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 22, verses: 40; The Whole Law.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The great commandment) Part 7.   

Here they were the great scholars and the masters of the Law before Christ attempting to trick him with their knowledge of the Law which was handed down to their forefathers from God on one side and there was Christ teaching them from the mouth of God the truth of the Law on the other side.  What a contradiction it was.  They could not see or understand who stood before them, Christ giving them every opportunity to have their eyes opened.

It is said that some people  even when faced with the truth refuse to allow themselves to believe what reality presents to them.  Instead they create false reasons and rationales to continue to support their internal belief systems they have created for themselves.  The Pharisees had the first commandment.  They knew and understood it well.  It was Christ who had to introduce them to the second commandment upon which the Law is based.  And he told them:  "On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."  

Love was the basis for the Law.  Love the Lord with thy whole heart and soul and mind.  Love thy neighbor as thyself.  Be good to one another.  For the life we live today we will live in heaven with our heavenly father.  There will be no strife.  There will be no anger, no hatred, no fear, no doubt, no darkness as we know it on earth.  We will live in the light of the Lord our God and he will provide all our needs.  Our happiness comes from and flows through him.  We will be fulfilled in peace and harmony with the Lord.

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, verses: 37; The Great Commandment.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The great commandment) Part 4. 

The Pharisees came with their questions seeking to test the knowledge of Christ.  Others came before him and failed.  But the Pharisees were determined.   They gathered among themselves and came up with a question that they thought no one who had not studied the Law as they had would know the answer.  They believed that their great knowledge and wisdom of the Law came from the years of study with the masters.  No one knew or had heard of Christ studying with any of the Doctors of the Law.  So they came to question him with this one question that they believed he did not know and would not be able to answer.

They wanted to know what was the one great commandment in the Law.  One had to discern this commandment after years of study for it was not given outright.  So one Pharisee asked Christ and:  Jesus said to him,  "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind." 

This is the great commandment upon which all the Law is based and upon which we should practice.  But, one should ask how to practice this commandment?  How do you love the Lord with your whole heart, your whole soul and your whole mind when you only know physical love?  Our love is based upon that which we can see, taste, touch, smell, and feel.  Can we see the Lord, or taste, him?  Can we touch him or feel him?  How then are we to know how to love him?  

What is love?  Love is what moves us inside, what makes us feel good about ourselves and someone else.  Love is the thought of someone we picture, how they look, the little things about them that we like, how they smell, reminding us of them and bringing back fond memories of them.  Love is the emotions that we have of a person and how they make us feel.  Love is a touch, a whisper, a breath, a breeze, a flower, a blue sky, a rainbow, the smell of freshness in the air.  Love is all these things and more.  Love is awakening to a beautiful day and realizing that life is joy and life is happiness and life is full.  Love is the happiness in the understanding that we are children of God and he is our creator, and our provider and our protector.  Love is our whole being in him.

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, verses: 36; The Great Commandment.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The great commandment) Part 3.

Time and time again they came to question his knowledge of the Law.  They could not believe that he had a complete grasp of the Law.  They did not know him.  Their colleagues did not know him.  No one had studied with him.  So how was it that he knew the Law?  How is it that he knew the Torah, the ins and outs, the intricacies of what had taken others years of study to comprehend.  They had to test him.  They had to prove him a fake, a charlatan.

Yet he came to teach the people in simple ways the love of God.  He came to walk and talk to them.  He came to show compassion and mercy to those who were in pain and sorrow.  He came to give relief to the lost and to open the minds and hearts of all who would hear him and believe in his message that the kingdom of heaven was at hand.   But they questioned him saying: "Master, which is the great commandment in the Law? "

What is the great commandment in the Law?  Is it thou shalt not steal?  Is it thou shalt not kill?  Is it thou shalt not covet thy neighbors wife?  Or is it thou shalt love the Lord with all thy heart and all thy mind and all thy soul?  There shall be no other greater love before you.  Is this true today?  Do we love the Lord more than we love anything else?

