St. Matthew, Chapter 24, verse: 7b; Kingdom against kingdom.

 Our paragraph topic is:  (Christ warns them not to be led astray) Part 9.  

It must have been a bleak picture that Christ painted for the disciples.  He wanted them to understand the totality of what would happen before the coming of the end.  It would not just be in their area, in their region but all over the world, where destruction would take place.  The people would hear the words and become very fearful of what would happen.  

Many would despair.  Many would loose hope and give up their lives.  Others would follow leaders who would come proclaiming they had the answers to the future, proclaiming they knew the way from destruction.  False prophets would come leading many astray as Christ foretold. He told his disciples, do not be led astray for:  "Kingdom against kingdom." 

In the time of despair and chaos all will be lost.  Not many will know what to do or how to survive the impending doom.  Only those who have the faith and the spirit of the Lord will know that he is with them and no harm will come to them.  The Lord will protect those he loves, those that are his children, those that know him and love him.

Even now in this time of confusion and chaos God is in control.  He has a plan for those who know him.  Our job is patience and steadfast trust in his will for us.  Everyday we can see his will working in our lives if we are patient.  Little by little we can see the miracles coming to life in our lives.  It is easy to get impatient but we must constantly remind ourselves that his will be done and not ours on earth as it is in heaven.

We have a purpose here on this earth.  What is your purpose?  What is my purpose?  We each must ask God what is it that he wants us to do for him.  How can we please him?  How can we show our love for him by doing something for him with our lives?  He touched me to show me his love when I was in darkness and did not know the way.  He filled me with his love that I knew him from no one else.  I write now to share that love with you that you may know that he is there for you also, waiting for your call, waiting for your cry, waiting for your need for his love for you.  Call him and he will come.  Cry to him, he will hear you.  And when you least expect it he will be with you. 

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

St. Matthew, Chapter 22, verse: 17a; Tell us thy thoughts.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Tribute to Caesar) Part 4. 

Now that the foundation was laid the real question comes.  They want to know the inner workings of his mind since they have laid the trap for him and set the parameters surrounding what they thought would be his response.  They were wise in their own conceited way.  They believed that they were knowledgeable enough to know more than this simple man called Jesus. They had met many others like him and brought about their downfall.

They did not know.  They did not understand.  They were blinded by their own arrogance and conceit in thinking that this man was the same as the others that they had met.  This was the Messiah, the living Christ, Son of God the Father.  But they did not know him.  So they asked him:  "Tell us, therefore, what dost thou think?" 

They wanted to know his thoughts, how he processes the questions that they would ask of him, and how he would respond since he is a man of truth and teaches the way of God.  They had set this trap with the knowledge of how they thought that he would respond but their knowledge was limited.  Their knowledge was flawed, their knowledge was human.  It was influenced by the desires of evil and wickedness that drove them to be blind to the truth that was before them, drove them to be deaf to the word that came to them, they could not hear, drove them to not believe in wisdom that had come down through the ages from the prophets that came before him.  They were lost without hope.  But they wanted to know his thought even though they could not comprehend them.  They could only anger at how their plan would fail.    

Yet Christ was loving.  Christ was gentle.  Christ was understanding in his knowledge of where they were and what they were doing.  He offered a way out.  He is merciful in that he never relents in his mercy.  He never stops offering his mercy to us no matter what we do, no matter how often we turn away, no matter how often we let go of him, he is always there waiting for us to call out to him.  He hears our voice.  He knows our cry and he will come to our aid if we are true to him in our need.  

That inner voice will tell us to give up, to not believe, to end it all.  But I am here to say that he, Our Father, is real.  Our God will come.  Our God will provide.  Our God does love you and will demonstrate his love for you everyday.  Patience is the key.  Belief is the way.  Once you taste the fruit of his love you will know that there is nothing else on this earth that will satisfy you.  You will walk your hand in his hand and no one or nothing can take that away.  And now your  journey begins.  

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: 33-34; The Householder.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Parable of the vine-dressers) Part 1. 

Christ is still speaking to the chief priest, the elders and the scribes.  They came to him seeking to know of his authority to teach the people.  They were indignant.  They were angry.  They were unbelieving.  He wanted to heal them.  He wanted to open their eyes.  He wanted to bring them from the darkness into the light.  He spoke to them directly but they could not and would not open themselves up to understanding.  So now he tells them of a parable. 

