Jesus Christ – Page 6

8.s. “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.”

Revelation 21:9 Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed— on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

Ephesians 2:19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

1 Timothy 3:15 But if I should be delayed [I have written] so that you will know how people ought to act in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.

Hebrews. 3:6 But Christ was faithful as a Son over His household, whose household we are if we hold on to the courage and the confidence of our hope.

1 Peter 2:4-5 Coming to Him, a living stone – rejected by men but chosen and valuable to God – you yourselves, as living stones, are being built into a spiritual house for a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Interpretation of Revelation 21 has scholars commenting from both sides who say this is figurative and or that it is literal. The Bible does tell us about the establishment of the new heaven and earth and new Jerusalem and we see it follows the Great White Throne Judgment at the end of the millennium. Wether or not this is to be take figurative or literal one key point for certain is about those who will live here and those who will not. The bride of Jesus Christ, the church, those who have acknowledged their sin, sought forgiveness, repented, turned away, and believed and completely served, trusted, followed, and obeyed Jesus Christ for their redemption and salvation. There is no place here for those who are lukewarm, complacent, and neglectful. Nor is a place for those who have rejected the offer of salvation, repentance, and redemption. How many will stand at the Great White Throne Judgment with expectation of eternity in heaven only to here, “depart from Me for I never knew you”. They will come to this judgment with thoughts of being good enough and done enough on their own to deserve entry. They have not yielded to Jesus Christ. Oh, they may have said things from their lips but the indwelling desire deep within their hearts and minds to have the Spirit live within them to guide, direct, and lead them in humble service for the honor and glory of Jesus Christ is not present nor was it. Me, myself, and I have a way of not wanting to fully yield to Jesus Christ. Yielding means we will put to death our self-centered and self-reliant ways and thoughts. We need to daily surrender authority of our lives to Jesus Christ and keep our heart, mind, and soul, focused on Him, for He is truly worthy of all honor, power, and glory.

8.r. “I warn you, as I warned you before”

Revelation 21:8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

Romans 1:29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

1 Corinthians 6:9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Galatians 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

While John’s list is similar to those of Paul, it’s important to note that John begins with “cowards” and “unbelievers.” This appears to be an indirect appeal to all professing believers facing times of testing. John makes no distinction between those who deny Jesus under persecution and those who openly embrace pagan vices. Jurgen Roloff again writes, “In an effort to challenge the reliance of the addressees on their safe possession of salvation, John again makes it clear that, because of the magnitude of the promise received, the danger is all the more serious of being disobedient and faithless to Jesus. Whoever succumbs to it does not belong to those who stand in the Look of Life and is therefore fundamentally like God’s enemies, who stand in his judgment” (p. 238). This is not to suggest that the elect will fall away; rather it seems to be an affirmation that those who merely profess Christianity may expect to be exposed under the withering heat of persecution so that their true nature as unbelievers is made clear.

Phillips, Rob. The Searcher’s Guide to the Apocalypse:

6.h.

Revelation 3:7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens.

Matthew 16:19    I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Job 11:10    If he passes through and imprisons and summons the court, who can turn him back?

John 14:6    Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

1 John 5:20    And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

We are occupied sometimes with the want to know the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. We listen and want to believe someone is telling us the truth. Sometimes we just hear what we want to hear and that becomes truth for us. We are going through some political hail storm in our country right now. Investigations, interrogations, and judicial inquiries fill the news on social networks, media outlets, TV, and radio. We hear things only to find out what someone said 3 months or 2 years ago was not the truth. New evidence is found and the foundation for our beliefs in the situation is no longer supported. I don’t care what side of the current situation you are on, or what media outlets you choose to listen too, they all have given some truth, some half-truths, and some outright lies. It is hard to trust what we hear and who to believe. At some point, many just don’t listen anymore because they get fed up having to try to sort it out.

I think some are the same way when it comes to reading and believing what is recorded in the bible. People apply the skeptic’s eye they have been trained to use on the culture and society they live in. They read what is written and say that can not be true because “they did not personally see it”, “it has never happened before”, “that is not in agreement with science”, and “if a man wrote it, it must be tainted with what they believe to be the truth”.

