St. Matthew, Chapter 24, verse: 22b; For the Sake of the Elect.

Our paragraph topic is: (The destruction of Jerusalem) Part 11.  

Christ continues to talk about the destruction of Jerusalem and how life would end.  He knows what the Father wants.  He knows the anger and the frustration of the Father.  So many times the Father has been merciful and patient with his creation.  He has waited centuries for mankind to become the family, the people, the community of love and understanding that they are capable of becoming.  Yet the world tempts and taunts the people to do evil, to be led astray from the love that the Father has for his people. 

Christ tells the people, pray, that they do not have to experience the great tribulation that comes in winter or on the sabbath.  For on those days such destruction will be seen as man has not witnessed since the beginning of time nor will be.  Jerusalem will be torn asunder.  Many will suffer.  There will be much pain and death.  When you see the signs do not turn back, run for the hills for there will not be time to save anything except yourself.  Christ tells them had those days of destruction not been shortened no living creature would be saved:  "But for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened."   

All is not lost.  The elect will save some.  For their sake the world will not be lost, all living creatures will not be destroyed.  Thanks be to God that there are those who are chosen.  Thanks be to God that there are those who meet his favor, who are special to him and worth saving from destruction.  They are the ones who save mankind.  They are the ones who show the best of who we are.  They are the ones who do not yield to the temptations of the world, who do not fall prey to the traps of evil.  

We all are just human, weak and frail, struggling daily, attempting to know his will for us in this world.  We yield to temptation, but do we get up, ask for forgiveness, and repent of our sins.  Seeking forgiveness and repenting is our salvation.  Try and try as we might, we must continue to fight the struggle to live the life of love and trust and faith that Christ has given us to live.  And believe that as long as we believe with all our hearts and minds that he is our lord and savior and that we will be saved.  Believe that those days will be shortened, and we will be part of the elect of God. 

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself.  Do not study it in parts reading one passage nd then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ .   The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in.

St. Matthew, Chapter 23, verses: 37c; Gathered thy children.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Lamentation over Jerusalem) Part 3.  

For God so loved the world and yet the world loved him not.  His heart yearned for the love that he gave to the world but the world would not give back.  Even his own chosen children that he led from the Egyptian labor camps to freedom refused to show their appreciation for his love.  Years went by and they forgot the mighty hand that he showed their parents and grandparents leading them to freedom.

Their God was a mighty God.  Their God was a loving God.  Their God was a God of mercy and forgiveness.  Yet they were a children and a race that strayed from him and went their own way.  He has said how often he would have gathered them together:  "As a hen gathers her young under her wings."  

How tender a sight to imagine and see such a protective moment that our God would provide for us such a gesture security, such a gesture of love, such a gesture of passion for his children.  Can we not see this happening to us?  Can we not feel his love for us that we would have such a moment of protection over us that nothing would happen to us at any time?  He is our protector.  He is our provider.  He is our be all and end all if we just call upon him to be there for us.

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage nd then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ .   The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in.

St. Matthew, Chapter 23, verses: 27c; Dead men's bones.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Their hypocritical purity) Part 7.  

Christ gave them an example they could understand.  He spoke of the grave.  He spoke of what happens to man's body after death when it is buried and laid to rest in the grave which most could understand and visualize.  In those times one could smell the stench of death before seeing it.  The wind carried it for many miles to let people know they were approaching death.  People often died in the open wilderness without being buried.  And in those times the Romans crucified people on the cross and left their bodies to rot and decay on the cross as a warning to the people of what could happen to them if they did not obey the Roman laws.

So the people had ample opportunity to see and smell what happened to the body after death.  One could imagine the same thing happened inside the grave as took place outside of the grave.  Christ calling the Scribes and Pharisees hypocrites, calling them whited sepulchres was very graphic for them to imagine.  He wanted them to understand the true nature of their sins.  He told them:  "But within are full of dead men's bones and of all uncleanness."  

