What a Loving Dad Owes His Child

                                                                                             

Years ago when our sons graduated from high school, my wife gave them each a personal heartfelt letter of blessing, instruction and detailing their future responsibilities toward God in their lives.                 Recently, after they had started their own families and started having children, she sent this letter to them.

 What a Loving Dad Owes His Child:

Remember that your daughter or son knows nothing. In fact, God tells us in Proverbs 22:15 “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.” A child’s brain is perfect for keeping all of their necessary bodily functions going but as far as learning or practicing self-control it is a slooooowww but fun process that you teach. Also remember that a “rod of correction” signifies more of the unbending will of the parent not to allow their child to become a menace or an irritant to polite society. Good behavior is not only pleasing to God but it allows your child to observe life and learn and make beautiful memories. Once a child thinks they are the center of everyone’s universe, they squelch the opportunity to learn and become productive.

1. Always lead with love and the wisdom from God’s Word. Teach your child that God is their Father and Jesus Christ is their brother.

2. Good behavior must be practiced inside the home. If they are not polite inside, they will not be polite outside.

3. Teach them respect. They need to respect the things you give them and then they’ll respect the things of others. Teach them what it is to be a good steward of all God has given them and you. You show them what thankfulness is and how it leads to praising God.

4. No screeching inside the house. No biting. No pushing. No hitting. No sassing. Once again, if they do it inside the house, they will do it outside the house. No one and I repeat no one thinks these behaviors are cute or pleasant. People walk away from your home judging you and them and it won’t be positive. All negative opinions someone has of your child will come from you not teaching your child right behavior. Never give others a chance to cast aspersions on your child because it will be your fault. You dropped the ball and now your child will pay for your lack of commitment to them.

5. Continue to encourage the adage “Always do what’s right”. Say it to your child frequently and explain why they should do the right thing. If they want success in school - do what is right. If they want success in sports - do what is right. If they want a productive relationship with people (including their parents) – do the right thing. You know and I know that what you’re encouraging your child to do is all that God commanded them to do. Obedience to God and their parents breeds success and will always save their lives.

6. Lessons are taught in 2 ways. You are either giving the example of ‘how to do things’ or ‘things you should not do’. Jesus Christ never taught from the latter category and you shouldn’t either. Most of my early lessons in life came from the latter category but God is tender and merciful and made sure I learned valuable lessons anyway. Your child watches everything you do and whether they want to or not they will follow, for the most part, your actions. Set an example worthy of following.

7. There will be many times in their lives where you will have to teach your child about the sniveling, cowardly, ugly but powerful and relentless enemy they have (the devil). Right now, and for a very long time, that responsibility falls on your shoulders and if you are wise and loving you will bring the grace of God and the intercession Jesus Christ makes for all God’s children into every moment of the life of your child. Teach your child about their Father and brother. Pray for them continually. Teach them to pray and seek the things of God. Be observant. Ask God to help you keep your child safe and He will. Say no. Say yes. Timing is important. Many times, I could see the road to destruction in families when the parents thought the child was smarter that they actually were. That is a trick of the evil one. God tells you all about your child – believe Him.

8. Love and obey. I’m not talking about your child here. I’m talking to and about you. You will always be God’s child. As you walk with your Father, you take your child with you and teach her or him to do the same. It’s beautiful and it’s love and light. We don’t cease to hold you and your lovely families up to the Father and neither does Jesus Christ. Rejoice and be thankful!!

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” Deut. 6: 4-9

“Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6: 31-33

Martial Arts

                                                   

      

Aloha Dearest Family,

            Lately I’ve been watching video clips of Martial Arts movies. It’s fun to watch the hero “Kung-Fu” artists like Bruce Lee, Steven Segal, Jean-Claude Van Damme or Donnie Yen playing Ip Man, kicking butt. And it seems that everyone else in the fight also knows some form of Martial Arts. But no matter how badly the bad guys get beat, they always go back for more punishment.

