The mote and the beam

Matthew 7:1, 3-5 “Judge not, that ye be not judged.

And why beholdeth thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considered not the beam that is in thine own eye?

         Or how wilt thou say to thy brother,  Let me putll out the mote  out of thine eye; and behold, a beam is in thine own eye?

         Thou hypocrite,  first cast out the beam out of thine own eye;  and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out  the mote out of thy brother’s eye.”

In scripture, we are never called to “judge” anything or anyone…..except ourselves before the Lord (1 Corinthians11:31)……but we are told to “prove” them.

To judge, we must be above others……and only God can do that.

      But to prove,  we must just wait, and see whether what they say,   is what they do.

A “mote” is a splinter…..a “beam” is a two-by-four! 

     The difference is huge.

Both hinder the vision….and both can blind us to what we should be seeing….but the illustration is concerning judging and the “measure we mete”….or what we do about our judgement.

Jesus does not say we should not help our brother…..nor even help him with his vision of things…..but that we should first see to ourselves before God….then we can really help our brother.

       We should remove the “beam” in our own eyes.   

That “beam” can be our own opinion about what is going on….

….it can be our own experience concerning people or things that have happened like this….

….it can be sin in our life that hinders us from God’s viewpoint…

(My grandmother used to have a saying….”When you point your finger at someone else to accuse…..several fingers are pointing back at you!)

We should remove all hinderances from our own vision….before God….then we can help our brother.

Matthew 7:5 “…first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out thy brother’s eye.”

The eye is the organ of sight…..and how we “see” is important. 

      As Christians, we are to see by faith….

2 Corinthians 5:7 “(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)”…

….faith sees God….and when we see God first,  our eyes see everything else as it affects Him….not how it affects us….or others.

      We are putting Him and His Word first,  and letting that light shine on both us, and others.

Jesus said the light of the body is the eye:

      Matthew 6:22-23 “The light of the body is the eye:  if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.

       But if thine eye be evil, they whole body shall be full of darkness.  If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!”

When we “look” at things in the single vision of God’s will and glory…..then our eyes are enlightened to see aright.

      (The dove, the symbol of the Holy Spirit, is said to only see one thing at a time.   The Holy Spirit ever points us to Christ and His character,  His Word, and His Will.)

       When we “look” at things from an evil eye….

…..one which seeks to influence,….in any way but God’s….

….and thereby hurting others by that influence……then we spread darkness not light.

(“Evil” here, in the Greek,  is “hurtful,  it is the influence or effect”…..not describing the character of someone.)

If we are honest before God,  we can see, by faith, the beam in our own eye.   We can see that there are many things within ourselves that need tending to….and when we have dealt with them….

….we can help others….not by pointing out their splinter….but by pointing out God’s help to us….

…and that He can do the same for all.

The Day of the Lord 

Amos 5:18 “Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord!  to what end is it for you?  The day of the Lord is darkness, and not light.”

Amos was from Judah, who was sent by God up to the northern kingdom of Israel….to preach against their sin….giving them time to repent and turn back to God.   

(Judah was made up of the tribes of Judah, and Benjamin.   Whereas, Israel was made up of the other ten tribes)

Amos 5:6-7 “Seek the Lord, and ye shall live;  lest He break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour it, and there be none to quench it in Bethel. (Bethel was one of the places they had put a golden calf….calling it the Lord.)

              Ye who turn judgment to wormwood, and leave off righteousness in the earth,”

The Israelites at this time were very prosperous….so much so, that they were known for their large and fancy sacrifices,….although God did not accept them.

Amos 4:1-2 “Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan, (they were herdsmen, known for their beautiful and fat cows), which are in the mountains of Samaria,  which oppress the poor,  which crush the needy,  which say to their masters,  Bring, and let us drink.

               The Lord God hath sworn by His holiness, that, lo, the days shall come upon you,  that He will take you away with hooks, and your prosperity with fishhooks.”

God would rather that they taken their sacrifices…..down the street to the poor….for He was not pleased with the sacrifices of thieves.

Amos 5:11-12 “Forasmuch therefore as your treading is upon the poor, and ye take from him burdens of wheat;…

                 For I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins:  they afflict the just,  they take a bribe, and they turn aside the poor in the gate (the place of the city court) from their right.”

Amos was sent toward the end of Jeroboam’s reign…..within thirty years,  all Israel was killed or carried away captive….for refusing to hear God’s warnings, through His prophets…

You think…..thirty years!….they had plenty of time to hear God’s Word…..to repent….to change their ways….

….and so have we, had….are we hearing what the Lord is telling us?

2 Kings 17:13-14 “Yet the Lord testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying,   Turn ye from your evil ways,  and keep My commandments and My statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers…..

                 Notwithstanding, they would not hear,  but hardened their necks….”

Revelation 3:18-19 “I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich;….

(The pure “gold” of God’s life in my life….no dross of self-glory to dull or tarnish it)

…and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear;….

(He clothes us with His righteousness,  which empowers us to do the righteous acts we are to be walking in….with Him. Ephesians 2:10, 1 John 3:10…..and if we are not walking in them?….we are naked.)

….and anoint thine eyes with eye salve, that thou mayest see.

(The eye salve of honesty with God).

                  As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten:  be zealous therefore, and repent.”

He loves us…..so He rebukes….speaks first;……then chastens….so we will awaken to what He is showing us.