They looked good on the outside but on the inside they were full of rotted flesh and dead men's bones.  They were nasty, filthy, unclean.  They were not worthy to be near.  One should be able to smell them from afar as with rotted flesh and dead flesh.  Christ wanted to be graphic.  He wanted to shock.  He wanted to open peoples minds and souls so they would see and believe his message.  He even wanted the Scribes and the Pharisees to have the opportunity to change, to hear the new message of forgiveness and repentance.  But they were unforgiving.  They were lost.  They were blind and deaf and could not nor would not hear or see the change that was happening before their eyes.

Where are we today?  Are we the same?  Are we blind and deaf to the change that is taking place before us.  Are things happening that we should be aware of that is going to affect our souls, our beliefs, our faith, our hope in the promise given us by Christ.  We have the words of the one true God who does not lie.  We have the words of the Son of Man who came down from heaven to walk with us that he might show us how to live, how to love, and how to be free.  We have the guidance of the Holy Spirit that lives with us every minute of the day to help us walk the narrow path to the kingdom of heaven.  What more could we ask for?

Some believe.  Some do not believe.  Some will question.  Some will ask.  Most will continue to walk the path of the world not knowing or believing that there is a God who loves them and wants to provide for all their needs.  Yet here we are walking through the phases of life seeking to grasp the riches of the world which are already given to us.  We are wealthy beyond all imagination.  We are rich beyond all worldly means.  We are loved beyond all the love that can be given us from all the people in the world.  Yet we believe that we are not.  God forgive us.  God touch us.  God awaken us to know that you are ours and we are yours.  

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage nd then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ .   The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in.

St. Matthew, Chapter 23, verses: 19b; Which is greater?

Our paragraph topic is:  (Their distorted religion) Part 10.  

He called them blind ones because they could not see beyond the physical.  They were the spiritual leaders of the people but they had no spirit themselves.  Their religion was contrived, earthly, physical, without the understanding of the knowledge and wisdom of God.  They had the writings handed down by God to Moses.  They had the writings from the prophets. But they did not have the deep understanding and wisdom that came from the study of the wisdom from God and the Holy Spirit.

Christ came to give understanding.  He came that eyes would be opened.  He came that ears would hear.  He came that joy would be in the hearts of men once again from knowing that there is a true living God in heaven who loves mankind.  He came to show that there is forgiveness of sin for those who seek it.  He came to give clarity to their distorted religion to show:  "For which is greater, the gift, or the altar which sanctifies the gift!" 

The altar is the sacred table upon which we place our gifts of thanks to God for his graciousness of the benefits that he has given us.  For it is by his goodness that we live and breathe and eat and find the many things in life that we have on a daily basis.  The sun shines every day and the rain comes, and the wind blows, and the plants grow from the ground and we have food to eat and the many things that we have that we take for granted everyday that others do not have or that someday may be taken away.  Where would we be without his grace? 

It is through his grace that we live and breathe each day.  The gifts that we give back have no meaning to the one who created them but it is the altar that we place them upon that makes them sacred, that transforms them into blessed gifts coming from the ones that he has created that shows our gratitude to our God for the many, many things that he does for us.  

How can we possibly repay?  How can we possibly make up for all that is given to us?  It is only through these gifts placed upon the sacred altar that are transformed that express our love and thanks for him that is our Lord and Savior and our God.  Thank you God our Father.  Thank you Lord Jesus.  Thank you Holy Spirit for all that you do for us.   

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage nd then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ .   The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in.

St. Matthew, Chapter 23, verses: 16a; Blind Guides.

Our paragraph topic is: (Their distorted religion) Part 1.  

These were scary times and they did not realize or recognize the nature of it.  The Scribes and the Pharisees were gathered together to trick Christ.  But while they were gathered together he had the opportunity to address them as one.  He scolded them for their hypocrisy.  He told them of their false pretenses.  He showed them how they made converts for Satan.  And told them that they shut the doors of heaven for themselves and for others who wanted to enter.

These were indeed scary times to have the Son of God speak those words to the leaders of the people.  We would today shake to our very core and cry for repentance given the opportunity, but not the Scribes and the Pharisees.  Their core was filled with anger and rage as they listened to those words from Christ.  They did not believe.  They did not think.  They did not even consider the possibility that this man could be the Messiah.   He told them:  ''Woe to you, blind guides."

