St. Matthew, Chapter 23, verses: 12a; The Lowly.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Hypocrisy of the Scribes and Pharisees) Part 10.  

The hypocrisy of the Scribes and the Pharisees presented an opportunity for Christ to teach the people and his disciples an important lesson.  He used the Scribes and the Pharisees as an example to show their pride and arrogance and to teach the people of their hidden nature.  They practiced piety on the surface but underneath they did not practice the laws that they enforced upon the people.  They were hypocrites.

Christ saw through their false piety and instructed the people to do the same.  They wanted all the praise and glory but did not do the work to obtain it.  They were not servants of the people but served their own purpose.  Christ told the people, the disciples, the Scribes and the Pharisees:   "Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled."

We live in a physical world where we see the individual exalted.  We are shown on a daily basis all the stars, singers, athletes, business moguls, millionaires and billionaires, that are paraded before us in the media.  Everywhere we turn someone is raised up, someone has just become a hero, a star, a person who has achieve something that we all want to become.  This is news, worthy of feeding to the people who will buy it so they can read how they did it.  Maybe they too can achieve the same success.

We wish, we desire, we dream of being the one.  We would do anything to reach a level of importance that we should be in the news, in the media, before the public eye.  We don't know the meaning of humility, we only know praise.  And most would do anything to achieve that goal.  

Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled.  We know nothing of ourselves or who we are as a person.  We know even less of where we fit in the cosmic scheme of things.  We search the heavens in a constant desire to know that we are not alone.  We live in our own self awareness of the world knowing nothing of that which is inside of ourselves.

Christ came that we could began to know who we are.  He came to teach us how to live in a physical world that fits within the realm of the spiritual world.  For there are powers and principalities far beyond our understanding, far greater than ourselves, that we know nothing of and have not understood.  Yet we proclaim ourselves masters and lords within the small realm of the world that we live.  How little do we know.

His love provides.  His love protects.  His love fulfills all desires, all passions, all wants.  He is forgiving, merciful, patient, all knowing, all seeing, ever living.  He is our Father, 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: 5b - 7; The things they do to be seen.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Hypocrisy of the Scribes and Pharisees) Part 5.  
The Scribes and the Pharisees walked among the people.  They talked to the people.  But they considered themselves above the common people.  They were learned.  They had knowledge that was not available to the common man.  So they portrayed themselves as better than everyone else.  They expected recognition from the common man.  

They liked to be seen and acknowledged in the markets and on the streets.  They liked to be heard in the synagogues.  They wanted first places at table.  They were above everyone else.  As Christ told the people:  "For they widen their phylacteries, and enlarge their tassels,  and love the first places at suppers and the front seats in the synagogues,  and greetings in the market place, and to be called by men 'Rabbi.' "

All their works they do to be seen.  This is what Christ was telling the people about the Scribes and the Pharisees.  He told them all things that they command you, observe and do, but do not act according to their works.  For they do everything to be seen, to bring praise to themselves, to gain recognition to their position.  

And we can see examples of this behavior today.  We can find many in our circle of experience who seek to be seen and heard.  Humility is not a trait to practice.  Pride is their moto.  Recognition is their game.  Persuasion and influence is the rules by which they operate for it is required for them to succeed.  This is the picture that Christ wants the people and the disciples to see, to open their eyes that they might understand how not to be.

Yet it is a natural tendency for us to observe and to emulate those who seek to be seen.  We want to be like them.  We want to be liked.  We want to be loved so that we can have the front seats, be recognized, be called by all.  For we are but human and we do what we see.  But Christ wants us to have another example to follow, another example to see.  He wants us to know that despite what we see, as a model to follow in life, this is not the road to travel.  

We are all sisters and brothers, born from the same father.  All are alike in the same spirit.  We are all sinners in the eyes of God, seeking forgiveness, acceptance, justification, and sanctification.  Christ came that we might be transformed in the eyes of God.  He came to be our example.  He came to be our sacrifice.  He came that we can have new life instead of death.  He came because of his passion and love for all mankind.

