Yesterday a sister said to me, I’m not that good a sister. There’s no such thing as a good brother or sister for Jesus said. There’s none good but God. We can however be one God loves by loving Him and showing it in all we do or say or think. Psalm 18:25-26 (Roth) reads. With the loving, thou didst show thy self loving, with the blameless with the pure, thou didst shew thyself pure. would anyone describe us as loving blameless and pure. It is true that we often fail to live up to the high standards. God calls us to and we sin, but God knows our frame and remembers that we are dust and in mercy provides a covering for our weakness that we might be clothe in the strength and salvation of Christ. These is no limit to God’s mercy if we seek it in accordance with His conditions Isa 66:2 (Roth) reads, But for this one will I look around for him who is humbled and smitten (contrite)in spirit and so careth anxiously for my word. Hebrews 11:6 KJV reads But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him What is our definition of diligent? Do we believe God? Not believe in God but believe Him when He says He will reward those who diligently seek Him. It our diligence in seeking Him daily thru. His word receives our own acknowledgement that it is not what we know it should be do we expect our Father to be happy with it and reward us. The soldier of Christ who lies on his bed of ease because there’s a lion out there will not gain the victory.
How diligently do we examine an belief prior to the breaking of bread each Sunday morning. Examinations from the very personal attention a woman gives to examining her breasts for lumps to a school boys history exam to the judgment seat of Christ where the most searching questions of our hearts and minds and actions will be asked can be a matter of life and death of passing into the kingdom of God or being left without to perish in the second death. How much better it is to ASK the hard questions of ourselves thou and not bury our heads in the sand to our faults like the ostrich or knowing our faults as He refuse to take steps to correct them.
Daily consideration of the joy set before us can help us to Redeem the time eliminating or at least having under our control the non essentials of life that are great time-wasters. Meditation is not a time-waster though it might appear to be to a casual on-looker. It is a basic necessity to a life of spiritual well being. As Isaac meditated in the field at dusk (Gen 21:63) no day in our life is truly complete unless we too find time to meditate on the Word of God. Meditation leads to intimacy with the thinking of God and the doing of His ways Psalm 20:11 (Roth) reads Intimacy with Yahweh have they who revere him. His covenant also he letteth them know. Intimacy comes by Bible reading and prayer that prepares our hearts and minds to diligently seek God. The word translated intimacy by Roth is in Psalm 89:7 and translated as a circle of holy ones around God reminding us of the 21 elders round about the throne in Rev 1:1 Prov 3:32 tells us Yahweh is intimate with the up-right and in Amos 3:7 we find that God will do nothing except. He discloses his secret to his servants the prophets To use a common example ot two we can think of the football huddle where the quarter back discloses his strategy for the next play in order to gain the victory to his intimates while the enemy and that casual on lookers are off in the distance not sharing his confidence Or we can picture a child whispering secrets to her best friends while those not so favored look on but hear not.
Ezekiel 13:8,9 describes the condition of those outside the confidence of their captain, Therefore Thus saith my Lord Yahweh because we have spoken false hood and have had visions of lies there fore behold I am against you declareth my Lord Yahweh. So then my hand shall be against the prophets who have visions of falsehood and who divine Divination’s of lies in the council of my people shall they not be found and in the register of the house of Israel shall they not be written and upon the soil of Israel shall they not enter so shall we know that I am the Lord Yahweh. We find this thought repeated in Rev 20 & 21 that the false prophets and liars are without on the day the book of life is opened and everyone is judged according to their word’s Isa 65:67 tells us that the unloving the unblameable the impure will have their works measured into their bosom. Deut 28:51,57 describes the attitude of wicked self centered uncaring husbands and wives to each other the one in whose bosom they should take refuge comfort and nourishment of strength (as a child does in his mothers bosom). In times of siege when they are straightened in a narrow way by the enemy instead of helping one another they want and take all there is for themselves. We are always in the straight and narrow way but there is room for us to lift each others burdens.
We find that Moses was unable to bear the nation in his bosom (Num 11:12) for they had waxed fat and were too heavy a burden and God give him 12 princes and 70 helpers to carry the burden Jesus had 12 apostles and 70 helpers to help him carry the burden and farther instructed all his disciples to carry one another burdens. Do we help to bear the burdens of others or are we burdens to be born. As a song goes, If I can cheer somebody with a word or song if I can show somebody he is travelling wrong then my living shall not be in vain. If I can do my duty as a good man ought If I can bring back beauty to the world God wrought. If I can spread God’s message as the master taught then my living shall not be in vain. Any other kind of self centered living is vanity and swiftly passes away.
Psalm 27:10 reads: When my own father and mother had forsaken me. Then Yahweh took me up. The only time in the life of Jesus when his mother and father forsook him, was at the age of 12 when they unknowingly let him behind in Jerusalem and Jesus was 3 days and nights in the temple of his Father, in the midst of the teachers of God hearing and asking questions (in the bosom of his father). IN Isa 10:11 we read (Yahweh) like a shepherd his flock will he tend in his own arm will he take up the lambs. We can picture Jesus the lamb of God (John 1:29) in the bosom of his father (1:18) knowing God and making Him known to his disciples (1:35,51) John 1:18 RSV reads. No one has ever seen God the only Son who is in the bosom of the Father he has made him known.
Then at the close of his earthly ministry at the last supper (as a wife lies in her husband’s bosom and intimate words and thoughts are tenderly expressed) we find one of his disciples whom Jesus loved refining on his bosom conversing about secret things. The disciples failed to grisp the simple message (John 13:28) and all too often the bride of Christ to day fails to grisp the simple message he has given as:
that we be loving one another as I love you vs 31.
that we believe on God and on me believe 14:1
and If we be loving me my commandments my word we will keep verses 13 &23. In the same way Jesus loved the father and kept. His commandment (vs 51) even that of giving his life for us Individually and ecclesially as the bride of Christ we need to find our source of comfort strength nourishment love and sacred word resting on the bosom of Jesus through the Word of the Father.
We may not be good but Jesus can present us fruitless. Consider Jude’s losing prayer. Now unto him that is able to keep is safe from falling and present us faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy to the only wise. God our Saviour be glory and majesty dominion and power both now and ever. Amen Believe Him Pray with David Ps 19;11,11 (Roth) Even thine own servant taketh warning by them (God’s words) in the keeping of them great is the reward. Mistakes who perceiveth? From things that are hidden acquit me: Even from the presumptuous keep back thy servant. May they not have dominion over me. Then shall I be blameless, and shall bee acquitted from great transgression: the words of my mouth, and the soft utterance of my heart, shall come with acceptance before thee. O Yahweh, my Rock and my Redeemer!
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One