Author: Thomas E Meyer Jr

Mark 14:32-42 The Message

Gethsemane

^32-34 They came to an area called Gethsemane. Jesus told his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” He took Peter, James, and John with him. He sank into a pit of suffocating darkness. He told them, “I feel bad enough right now to die. Stay here and keep vigil with me.”

^35-36 Going a little ahead, he fell to the ground and prayed for a way out: “Papa, Father, you can—can’t you?—get me out of this. Take this cup away from me. But please, not what I want—what do you want?”

^37-38 He came back and found them sound asleep. He said to Peter, “Simon, you went to sleep on me? Can’t you stick it out with me a single hour? Stay alert, be in prayer, so you don’t enter the danger zone without even knowing it. Don’t be naive. Part of you is eager, ready for anything in God; but another part is as lazy as an old dog sleeping by the fire.”

^39-40 He then went back and prayed the same prayer. Returning, he again found them sound asleep. They simply couldn’t keep their eyes open, and they didn’t have a plausible excuse.

^41-42 He came back a third time and said, “Are you going to sleep all night? No—you’ve slept long enough. Time’s up. The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up. Let’s get going. My betrayer has arrived.”

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

You have had a full meal, and it has been a long day of running errands. You had gotten up earlier than usual to get your children our of bed, dressed, washed up and ready for this first day, this most hectic, tiring, of the long long school year.

In fact, the past several days have been really challenging—emotionally and physically. It has been a long summer of traveling. You are worn out and tired.

Even in the cool night air, you can barely stay awake. You know you need to pay attention because Jesus has asked you to keep watch on the kids, your eyelids are getting heavier by the moment. Soon your head bobs, you are fast asleep.

You didn’t plan it that way. It is going to be a long year. Jesus nudges you awake and asks, “Couldn’t you keep watch for one hour?” Startled, you hear him say, “Watch and pray. . . .” You nod in agreement, feeling horrible that you haven’t managed to stay awake. He steps away, and the great heaviness settles in again.

Your eyelids close. Later he wakes you again, and you don’t know what to say.

Then a third time you are awakened—but now there is a large crowd coming, the trouble is just turning the corner. Eyes wide open, sleep vanishes. You look up at the one who asked you to pray, and he is in the hands of his enemies!

The longest most exhausting night of their lives had just passed them by, they let their guards down, let their Messiah down, they had failed, they ran away.

Though our lives today are much different from the disciples’, the need for our staying alert during those long exhausting nights which challenge our faith and those extra few critical moments of alertness, of praying without ceasing is not.

Our still sleeping, exhausted world is in greatest need of our attention, and the Lord is calling us to be awake, stand watch. It is encouraging to know Jesus is now seated at the right hand of the Father, praying for us (Romans 8:34), but today he still needs us to do the same for his world, for all God’s children in it.

The Spirit Is Always Willing, Flesh is Always Weak

Mark 14:37-42 Amplified Bible

³⁷ And He came back and found them sleeping, and He said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Were you unable to keep watch for one hour? ³⁸ Keep  [actively]  watching and praying so that you do not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the ^[a]body is weak.” ³⁹ He went away again and prayed, saying the same words. ⁴⁰ And again He came back and found them sleeping, because their eyes were very heavy; and they did not know how to answer Him. ⁴¹ He came back a third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough [of that]! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. ⁴² Get up, let us go. Look, my betrayer is near!”

We rarely see those worst, weakest flaws in our character until we are tested.

Jesus asked his disciples to watch and pray with him, but they dozed off – not just once, not just twice but three times – each time after being awakened and reawakened by Jesus. By surrendering to a small temptation, these disciples lacked the high endurance of spiritual strength to fight off a much greater one.

The much spirited disciples gave in to the weakness of the tired flesh, and as a result they were not prepared to support Jesus during his trial and crucifixion.

Even now, we are tired, our flesh is our own weak-willed human nature without the power of God. Our natural capabilities fail in the midst of temptation, so we need a divine infusion of persistence and endurance from the Holy Spirit. With the Spirit, we have the ability to defeat any temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Throughout the Bible we learn that the Holy Spirit equips us for many tasks.

The Holy Spirit mightily empowers the community of believers in many ways.

As Mark shows, the Spirit of God leads Jesus’ followers into and through struggles and adversity. We do not have to be worried if we are in trying circumstances, because the Holy Spirit will give us words to speak that come from God himself, the inspiration to be alert, to know exactly when our mouth should become engaged in the sure, truest defense of the Gospel (Mark 13:11).

Mark 13:9-13 Amplified Bible

⁹ “But be on your guard; they will turn you over to courts, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand [as accused] before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them. ¹⁰ The gospel [that is, the good news regarding the way of salvation] must first be preached to all the [Gentile] nations. ¹¹ When they take you and turn you over [to the court], do not worry beforehand about what to say, but say whatever is given to you [by God] in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but it is the Holy Spirit [who will speak through you]. ¹² Brother will betray brother to [be put to] death, and a father [will hand over] his child; and children will rise up and take a stand against parents and have them put to death. ¹³ You will be hated by everyone because of [your association with] My name, but the one who [patiently perseveres empowered by the Holy Spirit and] endures to the end, he will be saved.

We live in the age of the Spirit today. We can each call upon the Holy Spirit to strengthen our spirits to resist any temptation. What a gift from our God who never stops giving himself for us. Ask, seek, and knock—call on the Lord!

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 121 The Message

121 ^1-2 I look up to the mountains;
    does my strength come from mountains?
No, my strength comes from God,
    who made heaven, and earth, and mountains.

^3-4 He won’t let you stumble,
    your Guardian God won’t fall asleep.
Not on your life! Israel’s
    Guardian will never doze or sleep.

^5-6 God’s your Guardian,
    right at your side to protect you—
Shielding you from sunstroke,
    sheltering you from moonstroke.

^7-8 God guards you from every evil,
    he guards your very life.
He guards you when you leave and when you return,
    he guards you now, he guards you always.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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 John 2:12-14 GOD’S WORD Translation

Don’t Love the World

¹² I’m writing to you, dear children, because your sins are forgiven through Christ.

¹³ I’m writing to you, fathers, because you know Christ who has existed from the beginning.

I’m writing to you, young people, because you have won the victory over the evil one.

¹⁴ I’ve written to you, children, because you know the Father.

I’ve written to you, fathers, because you know Christ, who has existed from the beginning.

I’ve written to you, young people, because you are strong and God’s word lives in you. You have won the victory over the evil one.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

The purpose of the church is to bring God’s people to maturity in Jesus Christ.

The apostle John has given us a helpful way to gauge various levels of maturity.

When John speaks of certain Christians as little children, the fact which characterizes them is that they know their sins are forgiven.

Certainly that is the first thing a new Christian learns.

Therefore, as long as they are celebrating in that stage of understanding, glorying in the fact that their sins are forgiven, they can be lovingly classified as little children. 

John doesn’t mean, of course, that they are to forsake their initial excitement over having their sins forgiven.

On the contrary, they should have a continually increasing awareness of the forgiveness of sin as they go through life. He simply means that a focus on the joy of being forgiven marks the initial stage of the Christian life — not maturity.

Then he says, I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. 

For a long time, I thought John was referring to God the Father, the One who is from the beginning.

But thinking back to the way he opens the letter, I began to realize that this is really a reference to the Son: That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched — this we proclaim concerning the Word of life (1 John 1:1).

Here he is obviously referring to the Lord Jesus Himself.

The mark of being a spiritual father, then, is a deep, thorough understanding of the deity and the humanity of Jesus, the fullness of the revelation that has come to us through the Son.

It is to have a deep sense of closeness to him, having walked with him through much of life.

Out of that closeness comes a clarity of understanding of Jesus’ words to such a degree that there is a grasp of the great doctrines which he came to reveal.

This level of maturity means to display an understanding and a manifestation of the same character which Jesus displayed, along with the strong evidence of compassion, tolerance, patience, justice, and forgiveness from which only a long term relationship with the Son of God can produce.

Finally, the young men are characterized as having overcome the evil one, as having reached a stage of maturity where there is an understanding and a practice of the way to resist temptation and distinguish between good and evil.

As Hebrews puts it, “But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” (Hebrews 5:14).

The kind of person who is overcoming the wicked one is able to see evil as evil (even when it looks too too good!) by the revelation of the Scriptures and by the individuals prayer life which comes from an understanding given by the Spirit.

Romans 8:12-17 The Message

^12-14 So don’t you see that we don’t owe this old do-it-yourself life one red cent. There’s nothing in it for us, nothing at all. The best thing to do is give it a decent burial and get on with your new life. God’s Spirit beckons. There are things to do and places to go!

^15-17 This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?” God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what’s coming to us—an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we’re certainly going to go through the good times with him!

We may find we have a lot of big questions about the truths and mysteries of the Christian faith that we each need to learn how to live with by praying it through.

But there’s nothing quite so precious as the assurance deep down inside that we belong to God–no matter what!

While some people claim such certainty is not possible, Paul says it is.

We can be sure!

We come to this assurance through an accumulation of evidence.

We confess our sins and ask God for mercy in Jesus’ name, and we’re told no one will be turned away (Romans 10:4-13).

Romans 10:4-13 The Message

^4-10 The earlier revelation was intended simply to get us ready for the Messiah, who then puts everything right for those who trust him to do it. Moses wrote that anyone who insists on using the law code to live right before God soon discovers it’s not so easy—every detail of life regulated by fine print! But trusting God to shape the right living in us is a different story—no precarious climb up to heaven to recruit the Messiah, no dangerous descent into hell to rescue the Messiah. So what exactly was Moses saying?

The word that saves is right here,
    as near as the tongue in your mouth,
    as close as the heart in your chest.

It’s the word of faith that welcomes God to go to work and set things right for us. This is the core of our preaching. Say the welcoming word to God—“Jesus is my Master” —embracing, body and soul, God’s work of doing in us what he did in raising Jesus from the dead. That’s it. You’re not “doing” anything; you’re simply calling out to God, trusting him to do it for you. That’s salvation. With your whole being you embrace God setting things right, and then you say it, right out loud: “God has set everything right between him and me!”

