Jesus even if it meant death to them.

Do you find men sleeping ? Do you find many unaware of your trials and sufferings? I suspect that there are many lonely, many suffering in our world today. I would like to encourage us to all take heart and stand beside each other in the trials and sufferings that come upon each of us. Most of all, Jesus stands beside us and has prayed for us that our faith will not fail us. As Jesus is aware of our needs, so Jesus was aware of Peter's upcoming weakness & failure. HE is aware of ours as well. We must rouse ourselves and awaken ourselves up to the reality that it is only through watchfulness and taking heed, being steadfast, through prayer and offering up onself, that we will overcome the weakness, or shall I say strength, of our flesh and not be sleeping at an hour when "we knowest not". When the master comes.

All those who would be disciples must walk a path that seems to twist and turn, from a bold initial declaration of faith and trust, to a sombre reality of the strength of our flesh to make us slumber and hinder us in our walk with Jesus Christ. Only through Jesus Christ Alone can we all truly awaken, Only He can awaken us UP to the reality of Who He is & What He has done for us, may His purpose become fulfilled in us through this revelation.

Our example of Jesus in the garden, pouring himself out before the Father, even as those around him slumber, slept, were oblivious; we too must pour ourselves out before the Father, though others perhaps our unaware; still we submit, still we yield, and into His hands we commend ourselves.

This is the sacrifice that our Spirit is ready and willing to labor within us, and bring unto the Father. OH the fragrance of it! The sweet communion and fellowship that it yields will surpass the earthly and fill us with a great awareness that we are but sojourners upon this earth, awaiting heaven ! Just passing through til one day we will return unto our Father. What a day of rejoicing that shall be ! Home at last we shall be.

Carry on ye soldiers of the Cross ! Arise and welcome Jesus Christ the Lord into thy midst as never before !

The relationship that accomplishes surrender is ... one of Love & not of Obligation or Conformity (which is religion) !!

Matt. 7
1 ¶ Judge not, that ye be not judged.
2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
7 ¶ Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?
10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
12 ¶ Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
13 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:
14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
15 ¶ Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
21 ¶ Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 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.
24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:
29 For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes

(my comments)

Jesus told us through His own relationship with the Father that we must do NOT OUR OWN WILL but the will of the Father. He commands us to take up our cross and follow Him. We must lose our life that we may live in Him.

Many will profess their good works as a fruit by which they will declare that they would be known. But Christ's life and teaching is such that we must be rendered willing to exchange our life for His. This results in us coming to know and trust the Father, and thereby out of that relationship of love and trust, we therefore do the works of the Father. The works flow out of the relationship and not vice versa as many would snare you to believe.

We must be careful to see that the relationship of surrender comes first, for out of this abandonment and yieldedness the relationship becomes that of a surrendered life, the works of course flow effortlessly. It is as we exchange our lives and offer ourselves up as a living sacrifice, pleasing to the Lord, that we will serve Him as He would desire. It is a great priviledge to be a child of God, to partake of His grace everyday and marvel in His Love and amazing power that Has redeemed us. It is a heart of love, praise and gratitude for His Son. We abandon ourselves in the wonder and love of God's Son on the Cross for us. We must grasp how lost we were before God's grace appeared ! A disciple who truly loves the Father and glimpses these truths, will truly consider the cost of a crucified life. The cost becomes to high when we resist the lord and fail to surrender. WE suffer and struggle in our relationship with the Lord which becomes unbearable. This is truly the narrow path, a path whereby we come to gain Christ and lose our lives, lose our own selfish ambitions and motives which are crucified. In this process we in turn gain Christ and accomplish His will in and through us.

The house of the Holy Spirit is in us. It will not fall when it is grounded upon the solid Rock of Jesus Christ. The solid rock whereby we come to know Christ is the life of surrender and yielding to the Lord. This is those whom the Father will not say, depart from me you whom I never knew. Instead we will know Him and be known by Him. How wonderful is that. To be known by the God of all creation, to the One True Living God , who lives and sent His Son to redeem us from the curse and death of our sins. Glory and Praise to His Wonderful Name!

Blaming God?!!

