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Philippians 4:4-7  Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Last week I was amazed in the moment I realized, it is indeed “WELL WITH MY SOUL”.  Truly a place I want to live out my days!

A place of perfect peace (Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. John 14:27) The Jesus peace!

Then came a “sea-billow” (from the song mentioned last week) called Coronavirus.

Hello God… about that place of perfect peace…

Welcome to God’s virtual classroom! A place where ALL of God is available but NEVER to be thrown “as pearls before swine”. A place where all of God must be Pursued… Prepared to receive… Practiced until perfected… and Prayed for until . And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.  (Romans 8:28-30)

Here I thought it is all just a touch of God’s magic wand, some Words He would/or has spoken over me, that eliminates any need for me to spend time in the study hall  of blood, sweat and tears.

There is a rumor going around that we are ALREADY perfect, we just have to name it and claim it. I say we are perfect – CHILDREN (some of us more than others) of God.   But not perfected… conformed to the image of His Son… revealed when heaven comes to earth.

For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.  Romans 8:19-21

In the meantime we have some work to do!

Pursue, Prepare, and Practice the training up God, our Father is producing in our lives (if indeed you are His child) to Perfect those saved by faith in Jesus.

Romans 10:9-10 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. 

Pursue… Peace with God. You can search the world over for people, places and things that temporarily make you happy, or comfortable, or secure, but all will turn into nothing more than false gods who promise but cannot nor will not satisfy the need of your soul. Your soul knows, YOU NEED GOD, even if you don’t agree.

That which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.  Romans 1:19-20

Prepare for peace… Know that peace isn’t always getting what you demand. Peace is rarely about being happy, healthy and wise. In fact peace is being convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:38-39

Practice peace…  Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.  James 1:2-4 Practice KNOWING that God will never leave you nor forsake you! Practice KNOWING that God has a plan – plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 

Practice… The Lord blessing you, and keeping you; The Lord making His face shine on you, and being gracious to you; The Lord lifting up His countenance on you, and giving you peace.  Numbers 6:24-26

Until Peace is Perfected through practice… yes, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, but I’m thinking more of a wrestling match like Jacob had. (see Genesis 32:24-30)

The kind of wrestling match that a good father & a beloved child would consider essential in their relationship. The kind of wrestling match that teaches, and encourages, and exercises, and creates unbreakable bonds. The kind of wrestling match that touches both lives in love. Wrestle in peace… Pursued, Prepared For, Practiced and Perfected.

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!

The Lord is near.

**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.

Psalm 27:4-5 One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord And to meditate in His temple. For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; In the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock.

The ONE thing I have asked for that I shall seek… I’ve asked for MANY things (and still do), some of which, in hindsight, seem silly! Some, seem impossible. Some are selfish and some are somewhere over the rainbow.

Most of my “prayer” requests have one thing in common – me! They are important for the moment of asking, and become a distant memory as more requests follow. And that’s ok, especially for a child… we are encouraged to run to Daddy… Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  Philippians 4:6.

But I was thinking (it happens!) the other night, “What ONE THING do I want that I am willing to PURSUE with all my heart? What ONE THING do I never get enough of? What ONE THING overrides every moment of grief and fills me with hope? What ONE THING makes me want to sing of it, in the midst of anything and everything?”

And then it happened!

I was singing, “It is well, it is WELL, with my soul!”

“It Is Well With My Soul” is a hymn penned by hymnist Horatio Spafford and composed by Philip Bliss. (According to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) This hymn was written after traumatic events in Spafford’s life. The first two were the death of his four-year-old son and the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, which ruined him financially (he had been a successful lawyer and had invested significantly in property in the area of Chicago that was extensively damaged by the great fire).^[2] His business interests were further hit by the economic downturn of 1873, at which time he had planned to travel to Europe with his family on the SS Ville du Havre. In a late change of plan, he sent the family ahead while he was delayed on business concerning zoning problems following the Great Chicago Fire. While crossing the Atlantic Ocean, the ship sank rapidly after a collision with a sea vessel, the Loch Earn, and all four of Spafford’s daughters died. His wife Anna survived and sent him the now famous telegram, “Saved alone …”. Shortly afterwards, as Spafford traveled to meet his grieving wife, he was inspired to write these words as his ship passed near where his daughters had died.^[3] Bliss called his tune Ville du Havre, from the name of the stricken vessel.^[4]

That’s IT!!

The ONE THING I desire, not just in heaven but here, and now, no matter how, when, where or what, no matter why!

The PERFECT dwelling for my SOUL (all that is me). The ONE PLACE that forever holds the beauty of the Lord. The ONE PLACE that I can meditate in His temple and see beyond the chaos and danger and foolishness of this earth. The ONE PLACE, in the day of trouble, He will conceal me in His tabernacle; In the secret place of His tent He will hide me.