"Hear another parable. There was a man, a householder, who planted a vineyard, and put a hedge about it, and dug a wine vat in it, and built a tower; then he let it out to vine-dressers,
and went abroad.  But when the fruit season drew near, he sent his servants to the vine-dressers to receive his fruits."

Now this is a simple parable that tells of a home owner, a land owner who built a vineyard on his property.  He traveled abroad and while away he leased his property to workers who were supposed to take care of it while he was away.  Think of it this way, you own a house and decide to fix it up to rent out to a tenant.  You do a great job of repairs on your property so that the new tenant will enjoy it.  You spend a good sum of money to complete the repairs so that the house will have a good market value when finished.  You have taken every precaution to select a good tenant who will pay on time and will take care of that which you value so much.

This is how the parable begins.  It wants to tell itself so that the chief priest, the elders, and the scribes can completely understand its meaning.  They have heretofore declined to be opened, to hear the words, to let the light come in.  But Christ continues to provide opportunities for them to see, to understand, to be healed.

The same is true today.  We are given opportunity after opportunity to be open, to understand, to have the truth come to us that we may be healed.  It took some time for me to understand, to be open.  I had to be beaten down to the point of depression, to the point of despair.  In my state of submission, evil came to me and whispered to me to end it all.  It wanted me to give up, to believe that there was no redemption for me, no forgiveness for the sin that I had continually committed. 

Through all this Christ held my hand.  He did not let go of me.  He continued to walk with me no matter where I went.  And it came the time for me to listen to his voice, to be open, to follow his words that I might be healed.  And so it was.  I came to understand.  I came to know.  I asked for forgiveness.  I begged to repent.  I wept for all the sins in my life that I had committed.  And I turned away from the abyss and turned back to him. 

You can too.  This is my gift to all who will listen, to all who will hear, to all who will be open to understand who they are in the eyes of Christ who died that we may have life again.  We are precious in his eyes and he will not let go of his precious children.  Come!  Speak to your heavenly Father.  Tell him your pain.  Open up to him with your sorrows and he will fill you with the joy of heaven.  You are his creation, his love.  He will hear you.  Patience is the key.

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: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 21, verse: 7, They paid him homage.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Triumphal entry into Jerusalem) Part 2. 

They had no white stallion for him to ride.  They had no parade for him to be seen in.  They had no twenty-one gun salute to honor him.  They only had the ass and the colt for him to ride upon.  So as simple men they paid honor and tribute in their own simple way.

The people were with them.  They knew that he would come to the celebration.  They were waiting.  They were looking for him.  They all had heard of his miracles and his deeds.  And they expected him to come to Jerusalem to bring about change.  And the little people, the poor, the downtrodden, the beggars, those in pain and suffering from oppression sought him out and paid homage to him in their own simple way.  And they brought the ass and the colt, laid their cloaks on them, and made him sit thereon. 

This was what they knew how to do.  They were poor and lowly people who worship the Messiah.  Others could not see. Others did not believe.  Most were skeptical and refused to believe in the word that they heard.  Yet here he was, coming into Jerusalem, into their mist for the celebration of the year.  The little ones saw and believe.  They knew that he was the Messiah.  There was no doubt in their minds or in their hearts.  They knew that he had come to bring about change.  But they did not know how the change would happen.

He has said that he will return, that all will see and know.  He has said that he will return on a cloud for all to see.  And we wait with patience for that day, that time, that hour when we must be ready for his coming.  Will you be ready?  Will you be prepared?  Or will the thief catch you asleep and not on guard? 

We live in a world with many distractions, where we can be blind to the truth.  We have opportunities to play, and relax, and to enjoy all that the world has to offer.  We have opportunity to get caught up in the pleasures of the world and opportunity to forget who we are.  Be not blinded.  Be not caught up in the pleasures.  Be not deceived into believing that the day will never come.  For certain as we live and breathe the day is fast approaching.  And our time is limited.  The day is not given to us.  The hour is not ours to have.  The thief will come and take away all, when you are not ready.  Be in guard at all times.  It is written for all to see, for all to know.  And the word will be fulfilled.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

St. Matthew, Chapter 21, verse:2, The Instructions.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Jesus sends two disciples into Jerusalem)
Part 2. 