Some of us know but most don't.  Some submit to the temptation and ask for forgiveness knowing within that what was committed was against their beliefs.  But there are those who do not know and are influenced internally and externally to commit wrongs that go against man and God.  And yet God is a forgiving god because he knows that for those who ask he is willing to forgive.  Evil must have doers to commit its wrongs and it is the influence that it works within the mind and the hearts of men that brings about the evil that we experience today.

Blind guides, indeed they were, influenced by the ways of evil.  So pervasive had evil become rampant in the time of Christ that men were not only influenced by evil but they were possessed by demons also.  And the people cried out for help everywhere he went.  He came to put a stop to the storming of mankind.  He came to pay the price for our sins.  He came to set us free from death and dominion of evil.  And he arose to open the doors of heaven for all.

Christ is our Savior.  He is our Lord.  He is our life and our love.  Through him we have a new life, a new opportunity, a hand to hold, an ear to listen to our cries, an understanding heart to know our suffering.  He is with us.  His love fills us if we open ourselves to his heart.  He provides and protects.  His Holy Spirit will be our guide in daily life to show us the way.  He is yours for the asking.  Ask and receive!     

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage nd then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ .   The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in.

St. Matthew, Chapter 22, verse: 15; The trap.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Tribute to Caesar) Part 1.  

Christ is the Son of the Living God who came down from heaven to walk among the people.  He came to teach and to preach and to give an example of how to live according to the commandments of God.  He demonstrated his love and his passion for the people, his mercy and his willingness to forgive the sins of those who sought forgiveness.

But then there were those who were against him, those who sought to tear him down, to destroy him in the eyes of the people.  They wanted to show him as being a fraud and not the genuine article as the real Son of the Father.  They were the ones who were afraid, who feared that he would show the people who they really were.  They were afraid of being fake and not real on the inside as they appeared to be.  Then the Pharisees went and took counsel how they might trap him in his talk.  

They took counsel among themselves and came up with a scheme as to how they thought that they might catch him in a trap.  They believed that they could trick him.  They believed that they could trap him.  They believed that they could plan a way to bring about his fall, but they did not think that they were dealing with the Son of God who knew their plans before they did.  He saw through them.  He understood them.  He knew where they came from because he knew the influence from which they came.

They could not trap him.  They could not trick him.  They could not harm him in any way.  He came that he might surrender himself for the sins of mankind.  God wanted all men and women, boys and girls to be free of sin, so he gave Adam the choice to decide to obey his commandments.  But Adam was human and Adam came up against the serpent who tricked Eve and brought sin into the world for all mankind.  

Now we each and everyone of us have to make that decision and live by it for the rest of our days.  For Christ came and gave us a new choice, a new life, a new beginning.  He came and freely gave of himself to be our sacrifice, our propitiation, that we may have life and have it more abundantly.  The choice is now ours, individually to make.  The choice is now ours to individually to decide.  The choice is now ours to individually live day in and day out that we may know the truth of who we are in Christ.  He gave us life and it is life that is within us if we choose it.

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage nd then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ .   The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in. 

St. Matthew, Chapter 21, verse:25b; The Argument.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The authority of Jesus) Part 5.  

There was the Question: "Whence was the baptism of John? from heaven or from men?"  Jesus posed this question to the chief priest and the elders to test their honesty and sincerity in seeking the truth.  Did they really want to know of his authority or were they asking him for proof of his authority to set another trap for him? 

They came with a plan to questioned him.  They were angry and jealous of his attraction to the people.  They did not know him or from whence he came.  He taught in the temple but his teachings were different from theirs.  His teachings were commonplace and reached the hearts and minds of the people.  And this was something that the leaders did not like.  They were afraid that he would sway the people against them.  So,  (They) began to argue among themselves. 

They had prepared their question and knew what they would do with his answer.  They did not know that he would pose a question to them.  So they had to step back and prepare an answer for him.  They had to consider all the possibilities of their answer.  They had to respond in a way that they knew would not be controversial or that would cause themselves harm in the eyes of the people.  So they argued among themselves.

