Reconciliation

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ,  he is a new creature:  old things are passed away;  behold, all things are become new.”

All things are become new.   And one of the grandest “new” things….is that we are reconciled to God.    

2 Corinthians 5:18-19 “And all things are of God, Who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

         To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.”

It is interesting to note that reconciled and reconciling are one Greek word….while reconciliation is another.

Reconciled and reconciling means to change mutually together.       

         When Christ died and paid the penalty for our sin….at that moment, we were forgiven our sins,….and were reconciled to God…in Christ Jesus.

        God in Christ was by that very sacrifice reconciling the “world” (those that would trust in Christ)…unto Himself….that is Christ and us were changed mutually together….placed together—never  to be separated.

          Romans 8:35, 37-39 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

          Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.

          For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

         Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God,  which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

This is what God did in Christ Jesus.   We come by faith….and He does this!   Amazing work!  Amazing love!

“…and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;”       “…and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.”

        The word “reconciliation”  means “to exchange or an adjustment to the divine favor”.   

And Paul is stressing that this is something we do….for God has given us this ministry and word.

(Years ago there was a movement in the church that stressed…”the exchanged life”.   This is basically to…

….”Deny ourselves, pick up our cross, and follow the Lord.    To lose our life in ourselves….our habits, and plans, and desires….to find our life in Christ.”  (Matthew 16:24-25)

        It stressed a call to discipleship….or a life of  “exchange”,   or adjustment to God’s Will and Way….the divine favor. 

        And let’s face it, there are many things in our life, even after being born again….which needs to be adjusted to God’s Way of doing things.     

       We exchange our will, for His,  we exchange our plans,  for His,….and mostly we come to love Him fervently….for we exchange what we loved before,   for Him….Who becomes our all in all.)

Paul stresses this “strengthening with might by HIs Spirit…in the inner man”….and what He produces within us….”to be filled with all the fullness of God”.

       Ephesians 3:16-19 “That He would grant you,…

(and a grant is given with the expectation that it will be used and improved upon)

….according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man;

        That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith;…

(this “dwell” is in reverential awe,  it  is not for salvation, but for living)

…that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 

        May be able to comprehend with all saints what in the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;

(In Romans, Paul says God gives this to us….and here, he says we can come to truly know it in our everyday lives!)

       And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.”

Paul wants the churches to know God’s great work of reconciling us to Himself by Christ….and our work of reconciliation to God’s Will and Way, by the Holy Spirit.

God has given each of us “the ministry of reconciliation, and the word of reconciliation”….for we do not go through this world alone.

       We are to use what God has given us and keep ourselves in His divine favor, and speak to others that they might, by faith, come to Christ and be reconciled in Christ Jesus.

2 Corinthians 5:20-21 “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us:  we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.

       For He hath made Him to be sin for us,  Who know no sin: that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.”

2 Corinthians 5:14-15 “For the love of Christ constraineth us;  because we thus judge, that if One died for all,  then were all dead:

      And that He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves,  but unto Him which died for them, and rose again.”

God hath reconciled us in Christ….we can never be separated from Him….

….but we are to seek the reconciliation of our life with HIs,  practically.

And, to know the love of Christ which passeth understanding….and pass it on.

To Whom is the Arm of the Lord Revealed?

When God speaks of His Arm…..He refers to HIs might.

Isaiah 53:1 “Who hath believed our report? And to whom is the Arm of the Lord revealed?”

To whom indeed was His Arm revealed?

Not to many….and not to many of any consequence to the world.

1 Corinthians 1:26-29 “For you see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:

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;

And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are nought, to bring to nought things that are:

That no flesh should glory in HIs presence.”

“But God chose”….if you are one of the chosen of God, by salvation in Christ Jesus the Lord….you will have His Arm (HIs power and might) revealed to you……and for you.

Deuteronomy 33:27 “The Eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the Everlasting Arms:…”

“Underneath”…to uphold and catch us.

But He is not always seen as He is…

Isaiah 53:2 “For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground: He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him.”

This speaks of Christ in His humiliation…..when He came to earth to take away our sins on the cross….He did not come with pomp and pageantry…..but:

Philippians 2:7 “But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:”

If you had seen Him on the dusty road of Judea, He would have seem quite like everyone else.