Here we read the Holy One and the True one is speaking to this church in Philadelphia. He is one we can believe. He is one who speaks no lies. He is in control. He shuts, no one can open and what He opens no one can shut. There is so much to unpack in this it would take years and volumes of writing to scratch the surface of it. Three words describe God, omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient, and they are the beginning of our foundation of truth. All-powerful, all-knowing, and always present. If we do not start here it will be hard to believe or have faith or put action to our faith. The church in Philadelphia was such a church of faith and to whom this letter is written.

5.w. But you are the same, and your years have no end.

Revelation 1:4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come,

Exodus 3:14    God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

Psalms 90:2    Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

Psalms 102:25-27     Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.  They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away,  but you are the same, and your years have no end.

Isaiah 41:4     Who has performed and done this, calling the generations from the beginning? I, the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he.

Hebrews 1:10-13     And, “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands;  they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment,  like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end.”  And to which of the angels has he ever said, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”?

Hebrews 13:8    Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

James 1:17     Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

We all change in some way or another. We make up our minds and then learn something new and we change it. We have a great love for someone and then something happens and we change how we feel about them. We have friends who come into our lives and then for some reason or another, our connection to them changes. We make decisions and say we will stand firm on them and change our stance. We design a home or some other project only to find that we would make changes because of what something we missed. The fact of the matter is that we change and there is variation in what we think and do. Our stance changes, our firmness changes, our commitments change, and our love changes. Do we ever wonder if God is like this? Do we even have a concept of a never-changing God, who was, is, and is to come. The “I AM”. The same yesterday, today, and forever? The One who there is no variation. The first and the last.

We do well to remember our unchanging God and walk worthy of who He is. Our God is never changing. Always loving with outstretched arms. Always offering grace, mercy, and Love. Always wanting us to open the door to our heart to Him. All things are in and of Him alone.

5.u. For the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets

Revelation 1:1-3 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.

Daniel 2:28-29    but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these:  To you, O king, as you lay in bed came thoughts of what would be after this, and he who reveals mysteries made known to you what is to be.

Amos 3:7     “For the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets.

Romans 16:25     Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages

Galatians 1:12    For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 3:8   But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

Romans 13:11    Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.

James 5:8-9    You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.  Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.

1 Peter 4:7    The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.

At the right time, God reveals His mysteries (what has been hidden for ages) to us. A day is coming and has been foretold when the end of this world and life as we know it will cease. The book of revelation is not some rambling of a weirdo imagination but rather the words of God Himself given to man so that we might know that the end time is at hand. God makes these revelations known to reveal His all-knowing, all-powerful, and supreme control over His creation. He makes it known to reveal His love. He makes it known knowing that it will harden some hearts more and other hearts will be softened and come to saving grace knowledge of Jesus Christ. He makes it known to give people warning. He makes it known to give people hope. Just because some of this revelation seems hard to understand and the full mystery of it has not been made clear does not make it less certain. Man will choose to believe it or not but the fact remains the end of the world will come. To some, they do not believe there is life after death or that there is a judgment after death. They do not believe in heaven or hell. They do not believe in God. Oh that their heart would soften, the scales would fall off their eyes and they see, and their deaf ears made to hear of the Love of God through Jesus Christ and be saved.

5.f. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way;

Job 10:14 If I sin, you watch me and do not acquit me of my iniquity. If I am guilty, woe to me! If I am in the right, I cannot lift up my head, for I am filled with disgrace and look on my affliction.

Psalms 139:1    O LORD, you have searched me and known me!

Psalms 130:3    If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?

Exodus 34:7    keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”

Ecclesiastes 7:20   Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.

Isaiah 53:6    All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way;

Romans 3:23-24     for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,  and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

Throughout scripture, we see men of God who speak of the sin of man. We read of it from Genesis through Revelation. We see the history of man’s sin in light of God’s Holiness. We catch a glimpse of man’s choice to honor and reverence his Creator or not. We see men and women who have intentionally chosen to seek after and live to honor God. We also see those who have intentionally chosen to reject God and only seek to live to please and honor themselves. We read of both God’s steadfast love toward His creation and those who seek to honor, glorify, and worship Him and His anger and wrath towards those who reject Him and live for self-interests, self-gain, self-satisfying, and self-centered reasons.