They were like children who had done something wrong and were preparing their story of what happened.  They did not want to cast doubt upon themselves.  They did not want to be seen as culprits.  So they had to get their story strait.  Guilt or innocent.  Right or wrong.  Acceptance or blame.  Punishment or forgiveness.  These were the emotions that they dealt with, the same emotions that we deal with today.

We do not want to be wrong, we want to be right.  Our fear of punishment persuade us to try and escape, attempt to place blame on someone or something else.  We learn this from childhood and the more it is practiced the more we rely on it to find solutions to wrongs that we commit in life.  And our conscience influence aids us in finding ways to explain or to get out of the punishment that awaits us.

Is there remorse?  Is there shame?  Is there a true feeling of regret for what we have done?  Only the heart knows and our God knows our hearts.  He sees within our deepest thoughts and feelings.  He knows the truth of who we are.  He is our judge and jury.  He is the one who will issue punishment.  And he is the one who can dispense mercy.  He is the one who can forgive.  He is the one who knows who we are and knows our weaknesses.  Yet it is up to us to ask for his mercy, to ask for his forgiveness, to seek his love.

Deep within is the spirit of his creation, the object of his love.  We are his children and he is our Father.  He gave us life and it is that life that he sees as loving and caring and wonderful.  But we live in a world where that life can be tainted, dulled, corrupted, and killed, if it is not protected and nourished.  We are loved.  We are cared for.  We are provided for, if we only allow ourselves to be.  The choice is ours.  The peace is ours.  The rewards are ours, waiting to be accepted.  Open the door and let him in.  Open the door and receive the nourishment of life.

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage nd then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ .   The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in. 

St. Matthew, Chapter 21, verse: 5, Thy King Cometh.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Jesus sends two disciples into Jerusalem) Part 5.  

The words were spoken through the prophets for all to hear.  They were written in the books for all to see.  And they were waiting for fulfillment so that they may return to the Father complete from their purpose.  The rules were in place long ago.  The disciples were given the instructions by the rules so that the words written could be fulfilled.  And Christ spoke the words that were uttered by the prophets so that they would be fulfilled.

The disciples did not know.  They were given the instructions to follow.  It was only after the words were fulfilled that they realized the significance of their actions and the role they played in the completion of the word fulfilled.  "Tell the daughter of Sion: Behold, thy king comes to thee, meek and seated upon an ass, and upon a colt, the foal of a beast of burden."

And now we understand the purpose of the instructions.  God works in mysterious ways, ways that are not available for man to understand.  He has given us the words that we might follow.  They have been written for us to follow if we wish.  They are waiting for completion that we might further understand the will of God our Father.  Patience is the key.

He has told us of his love.  He has told us of his mercy.  He has told us of his forgiveness of our sins.  He has given us a new start, a new life, a new beginning.  Those who believe will follow.  Those who see will know.  Those who want will understand the need for patience to see the fulfillment of the word.  Those who want will come to know who they are in Christ and understand that their heavenly Father loves them.

We are a chosen people.  Chosen by God to pass through the trials and tribulations of this life to be transformed into the spiritual beings that we are, created in the spirit and likeness of our heavenly Father.  Out of the love and kindness of his heart he created the heavens, the earth and all that dwells within.  He created the angels, powers and principalities that exist in heaven and he created us, mankind.  He gave us life eternal that we might know him and love him.  And he gave his only son to come, walk with us, die for us, and to be the substitute for the propitiation of our sins.  We are blessed if we do not loose sight of who we are.  For the word has been spoken.  The time has come.  And the fulfillment of its purpose is at hand.  Will you be a participant in its completion?  The choice is yours.  Come!  Join the living spirits that have gone before that you too may know the truth of who you are in Christ.

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage nd then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ.   The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in.

St Matthew, Chapter 18, verses: 35: Forgive from the heart!

Our paragraph topic is:  (The servant's fate) Part 4. 