The ONE PLACE where it is… WELL WITH MY SOUL!

YES! Lord, please?… I have asked from the Lord…

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8)

And now…I shall seek!

We are encouraged to ask, for everything, always. (If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!  Matthew 7:10-11) Our God is a GOOD GOOD Father!!! In our prayer life we tend to “live” here on earth (at least I do). We “dwell” in the here and now, with little thought, other than making our requests, of WHO those requests are going to and WHERE HE DWELLS. I’m not even sure we are in the vicinity of His door when we yell our requests, much less at His door, knocking. I sometimes think I am hiding from God, in my prayer closet, rather than opening the door for a face to face visit in my future eternal home.

For the longest time, probably since my new-birth, I’ve wanted to/begged to know how to pray, what to pray, who to pray for. Many many wise people have taught me and I have learned fruitful techniques and Spirit-filled words. The first and foremost of all prayer, being, to KNOW WHO you are praying to. The second and equally important tenet of prayer is to be KNOWN by Him (Search me O Lord, and know my heart).

Over 35 years later, I still pray for, seek, and knock on Lord’s door for more of this ONE THING. To dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.

Am I not there already? I know, theoretically, I am signed, sealed, delivered, and safe eternal death. The blood of my Savior, Yeshua, over the doorpost of my LIFE, guarantees He purchased me. It is well with my soul!

But this ONE THING I still want… this ONE THING I still seek…

To SING because my soul KNOWS, and not just theoretically, it is truly dwelling!

Job’s kind of knowing (because he’s been there, done that)…

Then Job answered the Lord and said, “I know that You can do all things, And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.” (Job 42:1-4)

Horatio Spafford’s kind of knowing (in the midst of the hell our enemy throws at us)…

When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to know
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

To sing in the midst of whatever!

To sing because I dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, and behold the beauty of the Lord and meditate in His temple

And never fear the day(many days!) of trouble because He will conceal me in His tabernacle; In the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock.

Yes, my friends, I think this is the Perfect Dwelling Place for ME!

In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way where I am going.”  John 14:2-4 

We know the way… He’s ready… Let’s go!

**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB version of the Bible unless otherwise noted

Esther 4:13 Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not imagine that you in the king’s palace can escape any more than all the Jews.”

When you know what you have to do but all of your options don’t give you much confidence in the outcome.

Esther was concerned for her uncle Mordecai’s well-being. She loved him and didn’t want to see him in sackcloth and ashes (typical mourning garments), wailing loudly and bitterly. (Esther 4) When it was told to Esther, she “writhed in great anguish“. She wanted to help, truly she did. So she sent garments to clothe him that he might remove his sackcloth.

There you go, fixed that! Oh, don’t laugh! She meant well. She suffered for him for a minute and provided a widely used (still today) solution to grief. STOP IT! Pick yourself up, clean yourself off, and start all over again!

Mordecai refused. This was more than just a little tiff that escalated because Mordecai wouldn’t bow down to Haman (the current BFF of the king). Not that Mordecai ever considered trying to please Haman (the man was evil – he was filled with rage – Esther 3:5). This wasn’t about the normal honor an official could expect, this was about taking pleasure in planning and orchestrating the extinction of an entire people he hated just because! And now, he had the power of the throne.

Mordecai told him (Esther’s messenger)all that had happened to him, and the exact amount of money that Haman had promised to pay to the king’s treasuries for the destruction of the Jews. He also gave him a copy of the text of the edict which had been issued in Susa for their destruction, that he might show Esther and inform her, and to order her to go in to the king to implore his favor and to plead with him for her people. Esther 4:7-8

Whoa! What’s a girl to do? Besides, what could she do? Barely a teenager, chosen in a beauty contest she didn’t choose to enter, brought to the palace to replace a rebellious queen who happened to say “No!” to the king. For Esther to actively seek help for her uncle and all her fellow Jews, she would be risking death just to ask for a moment with the king much less ask for him to rescind an order authorized by the crown. “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that for any man or woman who comes to the king to the inner court who is not summoned, he has but one law, that he be put to death, unless the king holds out to him the golden scepter so that he may live. And I have not been summoned to come to the king for these thirty days.” Esther 4:11 Beside’s the fact that no one knows I’m a Jew. Esther 2:20 Do you really want me to commit suicide????

Mordecai wanted Esther to realize this was her choice, but he also wanted her to face reality and choose righteousness, not self protection.

Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not imagine that you in the king’s palace can escape any more than all the Jews. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?” Esther 4:13-14

“You are a Jew, Esther, whether they know it yet or not. You cannot escape who you are AND  there is no guarantee of safety and protection from this world of evil. If you choose to place your faith and life in the hands of a worldly system, you cannot expect God to abandon His people and His Will for His people, so that you do not have to risk what He has ordained for your life.”