^11-13 Scripture reassures us, “No one who trusts God like this—heart and soul—will ever regret it.” It’s exactly the same no matter what a person’s religious background may be: the same God for all of us, acting the same incredibly generous way to everyone who calls out for help. “Everyone who calls, ‘Help, God!’ gets help.”

We claim Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of our life, and we know we can do this only by the work of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3).

1 Corinthians 12:1-3 The Message

Spiritual Gifts

12 ^1-3 What I want to talk about now is the various ways God’s Spirit gets worked into our lives. This is complex and often misunderstood, but I want you to be informed and knowledgeable. Remember how you were when you didn’t know God, led from one phony god to another, never knowing what you were doing, just doing it because everybody else did it? It’s different in this life. God wants us to use our intelligence, to seek to understand as well as we can. For instance, by using your heads, you know perfectly well that the Spirit of God would never prompt anyone to say “Jesus be damned!” Nor would anyone be inclined to say “Jesus is Master!” without the insight of the Holy Spirit.

We see the growth of fruit in our life, and we know that’s the work of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).

Galatians 5:22-24 The Message

^22-23 But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.

^23-24 Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good—crucified.

As Paul points out, in the final analysis God’s work of giving us assurance of salvation happens deep within us.

Think of it–the third person of the Trinity speaks with our internal spirit, testifying, reassuring, promising that we are children of God (Romans 8:16).

Assurance like that remains deeply rooted no matter what troubles come, no matter how often our spiritual apathy, doubts, trials and tribulations try to talk us out of faith, no matter how much we are confronted by all our unworthiness.

Say it to yourself over and over today: I belong to God!

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Ecclesiastes 10:5-7 The Message

^5-7 Here’s a piece of bad business I’ve seen on this earth,
An error that can be blamed on whoever is in charge:
Immaturity is given a place of prominence,
While maturity is made to take a backseat.
I’ve seen unproven upstarts riding in style,
While experienced veterans are put out to pasture.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

https://translate.google.com/

John 21:1-8 New American Standard Bible 1995

Jesus Appears at the Sea of Galilee

21 After these things Jesus ^[a]manifested Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and He manifested Himself in this way. ² Simon Peter, and  Thomas called ^[b]Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. ³ Simon Peter *said to them, “I am going fishing.” They *said to him, “We will also come with you.” They went out and got into the boat; and that night they caught nothing.

⁴ But when the day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. ⁵ So Jesus *said to them, “Children, you do not have ^[c]any fish, do you?” They answered Him, “No.” ⁶ And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat and you will find a catch.” So they cast, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish. ⁷ Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved *said to Peter, “It is the Lord.” So when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put his outer garment on (for he was stripped for work), and threw himself into the sea. ⁸ But the other disciples came in the little boat, for they were not far from the land, but about ^[d]one hundred yards away, dragging the net  full of fish.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Picture the scene. When the unknown figure standing on the shore told the fishermen to cast their net on the other side of the boat—and when those fishermen saw that, having caught nothing all night, their nets were now bulging—they began to recognize who it was who had called out to them.

Everything was happening too quickly for these disciples. They had pledged the entirety of their whole lives to their Messiah. The past three years they had all come from separate and diverse backgrounds. They were independent sorts. Each independently, individually, going about their business, days and lives.

From out of nowhere, their lives were individually disrupted by Jesus, as he summoned each of them-“come, and I will show you how to be fishers of men.”

Each one came, without hesitation or question, just walking away from their independence and uniquely individual existences, to become a small classroom.

A collection of independent individuals used to doing things their own way, to feed their themselves and their families, meet their friends, conduct business.

Over the past three years, following in the dust kicked up by the sandals of their Rabbi, witnessing miraculous events, healings, twice feeding of the thousands. They had heard, listened to profound teachings different from their upbringing.

They were sent out 2×2 into the surrounding villages to be teachers and healers.

Three years of such a high intensity of learning unlike any they had experienced probably since they were 13 year old children under the tutelage of the Temple.

Over these last three years they had learned how to bond, how to come together. Not as unique individuals under their own uniquely individual standards, but as under the undeniable authority, tutelage, of this itinerant Master Rabbi Jesus.

For three years they formed their own small classroom, their small community.

They had pretty much done everything together, becoming supportive of each other, friends with each other, partners with each other learning from Jesus.

Then came their celebration of the Great Passover in the Upper Room. Jesus did announce his personal destiny – his coming betrayal, humiliation, crucifixion.

He gave them his last will and testament – even more incredibly powerful but hopeful words of life after he was dead and buried. Individually, they processed the teachings, but slowly you can sense an underlying departure from their own collective mindset of community of mutual support to “individual oriented self preservation” – every man for himself as quickly as was then humanly possible.

In the Garden, they all scattered in their own directions when the soldiers came.

The breakdown of community Jesus had worked so hard to foster among them.

Now, it was back to their own individual devices.

Community and togetherness was now quite dangerous, potentially lethal.

They locked themselves in the Upper Room.

Jesus came back to them through the locked door.

Announced his presence and made an effort to Comfort them, sharing a meal of fish and bread. “We have seen the Lord and ate with him-he is truly fully alive!”

Thoroughly shaken by the death of their Messiah, shocked by resurrection, in a state of near total confusion about the next steps to take, they just went fishing.

Perhaps up and until now they had been supernaturally kept from identifying Him, like the men on the Emmaus road (Luke 24:16). Or perhaps in the early morning mist or the distance from land to the boat was what kept them from fully recognizing the unknown man shouting out advice as being their Savior.

Whichever was the case, it was not long before John, “that disciple whom Jesus loved,” realized who spoke to them—and as soon as he shared his dawning insight with Peter, Peter was the first to act, launched himself back into action.

John’s recognition, Peter’s reaction make up a partnership that just beautifully displays God’s intent for learning how to be a Christian community under the Authority of Jesus, each one a full display of shared, complementary diversity.

Please notice how God, through Christ takes the Johns and the Peters of this world, and He puts them together, he reunites them, adding back confidence and trust in God, so that they may each be what they cannot be on their own.

Throughout John’s Gospel, we see John display a contemplative, steady faith.

When he and Peter visited the empty tomb, he considered the meaning of the graveclothes lying empty where a body was to have been, believed (John 20:8).

His declaration from the boat likewise reveals a man who did not consider his circumstances hastily but rather pondered them and then confidently believed.

When John realized before everyone it was Jesus before him, he immediately made that known to Peter. Peter looked up, responded to John’s recognition as he often did: by taking faith-filled, impassioned, impulsive, immediate action.

You can just imagine him getting dressed up again from his dirty fishing clothes jumping into the water and then thrashing about, half swimming, half walking, straining desperately to get to his Savior on the shore. He showed no hesitation in getting out (leaping out) of the boat. His only thought was to reach his Lord.

Without the contemplative, insightful nature of Johns, the Peters of this world would burn out in feverish activity.

Without the quick immediate boldness of the Peters, the Johns of this world would waste away, wallowing in introspection. We all need partners to serve Christ well. Whether you are a Peter or a John, or whatever your particular temperament, God made you as you are to serve a purpose in His kingdom.

Many of us spend far too much time wishing we were more like Peter or John.

Others of us have no problem recognizing our personality type or particular strengths, but we do have a problem with humbly using them in the service of others or with being patient with the ways of others who are different from us.

Psalm 34:8-10 New American Standard Bible 1995

⁸ O taste and see that the Lord is good;
How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
⁹ O fear the Lord, you His saints;
For to those who fear Him there is no want.
¹⁰ The young lions do lack and suffer hunger;
But they who seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing.

What would change in how you see yourself and how you do see your kingdom purpose if you realized that every last aspect of our temperament is God-given, and that God intends for you to use it not for your own ends but in obedience to Him, in the company, in the community of His people, for the glory of His Son?

Acts 2:37-47 New American Standard Bible 1995

The Ingathering

³⁷ Now when they heard this, they were ^[a]pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “^[b]Brethren, ^[c]what shall we do?” ³⁸ Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  ³⁹ For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” ⁴⁰ And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “^[d]Be saved from this perverse generation!” ⁴¹ So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand ^[e]souls. ⁴² They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and ^[f]to prayer.

^43 [g]Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and ^[h]signs were taking place through the apostles. ⁴⁴ And all those who had believed ^[i]were together and had all things in common; ⁴⁵ and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. ⁴⁶  Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread ^[j]from house to house, they were taking their ^[k]meals together with gladness and ^[l] sincerity of heart, ⁴⁷ praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding ^[m]to their number day by day those who were being saved.

When we look at the discontinuity of our Christian and Secular Communities, what do we observe from them? Should these observations shape our faith? Shape and inform our trust in God, Jesus, Holy Spirit to bring us back together?

Bad work gets paid with a bad check;
    good work gets solid pay.

Take your stand with God’s loyal community and live,
    or chase after phantoms of evil and die.

God can’t stand deceivers,
    but oh how he relishes integrity.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 133 Amplified Bible

The Excellency of Brotherly Unity.

A Song of ^[a]Ascents. Of David.

133 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brothers to dwell together in unity!
² 
It is like the precious oil [of consecration] poured on the head,
Coming down on the beard,
Even the beard of Aaron,
Coming down upon the edge of his [priestly] robes [consecrating the whole body].
³ 
It is like the dew of [Mount] Hermon
Coming down on the hills of Zion;
For there the Lord has commanded the blessing: life forevermore.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

https://translate.google.com/

Ephesians 4:30-32 The Message

³⁰ Don’t grieve God. Don’t break his heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself. Don’t take such a gift for granted.

^31-32 Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Forgiving your spouse can be one of the most difficult elements of marriage.

It’s not that we necessarily want to hold grudges or stay bitter, but there’s something somewhat frightening about extending forgiveness to the person who has the capability of betraying our trust, our oaths, hurting us the most.

And yet, the Bible commands we do so. 

Colossians 3:12-13 covenants husbands and wives to a very specific course of action and a carefully considered, and well ordered set of moral behaviors, 

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts,  kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

It might help to remember that forgiveness doesn’t equal acceptance nor does it mean condoning. By forgiving your spouse, you aren’t saying that what they did or said was okay or right. It doesn’t mean they get to do it again. And it doesn’t even mean there won’t be very necessary, often required by God consequences. 