Pay the torturer.  Christ told his disciples the parable of the settlement of accounts to give them a reference in real life they could understand.  He wanted them to have a complete grasp of the principle of forgiveness.  He wanted them to know the good and bad part of forgiving.  For the Father has forgiven them their transgressions because of his compassion.  Why should they not forgive their brothers and sisters their transgressions since they are forgiven?  Or they could exact vengeance and pay the torturer his due for not forgiving.

This was an important principle for his disciples and for us today.  For we are given from birth that no one should wrongs us.  We are given that we should fight back.  We are given and taught that we should exact our vengeance upon those who wrong us.  We see this daily, in the news, on the TV, in the movies, and we live it in our society .  Yet Christ came along and said that we should forgive those who wrong us.  This is not an easy concept to grasp, not an easy principle to put into practice.  We feel wronged.  We feel vengeance.  We feel compelled to exact revenge.  And Christ tells us that we must let go of those feelings and forgive from the heart.  "So also my heavenly Father will do to you, if you do not each forgive your brothers from your hearts."

What shall we do in the heat of the moment?  Shall we retaliate?  Shall we respond as we feel?  Do we stop and think about what happened?  Or do we think about all the transgressions that we are responsible for against our Father.  How did he respond?  Did he retaliate?  Did he exact vengeance?  Or did he forgive us with love?  We are children of God, created in his image and likeness.  We were not born of darkness.  We came from the tree of life, given physical form that we may live in the physical realm.  Our task on this earth is determined by the understanding of who we are.

Are we alive in the world?  Are we fully committed to living life, being successful, having all that this life has to offer.  Or are we partially committed, wanting all that we see and know but not having the opportunity to gain that which is in front of us?  Are we not committed, angry, willing to take all, by any means, to make us feel what we believe is our right to have?  Our physical desires hide the truth of the spiritual being that we are.  Our passions blind us to the love that our Father has for us.  And our intellect locks us out from the knowledge, the simple truth, that our intellect can not grasp the spiritual being, but the heart knows.

We belong to Christ.  He is our fulfillment.  He gave us new life.  He sacrificed that we might have the choice.  Do we choose the world?  Or do we choose the spirit?  What we see today as spiritual turns us away from ourselves.  For who wants to be spiritual?  Who wants to be religious?  Who wants to be a Bible toting, hell damnation condemning, prophesying, religious person.  That image has been given to us through our personal experiences.  Yet we worship what we do not understand.  The time will come when people will worship God in spirit and truth.  For the Father seeks those who know themselves and worship him in spirit.  For the spirit of Christ will come and abide with those who know.  And it is in the knowing that one understands the truth of who they are.

Our Father is love.  And through Christ Jesus we can become love.  For it is through him and with him and for him that we find our completeness.  The world has no hold.  Sin has no corner.  The light of Christ abides within our hearts and guides the way.  And the completeness of his love overwhelms the soul so fully that nothing else will satisfy.  It is with that knowledge of his overwhelming love that we begin to understand the power of forgiveness.  For we are all one family.  We are all children.  And we all belong to our Father, who provides for us and protects us.  Come!  Let us forgive from the heart.  Let us love with the heart.  Let us become brothers and sisters in Christ. 

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ. The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in. 

St Matthew, Chapter 18, verses: 33: As I Forgave All!

Our paragraph topic is:  (The servant's fate) Part 2.  

How hard it must have seemed for the disciples who were told that they must forgive seventy times seven.  How hard it must have been to understand what Christ was telling them.  They, who had lived by the law, an eye for an eye, had to make a 360 degree turn around in their thinking.  They had to bury their anger.  They had to forget about vengeance.  They had to turn to forgiveness.  They had to love their enemies.  This is like telling a wealthy person that they have to give up all their wealth and privilege.  But this was the concept that Christ was preaching.  This was the belief that Christ wanted his disciples to grasp, to understand, to know.

So he told them the parable to help them understand.  He told them about the "Wicked Servant" who would not forgive even after he was forgiven by his master.  And this was the principle that he wanted them to understand, they are forgiven by their Father as they should forgive each other.  Here is the question he posed to them:  "Shouldst not thou also have had pity on thy fellow-servant, even as I had pity on thee?"