No Spoiler Alert necessary… Did she or didn’t she put her life in God’s hands? Did evil Haman get his dreams fulfilled? I’m not telling! Read the rest of the book.

My point is… We spend so much of our time, our mind, our life, focusing on OUR WAY. How to build a safe space, a space that will not allow disruption of our peace, our plan, our pursuit. A space that only those who know and willingly follow my rules of safety first are allowed into. A safe space so well constructed and guarded that, “No Worries!” is not just a sign on the wall but the actual oxygen of each and every room. A Palace built for and by the  king/queen of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”.

I just have one thing to say to myself and anyone else who’s primary goal in life is, “Safe. Secure and In Control”… “Do not imagine that you, little earthling, in the king’s palace, you so carefully built, can escape any more than all the rest of the earthlings on this planet.”

I’m just sayin…

**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.

 

 

Habakkuk 3:17-19  Though the fig tree should not blossom and there be no fruit on the vines, though the yield of the olive should fail and the fields produce no food, though the flock should be cut off from the fold and there be no cattle in the stalls, yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, and makes me walk on my high places. 

Nope. This is NOT about politics! Maybe a little about hypocrisy. But it is about what is common to every man, woman, and child.

We are SELF-concerned, SELF-excusing, SELF-caring, SELF-promoting, SELF-serving, SELF-righteous.

All this SELF-stuff does make sense when we consider, we have spent 9 months with ourselves in a cocoon, developing into an amazing creature that is unique from every other creature in our universe, including the vessel that, not only housed us but provided sustenance, protection, a waterbed we could float and swim in. Apart from those who had to share their cocoon, we were the only ONE we were aware of. We were the only ONE that did such amazing moves, somewhat like what we later learned was an Olympian skill set. We have spent 9 months falling in love with our BESTEST friend! The one who is perfect in every way!

Then comes that rude day, when we discover IT AINT ALL ABOUT ME!

And, worst of all, even me – my bestest friend, can become my own worst enemy!

What is an enemy? Someone, something, somewhere that tells me… NO!

“But I NEEEEEEEEED!!!!!!”

And so we enter the world system of the promise makers. “You can be what you want to be, have what you want to have, live as you want to live, think what you decide to think, do what you demand the right to do…” EXCEPT… just one very small exception… EXCEPT if I or someone, something, somewhere else refuses to let you be, have, live, think, or do what you want.

“Mommy?”… “Daddy?”… “Nanny?”… “ANYONE?”

Desperation turns to planning, planning turns to bargaining, and bargaining turns to, you got it, Quit Pro Quo. (Wikipedia indicates this is a Latin phrase translated in English to “Something for Something” – meaning an exchange of goods and services, in which one transfer is contingent upon the other;)

Good thing it is not a crime!

Parents use it, “IF you’re good…”. Teachers use it, “IF you make good grades…”. Siblings use it, “If you, then I will…”. Enemies use it, “I’ll say yes, IF…”. And even church leaders use it, “God will bless you, IF…”.

Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.

If there is one world wide Life Training Lesson (outdistancing even potty training in some cities, regions and countries) – locally, regionally, globally, and world wide, it would be “QUID PRO QUO” and its offshoot “What Have You Done for Me, Lately?” (1986 song, sung by Janet Jackson, and co-wrote with its producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis)

And here we go… Training up the children!

And yet… WHO gets the blame when the training produces results that SUCK, in our most humble opinion! You as the trained pet child, now training the next circus performers, children? You as the parents who give their animals children, to others to train? Or the government which steps in because someone reported that the village needed to totally do-over the mess you made?

Or… God… because He didn’t grant your wish, obey your command when you brought Him out of your magic lamp? Or, because He didn’t STOP you from screwing “whatever” up?

I have been asked (and possibly asked myself before I knew the truth), “IF God is soooooo good, why does HE LET BAD THINGS HAPPEN?” Or,  “Why does HE ALLOW EVIL TO EXIST?”

Let’s review… bad means, “I DON’T LIKE IT!” Evil, means, “I DON’T LIKE IT!”

But the TRUTH IS…

Back in the day, there was this ONE THING that God said “NO!” too.

The Lord God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”  Genesis 2:16-17 

We could almost feel sorry for our first ancestors, I mean they had no clue that evil was as evil does. They knew ONLY good – God, their Creator, Provider, Intimate Friend. How would they know that the snake was NOT good, he was “JUST a snake” (and now he is a snake in the grass!).