       

 But as I said,  Israel was very prosperous…..living it up….believing the bigger the sacrifice….the bigger the blessing….

….when what God wanted,   was righteousness.

He wanted His people to act according to His commandments of righteousness, brotherly kindness, and mercy.

Amos 5:22, 24 “Though ye offer Me burnt offerings and your meat offerings,  I will not accept them:  neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts.

                 But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.”

This is what they should have been doing…..judgement, the knowledge of what is good in God’s sight, and wrong to Him.

This should have been as the rain on a thirsty ground….being right in their actions,  to all people—rich and poor.

And righteousness should have been flowing out, so that all Israel would have been cleansed and turning to God.

About that time….the phrase:  the day of the Lord,  was given.    

It has to do with the day that the Lord will come and deliver Israel from their enemies….in the last days. (The tribulation period)

But many appropriated it to any time of trouble….believing that since they were God’s chosen people,  that God would have to honor His promises………forgetting God’s commandments….as though they could ignore those.

Amos 5:18-19 “Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord!  To what end is it for you?  The day of the Lord is darkness, and not light.

                As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him;  or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall and a serpent bit him.”

He was telling them that to claim His protection,  while refusing Him…..was ridiculous!

They talk of worshipping God,  but it was a god of their own imagination…..not Him.

They were not walking in Light….but darkness, and self-deception.

God told them, if the “day of the Lord” came to them,…as they were, now…..He would not see them as His people, but as enemies….

They would feel as though a lion was chasing them…..so they run the other way, expecting relief…..when a bear would meet them.

So they run into the house….ahhh, safe….and put their hand on the wall for support….when a serpent would bite them.

How this should have shown them,  that God will not be used….

…..He is God….His promises and commands go together….and they were to “seek Him”.

Amos 5:8 “Seek Him that maketh the seven stars and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night:  that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth:   The Lord is His name:”

There were a few, that listened to Amos….but most were swayed by their prosperity…..

……how could God be angry with us, when we are so successful?

And so they refused His rebuke…..to awaken them.

And what is the Lord saying to His church…..even while standing outside of it?

Revelation 3:20 “Behold,  (Look and really see)

I stand at the door, and knock: 

(This is certainly the door of the Laodicean church….and is also the door of every believer’s heart)

if any man hear my voice, 

(He is speaking….through His Word, through His Spirit, through His preachers, and teachers…to any who will hear HIs rebuke and call) 

and open the door, 

(this is to open the door of our life….and to be receptive to Him…to His commands, as well as His promises)

I will come into him, 

(It has often been said that the door latch is on the inside….we must open up to Him…..but, though we have been cold,  or lukewarm and miserable, poor, blind…….He will come in to us, in authority and power…….when we open to Him.)

and sup with him, and he with Me. 

(This is the fellowship, which dining together means….remember the  “come and dine”……Jesus call to His disciples after His resurrection….and the restoration of Peter, after His denial. John 21:12-19)

Today, there is a lot of controversy over “the day of the Lord”….

I believe we should look for Him….His Rapture certainly could come at any time….but the most important thing I need to see,  is:

Am I ready to stand before Him?   Have I done His commands, as well as seek His promises?

Do I love Him?  Or just what He gives?

Today,  He is still speaking,  calling us to awaken to His Voice,….and His counsel…..will we?

            

  

An evil report 

Deuteronomy 1:22 “And ye came near unto me  every one of you, and said,  We will send men before us, and they shall search us out the land, and bring us word again by what we way must go up, and into what cities we shall come.”

Are we like the ten spies?  Who, though carrying some of the blessings of our inheritance…

….”and they took of the fruit of the land in their hands, and brought it down”……

…..still murmur and complain about the trials and “giants” in our walk?

We all know the story…..

      Israel had come to the land to possess it.   

      Moses told them to “Go up and possess it….as the Lord God of thy fathers hath said unto thee;  fear not, neither be discouraged.”

This should have been a grand celebration!    “We’re here…..we made it!  Now we can have all that God has for us!”

     But, instead, they thought to “search out the land”.   

Why?   

God had already chosen it…..and was ready to stand with Israel against everything in their way….

….but unbelief in God made them seek something other….than His Word.

     

So, the elders came to Moses, and said…..”We will send some men to spy out the land….so we know the way to go up.”

Notice,  “we will”…..they were not asking the Lord…..they were plainly seeking their will.

Maybe Moses just heard the “and go up”…..because he agreed.

So for forty days and nights….the camp of Israel stayed close to the inheritance God wanted to give them….

…..and waited….

…..for twelve men to tell them what God should be telling them….which way to go,  to have their possessions.

Ps 106:24-25 “Yea, they despised the pleasant land, they believed not His Word:

       But murmured in their tents, and hearkened not unto the voice of the Lord.”

[It is important in this day, that we understand…….What Voice?  How did the Lord speak to them?

       First, they had the promise given Abraham and his seed for Canaan.

       Second, they had Moses who spoke to them God’s message, even as they asked (Ex. 20:19)

       Third, they had God’s Word in His law and commandments. “Which if a man do, he shall even live in them.” (Ezekiel 20:11,13,21).  Obedience grows faith,  and faith makes us to know God’s Will.  (John 7:17)

        Fourth they had heard God speak from the Tabernacle.

        Fifth, they had the cloud and fire pillar which lead by day and night, leading them there.