            But I’ve also noticed that the hero wins (eventually) because of his own unmatched skill. It’s obvious that he or she had learned more fighting techniques, had more expert training or spent some time in a Shaolin temple, so he or she has more skill than the thugs that they are fighting. But that’s what makes these movies fun.

            However, when God calls us, He knows that we are not trained for the calling. He didn’t call us because of our skill, talent or natural ability (or Kung Fu moves). When God called us to the faith, He looked upon our heart and saw someone He could work with; someone who was teachable and would obey Him. God knows that HE is all that we would ever need; and with Him, we could accomplish what He has called us to do.

            I think of Joshua and Caleb after they had helped spy out the Promised Land. Ten men came back with a dire report about the inhabitants of the land which made the people afraid. But Joshua and Caleb had a different attitude. They were excited about going in and taking the land at once.

             “Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.” (Numbers 13:30)

             “..and (Joshua) said to the entire Israelite assembly, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.” (Numbers 14:7-9)

 How could they be so confidant? Was it because Joshua and Caleb were experienced soldiers and great fighters? Had they worked out an unbeatable strategy of how to take the land? Remember that 11 days earlier they were slaves in Egypt. It must have been that they recognized that God was with them and would fight with them. They would certainly win any battle if God was involved. But as the Bible records, Joshua and Caleb were ignored and the people believed the report of the 10 who were afraid to go. Israel then spent the next 40 years in the wilderness because of it.

            If you look at all the men and women in the Bible that God called, NONE of them had the natural abilities to do what He called them to do.

        Joseph, Moses and David were shepherds.

Jeremiah was the son of a priest.

Nehemiah was the king’s cup-bearer.

Peter, Andrew, James and John were fishermen.

Paul was a saddle-maker by trade.

 God worked with these individuals and helped them grow in their believing and their trust in the one who called them. This makes all the difference. God would equip them and be their helper in whatever He called them to do.

           “Now may the God of peace.. equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.“ (Hebrews 13:20a-21)

             God has not changed. He still works the same way today. We ALL have a calling but we do not need to be concerned accomplishing it in OUR OWN ability. He equips us with His strength and wisdom and we rely on HIS ability. HE is our sufficiency. He is a Creator that specializes in bringing the impossible to pass. He is all we will ever need.               

       “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;” (II Corinthians 3:5)

                       Love Always, Ray

             “God doesn’t call the equipped. He equips the called.” 

The Earnest of the Spirit

                                                                                                      

Aloha Dearest Family,

                In the King James Version of the Bible there is a phrase that is not easily understood. In fact, for many years, I skimmed over these words not really understanding what they meant. The phrase “earnest of the Spirit” remained a mystery to me until someone opened my eyes to the complete meaning. This phrase is used only three times in the New Testament and when understood they are very exciting for the Christian believer.

         “Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.” (II Corinthians 7:22)

         “Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.” (II Corinthians 5:55)

            "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.”  (Ephesians 1:13 and 14)

                 If you are still confused, maybe you first need to understand the word “earnest.”  This word simply means a pledge.  In the times when the Bible was written, when someone wanted to purchase a piece of land, they would need to put down a deposit or earnest money for the land. This earnest money is similar to a down payment, guaranteeing that one day you would possess what you are purchasing. The idea of having an item in earnest means that this is just the first installment. I found a good definition: “A foretaste, installment, pledge, of anything afterwards to be received in greater abundance.” In spiritual terms, it refers to the spirit we received from God when we confessed Jesus Christ as our Lord and believed that God raised him from the dead, as being the first installment of something greater to come. When we were born again, God placed in us His gift of holy spirit. This spirit is a deposit, our guarantee that we will absolutely have a greater inheritance to come. This is the greatness of the word “earnest”. It is a little taste of the inheritance that is ours.

              I would now like to go back to the scriptures I used earlier, but this time from the New International Version. These give a better translation of the guarantee we have because of God’s spirit within us.