Yet He was the Son of God…..and as a Servant to God, He went about doing good and healing people.

He spoke of the Kingdom of God…..inviting men to believe on Him….calling men to follow after Him, if they would.

Isaiah 53:3 “He is despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from Him; He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.”

For the three years of ministry and service to Israel, He had few real followers, although many would come to hear Him,…..or receive something from Him.

And when He presented Himself to them, as the Son of God…..even riding into Jerusalem as the Scriptures said (Zechariah 9:9)….”lowly, and riding upon a colt the foal of an ass”…to Hosanna to the Highest! (Matthew 21:9)

…still they rejected Him.

And have not we done the same….rejecting Who He is…..turning away from Him….until the Holy Spirit has awakened us to His claims on our lives?

To whom is the Arm of the Lord revealed? Only to those who will submit themselves to that Arm…..for themselves.

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.

The only thing Jesus cursed while here

Matthew 21:17-19 “And He left them, and went out of the city into Bethany, and He lodged there.

Now in the morning, as He returned into the city, He hungered.

And when He saw a fig tree in the way, He came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away.”

(In Mark, it was the next morning that they saw the fig tree withered…..from it’s roots, up. Mark 11:20-21)

Here is the only thing our Lord cursed while here on earth……the fruitless fig tree.

(The fig tree’s leaves, were what Adam and Eve put together to cover themselves after their sin! Genesis 3:7)

This was the last week of Jesus life here on earth, and He has been in the city of Jerusalem teaching during the day…but at night went out to Bethany.

(It is interesting to note, that the Lord never spend a night in the city, after He rode into Jerusalem as “Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna to the Highest.” Matthew 21:9.

He left Jerusalem, and went out to Bethany: home of Martha, Mary and Lazarus)

In the morning, walking back into Jerusalem, Jesus was hungry,…..when He saw a fig tree that had leaves.

(Fig trees first produce the beginnings of the fruit of figs, at the same time the leaves come on….so if the tree had leaves, whether it was the time for figs or not….it should have had fruit.)

But this tree had no fruit, to satisfy the Lord.

“Fruit” is the term used by the Lord to describe what we, as His people, are to give to Him. It springs from the life He implants within us…..in obedience to His life within us.

From John the Baptist’s charge against Israel…..to prepare the hearts of the people for Jesus, which spoke about fruit:

Matthew 3:8, 10 “Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:

And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the tree: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.”

And Jesus’ sermon on the mount:

Matthew 7:19-20 “Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.”

To the end when Jesus was talking to His disciples:

John 15:2, 4 “Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit He taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch can not bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me.”

“Fruit” is how we show the life of Christ, through us. We bring forth the fruit of HIs life…..in our lives.

That is what He asks from His people…..to show that we are His.

That is how we satisfy the Lord Jesus.

And this is what the Lord was showing, in cursing the fruitless fig tree. “Let not fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever.”

If there is no fruit, but leaves only….it is worthless.

The leaves cover the tree, and make it look good to those who pass by….but leaves will not satisfy the Lord Jesus.

Matthew 21:20 “And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away!”

After three years with the Lord, you would think the disciples would not be amazed at the fact that everything in creation, obeys the Lord…..but it was beyond natural,….yes, it was by the command of the Son of God.

Matthew 21:21-22 “Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.

And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.”

Jesus was not giving a formula for rearranging landscapes……but a way….by faith (which is given to us when we receive His life in us)…….to remove from ourselves, any thing which would hinder us, from showing forth His life through us.

Whether is be a “fig tree”, which needs to be destroyed…..

….or a “mountain” which needs to be removed out of our way…..each is done, by us……by the faith the Lord has given us.

1 John 5:4 “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.”

As Christians, we are to bring forth fruit to God….the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), and the fruit of a Christian…which is another Christian; by prayer, witnessing, or soul winning.

We are not all called to the same work…..but we are all called to satisfy the Lord Jesus Christ by giving Him the fruit of His life,…..lived out, through ours.

Temptation.

Luke 8:13 “They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for awhile believe, and in time of temptation fall away.”

Here is described some who hear the Word of God; and their hearts respond to it with joy!