To love something we have to know something about that which we love.  Do we know the Lord enough that we can love him?  Or do we love something else more because we know more about that thing which we love?  We love money.  We love what money can buy.  We love what money can bring.  We love what money can do for us.  We love all the things that having lots of money will bring us.  We lust for money.  We dream for money.  Our eyes glaze over when we think of winning millions of money in a lottery.  Yet do we think of winning love of God the same way?

We see with our eyes not.  We hear with our ears not.  We know with our mind not.  We are our hearts.  The heart knows the emptiness.  The heart knows true love.  The heart knows what it needs to fulfill its desires.  Do not be fooled by what you see and hear in the world.  The world is dying.  God is life and through his love we are renewed.  Christ Jesus came to renew life to those who would receive his message.  Now is the time.  Now is the place.  Now is the reason to open your heart and know the truth of who you are in his love.  The heart knows.

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, verses: 31;Resurrection of the Dead.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Christ's answer) Part 4.  

Christ is patient.  He is loving.  He is merciful.  He is caring.  He is understanding.  He is kind.  He is the kind of teacher who wants all to be able to grasp that which he is teaching.  There are some that will.  There are some that won't right-a-way but, later with time, will come to understand.  Then there are those who just refuse to understand because they are set in their beliefs and refuse to allow themselves to change.  Their eyes are blind, their minds are closed and their hearts are set against that which would bring them joy and happiness.  Instead they cling to that which they have known for years and refuse to allow room for anything else to enter.

God speaks to the heart.  He speaks to the will of those who seek that which is wanting within each of us.  He calls to the need within that would be fulfilled and as yet, has not.  The heart knows.  The heart feels.  The heart yearns.  The heart understands that which comes from the creator and returns to the creator.  Life was given by the creator and returns as it was given, not death.  Death is not of the creator.  Christ told the Sadducees:  "But as to the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God?" 

Christ died on the cross to sacrifice for the sins of all mankind that we would not have to suffer the pains of punishment for our sin.  We are sinners.  From the beginning of time we are sinners and were given the punishment of death through the sin of Adam for his transgression in the garden of Eden.  That transgression was never paid for until Christ came down from heaven, became man, and suffered the pain of death for all mankind.  Through his passion and death he lifted the punishment of death for all mankind.  Those who would believe in him as the son of the father and obey his commandments will have new life eternal.

Have you not read what was given to you from the mouth of God himself?  Do you not believe his words?  Do you not understand?  Are you so blinded by today's world that you have no grasp of the consequences of the actions that you take on a daily basis?  God is patient.  God is merciful.  God is kind.  God is Loving.  God is caring.  He knows all and sees all.  I am thankful that he held my hand along the journey of my transgressions.  I pray that he will be patient with you along your journey.  He is the God of the living and not of the dead.  Are you the walking living today or are you the walking dead? 

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:20; Seeing is believing.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Power of faith) Part 1. 

Christ cursed the fig tree because it had no purpose.  It had leaves but no fruit.  It had leaves but no seed bearing fruit.  It had life but no purpose.  So he cursed it and it withered up.  It had life but upon the spoken words it withered up immediately.  The life that was in it was no more.  It ceased to exist.

The disciples heard the words spoken by Christ.  They heard him speak the curse.  They saw the effect of his words.  And they were in disbelief.  And upon seeing this the disciples marveled, saying, "How did it come to wither immediately?"

They saw it but marveled at how it happened.  They saw it but did not understand how.  They saw it but were in disbelief.  Christ was hungry and wanted something to eat.  God gave life to all the world and provided all kinds of fruit bearing trees.  The trees have a purpose.  We have a purpose.  But this tree did not have a purpose.  It existed without bearing fruit.  So Christ cursed it and it ceased to exist. 

Can you see?  Can you believe?  Can you understand that we have a purpose here on this earth?  Can you know that we will not be cursed?  Can you trust that you are loved?  There is something more than just to exist without a purpose.  There is something more than to just live and then to die with no conscience of what lies beyond death.  There is more to the life that we are given than to wither up and cease to exist after death.