So the two disciples were sent into Jerusalem with specific instructions.  They were given instructions before and knew how to follow them.  He had given them powers before to do his bidding.  He had instructed them before on what to expect and what they would find in their journeys.  So they knew that his instructions were good and that they would find exactly what he had told them.

So they went into the village and followed his instructions.  He:  saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you and immediately you will find an ass tied and a colt with her; loose them and bring them to me." 

So they did as they were told, following his instructions.  Jesus knew the purpose of his instructions to the disciples.  He knew how he would use the ass and the colt, but the disciples did not.  They could only wait patiently until understanding came to reveal itself of the purpose.  They had patience.  They did not have understanding.  They did not have the knowledge of his actions.  They only had his words to them to follow.  And lo more was revealed.

Christ gives us instructions today.  He wants us to follow what he has given us to live by.  Why should we follow these instructions?  Is there some reason that they apply to us today as we live our lives in this world.  Most would say that they do not apply because we live in a different time and place than some two thousands years ago.  Do we even believe in those instructions or even the consequences of them? 

Christ came that we would know.  He came that we would have a reference, an example.  He came that we would not have any excuses of not knowing.  For at the end of our time here on this earth, here in this realm, we will be transformed and will face the consequences of our actions.  He came out of love for us.  He came out of compassion.  He came out of mercy that we might have the opportunity to a new life.  He came that we might not die.  For the jury is instructed by the judge and they will return a verdict.  There is no deadlock.  There is no mistrial.  There is only the verdict that awaits us.  Follow the instructions and get your reward, eternal life.

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage 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 20, verse:30a, Two Blind men.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The blind men at Jericho) Part 2. 

A great crowd followed Christ as he was leaving Jericho.  He was the person of the times.  Everyone wanted to see him.  Everyone wanted to be near him.  Everyone wanted something from him.  They were drawn to him through the word.  They heard through the word.  And the word spread of his deeds, of his miracles, of his teachings.  Many thought that he would bring about change.  But his change was of a greater purpose than what was imagined.

He came for a purpose.  He walked and talked for a purpose.  He taught of the things to come and of his Father.  And he gave comfort to those in need.  He gave hope to those without hope.  He brought light into the darkness so that those without belief would know, those without hope would be hopeful, those without faith would see that their faith was real.  Even the blind who could not see knew that he was the one.  "And behold, two blind men sitting by the wayside heard that Jesus was passing by."

The word was everywhere.  Everyone was talking about him.  Everyone was spreading his message and what they saw.  And that meant that they stopped what they were doing and came to him.  He was in their town.  He was in their village.  He was nearby and they wanted to see for themselves.  He was nearby and they wanted to know for themselves.  He was there and they wanted to be there.  The two blind men were there and this was their opportunity.

Great people come into our lives and we have opportunities to see them, to be where they are, to even have a chance to meet them.  So when that opportunity presents itself, if we are lucky, we rush to be in that place where they are.  This is our nature.  This is who we are.  This is the opportunity to grab a moment in time that we will remember for the rest of our lives. 

What would you do if you heard that Jesus was passing by your city?  What would do if you heard that Christ was coming to your town?  If it were announced on the news that Christ was having a meeting at your local church, your local arena, or coliseum, would you come?  Would you make an effort to buy a ticket, to get off from work, to plan a way to get to where he would be?  He performs miracles.  He changes lives.  He makes the blind see and the lame walk, and the cripple whole.  What could he do for you, if you came to see him?

Each and everyday we have that same opportunity.  Each and everyday we can go to see him, be with him, touch him, know that he is with us.  Each and everyday we have the opportunity to live with him just as the disciples did two thousand years ago.  The choice is ours.  The opportunity is ours if we choose.  All we have to do is ask. 

We must know that our asking requires patience.  We must know that our asking requires believing.  It is believing that we must act on, knowing with certainty that he will hear us and answer.  For without that certainty, impatience will creep in.  Without that certainty, impatience will seek to persuade you to give up.  Impatience will talk to you and seek to make you believe that he will not answer.  Impatience will seek to destroy your faith in him.  But patience will deliver.  For patience will allow you to see the miracles that he will perform in your lives.  Patience will give you the strength to know that he will answer.  Patience will walk with you each day, each hour, each minute and show you how to walk in belief, and to walk in faith, and to walk in hope.  We are his children and he is our Father.  He will provide.