Matthew 19:1-12 The Message

Divorce

19 ^1-2 When Jesus had completed these teachings, he left Galilee and crossed the region of Judea on the other side of the Jordan. Great crowds followed him there, and he healed them.

³ One day the Pharisees were badgering him: “Is it legal for a man to divorce his wife for any reason?”

^4-6 He answered, “Haven’t you read in your Bible that the Creator originally made man and woman for each other, male and female? And because of this, a man leaves father and mother and is firmly bonded to his wife, becoming one flesh—no longer two bodies but one. Because God created this organic union of the two sexes, no one should desecrate his art by cutting them apart.”

⁷ They shot back in rebuttal, “If that’s so, why did Moses give instructions for divorce papers and divorce procedures?”

^8-9 Jesus said, “Moses provided for divorce as a concession to your hard heartedness, but it is not part of God’s original plan. I’m holding you to the original plan, and holding you liable for adultery if you divorce your faithful wife and then marry someone else. I make an exception in cases where the spouse has committed adultery.”

¹⁰ Jesus’ disciples objected, “If those are the terms of marriage, we haven’t got a chance. Why get married?”

^11-12 But Jesus said, “Not everyone is mature enough to live a married life. It requires a certain aptitude and grace. Marriage isn’t for everyone. Some, from birth seemingly, never give marriage a thought. Others never get asked—or accepted. And some decide not to get married for kingdom reasons. But if you’re capable of growing into the largeness of marriage, do it.”

Those consequences might vary, but the act of forgiving isn’t an option.

It’s a command for believers.

Jesus told Peter and the others gathered in Matthew 18 to forgive not once, but seventy times seven. This isn’t to say, grab a calculator and keep tabs on how many times your spouse messes up, so you can both be off the hook. Rather, this is an example of how we are covenanted, called to forgive over and over.

And before you begin to think that’s impossible or unfair, consider Jesus’ next words in Matthew 18.

He points out the parable of the man who was forgiven a great debt, yet turned around and held another’s debt over his head until he paid every last penny.

The one who canceled the man’s debt was furious at his lack of compassion.

“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger, his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

This is a reminder that we have each sinned greatly, and Christ has forgiven us.

Therefore, we can and must turn around and forgive others. 

**Disclaimer** The Bible doesn’t advocate, expect, for spouses to stay subjective to a spouses physical, emotional, spiritual harm, child abuse, substance abuse, sexual abuse or other forms of violence. It doesn’t mean if your spouse beats you up that you have to simply forgive and let them do it again and again. Now, If this is your situation, definitely talk to the police, a counselor or call 800.799.SAFE (7233) and get the help you need. You can work on forgiveness and healing from a safe place.

That same teaching is backed up here in Mark. 

Mark 11:25 (ESV) And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

All sin either will be, or has been, dealt with.

There’s no need to avenge ourselves.

You might think that because there wasn’t an earthly punishment that the person got away with it.

Not so, my friend. Every offense, every crime, every single thing done wrong against you will be addressed.

Either it was punished through Christ on the cross, or it’ll be dealt with in Hell.

For us to withhold forgiveness means we’re essentially saying one of two things: either this person hurt us so badly that even the eternal fires of Hell isn’t a good enough punishment, or that the finished work of Christ on the cross wasn’t effective enough, strong enough, to cover this particular offense. 

Yikes.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be found by God Capital Level guilty of either of those extreme mindsets (Philippians chapter 2). 

As difficult and nearly impossible as it can be to be hurt by your spouse or feel like you’re constantly forgiving them for similar things over and over again, the Bible sternly commands each of us to respond with grace, love, compassion and forgiveness as that’s exactly how God responds to us thru Savior Jesus Christ.  

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 23 The Message

23 ^1-3 God, my shepherd!
    I don’t need a thing.
You have bedded me down in lush meadows,
    you find me quiet pools to drink from.
True to your word,
    you let me catch my breath
    and send me in the right direction.

⁴ Even when the way goes through
    Death Valley,
I’m not afraid
    when you walk at my side.
Your trusty shepherd’s crook
    makes me feel secure.

⁵ You serve me a six-course dinner
    right in front of my enemies.
You revive my drooping head;
    my cup brims with blessing.

⁶ Your beauty and love chase after me
    every day of my life.
I’m back home in the house of God
    for the rest of my life.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

https://translate.google.com/

Exodus 34:29-35 Christian Standard Bible

Moses’s Radiant Face

²⁹ As Moses descended from Mount Sinai—with the two tablets of the testimony in his hands as he descended the mountain—he did not realize that the skin of his face shone as a result of his speaking with the Lord.^[a] 30 When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face shone! They were afraid to come near him. ³¹ But Moses called out to them, so Aaron and all the leaders of the community returned to him, and Moses spoke to them. ³²  Afterward all the Israelites came near, and he commanded them to do everything the Lord had told him on Mount Sinai. ³³ When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face. ³⁴ But whenever Moses went before the Lord to speak with him, he would remove the veil until he came out. After he came out, he would tell the Israelites what he had been commanded,  ³⁵ and the Israelites would see that Moses’s face^[b] was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil over his face again until he went to speak with the Lord.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

As the Word of God reveals, living an unveiled lifestyle is the way in which we experience the fullness of what’s available to us in our restored relationship with God. It’s a powerful lifestyle of faith, direct encounters with our heavenly Father, and life transformation. It’s when we live our lives in light of the perfect sacrifice of Jesus we begin to experience all his death was purposed to bring us.

God longs for his children to, like an unveiled Moses did, radiate His glory, walk confidently in intimacy with him directly connected to his wellspring of love for us, that those who are veiled, those who are walking with sins blinders guiding them through their spiritually narrowed life, may walk in the same confidence.

As we make an elevated effort, to enlighten each other with the Word of God for his Children, May you, me, we, come to experience a more tangible, loving, and powerful connection with your heavenly Father in these days and weeks ahead.

My Hope is Built on Nothing Less than…Rock or Sinking Sand?

My hope is built on nothing less Author: Edward Mote (1834)

Refrain:
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand:
all other ground is sinking sand;
all other ground is sinking sand.

2 When darkness veils his lovely face,
I rest on his unchanging grace;
in every high and stormy gale,
my anchor holds within the veil. [Refrain]

Our heavenly Father is both entirely full of love and completely holy. And in the greatest tragedy of all time, our sin caused the love and holiness of our God to be at opposition with one another. His greatest desire was for unadulterated, perfect relationship with us. And with Adam and Eve that longing was fulfilled.

He could enjoy communion with us without separation. But when sin entered the grand narrative of human history God’s unshakable, holy nature could not allow him to walk in perfect communion with us any longer. Our sin caused an wide impassable rift between us and him that his love could not yet overcome.

Genesis 3:22-24 Holman Christian Standard Bible

²² The Lord God said, “Since man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil, he must not reach out, take from the tree of life, eat, and live forever.” ²³ So the Lord God sent him away from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. ²⁴ He drove man out and stationed the cherubim and the flaming, whirling sword east of the garden of Eden to guard the way to the tree of life.

So great and unsearchable and unviewable, is the holiness of our God and so great was the depth, enormity of our sin that a veil was placed between us and our heavenly Father, a veil signifying the horrific separation of God and man.

In a description of the veil, Exodus 26:31-33 says, “And you shall make a veil of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. It shall be made with cherubim skillfully worked into it. And you shall hang it on four pillars of acacia overlaid with gold, with hooks of gold, on four bases of silver. And you shall hang the veil from the clasps, and bring the ark of the testimony in there within the veil. And the veil shall separate for you the Holy Place from the Most Holy.”

Only one man, chosen to go before God as Israel’s representative, was allowed to pass through the veil once a year on the Day of Atonement.

And so great was God’s holiness and unsearchable the un-holiness of our sin that if anyone else was to enter, the power of God’s holiness would kill them.

In Leviticus 16:2, God commanded Moses, “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat that is on the ark, so that he may not die. For I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat.”

In order to appreciate the power of Christ’s sacrifice, we must acknowledge the status from which we have been redeemed.

In Luke 7:47, in reference to the depth of a prostitute’s love for him, Jesus says, “Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” 

We have been forgiven much regardless of what lifestyle you have come from.

So great was the chasm our sin created we were incapable of communion with our Creator.

Luke 16:19-31 Christian Standard Bible

The Rich Man and Lazarus

¹⁹ “There was a rich man who would dress in purple and fine linen, feasting lavishly every day. ²⁰ But a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, was lying at his gate. ²¹ He longed to be filled with what fell from the rich man’s table, but instead the dogs would come and lick his sores. ²² One day the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s side.^[a] The rich man also died and was buried. ²³  And being in torment in Hades, he looked up and saw Abraham a long way off, with Lazarus at his side. ²⁴ ‘Father Abraham!’ he called out, ‘Have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this flame!’

²⁵ “‘Son,’^[b] Abraham said, ‘remember that during your life you received your good things, just as Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here, while you are in agony. ²⁶ Besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you, so that those who want to pass over from here to you cannot; neither can those from there cross over to us.’

²⁷ “‘Father,’ he said, ‘then I beg you to send him to my father’s house— ²⁸ because I have five brothers—to warn them, so that they won’t also come to this place of torment.’

²⁹ “But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’

³⁰ “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said. ‘But if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’

³¹ “But he told him, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.’”

Without the sacrifice of Christ we would have no restored relationship with God, no Holy Spirit dwelling within us, no grace, mercy, or total forgiveness.

So that we might be enlightened, that we might be unburdened, recall, greatly love your heavenly Father today, spend time in prayer focusing on the depth of our sin, which has been sacrificially redeemed by the love of Savior Jesus Christ.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,              

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on the depth of your inherited sin. 

We were, by nature, utterly separated from the love of your heavenly Father.

“We all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.” > Ephesians 2:3

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” > Romans 6:23

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” > Romans 3:23

2. Take time to reflect on what your life would be like without relationship with your heavenly Father. 

What would it be like to be without God’s grace and forgiveness? What would it be like to be without his presence for all our days? How thick was Moses’s Veil that it would completely contain and hide the unviewable glory of God from us? Did God just “dull their minds” to quell the significance of their sin, their fears?

