St. Matthew, Chapter 24, verse: 16; Flee to the mountains.

 Our paragraph topic is:  (The destruction of Jerusalem) Part 2. 

Time was an important factor in those days.  Where you lived, and worked, meant a great deal in terms of status and well being.  Yet for the coming destruction, location was also important.  It meant whether you had time to escape the oncoming slaughter.  It meant whether you had time to outrun the danger that was coming.  It meant whether you would live or die.

The farther away you were from the center of destruction meant that you had the time to get away from it all, to outrun death itself before it came knocking at your door.  This is what Christ was telling his disciples.  Do not hesitate.  Do not stop to take worldly belongings.  Run for your lives because death was coming and it would be swift.  He told them:  "Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains."

Jerusalem, the sacred place for the Jews, was not a place to flee from but a place to go to, a place of sanctity.  The Israelites did not believe that their city would be destroyed.  They believed that they were protected by their god.  They were a sacred people delivered by the hand of God from the bondage of Egypt to the sacred land of Jerusalem.  Why would their city be destroyed?   Why would their temple be torn down?  Why would death ravage their land when God  himself had protected them for all these years?

This is what Christ was telling his disciples, warning them of the destruction to come.  He was the Messiah.  He was the word of God come down from heaven to walk among the people as an example of the one true God.  He came to redeem the people, to show the way to the kingdom of heaven.  He came to pay the price for the sins of all that all might have new life eternal if they believed in him.  He is the key.  He is the gate keeper, the shepherd, the Lord of all.  

God the Father made him human that he might be with us, teach us, show us how to live, how to love, how to follow the commandments that we may be able to enter into the kingdom of heaven.  Let him who reads understand.  The knowledge is here for those who seek to know.  The door is open for those who wish to find it.  His love is fulfilling for those who need.  For there is everlasting peace in the knowledge of his wisdom and love.  Come!  Peace awaits your finding.

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

St. Matthew, Chapter 23, verses: 32; The measure of your fathers.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Their persecution of religion) Part 6.  

They were taught well, the sons.  Their fathers were the leaders of the people who killed the prophets in order to keep the people in line with their interpretation of religion.  They did not want to change.  They did not want to show love, or mercy, or faith, or hope in God that they could show the people.  They only had what they knew to be their own way of knowledge and understanding.

They had the writings of the prophets and the commandments.  They had the rules as given by Moses.  But those were from ancient history passed down from centuries ago.  Their fathers needed new rules and new laws to fit their needs and their ways of thinking so they made their own.  And they taught those new learnings to their sons to rule the people so that they would  continue to persecute the people.  Christ told them:  "You also fill up the measure
of your fathers."

Their fathers would be proud of the way they rule over the people.  They would be honored because their sons carry on the traditions that they established.  The sons continued the sins of the fathers and persecuted religion the same as their fathers.  They know no difference.  They seek no change.  They understand no sorrow or pain for the people.  They know no mercy or love, for they live in palaces away from the common people, they fill themselves with fine foods, dress in the best of clothing and live a life of luxury.  

Has time changed so drastically today that we are that much different from the past?  Some live in poverty, some live just above poverty.  Some live, in the median, and then there are those who live above the median and those that live ultra median.  And above all those are the generational life that has known luxury for many lifetimes.  This is our society today.  This is our way of life today.  This is our religion today. 

Christ came, to bring about change to the system.  He came to open our minds and our hearts to a different way.  We live in the system but we do not have to be a part of it.  We are in the system but we are not bound by it, if we choose.  We are flesh and spirit but we are bound by spirit.  He has given us a new spirit, a new life, a new light.  He has given us the key to the kingdom if we choose to accept it.  

Our key allows us to step out of the worldly system and into the spiritual system.  In our new life we are given the riches of the world plus the wealth of the kingdom of heaven.  We are given the eternal joy and the peace and the everlasting happiness that the worldly system cannot buy or give us.  We are given the love and protection of the ever-living creator of the universe, our Father Almighty God.  We are given the promise of Christ that he will be with us always, that he will guide us and protect us from harm.  All this we are given because of his love for us.  If you have ever been down and out, know that he is with you.  All you have to do is call upon him and you will know his love.  And his love for you will fill you with a love for him. 

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

St. Matthew, Chapter 23, verses: 31b; Those who killed the prophets.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Their persecution of religion) Part 5.  

