St. Matthew, Chapter 22, verse: 6; And they killed the messengers.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The marriage feast) Part 5.  

No one showed.  No one came to the feast.  The invitations were sent out twice but no one came to the party.  Everyone was talking about it.  Everyone said that they were going.  But they were too busy to celebrate with the king and his son.  He sent out the invitations twice so no one could say that they did not get it.  They were complacent and had other more important things to do than to spend time with the king.

They were tired of hearing about the king's party.  The messengers had come around on several occasions talking about the celebration and everyone was talking about it.  But no one went when the time came.  So they were frustrated and wanted to stop the talk about this event.  And so: "The rest laid hold of his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them." 

They killed the messengers.  The king sent them out to remind those invited that the celebration was ready and they killed them.  They beat them, kicked them, spat on them, and then killed them.  Is that something that we would do today?  Would we kill the messengers if they came around talking about the kingdom of heaven and we did not want to hear them?  Would we treat them badly and kill them?  We often see them on the corners of our local streets, preaching hell and damnation.  Often we think of them as bible thumping preachers who have nothing else to do.  We see them and then we continue on about our business.  We believe that our message will be preached in the churches and not on the streets.  But this was the way it was in the time of Christ.  There were no churches, just the synagogue.

Today we don't kill them because it is against the law.  But we do kill them because we ignore them.  We see them but we do not.  We hear them but we do not hear them.  We believe what they are saying but we do not.  We live in two worlds.  We live in the physical world and we live in the spiritual world, if we believe.  We respond to the physical world because that is what we see and feel everyday.  But the spiritual world is within us.  The spiritual world requires something of us that the physical does not, that we believe.  We say that we believe but do we really.  

God, our Father, calls us to be his children, created in his image and likeness.  Our Father is a loving god and he would expect the same of us.  He is a god of provision and protection.  He would not allow anything to happen to his children just as we are parents and would not allow anything within our power to happen to our own children.  We love them and they give us love and happiness.  They are a part of us and we are a part of them.  So as we grow and become more a part of the physical world let us reflect back and think about the part where we were young and had parents to provide for us.  So today we are children of our God and he provides for and cares for us.  He is having a celebration and all are invited.  Come, join the party.

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: 1-2; The Kingdom of Heaven like a marriage feast.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The marriage feast) Part 1.  

The kingdom of heaven is like a feast, a party.  Christ spoke in parables because it was not for them to know the meaning of the word.  Those who wanted to know would search their minds, hearts, and history to obtain a meaning.  Those who thought that they wanted to know would take in the words as they were spoken but would not search for meaning.  Those who did not care would only listen to the words without seeking to know the meaning beyond the words.  To them this was just another story that was told to entertain the crowd.

Many who followed Christ wanted to know, they wanted to understand because they saw him as a prophet, a person of power and influence.  They knew that he spoke the truth because of the many examples and miracles that he performed.  They sought to understand.  They sought to know.  "And Jesus addressed them, and spoke to them again in parables, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a king who made a marriage feast for his son."  

A marriage feast is a party, with singing and dancing, and wine and music, and laughter and joyous banter, all in the name of the son.  This would be an occasion that everyone would want to attend.  There would be food and free wine and a happy occasion that everyone would remember for a long time.  This is what we live for today, to party.  We work all week long and party on the weekend till the light of dawn.  Tomorrow will never come, or so we hope, for we are having the joy of a lifetime today.

The king wanted to celebrate the marriage of his son, the beginning of a new generation.  For he hoped that from this union would come a son to carry forward the legacy of his family.  And he wanted all to rejoice in this union of son and bride.  Some would come and rejoice.  Some would come and feast.  Some would come and talk of the scandal that they saw at the party.  Then there would be those who would come to find jealousy and enmity at the party.  But for the king there was only joy in his heart for himself and his son and new bride.

This is a parable about the kingdom of heaven.  It gives us a hint of what we can expect after our transition to our next life.  There will be no sorrow.  There will be no pain.  There will be no suffering or regret.  There we will experience the joy of the love of our Father and his son, Christ Jesus.  For he is our joy.  He is our happiness.  He is our truth, all that we have searched for in life.  He is our be all and end all and in him there is no lack for that which we might desire.  For he fulfills all the desires of our hearts, of our souls, and of our spirits.  His light will shine on us and within us and we shall be complete.