ALMOST feel sorry for them…  For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.  Romans 1:21

No????  When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.  Genesis 3:6

And… then came the children… born to be just like our “old man” – Adam…

Professing to be wise, they (we) became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Romans 1:22-23 Learned our lessons well! “If God won’t give me what I want, I will make a deal with the devil”… “Quid Pro Quo, Baby!”

Something for Something… BUT… I CHOOSE!  Really???? Evil laughs! He will give you something…  Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8 He will give you death and destruction no matter what you give him.

There are those who have changed the meme just a little… Something for Nothing. Or for those who have given up on life… Nothing for Nothing. All of it bears the same demand – I CONTROL!  “I am the god of MY LIFE!”

And there you have the answer to WHO do we blame for the mess we’ve made? LOOK IN THE MIRROR!

But God…

2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

No, God does not do Quid Pro Quo. He does God!  “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts. “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.  Isaiah 55:8-11

He IS The Promise Keeper!

The Lord is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”  Deuteronomy 31:8

Quid Pro Quo? The Quid and the Quo are not worth the blood, sweat and tears it is written in. Seek God, He is the Something The Only Someone, our world (you, me and everyone) can’t seem to find but desperately NEEEEEEEEEED!

You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.  Jeremiah 29:13

**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.

 

 

 

 

John 17:1-2  “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ  whom You have sent.”

Has your hour come?

The hour when you KNOW there is no other moment in your life as important as this moment.

The hour that determines your place and position in eternity.

Or do you think you have time to delay? What is it, REALLY, that you wish to delay?

The cross? Your cross?

I think… of all the reasons excuses we offer for not “believing” in Jesus, and those we offer for not “following” Jesus, and those we claim for not “obeying” Jesus, is the one thing we fear the most… carrying THE cross. I think… we are all (falsely I might add) under the impression we are carrying the Cross of Christ. Why would I CHOOSE to carry the cross of the worst death ever imagines? Why would I FOLLOW a someone who put his own son through such anguish, suffering, and an unimaginable public display? Why would anyone freely OBEY a directive that reeks of such severe days for the rest of this earthly existence?

When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.  Colossians 2:13-14

You were dead – He made you alive…

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness (The Perfect Righteous Judge), because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.  Romans 3:23-26

The wages of sin is death (eternal death) – the price HAD to be paid, JUSTICE demanded it! Justice also demanded that the JUDGE OF ALL honor THE RULE OF LAW – the guilty verdict and the punishment.

For those who confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. (Romans 10:9-10) the Cross of Christ is not the one you carry. Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. (Romans 6:9)

When we confess He IS OUR SALVATION and believe He IS OUR GOD, we “LIVE” like He does. The Hour Has Come… your place in eternity has been purchased.

So, if, for those of us who confess and believe, the hour of our place in eternity is settled, why do you lump us with non-believers with the same or similar reasons excuses for  delaying our “Cross-Training”.

To make a long story short(er)… I believe we share the same FEAR of THE CROSS. I also believe share the similar misconceptions of the cross we are to pick up and follow Jesus.

And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.  Mark 8:34 

This cross is YOU! For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. Mark 8:35 It’s your soul… all your dreams and wishes, all your plans and demands. It’s the “life” that you have carved out from the very first moment you became aware that you had something to say about how you lived.

The question is… For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? For what will a man give in exchange for his soul? Mark 8:36-37 You choose! Jesus said, “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christwhom You have sent.”

The hour has come… “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your (child), that the (child) may glorify You.”

And He does… we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become  conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.  Romans 8:28-30

His Way! Which requires you to pick up your cross (your plans and demands), knowing that there is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. (1 John 4:18-19)

And… CARRY YOUR CROSS as a banner that you consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.  Romans 6:11-14

And this my friends, is what sets us apart from unbelievers! Our “position” in eternity… INTIMACY with God, WITHOUT FEAR!

The Hour Has Come!

**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.

 

 

 

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

However, it is NOT the temple we imagine!

There are those who take this idea into the galaxy of You Don’t Even WANT to Imagine! The Super Bowl of gods and goddesses, so to speak, vying for the MOST SHOCKING worship they hope will become our new normal, so that they themselves will become the ones all eyes and hearts are in awe of. Unfortunately, all roads of this new normal lead to Hell, roads built and maintained by all the crews of pornography!

It shouldn’t surprise any of us, and it certainly doesn’t surprise me, that evil (Satan by name rather than description), would take from God and re-mold the idea into his hatred for anything created and blessed by his enemy, The One True God of Israel. Knowing his hatred and desperate goal to destroy/devour anything and everything God loved, we, everyone of us (because we ARE God loved), should passionately avoid Satan’s GPS and  keep our eyes on only God’s road, the details fully provided in God’s Book of Maps… also known as Scripture/God’s Word/The Holy Bible.