I had pity on thee.  God the Father has pity on us as we struggle to live, to survive in this world.  We know not the things that we do.  We understand not the life that we live.  We see not the influence upon us.  We hear not the words that come to us.  Yet we struggle to survive, to live.  Some would say: "I struggle not."  Some would say: "I enjoy my life."  Some would say: "I have more than enough to enjoy this life."  Yet, what has it cost us?  What have we sacrificed?  What transgressions have we made to get to the point in life that we are?

Some are in the world.  Some are from the world.  Some are outside of the world.  And some do not belong to the world.  For the world would have us sleep.  The world would have us become unaware of who we are.  The world would have us not know.  And our Father forgave us all our sins.  Should we not forgive others?  Should we still seek vengeance?  Should we still express our anger, our frustration, our dislike when others wrong us?  Or should we consider our Father who forgave us when we wronged him, when we hurt him, when we transgressed against him?  We are quick to exact an eye for an eye because that is how we were raised.  This is the nature our the world we live in.  This is how we were given to feel what is inside of us. 

Christ asked his disciples to make a 360 degree turn around in their thinking, in their feelings.  He asks us today to do the same.  Forgiveness closes the door to hatred, to anger, to vengeance.  Forgiveness allows the spirit to be free.  Forgiveness allows us to love others as we love ourselves.  For if, we know the truth of who we are in Christ, we would love who we are, love who we are like, and love the savior who gave us new life.  And in that love we would find the love for each other, the love for our brothers and sisters, and the strength to forgive.  Our Father, our God is love.  He provides life for all, including the good and the evil.  He forgave all that we might have the opportunity to choose.

Come!  Choose life!  Choose love! Choose forgiveness!  Choose the one who was the sacrifice for your sins.  Choose the one who loves you most!  Choose to know the life that is within you and see the truth of who you are.  For with this knowledge no one or nothing can turn you away from the truth.  And what the world has to offer becomes meaningless to what your father wants to give you.  Seek the truth!  Seek the knowledge!  Seek the love of Christ and open the door to the Spirit of Christ.  Then your eyes will be opened and you will see the truth of who you are in him.  May the love of God our Father, the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you!

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ. The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in.   

St Matthew, Chapter 18, verses: 31 - 32: Forgive All!

Our paragraph topic is:  (The servant's fate) Part 1.  

Christ continues to demonstrate to his disciples the need for forgiveness.  The fate of the servant who would not forgive but exacted punishment upon his fellow servants, is used as an example for the disciples.  The kingdom of heaven is similar to this demonstration.  For when the settlement date comes, all will be judged according to whether they were merciful, as our Father is merciful upon us.  The servant was forgiven his debt.  Will we forgive our brothers and sisters their debt?  Will we look upon them with contempt and anger?  Or will we accept them with open arms and forgive them their trespasses?

These are the principles that Christ sought to teach his disciples in this parable.  He wanted them to have a clear understanding of the message.  He wanted them to know why it is important for them to forgive.  Not just one time.  Not just two times.  But as many times as seventy times seven, as many times as it takes.  He wanted them to not be like the wicked servant in the parable.  For the story of the actions of the wicked servant got back to the master.  "His fellow-servants therefore, seeing what had happened, were very much saddened, and they went and informed their master of what had taken place.  Then his master called him, and said to him, 'Wicked servant!  I forgave thee all the debt, because thou didst entreat me."

Are we wicked servants?  Do we entreat our Father to forgive us and then do not forgive our brothers and sisters?  In the heat of the moment, do we remember?  In the midst of the conflict when our passions are high, when we realize that we have been wronged, can we think about what we did to our Father when we wronged him?  Can we make that comparison, our Father forgiving us, to our forgiving our brothers/sisters?  Evil would have us live in the passion.  Evil would have us act upon our feelings.  Evil would laugh at us as we battle our brothers and sisters because they have offended us because they have wronged us.  Evil would not have us step back and think of the love and the mercy that our Father gave us when we sinned against him.