They believe for awhile, for they receive the word, not just hear it.

This means that their hearts want Salvation. They understand the promise of it, as well as what it demands of them.

They will to obey it, and go along great…..until something halts their progress.

That “something” is Temptation.

To tempt is to arouse to action or anger; to induce to do something; to persuade.

Temptation comes along and knocks at the door of your life.

Life might be treating you badly. You might already be hurt, or angry, or discouraged (and this is a big one: discouragement)

So the devil, our Adversary, who is behind each temptation, sends “Complaints” to speak to us.

Complaints comes and knocks at our door. When we open to see who it is, he says, “How many times are you going to put up with their ingratitude?”

“You deserve to have that position. You work harder than anybody else!”

“They should never have said that about you. You are so much nicer than they are.”

He says exactly what we want to hear.

Should you listen?

(First mistake. Eve was tripped up by listening to the devil, she should have run away at the first suggestion out of his mouth)

Should you open to see exactly what “Complaints” is offering?

Now if we are “sober (serious about standing with Christ),

and vigilant (watchful); we can refuse Complaint’s suggestions.

1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”

Because, devour is what the devil wants to do, with this Temptation. To eat up every determination to do God’s Will.

(Believe me, every temptation we yield to; weakens our faith. If you would be strong in the faith, flee temptation.)

Remember, that is what it is: it is a Temptation, no matter what name it comes knocking under.

If we listen, and consider what Temptation is offering; a foothold is made in your heart or your understanding. And once there, they are twice as hard to resist.

Christ Jesus taught His disciples to pray:

Matthew 6:13 “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”

There are two parts to dealing with Temptation:

1. “Lord, lead us not into temptation”. Let me keep asking for the help I need. To lean on You to say and do only what I should.

James 1:19-20 “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear (God), slow to speak, slow to wrath:

For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.”

2. “but, deliver us from evil”. For there is a way out of Temptation, once we are in it.

James 4:7-8 “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you, cleanse your hands ye sinners; and purify your hearts ye double-minded.”

The first is submit to God: confess your desire to listen and go along with Temptation, and confess your anger (or what ever the sin was).

This submission is a deliberate act of your will, and the real Victory is in the submission.

Then resist the devil: “The Lord rebuke thee.” (We certainly can’t in our own power, but in His name, we can.)

Then draw near to God, and He will draw near to you: This is a military movement. It is going back, to take cover in Christ Jesus, our Rock; and He will protect us, and fight for us in a special way.

Temptations are common to man.

But we can be delivered from them:

1 Corinthians 10:13 “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

And God has promised a blessing for all those who endure.

Endure means that you stand with Christ Jesus; and when the temptation is over, you are still standing with Jesus.

(You may fall. But He has provided His forgiveness, and cleansing power to get us up and stand again with Him.)

James 1:12 “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.”

Are we Profitable Servants?

Luke 17:7-10 “But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat?

And will not rather say unto him, make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and after ward thou shalt eat and drink?

Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not.

So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.”

To do what was our duty to do, is to be found faithful in all our gifts and callings.

But everything we’ve been called to do; every work He would require at our hands, has been paid for already.

The full price was paid for by the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The power and plan to do is given to us, by Him; we have but to follow Him and do.

And when we have done that which was our duty to do, as His faithful servants?

We must say we are unprofitable servants; because what we do is not a matter of merit.

We are accountable to Him for our duty.

How is it then, we minister to His satisfaction? What is it that truly pleases Him?

It is what we become, ourselves, under His training, that pleases Him.

If in the end of our training, we are still arguing about the circumstances, or plan, or way, or anything;……we are not giving much pleasure to Him.

(Think of your child, who does the chores you tell him, but not until you have to yell at him, or practically drag him out to do it. When he is done, you do not have pleasure in the doing, but rather feel it would have been easier for you, to do it yourself.)

We may do what we are told, finally, for some reason. But the pleasure of the Lord in the doing, is that we are identified with Him in it.

That never happens if we are still at odds, in some way, with Him….or the circumstances He has allowed.

What He wants is a love relationship: so He uses the story of a servant who has worked in the field, yet still is to serve Him, in the house.