Genesis Chapter 2: 8 ¶ And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. 15 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. 16 ¶ And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. Chapter 3 : 1 ¶ Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. 6 ¶ And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. 7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. 8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. 9 ¶ And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? 10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. 11 ¶ And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? 12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

It is interesting to note that the first effect of the sin in the Garden of Eden had on Adam and Eve was that their relationship with the Father was broken.

They now knew shame for their sin, and hid themselves from the presence of God.

Adam even blamed God such was his shame, "The woman whom thou gavest to be with me ..."
Prior to this, they had walked and talked with the Lord in the garden, free from any shame whatsoever.

God wanted Adam and Eve to trust Him when he comanded them to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for he warned them that in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

The Father knew that if they chose not to trust Him, they would suffer a broken relationship with Him. This was the first result.

So now, not only were they filled with shame, but they now had the knowledge of good and evil as well.

The knowlege of good and evil as well as a broken relationship with the Father, meant they would therefore always choose sin and surely die.

This is the law of sin and death.

So the Garden of Eden was all about whether they would Trust the Father and Obey Him.
Trust must come first before obedience. We obey the Father to the degree that we trust Him.

Eventually the Father and Son together paid the price of our betrayal and lack of trust and restored us to relationship with them.

Jesus Christ became the Tree of Life for us, so that we can partake of Him, the Son of God, and once again, trust in Him, trust fully in Him, to restore us in relationship with the Father, free now from shame and condemnation. He fully yielded and trusted the Father as He redeemed us from the death and shame of sin. When we put our faith and trust in what He has finished and done for us on the Cross, we can now have access by Faith into peace with God. We are justified freely by His tremendous Grace. We now, restored to the Father, can once again, learn to trust the Father, and delight in the perfect will of our Father for our lives. We can now enter into that tremendous relationship with the Father that we were created to have, free from shame and a partaker and participant in that love relationship with Him.

O Perfect Love!!

"Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Sprit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear; because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us. If a man say, I love God, and hatheth his brother, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? and this commandment we have from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also."

(1 John chapter 4)

* If love is of God, then we who claim to be born of God, and claim to know God, must be able to serve and express Christ-like genuine love to others, not only in the body of Christ, but the unbelievers as well.
* If there isn't this real, genuine, life giving, unselfish love flowing in and out of your heart, then your claim to know God and experience God in your life simply is not true
* If we recognize that we would desire to want to love others in this profound way, then what we need is to simply draw closer to God, for only He by His spirit, can produce this. It often comes as a result of intense suffering in a Saint's life
* Simply put, this love is the proof that we are who we say we are. It is the proof that we are taught to look for in other believers according to these few passages. "If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and the love of God is perfected in us."
* Simple to understand ... either the evidence is there, or sadly, it is not. Where God is present and working, THERE WILL BE LOVE.

Letter by Corrie Ten Boom - 1974

The world is deathly ill. It is dying. The Great Physician has already signed the death certificate. Yet there is still a great work for Christians to do. They are to be streams of living water, channels of mercy to those who are still in the world. It is possible for them to do this because they are overcomers.

Christians are ambassadors for Christ. They are representatives from Heaven to this dying world. And because of our presence here, things will change.

My sister, Betsy, and I were in the Nazi concentration camp at Ravensbruck because we committed the crime of loving Jews. Seven hundred of us from Holland, France, Russia, Poland and Belgium were herded into a room built for two hundred. As far as I knew, Betsy and I were the only two representatives of Heaven in that room.

We may have been the Lord’s only representatives in that place of hatred, yet because of our presence there, things changed. Jesus said, “In the world you shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” We too, are to be overcomers – bringing the light of Jesus into a world filled with darkness and hate.

Sometimes I get frightened as I read the Bible, and as I look in this world and see all of the tribulation and persecution promised by the Bible coming true. Now I can tell you, though, if you too are afraid, that I have just read the last pages. I can now come to shouting “Hallelujah! Hallelujah!” for I have found where it is written that Jesus said, “He that overcometh shall inherit all things: and I will be His God, and he shall be My son.” This is the future and hope of this world. Not that the world will survive – but that we shall be overcomers in the midst of a dying world.