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 20, verse:28a, To Serve.

Our paragraph topic is: (Humility according to Christ's example) Part 7. 

Whoever wishes to be first shall be your slave is what Christ told his disciples.  Whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant.  And they did not understand his meaning.  He spoke in parables.  He spoke in riddles.  He spoke in words that had one meaning on the surface and a different meaning on a deeper level. 

They wanted to be great.  They wanted to be known.  They wanted all the things that they saw exhibited by the leaders of their time and that was their example.  So they assumed that he would follow the example of the day and lead them to be great leaders of the new order.  But his example had one meaning on the surface and another meaning on a deeper level. 

On the surface they were repulsed at the thought of being great with being a servant.  They definitely did not want to become a slave in order to be first.  But on a deeper level Christ was telling his disciples not to be like the leaders of their time.  He was telling them to be humble, to be obedient.  He wanted them to understand that greatness comes from the Father and that it is rewarded through humility.  He told them that even he who is lord of all, came to be a servant:  "Even as the Son of Man has not come to be served but to serve." 

Follow his example.  Listen to his words.  Walk in his footsteps and know the will of the Father.  For we are but his servants, here to spread the good news of our redemption to all who have not heard, to all who do not know, to all who are blinded by the world.  Love is the key to what we do.  For we are all his children.  We are all brothers and sisters.  We all come from the same tree of life that he created.  And we are all created in his likeness and his image.

We are not black or white, Asian or Latin, Native Indian or immigrant.  We all belong to one family.  We are all the same.  Beneath the skin of the flesh, beneath the muscle and bones of the body, we are all living spirits created in his image and likeness.  And we all have one Lord, Jesus Christ, who came to serve and not to be served.  For he loved the life that was in us.  He came to restore that life because it was lost.  And through the knowledge of the spirit within us we can come to know and come to see that which he gave to us.

Follow the example.  Humbly seek that which has been given you.  We all have a purpose.  We all have a place.  And we all are loved by the Father who knows our hearts desires.  He will provide.  He will protect.  He will listen to your needs.  But you must open the heart to believe in him.  You must act on him.  You must know, with everything that is within you, that he will take care of you.  Practice the patience of heaven.  And in that patience is the proof of who you are in him.  Open the mind!  Open the heart!  Seek the truth that is within you and you will know the truth of who you are in Christ.  God, your father 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 20, verse:22b, The Cup.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The mother of James and John) Part 6. 

Often times when we come to our Father asking for something we do not have a complete  understanding of what we are doing.  We ask with the understanding that we want what we are asking.  We ask with the understanding that we are worthy of asking.  We ask with the understanding that we will get what we are asking for.  And we ask with the understanding that we will get what we are asking for right now or in the near future, according to our timetable.  It is oftentimes that we learn that our timetable does not matter and that can be frustrating or disappointing.  We must learn patience in order to see that our Father has granted us what we asked for.

It is in the misunderstanding that we get confused.  We do not know the consequences of our actions.  Our Father knows all.  He knows when and how we will get what we ask.  He knows the consequences of giving us what we want.  And he knows what is the desire of our hearts instead of desires of our request.  It is in that knowing, and in that seeing that we are lacking.  He is our Father.  It was in that same unknowing and unseeing that the mother of James and John asked for her sons to sit at the right and left hand of Christ.  They did not know what they were asking.  They only desired to be seated with power and recognition.  They did not understand that there were requirements to obtain such a seat.  This is why Christ asked them:  "Can you drink of the cup of which I am about to drink?" 

They wanted power and recognition but did not know the consequences of what they were asking.  They did not understand what was required of them.  They did not know what they would have to suffer, what they would have to endure, what they would have to battle to be with him.  For surely they would have to battle the forces of evil.  Surely they would have to endure the constant pressure of those who were evildoers.  Surely they would have to suffer the torture at the hands of evil to become like Christ.  But did they understand the cup of suffering they would have to endure?  Did they truly know what they were asking?