When we are busy all day, for Christ; we tend to forget (unless we have learned the lesson here),…

….that we also need to Love Christ, personally. (Pictured in the setting before Him the food and drink, personally)

We need to become, under His hand, a loving disciple that will do anything (without thinking of the consequences), to please Him.

(The term, “under His hand”, is another phrase that you used to hear often; but don’t any more.

Let me explain: My husband and I are older,….and we are used to holding hands when walking,…

….or I have my hand at his elbow, or his hand on my shoulder.

Yes, it is good for balance; but also we can communicate with each other by the hands. He squeezes my hand and nods his head toward something…..or I nudge him with my elbow….these are communications without words…

This is the same with the Lord’s hand. His touch, on our eyes, or ears, or shoulder, or elbow to turn us here or there; or away from this or that.

This is by the Holy Spirit.

But as I like my husband’s hand on my arm, so we should like the hand of God on us.)

The mature love of lovers, knows the things that please. So we should grow up: out of ourself life, into Christ’s life for us; and become lovers of God.

You may say that this parable is of a servant. Yes, and I say let us look to who Jesus was giving this to, and for what reason He gave this.

Jesus had been talking to His disciples about offenses.

There are many in this life: many which we do, and many which come to us.

How were they to deal with them?

We are to rebuke the offender, or tell him you were offended: and if he is sorry, forgive him.

And if he turns and does it seven times in a day;…..yet is sorry seven times, Jesus’ disciples were to forgive him each and every time.

The disciples, feeling totally inadequate (and who isn’t without the power of the Holy Spirit?), said:

Luke 17:5-6 “And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.

And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto the sycamine tree, be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea: and it should obey you.”

Here, then is the setting for the story of the servant: As His servants we are given faith.

Faith is the workhorse of our Christians lives.

It makes God real, and His Word hearable.

So we can know Him.

As His servants, we are to do our duty, Absolutely.

As His love-servants, we are to become more and more in love with Christ; and become all we were created for…..for His pleasure.

Jacob’s Wrestling with the Lord

Genesis 32:24 “And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.”

Jacob was coming home to Canaan. He had been told of God:

Genesis 31:13 “I am the God of Beth-el, where thou anointest the pillar, and where thou vowest a vow unto Me: now, arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred.”

So he was coming home, with his wives, sons and substance………But also with a guilty conscience. He had tricked his father into giving him…… the blessing, instead of Esau.

God had wanted him to have it, but Jacob and his mother schemed to get it; instead of waiting for God’s way.

Now he was coming back into the land, and Esau, his brother, would surely hear of it, and seek to kill him, as he had often promised he would. (Genesis 27:41)

What could he do? When he first set foot into the land again, angels met him.

Most believe these “hosts of angels”, were positioned one in the back of his family, and one before.

(The Lord does that to us, as well. We may not see them, but:

Psalm 34:7 “The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them.”)

Genesis 32:1-2 “And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him.

And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God’s hosts: and he called the name of the place Mahanaim.”

Jacob took this as a sign that God would protect him, and so sent word to Esau that he was back in the land.

“…thy servant Jacob…I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight.” (Genesis 32:4-5)

Perhaps time had softened his hate.

But then he got word that Esau was coming to meet him—that wasn’t bad—but with four hundred men! (Genesis 32:6)

That sounded like an army; and Jacob was fearful…very fearful.

(I use the term fearful, because fear strikes at the heart of every person. You may be scared in a moment…jump in panic; but fear is often an attack against the Word of God, as it was here.)

Jacob became so fearful, he began to rely upon his schemes again.

First, he divided the people into two bands. If Esau would destroy the first, maybe he will spare the next.

Then, he prayed. (Genesis 32:9-12)

This should have been first…but Jacob schemes before he trusts, yet God is merciful. The Lord told him to come back to the land, would He desert him?

Jacob prays to God on the basis of the covenant God made with Abraham, and his Seed.(Christ)

(So, too, we pray on the basis of the covenant God made with Christ, for us)

Jacob reminds God of what He said to do, of His own Word, which is what we should do. Jacob tells Him he has obeyed.

He tells God, he is not worthy of the least of His mercies and of the goodness God has already shown him.