His love is overflowing.  His love is ever forgiving.  His love is fulfilling.  Tread not the ways of the world but the path of Christ.  For he will lead you.  He will guide you.  He will protect you and provide for you all the days of your life.  Open the door and let him 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 21, verse:22; Believing, all things in prayer.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Power of faith) Part 4. 

It is amazing what Christ did for the disciples.  He taught them about the things that come from the kingdom of God.  He demonstrated for them the power of words, his words.  And he told them that they could do the same if they did not waver in their belief.  This was the lesson that they had to learn.  This was the lesson that they had to remember after he had ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of his Father.

They were amazed and astonished at the miracles he performed.  They believed that he was the Messiah, the Son of God, and that he had the power to do many things.  They did not know or believe that they would be able to do the same.  Yet he gave them the instructions that they could follow.  "And all things whatever you ask for in prayer, believing, you shall receive." 

What do we pray for?  Is it money?  Is it to pay our bills?  Is it to feed our families?  Is it to keep our home and not be set out in the street?  What is it that we pray to God our Father and ask for?  After we pray do we believe that he will hear us and answer?  Do we believe that he will provide?  If we want it now do we believe that he will provide now?  If he does not provide for us now do we continue to believe or do we waver and give up our hope and belief in him? 

We are humans in nature and do not know how to ask for that which will provide for our future.  We are humans and do not know what will truly make us happy.  We are humans and do not know what will bring us true peace.  If we ask for a snake, do you think that our father would give us a snake?  If we ask for something that he knows will not bring us peace do you think that he would give to us that thing that will create chaos in our lives?

Yet we ask for those things that we know not how they will affect our lives in the future.  We pray not for humility.  We pray not for patience.  We pray not for forgiveness, love, mercy, hope, faith, piety, etc, those things that will help us to be more like him.  We know not.  We only know what is in this world and what we believe, by what has been given us, will satisfy and help us.  He know the truth.  He knows the way.  He knows the love and the peace that we need.  He is our father and he gave us and continues to give us life.  His lesson is seek and you shall find.  Knock and it shall be opened to you.  Ask, in prayer, believing, and it shall be given to you.  Do not give up five minutes before the miracle happens.  Patience is the key.  Belief is the door that will open your heart.

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:28b, The Ransom.

Our paragraph topic is: (Humility according to Christ's example) Part 8.

Christ wanted his disciples to understand his humility.  He wanted to give them an example that they could believe in and follow, an example that they could accept.  For he had told them that if they wanted to be great they had to become servants.  He told them that if they wanted to be first then they would have to become slaves.  He told them that even though he was lord and teacher and Messiah, he came that he might serve and not be served.

Christ had power.  He had influence.  He had all that they wanted to become.  They believed that he would take over the existing rulers and establish a new kingdom of which they would become a part.  This is why the mother of James and John came forward and spoke the words of sitting on high at his right hand and his left.  They believed that they would become rulers with him.  But contrary to all that they believed, Christ was a humble man.  He was a meek man.  He was a man with a purpose.  And he told them that he came: "To give his life as a ransom for many."

He knew why he came.  He knew the journey.  He knew the end.  And he understood the sacrifice that had to be made to ransom the many.  How difficult would it be to live your life knowing the outcome?  We all must die, but we expect to die of old age.  To live your life knowing the outcome would be like knowing that you are dying of cancer.  It would be like 
trying to find some purpose to go on living until the end comes.  What purpose is there?  What meaning is there?  What life is there if you know for certain that death waits for you in a month, 6 months or a year?  And you can feel your life slowing slipping away.  Yet this was the life of Christ who came to be the ransom.

He knew the outcome.  He knew of the pain.  He knew of the suffering that he would face.  Yet he marched forward facing the truth of his outcome.  Many make the decisions to give their lives to save others.  In an instant, a man will run into a burning building or a home to save the life of someone trapped in the flames.  They do this even without fully contemplating the loss of their own life.  When an auto accident happens and someone is trapped, we rush to help without thinking that we may risk our own lives in the process.  But who would live their life knowing that they would loose it in the process of helping someone else. 