We live in an age where technological advances have far outstripped our ethics; we have a lot of “power,” but no clear moral benchmarks to aid us in the use of such power. One reason we lack the moral foundation is that we have left the doctrinal foundation of creation and who we are before a Holy and Wise Creator. We seem to lack the desire to search our heart, mind, and soul for that which is not pleasing to Him (sin). We intentionally choose to neglect His word and seek the Holy Spirit to lead us in sin awareness. For the record, neglecting His word and not being aware of sin does not mean we are guiltless. It just means we have turned our back and hardened our hearts to the true things that honor and glorify Jesus Christ.

When we choose to be in His word and seek and desire to do that which is God-honoring and glorifying we will see more and more of our sinful nature and His grace and mercy. We will see more clearly that which honors Him. We will continue to grow and mature in this understanding and knowledge. We will begin to understand love and hope that is found in trusting, obeying, relying on, clinging to, and living for Jesus Christ.

1.l. The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.

1 Chronicles 28:6 And he said unto me, Solomon thy son, he shall build my house and my courts; for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father. And I will establish his kingdom for ever, if he be constant to do my commandments and mine ordinances, as at this day. Now therefore, in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of Jehovah, and in the audience of our God, observe and seek out all the commandments of Jehovah your God; that ye may possess this good land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children after you for ever.

And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind; for Jehovah searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever. Take heed now; for Jehovah hath chosen thee to build a house for the sanctuary: be strong, and do it.

Hosea 4:1   Hear the word of the LORD, O children of Israel, for the LORD has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land. There is no faithfulness or steadfast love, and no knowledge of God in the land;

Jeremiah 24:7  I will give them a heart to know that I am the LORD, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart.

Acts 17:30    The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,

1 Corinthians 15:34     Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.

2 Corinthians 4:6     For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Wake up, take heed, hear the word of the Lord, and repent. Why the need to wake up – because we have fallen asleep to God’s word. Why take heed – because it will go well with you and you will find peace and rest. Why hear the word of the Lord – because in it we find eternal life, peace, courage, joy, hope, strength, and love. Why repent – because there must be a conscious recognition of our personal sin and intentional choice to turn away (repent) from it.

This call o wake up, take heed, hear the word of the Lord, and repent is for everyone. It is worthy of giving thought to it. It is worthy of examining your life against it. It is worthy of intentionally choosing to honor Jesus Christ with all our heart, mind, and soul, in all we think, say and do.

102. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

1 Samuel 13:1 Saul lived for one year and then became king, and when he had reigned for two yearsover Israel, Saul chose three thousand men of Israel. Two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. The rest of the people he sent home, every man to his tent. Jonathan defeated the garrison of the Philistines that was at Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear.” And all Israel heard it said that Saul had defeated the garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel had become a stench to the Philistines. And the people were called out to join Saul at Gilgal. And the Philistines mustered to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen and troops like the sand on the seashore in multitude. They came up and encamped in Michmash, to the east of Beth-aven. When the men of Israel saw that they were in trouble (for the people were hard pressed), the people hid themselves in caves and in holes and in rocks and in tombs and in cisterns, and some Hebrews crossed the fords of the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul was still at Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling. He waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from him. So Saul said, “Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering. As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came. And Saul went out to meet him and greet him. Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines had mustered at Michmash, I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the Lord.’ So I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering.” And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you. For then the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”

Genesis 3:13    Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

Genesis 4:10    And the LORD said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground.

Joshua 7:19    Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the LORD God of Israel and give praise to him. And tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me.”

Exodus 3:7    Then the LORD said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings

Psalms 9:12     For he who avenges blood is mindful of them; he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.

James 5:4    Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.

Hebrews 4:13  And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Proverbs 15:11    Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the LORD; how much more the hearts of the children of man!

Proverbs 15:3   The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.

Jeremiah 17:10    “I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”

1 Corinthians 4:5    Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.

Revelation 2:23    And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works.

Ecclesiastes 12:14    For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.

Romans 2:16     on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.

Romans 14:12     So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.

2 Corinthians 5:10    For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

John 5:22-29     For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son,  that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.  Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.  For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.  And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man.  Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.