Then he prays for deliverance, reminding the Lord of His promise where his children are concerned.

This was a wonderful prayer, but it seems as though Jacob’s fears were not removed, for….

he started to think….hmmm….I can send a present to Esau. Maybe that will appease him.

So off he goes, scheming. He starts picking out this and that; sending it on to Esau with shepherds, with the words: “A present….Jacob is behind us, but here is a present for my lord Esau”. (Very flattering; at least Jacob hopes so)

Then he sends his family over the brook; so that there would be that between Esau and them.

He was alone then, on this side of the brook.

And then…..

Genesis 32:24 “And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.”

We are not shown how this “man” came, or what they said to each other for most of the night.

Those are things between the Lord and Jacob; for this “Man” was a theophanic manifestation of the Son of God.

Genesis 32:25-26 “And when He saw that He prevailed not against him, He touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as He wrestled with him.

And He said, Let me go, for the day breaketh.

And he said, I will not let Thee go, except Thou bless me.”

But why did the Lord wrestle with Jacob all night? Why didn’t He just touch him right away?

Because He wanted to bring Jacob to a point of recognized weakness. To a place where Jacob’s strength and schemes were seen as the Lord sees them: useless.

And this takes time.

And Jacob kept wrestling, and kept wrestling, to gain the victory.

(But, thankfully, he was not the one who gained the victory.)

When it was almost sunrise, the Lord touched the hollow of Jacob’s thigh; and he fell! But Jacob kept clinging to the Lord…he did not let Him go.

Yet he still did not say anything, till the Lord said, “Let me go…”.

Here was the real test:

At the end of a battle, we might be willing for it to be over; but Jacob knew Who the “Man” was.

By now Jacob knew, if he was to get what he needed for himself and for the future, he must get the Lord’s blessing.

(And do we know this for ourselves? “It is not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts” [Zechariah 4:6]. It is often not until we know our own powerlessness, that we seek to hang on to the Lord, for His blessing…..but this takes time.)

Jacob, still clinging, says, “I will not let Thee go, except Thou bless me.”

Genesis 32:27-28 “And He said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.

And He said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Isra-el: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.”

Jacob (supplanter, contender) who had schemed and planned; was to become Isra-el (God commands or prevails).

Jacob was to be a prince or a delegated authority of God’s Name,……but only in his recognized weakness.

(Paul wrote of the same thing: 2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

Isra-el was to be his new name. (When the first part of a name is combined with “El” or God, then the doer in the name is always God. [Daniel…God judgeth; Gabriel…God is my strength, etc.])

So now Jacob was to stop scheming; and let God command or prevail in him and for him.

This did not always happen: read Jacob/Israel’s life and you will see from now on, the two names still apply.

But God had brought him into a new way of life, and God would prevail.

It is natural for us to work out, for ourselves, the plans of our lives. We often feel very capable to do so: God gave us a brain…right?

But God, in patience and longsuffering, deals with us (wrestles?) to bring us to the place where we are clinging to Him, alone.

Esau came (with the four hundred men) but when he saw Jacob, he ran and hugged and kissed him! (Genesis 33:4)

When God prevails in us;……He will prevail for us. His Word is ever true…we need to claim it.

His power is never limited.

His blessings are only waiting for us to cling to Him.

 Light for the Way that I must take

Proverbs 4:18 (ASV) “But the path of the righteous is as the dawning light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.”

And just what is “light” in the scriptures?

Light is that instruction, guidance and revelation from Christ Jesus to you,  which comes by HIs  Word.  

       Though the scriptures are read every day,  yet the Holy Spirit within a Christian will open up the eyes to see what the Lord is speaking about….to me,…to you.

Ephesians 5:13 “But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light:  for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.”

This verse is not much preached on….but “reproved” here means to  “convict,  convince,  tell a fault.”

And the light of God does all these as we hear or read HIs Word.

        Convict…..means that you feel the guilt of your error, and the harm that it has done to you and others.

       Convince….means that the Holy Spirit uses the Word to show you that which is true, and that which is false.

       Tell a fault….we are all responsible to use the Word and His grace to do His Will….and if we fail,  what a blessing it is when someone is sent….or the Word shows us what is wrong.  