Betsy and I, in the concentration camp, prayed that God would heal Betsy who was so weak and sick. “Yes, the Lord will heal me,”, Betsy said with confidence. She died the next day and I could not understand it. They laid her thin body on the concrete floor along with all the other corpses of the women who died that day.

It was hard for me to understand, to believe that God had a purpose for all that. Yet because of Betsy’s death, today I am traveling all over the world telling people about Jesus.

There are some among us teaching there will be no tribulation, that the Christians will be able to escape all this. These are the false teachers that Jesus was warning us to expect in the latter days. Most of them have little knowledge of what is already going on across the world. I have been in countries where the saints are already suffering terrible persecution. In China, the Christians were told, “Don’t worry, before the tribulation comes you will be translated – raptured.” Then came a terrible persecution. Millions of Christians were tortured to death. Later I heard a Bishop from China say, sadly, “We have failed. We should have made the people strong for persecution rather than telling them Jesus would come first. Tell the people how to be strong in times of persecution, how to stand when the tribulation comes – to stand and not faint.”

I feel I have a divine mandate to go and tell the people of this world that it is possible to be strong in the Lord Jesus Christ. We are in training for the tribulation, but more than sixty percent of the Body of Christ across the world has already entered into the tribulation. There is no way to escape it. We are next.

Since I have already gone through prison for Jesus’ sake, and since I met the Bishop in China, now every time I read a good Bible text I think, “Hey, I can use that in the time of tribulation.” Then I write it down and learn it by heart.

When I was in the concentration camp, a camp where only twenty percent of the women came out alive, we tried to cheer each other up by saying, “Nothing could be any worse than today.” But we would find the next day was even worse. During this time a Bible verse that I had committed to memory gave me great hope and joy. “If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you; on their part evil is spoken of, but on your part He is glorified.” (I Peter 3:14) I found myself saying, “Hallelujah! Because I am suffering, Jesus is glorified!”

In America, the churches sing, “Let the congregation escape tribulation”, but in China and Africa the tribulation has already arrived. This last year alone more than two hundred thousand Christians were martyred in Africa. Now things like that never get into the newspapers because they cause bad political relations. But I know. I have been there. We need to think about that when we sit down in our nice houses with our nice clothes to eat our steak dinners. Many, many members of the Body of Christ are being tortured to death at this very moment, yet we continue right on as though we are all going to escape the tribulation.

Several years ago I was in Africa in a nation where a new government had come into power. The first night I was there some of the Christians were commanded to come to the police station to register. When they arrived they were arrested and that same night they were executed. The next day the same thing happened with other Christians. The third day it was the same. All the Christians in the district were being systematically murdered.

The fourth day I was to speak in a little church. The people came, but they were filled with fear and tension. All during the service they were looking at each other, their eyes asking, “Will this one I am sitting beside be the next one killed? Will I be the next one?”

The room was hot and stuffy with insects that came through the screenless windows and swirled around the naked bulbs over the bare wooden benches. I told them a story out of my childhood.

“When I was a little girl, “ I said, “I went to my father and said, “Daddy, I am afraid that I will never be strong enough to be a marty for Jesus Christ.” “Tell me,” said Father, “When you take a train trip to Amsterdam, when do I give you the money for the ticket? Three weeks before?” “No, Daddy, you give me the money for the ticket just before we get on the train.” “That is right,” my father said, “and so it is with God’s strength. Our Father in Heaven knows when you will need the strength to be a martyr for Jesus Christ. He will supply all you need – just in time…”

My African friends were nodding and smiling. Suddenly a spirit of joy descended upon that church and the people began singing, “ In the sweet, by and by, we shall meet on that beautiful shore.” Later that week, half the congregation of that church was executed. I heard later that the other half was killed some months ago.

But I must tell you something. I was so happy that the Lord used me to encourage these people, for unlike many of their leaders, I had the word of God. I had been to the Bible and discovered that Jesus said He had not only overcome the world, but to all those who remained faithful to the end, He would give a crown of life.

How can we get ready for the persecution? First we need to feed on the word of God, digest it, make it a part of our being. This will mean disciplined Bible study each day as we not only memorize long passages of scripture, but put the principles to work in our lives.

Next we need to develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Not just the Jesus of yesterday, the Jesus of History, but the life-changing Jesus of today who is still alive and sitting at the right hand of God.