        “(God) set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”  (II Corinthians 1:22)

         “Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” (II Corinthians 5:5)

           “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, that is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:13 and 14)

 This is very exciting! Because the spirit within us, we have a deposit guaranteeing us an inheritance in God’s kingdom. YIPEE!! This inheritance cannot perish, spoil or fade away.

                 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, reserved in heaven for you,..” (I Peter 1:3 and 4)

          Insert your own name into the word “you” because one day when Christ returns for us, we (you and I) will share in the inheritance that we didn’t earn. It was earned by Jesus Christ. He is the heir. But God says that WE are joint heirs with him.

         “The spirit itself bearing witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. And if children, their heirs of God, and joint-hears with Christ…” (Romans 8:16 and 17a)

 There’s no time to be down-hearted or discouraged today. God has given us His spirit and made us heirs of God and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ. This truth will never, ever change because it is God Almighty who declared it. 

                               

Love Always, Ray

Plagues and Passover

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Aloha Dearest Family,

                About 5,000 years ago, Israel, God’s chosen people were slaves in Egypt. But it was now time to make the trip to the Promised Land. There was only one problem; the Egyptian Pharaoh would not them go.

                God had foreseen Pharaoh’s stubbornness so He sent the one man He knew would do His Will; Moses. Through Moses and his staff God would do whatever it took to get Pharaoh to let Israel go. God instructed Moses to tell Pharaoh the ultimate consequence of his refusal.

 

                “Then say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son, and I told you, “Let my son go, so he may worship me.” But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your firstborn son.’ ” (Exodus 4:22 and 23)

Little did he know the truthfulness of this statement.  God would give Pharaoh every chance He could before He resorted to such drastic measures. But Pharaoh had no regard for the God of the Hebrews and he would never let his slaves go free.

 

                Because of Pharaoh’s stubbornness, God send’s plagues upon Egypt in an effort to persuade him to let His people go. So you may ask, why didn’t Pharaoh change his mind after all the destruction upon his country? There are two possibilities. 1) Pharaoh considered himself a god himself since he had conquered all of the other god’s of his slaves, so he must be a greater god. 2) He may have considered Moses’ signs as a magician’s trick. If you recall when Moses cast down his staff and it became a serpent, Pharaoh’s Magician’s did the same. Moses’ God would have to better than that.

               

The following is a summary of the plagues that befell Egypt.

 

-Water turning to Blood. When Moses struck the Nile with his staff, the water became blood, as did all the water in Egypt. The fish all died and the river began to stink. The plague lasted for 7 days but Pharaoh’s magicians also could water to blood and Pharaoh would not let the people go.  (Exodus 7:14-24)

-Frogs. God then commanded Moses and Aaron to wave their staff over all the streams, ponds and canals and frogs came up and covered all the land of Egypt. The magicians also made frogs come up into the land. Pharaoh then said that he would let the people to go so they could worship the Lord and he asked Moses and Aaron to take away the frogs from the land. So Moses prayed to the Lord and the next day all the frogs died. (Exodus 8:1-15) 

-Lice (Gnats). But Pharaoh did not let God’s people go as he said he would, so God told Aaron to strike the dust of the ground and gnats came on all the people and animals in Egypt. The magicians tried to replicate this plague but could not and told Pharaoh that this must be the “finger of God” but Pharaoh still refuses to let God’s people go. (Exodus 8:16-19)

-Flies. Since Pharaoh. still refused to let Israel go, god sent flies to cover the land. But this time God would make a distinction between the land of Goshen (the piece of land that was set aside for Israel to live) and the rest of Egypt. No further plagues would touch God’s people. So flies swarmed into the land of Egypt and into Pharaoh’s palace. This plague was very grievous, insomuch that the Bible says that the land was ruined. Only in the land Goshen were there no flies. Pharaoh then bargains with Moses about letting God’s people go and worship if he would get rid of the flies. Moses prays to God and the next day there was not one fly left in Egypt, but Pharaoh still refuses to let Israel go. (Exodus 8:20-23). By now you might be thinking that the Pharaoh is a madman-and you would be right.     