Stop and think.  Stop and get off the merry-go-round of life.  Stop and open your mind and your heart and receive the love that awaits you.  For you are loved.  You are alive.  You are filled with the light of life.  Believe and you shall receive.  Accept and you shall know.  Trust and you shall see the miracles that will come to you from the one who loves.  There are those who would destroy.  There are those who would deny.  There are those who would deceive and blind you and take away your ability to understand.  Be not turned by the lust of the world for it is death.  Instead seek that which you know in your heart is truth and life and love.  For he awaits your call.  He awaits your open heart.  He awaits your opening the door that he may come and be with you.  Come!  Join the living and the love of Christ will come upon you that you may live forever.

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 20, verse: 7b, No Man to hire.

Our paragraph topic is: (Parable of the laborers in the vineyard) Part 9.  

Our story continues.  Christ is telling his disciples about the house-holder who has property and needs help to harvest the crop.  He has gone to the market several times during the day and found workers standing around with no work.  Even at the last hour of the day he has gone and found workers without work.  He is puzzled as to why they are still standing around without work and he asks them why.  They tell him that they are still waiting because no man has come to hire them.  They are still waiting at the last hour hoping that someone will come to hire them that they may work.

Our story is one of simple theme.  It is meant to bring home principles that even the simple man can understand.  Every man wants to work to earn wages that he may provide for himself and family.  It is the nature of man.  Idleness is not in man's nature.  He needs something to do to occupy his time.  In past times man worked on the land, planting, growing, and harvesting his food.  He built his home, cared for his livestock, and provided warmth to his home.  He hunted for his food in the forest and sought companionship for himself with a mate.  This is the nature of man, the nature of his need to be productive.  So when they hoped for work in the market place, the house-holder, "He said to them, 'Go you also into the vineyard.' " 

So the house-holder wants all that seek work to find work.  He wants all who hope to not be idle to have work.  The house-holder has need of harvesters and seeks to hire all who want to work.  This is what we can draw from this parable so far.  For we have only talked about working and finding workers who hope to work.  There are those who seek to work and there are those who seek to be idle.  There are those who hope for employment and those who do not.  And then there are those who are work motivated and need no man to hire them but are themselves self hired.  They are the ones who know that there is a harvest and that there is need for workers.

Do you know about the harvest?  Are you one of the harvesters or just an idler?  There is work to be done.  There is need for workers.  The rewards are great.  The benefits are plentiful.  Do you have the skills?  Are you willing to work?  There are many positions that are in need of filling.  All you need is an open heart and a desire to be counseled.  It does not matter the day or the time, the need is ever present.  It does not matter if you are young or old, rich or poor, black or white, Asian or Latino.  All are called to be witnesses to the harvest that is in need of workers.

What does it take?  It only takes your willingness to follow Christ and your willingness to be a witness to his love.  Everyday you may be called upon to let him in.  Everyday you may be called upon to show his love.  Everyday you may be called upon to lend a hand, to give a word, to spare a dime, to give some food, to see beyond what may be apparent externally but to see what is internal that belongs to him.  For we are all created in his image.  We are all spiritual beings and not physical.  And within the external body is the spirit and life of God our Father.  And that is what we are called to love, to see, to believe, to know that we are all alike. 

We are not Black, or White, or Jew, or Gentile, or Asian, or Latino or any race, or color or religion.  We are all spiritual beings created in his image and given life, a second chance, through the love and sacrifice of Christ Jesus our Savior.  So if we can reflect what is within us outward, others can see and experience that which is within us.  Then we become workers for the vineyard, attracting others and showing them the way to eternal life given us by Christ our savior through God our Father.  For he is the one true ever living God.  And he is our creator and our Father, and our provider, and our protector.  Open the door to your heart and let him in.  Seek that which is within you and know the truth of who you are in him.  The light of life will shine forth and others will see that which is within you.  Be the worker!