And this was the life of our Lord Christ Jesus.  He lived.  He loved.  He died knowing that his sacrifice would save the world.  He walked with the disciples and talked with them.  He showed them many miracles where he transformed the lives of many.  Yet he was humble.  He was meek.  He was loving and caring.  He is our example to follow as to how we should live our lives.  He suffered more than we ever will.  He willingly came and lived his life that we would have our life eternally.  And he paid the price for all who would follow that we may not die but be cleansed from sin.

The choice is ours.  The choice is yours.  Find the peace that is within you and seek the knowledge that is yours to have.  You are a child of God.  Your are created in his image and his likeness.  You are not flesh and bone but spirit.  The light of Christ resides in you.  Know the truth of who you are in him and your eyes will be opened, your heart will be filled, and the love of God will guide you on the path that leads to your eternal Father. 

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: 25b, The hearing of the disciples.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The danger of riches) Part 4. 

The disciples heard the words of Christ and they were astonished.  They were in disbelief.  They could not understand what they had heard.  Their minds immediately thought of fear and anxiety.  And their hearts were filled with loss.  For they assumed that all would have access to the kingdom of heaven especially those who had wealth and riches.  But Christ wanted them to know the rules.  He wanted them to understand that the spiritual kingdom was not the same as the physical world. 

In the physical world those who have riches, those who have power, those who have influence are the privileged.  They are the ones who can use their power to get what they want.  But in the spiritual world there are rules, there are criteria by which one is judged before entering.  And the criteria specify that one lives by certain requirements here on earth.  The disciples did not understand the truth of the words that were spoken.  They did not hear with their hearts the meaning of the message.  And as a result they came to the conclusion and said, "Who then can be saved?"

If the rich man has difficulty entering the kingdom, what about the poor man.  Will he be able to enter the kingdom?  Will all those who do not have wealth, those who have means, be shut out of the kingdom?  Who, will be saved, was the shocking question on their minds?  And shocking was what Christ wanted to do.  He wanted them to understand.  For they did not see.  They did not hear.  They did not understand the truth of the kingdom of heaven.  Wealth or power or influence does not of itself open the doors to the kingdom. 

Christ wanted them to understand the difficulty that riches of itself could pose to hinder one from entering the kingdom.  Riches are of the earth.  Riches belong to the world.  Earthly riches are of no value in the kingdom.  Yet earthly riches are what we seek to have.  Earthly wealth is what we all desire.  Power and influence are the things that we wish to possess so that we might walk with those who are rich and famous.  We desire to be seen in the news or on the magazine cover or at a celebrity event.  We seek recognition.

But the criteria for the kingdom is not recognition.  The criteria for the kingdom is not pride but humility.  The criteria for the kingdom is not wealth but poverty of spirit.  The criteria for the kingdom is not hatred but love, not anger but forgiveness, not lust but modesty, not greed but charity.  Christ wanted his disciples to understand these principles just as he wants us to understand them today.  He calls upon us to practice these principles in the here and now so that we will be prepared to enter into the kingdom.  He has given us the blueprint on how to live our lives.

The decision is ours to make.  God is our father.  He knows our needs.  He provides for us daily in every way, if we choose to see and believe.  Those coincidences and circumstances that happen to us, happen by his hands.  Those little things that he gives us, daily, are his provisions, his protections.  If we could only see and understand, how grateful we would be.  For he is our provider.  He is our protector.  He is our source for life.  Our heart's satisfaction is in him.  Our desire to be loved is fulfilled in him.  Our longing for peace is through him and he will give us everlasting peace.  Seek him and you will know.  Ask him and he will provide.  Patience is the key.  Love him and you will know his love for 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, 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 18, verse:4, Pride vs Humility.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Against ambition) Part 3. 