-Disease on Livestock. Next God sends a disease that would affect all animals throughout the land. All donkeys, camels, all cattle, goats and sheep died. But not one animal that belonged to Israel died (Pharaoh checked). Yet this was not enough to turn Pharaoh’s heart. He still refused God’s command. (Exodus 9:1-7)

-Boils. God then tells Moses to take soot from the furnace and toss it into the air in the presence of Pharaoh. This caused festering boils upon every people and animal throughout the land. But even this was not enough to cause Pharaoh to relent. (Exodus 9:8-12)

-Hail. God then tells Pharaoh, “Let my people go, so that they may worship me, or this time I will send the full force of my plagues against you and against your officials and your people, so you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth. For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth.”  God is telling Pharaoh, you haven’t seen anything yet. “You still set yourself against my people and will not let them go. Therefore, at this time tomorrow I will send the worst hailstorm that has ever fallen on Egypt, from the day it was founded till now.” God even goes onto to advise Pharaoh to shelter everything he has because of the storm coming. God then sent thunder, lightning and hail that killed everything that was in the field, man or beast, and ruined crops and even tore the bark off of trees. Only in Goshen was the storm not felt. Would this finally be enough for Pharaoh? Pharaoh in distress calls Moses and admits that he has sinned against the Lord and that he will let His people go. But Pharaoh changes his mind. (Exodus 9:13-35) (What is wrong with this guy?)  

-Locusts. Moses then goes in to talk to Pharaoh and told him that if he didn’t let God’s people go, that God would send locusts upon the land. Even the Egyptian officials pleaded with Pharaoh and said, “Let the people go, so that they may worship the Lord their God. Do you not yet realize that Egypt is ruined?”  Pharaoh still did not want to let the people go and he bargained with Moses and said that he would only let the men go.  Not good enough. So God sent locusts upon the land in such an abundance that the ground looked black. The locusts ate up anything that was left from the plague of hail. Pharaoh immediately called for Moses and Aron and begged him to ask God to take away the locusts. The next day the locusts were gone, but Pharaoh still refused to let God’s people go. (Exodus 10:1-18)

-Darkness. God then sent a penetrating darkness upon Egypt and no one moved from his place for three days (but there was light in the land of Goshen). Pharaoh then says that he would let God’s people go but that they were to leave their livestock behind. Not good enough. The cattle must go too. At this point Pharaoh has finally had enough of Moses and Aaron and their God. “Pharaoh said to Moses, “Get out of my sight! Make sure you do not appear before me again! The day you see my face you will die.” “Just as you say,” Moses replied. “I will never appear before you again.” (Exodus 10:21-29) What happens next would shake Egypt to it’s core.

 

The First Passover

                This next and final plague would be the most terrible of all. All of the firstborn of every family in Egypt will die. From the royal prince to the child of the lowliest servant, no family in Egypt would be spared. To prepare Israel for this plague, God instructed each family in Israel to select a male lamb. At sunset they were to kill the lamb and smear the blood on the mantels and door posts of each dwelling place. This was done so that when the “angel of death” passed through the land, he would see the blood on the doorposts and he would pass over those houses. The blood of the lamb would save them from death.

                After the lamb was slain, each family would roast the body of the animal and eat the lamb whole as one family. In doing this the ones who partook of the body of the lamb would be healed. These were the two important aspects of the Passover meal; the blood and body of the lamb. Furthermore, this first Passover meal would be an annual feast that would commemorate this final plague upon Egypt and how God saved Israel, freeing them from slavery.

 

The Death of the Firstborn.

                Because of the stubbornness of Pharaoh, God fulfilled His earlier promise that Pharaoh’s son would die. Pharaoh would finally learn that he himself was not a god and he was not mightier than God Almighty. God gave him every chance to get him to change his mind, but in the end his hard heartedness would not only cost him the life of his firstborn child but cause Egypt to be decimated.

