By The Light

Ephesians 5:13 (ESV)

But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible,

The world is an illusion for anyone who does not see with the light of Christ. 

Only The Beginning

Mankind is the primitive beginning of the body of Christ which will find individual perfection upon His return. 

According To His Purpose

Ephesians 1:9-10 (ESV)

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.

What is God’s will for your life, for all life? To be united in Christ. Those united in Christ have joined the union of heaven and earth. He has united the flesh of the earth with the light of heaven as one. He is the cornerstone of the edifice known as the living and final temple of God. We are the living stones of the new temple to come. 

This is the perfection of creation. The fullness of time is filled when the work of God is done. 

Shake Off The Dust

Mark 6:10-11 (ESV)

10 And he said to them, “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there. 11 And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.”

We all are from the dust of the earth and it is back to the dust we return unless we receive the gospel of the word. Shaking the dust off their feet symbolizes those who reject their testimony about Jesus, which becomes a testimony against them. 

Prescribed Limits

Job 38:8-11 (ESV)

8 “Or who shut in the sea with doors

when it burst out from the womb,

9 when I made clouds its garment

and thick darkness its swaddling band,

10 and prescribed limits for it

and set bars and doors,

11 and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther,

and here shall your proud waves be stayed’?

God separated the waters below from the waters above at creation. Earth was created in darkness and the sea had its limits and could go no further. 

Christ is the light that shines in the darkness and the door that separates the two. 

Knowledge Of God

The more we discover through science, the more the knowledge of God will increase. There is a shortcut to this knowledge and we refer to it as faith. 

The benefits of this knowledge are out of this world! There is no reason to wait or delay. There is every reason to act now. 

Intelligent Design

Intelligent design can only be witnessed by intelligence. This is the basis for a relationship between God and man, and how they can become one. 

“In his groundbreaking book The Design Inference, Dembski explicated the criteria by which rational agents recognize the effects of other rational agents and distinguish them from the effects of unintelligent natural causes. According to Dembski, systems, sequences, or events that exhibit two characteristics at the same time—extreme improbability and a special kind of pattern called a “specification”—indicate prior intelligent activity. According to Dembski, extremely improbable events that also exhibit “an independently recognizable pattern” or set of functional requirements, what he calls a “specification,” invariably result from intelligent causes, not chance or physical-chemical laws.32” Return of the God Hypothesis by Stephen Myer, Page 249. 

People Should Repent

Mark 6:12-13 (ESV)

12 So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent. 13 And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.

Repentance is the work of man that prepares the way for the coming of the Lord into our hearts. 

The Holy Spirit then begins His work of salvation and transformation. 

Our Transfiguration

Mark 9:2-3 (ESV)

2 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them.

 

 It is amazing to consider that we who follow Christ will be transfigured to be like Jesus. Our bodies shall rise from the earth and meet Him in the air, transformed into the immortal body like His, clothed in robes whiter than anything on earth. It will be a mountain high experience like no other. 

The six days mentioned that pass may represent our days of life as a man or woman which we leave behind for a new and more abundant life. 

They Took Offense

Mark 6:3 (ESV)

Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.

The truth is often encountered in familiar places in unexpected ways. The Lord and the Spirit are not bound by tradition or expectations. 

When the Holy Spirit descended to remain on the disciples of Jesus in Jerusalem, many assumed they were drunk, dismissing one of the most glorious works of God. It can be easy to dismiss what we don’t understand and even take offense to revelation. 

A Light To My Path

Psalms 119:105 (ESV)

NUN

Your word is a lamp to my feet

and a light to my path.

The light of God is necessary for discernment. His word is our lamp to find the way of salvation. 

Things That Come Out

Mark 7:14-15 (ESV)

14 And he called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand: 15 There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.”

A person may be tempted by something he sees, but the outcome is determined within a man. He will be judged by the fruit he bears. 

He Cannot See

John 3:3 (ESV)

Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Believing is seeing. His light reveals the truth. Seeing the kingdom of God allows one to see the wilderness for what it is. 