Christ told them that they had to turn.  He told them that they had to change.  He told them that they were in the wrong place and that they had to leave that place and get to another place.  Satan was in their midst and had persuaded them to come to his place.  He influenced them to think about the future, to think about themselves, to think about fame and fortune and greatness.  He influenced them to think about all those things that were of this world and not of the spiritual world of heaven.  Satan wanted to turn them around, to turn them away from Christ.

Christ told them that they had to turn away from where they were.  He told them that they had to see what was needed to enter into the kingdom of heaven and that ambition would not lead them there.  Just as a child had no ambition, so the disciples had to become.  Just as a child had no desires, so the disciples had to become.  Just as a child was full of joy and wonder, so the disciples had to become.  Just as a child was humble, so the disciples had to turn away from pride and become humble.  Christ told them: "Whoever, therefore, humbles himself as this little child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven".

Christ gave the disciples an example to follow.  He showed them the humility of a little child that they would know true humility.  Here they could refer back to this example and remember what they saw and what they felt to know who would be the greatest.  This is a simple example for us to follow if we can.  We live in a world filled with examples of how not to be humble.  We ware fed through all our senses the world's view of how we should live, how we should think and how we should be.  Humility is not a part of what the world teaches us.  Humility is not a part of what we see in the world.  Humility is not a part of what we believe today.

Yet Christ tells us that to be like a child is the key to entering the kingdom of heaven.  How can we do this?  How can we turn from the world and espouse humility?  How can we practice this principle in a world that presents everything to the contrary?  It all starts with the knowledge of who you are in Christ.  What knowledge is this? 

God, our father, created man in his image.  He created man and woman in his likeness as  spiritual beings and not physical beings.  God is not a man.  God is not a physical being.  God is not of this earth.  And yet we are created in the image of our God.  We are spiritual beings and not physical beings.  We belong to the spiritual world and not to the physical world.  Our life and our light comes from the light that was given back to us by the sacrifice made by Christ. 

Christ is the most humble of all.  He gave up his power, his majesty, his glory to become a physical man to save us from destruction.  And it is through his humility that we have life today as spiritual beings not physical beings.  The body dies, decays, and returns to dust.  But the spirit is eternal in Christ, if we choose it to be.  It is our choice. 

It is only that we do not know who we are that we follow the principles and precepts of the world.  For with the knowledge of the light of Christ we know who we are and we can see ourselves as we truly are in him.  Christ gave us the way.  He told us what to do.  He created the path to follow, the path to discover the joy and the peace and the happiness that is ours to have, if we choose. 

Follow the path that is before you.  See the light that is within you.  Know the truth of who you are and the world will no longer have a hold over you.  For you are a child of God, your father, and he will provide.  He will protect.  He will love you as no other can love.  Christ knocks at the door.  Open 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 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: 2-3, Pride: Closes the door to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Against ambition) Part 2. 

They had discussed it among themselves.  Their minds were filled with the desire to know who would be the greatest.  Satan had entered into their midst and into their minds and into their hearts.  They were inflamed with the desire for ambition, the desire for fame, the desire to be great.  Not having an answer to their question and not being able to settle it between them, them came to Christ for an answer.  Who, they asked, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?

Jesus knew what had happened.  He knew that they had been influenced.  He knew their hearts and he gave them a simple answer that would dispel the influence of Satan and bring them back to the simplicity and peace that had been stolen from them.  They were the disciples of Christ.  They would be the future of the new church.  They would be leaders and preachers and teachers of the flock.  So they had to understand the true nature of who they were.