One of the life changing principles I have learned (and cling to) in recent years is that God is the God of DETAILS. If you have questions about the details of your life, or your loved one’s life, look to God!

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:10-11 

Every detail… EVERY DETAIL of life – yours and every created thing – was known, planned and blessed by God before He spoke it into being. It will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.

I’ve also learned (and cling to) that what God began, He carries through all of creation. NOTHING is random nor independent of the whole of creation. The highest example of this is God’s prophetic promise, made at the moment sin entered the life of His most prized creatures and the destruction of all He had made for us, was imminent. To protect us from eternal damnation (eternity without The One True God), He promised to provide Salvation (the wages of sin is death), Redemption (He stands at the door and knocks), and Sanctification (we become His children and are trained to inherit His Kingdom).

Yes, He sent us out of the garden (protection from eating form the tree of life and making our life of sin, eternal), but did not abandon nor forsake us. Immediately, EVERY DETAIL necessary for His beloved creatures to become His children were brought forth and sent forth to accomplish and succeed so that His most precious Creation WOULD return Him. He does not wish for any to perish but for all to come to repentance… 2 Peter 3:9 To insure this, He had to send the best of the best Word to lead the way. He sent Himself! Starting with the first tabernacle (built after the people took it into their own hands to do what we also tend to do today – build golden calves and worship them with all our souls), God has “tabernacled” with His people.

Someday I want to do an entire study of all the details of God brought forth in the first “temple”. I can only imagine the foreshadowing of the temple the Holy Spirit is building in each and everyone of His congregation. Exodus 35:4-5 Moses spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel (you do remember that Jesus makes us a part of this congregation, right?!), saying, “This is the thing which the Lord has commanded, saying, ‘Take from among you a contribution to the Lord; whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as the Lord’s contribution:’

Because FREE WILL requires FREELY GIVING (duh), here’s the first DETAIL that connects our tabernacles. Not just a foreshadow but a principle that has remained, is still required and will always be a DETAIL that God spoke into His most prized creature… “Let us make man into our own image” Love is the full image of God! But, LOVE is only LOVE if it is given without condition – a choice of the heart for no other reason than the heart wishes to love.

The first tabernacle was built with the donations of the people’s most prized possessions. Our temple today is built by the Holy Spirit with our most prized possession… our self!

Romans 12:1-2 Therefore I urge you brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

The first tabernacle was built so that God could be with His people… Exodus 40:34 & 36-38 Then the cloud covered the tent of the meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Throughout all their journeys whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the sons of Israel would set out; but if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out until the day when it was taken up. For throughout all their journeys, the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, and there was fire in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel.

Our tabernacles temple is built to house God Himself, not just to be in our sight but be IN US!

God, Himself!

I can’t wait to do a deep study of the tabernacle built by our forefathers with all the details being given by God. Not only will it deepen my understanding of what my body houses, but I am sure it will also provide a deepening reverence for WHO it houses.

I encourage all of us to spend some time in the first tabernacle (Exodus, chapters 35-40) – the tabernacle built by God through His most precious creatures.

I pray it will open our eyes to the difference between the temples built by Hell and those built by our One True God. I pray we will understand the Holy Ground our temple is built upon and remains as long as the Holy Spirit remains. I pray we will be literally sickened when we are tempted to allow the unholy to dance on the holy altar God has built in our hearts. I pray we will confess our sins of offending the Holy Spirit as He prepares us to inherit the kingdom of our ABBA.

Now that we know… that our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in us…

I pray… before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant each of us, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that we, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that we may be filled up to all the fullness of God.  Ephesians 3:14-19

**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.

 

Psalm 119:89-91 Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven. Your faithfulness continues throughout all generations; You established the earth, and it stands. They stand this day according to Your ordinances, for all things are Your servants

Did you hear what I heard?

FOREVER… Your word is SETTLED!

YOU established the earth… and IT STANDS! They(all the people, places & stuff of earth) stand THIS DAY according to your ordinances… for all things are YOUR SERVANTS!

Do you get it?  It took me awhile but I know you are quicker than me!

Whether we BELIEVE or not… whether we AGREE or not… whether we INTERPRET differently or not… whether we KNOW HIM or not… whether we KNOW HIS WORD or not… IT STANDS!!!!

For ALL THINGS are… wait for it… YOUR SERVANTS!

Hello!!!

Maybe, just maybe, we are going about this “earth thing” the wrong way. Maybe we’re starting at the wrong end with the wrong person/people in charge.

We’re starting with a good idea… rather than starting with the truth. We’re starting with the perfect outcome… rather than all the jewels gleaned from the journey of life. We’re starting with our version of the experts (are they really experts??)… rather than the One True EXPERT – the Creator of all things – the One who knows every molecule of everything.