One does not suffer in vain.  One does not endure the hardships, the pain, the slings and arrows of oppression without a cause to carry them through.  And that cause must be justified enough to transform the person into something better, something more wonderful, more lasting, more beautiful than what they had before.  For without the cause one suffers in vain.  Without the cause one only endures to a point and then gives up.  But with the cause one is transformed in the person that will endure to the end.  Christ was the cause.  He was the be all and end all that allowed the apostles to be transformed into persons that gave all.

Can we drink from the same cup that he did?  Can we become transformed into new beings that are willing to suffer to the end?  Or are we just those persons that will only go so far and give up without enduring all?  Christ gave his all.  Can we give our all?  What cause do we have that will transform us into new persons that will allow us to give our all to him?  We live in a world that is consumed with self.  We are given to be wholly in this world.  Yet we are not from this world.  We are children of our Father and he gave us the life that we have today, true life, eternal life.  And the knowledge and wisdom of the understanding of the life that is given us is the transforming factor that makes us who we are, not of this world but of a heavenly kingdom.  Do you belong?  Are you of the heavenly kingdom?  Are you transformed?  Then yours is the cup to drink along with all your brothers and sisters.

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 17, verse:16-17; Unbelieving and Perverse Generation: The Cure.

Our paragraph topic is:(Jesus cures him by casting out a devil) Part 2.

They were unbelieving.  They were perverse.  They were scoffing.  They manipulated, lied, cheated, gave false witness, possessed the hearts of men to do the evil that was perpetuated upon the people.  And Christ knew who them.  He saw them for who they were.  He bore witness to their deeds and cast them out of men that they could not continue to do evil.  Yet there were those who wanted the evil to continue.  There were those who were possessed and influenced by evil so much that they perceived that it was right and just.  But Christ was meek.  Christ was mild mannered.  Christ was loving.  Christ was reserved.  He knew that the cups of God's wrath were being filled and the day of judgment was at hand.  But the sacrifice was not made and the justification was not yet complete.

Christ tired of their presence.  He would rid himself of their evil.  He would send them back to the pit where they belonged in due time.  But what was before him was a child.  What was in the child was evil.  And what had to be done was a cure.  So evil had to be cast out of this innocent child.  Evil had to be removed from this child of God so that it would never return again.  And evil had to be expelled so that the child within could be released from the prison where it was being held captive.  " How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to me."  And Jesus rebuked him; and the devil went out of him; and from that moment the boy was cured.

The boy was cured.  From the moment that Jesus spoke the devil left the boy and he was cured, He was free.  He was no longer possessed.  This is the power of Jesus.  He had the power to cure.  He had the power to change water into wine, the power to multiply loaves and feed thousands, the power to raise the dead, heal the sick, make the lame walk, and speak to nature to calm the seas.  Yet the demons continued to pester, to bother, to seek to insight, to do everything that they could to interfere with the mission of Christ.  Christ was loving.  He was compassionate.  He was understanding.  He was forgiving.  And he was patient.  He knew that the people did not understand.  He knew that they did not see with a sense of knowing.  Yet he continued to do the will of God that the love for mankind would be demonstrated in his actions.

The sheep are lost.  The sheep do not know where they are going, so they follow the crowd.  They go where others go and do not know where they go.  Where is the leader?  Where is the one who will turn them around and lead them away from harm?  Where is the one who will be a guide, a protector, a provider, a teacher, and a preacher to the lost sheep?  Christ came that we each would have a choice.  He came and made the sacrifice that we could know the truth of who we are.  Do you know?  Can you see?  Can you believe?  Are you certain of the knowledge and the truth that he has given us?  Do you acknowledge each day the truth?  Do you show the love of Christ that is supposed to be in us to the world?  For they must see.  They must know.  They must understand through our actions that Christ lives, that Christ loves, that they have an all powerful father who loves them.

Come!  Follow the narrow path before you.  If you are reading this page then you have a choice.  Know the truth and awaken from the sleep of the world, or continue to sleep and be led by the untruth that the world offers.  There is power in the truth.  There is enlightenment in the truth.  There is love in the truth.  There is peace in the truth.  And there is reward in the truth, a reward like none you can imagine or that the world can offer.  The devil offered Christ the world if he would only worship him.  Who will you worship?  Whom will you love?  Who will you believe?  It has been given to me that I may pass it on to you.  God loves you and so do I!

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: 16, Unbelieving and Perverse Generation.