          Yet, they “hearkened not unto the voice of the Lord”]

So when Moses said:

Deuteronomy 1:21 “Behold, the Lord thy God hath set the land before thee:  go up and possess it,  as the Lord God of thy fathers hath said unto thee;  fear not, neither be discouraged.”

They were to go in and possess it.  

(I believe that if they had said,  “yes, Lord,  tell us how”…..they would have been directed how…..and possessed the land immediately.  

       What do we “say” when God tells us to do something?)

But instead, their own idea of “search and see”….

….lead them to “see” by sight and not by faith….the giants of the land.

Our plans…..giving way to our way…..giving way to “seeing” without faith…..

…..giving way to an evil report about God’s Will…..”we are not able”.  

That is what our natural sight would tell us. (Numbers 13:31)

But faith says,  “Let us go up at once, and possess it;  for we are well able to overcome it.” (Numbers 13:30)

What of us?

And has not the Lord given us “great and mighty promises” (2 Peter 1:4) that we are to get into our experience….in a word,  to possess them?

2 Peter 1:4 “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises:  that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

Do we want to escape the corruption of the world’s system?   

Then we must “partake”…get into our own experience, the promises of God.

The stress of this lesson is this:   Why are we looking for some other way….than God’s Way?

God’s Way is faith.   That is first….”….to them that have attained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:1)

            Then, by giving all diligence…..we are to use our faith in God, and get virtue….or yielding to the force of the Holy Spirit within,…..giving us courage to obey.

            Then, knowledge of Christ and His promises worked out by obedience….it is amazing knowledge to know what God will do for you….and you learn this here.

            Then temperance….or moderation….not running or stopping but just walking with God.

            Then patience….and this is a big one….for if  we can not learn patience with God’s time,….and ourselves…..and others, we can not go on to godliness.

 And we must “learn” it.

             Godliness is taking on Christ’s character…..which we are promised will happen if we do these things…..(Romans 8:29)

             Then when we love our God, we love our brothers and sisters in Christ.

             Then love….”Beloved, let us love one another : for love is of God; and everyone that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.”   (1 John 4:7)

God has promised us some amazing life promises…..but we must possess them.

As Moses said, “…go up and possess it..”.   

So with our promises…let us believe God…give all diligence……and get the fulfillment of these promises….in us.

Spiritual Awakening

Matthew 6:10 “Thy kingdom come.  Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.”

A spiritual kingdom lies all around us….all within reach of our inner spiritual life…waiting for us to recognize it….to come into our place in it, with the faith and grace….He has for us there.

        God, Himself, is here; waiting our response to His presence.

Will we will to will with Him?  For God’s Will for His Creation is what this is all about.

I want to mention here that truth does not depend upon our believing it.   Christ’s Spiritual Kingdom is very real….and what is real, does not depend upon people’s acceptance of it,….for it to be true.

        Christ is above all principality and power. (Eph. 1:20-21). 

        Christ is highly exalted,(Phil.2:9)…He has been given honor above all.

        To His name every knee shall bow (Phil 2:10)…and then their tongues confess that He is Lord.

His kingdom, now,  is a spiritual one….as He said to the Pharisees, when  they demanded when the kingdom shall come…

….He said,  Do not look here or there…”for behold, the kingdom of God is within you.”(Luke 17:21)

But as we begin to focus upon God….the things of the Holy Spirit will take shape before our eyes of faith.

        Obedience to the Word of Christ will bring our God close to us.

John 14:21, 23 “He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them,  he it is that loveth Me:  and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father,  and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him.

        Jesus answered and said unto him,  If a man love Me, he will keep My words: and My Father will love him, and We will make our abode with him.”

To recognize that we are in dwelt by Almighty God will give us new perception…and we shall begin to “taste” and “hear” and inwardly feel God with us….Who is our life and our all.

This is to have a true Spiritual Awakening….for it is to be awakened to God’s demands on the creature before the Creator.

     It is to find our place in His purpose….to place us back into God’s original plan….as God first commanded us:

“…to be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth and subdue it.” (Genesis 1:28)

The Lord certainly requires fruit from us….personally, and in our church and place in the world.

“And subdue it”…I must first  be subdued.  Here is where the authority and power (grace) is proved….first in me.

And this is:   Thy kingdom come.  Thy Will be done in earth as it is in heaven.

In me….the whole of my life.

      It is not just the things I do….but me.

I must become His Will….a walking, talking, little-Christ (Christian).

As the prophet Joel said of the last days:

Joel 2:30 “And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.”

      Pillars of smoke are those Christians who have been defeated by Christ….through the fires of our everyday lives, we have denied ourselves and taken up our cross and followed our Lord….

…..seeing the dross or admixture in our lives…burnt out of our lives, until we become a pillar of smoke.

     Weak in ourselves….but empowered and strong in Him.

And subdue it….it is our own “earth” we are to subdue.   That particular portion we occupy.

      Where we have our everyday existence….our home with family….our church….our job…our friends….and acquaintances.

      We are to be God’s Will there….being an influence of the Holy Spirit in these set of circumstances.

           What is My Father’s Will concerning this?   Where I am concerned, what would He have me to do?

Paul, after many experiences and trials….says:

     “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” (Philippians 4:13)

But he does not say this as a general statement….but in the context of:

     “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

       I know both how to be abased (humiliated),  and I know how to abound (to have excess),  everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.” (Philippians 4:11-12)

How much we need our Lord when we are humiliated by the world or circumstances!      