               

        True to His Word, on the night following the Passover meal, death passed through the land killing every first born in Egypt. There was a great cry of anguish in Egypt and Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and told them to take all that they had and leave Egypt at once. This they did with haste. But not long after Israel departed, Pharaoh realized what he had done and sent the entire army after the fleeing Israelites. I guess Pharaoh had not learned his lesson yet, even after his firstborn child died. This final insane action by Pharaoh would cost him his entire army, because they would all be drowned in the Red Sea.

               

                You may now ask yourself, apart from being a great story, what does it have to do with my Christian life today?

 

Jesus Christ Our Passover

                So many feasts, customs and traditions that Israel practiced were just “shadows” of the greatness of what was to come. For instance, some of the dictates of the yearly Passover meal practiced by Israel were:

          -The Passover lambs were to be perfect, without any spot or blemish.

-The Passover meal was to be eaten on the 14th day of the Jewish month called Nissan.

-No bones of the Passover lamb were to be broken.

-All of the Passover lambs were to be killed at 3:00 PM

 

If you look carefully at the death of Jesus Christ, we find that he died on the 14th of Nissan at 3:00. None of his bones were broken and he was truly without sin (without spot or blemish). These phenomenal truths can also be summed up in the following verse, “Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.” (I Corinthians 5:7)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

                                                                                                   

Communion

                Before he was arrested Jesus Christ did something very significant. In the book of Luke it tells of a new memorial being instituted.

 

                “And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” (Luke 22:19 and 20)

 

Even though we may have read these verses many times, few have read them in the light of Jesus Christ himself being the ultimate (and last) Passover lamb. As we have learned, during the first Passover, the two important elements were the blood and the body of the lamb. 1) The blood spread upon the doorposts of each household in Israel saved them from physical death. Likewise, the blood (represented by the wine) would be realized when Jesus’ blood would be shed for us. This would save us from spiritual death. 2) The body of the Passover lamb which was consumed by each family member was for their physical healing. Likewise, the body (which was represented by the bread), would be realized when Jesus was scourged and beaten. His broken body was given for our healing. Whenever we take communion, both aspects of the ceremony must be recognized. This was all done for OUR benefit.

                

                We were once slaves to sin under a cruel ruler (the devil). We were trapped with no way to escape. But God stepped in and provided a way out - He chose the perfect Passover lamb. Through his own blood and body he would save us from death and provide us with physical healing. All we had to do was to believe on the lamb. We needed to confess him as our Lord and believe in our heart that God raised him from the dead. When we did this we were transferred from the devil’s kingdom, the kingdom of darkness, to God’s kingdom.

 

                “For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son,” (Colossians 1:13 New Living Translation)

 

                Jesus Christ was the perfect Passover lamb for us all.

 

                                   Love Always, Ray

The Wrench

                                                                                                                       

Aloha Dearest Family,

                You notice water coming from a big leak in your house and, upon careful search, you find yourself standing in front of this leaking pipe. So, you ask God to fix it and suddenly in your arms appears this perfect plumber’s wrench which is made by the company called, “Works Every Time.” The wrench is nestled in your arms like a cherished baby after you prayed and asked God to fix the leak.

            You continue to stand in front of the leak with the wrench in your arms watching the gushing water destroy your floor and leaking to the floor below and destroying everything in its path. The walls are buckling, the floors are warping, yet you stand in front of the leak not using the tools God gave you and save your home. One twist of the pipe that God gave you will stop the damage. Yet for some reason, you stare and contemplate the destructive leaking pipe. You even ask yourself, “Why and how could this happen to me? I even prayed about this.” You’ve even switched arms because the wrench made by the “Works Every Time” company is getting heavy in your other arm. You’re too busy thinking about the problem that you don’t notice the solution that’s always been there.

