PRO LIFE APOLOGETICS...

WRITTEN BY BILL...

I have been digging into pro-life apologetics and am now navigating through a philosophical treatise that argues against abortion and destructive embryonic stem cell research from a non-religious perspective. Science and logic indicate that humanness begins at conception when the combination of two haploid reproductive cells form a totally new and distinct diploid cell, with a unique and isolated and fully human genetic structure that left on its own and not acted upon destructively, will inevitably develop into an embryo, fetus and newborn. That is who we all were at the earliest stage of human life. The authors argue this point from science, medical knowledge, and philosophy, taking great pains to be concise and comprehensive. Purposely, they focus on the secular arguments, which while interesting, can only go so far, and fall flat somehow. The reason this is so, of course, is that these neglect or avoid any Divine foot from slipping through the door, and without that, there is really no basis for absolute good or absolute evil. It is all a diluted kind of secular soup that leaves the mind and heart wanting more. It occurs to me that the most powerful argument that can be put forth to protect the unborn at every stage of development was voiced 2000 years ago.

“Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:12, NKJV).

Just a moment's consideration and you can see the effectiveness of this argument. Were this not applied to us in the womb, we would not be sitting here and typing or reading these words. Were it not applied to each one of us prior to birth we would not have been given the opportunity to experience all that our lives have offered us, good and bad. Were it not applied to us, we would not have been allowed to develop and grow and we would have been deprived of the most intrinsic right given to us by our Creator: the right to life.

There is no other argument necessary. There is no other moral or philosophical apologetic that needs to be said. While it is possible, and even admirable for a person to decide to sacrifice himself for the good of someone else, it is a violation of the above principle to compel such a sacrifice. Consequently, destructive embryonic stem cell research is utterly immoral. There is no conceivable justification to purposely create and destroy another human life solely for the possible benefit to an older instance of that same kind of life. Such an act, by literal definition, is inhuman.

Scriptures on the Bond of Perfection

But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.--Colossians 3:14
Paraphrased:

But above (over...on top of) 

all these things (tender mercies, kindness, meekness, long-suffering, forbearance and forgiveness) 

put on (arm yourself, be clothed in)

love (affection, good will, benevolence, brotherly love) which is the

bond (adhesive - or of the ligaments by which the members of the human body are united together)

of perfection. (wanting nothing...brought to its end...complete)

by purity, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by sincere love,--2 Corinthians 6:6

Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.--Romans 13:8-10
Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.--Galatians 6:2

who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.--1 Peter 2:24

The Poor in Spirit...

Blessed (happy, fortunate, blissful) are the poor in spirit, (those who are acutely conscious of their own lostness and hopelessness apart from divine grace) for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.--Matthew 5:3

Poor in Spirit - "Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— 18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. 21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.--Revelation 3:17-21

When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”--Matthew 9:12-13

Theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven - And the tax collector standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breasts saying, "God, be merciful to me a sinner! I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”--Luke 18:13-14

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,  not of works, lest anyone should boast.  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.--Ephesians 2:9-10

The First July 4

The First July 4

I hear the thunder rolling, the fireworks booming
The sky is dark and Independence Day’s looming.
All across the country people are preparing, I know,
To celebrate a July 4 of two hundred and thirty-seven years ago.

I look outside and I wonder.
I look around and I ponder.
What was it like, that first July 4?

What thoughts and passions lay in the hearts of men?
What fears and hopes did preside way back when?
What cares burdened the backs of that fateful generation,
That on July 4 in Independence Hall they signed their determination?

I look outside and I wonder.
I look around and I ponder.
What was it like, that first July 4?

The precious pages of history do unfold America’s story,
Lading me with the treasures of the land of Old Glory,
Yet how can I ever know quite what it was to be alive that year,
Or share the hearts and souls of those who are no longer here?

I look outside and I wonder.
I look around and I ponder.
What was it like, that first July 4?