All we would think about is that we were offended.  All we could see is that we must get revenge.  All we could understand is that we were hurt.  These are the things that our emotions would have us act upon.  In an argument, in a fight, in a heated discussion, in an effort to hurt or retaliate, we are fully engaged in what our feelings tells us that we must do.  We do not take a deep breath and step back, to think and to feel from the heart of all the things that we did wrong and how our Father forgave us. 

Our God has forgiven us.  Our God loves us.  Our God is merciful toward us.  For those who seek to know him he is loving.  For those who seek to be with him he is forgiving.  For those who desire to love him he is open armed and welcoming.  He provides.  He protects.  He forgives.  Our past is with us.  Our history is like a movie that plays before us, a witness of all the transgressions that we made against the will of our Father.  He should be mad.  He should be angry.  He should exact punishment.  Yet he is merciful and forgiving.  Should we face the day of settlement, our history would certainly condemn us to eternal damnation.  Yet we entreat the compassion of our Father to forgive us of all that we have done.

Be not the "Wicked Servant."  Be not the unforgiving.  Step back and open the heart to that which was given to you.  Seek to become like Christ and understand the love of the Father toward you and toward all your brothers and sisters.  We are all his children.  He created us.  He gave us life.  It is through the sacrifice of Christ Jesus that we have new life, a new beginning.  Come!  Rejoice in what is before you.  Seek the knowledge of who you are in Christ and you will know the truth.  If the eye is sound then you will see the light that is within you.  And then you will know the truth and the love that the Father has for you.  Open the door to your heart and let the Holy Spirit come in.

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ. The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in.   

St Matthew, Chapter 18, verses: 28 - 30: Have patience with me!

Our paragraph topic is:  (The servant demands payment)  

The kingdom of heaven is likened to a king who desires to settle accounts with his servants.  This is the parable that Christ told to his disciples as he was teaching them about forgiveness.  He wanted them to have a clear understanding.  He wanted them to know.  He wanted them to feel within their hearts the meaning of forgiveness.  Peter had asked how often they should forgive.  And Christ wanted them to understand that there is no limit on forgiveness.

He told them, when the accounts came to be settled, would it show that they had compassion upon their fellow man as the king had upon his servant.  Or would they be like the servant who had no compassion upon those that owed him?  These are the servants actions.  "But as that servant went out, he met one of his fellow-servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and he laid hold of him and throttled him, saying, 'Pay what thou owest.'  His fellow-servant therefore fell down and began to entreat him, saying, 'Have patience with me and I will pay thee all.'  But he would not; but went away and cast him into prison until he should pay what was due."

What will you do?  Will you be like the servant or will you take the position of the king?  God has patience.  God  has compassion.  God  is forgiving.  God  is all knowing.  Will you be like God  our Father?  Will you forgive?  Will you have compassion?  Will you have patience with your brothers and sisters as they continue in their ways?  Will you have love for them as they struggle through the trials and tribulations of life?  Will you be an example for them, demonstrating the love the God  has for you and the love that your heavenly father has for them?

Our Father waits for us to have knowledge.  Our Father waits for us to understand.  Our Father waits for us to turn to him and believe.  We are drawn by the world and all its glitz and glamour.  For we are given to believe that we are successful it.  We are given to believe that we can have what it has to offer.  We are given to believe that if we only believe hard enough and work long enough that we can have the promises of this life.  And when we try and fail who do we turn to?  Do we change our game plan?  Do we try a different strategy?  Do we push the boundaries in our efforts to succeed?  And yet we are already successful.

For within us lies the truth of who we are in Christ.  And within us lies the truth of our success.  Within us is the light of life given us by our father through Christ Jesus.  And yet we are not aware of who we are in him simply because we are blinded by the physical.  We are blinded by the world.  We are raised in an environment that teaches us the rules of this world and not the rules of the spiritual world.  The two contradict and conflict.  Father have patience with me that I may learn your ways.  Father have patience with me that I may understand the truth of who I am.  Father forgive me my trespasses and help me to forgive others as you forgive me.  Help me to have patience and love that I may see others as you see me. 

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ. The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in.