Please read these verses again. The word of God is clear, true, and worthy of knowing. Without an intentional and consistent daily desire and seeking of His word we will certainly go down paths that seem right in our own eyes but in the end are far from doing that which is worthy of one who has been saved by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We can not escape His judgment and will be held accountable for neglect and complacency and everything hidden and done is secret. Just because we have claimed the blood of Jesus Christ for salvation does not forgive a life of neglect to His word and living as though there is no daily responsibility to, with all our heart and mind seek, desire, humbly serve, honor, listen to, rely on, cling to, follow, and obey Him.

Review your last week. Were you waking with a desire to know and serve Jesus Christ? Were you actively listening to Him quietly speak into your life? Were you going to sleep with thoughts of worship, honor, and glory to His work in your life? Do you think for one second that neglect and complacency are hidden and will not be judged?

Be intentional. Be committed. Desire and seek Him. Choose to study His word. Choose to listen for His quiet whispers of leading. Do that which honors and glorifies Jesus Christ for the sacrifice made for you and He did this while you were yet a sinner. He did this out of love for you. He did this so that you might have life and have it more abundantly. He did this to give you a home with Him in eternity. Do not allow neglect and complacency to His word rob what is rightful to Jesus Christ.

98. Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.

Deuteronomy 8:5 Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the Lord your God disciplines you. So you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God by walking in his ways and by fearing him. For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land,

Deuteronomy 8:17 Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day. And if you forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish. Like the nations that the Lord makes to perish before you, so shall you perish, because you would not obey the voice of the Lord your God.

Psalms 127:1-2   Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.  It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.

Psalms 33:16-18    The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.  The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue.  Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love,

Proverbs 21:30-31    No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can avail against the LORD.

1 Corinthians 3:7     So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.

1 Chronicles 28:20    Then David said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous and do it. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for the LORD God, even my God, is with you. He will not leave you or forsake you, until all the work for the service of the house of the LORD is finished.

1 Corinthians 3:9-15    For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.  According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it.  For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.  Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—  each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.  If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward.  If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

It is by God’s very hand that we live. It is by His very blessings we have life. In Him, we are made whole. Apart from Him, we are chasing wind of every desire that is influenced upon our heart and mind. If we don’t find hope, peace, and refuge in Him our daily foundation is built on something that will not stand. In fact, it will fail us time and time again. Finances, employment, and relationships, outside of God’s leading and provision are worthless, though they seem satisfying.

If our view of this world and what it has to offer comes from the world our heart and mind will be darkened and our ears will become deaf to His calling and our eyes will be blind to His leading. If all we have to hope is what we can glean from this world we will go through life with a sad existence. His word is the breath of life, water for our soul, food for our mind, and in His word we find purpose and meaning for today, tomorrow, and eternity.

Do you want satisfaction for your heart, mind, and soul? Do you want to have meaning and purpose every day? Do you want to honor and glorify Jesus Christ for His sacrifice on the cross? Do you want to live in forgiveness or needing to be forgiven?

All of these questions can be answered faithfully in a life that is intentional in humbly serving, honoring, glorifying, worshipping, following, and obeying what is revealed in and through His word. There is no better time to be intentional to stay in His seeking and desiring to be led by God.

60. I did not speak in secret

Deuteronomy 30:11 “For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.

“See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”

Isaiah 45:19    I did not speak in secret, in a land of darkness; I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, ‘Seek me in vain.’ I the LORD speak the truth; I declare what is right.

Romans 16:25-26     Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages  but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith—

Colossians 1:26-27     the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints.  To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Can His word be so close to our heart and so familiar to our soul that it can not be understood or not be put into practice? NO! I wonder how it is possible to spend day after day, and week after week, and possibly month after month without more than a glance at His word when we know of the blessings and curses that come from either obedience or neglect. Have we watered down His word so much that following it only requires a showing up in Church a few times per month and speaking to God is dialed back to only when something troubling is happening.

His word would tell us that we can comprehend it, we can understand it, it is revealed to us, it is not far off, and it is brought to the very door of our heart, mind, and soul. However, it does no good in the heart, soul, and mind of anyone who does not cherish it or read it, or seek it, or desire it, or want to obey it. Neglects and complacency are not excuses, they are a choice.