We must be filled with the Holy Spirit. This is no optional command of the Bible, it is absolutely necessary. Those earthly disciples could never have stood up under the persecution of the Jews and Romans had they not waited for Pentecost. Each of us needs our own personal Pentecost, the baptism of the Holy Spirit. We will never be able to stand in the tribulation without it.

In the coming persecution we must be ready to help each other and encourage each other. But we must not wait until the tribulation comes before starting. The fruit of the Spirit should be the dominant force of every Christian’s life.

Many are fearful of the coming tribulation, they want to run. I, too, and a little bit afraid when I think that after all my eighty years, including the horrible nazi concentration camp, that I might have to go through the tribulation also. But then I read the Bible and I am glad.

When I am weak, then I shall be strong, the Bible says. Betsy and I were prisoners for the Lord, we were so weak, but we got power because the Holy Spirit was on us. That mighty inner strengthening of the Holy Spirit helped us through. No, you will not be strong in yourself when the tribulation comes. Rather, you will be strong in the power of Him who will not forsake you. For seventy-six years I have known the Lord Jesus and not once has He ever left me, or let me down. Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him, for I know that to all who overcome, He shall give the crown of life. Hallelujah!

-Corrie Ten Boom-1974

This letter was taken from a post at The Hiding Place Message Board.

The meekness and tender love of Christ

"If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:" Philippians 2

I just wanted to remind myself, and you, that this is Paul speaking, here, about having the mind of Christ ! (Paul, the previous murderer). How could this killer at heart come upon the mind of Jesus Christ: how did he achieve this ? How do we also achieve this ?

• - We must be intimate and in prayer with our Lord
• - Lay aside our reputation (as Paul did) (as Jesus did) and become of no reputation
• - Exchanging our will for the Lord's, having no agenda of our own but to serve others
• - Determination to live and be like Christ
• - To win Christ, that I may know Him, that He may have me and live His life through me
• - To gain the riches and depth of Christ, having a mindset of Christ of this life of surrender that comes as we empty ourselves so we can be filled with the Holy Spirit.

The mind of Christ is something we gain not through the methods of man. Paul got this revelation of the mind of Christ, and to lay down his reputation, and become a servant to others, through his relationship, his surrender, not even from some other man telling him what to do.

This type of relationship cuts through us because though we may desire the mind of Christ, are we willing to die daily as Paul said? When Paul spoke these words in Phillipi about the mind of Christ, a few verses later Paul also said:

"But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know your state. For I have no man like minded, who will naturally care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's."

(verses 19-21)

Imagine Paul, a man in a world gone crazy, all seeking their own. Does this sound like today at all? Sure it does, the world is just watching now as horror and terror is coming upon this world.

Let us have the testimony of the mind of Christ in this time of upheaval, this time of self-seeking and self-serving multitudes.

Note in verse 7 - Jesus MADE himself a servant.

Let us have the same mind, the mind of Christ, and rest in the perfect peace of our God.

"Thou wilt keep in perfect peace Him whose mind is stayed on thee, because He trusteth in thee." Isaiah 26:3

Dear Jesus : I do not want to live for myself. I want to know you more. Forgive me for serving myself. I want to be a servant to you and others. Cleanse me and cast my sins behind me. Forgive me Lord. Holy Spirit come and show Christ to me. Open our hearts to see you and understand you, put a desire in my heart to grow into the image, the MIND OF CHRIST.

Run to Jesus, don't delay!

And it came to pass that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light around about me. And I fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" And I answered, "Who art thou, Lord? " And He said unto me, "I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest."

Acts 22:6-8

I do not believe that Paul realized that he had been persecuting Jesus as he literally bound in chains and delivered many Christians to death. This supernatural experience was one whereby though he was struck with physical blindness, God in His mercy opened his spiritual eyes so that he was able to come to know incredible grace and forgiveness through Jesus Christ.

The first words that Paul spoke after Jesus revealed himself to Him were: "What shall I do Lord?" It was at this point perhaps that Paul realized that there was nothing reliable from his zealous works of the past that would profit him any longer. How could he defend himself? He knew he couldn't, what could he say ? It was true ! He had persecuted and killed many of the Lord's servants. Jesus words had cut through his exterior goodness and proud religious deception, to bring fully to the light that it was JESUS CHRIST THE SON OF GOD that He was persecuting. There was nothing he could do. He was guilty of sin against the

Son of God.

