One Last Thing

Genesis 1:26

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

Genesis 1:31 - 2:2

31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.

The finished creation is the combining of heaven and earth in the image of man made into the image of God. 

This takes place in the body of Christ. 

He is the radiance of God wrapped in our flesh.  

The light of the word spoken into our darkness. 

Our Home

John 14:23

Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

Our home on earth is an amalgamation of time and place filtered through our experience and memory. It is an artifact of our mind and is thereby unique to us. 

Our heavenly home is the reality of God who makes His home in us. 

 

To Unite All Things

Ephesians 1:7-10

7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

Colossians 2:9

For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,

Jesus is the meeting point of heaven and earth, and in Him they are joined as one. The divine takes the shape of a son of man, as The Son of Man. He is the first and beginning of the new creation known as the body of Christ. We become the dwelling place of the Lord. A suitable companion will rise from here. 

Visible And Invisible

Colossians 1:16-17 ESV 

For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Creation includes heaven and earth. God existed before His throne in heaven was established. 

God was invisible to man until He took the shape of a man. The light of the world made Him visible in the man named Jesus. 

His creation is composed of the visible and invisible. The waters below and the waters above. Of heaven and earth. Of spirit and flesh. Of light and darkness. The light makes all things visible. 

There is an expanse between them. 

The Firstborn Image

Colossians 1:15 ESV 

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.

The only begotten. 

Not born from below and reborn from above. 

The beginning of a new creation. 

Born in the latter days of creation, yet the firstborn of all creation. 

In the sixth day and final day before God rests. 

When we are made in the image of God, we become like Christ. 

We enter the body of Christ, just as He entered our flesh. 

That is where we become one with Him. He wraps His life in our flesh and we receive His life in our own. 

Jesus is living because God is living. He brings the life of God to us. 

The light of the world makes the Father visible in His face.  We can behold His face as we gaze into a mirror and witness our transformation into His image. 

We cannot be made in His image until He was born in our image. 

Was Born

Galatians 4:28-31 ESV 

28 Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29 But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now. 30 But what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman.” 31 So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman.

We are born according to the flesh. We are reborn according to the Spirit. The contention of the two lies in the heart of every child of God. 

Passing The Time

We are only minutes away from eternity.

Have you booked a room for your stay?

The Treasure

Deuteronomy 7:6 ESV 

“For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.

The Israelites are the people of the earth who are chosen by God as His treasured possession. They are holy because He is Holy. 

Those in Christ are the people of the kingdom of heaven. We choose God and we are made into His royal priesthood. We are holy because He is Holy. 

One is treasured on earth and the other finds their treasure in heaven. 

His Nature

Hebrews 1:3 ESV 

He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

Romans 2:14

For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law.

The light of the world is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature. This is the man Jesus. Those in Christ begin a transformation into the nature of Christ. His nature is what the law requires. We have to be in His body before He can enter ours. A natural man can then become the natural man God intended. 

For All Who Believe

Romans 3:21-26 ESV 

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. 

The righteousness of God has been given to the flesh of mankind. Jesus wrapped Himself in that sinful flesh and raised it to His throne in heaven. We can choose to join our spirits with His Spirit and follow wrapped in new flesh like His. 

The grace of this gift is offered to all who believe. No one is predestined for His salvation, though everyone is predestined for destruction. That is why the road to destruction is wide and the way to everlasting life is narrow. They are sized to handle the traffic in each direction. The decision to become one with Jesus lies with each of us. The path chosen is up to us. 

God has shown us His righteousness and we are here in the present time when He can be found. He is looking for us and holds out His light to show the way. He does this that we might find Him. 

Faith is the power that brings us and will keep us in the palm of His hand. 

The Knowledge Of Sin

Romans 3:19-20 NASB

Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.

When Adam ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, sin entered the world. The digested fruit becomes the Law given to Israel, his descendants and heirs who are to tend to the Garden and hold out the light of God to the nations and the world. 

 The Law applies to those under the Law. 

Those who are in Christ have been freed from the Law, but have not been freed from obedience to the Lord. It is now a personal matter. Fortunately, we have the person of Jesus Christ who is with us and intercedes with the Father on our behalf. 

The Mark

Romans 2:25-29 ESV 

For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? Then he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law. For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.

In the end, circumcision is the mark of god on His people. The mark of the Old Covenant was on the outward flesh of His elect people. The relationship was between God and the natural man of the nation of Israel. They lived exclusively in the flesh as they tried to relate to God. 

The circumcision of the New Covenant is inward and manifests with the Holy Spirit residing in the heart of the believer. This is made possible when one is reborn from above. The spirit of that person is made alive to the Spirit of God. We refer to this reality as being one with Christ. We are still in the flesh, but relate to Him in Spirit. This is true worship, for God is Spirit 

In these verses we see the fullness of what it means to be a Jew. It is the one in relationship with God. The fulfillment of that relationship is in a people who approach God the Father as His children. 

Taking His Name, But Not His Word

Romans 2:17-24 ESV 

But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law; and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”

Knowing the truth is not a substitute to living in the truth. It is only then the truth will set us free. To say there is no truth only means one hasn’t found it yet. Jesus is the way, truth, and life. Keep looking and He will be found. 

Reconciliation with God is evident when word and deed are the same. When they are not, there is work to be done. Do not take His name in vain. 