The first Independence Day is closed to me, it’s true –
It belongs to those who shared it and knew –
But there is a thread that ties our generations together
Stretching through life and time like an invisible tether.

I look outside and I wonder.
I look around and I ponder.
What was it like, that first July 4?

They fought for freedom, and they fought for the truth –
Man and woman, the aged and the youth,
Strove against evil, and stood for the good.
The Revolutionary War ended at Yorktown, but the real war never could.

I look outside and I wonder.
I look around and I ponder.
What was it like, that first July 4?

Today is July 4, 2013, and Independence Day has come again;
A time to celebrate and commemorate the deed of way back when.
The thread of the common fight for good unites our generations still.
But how do we know it always will?

I look outside and I wonder.
I look around and I ponder.
What was it like, that first July 4?

From 1776 to 2013 the torch is passed by those who’ve gone before,
The torch of America’s own battle in the midst of the ancient cosmic war.
So beneath the dark sky of this Independence Day’s first hours,
I look around and begin to believe that the first July 4 was…just like ours.

Chasing Shadows...

So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.--Colossians 2:16-17

To My Beloved Daughters in Him:

Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. 

We who believe, are in Christ...justified before God.  The law avails us nothing.  In Him it is all faith working through love and in this love, we are to serve one another...for all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: 

You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no harm to a neighbor and therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.--Romans 13:9-19  

Don't trade the perfect law of liberty found in Christ, for a set of manmade, legalistic rules...the law is not only powerless to stop sin, but it is the way of death..the letter kills but the Spirit gives life..the flesh profits nothing. So what is the perfect law of liberty you ask?  We, as believers, are set free from the law of Moses by our faith in Christ Jesus.  Jesus is the end of the law of works to all who believe.  Believers are under grace...the law of liberty...we now are at liberty to do what is right..to be all we can be in Christ Jesus.   An unbeliever is judged by the law.  The law tells us how we are supposed to behave, but it does not give us the power to do it and condemns us when we fail.  Here is the beautiful thing about grace and the law of liberty.  Grace gives us the power to obey the law and then rewards us when we do! We do not obey God out of fear or because we have to, we  obey God because we want to. We obey Him out of love and gratitude for what He has done for us and not in our own strength but in His. 

The Levitical priests served the copy and shadow of the heavenly things....

For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect.  For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins.  But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.

Therefore, when He came into the world, He said:

“Sacrifice and offering You did not desire,
But a body You have prepared for Me.
 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin
You had no pleasure.
Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come—
In the volume of the book it is written of Me—
To do Your will, O God.’”

Previously saying, “Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the law),  then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.” He takes away the first that He may establish the second.  By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.--Hebrews 10:1-10

Beloved, Jesus makes us perfect. He fulfilled the law.  Grace and truth came through Him.  Mercy and truth met together at the cross and there righteousness and peace kissed.  Don't look to the shadows...Look to the substance which is Christ.  So often when we are grieving or angry or short tempered, we turn to temporal things to bring us relief or comfort...We turn to SHADOWS and are cheated out of our reward here on earth...to be "present" with Him!  CHRIST IS THE REALITY.  HE IS WHERE REST IS FOUND.  HE ANSWERS ALL QUESTIONS...IN HIM DWELLS ALL THE FULNESS OF THE GODHEAD BODILY.  Put your trust in the reality...the body not the shadow.  The law had the shadow...we have the very image.  Shadows cannot be grasped.  Flee to Him for refuge and lay hold of the hope that He has set before us.  

This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil,  where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.--Hebrews

Jesus is speaking to each of us here in Matthew 11.

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Let Christ be your all in all...let Him be to whom you resort continually.  As you have received Christ Jesus, the Lord, so walk in Him...rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.  Praying that this is our song today.

O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
You maintain my lot.
The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Yes, I have a good inheritance.

I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel;
My heart also instructs me in the night seasons.
I have set the Lord always before me;
Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.

Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will rest in hope.
For You will not leave my soul in Sheol,
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.--Psalm 16:5-11

Thoughts on Late Term Abortions...by Bill

Open your mouth for the speechless, in the cause of all who are appointed to die. -- Proverbs 31:8

Not only are late-term abortions brutal and barbaric, requiring either dismemberment in the womb, or cerebral evacuation as part of a partial birth procedure, but because abortion activists can't let a foot in the door of the personhood argument, no anesthetic is provided to the 5-month (or more) old unborn infant, despite medical evidence that the victim is pain-capable. So, in order to protect the right to have an elective abortion at any time prior to birth, excruciating physical pain, without even the benefit of pain-killers, is inflicted on the unborn child. They are literally torn apart or summarily executed in Gosnell-fashion.

Ironically, if these same procedures were inflicted on a seal, whale, or other "endangered species" it would be a felony subject to prison time and massive fines. But for an unborn human child, there is no limit to the cruelty that can legally be inflicted.

A late-term abortion ban is what the House passed recently, and the Texas Legislature attempted to pass into law last night, but was prevented due to the chaos and the near rioting of the abortion supporters in the gallery.

You do not need a religious basis to oppose late-term abortions, just a common sense of human decency. Apparently, even that is asking too much.

But even if it were to become painless, as our society will likely improve its methods of fetal killing, it would still be immoral, since imposing a death sentence on someone for no other reason except convenience, is, by definition, immoral.

There are parallels in history regarding societies and civilizations that no longer valued human life and/or abandoned common human decency; cultures that sacrificed their children to various pagan deities and/or disdained traditional human families. To a one, all of them ended badly.

For know this:

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man [or woman, or nation] sows, that he [they] will also reap. (Galatians 6:7, NKJV).

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. (2 Corinthians 5:10, NKJV).

But the battle is the Lord's, and though from our perspective He is long-suffering, in the end He always wins.

Disarm Yourself!

To My Daughters in Him,

I have been reading and studying Colossians 2 for several days using the BLB Concordance/Interlinear and the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and have only reached verse 13!  I have, however, become aware of what the true import and heart of Paul's concern for the Colossian Church was.  He did not want them to be led astray or taken captive from the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ...from the truth of the word of their God as revealed to them in Scripture.  My heart last night  needed to be despoiled and disarmed of "self".  My own self was taking me captive and leading me down wrong paths...umm...no surprise there.  I was reminded by my study of Colossians 2 that in Christ are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge and that in Him dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.  It also tells me that I am complete in Him.  How did I then disarm my self of self?  I meditated on His word instead of my own vain thoughts.  I focused upward and outward not inward and meditated on Psalm 1...namely verses 1-3.

Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.

Happy is the man who does these things!...Happy is the man who delights in the word of His God and makes it his meditation both day and night.  His pleasure, his desire, his longing is in the direction and instruction of His God and on that...His word...does he think, muse mutter and murmur day and night.  This is how we make our way prosperous and have good success...this is how we bear fruit and do not labor or live in vain.  

Unless the law had been my delight, I should have perished in my affliction.--Psalm 119:92

Beloved, don't let anyone or anything lead you away from Christ and the truth of the Gospel. Fill your heart...the very center and seat of not only your physical life but your spiritual one as well...with His word. Out of your heart springs the issues of life.  Out of the abundance of your heart your mouth speaks.  As a man thinks in his heart so is he.   Let His word be your delight.  Abide in it.  Meditate on it.  It is His truth that will enable you to walk in liberty.  It is His truth that will break the bars of iron and make the crooked places straight in your life.  

And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance forever.--Isaiah 32:17

Giving Thanks in Everything

Loved this one...be blessed!!

Giving Thanks in Everything

To Be a Father ....By My Husband, Bill.

To be perfectly honest, I never thought much about it, Fatherhood, that is. As a young and idiotic adult, convinced beyond arrogance of my self-worth and pricelessness to the world, being a father just didn't cross my mind. 