Oh let us give praise to the Lord on High today ! Do you realize he has roused us out of the filth of our sins ? Do you ~ ?? How great the Lord is , How great is the Holy One who has had mercy upon us. I may not have physically killed Christians, but before I knew of His grace, I mocked and ridiculed many. I threw stones of insult one upon the other.

So I am struck this morning that the Lord has forgiven me for my sins. For I was lost and without hope, as a dead man, ... all I could choose was sin... Perhaps I was not physically blind, but I certainly was blind to knowing Christ and knowing that it was He that I was persecuting as I hurled stone upon stone against "born again Christians."

Let us take time to sit before the Lord and praise the Lord, and thank Him today,

for upon us, who once never understood mercy, now we have received mercy and His forgiveness.

"What shall I do, Lord" ??

Let us get on with our Lord and journey onward into the riches of this great salvation and the amazing nature of our Holy God. Let us be in awe O Lord that you have forgiven us !! Let us explore the miracle of our salvation !!

There is no other who can forgive sin except my Jesus Christ.

Wash, cleanse me Lord from all my sin...

The tugging at your Heart ....

"Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses."

( 1 Timothy 6:12 )

I am reminded today of the many promises we are given through the Son of God, thorugh His Word. I am so grateful as I look behind me, and see the ten years that I have been on this journey, of coming to know the Lord, that I have had opportunity to awaken, each and every day, with a song of Praise within my heart. That I have known a joy , an unspeakable joy, because my Saviour lives, because He walks with me, and He talks with me. I have peace with God through faith in Jesus Christ.

It is a gift from the Lord that one must never take lightly - to have that tugging in one's heart to commune and have fellowship with the Lord. How sweet that is !! To know that the tug at our heart is a sure sign of God's love and of His desire to welcome us into sweet fellowship with Him each and every day.

God has promised us that as we fully enter into this type of heart to heart communion and relationship with Him, we can be assured that He will bear our burdens. He gives us rest, a spiritual rest, as we trust Him and trust His promises and faithfulness. God never changes. He is the same yesterday, today and forevermore.

April 3
"If You Had Known!"

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

If you had known . . . in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes
—Luke 19:42

Jesus entered Jerusalem triumphantly and the city was stirred to its very foundations, but a strange god was there-the pride of the Pharisees. It was a god that seemed religious and upright, but Jesus compared it to "whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness" ( Matthew 23:27 ).

What is it that blinds you to the peace of God "in this your day"?

Do you have a strange god-not a disgusting monster but perhaps an unholy nature that controls your life?

More than once God has brought me face to face with a strange god in my life, and I knew that I should have given it up, but I didn’t do it. I got through the crisis "by the skin of my teeth," only to find myself still under the control of that strange god.

I am blind to the very things that make for my own peace. It is a shocking thing that we can be in the exact place where the Spirit of God should be having His completely unhindered way with us, and yet we only make matters worse, increasing our blame in God’s eyes.

"If you had known . . . ." God’s words here cut directly to the heart, (to my heart today)

with the tears of Jesus behind them. These words imply responsibility for our(my) own faults.

God holds us accountable for what we refuse to see or are unable to see because of our sin.

And "now they are hidden from your eyes" because you have never completely yielded your nature to Him. Oh, the deep, unending sadness for what might have been! God never again opens the doors that have been closed. He opens other doors, but He reminds us that there are doors which we have shut-doors which had no need to be shut. Never be afraid when God brings back your past. Let your memory have its way with you. It is a minister of God bringing its rebuke and sorrow to you. God will turn what might have been into a wonderful lesson of growth for the future.

(my comments)

Jesus found a strange God! It appeared in all of it's "goodness" as very devout, upright and religious. But Jesus condemned this ferociously. He condemned this attitude as ungodly, as a "strange god type thinking". This was not at all the One True Living God, whom He represented, and still does ....