            At times our minds can be like this leaking pipe. If not controlled it can cause damage and destruction to our lives. Too many Christians live each day letting their minds free to wander into areas it should not go and places that will not profit. If left unchecked, soon they begin to think destructive thoughts that they use to construct unstable walls of thinking that in time will start to crumble. When this happens, then they might ask God for help. But God is saying, “Child, I have already given you the words that bring peace. They are found in My Word.”  You’ve probably heard these words in church, your parents taught them to you, you’ve seen them in greeting cards and even seen them when you read Christian devotionals. You’ve probably even encouraged others with the thoughts of God. So, what’s wrong here? Why aren’t you seeing a change from doubt, worry and fear to shouts of victory and deliverance, to God’s peace that settles into your heart mind and soul? How can I experience God’s endless peace?

     If you want to tap into God’s resources and find solutions, here are some questions you need to ask yourself

•          When you read that God has given us the victory in I Corinthians 15:57, do you believe it? “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

•          When you look at the verse that says, “Let the peace of God rule in your hearts…” (Colossians 3:15), do you stop paying attention to the negatives bombarding you from the world and let God’s thoughts replace the negatives?

•          How much time do you give to God every day? How often and how long are these times devoted to God?

•          When you ask God for something in prayer, do you expect results? I John 5:14 and 15 states that He gives us our petitions.

        “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he hears us: And if we know that he hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” God ALWAYS answers prayer. Meaning - use the wrench.

•          This may be the most important reason why the leak continues. We read the Bible but we don’t make a conscious effort to believe it. A simple rule – if God said it, you better believe it. He is all that is true and good. The more time we spend with God in prayer and reading His Word, the more confident we will become that God is able to help us when we need him.

Troubles will come to Christian and non-Christian alike. But because God has promised us peace, we can rely upon these promises and not allow these troubles to steal our joy.

“The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.” (Psalm 29:11)          

"Thou (God) will keep him (me) in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee (God), because he trusts in Thee. Trust ye in the Lord forever, for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength. (Isaiah 26:3 and 4)

“For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.” (Psalm 84:11)

God has already given us the keys to overcome and be victorious in any situation. He does not want us to lack one single thing. He is always there with us and working for our behalf. Why? Because He so deeply loves us and He calls us His children.

                                                                Love Always, Ray

                “My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.” (Proverbs 3:1 and 2) 

 

Our Continuing City

                                                                                                                                   

Aloha Dearest Family,

                The other day I started singing the words of an old hymn we used to sing in our Bible fellowships back home. Maybe some of you know it.

               

“This world is not my home, I’m just a passing through

                My treasures are laid up, somewhere beyond the blue.

                The angels beckon me from heaven’s open door

                And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.”

 

I love this old song. This got me thinking about Abraham. God told him to pack up, leave his home and go into the land of Canaan. Here he would be a sojourner, a wanderer in this land; to live life as a nomad. God promised him that He would greatly prosper him and make him the father of many nations. God further told him that, although the land that he was passing through was not his, God promised it to Abraham’s descendants after him. This is why they called it the Promised Land.

               

“By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” (Hebrews 11:8-10)

 

God showed Abraham a vision of a city that God would build. A heavenly city. This is what gave him the strength and courage to keep going; the hope that one day he would see this city. After him his children and grandchildren also shared this vision.

 

“All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.” (Hebrews 11:13)

 

Not only were they looking forward to God’s promise that one day they would inherit the land, but that one day they would see this heavenly city.

 

“Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.” (Hebrews 11:16)

 

God not only showed Abraham a vision of a heavenly kingdom, but He also taught him about the coming Messiah who would rule this kingdom forever. This hope brought Abraham great joy through his life. The Messiah himself, Jesus Christ said of Abraham,

 

                “Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.” (John 8:56 NIV)

               

                Abraham didn’t live to see the days of the Messiah but he looked forward to seeing it and rejoiced in it. Furthermore, all of the great men in the Old Testament had the same hope living in them. For they looked forward to seeing the days of the Messiah and that great city, but this promise was never fulfilled in their lifetime. 

 

                “These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised.” (Hebrews 11:39)

 

               For us, Jesus the Messiah has come more than 2,000 years ago. This part of God’s promise has come to pass. Now we all are waiting for God’s promise of a heavenly city where there awaits for us a wonderful celebration.

