St. Matthew, Chapter 24, verse: 13; Perseverance.

 Our paragraph topic is: (He tells them of trials and hard times to come) Part 10.  

Christ was planting his seeds in his disciples and those who would follow.  He gave them the knowledge they needed to survive the onslaught of hard times.   He wanted them to survive the winds of fate, the coming storm.  He wanted them to have something to pass on to those who would follow after them in years to come so that they also would be strengthened by the words of Christ.  They would become the future witnesses.  The disciples were the ones who walked and talked with him.  They were the ones who lived in his presence day in and day out.  They lived and breathed the essence of holiness from Christ Jesus even though they did not realize it at the time.

The effect he had upon them did not show until after he ascended.  And even then his presence was still felt through the Holy Spirit that was given them after he ascended.  True, they faced hard times.  True they faced trials and tribulations.  True all the things that he told them would happen came true.  Iniquity abound and charity grew cold.  False prophets arose and led many astray.  Many who were weak in the faith fell to the wayside and betrayed others who stayed true to their belief and faith.  And Christ told them:  "But whoever perseveres to the end, he shall be saved."

How strong are we today?  Can we stand the test of trials and tribulations that may come our way?  Will our faith withstand the onslaught of what evil may test us with?  Will we falter?  Will we stumble?  Will we get up and continue to hold on to that faith which Christ has given us?  Or will we give in and go along with the rest of humanity not believing in what Christ paid so dearly for with his own life?  

To persevere is something that is difficult to do if it is not in you to believe.  It is easy to say but difficult to do if you have not been tested to the limits of your ability and then some.  This is what it means to persevere, to not give up, to not give in, to continue to try even with that last burst of energy that you dug up from the depths of your soul that you did not know that you had, to continue a few more inches, to still try because you refuse to give up.  That is perseverance.  

And that is what Christ wants from us, not to give up, to persevere, even in the face of hopelessness, because he is our strength, he is our hope, he is our rock of salvation that nothing should be able to shake.  And our belief and our knowledge, and our faith should rest upon this one fact that no matter what happens in our lives, come life or death, he will always be by our side as long as we are with him and do not surrender, do not give up, as long as we persevere.  May we live our lives and love according to the example that he has given us, Christ our Savior, Amen.

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:33, Open our eyes.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The blind men at Jericho) Part 8.

What would you have me do for you is the question that Christ asked the two blind men?  What do you want?  He heard their cries.  He heard their sorrows.  He heard their hearts calling out to him over the din of the crowd.  He did not see them.  He did not know them.  But through all the noise and all the people that followed him he heard their hearts calling out to him.

They were two blind men sitting by the roadside begging for their daily needs.  They had no work.  They had no income.  They had no way of providing for themselves.  They were blind.  They depended upon the mercy of those who passed them by.  They depended upon the goodness in the hearts of men and women who had pity upon them.  Many thought that they were sinners and did not deserve their help.  Many thought that they had sinned or someone in their family had sinned.  But here they were sitting by the roadside asking for help that they might survive.

And then the word came to them.  The word that spread throughout the land of Christ's deeds and his miracles spoke to their ears.  The word traveled by mouth, from one person to another.  The mouth spoke the word and all listened.  The mouth spoke the word and the two blind men heard.  They believed the word.  They hoped in the word and what it could mean for them.  And the will of God came their way.  Their hearts were filled with joy.  They believed that they might have the opportunity for their dreams come true.  And when they heard that he was there, they cried out.  He heard them and asked: "What would you have me do for you?"  They said to him, "Lord, that our eyes be opened."

Lord open our eyes!  This, more than anything else was their hearts desire.  They wanted to see.  They wanted to know.  They wanted to be delivered from the darkness, from the endless despair, from the hopelessness.  They wanted to live in the light.  They had their hearing.  They had their sense of smell and taste and touch, but they could not see.  They could not experience all that was, without their sight.  And they could not provide for themselves without their sight.

Do you live in hopelessness?  Do you live in despair?  Are you on the merry-go-round of life not knowing your purpose or place in this world?  We see so much joy and happiness in others in the media.  Our appetites are fed with the material pleasures that we could have in our lives.  Yet we live our lives in momentary pleasures that are here today and gone tomorrow and then we fall back into the daily grind of life.  Most of us live by the wayside like the two blind men.

Why do we hurt?  Why do we feel such pain, such anguish?  Why is it that we are not happy within ourselves?  What more is there to life that we are missing?  Our joy, our happiness, our peace is not real but only fleeting.  Is there more?  Is there something that is real that we can latch onto?  Can we not feel true joy within?  Can we not be truly happy within?  The two blind men only wanted to see.  What is it that you want?  Lord open our eyes that we may see!

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 16, verses: 7-8, The Leaven: The Accusation.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees) Part 2.    

Christ was in the presence of evil as he spoke to the Pharisees and the Sadducees.  For they were the agents of evil, they were the evildoers.  Evil can not operate of its own but must operate through man.  So they sought the highest authority and corrupted the priest to do their evil.  And they spread the plague throughout the towns and villages that evil would prevail.  And Christ know of the plague.  He knew of the leaven that was being spread by evil through the Pharisees and the Sadducees.  He told his disciples to beware of that evil, to beware of the leaven being spread by the Pharisees and the Sadducees.  But they did not heed his warning.