3. Take time to thank God for the abundance of his goodness. 

Worship him for his sacrifice.

Love him greatly in response to the depth of your sins.

“I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise; I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word. On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased.” Psalm 138:1-3

“So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.” Psalm 63:2-4

“The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.” Psalm 145:8-9

Hebrews 6:17-20 Christian Standard Bible

¹⁷ Because God wanted to show his unchangeable purpose even more clearly to the heirs of the promise, he guaranteed it with an oath, ¹⁸ so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us. ¹⁹  We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain. ²⁰ Jesus has entered there on our behalf as a forerunner, because he has become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

Seeing our sin in light of God’s holiness is a difficult, hardcore, but wonderful reminder of how greatly God has loved us.

Jesus sacrificed everything when we were deserving of nothing.

May we live today in response to God’s unmerited favor and grace on your life.

Psalm 103 Christian Standard Bible

Psalm 103

The Forgiving God

Of David.

¹ My soul, bless the Lord,
and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
² My soul, bless the Lord,
and do not forget all his benefits.

³ He forgives all your iniquity;
he heals all your diseases.
⁴ He redeems your life from the Pit;
he crowns you with faithful love and compassion.
⁵ He satisfies you^[a] with good things;
your youth is renewed like the eagle.

⁶ The Lord executes acts of righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.
⁷ He revealed his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel.
⁸ The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in faithful love.
⁹ He will not always accuse us
or be angry forever.
¹⁰ He has not dealt with us as our sins deserve
or repaid us according to our iniquities.

¹¹ For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his faithful love
toward those who fear him.
¹² As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed
our transgressions from us.
¹³ As a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.
¹⁴ For he knows what we are made of,
remembering that we are dust.

¹⁵ As for man, his days are like grass—
he blooms like a flower of the field;
¹⁶ when the wind passes over it, it vanishes,
and its place is no longer known.^[b]
17 But from eternity to eternity
the Lord’s faithful love is toward those who fear him,
and his righteousness toward the grandchildren
¹⁸ of those who keep his covenant,
who remember to observe his precepts.
¹⁹ The Lord has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.

²⁰ Bless the Lord,
all his angels of great strength,
who do his word,
obedient to his command.
²¹ Bless the Lord, all his armies,
his servants who do his will.
²² Bless the Lord, all his works
in all the places where he rules.
My soul, bless the Lord!

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

https://translate.google.com/

Proverbs 28:13-14 Amplified Bible

¹³ 
He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
But whoever confesses and ^[a]turns away from his sins will find compassion and mercy.
¹⁴ 
Blessed and favored by God is the man who fears [sin and its consequence] at all times,
But he who hardens his heart [and is determined to sin] will fall into disaster.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Why Can’t We, Will We, Won’t We, Forgive Ourselves?

Several years ago I knew a man convicted of a violent crime against someone he dearly love. He acted in a momentary rage. He had never been violent before. It shocked him. Now he’s in prison. But the iron bars are not his greatest problem.

He’s repented to the victim’s family, and the victim’s forgave him; and he has accepted Savior Christ repented to God, and he believes God forgives him too.

His problem, as he told it to me was that he could not ever forgive himself.

He’s confessed all known sins, prayed the sinner’s prayer, and claimed the blood of Christ. He knows he is forgiven by others, but he is still shocked and shamed by his own aggression against a loved one. How could he have done that?

If we’ve ever done something awful, accidentally, impulsively, purposely, it’s easy to swim in a sea of self-disgust afterwards. When other people nauseate us, we can avoid them, but we cannot so easily escape our own self-loathing. Our undying disappointments ceaselessly hammer their hateful messages:

How could you have done that? You are repulsive. What is wrong with you?

Whatever awful act we committed, from abandonment to adultery to betrayal, to violence against another to neglect, lying, holding embarrassing secrets, we cannot see how we be will ever be able to live with ourselves with our shame.

Whoever conceals his transgressions (even from himself) will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.” Proverbs 28:13

Think of the debacle of King David when he committed adultery and then he afterwards tried every thing he could to keep it all from her husband, a loyal soldier – even taking advantage of his inability to read, to hand off his hand written order to the field commander to send him to his own certain death.

How many lies can we pull out from that story? How many betrayals could we easily identify from this story? How many criminal acts could we indict him? What was the magnitude of human cost – Bathsheba was severely violated? Could we not also protest, rebel, riot, against him? Goal of dethroning him?

We would hope that being king, a self proclaimed man after God’s own heart, would be honest, display much much higher magnitude of personal integrity.

But, his first choice, his only choice was to hide everything from everyone.

David might well have been proud of himself having been so clever, who would be the one to confront the King? Who would bravely walk into the throne room of the sitting King at the very highest risk of losing their lives to confront him?

In his highest royal arrogance, He must have felt immune to any judgement.

Then Nathan, his trusted advisor walked into the throne room and told David a story, a story of someone else’s severest dishonesty and deep covetous thievery.

David got instantly angry and ordered the death of that dishonest, covetous, person – saying no one deserved death more than the one who committed it.

He demanded to know who had committed the heinous act, to bring him before the king for judgement and punishment – then Nathan pointed towards David.

David was the person who committed the act – he conspired, covered it all up, and while no other person would dare to be confrontational – God saw it All!

Discovered, David arose from his throne, removed his own royal vestments, left his kingship behind with no reasonable expectation of God letting him return.

He sat himself down in the tent of meeting and placed himself before his God.

From thence … we have Psalm 51 and later Psalm 32 and Psalm 103.

Ultimately David was allowed to remain King as God had promised, but the punishment was that the unborn child of the adulterous act would not live.

Being honest with ourselves, BEFORE OUR RIGHTEOUS JUDGE GOD, how are we going to respond when we’re ourselves discovered in our secret sins by Nathan?

Don’t believe you have any secret sins?

Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! — Romans 3:21-25

Justification by Faith

²¹ But now the righteousness of God has been clearly revealed [independently and completely] apart from the Law, though it is [actually] confirmed by the Law and the [words and writings of the] Prophets. ²² This righteousness of God comes through faith in Jesus Christ for all those [Jew or Gentile] who believe [and trust in Him and acknowledge Him as God’s Son]. There is no distinction, ²³ since all have sinned and continually fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ and are being justified [declared free of the guilt of sin, made acceptable to God, and granted eternal life] as a gift by His [precious, undeserved] ^[a]grace, through the redemption [the payment for our sin] which is [provided] in Christ Jesus, ²⁵  whom God displayed publicly [before the eyes of the world] as a [life-giving] ^[b]sacrifice of atonement and reconciliation (propitiation) by His blood [to be received] through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness [which demands punishment for sin], because in His forbearance [His deliberate restraint] He passed over the sins previously committed [before Jesus’ crucifixion].

God, Forgive us our trespasses as we sincerely forgive ourselves of our own trespasses against ourselves?

Matthew 6:14-15 Amplified Bible

¹⁴ For if you forgive ^[a]others their trespasses [their reckless and willful sins], your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you do not forgive others [nurturing your hurt and anger with the result that it interferes with your relationship with God], then your Father will not forgive your trespasses.

… But if you do not forgive others {up to and including including yourselves}

Proverbs 28:13-14 The Message

¹³ You can’t whitewash your sins and get by with it;
    you find mercy by admitting and leaving them.

¹⁴ A tenderhearted person lives a blessed life;
    a hardhearted person lives a hard life.

As Christians striving to fully love God, love others, and love ourselves, with all our bodily strength, mind and spirit as well as we love ourselves, and live deep in obedience to the covenants of God, commands of Christ, we often are harder, unforgiving and more self critical, on ourselves, than our heavenly Father is.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 Complete Jewish Bible

(A:vi, S: v) ⁴ “Sh’ma, Yisra’el! Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai echad [Hear, Isra’el!  Adonai our God, Adonai is one]; ⁵ and you are to love Adonai your God with all your heart, all your being and all your resources. ⁶ These words, which I am ordering you today, are to be on your heart; ⁷ and you are to teach them carefully to your children. You are to talk about them when you sit at home, when you are traveling on the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ⁸ Tie them on your hand as a sign, put them at the front of a headband around your forehead, ⁹ and write them on the door -frames of your house and on your gates.

If we are ever going to authentically allow ourselves to experience the depths of God’s love in all seasons, we must open ourselves to learn to forgive ourselves.

Psalm 51:1-17 The Message

51 ^1-3 Generous in love—God, give grace!
    Huge in mercy—wipe out my bad record.
Scrub away my guilt,
    soak out my sins in your laundry.
I know how bad I’ve been;
    my sins are staring me down.

^4-6 You’re the One I’ve violated, and you’ve seen
    it all, seen the full extent of my evil.
You have all the facts before you;
    whatever you decide about me is fair.
I’ve been out of step with you for a long time,
    in the wrong since before I was born.
What you’re after is truth from the inside out.
    Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life.

^7-15 Soak me in your laundry and I’ll come out clean,
    scrub me and I’ll have a snow-white life.
Tune me in to foot-tapping songs,
    set these once-broken bones to dancing.
Don’t look too close for blemishes,
    give me a clean bill of health.
God, make a fresh start in me,
    shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.
Don’t throw me out with the trash,
    or fail to breathe holiness in me.
Bring me back from gray exile,
    put a fresh wind in my sails!
Give me a job teaching rebels your ways
    so the lost can find their way home.
Commute my death sentence, God, my salvation God,
    and I’ll sing anthems to your life-giving ways.
Unbutton my lips, dear God;
    I’ll let loose with your praise.

^16-17 Going through the motions doesn’t please you,
    a flawless performance is nothing to you.
I learned God-worship
    when my pride was shattered.
Heart-shattered lives ready for love
    don’t for a moment escape God’s notice.

In human form Jesus revealed to us what God is like.

From within Psalm 51 He exposed our self defeating projections for all of what our “secret” idolatry that they are and gave us the way to become free of them.