              Proverbs 25:12 “As an earring of gold,  and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear.”

       (Rather than going on in the wrong and hurting someone….or be hurt and maybe become resentful.

             Matthew 18:15 “Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee,  go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone:  if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.”)

God is light,  and He manifests the truth…

……that we can manifest the Truth in our lives, as well.

Paul says,  but “we know that whatsoever doth make manifest is light.”

      And Paul should know….having been knocked down by  the Light of Christ on the road to Damascus.

      In Acts 9:3-4,  the narrative says,  “…and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:  and he fell to the earth…”

      In Paul’s testimony (Acts 22:6-7, 9),  he says,  “…suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me.    And I fell unto the ground,…  

      And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid;  but they heard not the voice of Him that spake to me.”

This is exactly as it is in real life….many “see the light”….and are afraid.    

      But others “see the light” and bow to it….and hear what it being said to them by the Holy Spirit.

Light makes manifest….or makes apparent.  

       It is not the gray….I am not sure.     But the knowledge of God and His Will shown to us.

       Five times in this practical chapter in Ephesians, light is mentioned.   

              Twice in,   Ephesians 5:8 “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord;  walk as children of light;”

              Twice in    Ephesians 5:13 “But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light;  for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.”

              And…

Ephesians 5:14 “Wherefore He saith,   Awake thou that sleepest,  and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.”

Paul begins this chapter with,   “And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given HImself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savor.”  (Eph. 5:2)

But to walk in love….we need light.   We need to “Awake” and “Arise” to the light that Christ shall give.  

       Notice,  it is “shall give”….if we acknowledge our “being asleep as if we are dead”.

       Rest is essential….but this sleep is dangerous.   We are to “watch” and keep our lights burning brightly…trimming our lights, keeping them filled with the oil of the Spirit  (Matthew 25:1-13)…till He comes.

Wake up to just what you are….get honest with Christ Jesus…and “Christ shall give” thee light.

The Lord is My Shepherd

John 10:11 “I am the good Shepherd: the good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep.”

In the Psalms, we are called the “sheep of His pasture” (Psalm 100:3), denoting His ownership of us. We belong to Him, and by this…..are under His protection.

It is a good thing that we are; for the Lord Jesus warns us of the enemies which are against us:

Thieves and robbers…wolves…and those that are not sheep:

John 10:1 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.”

John 10:12 “But he that is a hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, see the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth; and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.”

John 10:26 “But ye believe not, because ye are not of My sheep, as I said unto you.”

The true flock of God, hear His voice and follow where He leads:

John 10:3-4 “To Him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear His voice: and He calleth His own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.

And when He putteth forth His own sheep, He goeth before them, and the sheep follow Him: for they know His voice.”

Do you think Jesus doesn’t know you? Certainly He does.

He calls you by name—your name; that you may follow Him.

He does not drive the sheep before…..but leads them.

Anything that is waiting for the sheep, will first be faced by Him.

He has prepared the way, we are to go.

He measures every temptation, and trial….and makes a way through it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

Psalm 23:1 “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.”

Rightly has Matthew Henry said:

“I shall be supplied with what I need. And if I do not have everything I desire, I may conclude that it is not good for me; Or I shall have it in due time.”

Psalm 23:2-3 “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name sake.”

His leading us is essential; for He knows where and how we are to safely rest.

He restores me in His redemption, to God;…..in His forgiveness, to peace;….in His fellowship, to joy and love.

And we walk and rest, under the banner of His Name. (Song of Solomon 2:4)

Psalm 23:4 “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me, Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.”

Even in the darkest times…times of shadows between us…..and times when things are not so clear….

Thy rod….Your Word of correction, and instruction comfort me….for in the trials, it is so easy for me to become discouraged….and begin to “look around”.

But Your “rod” awakens me to who I am…..I am Yours; and that You are here, with me….now….fully in charge of every circumstance.

Your Staff….the Holy Spirit….nudges me along….rescuing me from dangers.

They both are used on me, to keep me safe behind You….

…and You use them on the enemies which wait for my soul.

Psalm 23:5 “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.”

We walk through this wilderness world…..with temptations, anger, and even hate, all around us…..Yet, He has supplied a feast….in Himself…..for us.