Our paragraph topic is: (Jesus cures him by casting out a devil) Part 1.

And now the disciples and Christ return from the mountaintop and continue the work at hand, teaching and preaching to the people.  The people were lost.  The people were like sheep without a shepherd.  The people were torn.  They did not know, they did not understand, they were misled and they were uncertain.  But Christ was there, to give them leadership.  He was there, to give them direction.  He was there, to provide understanding.  He came here to clear up the confusion and to give clarity so that the sheep would know with certainty.

But there were those who did not want the people to know.  There were those who did not want the people to understand.  There were those who wanted the people to continue to be confused so that they could continue to lead, continue to have power, continue to be in the dark so that they could influence in the direction that they wanted to lead the people.  Evil must have evil doers in order to act in this realm.  It must have followers that have been influenced by it in order for evil to thrive and flourish.  Evil is perverse.  Evil is unbelieving.  Evil was dominant in this time.  And evil had possession of the leadership.  So evil led, and evil flourished, and evil thrived, and was bold, and possessed outright.  And evil walked the earth in the guise of men.

Christ had the authority.  Christ had the power.  Christ saw the evil that possessed men and he cast it out.  He saw the evil doers who were possessed of evil and he knew that they were representatives of evil.  Yet he was patient.  He was kind.  He was forgiving of those who sought to do him harm and to thwart his mission here on earth.  And this made him sick and angry that he had to accept their actions.  But he was patient.  He was loving.  And he was kind for he knew that justice would prevail and the wrath of his father would balance all the evil that was being played out before him.  Jesus answered and said, "O unbelieving and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you?"

Did Christ speak of the people?  Were the people perverse and unbelieving?  Were they the ones that Christ spoke of in his words?  Or, are there others, that he spoke of with these words?  Christ lived and walked the earth in a place and time when evil took possession of men.  He saw and cast out many demons that took possession of men.  Demons were taking possession by storm.  And then there were those that were under the influence of evil.  They were the ones that became the evil doers in the world.  The kings and the rulers, and princes and men of power and money, did as they willed without any conscience of the evil that they committed.  They had the power to grant life or to take it over the people.  They had to power to give and to take, to do as they willed without bounds.  And that power, opened the door for evil to enter into the minds and hearts.  That power opened the door to corruption and to the influence of evil.  Evil then had the power to do evil on earth.

Christ came and put a stop to the reign of evil here on earth.  He cast out the devil and his angel minions from the earth and prevented it from returning.  He set up his church here on earth and gave it the power to rule over evil that it would not prevail.  And so men were not possessed anymore.  Men did not have the absolute power to do as they willed.  Men did not become evil doers as they had in the past.  Yet evil continued to influence, even from the gates of hell.  And evil continues to influence men today, not outright but in subtle ways.  For today men are influenced by greed, by power, by lust, by hatred, by scandal, and by passion. 

We live in a world where our passions drive and direct us to be who we are.  You can do anything, if you set your mind to it.  You can be anyone, live your desires, make what you want to make, and have the love that you desire in your life.  All you have to do is believe, and act, and achieve.  See the goal.  Feel the passion of your heart.  Let your heart drive you to achieve what you believe that you desire and you will achieve.  We are fed these and other beliefs on a daily basis, from the cradle to the grave.  And we are possessed by what we are given.  So evil continues to have influence in our lives only in a subtle way.

Is there no antidote?  Is there something better? Our hearts desire to be filled with passion.  But what is there that would satisfy the desires of the heart?  What is there that would fill us with joy, fulfill our dreams, give us peace?  Do we want anything else?  Do we desire something higher, something greater, something more complete, other than to have our passions fulfilled?  We see others having whatever they desire and we believe that we can have it also.  We believe that we want the same things as what we see that others have.  So why should we change?  Why should we believe other than what we are given?  There is evil in the world and we can not see it.  We cannot feel it or know it if we do not awake to it.  Christ opened the door.  He provided the way.  He gave you the life that you have, that you may live eternally.  But the choice is yours.  Why live for eternity when you can live for the moment?  Why live for the moment and when you can suffer for eternity?  Come!  Take His hand.  Know the truth of who you are in Christ.  Once you discover your truth you will know and awaken from the influence of evil.  The path has been given to me and I point to what was given to me that you may know 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.