It takes a profound Psalm 51 type conversion to accept that God is relentlessly tender and compassionate toward us just as we are—not in spite of our sins and faults (that would not be total acceptance), but with them. Though God does not condone or sanction evil, He doesn’t withhold his love because there’s evil in us.

Our Father loves us unconditionally. His grace and mercy will never run out.

He is never surprised when we sin or fall short of the life to which we’ve been called because he knows our need of him. He knows that without his help we will never succeed in living a lifestyle of obedience. He knows that without consistent encounters with his love we will never be able to fully love others.

And he knows that without being consistently filled with the Holy Spirit we will never be empowered to live in the freedom from sin Christ’s death affords us.

1 John 2:1-16 Complete Jewish Bible

2 My children, I am writing you these things so that you won’t sin. But if anyone does sin, we have Yeshua the Messiah, the Tzaddik, who pleads our cause with the Father.  ² Also, he is the kapparah for our sins — and not only for ours, but also for those of the whole world.

³ The way we can be sure we know him is if we are obeying his commands. ⁴  Anyone who says, “I know him,” but isn’t obeying his commands is a liar — the truth is not in him. ⁵ But if someone keeps doing what he says, then truly love for God has been brought to its goal in him. This is how we are sure that we are united with him. ⁶ A person who claims to be continuing in union with him ought to conduct his life the way he did.

⁷ Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command. On the contrary, it is an old command, which you have had from the beginning; the old command is the message which you have heard before. ⁸ Yet I am writing you a new command, and its reality is seen both in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. ⁹ Anyone who claims to be in this light while hating his brother is still in the dark. ¹⁰ The person who keeps loving his brother remains in the light, and there is nothing in him that could make him trip. ¹¹ But the person who hates his brother is in the dark — yes, he is walking in the dark, and he doesn’t know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

¹² You children, I am writing you
    because your sins have been forgiven for his sake.
¹³ You fathers, I am writing you
    because you have known him who has existed from the beginning.
You young people, I am writing you
    because you have overcome the Evil One.
¹⁴ You children, I have written you
    because you have known the Father.
You fathers, I have written you
    because you have known him who has existed from the beginning.
You young people, I have written you
    because you are strong —
    the Word of God remains in you,
    and you have overcome the Evil One.

¹⁵ Do not love the world or the things of the world. If someone loves the world, then love for the Father is not in him; ¹⁶ because all the things of the world — the desires of the old nature, the desires of the eyes, and the pretensions of life — are not from the Father but from the world.

https://etzion.org.il/en/holidays/yom-kippur/meaning-kappara-atonement-torah

Your heavenly Father is beckoning you to forgive yourself today.

He’s waiting to fill you with his mercy and grace to overflowing.

He’s ready to lead you into a lifestyle of loving yourself as he has loved you.

Run out to meet him today. Allow him to clothe you with love, honor, and grace.

Allow him to show you the depths of his compassion for you.

And live today in light of the glorious grace of Jesus.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on the importance of forgiving yourself. 

Allow Scripture to give you God’s perspective of grace and mercy.

“But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5

“I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.” Galatians 2:21

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23

2. Where do you need to forgive yourself today? 

What mistake or failure are you carrying around like a weight? Where are you not offering yourself the grace and mercy offered by your heavenly Father?

3. Ask God to share with you his perspective. 

Ask him to help you see yourself as he sees you. Spend quality time resting in his love and compassion and being filled with his affections to overflowing.

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:37-39

Often we carry the weight of our mistakes because we are unwilling to ask forgiveness from others.

Confessing and repenting to those we’ve wronged is a vital part of the Christian life. Admitting our weaknesses and faults to ourselves, others, helps remove us from the pursuit of perfection and guide us to a life of surrender and humility.

Pray! Confess your sins and ask for forgiveness from anyone you’ve wronged.

And authentically allow the authentic forgiveness of your heavenly Father to fill you with His joy, love, and freedom where only sin and shame abounded before.

Psalm 139:23-24 The Message

^23-24 Investigate my life, O God,
    find out everything about me;
Cross-examine and test me,
    get a clear picture of what I’m about;
See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong—
    then guide me on the road to eternal life.

Psalm 23 Complete Jewish Bible

23 ⁽⁰⁾ A psalm of David:

⁽¹⁾ Adonai is my shepherd; I lack nothing.
² He has me lie down in grassy pastures,
he leads me by quiet water,
³ he restores my inner person.
He guides me in right paths
for the sake of his own name.
⁴ Even if I pass through death-dark ravines,
I will fear no disaster; for you are with me;
your rod and staff reassure me.

⁵ You prepare a table for me,
even as my enemies watch;
you anoint my head with oil
from an overflowing cup.

⁶ Goodness and grace will pursue me
every day of my life;
and I will live in the house of Adonai
for years and years to come.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

https://translate.google.com/

Ephesians 4:26-27 Amplified Bible

²⁶ Be angry [at sin—at immorality, at injustice, at ungodly behavior], yet do not sin; do not let your anger [cause you shame, nor allow it to] last until the sun goes down.  ²⁷ And do not give the devil an opportunity [to lead you into sin by holding a grudge, or nurturing anger, or harboring resentment, or cultivating bitterness].

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Offering forgiveness to others is one of the most difficult, important aspects of the Christian life. The Word of God clearly covenants with us to forgive others.

God longs to fashion us into his likeness that we might model the love we’ve been shown to a world with no concept of mercy.

He longs for us to offer each other continuous grace, a lifestyle of forgiveness to the undeserving as we, like Christ did for us at Calvary, have been offered grace upon grace and forgiveness upon forgiveness when we too were undeserving.

Today and for as many tomorrows as God gifts to Hus children, May we each be filled with courage and boldness to offer forgiveness to those in desperate need of grace. And may the lasting experience of our God’s true forgiveness and love shine bright through as we enter into our calling as a minister of reconciliation.

About that “Lifestyle of Continual Forgiveness”

Ephesians 4:26-27 Easy-to-Read Version

²⁶ “When you are angry, don’t let that anger make you sin,”^[a] and don’t stay angry all day. ²⁷ Don’t give the devil a way to defeat you.

Ephesians 4:26-27 offered the Ephesian followers revelation on an important and often unknown, seldom preached, seldom emphasized spiritual principle.

Scripture says, “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.” 

When we do allow anger to fester within us for hours, days, weeks, months, and sometimes years, we allow the enemy to gain a foothold in our lives that robs us of the abundant life provided in Christ.

In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul is clearly expressing to them that anger in itself is not a sin; it’s when we allow anger to remain anchored into our souls instead of choosing grace and forgiveness, that we violate God’s command.

When people wrong us the natural response is to be angry, and that is all right!

Jesus himself was often angry. 

Matthew 21:12 tells us, “And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons.” 

In the Gospel Narrative of John, Jesus too the time to create a whip and used it.

John 2:13-21 Amplified Bible

First Passover—Cleansing the Temple

¹³ Now the Passover of the Jews was approaching, so Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ And in the temple [enclosure] He found the ^[a]people who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers sitting at their tables. ¹⁵ He made a whip of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables; ¹⁶ then to those who sold the doves He said, “Take these things away! Stop making My Father’s house a place of commerce!” ¹⁷ His disciples remembered that it is written [in the Scriptures], “Zeal (love, concern) for Your house [and its honor] will consume Me.” ¹⁸ Then the Jews retorted, “What sign (attesting miracle) can You show us as [proof of] your authority for doing these things?” ¹⁹ Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” ²⁰ Then the Jews replied, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and You will raise it up in three days?” ²¹ But He was speaking of the temple which was His body.

Jesus was consistently angry with those who claimed to know God, worship and pray to God and simultaneously took the greatest advantages of fleecing others.

Nothing made him more angry than pharisaical people.

But Jesus also modeled forgiveness of the highest form. Rather than being filled with anger and allowing it to fester inside of him, he offered his life out of his love for the very people who shouted, “Crucify him!” and “Free Barabbas!”

The truth is that our anger is often a symptom of our brokenness rather than the result of the wrongs of others.

Often, anger is rooted in our own insecurities and pride rather than a righteous anger for justice.

It’s for this reason the Bible teaches us all over and over again to be slow to anger. 

James 1:19-20 says, “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” 

Proverbs 19:11 says, “Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.” 

And Proverbs 29:11 says, “A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.”

Psalm 86:15 Amplified Bible

¹⁵ 
But You, O Lord, are a God [who protects and is] merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness and truth.

Psalm 103:8 Amplified Bible

⁸ 
The Lord is merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger and abounding in compassion and lovingkindness.

Psalm 145:8 Amplified Bible

⁸ 
The Lord is gracious and full of compassion,
Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.

Proverbs 14:29 Amplified Bible

²⁹ 
He who is slow to anger has great understanding [and profits from his self-control],
But he who is quick-tempered exposes and exalts his foolishness [for all to see].

The Lord desires to make us a people filled with his mercy, grace, charity and compassion and forgiveness over our own anger and prideful sense of justice.

God, who was deserving of everything, gave it all up to show us grace. Jesus is the rightful King of kings and Lord of lords. But rather than claiming what was rightfully his own, he humbled himself before a Roman prefect and a rebellious people and gave up his own life. And now he asks you, me, we, to do the same.

Jesus is asking you to lay down your rights and pride to pursue a higher calling of unconditional love. He’s asking you to show grace where none is deserved.

He’s asking you to offer mercy where there should rightfully be none. And he’s asking us to forgive others so heaven might come to earth through our actions.

Commit your lives to living a lifestyle of continual forgiveness today, and allow God to work through you to bring His message of salvation, forgiveness and of reconciliation and restored relationship to a world in desperate need of a Savior.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on God’s command to live a lifestyle of continual forgiveness. 

Allow his word to fill you with a desire to be slow to anger and quick to forgive and offer grace.

“Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.” Ephesians 4:26-27

“Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.” Proverbs 16:32

“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32

2. Who do you need to offer forgiveness to today? 

What anger have you allowed to fester in your heart?

3. Forgive that person or those people in your heart right now. Offer grace to them in your heart that you might receive healing in the place of bitterness.

“Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” James 1:19-20

“And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” Mark 11:25

1 Peter 2:23 “When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.” 

May we become like Jesus and offer grace and forgiveness to others who are undeserving.