We can come to Him anytime, getting protection….and guidance through this maze of life.

The Holy Spirit gives us His “anointing”:

“But the anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth,….”. (1 John 2:27)

So that I may testify to others of Your overflow in my life.

Psalm 23:6 “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

In this life of troubles, and trials, and joys……I will praise Your goodness to me. And praise Your mercy in my weaknesses, my doubts, my backsliding, my failures, and my discouragement under them all.

I praise You for all You have done….and I am confident it will continue forever, with You, in Your heavenly home.

The Good Shepherd is Jesus Christ….is He your Shepherd?

Perhaps you have said you would follow….but your confidence is wavering…

You know you’re calling….but, you are feeling anxious…

He has always known the way, and delivered you….but time has passed….

Then, read again Psalm 23…..and put your name there. For if you are born again, then He is “my shepherd”……

Call out to Him, and hear again His voice….and follow Him.

We must turn our backs to the world

2 Corinthians 6:17-18 “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

And I will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.”

It is an old saying,…that we can never go anywhere….without leaving where we are.

We have been part of the world….we have friends there, and relatives there….

…….yet we have been called to separate ourselves from the world…..and those who would seek to draw us back under it’s influence….

….to give up everything contrary to the Will of God for our lives.

1 John 2:15 “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

This stresses that we follow what we love…..

1 John 2:16-17 “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.”

Two choices are contrasted here (really throughout the Bible)….

….To know and do God’s Will.

….Or to follow the world’s leading.

Colossians 1:9-10 “For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;”

(Colossians is an interesting book, in that the Spirit of God is only mentioned once…Colossians 1:8.

And that is because Paul is setting Christ before our eyes…..as the great and marvelous Object to move our our hearts….

….this is our provision for the way we turn our backs to this world….the strength and power we receive by seeing the glory of our Head…..Christ Jesus our Lord.

The main verses of the book are:

Colossians 2:9-10 “For in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.

And ye are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and power.”)

Our provision for turning our backs on the world is spoken of here….through the merits of Christ.

Colossians 1:12-13 “Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:

Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son:”

This God the Father has done for us,….in Christ….it is done.

He has translated us from the kingdom or “authority” of darkness to the kingdom of His dear Son.

He has…..in Christ….delivered us.

We are made children of light….with the peace, joy, and satisfaction that is in the Light of Christ.

“Translated”….means that God has taken us….spirit, soul and body….from the authority of the darkness we were in….

….and by Christ’s merits….we have been placed under the authority of the kingdom of Christ Jesus.

We have new citizenship….new rights and privileges….and new responsibilities.

We have this…..spiritually.

But it rests with us….by an act of our wills….to see these practical privileges entered into….in our everyday life.

What does this mean? It means that those old habits, those old sins, those old attitudes…..do not have authority over you…..they can not control you…….unless you consent to them.

Anything left in the kingdom of Darkness….will give an occasion to the devil….and an open door to the world’s influence.

It needs to be practically dealt with….

….bringing them to the light….and seeing why we have felt or thought the way we do about this.

Then, doing what the Lord says…..confess and forsake, or surrender to the authority of Christ.

(All is light, if we walk in the Light….1 John 1:7…..so it is only by our consent that darkness enters our lives….whether by thinking sin a small thing…..or by “looking back” to the world as Lot’s wife….)

As we deal with these things one by one, we practically take all from darkness to Light…..until all is light.

We need single eyes.

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, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is the darkness!”

Christ spoke of this when He was here.

What we “look to” is what we feel is important or desire. That is our “eye”.

If our eye is “single”…..which means that we are like doves which see only one thing at a time.

Our eye should see Christ….He is our Savior, Lord, Example,….our Rock, our Shepherd, our Truth, our Glory.

If we keep our eye turned toward Him…..we will be turning our backs to the world.

This is the reason Paul is spotlighting Christ as the Object of Power, Fullness and Light for the Colossians.

For with Christ in our view…..the world’s show and noice, is seen as just that.

We must turn our backs to the world…..

….it is often not a matter of opinion about “right and wrong”….

…..but do I see Christ in this?

Is this God’s Will for me?