Something Better - Hebrews 11:39-40

Hebrews 11:39-40 ESV 

And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.

God tells us to be perfect as He is perfect. (Mat 5:48). How is this possible?

We are led by the Spirit and we are in the body of Christ. That is why we call Him the head of the Church. This is the mind of Christ given to us all. 

We have the mind of Christ and the perfection of being in His body. 

Perfect. 

Eager Longing - Romans 8:18-19

Romans 8:18-19 ESV 

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.

When we reach our journey's end, we will view our inheritance at last. We are part of the creation which waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. This is our promised land and the room Christ is preparing for us while He is gone. God is our portion and inheritance. 

Look up, for your salvation draws near. 

We May Also - Romans 8:16-17

Romans 8:16-17 ESV 

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

The Greek word for suffer is in the present tense when paired with the conjunction "provided" implies necessary action on our part. 

He is already glorified. We can share in His glory if we follow the Spirit. 

Choice Remains - Romans 8:13-14

Romans 8:13-14 ESV 

For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

Paul is speaking to believers, to those who have received the Holy Spirit. We have been given the choice between flesh and spirit, between the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the tree of life. This is the same choice that Adam faced. 

Adam was a son of God, but he failed to follow the leading of God. Will we follow the leading of the Spirit of God as sons of God?

One must have the Spirit to choose. Once we have chosen Christ, the choice remains to follow and to continue following, led by His Spirit. 

The Tree - Revelation 22:1-2

Revelation 22:1-2 ESV 

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

The Bride of Christ will be with God and the Lamb. The tree of life on earth will be fed by the river of life. Israel will become that tree which will be for the healing of the nations. We have been grafted into that tree. 

Adam was the first man of a chosen people. He was given a choice in the Garden to bear the fruit of either of two trees. The first was the tree of life and the second was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He chose the second tree and his descendants suffer that choice to this day. The Bible gives the account that follows them unto the end of the age. Israel will choose correctly the next time and fulfill their destiny to the nations. The Sabbath of God will be realized at last. Creation will be finished and it will be very good. 

I Am Ascending - John 20:17

John 20:17 ESV 

Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

When Jesus ascended into heaven, we would become His body on earth on which the Spirit descends and remains, still His body, but in our flesh. He had to return to the Father before this could take place. 

This is why Jesus told Mary not to cling to Him. Our union with Christ and our clinging to Him would be deeper and more intimate with the giving of the Holy Spirit. We are like the beloved disciple with his head on the bosom of Christ, yet with Christ within the bosom of every believer. We each have a beloved relationship with the Almighty. 

We begin our wilderness journey with the Spirit. He is with us as we take on the incarnation of the Holy Spirit. He is the Holy Spirit, even as He is God. 

If You Abide - John 8:31-32

John 8:31-32 ESV 

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.”

Abiding in His word is the act of following Christ, for He is the word of God. In this word we find and experience the truth. It is His light that serves as a lamp to our feet as we persevere in our journey on earth in the truth and the freedom that leads to eternal life. 

The way through the darkness of the world is the light in the distance which has drawn near. His word becomes ours as we become His body in the world. 

From The Dead - Romans 8:10-11

Romans 8:10-11 ESV 

But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

Life and death are strange companions in the earth of man. We have within us light and darkness which cohabit in a single entity. The life of the Spirit resides in these bodies of death. This is the field of testing and transformation which serves to refine us into the image of God. We are created in His image, but begin life rough and ill defined. 

We will take our final form when we trade these mortal bodies for ones that will match our immortal souls. Our life in the Spirit serves as a guarantee of the inheritance that awaits. 

A Law - Romans 8:1-2

Romans 8:1-2 ESV

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

There is no question for those in Christ, there is no condemnation. A question remains, are you in Christ?

A law applies to everyone. The law of the Spirit of life applies those in Christ. The law of sin and death applies everyone else. Both require obedience. It is impossible to obey the law of sin and death. That's how it got its name. The law of the Spirit world be impossible without God, but it includes the mercy and forgiveness of Jesus in an ongoing relationship of dependence and transformation. 

The decision before us is whether we seek to remain in the body of Christ, to stay attached to the vine. 

Opened The Window - Genesis 8:6-7

Genesis 8:6-7

At the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made and sent forth a raven. It went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth.

Noah releases the raven first, just as God sends forth Satan before Jesus. The waters continue to recede until a dove is able to find rest outside the ark. Both are in the world today. Satan still goes to and fro, and is the prince of the air. The Holy Spirit rests on each believer, in the earth of our bodies. 

The Lord has opened the window into heaven and the door to the kingdom. We only need walk in the way through.

Human Being

A complete and true human being is the manifestation of life in the image of God, of being His children and becoming the light in the world. 