May we be reflections of his love by being slow to anger, quick to offer mercy.

May his light shine through us today into a world wrought with deep darkness.

Psalm 86 Amplified Bible

A Psalm of Supplication and Trust.

A Prayer of David.

86 Incline Your ear, O Lord, and answer me,
For I am distressed and needy [I long for Your help].
² 
Protect my life (soul), for I am godly and faithful;
O You my God, save Your servant, who trusts in You [believing in You and relying on You, confidently committing everything to You].
³ 
Be gracious and merciful to me, O Lord,
For to You I cry out all the day long.
⁴ 
Make Your servant rejoice,
For to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul [all that I am—in prayer].
⁵ 
For You, O Lord, are good, and ready to forgive [our sins, sending them away, completely letting them go forever and ever];
And abundant in lovingkindness and overflowing in mercy to all those who call upon You.
⁶ 
Hear, O Lord, my prayer;
And listen attentively to the voice of my supplications (specific requests)!
⁷ 
In the day of my trouble I will call upon You,
For You will answer me.
⁸ 
There is no one like You among the gods, O Lord,
Nor are there any works [of wonder and majesty] like Yours.
⁹ 
All nations whom You have made shall come and kneel down in worship before You, O Lord,
And they shall glorify Your name.
¹⁰ 
For You are great and do wondrous works!
You alone are God.

¹¹ 
Teach me Your way, O Lord,
I will walk and live in Your truth;
Direct my heart to fear Your name [with awe-inspired reverence and submissive wonder].
¹² 
I will give thanks and praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart;
And will glorify Your name forevermore.
¹³ 
For great is Your lovingkindness and graciousness toward me;
And You have rescued my life from the depths of Sheol [from death].

¹⁴ 
O God, arrogant and insolent men have risen up against me;
A band of violent men have sought my life,
And they have not set You before them.
¹⁵ 
But You, O Lord, are a God [who protects and is] merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness and truth.
¹⁶ 
Turn to me, and be gracious to me;
Grant Your strength [Your might and the power to resist temptation] to Your servant,
And save the son of Your handmaid.
¹⁷ 
Show me a sign of [Your] goodwill,
That those who hate me may see it and be ashamed,
Because You, O Lord, helped and comforted me.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

https://translate.google.com/

Ephesians 4:31-32 Amplified Bible

³¹ Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor [perpetual animosity, resentment, strife, fault-finding] and slander be put away from you, along with every kind of malice [all spitefulness, verbal abuse, malevolence]. ³² Be kind and helpful to one another, tender-hearted [compassionate, understanding], forgiving one another [readily and freely], just as God in Christ also forgave ^[a] you.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Luke 23:34-35 The Message

^34-35 Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them; they don’t know what they’re doing.”

Dividing up his clothes, they threw dice for them. The people stood there staring at Jesus, and the ringleaders made faces, taunting, “He saved others. Let’s see him save himself! The Messiah of God—ha! The Chosen—ha!”

Forgiveness is one of the proofs that God has touched the heart of a man.

We usually hear stuff like “to err is human and to forgive is divine.”

As great as it sounds to some level, in Savior Jesus forgiveness isn’t just a divine responsibility but also human responsibility in response to the Holy Spirit who just strummed the harp strings of your heart and soul distracting your attention away from our instinctive response of our instantaneous meltdown resentment.

How easy is it, nowadays, for humanity to take instant meltdown level offense at misplaced, misspoken misdirected words, thoughts and ideas, criticisms?

How simple is it to randomly encounter someone somewhere, greet them as anyone would with “Sir or Ma’am” and get suddenly get verbally pounded for use of wrong pronouns, “failure to identify or recognize” correct genders?

Start an innocent casual conversation in a checkout line at the supermarket or Walmart, or Target or a restaurant and be prepared for all kinds of rebuttals!

There is no end, no boundaries, no limits to what someone will take offense to!

Even saying sorry or asking for forgiveness might merit a punch in the mouth.

Answers? One of the best ways to move on from hurt isn’t to trash it out with your offender and get satisfied but to pray the moment, overlook the offence, still love the offender, apologize again, and wish the other person a good day.

In the moment when emotions are running the fastest and the hottest, turn it over to God, the Father, and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit and pray it:

Forgiveness is not, cannot ever be complete when the love of Christ is missing.

As Christ willingly, sacrificially, bore the max weight of our sins at Calvary …

Romans 5:8-10 Amplified Bible

⁸ But God clearly shows and proves His own love for us, by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹ Therefore, since we have now been justified [declared free of the guilt of sin] by His blood, [how much more certain is it that] we will be saved from the ^[a]wrath of God through Him. ¹⁰ For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, it is much more certain, having been reconciled, that we will be saved [from the consequences of sin] by His life [that is, we will be saved because Christ lives today].

Get this:

1. Bear one another’s burden, Bear with people’s offence.
2. Like Christ, Forgive their wrongs if you went ahead to bear grievance.
3. God forgave you even before you knew you were wrong so forgive others the same way.

Sometimes it is hard to bear with people because our flesh usually wants to get “its pound of flesh,” emotionally satisfied but if we must walk in the light of the life we have received of Christ, we all ought to be in charge of our own emotions instead of letting it run roughshod over us, everyone else, being in charge of us.

The Bible asks, summons us, to follow God’s example of forgiveness.

You, I, we, never asked for forgiveness before God forgave you, I, we and while people were yet in stuck in the cement of our sins, Christ died for our sake!

Comprehending How Unforgiveness Hurts Us All

Ephesians 4:31-32 The Message

^31-32 Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.

If you’re someone who holds grudges, if you keep score and can’t let things go, then you need to know something: You will surely experience suffer in life.

You also will see your prayer life suffer for air and come to a screeching halt.

Forgiveness is the key to all healthy, strong, and lasting relationships. That’s why we must realize how important it is to forgive.

Jesus said,

“So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God” (Matthew 5:23–24).

Maybe you’ve decided that you won’t forgive someone who has wronged you. Guess who will be the one to get hurt? You will. Harboring resentment and unforgiveness will hurt you more than the person you’re refusing to forgive.

If you want to be healthy and vibrant spiritually, then you must learn to forgive.

Jesus taught us to pray, “Forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us” (Matthew 6:12).

You may think they don’t deserve forgiveness.

But then, do you? Do I? No, we don’t.

Our forgiveness doesn’t hinge on forgiving others, but forgiving others should absolutely hinge on God’s gracious and generous forgiveness toward us.

The forgiveness that comes to us from Christ is based on His merit and on His death and His love for us.

If we repeatedly assert and constantly reassert that we know anything about what Christ has done for us, then we should unhesitatingly, forgive others.

The Bible says, “Be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32).

Forgiven people should be forgiving people.

If we want to be healthy and vibrant spiritually, then we must learn to forgive.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 139:1-12 The Message

139 ^1-6 God, investigate my life;
    get all the facts firsthand.
I’m an open book to you;
    even from a distance, you know what I’m thinking.
You know when I leave and when I get back;
    I’m never out of your sight.
You know everything I’m going to say
    before I start the first sentence.
I look behind me and you’re there,
    then up ahead and you’re there, too—
    your reassuring presence, coming and going.
This is too much, too wonderful—
    I can’t take it all in!

^7-12 Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit?
    to be out of your sight?
If I climb to the sky, you’re there!
    If I go underground, you’re there!
If I flew on morning’s wings
    to the far western horizon,
You’d find me in a minute—
    you’re already there waiting!
Then I said to myself, “Oh, he even sees me in the dark!
    At night I’m immersed in the light!”
It’s a fact: darkness isn’t dark to you;
    night and day, darkness and light, they’re all the same to you.

Psalm 139:23-24 The Message

^23-24 Investigate my life, O God,
    find out everything about me;
Cross-examine and test me,
    get a clear picture of what I’m about;
See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong—
    then guide me on the road to eternal life.

God, my Father, True or False …

I am authentically ready, able, to forgive others as God first forgave me?

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

https://translate.google.com/

Luke 4:14-19 Disciples’ Literal New Testament

Jesus Returns To Galilee And Begins Teaching In Their Synagogues

¹⁴ And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit. And news about Him went out throughout the whole surrounding-region. ¹⁵ And He was teaching in their synagogues, while being glorified by all.

Jesus Comes To Nazareth And Reads Isaiah 61:1-2 In The Synagogue

¹⁶ And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought-up. And in accordance with the thing having become-a-custom with him, He entered into the synagogue on the day of the Sabbath, and stood up to read. ¹⁷ And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to Him. And having unrolled the scroll, He found the place where it had been written [in Isa 61:1-2]: ¹⁸ “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because of which He anointed Me to announce-good-news to poor ones. He has sent me out to proclaim a release to captives and recovery-of-sight to blind ones, to send-out with a release ones having been broken^[a], ¹⁹ to proclaim the acceptable^[b] year of the Lord”.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

For The Work of the Ministry

Luke 4:18-19 Complete Jewish Bible

¹⁸ “The Spirit of Adonai is upon me;
therefore he has anointed me
to announce Good News to the poor;
he has sent me to proclaim freedom for the imprisoned
and renewed sight for the blind,
to release those who have been crushed,
¹⁹ to proclaim a year of the favor of Adonai.”^[a]

Jesus began His ministry in the cities around the lake of Galilee. He then made an extensive journey into Judea where he did many miracles. He soon gained a reputation throughout the land as a doer of good deeds, a worker of miracles.

Word had come back to Nazareth, his hometown, of the remarkable things he had been doing. Now he has returned and everyone in town knows that he will be in the synagogue on the sabbath day. They all turn out to hear him for they are anxiously hoping he will do some of the miracles he has done in other cities.

But in the synagogue, instead he calls for the scroll of the prophet Isaiah and unrolls it to what we know as Isaiah 61.