I was a pagan and a hedonist, for the most part, rejecting the values and morals instilled in me by my own parents, and jaded by life experience that found me in unexpected and bad places, physically, emotionally and spiritually.

I did not consider children important. I came into adulthood during the inauguration of the Age of Legal Abortion, and bought the “liberated propaganda” that embryos were amorphous clumps of cells, barely different from a lesion or tumor – a reproductive parasite that, until birth, was hardly human, and certainly not worth much of my time or effort. 

That all changed when I witnessed the birth of my first child. I was still a selfish pagan, but something about that experience filled me with wonder and tears, and emptied me of speech. 

There she was, this person who I had thought of hardly at all, and when I did, it was in the biologically ruthless terms of the pro-abortion movement. 

Then, just as I was coming to terms with the thought that I had been utterly wrong about so many things, she stopped breathing. 

There are not sufficient words to describe what that brief episode of apnea did to my heart and mind, but what was left in its aftermath was a kind of terror I had never before known. I felt simultaneously sucker-punched and cheated by the depth of my reaction, and the thought of this person who had just come into my life leaving it in such a surprising and mundane manner filled me with horror. 

She quickly recovered with expert care and no damage at all, at least to her, but I was scarred forever. And more than a little resentful of the impact... to me.

Fourteen months later, for a variety of reasons that I could not have anticipated nor guarded against, I became a Christian. It was all God working in my life and preparing me for the most rewarding, solemn and sacred responsibility that can be conceived of for a man: being a father. 

A father to daughters, all immeasurable gifts beyond price, changing me for the good forever.

For me, to be a father is to come face to face with all my own weaknesses, inadequacies, and fears. It is like looking into a fiery furnace of potential loss and knowing beyond doubt that this fire has been irrevocably lit with no prospect of being quenched. It is seeing an impossible job stretching out before me with no hope of doing it well, or right in my own strength, and knowing that what's at stake are the lives and well-being of something unbelievably precious: my own children. 

It is also the source of my greatest joy and blessing, aside from God Himself. It is the fulfillment of an ancient, soul-deep purpose that transcends time.

It is humbling and humiliating, joyous and surprising, poignant and inexplicably rewarding. It is the thing that gives meaning and substance to what I am above and before everything else I might be.

I would not trade one moment of fatherhood for all the planets in the solar system. Not one drop of the potential ocean of tears, nor one ounce of the sometimes unbearable weight of responsibility, that has altered who I am and am still becoming as life moves me into my later years. 

When I stand before my Lord and Savior on that Day, and am asked by Him which, of the many good gifts He has given me, I cherish the most, my answer will be this: 

I am Dad to my precious daughters. Always and forever. For me, nothing else in this life compares.

Overcoming Evil with Good...

I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church, --Colossians 1:24

To My Beloved Daughters in Him,

Paul is writing this epistle from Rome where he was imprisoned for his faith sometime between A.D. 60-62.  The suffering he was experiencing was suffering that was intended for Christ.   Paul probably understands this better than anyone having been, prior to his Damascus Road encounter, a great persecutor of the church.   

“Now it happened, as I journeyed and came near Damascus at about noon, suddenly a great light from heaven shone around me. ⁷ And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ ⁸ So I answered, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’--Acts 22:6-8

Did you get that last part?  

‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’

The church is the body of Christ...it was Jesus Himself Paul was persecuting. The enemies of Christ never get their fill of inflicting injury on Him...the cross was not enough...they want more.  They can no longer persecute Christ in His physical body so they turn their hatred on those who bear His image and preach His word here on earth...His church.  

Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you;  but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.--1 Peter 4:12-14

And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good?  But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. “And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.”  But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.

 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, --1 Peter 3:13-18

Christ Himself also warns us of this so we remember when the time comes.