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 19, verse: 12a, Who can accept His teachings?

Our paragraph topic is:  (Continence preferred to marriage) Part 3.

His teachings were given that day that he told his disciples about marriage and adultery.  Through Christ the Father told the world of his plans, his purpose for man and woman.  For they were created with a purpose, a plan.  They were designed physically to bond together.  They were given from birth to cleave to one another and to become one flesh.  For through one flesh they would create.  Through one flesh they would provide the physical beings for the future.  Through one flesh they would open the door to all the others that would come after them.

The disciples did not understand.  They did not see the plan, the purpose.  They were still in the physical and not in the spirit.  They had not yet been reborn in the spirit of Christ and the justice the he would bring to the whole of mankind.  Through temptation man was disobedient.  Through deceit mankind died.  Through death mankind was doomed.  But Christ came and redeemed all.  He came and brought the teachings of his Father that all would know his will.  And he left with us the living words to open our hearts and give life to our souls that we could know the truth of who we are in him.  Who can accept his teachings on bonding and adultery? "For there are eunuchs who were born so from their mother's womb."

There are those who were born eunuchs from their mother's womb.  These are those who can accept his teaching.  They have no issue with bonding.  They have no issue with marriage.  They have no issue with becoming one flesh.  They are without the means to bond.  Yet they were created in the image and likeness of God our Father.  They are physical and spiritual.  They have a purpose.  They belong to the plan.  They are children of the father just as you and I are also.

He created us all.  He gives us life.  He protects and provides.  He guides us if we allow.  For the decision is ours to make.  The path is ours to walk.  The life is ours to lead if we choose.  Be not deceived.  Be not led astray.  Be not an evil doer.  For those are the unknowing.  Those are the ones who are of the flesh and not of the spirit.  Those are the ones that are led by the inclinations of evil.  Where are you?  What do you believe?  What do you know about who you are?  Or do you know who you are?

Many would think that they are physical in the body.  Many would believe that they are flesh and bone and nothing else.  Yet within the flesh is a spirit.  Within the flesh is the life.  Within the flesh is the likeness given us by the Father.  Can you believe?  Can you accept?  Can you truly know the spirit within?  Christ gave us the truth.  He told us who we are.  He spoke on many occasions of the life that is within.  Yet we do not believe.  We do not accept.  We do not know.  The world has not taught us so.  So we walk through life without the knowledge of who we are in Him. 

Come!  Seek the truth in who you are.  Search and find the knowledge that will awaken the flame of your spirit and you will see.  Do not be afraid.  For the world will tell you not.  The world will whisper to you falsely.  The world would have you ignorant.  Christ came to give life.  He died that we would be awaken.  He arose that there would be witnesses to the truth.  And he sits at the right hand of the Father that we may see his majesty and glory.  His advocate awaits your awakening.  His advocate calls to your heart.  The Holy Spirit sits at your door waiting to be invited in.  Open the door to your heart and you will know the peace and joy that this world cannot offer.  Come!  Know 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, verse: 14, The Lost Sheep: The will of the Father.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The lost Sheep) Part 5.

There will be rejoicing in heaven over the return of a lost one.  For the lost sheep are just as precious in the eyes of the Father as all the others.  They are the little ones.  They are the children that Christ placed before the disciples as an example of what they must become.  For the key to entering the kingdom of heaven is to turn and become like little children who do not worry about the cares of the world, who are not concerned about what tomorrow may bring, who rejoice in the here and now because their father will provide for them.

Christ wanted to teach them about the things of heaven.  He wanted them to know what heaven was like.  He wanted them to have all that heaven has to offer.  But first they must rid themselves of worldly ideas, worldly mindsets, and worldly passions that would prevent them from entering into the kingdom.  For it is not the will of the Father that anyone should perish.  It is not the will of the Father that anyone should be lost.  It is not the will of the Father that anyone should not be with him in heaven.  That decision is ours, given us by our father.  So Christ told his disciples the will of the Father.  Even so, it is not the will of your Father in heaven that a single one of these little ones should perish.