Maybe, just maybe, this is the very Person we are most afraid of. So afraid, we go to any lengths to make Him disappear, which only occurs in our FOOLISH MIND.

Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him.  Isaiah 30:18

He waits… while we play. “To what then shall I compare the men of this generation, and what are they like?  They are like children who sit in the market place and call to one another, and they say, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.’”  Luke 7:31-32

I don’t know much about anything – or as I sometimes say to my tech consultants, “I know just enough to screw things up!”

I think there are a lot more of my style of expert living, than we know. They are the ones playing the flute, dancing, and singing the “Woe is Me!” (and the WHOLE world) if SOMETHING is NOT DONE! “So, give me all your stuff to do SOMETHING  with!!!!”

What will generally be done, is to give the demand/command to the government (the imaginary nanny/mommy/caregiver of all) where of course it will be put in the High Priority to Ignore file. The demand/command will be given to anyone and/or everyone who cannot not and will not solve our weeping soul.

“Woe to the rebellious children,” declares the Lord, “Who execute a plan, but not Mine, And make an alliance, but not of My Spirit, In order to add sin to sin; Who proceed down to Egypt Without consulting Me, To take refuge in the safety of Pharaoh And to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt!  Isaiah 30:1-2 

Israel tried it – didn’t work for them. In fact, taking refuge in anyone or anything but God (The God of Israel – The God who Loves) has NEVER WORKED because, though many promises are made, the promises are made without love and respect!

As my daughter mentioned last night, “It takes a village, sounds like community which we all seek and need, but then we discover the context is talking about THOSE who know best (government), not the people of the community. Without the people, the concept fails completely. Community requires neighbor, loving your neighbor as yourself!”

Not just any kind of love… the Love of God. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. John 3:16-17 kind of love! The kind of love that keeps on loving, keeps on providing, keeps on sustaining His Creation, EVEN when and while we are MESSING IT UP!

FOREVER! Or until God decides the earth is no longer needed – then comes eternity.  (Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.  Mark 13:30-32)

When you’re talking FOREVER until the Father speaks… well… this is THE EXPERT I want know – and walk with – and speak with – and follow in all His ways.

He is the One who will deliver us from all our earthly enemies (pain, suffering, hunger, homelessness, climate change & evil)…

And David spoke the words of this song to the Lord in the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said, “ The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; My savior, You save me from violence.  2 Samuel 22:1-3

He is the One who will direct our steps…

“ This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right or to the left.  Isaiah 30:21

He is the One who places us in this moment – “For a time such as this”…

Philippians 2:13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. 

To serve Him and His creation…

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Ephesians 2:10 

We got some walking to do… we best get started!

FOREVER!  Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.  Psalm 119:10

**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.

Matthew 7:24-27 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.  And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.  Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.  The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”

In the physical world we would say, “Duh!” And yet, there would still be those who, despite the danger, would still fall in love and build the sand castle, ON THE SAND. When the ocean wiped him/her’s dream away, we would think but never say, “FOOL!”

In the spiritual world, the world where faith does the walking, Wisdom is the great equalizer among all of us. We continue to try to analyze with our eyes – our experience – our expertise, and find ourselves on shifting sand in the sand castle community. What happened!? Our house of faith seems to be shaking with the shifting, and we know our house is in grave danger. It WILL FALL when the floods come – or the tide comes in – and we will be left with no house of faith to care for, enjoy, protect, honor, the heart (our heart) that LIVES by faith.

And great was its fall… Some are laughing at me right now. “Come on Mary! There you go talking RELIGION, again! Grave Danger? It’s no more dangerous than Santa Claus, unicorns, and Alice’s wonderland!”

If I were talking about “Religion”, I would laugh too!

Im not talking religion, I’m talking faith!  Matthew 6:21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 

Treasure… the pot of all that is gold… the PROFIT you have gained from living your life. Profit that is the results of our faith, or as Hebrews 11:1 defines it,“(Now faith is) the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” 

Faith, the movement of our life toward that which we believe (with conviction) will satisfy the hope within us that is not a wish but a necessary demand of our heart.  Everyone has faith! If you have life, you have faith. As long as you are alive you will pursue what you believe makes your life profitable… your treasure! Your Pot of Gold!  Faith vs religion, NO COMPARISON!

Wow! I just looked up the definition of “Religion” and was overwhelmed. The dictionary on this computer had one quote I just have to use… “An increasing number of scholars have expressed reservations about ever defining the essence of religion.^[60] They observe that the way we use the concept today is a particularly modern construct that would not have been understood through much of history and in many cultures outside the West (or even in the West until after the Peace of Westphalia).^[61]” I’m just saying… we are not talking religion here!