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: 32a; The way of Justice.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Parable of the two sons) Part 5. 

The harlots and the publicans were entering the kingdom of heaven before the chief priest and the elders and the scribes.  They were the lowly.  They were the forgotten.  They were the ones who were the scum of the city that everyone hated.  Yet their eyes were being opened.  Their hearts were being filled.  And they were the ones who came to believe and see the light that had come into the world.

They came to Christ indignant of his teachings and questioned his authority to teach.  They were blind and could not see.  All the signs were there, but they refused to believe that the Messiah had come without consulting them first.  The chief priest and the elders were the rulers of the people.  They knew the Law.  They read and studied the Torah.  They knew from the readings that someday the Messiah would come and walk among the people.  They could not believe that he would come in such a lowly fashion.  He told them:  "For John came to you in the way of justice, and you did not believe him." 

John the Baptist was a prophet that all believed.  He wore scant clothing, ate locus and honey, and lived in the dessert away from the cities.  He was a holy man.  His coming was foretold before his arrival.  He was the voice of the one crying in the wilderness making the way for the coming of the Messiah.  His words traveled far and wide and many came to see him.  Even the chief priest and the elders came out to see this man of God.

He was too plain.  He was not clothed in fine linen.  He did not live in a palace and eat fine foods.  He was different.  He spoke of repentance and baptized those who believed in his message.  But many did not come.  Many did not believe.  Many did not know even though they heard of him through the voice of the people who saw him and heard him and believed in him.

Here we are today, living in a different time and place, yet still being the same people.  We have not escaped to a different reality.  We have not transformed into a different people.  We are still human flesh and bone and suffer from the same weaknesses.  We fear the unknown and what will come tomorrow.  We strive to be independent, without the help of anyone.  We believe that we are self sufficient and can provide and protect ourselves.  Yet the darkness of death looms over our every move, our every thought, our very being.  Our life is not of this world.

He offered them the opportunity to believe.  He gave them twice the chance to enter into the kingdom of heaven.  He is patient and loving and forgiving.  Until the completion of time, then will it be too late.  Then will time turn.  Then will human life end and a new spiritual life begins.  John came in the way of justice.  Christ came in the way of fulfillment.  The door is open.  His love awaits his children.  Believe and you will see.  Knock and the door will be opened.  Seek and all will be revealed.

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, verses:31b; The publicans and harlots.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Parable of the two sons) Part 4. 

After telling them the parable of the two sons, Christ asks them the question:  "Who did the father's will?"  They answered, the first son.  He gave them the opportunity to understand this simple parable on their a level that they were familiar with.  He wanted them to know.  He wanted them to understand, to have the knowledge and the opportunity for their eyes to be opened that they might be healed.

This parable led them down the path to that knowledge.  They had to open the door.  They had to see.  They had to allow themselves to come to know what was right in front of their eyes.  Could they do this?  Were they open enough?  Could they break through the darkness that blinded them?  So:  Jesus said to them , "Amen I say to you, the
publicans and harlots are entering the kingdom of God before you." 

And there it was, right in front of their faces.  They were so blind that they could not see what was happening.  Others were accepting and entering the kingdom but they were not.  The kingdom of heaven was at hand.  The kingdom of heaven had come to them here on earth.  The kingdom of heaven had come down from heaven and was now here on earth that all might have the opportunity to see and believe.  But the chief priest and the elders could not see.  They could not understand.  They could not hear the truth of the word.  They were blind.

Are we blind today?  Are those with the wisdom and the knowledge unable to see the opportunity?  Has the knowledge of the world so influenced their inner life that it is dimmed and turned to darkness?  Can they not believe?  Can they not see?  Can they not know that we are human beings but more than that we are spiritual beings created in the image and likeness of God himself.