“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. --John 15:18-20

“These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. ² They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. ³ And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me. ⁴ But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them.--John 16:1-3  (italics for emphasis - mine)

Paul's motivation for enduring suffering was to benefit and build the body of Christ...the church.  He trusted in God's faithfulness and love and demonstrated this trust by continuing to preach the word fearlessly in the face of MUCH suffering and persecution. This in turn encouraged others to be more bold and the message of the Gospel went forth with power. God's grace was sufficient for Paul and is also for us who believe today. Paul took "pleasure" in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, and in distresses for Christ's sake because he understood that when he was weak, Christ was strong. He knew that the suffering he was experiencing in the present were not worthy to be compared with the glory that would be revealed in him.   

Look at the following verses written by Paul at the inspiration of the Spirit of God for our edification, comfort and hope:

so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ;  and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.--Philippians 1:13-14


For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me.--Philippians 1:29-30 

For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain--Philippians 1:21

And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry,  although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.  And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.  This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.  Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.--1 Timothy 1:12-17

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.  We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—  always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.  For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.  So then death is working in us, but life in you.--2 Corinthians 4:7-12

But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses,  in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings;  by purity, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by sincere love,  by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,  by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true;  as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as chastened, and yet not killed;  as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.--2 Corinthians 6:4-10

Beloved, the most convincing proof that God is real is a changed life.  Paul went from being a persecutor of the Body of Christ to a man who lived for His God and rejoiced that he was being poured out for others as a drink offering for the sacrifice and service of their faith.  Paul suffered long and never gave in to negative circumstances...His endurance during persecution was cheerfully hopeful!  His hope remained firm to the very end and as a result he not only strengthened and encouraged those around him to do the same, but is the same kind of encouragement to us who are alive today...His spirit testifying with our spirit, almost 2000 years later, that we are indeed children of God. 

We do not fight the battle for the souls of men with earthly weapons.  Only the power of God can liberate men from the satanic grip of darkness and bring them to full maturity in Christ. Our God's ways are not our ways, neither are His thoughts our thoughts.  The message of the cross IS foolishness to those who are perishing. The heart of the Gospel is the self-sacrificing love of Christ that conquered sin and death.  The darkest moment in history was eclipsed by the light of the love of God for His creatures manifested in His Son's sacrificial death on the cross.  Foolishness to the world but the power of God to those who believe.  Christ willingness to suffer and die for us is the greatest proof of His love for us. 

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. ¹⁷ For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.--John 3:16-17

If God is for us, who can be against us?  He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?--Romans 8:31-32

Beloved, this same self-sacrificing, self-donating love is what is required of us and what should be reflected in our own lives...We, like Christ, are to overcome evil with good and owe no one anything but love. This is the kind of love that will speak "Christ" to the hearts of those around you.  Let the evidence of the love that the Holy Spirit has shed abroad in your heart magnify your Lord and point others to your God who is mighty to save! 

You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.  And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.  You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.  No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.  And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.  The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops.  Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.

Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel, for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God is not chained.  Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.--2 Timothy 2:1-10

We Would See Jesus...John 12:21

Everyone knows the story of Zacchaeus...Here it is from Luke 19 in case you have forgotten. 

Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2 Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. 3 And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” 6 So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. 7 But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.”

8 Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.”

9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; 10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Zacchaeus desired Jesus and was willing to lose not only his dignity but his worldly goods, also....

He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.--Jim Elliot  

So often we cry, Lord, who will show us any good?  Even those of us who are saved look to the wrong things to bring us peace and satisfaction. Beloved, seek after the One who desires only your good...Seek after the One who is only good.  Seek His kingdom and all else will be added. Give Him the pre-eminence!  Delight yourself in your God and He will give you the desires of your heart!!  Blessed is the man whose God is the Lord!! 

Spurgeon says it beautifully...

"Hast thou but one desire, and is that after Christ? Then thou art not far from the kingdom of heaven....Then, despite all thy fears, be of good cheer, the Lord loveth thee, and thou shalt come out into daylight soon, and rejoice in the liberty wherewith Christ makes men free."


Praying today that I would seek His face...that my desire would be for Him, knowing that He is the source of my hope...knowing that He is the Great I Am...the "Becoming One"...the One who becomes to me just what I need. 