We are talking faith! The ability to think, process, plan, the opportunity to choose to live, and the authority of how we will live this life. It is at the core of the greatest gift (next to love) created in and for ONLY humans. We may differ in our thoughts/process/plan, our choices of a rich life, and our the actions we decide to take in pursuing life, but if we are a human being, everyone of us has the FREE WILL to activate THEIR FAITH into the life THEY want to lead.

So where does God (still not talking religion!) fit into this blog?

LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION!

If the house we are talking about in our lead Scripture is our heart (the vault of all things treasure), and it is, there are a few facts we might want to take into consideration as we live out our faith in life.

The fact that a wise man who built his house on the rock…we might want to determine the identity of the SAFEST place to build in this world where evil has been given princely authority over the earth for a time.  Evil is NOT THE ROCK, in fact evil will do whatever it takes to destroy and devour the heart, the soul, the life of a human creature. (Ephesians 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.)

Who or for some, what is the rock you build your life upon? I vote for the One who loves YOU, will never leave nor forsake YOU, will be with YOU when the rain falls, and the floods come, and the winds blow and slam against YOUR house. The One who will never let Your house (heart vault) fall!

Or the fact that afoolish man who built his house on the sand… have you ever considered what the identity of sand might be?

Another human who can not or will not be there in and through every storm of YOUR life, nor will they have the ability or power to fix YOU after the damage is done.

Maybe it’s a church? Nope that’s just a building with nothing to offer YOU.

A religion? Too susceptible to potentially good food, the delight to the eyes, desirable to make one wise Genesis 3:6… we eat this stuff up like candy!

Maybe the sand is everything YOU. Maybe YOU believe YOU are the only one qualified to provide every object of faith YOUR life. Maybe YOU are the object of very core of YOUR faith? Prophetically speaking… when rain falls, and the floods come, and the winds blow and slam against your house…  it will surely fall! And great was its fall… the greatest of all!

Location Location Location… For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? Luke 14:28 … Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand? Luke 14:31

Location Location Location… choose wisely…

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.  Ephesians 3:14-19

**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.

Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and *said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” Matthew 14:28-31

We hear this a lot. Maybe we even SAY it a lot.

“IF You are real, God.”

”IF You love me, God.”

”IF it is YOUR will, God.”

And… like Peter… “IF IT IS YOU”…

Who else did Peter think it might be walking on the water?

I think, like all of us, Peter was just a little concerned it might have been his imagination. What if this Jesus Thing is all in my head? What if I made it up as my own crutch to get through life? Lots of people think I’m (and have called me) crazy!

What if…

I REALLY NEED to know the truth! “Lord, if it is You,_______________________.  I dare you, fill in the blank with the fleece you will use to PROVE your faith is well placed… cause we don’t want to waste our time and belief on “false” promises.

Please note, I said, “prove your faith is well placed”, as if your faith is not in question, but only in who or what it is placed in.

As with all things mankind (Adam & Eve natured people), everything hinges on ME! We want to think that we believe, therefore it is true. And so, our faith is deemed the tool of judgement. The (proof or condemnation) of truth and righteousness. We want to wear well, the mantle of “God Maker” we’ve been gifted with when we become His disciples.

Though Peter would vehemently deny he had his doubts (three times before the cock crowed) about Jesus, most of us would give him (Peter) shade due to the critical nature of knowing and serving and sometimes dying for the core of your life – your heart. There’s all kind of excuses for our careful testing of all things holy.

Peter was an excellent fleece thrower… IF – COMMAND me to COME TO YOU on the water.

Peter was an excellent believer… Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus.

But Peter, like us, walked on the water UNTIL his faith got scared by his belief… seeing the wind, he became frightened.

Peter’s Faux Faith (his beliefs backed by his stamp of thoroughly tested proof ) wasn’t going to save him… and beginning to sink, he cried out.

FINALLY! Foolishness met FAITH, face to face!

“Lord, save me!”

Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and *said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”

This is faith! Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.  Hebrews 11:1

Faith is not answering the question, “Is it You (God) or Is it Me?”

It is ALL God… EVERY TIME!!

Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.  Hebrews 11:6

Let us get over our bad selves… We stand on God’s shoulders NOT carry God on ours! Let’s quit thinking we are the “heroes” for being His lawyers on earth. Check out the book of Hebrews… “By faith ________________________” These are some of the REAL heroes of FAITH… they acted because they believed God, because He IS God. And each one who acted in FAITH found intimacy with God, NOT religion.

With all our technology, professors of theology, independent thinking, global churches on every wireless wire, one would think we KNOW more than our ancestors and therefor would have greater intimacy than all those mentioned in Hebrews. In fact, we even have THEIR stories, written by God, in His Word, contained in His heart! One would think, we would be running – we would be breathless pounding on His heavenly gates – we would be CRYING OUT like Peter, for we have become aware we are beginning to sink.