And so the disciples became infected with the plague.  They themselves began to show signs of the infection.  They began to show signs of the leaven that was spreading about.  But they themselves were not aware.  They did not know what was happening.  They did not see yet how the leaven was affecting them.  So they began to argue among themselves about little things.
They began to show signs of the leaven taking hold of them while they were traveling.  For the leaven brought strife.  The leaven brought chaos.  The leaven brought anger, fear, hatred, hopelessness, jealousy, and many other evils that would infect the person who caught it.  And they did not know.  But Christ knew and he warned his disciples so that they would not be infected.  He warned them that they would know and see the change that it brought about within themselves.  And yet without faith, the cure to the leaven, all would be infected with the leaven.   But they began to argue among themselves, saying, "We have brought no bread."  But Jesus knowing this, said, “You of little faith, why do you argue among yourselves that you have no bread ?   

And the disciples became infected with the leaven because they had little faith in the one who was the source of all faith and hope.  Are we affected with the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees today?  Are we without hope?  Are we without faith that the one who came down from heaven will not provide?  Do we argue among ourselves as to where we are to get bread, where we are to get food, where we are to get clothing, where we are to get money to provide for ourselves?  After all, we are the ones, so we are told, that provide for ourselves.  We are the ones who are not dependent upon a hand out from the government or from others to provide for ourselves.  We are independent.  We have jobs, we have houses, we have cars, and money, and clothes, and big screen TVs, and smartphones, and ipads, and Internet data plans that allow us to be happy in the world we live in.  And those who are without?  Well they must be independent and provide for themselves.  This is the leaven of today.  We are independent and do not need hope, we do not need faith. 

Christ came that we may have new life.  For without belief in his sacrifice, his death and his resurrection we are dead, we have no life.  Yet, we say we believe.  We say we have faith.  We go to church each week in belief of that faith and that hope.  But when the bills come due, the money runs short, when we fear the loss of the jobs we hold, do we believe, do we have faith?  The creator of the universe wants to provide for us.  He wants to protect us.  He wants to show his love for us and yet we are infected with the leaven of the world.  Is it hard to let go?  Is it difficult to trust in the Lord? 

We expect miracles to happen when we pray.  Yet we are not patient enough to see them happen.  We are not faithful enough to allow our God, our Father to work in our lives.  We know not the life that has been given us is not the life in the world but the life of the spirit within us.  Faith is the belief in the desire to be one with Christ.  Are you one with him?  Do you know who you are?  Has your spirit been robbed by the evil in the world?  Mine was but now I am found in Christ.   Come, find yourself.  Come, find the truth of who you are in Christ and heal yourself of the leaven of the world.  For with the truth, you will know the life that is within you and with the truth you will be able to throw off the fears and doubts that are brought on by the passions of the physical life.  You will know the true nature of who you are in Christ.  Follow the path.  Read the signs.  Open your heart and you will see the life Christ has given you. 

Read the signs 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 15, verses: 23, The Lost Children of God: The Cry of the children.

Our paragraph topic is: (The Canaanite woman) Part 2.

And the Canaanite woman came.  And she cried out to the Lord.  And she cried out to the disciples.  And she cried out that all the people heard.  And she did not receive an answer.  For she was desperate.  She was determined.  She would not be moved.  So, she cried and she cried and she cried.  And she did not despair.  She did not quit.  She did not turn around.  She did not allow hopelessness to come in.  For she knew that Christ was the answer.  She knew that he was the one.  She knew that through him her prayers would be answered.  So, she did not relent.  She cried out for her daughter who was beset with by a devil.

And the disciples heard her cries.  The people heard her cries.  And they wanted her to stop.  They wanted her to turn around.  They wanted her to be quiet from all the woes that she felt.  But Christ did not respond.  Christ did not answer her.  Christ only heard her cries and her tears and her pleases for help.  But the disciples wanted her to stop and they sought Christ to send her away but he would not.   He answered her not a word.  And his disciples came up and besought him saying, "Send her away, for she is crying after us."

Who cries out to God today?  Who beseeches Christ that their prayers might be heard?  Who will not be moved?  Who will not turn away?  Who will be relentless?  Who believes that he is the one?  Who knows within themselves that their prayers will be answered?  Only those who believe greatly, only those who know that their belief is truth and that no one or nothing will turn them around.  The world would detain us.  The world would turn us.  The world would have us not believe.  The world will test our faith.  The world will question our belief.  But only those who know will not be moved.  Only those who know will not turned from their faith in Christ.  For they know without a doubt the Christ can solve their problems, cure their ills, bring peace, give joy to the heart, bring salvation, and restore happiness to those who believe in him.

The Canaanite woman believed.  The Canaanite woman knew.  For she had heard the words that had come to her of the testimony of Christ.  She had faced the evil that was in her daughter without finding relief.  No one was able to help.  No one was able to cast out the demon.  But she had heard of the miracles of Christ and she knew that he was the one.  Do you know that he is the one??  Do you believe that he can save?  Do you believe that he is the answer? 

We seek answers in the world today.  We seek ways to cure our ills, to solve our problems, ways to provide wealth that we believe will bring us peace.  What do we find?  We find temporary peace, temporary joy, temporary love, temporary happiness, but not the peace that comes from the Father.  Christ knows our desires.  Christ knows our wants and our hearts.  And he answers not a word.  How long will you cry out?  How long will you seek him?  How long will you wait for his answer?  How long will you believe?