He gave us life.  He created us from dust.  He provided the earth, the air, the water, the sun that we might have the right environment to grow and prosper.  Yet we in our finite wisdom have converted the truth to our own interpretation and liking, that it might make sense to us.  Yet we, not knowing, can not comprehend the knowledge and wisdom of our Father who created us.  Even more we are not supposed to understand but to take a leap beyond our own wisdom and knowledge to exercise the wisdom and knowledge of the spiritual being within us.

Christ came that we would have the truth.  He came that what was lost through deceit could be regained through truth.  We were dead, without a spiritual being, according to God's decree.  Christ came to give us life again.  And that life is open to all who seek it.  It is open to all who want to know the truth.  It is open to the young and the old, the wise and the dumb, the sick and the able, it is open to all.  Let us become like the publicans and the harlots, regain our spiritual light, and enter into the kingdom of heaven, now.

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 19, verse: 17a, What is good?

Our paragraph topic is:(The rich young man speaks to Jesus ) Part 1.

And behold a certain man came to Christ with a question.  He wanted to know what was good.  He wanted to know what was acceptable.  He wanted to know what he had to do to enter the kingdom of heaven.  He had heard of the miracles performed by Christ.  He had heard of the words spoken by Christ.  He had understood the meaning of those words but he wanted to be certain of those words and not just depend on the hearsay as passed down from those who carried the word.

So his curiosity led him to find Christ.  For he figured that Christ had to be a good man.  He figured that Christ had to be a just man.  He figured that Christ had to be a religious man who would tell him what was right and good.  So he sought him out that he may get the true words directly from Christ himself.  And he believed that he would get the truth from such a good man as Christ.  But underneath his question, hidden in the back recesses of his mind was that lingering question, the question of good and right.  And Christ spoke to that question.  He said to him, "Why dost thou ask me about what is good?

What is good?  What is bad?  What is right?  What is wrong?  Do we know good from bad?  Do we know what is right or what is wrong?  Can we determine for ourselves what is good or what is bad, what is right or what is wrong?  We are the ones who must live by what is good or what is bad.  We are the ones who must abide by what is right or what is wrong.  Are we to make these determinations for ourselves?  Are we to abide by our own determinations of these boundaries?  It would seem so in the world that we live in today.

We are brought into a world that has existed from the past.  And with that existence are the things that are given to us as what is right and what is wrong.  God our Father gave us rules to live by.  He gave us boundaries to abide within.  He helped us to know what is right and what is wrong according to his wisdom and knowledge.  He has given us free will to choose.  He has not dictated to us that we should follow his commandments but allows us to make our own decisions.  And our decisions are influenced by the evil that exists in the world today.  So we are given the rules that are created by the world that we live in and they are handed down to us by those who have made those decisions for us.  Yet we have within us the truth and the knowledge of the father.

So what is good?  What is right?  What is wrong?  And what is bad?  The decision is ours to make.  If we choose, we can know the answer to these questions.  If we choose we can have the knowledge to discern these answers.  If we desire with our hearts, we are able to know what is good, what is right, what is bad and what is wrong.  For Christ came that we would know.  He came that we would see.  He came that we would understand the truth of who we are in God our Father through his sacrifice.  We are created in his image and his likeness.  God our Father is good.  He is kind.  He is merciful.  He is forgiving.  He is loving.  He is full of all grace and glory.  And it is from his gifts that we receive our goodness, our mercy, our forgiveness, and our love.  The choice is ours for the taking.  The belief is ours to believe.  The knowledge is ours for the knowing.  The love is ours to be loved, if we open our hearts and receive it from the one who gives it freely.  Open your heart and know the love that fulfills all desires.

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: 3, Divorce for any cause.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The question of divorce) Part 1.

The son of our Father, God of all creation, came to earth, to the physical realm, to live among us.  He came with a purpose.  He came with a mission, sent by the Father.  Preach the coming of the kingdom of heaven, was his mission.  Be with the people.  Show the compassion of the Father.  Bring hope, encourage faith, help them to believe.  Demonstrate the mercy and bring praise and glory to God Almighty.  And he traveled to Judea, where great crowds followed, and he cured all there.