“Lord, save me!”

There seems to be one question that keeps us from entering into intimacy and leaves us only with “religion”.

Is it You (God) or Is it Me?

Let me respectfully answer that for you…

It is ALWAYS God – NEVER you!

“ For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel After those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their minds , And I will write them on their hearts . And I will be their God , And they shall be My people . “ And they shall not teach everyone his fellow citizen, And everyone his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord ,’ For all will know Me , From the least to the greatest of them . “ For I will be merciful to their iniquities, And I will remember their sins no more.  Hebrews 8:10-12

**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.

John 3:3  Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

My husband and I looked around our house and realized, though we had room for everything we had, we had TOO MUCH STUFF! At this time of our life, we want to be free to go play. But with a house big enough to fill with stuff and the stuff that has it’s own needs, there is always chores to do…and… Mother always said, “No fun UNTIL your chores are done!” At 68 and 70 we’re not going to start disobeying our mother!

So, for these last several months, he and I have pondered the best way to eliminate chore time and gain way more playtime.

I chose downsizing and in my opinion the best way to do that is FORCED PURGING. My preferred solution, why of course, a smaller house! Starting over seemed to me the spoonful of sugar to help the purging medicine (worst tasting stuff ever!) go down (and stay down).

My husband, because he has the gift of patience and perseverance, chose decluttering. I didn’t disagree with the principle, I just couldn’t agree on what is or isn’t clutter!

So, until we can agree, we begin. Each of us will downsize and/or declutter our own stuff until the only thing left is stuff that we both have a shared value in (i.e. opinion of and attachment to). We have to start somewhere because as our mothers also taught us, “Nothing gets done if you don’t start!”

As I was preparing the first blog of 2020 (can you believe it??), the Holy Spirit reminded me that this same process MUST happen when God moves into the house called Mary.

The order is somewhat different and there is no question Who chooses what goes, what stays, and maybe even a few things that just need tweaking.

Don and I have always tried to make the place (house) we were living in our home. No matter where, what, or how big or small, we made our space handle the love for each other and our family, even when it wasn’t always the prettiest house on the block.

When I came to Jesus, I thought “faith” was the same thing. You do the best you can with what you have. I came just as I am, and fully believed I would always be just as I am. My vision was that God would move in and be content to share my space.

I was blind! And I would remain blind until I was born again… unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Nicodemus Mary *said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  John 3:5-6 There is no “my” space in the kingdom of God, only God’s!  Starting over isn’t just an option in God’s home, it is the mandatory first step!

We make a huge mistake when we believe and lead others to believe that WE “let” God into our lives, but WE still “own” the decorating rights to OUR space. We set ourselves and others up for a wrestling match we aren’t aware WILL HAPPEN and the agony of defeat when we must wave the white flag of surrender.  The good news… the upside of defeat is WE LIVE, unlike what will happen eventually to the flesh we care so much about.

We should take very serious, our role in being “born-again”. For ourselves and others, we should seek (or become) the OBGYNs to our soon to be newborn siblings, the doctors disciples of Jesus. Those, governed and led by the Holy Spirit who will, those who are gifted in the nutritional value of the Word of God Those who know from experience the warnings and danger of neglecting to intimately know the Truth, the Way and the Life (or Yeshua as He was named at His birth). And those who may be given the opportunity to witness and assist in your birth – that event, when you downsize all of you, and welcome all of Jesus.

For while we were still helpless, (as helpless as a newborn babe) at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.  Romans 5:6,8-11

For some, there is no need for God (if He exists) to require starting over. Like I was, they are blind to the reality of the sin at the core of our flesh. We can’t imagine that it (sin), is so evil that it makes the whole, ineligible to be in the presence of perfect holiness (God).

Sin cannot be downsized to a “little” misdemeanor, nor can it be decluttered so you only see the good stuff. Sin isn’t just for your worst enemy, it is you, me, everyone and anyone who turns away from Perfect Holiness – God.

as it is written, “ There is none righteous, not even one; There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God ; All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good , There is not even one .”  Romans 3:10-12 We are born with it in our flesh! Destined for the trash heap of hell if we aren’t saved from it (the wages of sin is death).

But God… so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.  John 3:16-17 

By faith… which is both belief in and confession of God as your all in all… no other strange gods before Him.

By faith… Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.  1 John 4:1

By faith… Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him.  1 John 5:1  Born again!

In the Kingdom of God it is the ONLY WAY to go. Once accomplished you will have God Himself to train you up and prepare you for eternity with Him and all the saints. For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.  Philippians 2:13 

If you are born again, I have just one more thing to say to you. “WELCOME HOME!” (Don’t worry, we won’t ask you to help with our downsizing/decluttering, and starting over is off the table!)

**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.