Christ gave them a simple example to demonstrate who they were.  And Jesus called a little child to him, set him in their midst, and said, "Amen I say to you, unless you turn and become like little children, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Christ gave them an example.  He put the child in their midst to show them who they were not.  He put the child in their midst the show them who they were.  He put the child in front of them to help them to understand what they had become, seeking ambition and pride.  And then he told them that they would loose the kingdom of heaven if they continued to be the persons they had turned into.  Satan was in their midst.  Satan had influenced them.  Satan sought to turn them into disciples of pride and ambition, but Christ knew in their hearts that they were his disciples.  He knew that they belonged to him and not to the evil that sought to turn them.  So he put the child in front of them to show them that they must turn away from the influence that sought to fill them with pride and ambition.

How are we to turn into children today?  How are we to become childlike that we may gain the kingdom of heaven when the world demands and declares that we must be ambitious.  Do we want to turn away from ambition, turn away from our passions, turn away from those things that we think will make us better persons, better spiritual beings.  The world demands that we have pride.  The world demands that we have passion and drive and courage and belief in ourselves before we are able to reach our goals, find our dreams, fulfill the desires of out hearts.  These are the principles and practices that we are raised with from childhood.  In order to be successful in this world we must espouse these principles and make them our own.  Or, are we going in the wrong direction in following the principles of the world?

God created the stars and the moon and the earth and the air we breathe.  He gives us food to eat.  He provides for us by giving us the materials that we need to make a life for ourselves and to live comfortably.  And he loves us.  For those that love him and know him, he will make provisions. 

There was a time in my life when I thought that I needed to follow the world.  There was a time in my life when I believed in the principles of the world.  There was a time in my life when I believed that I could do anything that I set my mind to if I only believed that I could achieve.  I espoused the principles of the rich and famous, of the wealthy and successful, the principles of the achievers in the world.  I failed, thank God.  I did not achieve, thank God.  I lost my way, thank God.  I hit my bottom, thank God.  And I called for help, thank God.  He held my hand.  He did not let go.  He pulled me up and let me know that I am his child, that I am loved, thank you God.  Thank you Father. 

Today, I know that the success that I have comes from and through him.  Today I know that I am not proud.  Today I know that I no longer have to follow the practices and principles of the world because I have a father who loves me.  I know that I do not have to be ambitious because I have a father who created the stars, the moon, the earth, the sky the water, and the air I breathe.  And today I know that my life is not without but within the mortal shell in this world.  For today I see the true spirit that Christ Jesus has given me which is the joy in my heart and the light in my life.  And today I am able to see my brothers and sisters as they are, spirits of the light of Christ that is within them.  If they only knew.  If they could only see.  If they could only experience the truth of who they are then they too will know who they are and where they belong.  My joy is the kingdom of heaven and not the kingdom of earth.  Christ loves you and the Holy Spirit awaits 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: 19d, Impossible Faith.

Our paragraph topic is: (Why the disciples could not cure him) Part 4.  

Christ was teaching the apostles.  They had very little faith.  They practically had no faith because of their unbelief.  Even though they walked with him daily, eat with him, slept with him, breathed the same air with him, they still did not have the faith to carry on without him.  They were children growing up under the protection of their parent.  But the time was coming near when they would have to walk on their own.  The time was coming near when they would have to talk on their own.  The time was at hand when they had to stand on their own and they were only focused on being in his presence now and not on what was coming next.

They needed to believe.  They needed to know.  They needed to have certainty in their lives that they could depend on at all times.  Christ told them that they had little faith.  He told them that their faith was less than that of a mustard seed.  He wanted them to know that they needed to believe more.  He wanted them to have certainty.  He wanted them to be able to stand on their own and know that within was something more than just what they were able to see.  For with true faith comes certainty.  With true faith comes knowledge.  With true faith comes the truth of who they were and with that truth nothing would be impossible for them.  And he told them:
"If you have faith like a mustard seed....   And nothing will be impossible to you." 

Believe and you will achieve.  Such a famous motto, such a famous quote, such a strong foundation to build ones life upon.  Achieve the stars, the moon, achieve success or anything that the heart desires in this world.  For we must be focused.  We must have faith in what we want to achieve.  We must believe that it is possible and that we can achieve it through our efforts and our strengths.  Many a movie star or rock star, or sports star have professed it.  Many an executive has spoken it.  Many a Billionaire have used this as a their belief system and passed it on to others who would achieve the same goals.  Yet is this the meaning of what Christ spoke?  Is this the substance of his words? 