But so much the same when we are in excess…lest we get carried away with the gift and not God, the Giver.

Yet Paul learned….that when he was weak….then he was strong in Christ. (2 Cor. 12:10)….and he learned to glory in his utter dependence on the Lord….”that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Cor.12:9)

So can we.   Will we be Awakened to Christ’s claims upon us?  And become His Will.   

We all can have it….for Jesus is worthy of our all.

How am I filled with the Spirit? 

My husband gives this testimony:

      Years ago, I asked the Lord this very question.  Feeling a need in my ministry…I prayed and kept praying till I got this answer:

“To be filled with My Holy Spirit…you need to be emptied from the fullness of yourself.”

I said,   “I have consecrated my life to you….I have given my life to be your preacher; I witness and pray for others, I work at being obedient to Your commands…..what more should I do?”

(Did you notice how many “I”s there are?  Ouch!   Obviously, being emptied of self is a tall order!)

So I asked….”How do I empty myself out?”

The answer was quite simple….I cooperate with the Holy Spirit, and bring everything that says,  “This is me…and my way of doing a job,  my way of preaching on a text, my way of saying things”……to God….until, everything I am (habits and characteristics) and everything I do,  says “This is Him.”

He showed me that this is my life’s work….to be conformed to His image, here and in all my days.   

He must reign in my life, by a deliberate act of my will….my willing it, for all the things of my life.

Matthew 6:10 “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”

Subjection has become a “bad word” today.   (Of course to the wrong elements, it is.)

But subjection to Christ is freedom.

“What!, you say,  that can’t be.  

Subjection is bondage;…..you “have to do.”

But the reality of the subjection to Christ,   is a love relationship.   

It is to know that He loves….you 

(No, it is not just the knowledge of the head, having heard it so many times).      

It is a closeness of His Spirit,…..a sweetness of His Voice (even when He corrects us),….and such a sense of rest of heart, and mind (and my mind usually goes around in circles pretty good).

Hosea 11:4 “I drew them with cords of a man,  with bands of love:  and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws,  and I laid meat unto them.”

Jesus Christ came as a man to show us the great love He had for us: 

         By His life in subjection to His Father. (“…for I do always those things that please Him.” John 8:28-29)…

         By His sacrifice to save us from our sins (and they are the real bondage)….

         And by His resurrection, to give us all things in Him.

Song of Solomon 8:7 “Many waters can not quench love,  neither can the floods drown it:  if a man would give all the substance of his house for love,  it would utterly be contemned.”

We can not give anything for the Love of God, for He has loved us with an everlasting love. (Jeremiah 31:3). 

Before we were born,  God loved us;  by the Love of His Will.  

It was not because there was anything in us that drew Him to us.

Nor was it because He saw what we would do for Him, after conversion.  Or because of what we would become.   

         No,  He loved us because of one reason:  He willed to do so.

Matthew 6:10 says, His kingdom come,  His will done in earth, as it is in heaven.

And Jesus taught that we should pray this.

In heaven it is done willingly, joyfully, completely.  But also with power.

He has this sort of power for us;  but to get it down here into us we need to have His kingdom come with in us.

He showed me, that we should not ask……How much do I have of God?   

But,   how much does He  have of me?

For we are filled with the Holy Spirit to the degree or extent, that we are willingly emptied of ourself life.

Imagine jars filled with water.   Now, imagine you are going to fill them with another liquid.

They won’t mix, so one of them will “push” the other out.

The one comes in; and the water flows out.

This is the filling of the Holy Spirit.   He flows in, at new birth.

But if we just let Him have that much of us,  it is like a skim of oil on top of the water.

But when we yield to Him, be obedient to His direction, and give up our way…….then He keeps flowing in,…..and our self life,  flows out.

We have more “want to”, ….more power to do,….and more knowledge and joy in the doing.

This is to be being filled with the Holy Spirit;….and it is only as we submit to Christ’s rule in us;  as subjects to King Jesus….

Under His command,  doing His Will.

Ephesians 5:17-18 “Wherefore be not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

                  And be not drunk with wine,  wherein is excess;  but be filled with the Spirit;”

     Are we ready to let our self life flow out and let His Spirit flow in?

Praise ye the Lord 

Psalm 150:6 “Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord.  Praise ye the Lord.”

Thirteen times in this psalm….praise of  the Lord is spoken of:

“praise the Lord”,  “praise Him”,  “praise God”.

The book of Psalms begins…..with God’s  estimate of the man that is blessed….which is the man who makes God and His Word,  his satisfaction.

Psalms 1:1-2 “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

       But his delight is in the law of the Lord;  and in His law doth he meditate day and night.”

The Psalms ends….with an estimate of God’s due….by the man who has found God as his satisfaction….praise for all He is,  and all He has done.

Psalm 150:1-2 “Praise ye the Lord.  Praise God in HIs sanctuary:  praise Him in the firmament of His power. 

        Praise Him for HIs mighty acts:  praise Him according to His excellent greatness.”

Someone has said,  that the Psalms are the heart’s response to God’s  dealings with HIs people.

        In Psalms we see, not just the spiritual history…..but the feelings and thoughts of the people of God.

Some were written by Moses….and placed in this book. (Psalm 90)

Some were written by others….but most were songs and cries from David.