Isaiah 61:1-9 Complete Jewish Bible

61 The Spirit of Adonai Elohim is upon me,
because Adonai has anointed me
to announce good news to the poor.
He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted;
to proclaim freedom to the captives,
to let out into light those bound in the dark;
² to proclaim the year of the favor of Adonai
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn,
³ yes, provide for those in Tziyon who mourn,
giving them garlands instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
a cloak of praise instead of a heavy spirit,
so that they will be called oaks of righteousness
planted by Adonai, in which he takes pride.
⁴ They will rebuild the ancient ruins,
restore sites long destroyed;
they will renew the ruined cities,
destroyed many generations ago.
⁵ Strangers will stand and feed your flocks,
foreigners plow your land and tend your vines;
⁶ but you will be called cohanim of Adonai,
spoken of as ministers to our God.
You will feed on the wealth of nations,
and revel in their riches.
⁷ Because of your shame, which was doubled,
and because they cried, “They deserve disgrace,”
therefore in their land what they own will be doubled,
and joy forever will be theirs.
⁸ “For I, Adonai, love justice;
I hate robbery for burnt offerings.
So I will be faithful to reward them
and make an eternal covenant with them.”
⁹ Their descendants will be known among the nations,
their offspring among the peoples;
all who see them will acknowledge
that they are the seed Adonai has blessed.

What is the meaning of Cohanim? verse 6

https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/5557364/jewish/14-Facts-about-Kohanimthe-Priestly-Clan.htm

How can other people tell when the Spirit of God is at work in a person’s life?

Will it be by the display of some strange phenomenon, or by a miraculous manifestation?

No, the Spirit-filled ministry will be the kind of ministry described by Isaiah. First, the work of the ministry is to proclaim the good news that God has not left the human race to struggle hopelessly in bewilderment, pain, and darkness.

God has done something about our condition.

He has acted to deliver us from darkness to light through his Son. The Lord of the Universe has gone to the cross and taken our sins upon him. Through the resurrection, he has given us his own life, which empowers us to truly live.

To tell this story is to preach the good news. To preach it to the poor doesn’t mean only those who are below the poverty line. The rich and the wealthy need to hear this good news too! Obviously, the prophecy goes echelons beyond mere physical poverty, penetrating deep to the spiritual poverty of men and women.

Then we’re to rather resoundingly proclaim freedom for the prisoners, recovery of sight to the blind. Release and recovery and life of sight. Liberty and light.

Do we know any captives, any people who are bound by outlooks and attitudes which hold them in captivity? Do we know of anyone who is struggling to free himself from hurtful habits which hold him in a vise-like grip? Do we know of any people who are locked into a pattern of poisonous hate or possessive greed which they seem powerless to break? Are you and I, we, such people ourselves?

There is good news! Savior Jesus Christ is able to set you free and give you sight.

The final element of a Spirit-filled ministry is to set at liberty those who are oppressed. At first glance this seems similar to proclaiming release to captives.

It is true that the end result is the same: liberty.

But the problem of oppression is a much deeper and far more serious one than mere captivity. Oppression has a demonic element about it. It is more than mere tyranny, there is also a terrible cruelty involved. It results in a sense of burden, of dejection, depression and division, coupled with helplessness, hopelessness.

Whose Doing the Work of the Ministry in the Church?

Ephesians 4:11-16 Disciples’ Literal New Testament

He Gave Gifted People To Equip The Saints To Build Up The Body of Christ To Maturity

¹¹ And He Himself gave some as apostles, and others as prophets, and others as evangelists, and others as shepherds and teachers, ¹² for^[a] the equipping^[b] of the saints for the work of ministry^[c], for the building-up of the body of Christ ¹³ until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of  God, to a  mature^[d] man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, ¹⁴  so that we may no longer be children, being tossed-about and carried-around by every wind of  teaching, by the trickery of people, by craftiness with-regard-to^[e] the scheme of ^[f] error^[g], ¹⁵ but that while speaking-the-truth in love, we may grow as to all  things into Him Who is the head— Christ, ¹⁶ from Whom the whole body, being fitted-together^[h] and held-together by every joint of supply according to the  working in measure of each individual part, is producing the growth of the body for the  building-up of itself in love.

Former President of the United States John F. Kennedy famously once said,

“Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.”

Most Christians come to church with the consumer mentality that motivates them in the rest of life.

“What does this church … or that church have to offer me? Whichever one offers to meet my needs, I will go there.” Even the term “Church Service” no longer means, “A place where I can serve” but rather, “A place where I am served.”

Pastors and churches that want to be large often cater to this mentality.

They give up biblical preaching.

They only speak to felt needs.

They rarely talk about sin, judgment, the marriage of Christianity and politics, or anything that might make a person feel uncomfortable.

Since people do not seem to come to church to get what they really need, many churches have started to offer what society, culture, the people think they want.

Yet nationally, church numbers are still shrinking. Why? Because God did not design His church to be a place that focuses primarily on meeting felt needs.

God wants us to meet needs that most people do not even know they have.

For unbelievers, their greatest spiritual need is to hear that God loves them, forgives them, and thinks nothing but good about them. They need to hear that they can have eternal life, a relationship with God simply by believing in Jesus.

And one of the best ways for the church to share this message of God’s love and acceptance is to personally invite them to at least listen once, show it to them.

The church is the hands, feet, and voice of God, and people primarily learn about God’s love for them by how the church functions in this world.

But the church also has another function, and that is to teach and train those who believe in Jesus. God designed His church as a place where all believers can, should be taught God’s Word and be given opportunities to put it into practice.

The Great Commission in Matthew 28:16-20 commands us to make disciples—not just converts.

Matthew 28:16-20 Disciples’ Literal New Testament

Jesus Commissions The Eleven To Make Disciples of All Nations

¹⁶ And the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus ordered them. ¹⁷ And having seen Him, they worshiped Him. But the^[a] ones  doubted^[b]. ¹⁸  And having come to them, Jesus spoke to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth was given to Me. ¹⁹ Therefore having gone, make-disciples-of ^[c] all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, ²⁰  teaching them to keep all that I commanded you. And behold— I am with you all the days until the conclusion of the age”.

So the primary functions of the church are to invite unbelievers to believe in Jesus for eternal life, and then to invite believers to follow Jesus in this life.

This entire process is called “salvation” in the Bible, and it is not just about how to go to heaven when you die, but also how to serve God, others, while we live on earth. The church must tell people how to be saved so that they can serve.

This understanding is critical for the life, health, and future of the church.

If we want to get back to being a triumphant victorious, life-changing church, each and every person within the church needs to begin by asking, in the words of John F. Kennedy, not what your church can do for you, but what you can do for your church. And that is exactly what Ephesians 4:11-16 covenants us to do.

As these unbelieving people come to believe in Jesus Christ alone as their Lord and Savior for eternal life, they become a critical part of the church structure—they become what we could term the living walls and the roof of God’s church.

And then we learned that the pastor/teachers are responsible for providing light and heat to the church.

They do this by speaking and living our the Word of God to Christians, thereby training Christians not just to know the Word of God, but apply it to their lives.

John 3:16-21 Disciples’ Literal New Testament

God Sent His Son Into The World That All Believing In Him May Have Eternal Life

¹⁶ “For^[a] God so^[b] loved the world that He gave His only-born Son, in order that everyone believing in Him may not perish, but may have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send-forth the Son into the world in order that He might judge^[c] the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. ¹⁸ The one  believing in Him is not judged. But the one not believing has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only-born Son of God.  ¹⁹ And this is the judgment^[d]: that the Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their works were evil. ²⁰ For everyone practicing bad things hates the Light, and does not come to the Light in order that his works may not be exposed. ²¹  But the one doing the truth comes to the Light in order that his works may become-visible— that^[e] they have been worked in^[f] God”.

No one can ever accuse God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit of being indecisive, lazy or apathetic, or lacking any zealous desire for Church to be United and be Active and Sharper than any two edged sword ever forged.

The Anvil Of God’s Word — Does the Bible Change?

https://www.onlythebible.com/Poems/the-Anvil-of-Gods-Word-the-Bible.html

Last eve I passed beside a blacksmith’s door
And heard the anvil ring the vesper chime;
When looking in, I saw upon the floor,
Old hammers worn with beating years of time.

“How many anvils have you had,” said I,
“To wear and batter these hammers so?”
“Just one,” said he; then with a twinkling eye,
“The anvil wears the hammers out, you know.”

And so, I thought, the anvil of God’s Word,
For ages, skeptics blows have beat upon;
Yet, though the noise of falling blows was heard,
The anvil is unharmed – the hammers gone.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 100 Complete Jewish Bible

100 ⁽⁰⁾ A psalm of thanksgiving:

⁽¹⁾ Shout for joy to Adonai, all the earth!
² Serve Adonai with gladness.
Enter his presence with joyful songs.

³ Be aware that Adonai is God;
it is he who made us; and we are his,
his people, the flock in his pasture.

⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
enter his courtyards with praise;
give thanks to him, and bless his name.
⁵ For Adonai is good, his grace continues forever,
and his faithfulness lasts through all generations.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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Proverbs 14:30 Amplified Bible

³⁰ 
A calm and peaceful and tranquil heart is life and health to the body,
But passion and envy are like rottenness to the bones.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always be zealous for the fear of the Lord. —  Proverbs 23:17

It’s tempting to admire rich and famous people who seem to have every pleasure in this world. They seem to have every­thing at their fingertips—money, fine food, adventurous travels, sleek cars and other toys, beautiful houses in beautiful places, power in business and politics. Don’t they have it all?

The Bible often cautions against having too much desire for the things other people have. That can lead to internal unrest that’s unhealthy for the soul.

Envy often involves not only a deep desire for something but also a demand that no one else should have it. And the sin of envy might tempt us to commit more sin in our obsession to get what we want—to lie, cheat, steal, or even kill for it.

However, says King Solomon, the writer of our passage today, it is far better to pursue doing things God’s way. When we truly live God’s way, our future will be secure, even if it doesn’t seem exciting or extravagant by the world’s standards.

In fact, when we are truly wise and in tune with God, enjoying the consolations He has freely provided us we will have just as much desire for God’s way as we might be tempted to have for the life of people who seem to have everything.

Envy: The Insidiously Camouflaged Anti-God Emotion

Psalm 119:33-40 Amplified Bible

He.