The hour is now, and the time is at hand, when I am encouraged to take heed to the Lord's voice and instructions to us through His Word. That God may not find the strange God of human goodness, self- righteousness, lurking around in us. We are not to think highly of ourselves and pridefully. We are nothing without Him. Apart from Him we can do nothing, but we can do all things through Christ Who strengthen's us.

On this incredible journey we will come to the crossroads where amazingly we must chose to die to our own agendas and plans that do not serve the Lord but serve our own self-preservation. No matter how good they may seem or how upright and for a good cause they may be, if they are not His plans, then they oppose His very life and Truth within us.

This death can be painful, even moreso when we do not yield and surrender but resist Him time and time again.

In this particular passage of scripture, Jesus wept over Jerusalem, as He weeps over you and I, recognizing of the many that would not forsake their "strange god of self goodness" and he wept over them, realizing that the time was coming when the truth would be completely hidden from them and that enemies would overcome them, and their children.

Let us realize how the Lord weeps over us too. Let us take heed now and yield and surrender to our Lord Jesus Christ that we may fully rejoice as we no longer live, but

CHRIST LIVES AND REIGNS IN US.

May we say:

"BLESSED BE THE KING THAT COMETH IN THE NAME OF THE LORD, PEACE IN HEAVEN AND GLORY IN THE HIGHEST."

The Relationship that is Like No Other ...

Luke 24:13-36


13 ¶ And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs.
14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened.
15 And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.
16 But their eyes were holden that they should not know him.
17 And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?
18 And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days?
19 And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people:
20 And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him.
21 But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done.
22 Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre;
23 And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive.
24 And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not.
25 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:
26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?
27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
28 And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further.
29 But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them.
30 And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them.
31 And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.
32 And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?
33 And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them,
34 Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.
35 And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread.
36 ¶ And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.

I am so amazed that Jesus gives us life as we walk with Him !! He truly is the Way, the Truth, and the Life!!

Consider the truth that we all begin life on a journey, (just as these two men were, journeying to Emmaus from Jerusalem) We are born into this world and we all, each and every one of us, begin life with out Christ. Christ has to come alongside us, just as He did to these two disciples in these verses. It is interesting to note that He came alongside of them as they were deeply sharing what was heavy laden on their hearts (the crucifixion of Jesus). They had a burning desire to talk to each other about the Lord, and about what had transpired during the crucifixion. The more we can get real and vulnerable and honest with the Lord, the more He will draw close to all of us, believers and those who are yet on their way to coming to know the Lord. It becomes a fertile ground for our eyes to eventually open, and remain opened, and be able to receive Christ's life and guidance flowing into our lives.

Jesus was aware that they were sad, depressed, despairing. It was at this point, that Jesus desired to come alongside of them and reveal Himself to them and give them an amazing Hope instead of a despair! He recognized that they were weary and heavy laden. They had not believed the testimony of the women who had found the stone rolled away and the grave empty. This is so powerful. These two men did not believe that Christ was truly alive, they did not understand the resurrection. Though the grave was empty, they still did not understand that He was Alive, and what that meant for THEM!!!! But through this difficult time, Jesus drew near to give them life and hope.

Many of us too, come to know the Lord through life's difficulties and hardships. God is a compassionate Lord, and He wants to comfort and shower upon us life in the midst of circumstances in which we would otherwise despair, be overcome with fear, and lose all hope. He is the Only One who can open up our eyes to understand that He is Alive, and that He wants to have a relationship with us whereby we can have Hope everlasting, into every circumstance of our lives.

For all who know Christ, and walk and talk with Him, though we cannot see him (physically) we know Him through the power of the Holy Spirit. We can be encouraged that though others who may not yet believe the testimony we give and live, ... that Christ is alive ... (as these two men did not yet believe) ... yet Jesus in a moment will like-wise draw close to them, perhaps in their most needy of circumstances also. This shows how merciful and compassionate the Lord is !! He truly is "a refuge, a fortress, an ever-present help in our times of need" (Ps. 46) He is the only One who truly can truly give sight and open up eyes, to "see" spiritually, to see Jesus and to know Him. Once this happens, it is like turning on a Light switch, where all can truly know Him as these men did !! These men ran back to Jerusalem and gave their powerful testimony which was, THE LORD IS RISEN (alive) INDEED !!.