David, the shepherd,(Psalm 23, 100)…..David, in prayer (Ps. 86),….David, the hunted by Saul, (Ps. 59)…..David, the king,….David, the sinner (Psalm 32, 51)…..David, the lover of the House of the Lord (Psalm 84, 24)

In all the situations and trials we come into contact with….we will find a like situation….and feelings in the Psalms.

Moses about the attitude of the Israelites. (Ps.106)

David when his own son was trying to destroy him and his kingship (Ps. 3).

       When the psalmist became discouraged about the wicked…how they seemed to have no trouble, yet the righteous had all sorts of trials.   (Ps. 73)

David when he gave into the wrong means….and tried to “save” himself from Saul’s hate, by going to the Philistines. (1 Sam. 21:10-15, Ps.34)

All through the Psalms there are passages of great comfort…..exhortations to right means….and the cries of God’s people in distress,  trouble,  doubt,  and correction.

Psalm 102…a prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed and pours out his complaint before the Lord.

    Psalm 102:19-20 “For He hath looked down from the height of His sanctuary; from heaven did the Lord behold the earth.

      To hear the groaning of the prisoners; to loose those that are appointed to death.”

Psalm 22….a prophesy of the afflictions and crucifixion of Christ.

    Psalm 22:1, 18 “My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?  Why art Thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?

      They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my venture.”

Psalm 110…a prophesy of the coming kingdom of David’s son….Christ Jesus.

    Psalm 110:2 “The Lord shall send the rod of Thy strength out of Zion: rule Thou in the midst of Thine enemies.”

God and me….is a great title for many of the psalms….

…and so,  in the end,….through all these situations and deliverances…

…there is only one thing to do:

Praise the Lord!  For all His wonderful works!  For all HIs mercy!  

Praise God!  From the sanctuary to the heavens above…..give glory and praise to our Lord!

From me to Him…..let my heart, and mind, and whole being….praise the Lord.

Doves’ Eyes

Song of Solomon 4:1 “Behold, thou art fair, My love; behold, thou art fair;  thou hast doves’ eyes within thy locks:..”

Matthew 6:22 “The light of the body is the eye:  if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.”

A dove can only see one thing at a time.   They focus on just that.  

(For this reason, the Holy Spirit is likened to a dove.  [Matthew 3:16]. He has the perfection of Spiritual  insight…and keeps the Lord Jesus ever in our view.)

To see as a dove according to the Lord, is to see reality….your spiritual life,  in it’s relation to Christ.

Everything’s value, is set in relation to the Lord Jesus Christ….that One we are to keep our eyes upon.

As we grow in grace, we gain the maturity and the ability to know the things that the Holy Spirit is showing us, in the situations of life….our life.

He gives us understanding….light, and the ability to know what to do in each situation.

If you will read Ephesians,  the Holy Spirit is the Person of the Trinity, given to us to lead us into the goodness and greatness of God’s power in our lives:

Ephesians 1:13-14 “In Whom (Jesus) ye also trusted,  after that ye heard the Word of truth,  the gospel of your salvation: in Whom also, after that ye believed,  ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, 

                   Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession,  unto the praise of His glory.”

We are sealed as God’s children, by the Holy Spirit on God’s side; and given the beginning of all our possessions in Christ, through Him, on our side.

Ephesians 2:22 “In Whom ye also are builded together for a habitation of God through the Spirit.”

We are fitted into our place, for our work, in the Church, by the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 3:16 “That He would grant you,  according to the riches of His glory,  to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man;”

He is the One which shows Christ and all His glory to us.

He grounds us in Christ (Ephesians 3:17), 

makes us to know the things which Christ has for us….His love, in all it’s aspects (Ephesians 3:18-19)….

and His power, as we yield to Him in our lives (Ephesians 3:20)…..According as we let that power work within us.

Then, the practical aspect of the Holy Spirit’s work in us is shown, as far as others are concerned:

Ephesians 4:3, 30-32 “Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

                     And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God,  whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

                     Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger,  and clamor,  and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

                     And be ye kind one to another,  tender-hearted, forgiving one another,  even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”

And we are encouraged to yield to the Holy Spirit more and more,……and get perception and understanding of the will of the Lord, for our personal life.

Ephesians 5:17-21 “Wherefore be ye not unwise,  but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

                      And be not drunk with wine,  wherein is excess;  but be filled with the Spirit;

                      Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs; singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;

                      Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

                      Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.”

And of course, the Holy Spirit is found in our armor.

Ephesians 6:17-18 “And take the helmet of salvation,  and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God:

                        Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit,  and watching thereinto with perseverance and supplication for all saints;”

The Holy Spirit takes the Word of God that comes to our minds, in our battles, and uses it in power, when we say it….

….and, of course, it is He that teaches us to pray (Jude 20).

The Dove of God comes upon us when we are born again,  and imparts to us His vision….a single vision of light, grace, power, and ability.  

The vision of Christ…Who He is to us, and what He is doing for us.

A vision of the world around us in perception, and truth.

And He not only gives us vision, but His power, as we yield to Him….

As we deny our self-life (Matthew 16:24),  we gain our Christ’s life (Matthew 16:25)….through Him.

John 13:26 “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, Whom the Father will send in My name,  He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”

The Daughters of Zelophehad

Numbers 27:1-2 “Then came the daughters of Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son Manasseh,  of the families of Manasseh the son of Joseph: and these are the names of the daughters,  Mahlah,  Noah, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Tirzah.