And nothing will be impossible to you, if only you have the faith of a mustard seed.  Humility is a virtue that not many practice.  Our world teaches us that we must be bold, we must be aggressive, we must be daring, unflinching, without fear, to achieve our goals.  There is no place for the humble in this world.  And yet Christ tells us that with faith nothing will be impossible to us.  For through our faith in Christ and through our faith in God our father, all things are possible.  Shall we achieve our goals for our own vanity, to prove that we are the best?  Or through our knowledge and our faith in Christ, believe with the faith of a mustard seed that all things are possible.   Why do we need to prove it?  Why do we need to show it?  Why do we need to demonstrate something that has been given to us through Christ.  If we believe even a tiny bit then we should know who we are in Christ.  And in Christ is the father and through the father nothing is impossible. 

Heavenly Father, we humbly ask that those who read these words may have their eyes opened, their hearing restored and their hearts filled with your spirit that you may grant to them the light of new life.  And it is through the Holy Spirit that they may know the truth of who they are in you.  Grant, Father, that they may know the gifts that you have already bestowed upon them so that they will know that nothing in this world can compare to what you have already given them.  We pray, Father, that for those who read these words, that they may know and see the light within and know the truth of their spiritual life.  Then will they realize the true nature of their being.  Come my brothers and sisters!  God our Father, is a god of love and it is through his love that these words are written.  The door is open.  The path is before you.  Christ loves you and the Holy Spirit awaits 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 15, verses: 27, The Lost Children of God: The needs of the children.

Our paragraph topic is: (The Canaanite woman) Part 6. 

Christ said it is not fair.  Christ told the Canaanite woman that it was not fair to take the children's bread.  It was not fair to not care about the children.  It was not fair to have a selfish attitude without consideration of one's actions.  It was not fair to take and take and take no matter who one took from, including children.  It was not fair Christ told the Canaanite woman to have such an attitude, to be so careless, to be so self absorbed, to be so selfish, and yet she pleaded with Christ for help.

She believed that her daughter could be saved.  She believed that Christ could save her.  She believed that he was the one, out of all the others she had sought for help.  She knew within herself that he was the one.  And she came and cried out.  She pleaded with the disciples.  She begged for help and Christ did not answer her because he knew what was in her heart.  He knew of her carelessness.  He knew of her deeds.  He knew of her attitude.  And he did not answer.  But that did not dissuade the Canaanite woman.  That did not turn her around.  That did not stop her from pressing on, from continuing to believe, from having no doubts as to the help that Christ could provide.  And Christ told her that it was not fair to take the children's bread and cast it to the dogs.

And she was devastated.  She was crushed.  She was cast down because this was what she did.  This was her life.  This was her attitude,where she did not have any concerns about who she hurt, even the children.  And she crawled up from the depths of her soul and admitted that she was wrong.   But she said, "Yes, Lord; for even the dogs eat of the crumbs that fall from their masters' table."  

Yes, Lord, she admitted.  Yes, Lord, she was wrong.  Yes, Lord, she was selfish.  Yes, Lord, she took the children's bread.  Yes, Lord, she admitted and asked for help.  Even the dogs feed.  Even the dogs have a place.  Even the dogs get the crumbs.  Even the dogs are taken care of.  Lord, I have been wrong in my actions.  Lord, I have been wrong in my deeds.  Lord, I have been wrong in my selfishness.  But, Lord, even the dogs have a place to go.  Lord, even the dogs have a master to feed them.  Lord, even the dogs eat.  Lord, let me be a dog and feed from the crumbs of your table.