 

                “Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God (the heavenly Jerusalem), to myriads of angels, a festive gathering, to the assembly of the firstborn whose names have been written in heaven, to a Judge, who is God of all, to the spirits of righteous people made perfect,..” (Hebrews 12:22 and 23 Christian Standard Bible)

 

This is our future and we will certainly see it. This will be a day of great joy and celebration. But until that day, we patiently wait for it for we see it afar off. This is our hope and this is why we can sing,

This world is not my home, I’m just a passing through.

                                                                Love Always, Ray

 

                “For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.” (Hebrews 13:14)  

Living the Holy Life

                                                                                                                           

Aloha Dearest Family,

                A man once asked me, “How can I do a great work for God?” Maybe you have asked this same thing. To answer this question we need to first learn about sanctification.
               
                “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” (Hebrews 10:10)

Because of the finished work of Jesus Christ, we have been sanctified. This rather “religious” sounding word simply means “set apart”. God has set us apart from the rest of the world. He has purified us and made us holy. This is not because of anything that WE have done. We were made holy because of the holy spirit that now dwells within us (Romans 15:16). Because we have been given holy spirit, we are spiritually set apart from anything defiled, common or unclean.

                Now for the hard part. Because God has made us holy, we are to live holy.
                               
    “Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” (I Peter 1:16)

This sounds like an impossible task. But it starts with simply choosing what kind of outside sources (things of this world) we are going to allow to influence us. This can be a challenge because we are constantly bombarded daily by TV, radio, music, the internet, YouTube, etc… As Christians we should choose Godly sources and not worldly sources (many of these worldly sources are very devilish). The challenge is to not let the world contaminate our thinking patterns. This brings up a story.

                A father was raising three teenaged daughters and he had always taught them about the importance of staying away from bad influences in life. One day his daughters came to him and told him that they were going to see a certain movie. He already knew that this movie was rated R and that it contained bad language, adult situations and some brief nudity. When he raised these concerns to his daughters, they told him that, yes, the film did contain these elements – but only a little bit. After much contemplation, the father decided to let his daughters go to see this movie.
                When they came home, he invited them into the kitchen where he had just baked a pan of brownies. They were very excited about this sweet treat as their father gave them each a piece. As they were about to bite into their brownies, he said, “oh, by the way, I put a little dog poop in these brownies. But it’s ok, I only put in a little bit.” Horrified, not one of his daughters took a bite. Why not? Because the brownies were contaminated. In this same way God wants us to not be contaminated by the evil influences found in the world. He made us holy-not let us BE holy.
Romans 12:2 encourages us to “not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by renewing our minds to God’s Word.” 

                Getting back to the man’s question I told you about earlier. I posed him a question of my own. I asked him, “What are you doing that is preparing you for what God requires?” He looked at me like I was speaking Latin. 

     God wants to work with each one of us to accomplish great things. But if we are not spending time in God’s Word, praying, giving, and if we are continuing to be influenced by the world, God will be limited in His ability to work with us. God is ready – but we may not be. On the other hand, If we choose to live the holy life by meditating on God’s Word, learning to hear His voice and staying uncontaminated by the world, we will then be “fit for the master’s use.”

     “So if anyone purifies himself from anything dishonorable, he will be a special instrument, set apart, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.” (II Timothy 2:21 Christian Standard Bible)

 Lastly, to do the works that please God, it may be necessary to watch who we associate with. It is difficult to life a holy life if we are surrounded by those who we are not like-minded with. Unbelievers will not have the same goals that we do. Remember, God has set us apart from the rest of the world. He wants us to be separate.

 “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? (the devil) Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?.. Therefore, "Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord.” (II Corinthians 6:14, 15 ad 17a NIV) 

 These keys will help us live a holy life that is pleasing to God. A life that we were meant to live.

    Love Always, Ray

 “How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.” (New King James Version 119:9)