                    And they stood before Moses,  and before Eleazar the priest,  and before the princes and all the congregation, by the door of the Tabernacle of the congregation, saying,”

Here is a story about inheritance.   

The daughters of the tribes of Israel were not given inheritance themselves….for they usually married and were given an inheritance with their husbands.

But these girls came…because they wanted their father’s inheritance….for he had no sons to carry on  his name, for future generations…..and they were about to enter the land of Promise.

(I have included all these names….altho for me, hard to pronounce and seemingly unimportant…..but to God,  He keeps a record of those who think of Him and His honor….Malachi 3:16.    It is amazing to me, the importance of every one of us, to God.    He knows our name….He sees us….and He takes notice of every move toward Him, and every obedience for His glory)

These girls came forward, then and told their father’s cause:

Numbers 27:3-4 “Our father died in the wilderness,   and he was not in the company of them that gathered themselves together against the Lord in the company of Korah;  but died in his own sin;   and had no sons.

                      Why should the name of our father be done away from among his family,  because he hath no sons?    Give us therefore a possession among the brethren of our father.”

Their father had not joined in the wicked rebellion against God,  but had died outside the land.   He had no sons to inherit in his name….so….

They came before all the people.  Before Moses, the high priest, and the princes of the tribes, and the congregation.    

This was a matter for the whole nation to see. 

Would a man,  who only had daughters,  lose his inheritance before the Lord?

Or would the Lord consider daughters for an inheritance?

Numbers 27:5-7 “And Moses brought their cause before the Lord.

                     And the Lord spake unto Moses saying,   The daughters of Zelophehad speak right:  thou shalt surely give them a possession and inheritance among their father’s brethren;  and thou shalt cause the inheritance of their father to pass unto them.”

“Thou shalt surely give them a possession…among their father’s brethren…”

And they won this for every daughter, when the father did not have sons.

Numbers 27:8 “And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel saying,  If a man die,  and have no son,  then ye shall cause his inheritance to pass unto his daughter. “

(They were told to marry men….whoever they wanted…among their own tribe;  so that the land would stay in the inheritance of their father’s tribe)

They received the promise of an inheritance with the men,  because they honored God’s Word that each man (their father) would receive an inheritance in the land God gave them…..and because they honored God’s due order….they came before Moses and the leaders, and asked.

(They did not murmur or complain behind closed doors,…..or give into resentments….but brought their request before the Lord,  in front of all.)

And in the day of dividing the inheritance among the tribes (this was, at least, five years later):

Joshua 17:3-4 “But Zelophehad……had no sons,  but daughters: and these are the names of his daughters, Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

                         And they came near unto Eleazar the priest,  and before Joshua the son of Nun,  and before the princes,  saying,   The Lord commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brethren.   

                         Therefore,  according to the commandment of the Lord,  he gave them an inheritance among the brethren of their father.”

They received their inheritance.

It was their diligence and perseverance, which got them what was promised.

We, too, know many of the promises of God, in His Word….and maybe, we have seen God’s promises being fulfilled in others….and wonder,  “Why not me, too?”

But have we come to Him and sought them, for ourselves?

Luke 11:9-10 “And I say unto you,   Ask, and it shall be given you;   Seek, and ye shall find;   And Knock,  and it shall be opened unto you.

                    For everyone that asketh  recieveth;  and he that seeketh  findeth;  and to him that knocketh  it shall be opened.”

Again I will stress:   Diligence and perseverance was the attributes of the daughters of Zelophehad……and they got what they asked for.

They wanted what God said….and they sought it in the right way,  and kept it,  till they got it.

Will we?

The Burning Bush 

Exodus 3:1-3 “Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father-in-law,….and he led the flock to the back side of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.

                        And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush:  and he looked,  and behold,  the bush burned with fire,  and the bush was not consumed.

                        And Moses said,  I will now turn aside, and see this great sight,  why the bush is not burnt.”

The bush burned,  yet was not consumed.

Moses had been in exile from Egypt,  and had married, and was caring for the flock of his father-in-law.

Then he saw a sight that was so unusual that he left the herd, and went to see it.

It was a dry desert bush that was burning….the flame was in the “midst of the bush”……..

…….yet it was not getting burnt up….it was not being destroyed by the flame….but was manifesting the flame.

(I want to talk for just a moment about us…..as that dry wilderness bush.

We are in a wilderness of this world….but more, we are part of the landscape; as that bush was.   We fit right in to this world’s scene.

There was nothing unusual about the bush……until it glowed with the Presence of God.    [When the Lord manifested Himself to men in the Old Testament, He was often called “the angel of the Lord”.]

But when the Lord “enlightened” it…..it became something which drew men toward the Light.

God does not want to “burn us up”…..but rather burn within us, so we will manifest His light.)

Years earlier, in Pharaoh’s court, Moses had thought that surely he could deliver “his brethren”,  the Israelites…..and tried (Exodus 2:11-14)…and failed….

……..but the years out on the desert had withered his pride and confidence in himself…..and he was like this dry bush…….waiting for God’s flame to light him,….call him,….and use him.

Exodus 3:4 “And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see,  God called unto him out of the midst of the bush,  and said,  Moses, Moses,   and he said,  Here am I.”