The little ones should not perish, this is what Christ told his disciples.  That is the will of the Father in heaven.  So each and every little one is protected, provided for, and cared for.  But there is evil in the world.  There is desire in the world.  There is lust in the world.  There is scandal in the world and all work towards turning the little ones away from the Father.  For the Father gave man free will.  The Father allowed man to decide.  The Father did not command that we choose.  He gave us the opportunity to make up our own minds, to decide what we wanted. 

Do we know what we want?  Do we see the results of our wants?  Do we understand the consequences of our wants?  For there will be consequences.  There will be repercussions.  There will be judgments.  There will be payments that must be made as a result of the decisions that we make of our own free will.  What do we know?  We believe that we can decide.  We believe that we have the capacity.  We believe that we know.  And we follow what we know.  We follow what we are told.  We follow what we are led to believe based on what we see in the world, what we feel about the world, what we hear in the world. 

We follow the path that is before us, the path that is given us.  And for those that lay out the path, those that create the path, they are driven by what they think is good and right and just in the mind of the market.  But the market is led by greed.  The market is led by desires and passions.  The market is led by the forces of commerce that are driven by the influences of the world.  And there is evil in the world.  Do we believe?  Do we see?  Do we know?  The choice is ours. 

We can sleep in the world or we can awake from the drugged slumber that the world offers.  Christ knocks at the door.  Christ holds your hand.  Christ lives in your heart.  Do not turn him away.  Do not close the door on him.  Do not go back to sleep when he talks to you.  Wake up!  See the being that you are in Christ.  Wake up!  See the light within you.  Wake up!  Know the truth that is within you.  For the Holy Spirit wants to visit you.  The Holy Spirit wants to live with you.  The Holy Spirit wants to know you.  The Holy Spirit wants you to know him.  Wake up and see!  Wake up and know!  Wake up and live in Christ! For it is not the Father's will that a single little one should perish.

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, verse: 5, Humility: The door to recieving Christ.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Avoiding scandal) Part 1.    

Christ continues to teach his disciples about spiritual principles.  Humility, he tells them, is the key to entering into the kingdom of heaven.  For it is through the humbling of the spirit and the denial of self serving pride that one enters into the kingdom of heaven.  It is through the knowledge and the practice of humility that one is able to drive out the spirit of pride.  For it is through pride that the door is open for Satan to enter in and influence the physical.  This is the knowledge that Christ wants his disciples to have, the knowledge that he wanted his disciples to practice so they would have a defense against the tricks and traps of evil.

Christ goes on to show his disciples the simplicity of a little child.  For children are under the care of their parents who will watch over them and care for them.  And the disciples are under the care and protection of Christ.  So he tells them that to receive a little child is to receive him, to know as a child is to know him, to be as a little child is to be as he is.  He tells his disciples:   "And whoever receives one such little child for my sake, receives me."   

Receive the little children of the world and you receive Christ.  Receive the innocent of the world and you receive Christ.  Keep them safe.  Protect them.  Watch over them and he will watch over you.  Christ gives his disciples a very important spiritual principle to live by.  This same principle is available for us today.  Protect the little ones.  Guide the little ones.  Love the little ones and you will love him.  For it is through the heart that one receives the little ones.  It is through the love that one receives them and it is through the spirit that one opens up to the spirit in them. 

We are all parents at some point and we know the love and care that we give to our children.  We have a responsibility to them when we bring them into the world.  And for mothers there is a bond that comes with the birth of children.  For a father there is a dome of protection and provision that he provides and with that provision comes a love from the heart.  God has given us the privilege of sharing in the creation of life.  We provide the physical and he provides the spiritual life that comes through our children.  But there is something more than that.  The bond is deeper than just physical.  We respond to the physical touch, smell, taste and feel of our children.  The sight of them brings joy.  The knowledge of them fills our waking thoughts and actions.  They are our hope and our beliefs and our love for the future.