Our Witness

Our witness of the glory of God’s creation is uniquely our own. No one else will occupy your time and space. No one else will experience life exactly as you will. Your testimony might be similar to someone else’s, but your revelation and life is to be shared by you and God in a personal relationship.  

Hold Fast

1 Corinthians 15:1-2 (NASB)

1 Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.

The word of God has gone forth into the world and will fulfill it’s purpose. Those who receive it and hold fast to its promise will inherit the fruit of salvation. Do not take the Lord’s name in vain. 

To Choose

Why did God form creation into heaven and earth? Into light and darkness?

For the same reason there is a tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden. To choose His 

Bride from the people who would choose Him. 

The Whole Tree

The tree of life is comprised of the stump of Jessie, Israel, with the wild olive branches of the church grafted in. It bears the fruit of the Spirit which is for the healing of the nations. The Spirit is the living waters that flow from the throne of God that give life to the tree.  

The Sabbath Rest

The new creation of man is the Sabbath rest of God in the image of man. Man can join Him there in His Sabbath rest by being transformed into the image of God. 

The Garment Of Creation

God puts on the garment of creation in the image of man. 

Connecting The Dots

When we connect the dots in creation, we will see the face of God. 

First Fruits, New Creation

Jesus is the first fruits of man made into a new creation uniting heaven and earth. The first creation comes together through and for Him. The second creation comes through and for Him. 

Ten Virgins

Matthew 25:1-2 (ESV)

1 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.

Everyone reborn from above is born with a virgin heart made so by repentance of sin. One must repent to enter the kingdom of heaven of heaven and doing so restores us as virgins before the Lord. We are ready for the wedding to come. Staying ready ensures we will go with Him. Seek the wisdom of the Lord. 

It is possible to be made a virgin in the kingdom of heaven, yet not be chosen as part of the bride of Christ. This is the message for us contained in the parable of the ten virgins. 

Jesus Gave Them Permission

Mark 5:11-13 (NASB)

11 Now there was a large herd of swine feeding nearby on the mountain. 12 The demons implored Him, saying, “Send us into the swine so that we may enter them.” 13 Jesus gave them permission. And coming out, the unclean spirits entered the swine; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea, about two thousand of them; and they were drowned in the sea.

Jesus gave the unclean spirits permission to enter the unclean animals. This could describe what happens to those who reject His truth and are given over to their desires and wickedness. 

There is nothing to prevent their headlong rush to the darkness of the deep, the waters of the world. They will lose the breath of life and drown in the waters of their destruction. 

The Life

The life of a natural man is in his blood. 

The life of a man in Christ is in the Holy Spirit. We will become flesh of His flesh and bone of His bone. We are one with Him now and will soon be like Him when He returns. 

You Have Been Anointed

1 John 2:20 (ESV)

But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge.

1 John 2:27 (ESV)

But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.

The body of Christ has been anointed by the Holy Spirit. This is the mark of God’s holy ones. Abiding in the Spirit, we have the mind of Christ. As a new creation, we have a new nature that allows us to to be made in His image. Our perfection will be achieved when we see Him face to face, for we will be like Him. 

Depth Of Soil

Mark 4:5-6 (ESV)

5 Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. 6 And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away.

The seed of the word can be received by the earth of man, but not take root and flourish. The power of the seed is more than enough for salvation, but it takes the man to tend to the ground of the garden, to make straight the way of the Lord in his life. It is the relationship of life. 

Your Faith

Mark 5:34 (ESV)

And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”

Jesus has the power to heal us and make us whole. Our faith in Him releases that power into our lives. It frees us for the abundant life of God. This is our peace with Him and our Sabbath rest. 

It Had No Root

Mark 4:5-6 (ESV)

5 Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. 6 And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away.

The seed of the word can be received by the earth of man, but not take root and flourish. The power of the seed is more than enough for salvation, but it takes the man to tend to the ground of the garden, to make straight the way of the Lord in his life. He is the root of Jessie and the tree of life. 

You Have Freed Me

Psalms 116:15-16 (NIV)

15 Precious in the sight of the LORD

is the death of his faithful servants.