As Moses was coming to see this sight,  a Voice spoke to him…..it was a Voice he recognized….

…….So when he heard this Voice, he answered:  “Hear I am.”

He was answering a Person….a Person Who he believed in,…..for the scriptures plainly say that:

 “by faith, Moses…refused to be called the son of Pharoah’s daughter……esteeming the reproaches of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt:…”(Hebrews 11:24-26)

Exodus 3:5-6 “And He said,  Draw not nigh hither:  put off thy shoes from off thy feet;  for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.

                     Moreover He said,   I am the God of thy father,  the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac,  and the God of Jacob.   And Moses hid his face;  for he was afraid to look upon God.”

Moses came forward….but not too far…….(there is that place where we must recognize the Almighty….and bow.)

Then the Lord began the process of calling Moses to do the work of deliverance.

The Lord said,  “I am come down to deliver them….Come now…..and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou may bring forth My people…out of Egypt.”  (Exodus 3:8-10)

But Moses,  instead of rejoicing…..now the time has come…..says:

“Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt” (Exodus 3:11)

The wilderness had done it’s job….the confidence of Moses, the prince of Egypt was gone…..

…..but now hesitation was present.  

       Moses felt, that if in his earlier might and vigor he could not persuade the Israelites…..what could he do now, that he was older, and had no power?

The Lord spoke again of His Presence…..(remember Moses is standing in front of a bush burning….and hearing God)…..”Certainly I will be with thee…”

(It is amazing how many times in the Word, the Lord says the same thing to HIs people….to us!

“I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” Matthew 28:20;  “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” Hebrews 13:5)

Moses then asks,  Who shall I say sent me?  What is Your name?

God then explains His name:  I AM THAT I AM.    I am from everlasting…there was no time, that I was not….And I always will be.

God explains Moses ministry,  first to Israel….

…..then before Pharaoh, who,  God told him,  would not listen, or let them go…..at first.

But God would deal with him and his nation…

Moses is still unsure…..not of God…..but of himself, and his ability to deal with the people and Pharaoh.

So God shows him another lesson…..Moses shepherd’s rod.   The rod he had been using for years, taking care of sheep.    

But by God’s Word, the ordinary rod became a tool of God. 

Exodus 4:2-4 “And the Lord said unto him,   What is that in thine hand?  And he said,  A rod.

                    And He said,  Cast it on the ground.    And he cast it on the ground,  and it became a serpent;  and Moses fled from before it.

                    And the Lord said unto Moses,  Put forth thine hand,  and take it by the tail.  And he put forth his hand,  and caught it,  and it became a rod in his hand:”

(You will notice, Moses ran from the serpent,  but at the Lord’s command;  picked it up by the tail.    It was not fear for himself which hindered Moses….but fear of failing in the deliverance of Israel.)

Then God told him to put his hand into his bosom….and it was leprous.

Then put it into his bosom again….and it was whole.

God is able….the message is clear.

….but Moses turns to his speech….he was not a man of words….he did not think he could speak well enough to talk before Pharaoh and the people.

By this time,  the Lord’s anger was “kindled” against Moses:   The answer God gives comes as a rebuke (to backstrike with words)….

….God was displeased with Moses lack of zeal for his calling….for letting fear, rule his will.

God knew his heart….He knew that Moses wanted the deliverance of Israel….but Moses was letting imaginary hinderances block his sight.

Moses had “turned aside to see”…..and God had showed him that a bush can burn, and not be consumed by God’s Presence…

       That a rod can be turned to a terrifying tool for God….

       That disease can be given in a moment….and healed in a moment by the God of his fathers….I am that I am.

But Moses was letting his past failure blind his eyes from seeing that in all these examples…..God was saying “I am able….for you”.

God goes on to give him Aaron, his brother, who would speak to the people and Pharaoh,  the words Moses would say.

“And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand,  wherewith thou shalt do signs.” (Exodus 4:17)

But God says it in such a way, that there is no “backtalk” from Moses…..”And Moses went…” (Exodus 4:18)

How often do we “see” what the Lord is trying to tell us?

Are we letting past failures,  or fear blind us to what God is calling us to do?

Moses went….and as we know,  he dealt with Pharaoh…….”The Lord has said,  Let My people go.”……..bringing the people out of Egypt, in triumph.

That rod stayed with him to the end…..he used it many times. 

(The serpent before Pharaoh, the rod turned the rivers to blood, brought frogs out of the rivers, he held it up at the Red Sea,  he smote the rock for water, etc.)

It was just a plain shepherd’s rod….which, when used in God’s service, became a weapon, and a guide for those that were brought out.

The lesson God showed Moses,  from the fire in the bush, is just the same for us:

Deuteronomy 4:24 “For the Lord thy God is a consuming fire,  even a jealous God.”  (It is repeated in Hebrews 12:29)

Jealous means that He is zealous of His commandments and calling….He will not let anything else take His place in our hearts and lives….

He will lead us through failures,….speaking to us, to draw us on with Him…..rebuking us, correcting us….so that we may be instruments in His hands.

For Moses,…..and for all of His servants, that He calls……

……it is not what we are at the start,…..but what we let Him make us;   that makes all the difference.

1 Corinthians 1:27 “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise;  and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;”

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 “And He said unto me,   My grace is sufficient for thee:  for My strength is made perfect in weakness.  Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities,  that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 

                     Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities,  in persecutions, in distresses for Christ sake:  for when I am weak,  then am I strong.”