For A Thousand Years - Revelation 20:4

Revelation 20:4 ESV 

Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

The marriage supper takes place before the thousand year reign of Christ on earth. We are with Him as He comes to sit on the throne of David. Those who have gone through the great tribulation and have proved faithful to God now experience the peace and justice of the rule of Christ, even ruling with Him. Satan is bound and no longer deceives the nations. Even so, he is able to amass a vast army for the final assault and battle against God as he is able to once again deceive the nations. 

See? - Matthew 24:24-25

Matthew 24:24-25 ESV 

For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand.

Jesus allows us to see the world in a different way and provides insight to the future. He declares the end from the beginning because He is God. 

"See, I have told you from beforehand."

See?

It Was Night - John 13:30

John 13:30 ESV 

So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night.

Judas received a bite of bread from the bread of life. Jesus offers the bread of heaven to all, but Judas did not want more and immediately left. Many do not have a taste for the divine or an interest in God. 

The last words are the most somber and sad part of this verse. Judas left the light of the world to return to the darkness from which he came. 

I'm sure he had his reasons and had an answer for why he rejected the Lord. He and many others will have the opportunity to stand before Christ and give their account of why they loved the darkness more than the light.

Children Of Light

God speaks into creation "Let there be light."

The light becomes the word of creation. 

The word becomes Jesus Christ. 

We become the body of Christ. 

We put on Christ in mind and spirit, and eventually in body. 

We will be like Him. 

We are the children of light and sons of God. 

It is finished. 

Out Of His Mouth - Revelation 12:15-17

Revelation 12:15-17 ESV 

And the serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood. But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river which the dragon poured out of his mouth. So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.

Revelation 16:13

And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs;

Satan opens his mouth. A flood issues forth which may remind us of the flood of Noah when God sought to cleanse the land of evil. The flood of Satan has the opposite intent, to cleanse the land of good. Water is a symbol of the darkness of mankind and is in contrast to the earth separated from the waters of creation. It is in our earth that can receive the light and seed of God. 

The three frogs represent the unholy trinity that leads the rebellion against God. 

His targets are those who worship God, Father and Son. This would be Israel and the body of Christ. The war is ongoing and grows in intensity in these last days. The wooden ark of the first flood is replaced by the body of Christ which shall deliver those who place their trust in the name of the Lord. 

The mouth of the earth are those who have the word of Christ in their hearts and on their lips. That word will prevail.  

You Received - 1 John 2:27

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.

You have been anointed by Christ with His Holy Spirit. There is no higher anointing than the gift of God's Spirit and life given by His own hand. 

There is no one and nothing between you and God unless you want there to be. It is the plan of God for you to be with Him. It is the gospel. 

Each One - 1 Corinthians 14:26

1 Corinthians 14:26 ESV 

What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.

Who is to lead and guide in worship? It is the Holy Spirit. 

Who has the Holy Spirit? Each one. 

We all have a hand in building and nurturing the body of Christ. This has nothing to do with wood and stone, or the traditions of men, but the living word of God. The word abides in each one of us. Let us always be ready to manifest the word with tongue and deed. We each share in the wonder and glory of the risen Christ. 

Make Disciples - Matthew 28:19-20

Matthew 28:19-20 ESV 

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Jesus tells His disciples to make disciples of all men and women. A disciple is a disciple. We are all given the same Spirit and we are all beloved by God. 

We have become brothers and sisters to Christ as we became children of the Father. We are not more or less disciples, but united in the body of Christ. We are one with each other and God. 

Center Of The Earth - Ezekiel 38:10-12

Ezekiel 38:10-12 ESV 

“Thus says the Lord God: On that day, thoughts will come into your mind, and you will devise an evil scheme and say, ‘I will go up against the land of unwalled villages. I will fall upon the quiet people who dwell securely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having no bars or gates,’ to seize spoil and carry off plunder, to turn your hand against the waste places that are now inhabited, and the people who were gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell at the center of the earth.

Israel is the center of the earth and is where the throne of God will reside. The throne of God sits upon four living creatures, which signify nation of Israel. 

The city of God is Jerusalem, which is why Satan is so intent on taking the city. Satan incites the world against God and His people. Israel is hated because they are loved by God. Those under the influence and power of Satan will follow him to that end, and it will not end well for those that do. 

The Holy Ones - Jude 1:14-15

Jude 1:14-15 ESV 

It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”

Who will come with the Lord to judge the ungodly? His holy ones. 

Who are the holy ones? Of whom did He say "Be holy as I am holy." Who will rule with Him on the throne? Who will wield the rod of the authority of Christ?

The Bride of Christ. 

He Does And Will - Matthew 17:10-13

Matthew 17:10-13 ESV 

And the disciples asked him, “Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” He answered, “Elijah does come, and he will restore all things. But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.

Jesus tells the disciples that Elijah has come (present tense) and he will restore (future tense) all things. 