Even in the majesty of the Father, there were those who conspired in the darkness.  Fearful of the coming of the kingdom, seeking a way to forestall, a way to cancel, they sought to lay tricks and traps for Christ.  So they came to him with all manner of questions.  And there came to him some Pharisees testing him, and saying, "Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for any cause?"

Can we do as we please and divorce and remarry whenever we want?  Can we divorce for any cause?  We live in a society that tells us so.  We live in a society where this is allowed.  We live in a world where we see those joined by holy matrimony, breakup, separate, and divorce.  It is so common in our world that it is even the latest talk, the latest scandal, the latest news to follow.  Is it lawful?  Is it legal?  The Pharisees wanted to know or did they?

They came to Christ with this question, seeking an answer.  We live in a world where the answer is given to us daily.  Can we believe?  Can we do the same?  Is it legal?  Is it right?  Is it according to God's law, the law that created the universe with a purpose?  Do we really want to know?  Will this make a difference in our world, in our minds, in our hearts?

Christ came that we may have life.  He came that what was lost would be restored.  He came to be the payment for the penalty that was placed upon mankind.  And he paid the price.  Do we believe in his sacrifice?  Do we believe in his purpose?  Do we know the truth of who we are in him?  Knowledge means an awakening.  Knowledge means a separation.  Knowledge means a change from darkness to light.  Come!  Know the truth and open the eye of the heart that you will see the truth of who you are 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 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, verses: 1-2, Great crowds followed.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Christ travels to Judea). 

Christ finished his sermon to his disciples and to the people and moved on.  He left Capharnaum and entered the district of Judea.  He was on a mission, the mission of his father, to preach the coming of the kingdom of heaven.  For the kingdom of heaven was open to all.  It was open to those who heard the word.  It was open to those near and to those far away.  For they heard of the miracles.  They heard of the teachings.  They heard and they came to see for themselves.  They came to know.  They came to believe.

There was a hunger in the land.  There was a yearning.  There was a void that was not being fulfilled in the people.  And Christ came.  He came to save.  He came to take back.  He came to give new life.  He came to be the sacrifice, the propitiation for the sins of man.  And the people came to hear, to see, to know, to believe.  AND it came to pass when Jesus had brought these words to a close, that he departed from Galilee and came to the district of Judea beyond the Jordan.  And great crowds followed him, and he cured them there. 

It was a time for new beginnings.  It was an exciting time.  It was a time for joy, a time for happiness, even though there was much pain and torment in the land.  John the Baptist opened the door and spoke of the coming of the Messiah.  Some believed.  Some did not believe.  Some were excited.  Some were fearful.  Many were worried that the change would mean destruction for them.  And yet it was time.  It was the place.  It was the now that took over the land.  And there was news in the air.

Many had read about the coming.  Many believed that it was upon them.  Many saw the miracles.  And many eyes were opened, ears heard, and many believed.  He cured them all.  He made them whole.  He brought forth the light into the darkness and opened a door for those who had waited for so long for his coming.  Christ was the beginning and he was the end of what had taken place in the past.  He was a slice in time that denoted a break.  Will we have the same?  Will we have a break?  Will we be able to see, to hear the word, to know the truth, to believe?

The time is upon us.  The thief is lurking in the dark, surveying your house, to see when he may enter and take.  For he wants your most precious possession.  He wants to take away your light.  He wants to take away your life.  He wants to leave you in darkness and despair.  Be aware.  Awake from your sleep and be on your guard.  Sleep not.  Put on your armor and be on guard.  It is easy to be on the fence, half believing and just going through the motions.  The truth opens the heart and allows one to see, to know without doubt.  And with the truth one can live truly in Christ, without conflict.

Come!  Follow what is in your heart.  Seek the truth of who you are in Christ and you will know.  There will be no doubt.  There will be no fear.  There will be no lust.  There will be no desire to go astray.  For the truth opens the eye and allows one to see the light within, the light of life given by Christ Jesus.  Know your light and let nothing take your life from you.  For your light was given to you by your Father in heaven through Christ Jesus.  He loves you.  He will care for you.  He will protect you.  And he will bring you home to be with him for all eternity.

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

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

Our paragraph topic is:  (The servant demands payment)  

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.