16 Truly I am your servant, LORD;

I serve you just as my mother did;

you have freed me from my chains.

Death can either be the doorway to the end or an escape to freedom from the chains of mortality. We all must die once. It is the fate of every one. Mortal life will pass like the green grass of the earth. 

God offers the incredible gift of the immortal life of His Son Jesus Christ for our own. We can choose to become His adopted sons which is the true destiny for us all. 

You Are Not Lacking

1 Corinthians 1:7 (ESV)

so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Every child of God will receive the blessings of heaven. This is God’s gift to us. We may have different talents, but our reward is the same. The least one in the body of Christ will be honored with the rest of the saints. 

We wait for His revealing to the world, even as He has revealed Himself to us and is with us. 

By The Grace Of God

1 Corinthians 15:10 (NASB)

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.

By the grace of God, we are what we are. We are equally sinners, just as we equally stand in the kingdom of heaven that is in Christ. If we persevere to the end, we will not have labored in vain, and we shall eat from the tree of life. 

The Boundary

Job 26:10 (ESV)

He has inscribed a circle on the face of the waters

at the boundary between light and darkness.

The boundary between light and darkness is what separates the light of God from the darkness of man. The Holy Spirit hovers over the face of the deep and draws man to the light above the the surface. 

It is a circumcised heart that receives the word of God which brings His light into the darkness of man. 

How?

Job 25:4 (ESV)

How then can man be in the right before God?

How can he who is born of woman be pure?

When he is reborn from above. He is then made in the image of God. 

The Beginning

The universe began from a singularity known as the “Big Bang”. Man is created from a singularity known as an egg. They both come into being with outside input. 

The universe began with the word of God. That reality is repeated in the conception of man. The egg of a woman receives the seed of a man and life begins. This is the union of man and woman. 

The seed of the word of God is received by the earth of man and new life begins. This is the union of God and man. 

God enters creation in the flesh of man. Man enters the life of God through His Holy Spirit. 

The Victory

1 Corinthians 15:56-57 (ESV)

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Adam brought the sting of death into the world. Israel delivered the power of sin through the law. Jesus brings victory over sin and death. Through his descendants, the earth of man is worked and the fruit of his labors is multiplying throughout the land. 

God has breathed the breath of His life into man by becoming a man. He has combined the breath of man with the Holy Spirit in His Son, and has brought the flesh of man into the kingdom of heaven. 

In doing so, He has perfected man in the image of God and His work of creation is complete. 

A Mystery

1 Corinthians 15:50-52 (ESV)

50 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.

We are alive in the kingdom of heaven in spirit, just as the Holy Spirit is alive in His kingdom in the earth of our bodies. Christ has brought the perfected body of man into the kingdom of heaven. 

Christ brings the perfection of the Holy Spirit into the kingdom of man. We are participating in the ongoing union of heaven and earth begun in Christ and will be consummated in those who are in the body of Christ. 

Our inheritance lies before us as we sojourn through the wilderness we are leaving behind. One day the trumpet will sound to announce the journey’s end and we will enter the full blessings of His presence. 

Day To Day

Psalms 19:1-3 (ESV)

TO THE CHOIRMASTER. A PSALM OF DAVID.

1 The heavens declare the glory of God,

and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.

2 Day to day pours out speech,

and night to night reveals knowledge.

3 There is no speech, nor are there words,

whose voice is not heard.

All of creation contains the word of God because all of creation is His word. His word is alive forevermore. 

One

With God, one is not a lonely number. 

The Wind Blows

John 3:7-8 (ESV)

7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

The breath of God gives birth to His children. They are given life beyond the natural world, the more abundant life of Christ. 

The natural man may hear a wind, but the new man will breathe the air of new life. 

What It Takes

It can be said that it takes intelligence to recognize intelligent design. 

It can be said it takes a reborn spirit to know the Holy Spirit. 

The Change

How can we embrace change while remaining in the moment?

By being the change. 

Literally

John 1:29 (ESV)

The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

Jesus is not literally a lamb, but He is literally the lamb of God. His word is true.