Elijah and Moses foreshadow the coming Christ. At this point of time the fullness of God is manifest in the body of Jesus. Elijah and Moses disappear leaving Jesus, the Son of God and the light of the world. They will appear again to prepare the way for the coming Christ. 

They will return to give witness to Israel and the world that the Lord is God, that they would know. They will refocus the attention back to Israel after the coming and going of the church and will signal the final days of the wrath of God. 

The future lies in the past and the past speaks of the future. It's in the word, the beginning and the end. 

The Depths Of The Earth - Psalms 139:13-16

Psalms 139:13-16 ESV 

For you formed my inward parts;

you knitted me together in my mother's womb.

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Wonderful are your works;

my soul knows it very well.

My frame was not hidden from you,

when I was being made in secret,

intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes saw my unformed substance;

in your book were written, every one of them,

the days that were formed for me,

when as yet there was none of them.

We are the earth which is being formed and shaped into the life of God. We begin in the depths of the earth until we move into the light, as the birth of a child from darkness to light, from a mother's womb to a world created by the word of God. 

But there is another light beyond the light of this world that can be seen by eyes of a different nature. It requires a rebirth, being born again as a new creature, into a child of heaven.

If we are fearfully and wonderfully made as creatures of this world, what words would apply to this new creature being fashioned as brothers and sisters of Christ?

We travel from an unformed substance to the glory of God. This is our walk with Christ and the way to the Father and our communion with the Holy Trinity of Almighty God. If we take this path, this is our destiny. 

I Am - John 8:56-58

John 8:56-58 ESV 

Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”

God told Moses to tell the Israelites that His name is "I AM."

Jesus tells the Jews "I AM."

When the Lord calls our name, we should answer "here I am."

We then become part of the Great I Am. 

If anyone should ask what you believe, you can say I am and so could you. 

In The Depths Of The Earth - Psalms 139:13-16

Psalms 139:13-16 ESV 

For you formed my inward parts;

you knitted me together in my mother's womb.

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Wonderful are your works;

my soul knows it very well.

My frame was not hidden from you,

when I was being made in secret,

intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes saw my unformed substance;

in your book were written, every one of them,

the days that were formed for me,

when as yet there was none of them.

We are the earth which is being formed and shaped into the life of God. We begin in the depths of the earth until we move into the light, as the birth of a child from darkness to light, from a mother's womb to a world created by the word of God. 

But there is another light beyond the light of this world that can be seen by eyes of a different nature. It requires a rebirth, being born again as a new creature, into a child of heaven.

If we are fearfully and wonderfully made as creatures of this world, what words would apply to this new creature being fashioned as brothers and sisters of Christ?

We travel from an unformed substance to the glory of God. This is our walk with Christ and the way to the Father and our communion with the Holy Trinity of Almighty God. 

Evolution

Evolution is thought in process, a reaction to experience. Experience implies intelligence. Intelligence implies God. Creation is a thought in process, a thought of our Creator. A new heaven and earth will result. 

Faith And Believing

Placing our faith in Christ is a decision.  

Believing is living out that decision. 

Believing is the expression of faith.  

Nothing counts except faith working itself in love. 

Like Children - Matthew 18:3-4

Matthew 18:3-4 ESV 

and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

The law does not apply to children, for their hearts are clean and pure because they are unable to comprehend the law. 

Growing older they begin to have knowledge of good and evil. Sin abounds due to the accountability which comes from knowledge of the difference. From that knowledge death is ever present and life with God becomes a choice. 

This choice is one of our greatest privileges. We are given the option of choosing God. We can turn to Him or deny Him. He loves us that much that He give His life to enable man to come to Him, to unite with Him. We can become children of the light. 

My Name Forever - Exodus 3:15

Exodus 3:15 ESV

God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.

God is known and experienced in one way by the people of Israel and in another way by the body of Christ. To Israel He is the God of our fathers. 

To the body of Christ He is known as Father, our Father. No one knows this name unless God gives it to that person. This is His new name for a new man reborn into the house of the Father. We take the name of His Son Christ Jesus. 

Both names are forever. God is known by His revelation and our experience and relationship with Him. 

From The Mind

The universe began with a thought and was created with the word. 

In God - Colossians 3:3

Colossians 3:3 ESV 

For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

We have life even though we are dead to the world, just as we were dead while we walked hidden in the darkness of world, before entering the body of Christ. We have received His life, the life of God. 

We enter His body because He has entered us. Just as He incarnated into the body of the man Jesus, He fills the body of each believer. These are the rooms He has gone before us to prepare. He is preparing us even now. We are the house of God that is built without human hands, a city on a hill which is the mountain of God. 

If we are with Christ in God, we are hidden from the world. The world cannot see the Jesus that is given to every believer in the sealing of the Holy Spirit. We in God, in His rest.