But all that is just the physical and not the spiritual.  For Christ is one with the father and we are one in him, if we choose.  Our children should be one with us spiritually.  For they are the true spirit of life and love that comes from God.  They know not, they are not, and they experience not except what we give them.  And if we give them not of our spirit then they will be not. 

For how can we give of what we do not know?  How can we experience the truth of the joining if we have not joined?  How can we see their light if we have no light in us?  It is through our own light that we can truly know the light of Christ within us.  We are physical beings but even more we are beings created in the image and likeness of our God.  He gave us life.  He created us.  He provides for us.  He protects us.  And it was through the sacrifice of Christ that we are given the light of life renewed.

Receive the little ones into your heart.  Receive the little ones into your spirit.  Receive the little ones into your light for they are new in the physical world and fresh from the tree of life.  Their spirit is strong and their light is new.  It is through them that we can truly see the light of the life of Christ.  Come!  Know the life that is within you.  See the truth of who you are in Christ.  For with the truth you will know who you are.  With the truth you will see the light within you.  With the truth you will have no fears, no doubts, no anxieties, no hatred, no anger, no lust.  For yours is the kingdom of heaven and your father loves you.  Open the door!  Follow the path!  Read the truth before you and receive the Holy Spirit of Christ who loves 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 17, verse: 25, Tribute to the kings of the earth: The Exempt.

Our paragraph topic is:  Paying the Temple tax) Part 3.   

  Peter was disturbed by the question asked of him by the tax collector.  When he entered the house, Christ knew that he was disturbed.  So he questioned Peter as to the reason that he was disturbed.  He asked Simon who paid the taxes to the kings of the earth.  Was it the sons of the kings or was it everyone else that bore the tribute to the kings?  And this was the questioned that weighted heavily upon Peter, that everyone else paid the tax while the sons were exempt.

Christ saw the anger and the frustration in Simon and sought to address it.  He knew that Peter was disturbed over this issue.  He knew that the door to anger was being opened in him.  He could see the years of frustration that Peter had experienced with the payment of the tax and he wanted to demonstrate to him the protection and the provision of his heavenly father.  So he questioned Peter on the issue to demonstrate the power of our father.  He asked Peter who paid the tax, was it the sons or others?  Peter responded:  And he said, "From others." Jesus said to him, "The sons then are exempt."

Those that have and those that have not, is a reality that we face each day of our lives.  We all want to be privileged.  We all want to have the things in life that we see others with.  We want to live like movie stars because that is what we are presented with.  We want to live like royalty.  We want to have the things that this world offers to us as things we need to have, things we desire, things that will make us happy.  

The sons of kings are exempt.  They are given the luxuries of this world.  They are provided the joys and happiness that comes with wealth.  They do not have to suffer the trials and tribulation that we all face in our daily lives.  We are given the opportunity to achieve all through our hard work, through our intelligence, through our ingenuity, through what ever means are available to us, even if that means transgressing the natural laws or the spiritual laws of heaven.  We want what we want and this is what we live with daily.

Christ has given us a choice.  He has provided us with an opportunity.   He has opened a door that will lead us to the riches of the universe if we just believe in him.  For our treasure is in heaven and not on this earth.  Our provisions are with him and not with this physical realm that we are faced with daily.  And with our treasure our hearts are filled with his love, his peace, his joy.  And this is a joy that nothing on this earth can compare with, a joy that fills us, a joy that completes us, a joy that is everlasting and not fleeting.  

Fret not upon the things of this world that you see.  Desire not the passions of this life that will lead astray and possess.  Our goal is Christ.  Our passion is his love.   Our desires are his will.  Our peace is his provision.  Our knowledge is his wisdom that comes through the Holy Spirit.  Our truth is our Father in heaven who loves us, protects us, and provides for us.  He calls to you.  He waits for you.  He holds you in his arms.  He will fill you with his love.  Open your heart and see the truth of who you are in him.  See the truth of your light and your life in Christ and you too will know.    

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.