It is God that makes the difference in any and every situation.

God’s Words 

Isaiah 28:9-10 “Whom shall He teach knowledge?  And whom shall He make to understand doctrine?   Them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breast.

                For precept must be upon precept,  precept upon precept;   line upon line,  line upon line;  here a little and there a little.”

If we would grow up into Christ—go on to maturity—this is the path that we must walk.

We are never “zapped”,   But the scriptures speak of “growing in grace”,  “grow up in Christ”.      And these take time and a little effort.

When we first learned to walk as children,….there were a few bumps.

So our Christian walk is a series of lessons, and experiences…..lessons, and experiences….toward the goal the Lord has for us.

Paul said,  “I have learned…”

And that should tell us that we, too, must learn from Christ, through the Holy Spirit,…..how to,  when to, and what to do.

Philippians 4:11-12 “Not that I speak in respect of want:  for I have learned,  in whatsoever state I am,  therewith to be content.

                      I know both how to be abased,  and I know how to abound:  everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry,  both to abound and to suffer need.”

I have never met any Christian that has not suffered defeat…..at least once.

I have never met any Christian that has not battled something….some with terrible battles……some mild….but they would not call it anything but what it is…..a battle.

But our Teacher is the Lord.   

And He builds on the foundation of “Come unto Me”(John 6:35)…..our first command.

Then He says, “If any man will…” (Matthew 16:24)

And it is onward from there.

“Precept upon precept”:

Precept means appointed rules, or an authoritative command.   

(precepts is used most in Psalm 119:

Psalm 119:4 “Thou has commanded us to keep Thy precepts diligently.”

     It is used twenty times, in this psalm. [this is the psalm that every verse but one has a reference to the God’s Word in various forms: law, commands, precepts, etc])

We must realize, that what He says to do, we must do.   He is not giving suggestions for our lives…..but He is giving us the authoritative rules to follow, so that we will know the way to go. 

“Line upon line”

Line means a cord put together to connect things….and for measuring.    

And it is used here to speak of the Voice which has been heard….connecting God’s purpose to His Word…..measuring our response to His Word.

(Psalm 19:4 “Their line is gone out to all the earth,  and their words to the end of the world….”.  Paul repeats this changing “line” for “sound”, in Romans 10:18)

When Christ was here, the Bible often tells of His “teaching” them.  (Matthew 11:1, 26:55.   Mark 4:1, 6:2, 6:34,  Luke 13:22)

And so He continues to do, to us…..teaching us, through the experiences He leads us into.

Sometimes it corresponds to something in His Word,…..

…or something someone else has passed through as well.

Sometimes He leads us into new paths, which are to strengthen and encourage…..not only us…..but others who hear of it.

And I believe it is true, that no one experiences things, the same way….though they go through the same set of circumstances.   

(Loss and grief, for instance.   Some are delivered from the waves of emotion, which others pass through.   Some are brought almost to the edge of an abyss by the loss of someone….yet saved from falling over.)

Each lesson is to bring us…..yes, that is “me” and “you”…..each of us, to a closer reliance on God…..and a firmer grasp on the reality of His presence and power for me.

That is to grow up into Christ.

Ephesians 4:20-21 “But ye have not so learned Christ;  

                 If so be that ye have heard Him,  and have been taught by Him,  as the truth is in Jesus:”

In the battles of life,  we need to know what the Lord will do for “me”.    

(And on occasion, it is good to make a spiritual inventory of our blessings.

It brings all we are going through into a new focus…..He is able,…..able for me, in this situation;…because He has done great things for me…before.)

Paul, writing Timothy:

2 Timothy 1:6-7 “Wherefore I put thee in remembrance,  that thou stir up the gift of God,  which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.

                For God hath not given us the Spirit of fear;  but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

(“Stir up” here, means to “rekindle” the love, joy, peace, etc of the Holy Spirit within us)

He goes on to say:  “….for I know Whom I have believed,  and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day.”

“Persuaded” here means “an inward certainty”.    

Paul’s ministry was in the Lord’s hands,…..what he had done (even before being saved on the road to Damascus,…..and later, in the ministry with the Gentiles),…..what he was doing now (in a Roman prison, and before Caesar),….and what he would do (in the death God appointed for him).

Paul was certain His Lord would keep him in all the things he was to pass through;  because “He is able”……and because He had.

2 Timothy 4:17-18 “Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me,  and strengthened me;  that by me  the preaching might be fully known,  and that all the gentiles might hear:  and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.

                     And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work,  and will preserve me unto His heavenly kingdom:  to Whom be glory forever and ever.  Amen.”

Paul had heard the precept the Lord had laid down for him, and been obedient. (Acts 9:15-16, 26:16-17)

He had gone to the Jews first…..and when they rejected Christ;  gone to the Gentiles…..which was his calling.

He was a Jew of the Jews,  a Pharisee of Pharisees,…..yet followed the Word of the Lord,…..and did the work the Lord had given him,…..faithfully, even to Caesar’s household (Philippians 4:22).

God’s Words to us,……what we read, and what we hear,…….should be the authoritative commands of a Lord to His servant…..leading us to connect His Word to His purpose for us…..measuring ourselves and our response,  by it….

….that we too, may have confidence that…..”the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto His heavenly kingdom…..

…to Whom be glory forever and ever.   Amen.”