Living From The Inside Out

Romans 2:12-16 ESV 

For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.

Those who have the Holy Spirit have been given a new nature. We are a new creature in Christ. The purpose and intent of the law is fulfilled by Jesus who abides in our hearts. The law on the outside of man is written and transformed into the living word within. 

The righteousness of God comes through faith. Faith is real when it manifests in the doing. 

When we bring the word within, we can experience it in a most intimate way. It is the seed sown in our earth that can take root and grow into the kingdom of heaven. Growth will depend on the soil and how it is received. It will be reflected in how we do life. It can reach the throne of Christ if we persevere. 

Our spirits bear witness to this life we’ve been given and our lives should bear witness to the life of Christ. We live from the inside out. 

Works Of The Living

Romans 2:6-11 ESV 

He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality.

Our works are as integral and real to life in Christ as each breath we breathe in and out. To draw a breath requires that we must expel the last. One thing leads to another, just as one step leads to another. When we breathe in the Spirit, we walk with Christ. There is a natural flow of our new nature. 

If we are alive to Christ, we do the works of the living. The natural man is only capable of doing the works of a natural man. If we are reborn into the life of God, we become capable of doing the works of a son of God. We go from one glory to another. 

It is walking with the Son that leads us to the Father. Walking our own way will always take us somewhere else. 

In The Judgement Seat

Romans 2:1-5 ESV 

Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed.

No one has the right to judge because we are all sinners. We do have the obligation and need for discernment. They are not the same. 

Discerning allows us to make choices that get us through the day. It allows us to hear the good news and the truth of the word from God. It allows us to make the choice for life. Through discernment we can choose between the good and bad, between right and wrong. 

Judgement puts us in the place of God. We don’t want to be in His seat when He comes to sit down. 

The Wordless Realm Of Spirit

John 4:23-24 ESV 

But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Our meditations only allow us to explore the edges of the kingdom of heaven. The inner recesses are explored and experienced in the wordless realm of spirit. This is where true worship resides and the disciple abides. 

Aha!

Mark 15:29-30 ESV 

And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!”

Jesus literally said He would rebuild the temple in three days. He did not mean it literally with the literal meaning of those words. He spoke in parables, using earthly words to speak of heavenly things. The truth is contained in His word, for He is the truth and the word of God. 

The truth is there for all who seek it. It will seem like foolishness to those who are perishing. It will be an “aha” moment when you find it, for the wonder and surprise that has been there all along. It is the pearl of wisdom which leads to life. 

A Fourth Of The Earth

Revelation 6:7-8 ESV 

When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider's name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth.

A fourth of the people and geography on earth are under the authority of Islam according to Mark Davidson’s book “Daniel Revisited.” He points out the verse does not say a fourth of the earth is killed. The world will feel the repercussions of the great tribulation, but the main stage for the drama and violence to come will be where Muslims rule. A majority of the violence today is for the glory of Allah. This will be the case for tomorrow as well. 

 

A Fact Of Life

John 13:33-35 ESV 

Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Jesus would soon disappear from the eyes of world through the doorway which leads to life. The doorway is death which serves as the only way to pass from natural life of man to the eternal life of God. A natural man cannot come through that door. All natural men will die. This is a fact of life. The one who shares in the death with Christ will share in His supernatural life. This is a fact of life, of true life. 

Love has opened the door to love. Those who pass that way will be known by that love which is a fact of His life. 

A Word

1 Peter 1:22-25 ESV 

Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for

“All flesh is like grass

and all its glory like the flower of grass.

The grass withers,

and the flower falls,

but the word of the Lord remains forever.”

And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

Can I have a word with you?

Can man live without God? The answer is not for long. 

Pray Without Ceasing

1 Thessalonians 5:16-17 ESV 

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing,

To pray without ceasing is communion with the Lord. It is living in the fullness of His life. It is not found in words, but in the living word. 

If You Want Something More

Revelation 2:7 ESV 

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.’

Believe in Jesus and be saved. 

If you want something more, follow the way of Jesus. 

He overcame the world and can help you overcome yours. 

The tree of life awaits. 

Four Things To Know Today

God loves you. 

He is with us. 

We are just passing through a world that is passing away. 

His word is true because He is the word. 

Truly Disciples

John 17:3 ESV 

And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

John 5:24

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

John 8:31-32

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

To know God is to abide in His word. True disciples know this truth and are set free. That freedom is life eternal. 

The Fire Will Test

1 Corinthians 3:10-15

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

We are only able to stand before the Lord because Jesus laid a firm foundation when He laid down His life for us. What we do with that life is up to us. The light of day will reveal all things, judged by the fire that burns before the throne in heaven. 

Our salvation does not depend on our work, but our reward does. He seeks the fruit of the vine when it’s time for the harvest. A branch that does not produce fruit is in danger of being removed and thrown into the fire. He who has will be given more. 

Don’t Be Surprised

Revelation 3:1-3 ESV 

To the Church in Sardis

“And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.

“‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you.

The thought in verse 3 can be expressed in this way:  if you stay awake, you will not be surprised at my coming. You will not know the moment of my coming, but you will be expecting my arrival. 

Don’t be surprised. Instead, be joyful. 

1 Thessalonians 5:4-5

But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.