The Canaanite woman believed.  The Canaanite woman knew.  The Canaanite woman sought the help of Christ.   Even confronted with her wrongs, she still believed.  She still believed that there was a place for her.  She still believed that the master would take care of her needs, even though she was lower than the dogs who feed from their master's table.  She continued to believe.  She continued to have faith.  She continued to know that Christ would see through the depths of her heart and know her change in heart.  Christ would know her humility.  For she truly humbled herself from her high status and came to see the wrongs of her ways.  She humbled herself and let go of her selfish beliefs.  She cried out from the depths of her heart, "Lord let me be a dog at your table that I may feed of your crumbs." 

Lord, may I feed of your crumbs.  Lord, may I know of the goodness of your mercy.  Lord, may I find peace at your table.  Lord, may I know that you are the master.  Lord, may I believe that you are the protector, the provider, the healer.  Lord, may I know the truth of who you are.  Lord, may I know of your love.  Do you believe?  Do you know?  Do you see that you may not be blind?  For there is one who would have you deaf.  There is one who would have you blind.  There is one who would have you ignorant to the truth.  Lord, let me feed from the crumbs of your table.  Where do you feed?

St Matthew, Chapter 13, verse: 24 - 25, The Kingdom of Heaven: the Good Seeds.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Parable of the weeds) Part 1.  

The people are astonished.  Christ has spoken to them about seeds and fruit.  He has predicted that some seeds will produce 100% of the time, some 60% of the time and some 30% of the time.  But the question remains, what happens with those that do not produce 100%?  What happens when the fruit is only being produced 60% and the other 40% of the time it is not producing?  Is this an unprofitable tree?  What happens to the one that is only producing 30% of the time and the remainder of the 70% of the time it is not producing?  Is this a tree that is fruitless?  Can we see the parallel in our lives today?  Are we only fruitful in church?  Do we show our fruit only around our christian brothers and sisters and not at other times when we are out in the public?  

Christ wants us to be fruitful at all times, 100%.  He wants us to provide fruit of love, and of peace and of joy, and obedience.  He wants us to produce fruit of patience, and meekness, and humility so that those who are hungry may partake of the fruit of the kingdom from our trees through the grace of God.  The harvest is great but the workers are few.  The needs of the people are many but few are the ones who will satisfy those needs.  We live in a world that is not of the kingdom.  We live in a world that is selfish, and greedy, and lustful, and vain, and filled with its own passion.  But we do not feed those who hunger for the fruit of life given by Christ.  Sure there are churches, and religious programs, and outreach ministries, and pastors and priest, and teachers.  But these are few to feed the multitudes of  hungry. And these are only brought forth into the public places and not into the hearts of men. 

Christ wants us to have the fruit of the kingdom in our hearts.  Christ wants us to live in him and he in us that no matter where we go he is with us.  Produce the fruit of the kingdom.  Christ tells us a story, another parable of the kingdom of heaven.  He says,  "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field;  but while men were asleep, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away."     

The kingdom of heaven is in our midst for the sower has come and planted the seed.  But the evil one has come also and planted his weeds.  And the weeds grow everywhere, all around us.  The weeds are in our schools, in our work places, in our homes.  The weeds are in our churches, in our market places, on the streets, everywhere we may go.  There is no escape from the weeds.  They will grow and we will grow, together.  But we have a weed killer.  We have a trimmer that will take down the weeds in every nook and cranny where they grow. 

We must take our weed killer with us.  We must be prepared to use it at all times.  If we do not then the weeds will overtake you when you are without your weed killer.  For our weed killer should be within us.  It should be within our hearts wherever we go.  This way we are protected at all times against the weeds of the evil one.  Do you have your weed killer?  Did you leave your weed killer at home?  Did you leave your weed killer in the church on Sunday?  Are you unprotected out in the open, surrounded by the weeds of the evil one?  Come, seek the weed killer of all times.  Roundup Weed Killer has nothing on him for he exterminates all weeds.  He will rid you of all the weeds of the evil one and protect you against further attacks.  Will you let him in?  Will you live with Him?  Will you let him protect you?  All that is needed is to surrender and believe!