³³ 
Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes,
And I will [steadfastly] observe it to the end.
³⁴ 
Give me understanding [a teachable heart and the ability to learn], that I may keep Your law;
And observe it with all my heart.
³⁵ 
Make me walk in the path of Your commandments,
For I delight in it.
³⁶ 
Incline my heart to Your testimonies
And not to dishonest gain and envy.
³⁷ 
Turn my eyes away from vanity [all those worldly, meaningless things that distract—let Your priorities be mine],
And restore me [with renewed energy] in Your ways.
³⁸ 
Establish Your word and confirm Your promise to Your servant,
As that which produces [awe-inspired] reverence for You.
³⁹ 
Turn away my reproach which I dread,
For Your ordinances are good.
⁴⁰ 
I long for Your precepts;
Renew me through Your righteousness.

More and more I encounter an emotion in people that is quiet, hidden, nagging, and insidious.  Most people seem surprised when it’s named (if it is so named because nobody dares, risk, want, to 0.01% offend anyone else’s sensibilities.)

And even the slightest of notions of inviting an open exploration of the real feelings in their relationships seems quite unthinkable. 

To dare take ownership of the emotion feels shameful, and the detection of said emotion risks eliciting diverse measures and degrees of guilt in the perceiver.

It’s a primitive feeling we can easily recognize, yet conveniently, and physical and spiritual, self-preservation, tend not to take notice of.  What is the feeling?  

Envy. a feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else’s possessions, qualities, or luck (noun) and a desire to have a quality, possession, or other desirable attribute belonging to (someone else) – verb.

It’s at the heart of relationship problems, in families and between lovers.  Its corrosive properties lurk at the heart of political divides and toxic discourse. 

Individuals and groups grow further apart and disparities, divisiveness emerge, more seeds of quiet strife, irreconcilable discontent, fields of envy are planted.

What is the Experience of Envy?

Mark 7:14-23 Amplified Bible

The Heart of Man

¹⁴ After He called the people to Him again, He began saying to them, “Listen [carefully] to Me, all of you, [hear] and understand [what I am saying]: ¹⁵ there is nothing outside a man [such as food] which by going into him can defile him  [morally or spiritually]; but the things which come out of [the heart of] a man are what defile and dishonor him. ^16 [a][If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”]

¹⁷ When Jesus had left the crowd and gone into the ^[b]house, His disciples asked Him about the parable. ¹⁸ And He said to them, “Are you, too, so foolish and lacking in understanding? Do you not understand that whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile and dishonor him, ¹⁹ since it does not enter his heart, but  [only] his stomach, and [from there it] is eliminated?” (By this, He  declared all foods ^[c]ceremonially clean.) ²⁰ And He said, “Whatever comes from [the heart of] a man, that is what defiles and dishonors him. ²¹ For from within, [that is] out the heart of men, come base and malevolent thoughts and schemes, acts of sexual immorality, thefts, murders, adulteries, ²² acts of greed  and covetousness, wickedness, deceit, unrestrained conduct, envy and jealousy, slander and profanity, arrogance and self-righteousness and foolishness (poor judgment). ²³ All these evil things [schemes and desires] come from within and defile and dishonor the man.”

One thing I find interesting about envy is that it is much easier to feel than it is to define.  As stated above, it’s primitive and easy to access in our bodies. But what exactly is it?  

Before defining it, I invite you to feel in your body. 

Bring to mind someone, group of people who always seems to get what they want.  Life seems to automatically open up a 10 mile wide path of blessings to them no matter what challenges others face. They have all the love and all of the money they need without seeming to suffer the hardships of pain or loss. 

They are gorgeous and seem to find even more beautiful, doting, and passionate lovers. They have charisma, make others laugh with ease and always seem to be having an amazing joyous time, they’ll have boundless energy and confidence.

Feeling it yet?

Where? 

I feel it deep in my soul, I feel my stomach twist and my molars being forced together (gnashing of my teeth).  It’s painful, yet also perversely stimulating.  

How the Sin of Envy Rots Us to the Bone

Proverbs 14:30 The Message

³⁰ A sound mind makes for a robust body,
    but runaway emotions corrode the bones.

A few weeks ago, I was in prayer and was having a difficult time letting some ideas, thoughts go regarding the direction of my post Open Heart Surgical life.

Can you relate?

Maybe not because you might have had open heart surgery, but another way.

Sometimes, the enemy seems to flood your life with distractions in order to cloud your mind, bring confusion, and cause you to question God. Eventually, if left unchecked, we can begin to grow alienated, bitter toward others (and God).

For me, because of the way I was raised and also the environment I spent a majority of my life in (bullied/nursing/psychiatry), I am used to looking at the minutest details of other people’s lives and too, measuring my life with theirs, whether to make myself feel better or give myself their goals to work toward.

Sadly, this is how most people make decisions in life.

They say, “Well, that’s how so-and-so did it so that seems like a logical plan.”

Or “So-and-so is just always so successful in life and seems to have everything they want. I will just change my goals, follow what they did so I can have that kind of happiness and have those nice clothes, car, job, house, spouse, etc.”

Ultimately, if you follow this way of living, do not achieve their success, you grow resentful toward others and envy starts to grow in your heart. Envy will then cause you to look for reasons why you deserve what someone else has.

Comparison, contrasting and envy give birth to ungratefulness and bitterness not just toward ourselves and other people, but most importantly, toward God.

The moment you take that step into comparing your life with someone else’s is the moment you will find yourself in a real deep, empty pit surrounded by pride, selfishness, bitterness, and envy.

The book of Proverbs is full of wisdom on how we are to live our life and avoid such pitfalls.

Let’s take a look at one of these pitfalls, envy:

“A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones” (Proverbs 14:30, KJV).

You can forget about living in peace or feeling complete or whole if you enter into the land of envy or covetousness.

Comparison that leads to envy has been a trap of the enemy since creation.

The motive behind Adam and Eve’s disobedience was comparison, which lead to covetousness, which lead to pride, which lead to selfishness, which lead to ungratefulness for what God had already provided (all rooted in fear).

Are you in fear? Then you are not in faith. Anything that is not of faith is sin (Romans 14:22-23).

^22-23 Cultivate your own relationship with God, but don’t impose it on others. You’re fortunate if your behavior and your belief are coherent. But if you’re not sure, if you notice that you are acting in ways inconsistent with what you believe—some days trying to impose your opinions on others, other days just trying to please them—then you know that you’re out of line. If the way you live isn’t consistent with what you believe, then it’s wrong.

When we compare ourselves with another, we are saying we would do a better job planning out the minutest detail of our lives than our Creator, the sovereign Most High, acting like Satan who fell and caused Adam and Eve to fall.

Whoa, that is a dangerous place to be!

We are all guilty of comparing our lives to someone else’s life at one point or another. The only way out is to repent, renew your mind with the Word of God.

The word “sound” in Hebrew is marpe, which means healing, remedy, calmness, wholesome, and yielding.

We can only have a sound mind when our eyes are on Jesus and we are habitually in His Word. Cling to Him, abide in Him, and you will remain full of His love, joy, and peace- the only things that will bring true fulfillment.

You won’t want anything else than what He has for you; His promises for you will be more than enough.

Proverbs 3:5-12 The Message

^5-12 Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
    don’t try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
    he’s the one who will keep you on track.
Don’t assume that you know it all.
    Run to God! Run from evil!
Your body will glow with health,
    your very bones will vibrate with life!
Honor God with everything you own;
    give him the first and the best.
Your barns will burst,
    your wine vats will brim over.
But don’t, dear friend, resent God’s discipline;
    don’t sulk under his loving correction.
It’s the child he loves that God corrects;
    a father’s delight is behind all this.

You will begin to trust God with all of your heart and lean on His understanding, not your own. When we do that, He will direct our paths and He will never lead us astray. Take some time and right down ten things you are thankful for.

Gratefulness instead will fill your heart with joy, leave no room for comparison.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 40 The Message

40 ^1-3 I waited and waited and waited for God.
    At last he looked; finally he listened.
He lifted me out of the ditch,
    pulled me from deep mud.
He stood me up on a solid rock
    to make sure I wouldn’t slip.
He taught me how to sing the latest God-song,
    a praise-song to our God.
More and more people are seeing this:
    they enter the mystery,
    abandoning themselves to God.

^4-5 Blessed are you who give yourselves over to God,
    turn your backs on the world’s “sure thing,”
    ignore what the world worships;
The world’s a huge stockpile
    of God-wonders and God-thoughts.
Nothing and no one
    compares to you!
I start talking about you, telling what I know,
    and quickly run out of words.
Neither numbers nor words
    account for you.

⁶ Doing something for you, bringing something to you—
    that’s not what you’re after.
Being religious, acting pious—
    that’s not what you’re asking for.
You’ve opened my ears
    so I can listen.

^7-8 So I answered, “I’m coming.
    I read in your letter what you wrote about me,
And I’m coming to the party
    you’re throwing for me.”
That’s when God’s Word entered my life,
    became part of my very being.

^9-10 I’ve preached you to the whole congregation,
    I’ve kept back nothing, God—you know that.
I didn’t keep the news of your ways
    a secret, didn’t keep it to myself.
I told it all, how dependable you are, how thorough.
    I didn’t hold back pieces of love and truth
For myself alone. I told it all,
    let the congregation know the whole story.

^11-12 Now God, don’t hold out on me,
    don’t hold back your passion.
Your love and truth
    are all that keeps me together.
When troubles ganged up on me,
    a mob of sins past counting,
I was so swamped by guilt
    I couldn’t see my way clear.
More guilt in my heart than hair on my head,
    so heavy the guilt that my heart gave out.

^13-15 Soften up, God, and intervene;
    hurry and get me some help,
So those who are trying to kidnap my soul
    will be embarrassed and lose face,
So anyone who gets a kick out of making me miserable
    will be heckled and disgraced,
So those who pray for my ruin
    will be booed and jeered without mercy.

^16-17 But all who are hunting for you—
    oh, let them sing and be happy.
Let those who know what you’re all about
    tell the world you’re great and not quitting.
And me? I’m a mess. I’m nothing and have nothing:
    make something of me.
You can do it; you’ve got what it takes—
    but God, don’t put it off.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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