“Ho! Everyone who thirsts,
Come to the waters;
And you who have no money,
Come, buy and eat.
Yes, come, buy wine and milk
Without money and without price.
2 Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,
And let your soul delight itself in abundance.
3 Incline your ear, and come to Me.
Hear, and your soul shall live;
And I will make an everlasting covenant with you—
The sure mercies of David.
4 Indeed I have given him as a witness to the people,
A leader and commander for the people.
5 Surely you shall call a nation you do not know,
And nations who do not know you shall run to you,
Because of the Lord your God,
And the Holy One of Israel;
For He has glorified you.”
6 Seek the Lord while He may be found,
Call upon Him while He is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake his way,
And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
Let him return to the Lord,
And He will have mercy on him;
And to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon.
8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts.
10 “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,
And do not return there,
But water the earth,
And make it bring forth and bud,
That it may give seed to the sower
And bread to the eater,
11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
12 “For you shall go out with joy,
And be led out with peace;
The mountains and the hills
Shall break forth into singing before you,
And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree,
And instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree;
And it shall be to the Lord for a name,
For an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”--Isaiah 55 

Let Him Deny Himself...

Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels.--Luke 9:23-26

The cost of following after Christ is pretty clearly delineated here by Christ Himself.  "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself."  

I looked up "let him deny" in the lexicon results on the Blue Letter Bible.  Here is what I found and I think it really puts an interesting spin on things.

to deny

a) to affirm that one has no acquaintance or connection with someone

    b) to forget one's self, lose sight of one's self and one's own interests 

So denying oneself means literally to refuse to associate with yourself...you affirm that you have no acquaintance or connection with self....you lose sight of one's self and one's own interest.  

Fascinating...

Following Christ then is the end of "you" or the end of the big "I"...the end of "our" own personal dreams, goals, hopes, and desires.  The Christian life is not about self...it is not about us...it is about Him...it is about the denial of self.  When we come to Christ then, we literally yield up our empty life of self and sin...we no longer want anything to do with that person. 

The irony is that when we "forget" ourselves we actually become more ourselves than ever...we are in Christ, in fellowship with God, and that is where we were created to be.  Thus we can become more than ever the person we are because we are no longer missing the crucial piece of the puzzle. C.S. Lewis said it like this:

“The more we let God take us over, the more truly ourselves we become - because He made us. He invented us. He invented all the different people that you and I were intended to be. . .It is when I turn to Christ, when I give up myself to His personality, that I first begin to have a real personality of my own.”

"We" have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer we who live but Christ who lives in us. The life that we now live in the flesh, we live by faith in the Son of God, who loved us and gave Himself for us.  

In that last sentence is the point..."who loved us and gave Himself for us.  This is why we are so willing and yes even grateful to give up the almighty "I".  

Really listen to what these next verses from the Book of Romans are saying:

For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the UNGODLY. (emphasis mine) For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.  But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were sinners, Christ died for us.--Romans 5:6-8

Did you get that? There is the truth...Christ died for the UNGODLY.  It is true that someone might dare to die for a good person but Christ died for us when we were yet still His enemies.  Christ willingly died for the EVIL, THE VILE AND THE WICKED.  Picture yourself dying for a horrific serial killer...giving up your own life willing for their good.  This is what Christ did for us!!!  It wasn't based on our own worthiness...it was borne out of His love toward us...a love we did not deserve...a love we could not earn.  WOW!

I’m forgiven because You were forsaken,
I’m accepted, You were condemned.
I am alive and well, Your spirit is within me,
Because You died and rose again.

Amazing love,
How can it be
That You, my King, should die for me?
Amazing love,
I know it’s true.
It’s my joy to honor You,
In all I do, I honor You.--Amazing Love - Chris Tomlin

The cost of discipleship is high but the rewards are infinite. Truly it is and should be our joy to honor the Lord Jesus Christ with our entire beings...to be literally that living sacrifice in grateful acknowledgement of what He has accomplished in us and for us.  

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.--Romans 8:18

But as it is written:

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”--1 Corinthians 2:9

  

Unity and the Worthy Walk...

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, ² with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,³ endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. ⁴ There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism; ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.--Ephesians 4:1-6

To My Daughters in Him,

Today, we are looking at verse 3-6.

The Spirit has made us one...we are brothers and sisters in Christ...Everything about our faith is one!  There is one body, one Spirit,  One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all and in you all!  All of us are called to one hope....we have the same eternal destiny...we, as believers, are going to the same place.   Each one of us is a temple of the Holy Spirit individually but are built together for an habitation of that one Spirit.  Are you getting the picture...we are already unified!  

Endeavoring to keep this unity is the goal of the worthy walk. This is how Christ is made manifest in the Church.   Discord and disunity are of the world not of God.  

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom.  But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth.  This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.  But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.  Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.--James 3:13-18

Beloved, it is our love for one another that speaks to the hearts of those observing us and tells them  that our Father is God...that we are not of this world.   Jesus says it best in John 13:

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.  By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”--John 13:34-35

This kind of unity is achieved (well...really maintained) one person at a time.  It begins with our "inner man"...you remember...the one Paul speaks about in Ephesians 3 and it is personal.

that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,  that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,  may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.--Ephesians 3:16-19

It happens when one sinner saved by grace purposes in his heart by the power of the Holy Spirit, to obey His God and empty himself of self and walk in humility, meekness, long-suffering and forbearing love.  Beloved, each one of us need to turn our own hearts over to our God and surrender to His will and His Spirit in our lives.  We need to obey our God from the deepest part of our beings and purpose to allow Him to show us all of the pride that comes between us and His love.  As long as self is at the center of our life...as long as we are our first concern, our unity will always be in need of repair.  As we allow God to perfect our relationship with Him,  our earthly relationships will reflect this change.  The giving up of self is painful and difficult but this is where our joy will be full.  

It is only as we humble our own heart before Him, that we can know unity.  This is when we can begin to love those around us the way they ought to be loved so that they can become what they ought to be before the Lord.  Our unity as a body is what others see that makes them think that maybe this church is not an institution of man but an institution of God...supernatural in origin.  Christ is called the Prince of Peace and He has made His home with us.  Beloved,  reflect this peace by surrendering to His will and emptying yourself of you...of  pride, selfishness and sin...and be filled with His peace...the beautiful peace that was borne out of His love for each of us.  

Read the following verses and be exhorted and encouraged in the worthy walk...

Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? ² You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. ³ You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. ⁴ Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. ⁵ Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”?

⁶ But He gives more grace. Therefore He says:

“God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.”

⁷ Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. ⁸ Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.⁹ Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.¹⁰ Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.--James 4:1-10

Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.--Romans 14:19

 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. ³⁵ By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”--John 13:34-35

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; ¹³ bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. ¹⁴ But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. ¹⁵ And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. ¹⁷ And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.--Colossians 3:12-17

Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.--2 Corinthians 13:11

Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.--1 Corinthians 1:10


For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. ¹³ For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. ¹⁴ For in fact the body is not one member but many.

¹⁵ If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? ¹⁶ And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? ¹⁸ But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. ¹⁹ And if they were all one member, where would the body be?

²⁰ But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. ²¹ And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” ²² No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. ²³ And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentableparts have greater modesty, ²⁴ but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, ²⁵ that there should be no schism in the body, butthat the members should have the same care for one another. ²⁶ And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

²⁷ Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. ²⁸ And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. ²⁹ Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? ³⁰ Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? ³¹ But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. ² And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. ³ And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned,but have not love, it profits me nothing.

⁴ Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; ⁵ does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; ⁶ does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; ⁷ bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
⁸ Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. ⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part.¹⁰ But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
¹¹ When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. ¹² For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.

¹³ And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.--1 Corinthians 12:12-13:13