Christ is speaking directly to the Scribes and the Pharisees on how they are destroying the religion of the people.  The things they are doing and the rules and the laws they enforce have little to do with increasing the faith of the people but instead destroying their belief in their God.  Why is it so difficult on the people at this time in their lives?  Why do the leaders proclaim so many laws that they have to follow?  Why are they treated like slaves where every move is watched over by the religious leaders to make sure they are doing no wrong?  Why is there no mercy in the Lord?

God heard the cries and sighs of his people and sent his prophets to warn the leaders of their harsh treatment of the people.  He sent messengers to the Pharisees to tell them of their wrongs. The prophets proclaimed in the streets the message of God but the leaders would not have them stirring up the people with a different word than that which came from them.  To put an end to the messenger they killed the prophets, spilled their precious blood.   And the people were left without the message.  The new leadership followed in the same footsteps as their fathers maintaining the same rules, persecuting the religion as their fathers before them.

When Christ confronted them about their fathers, they tried to escape their heritage but they only convicted themselves by their own words.  He told them that they can not deny: "That you are the sons of those who killed the prophets." 


They, indeed, were the heirs of their fathers who killed the prophets.  As much as they might try to hide from that fact it would be part of their heritage.  Their fathers trained them, taught them how to rule the people.  They taught them the ins and out of leadership, and getting ride of the opposition was one of the key tools handed down to the children.  This was how they ruled the people.  Keep everyone in line.  

We see this even today, in every corner of industry, government, management, finance, business, etc.  As long as you stay in line with your leaders and do as they ask, keep your head down, don't make trouble, no matter what, you will be fine.  If you see something wrong, ask too many questions, speak up at the wrong time, you are subject to find yourself at the back of the line and out the door.  These are the rules of our society and they are enforced down to the man.

Ask yourself, where do you want to be in life?  On the inside or on the outside?  How far are you willing to go to achieve your goals?  What are you willing to do to get there?  Are you willing to lie, cheat, steal, slander, cause harm, murder, lower your moral standards, whatever? We are driven to get ahead.  We are motivated daily to have the things that we see that others have.  We want the same things and we will have them!  And then there is that little voice that sits on our shoulder that tells us how to get what we want if we only have the guts and the courage to take it.  Evil has come full circle.

Christ came to redeem us from the evil in the world.  He came to give us a new life, a life rich with all the joy and happiness that this world cannot offer.  He came that we might have peace within, knowing that we are already wealthy, rich beyond the worldly material of mankind.  Our joy lies with him.  Our peace is in him.  Our love is from him.  We are in him and he is in those who will accept him.  

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

St. Matthew, Chapter 21, verse:21a; Unwavering Faith.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Power of faith) Part 2. 

The disciples saw the fig tree wither before their eyes.  They could not believe what they saw.  They were in unbelief.  They heard Christ speak the words.  They knew that he was the Messiah and that he performed great miracles, but they did not understand how this had happened.  They wanted to know.  They wanted to understand, but their minds and their hearts were not open to this.

This was their instruction.  This was their lesson.  This was their homework so that they would be able to transform themselves, their hearts and their minds, to the will of God.  Christ wanted them to know.  He wanted them to learn.  He wanted them to see that what just happened they will also be able to do.  But Jesus answered and said to them, "Amen I say to you, if you have faith and do not waver, not only will you do what I have done to the fig tree." 

We have seen great feats and wonders in our time.  One can think of the great monuments left for us to marvel and to contemplate.  The great Pyramids, the Eiffel Tower, The Washington Monument, the Hover Dam, and many other great wonders of man.  Our desire is to see them for ourselves, to be in their presence and to ponder how they were built and constructed.  We can be amazed at these man made feats of wonder and even want to be a part of their history. 

Even in our time we are amazed and aahed by entertainers who perform feats of wonder beyond our comprehension.  We pay to go see these tricks of magic knowing that that is what they are, slight of hand and mind performances.  But few have seen a tree wither before their eyes.  Even more, few have heard of someone telling a tree to wither and it obeys.  How do we wrap our minds around such a feat?  How do we begin to understand the how and the wherefore of such a feat?  This was the lesson that Christ was giving his disciples and even to us today.

We have the capacity to believe.  We have the capacity to understand.  We have the capacity to do that which Christ has given us to do.  The key is in our capacity to believe, our capacity to know, our capacity to trust that it will be done, and in our capacity to not waver in that belief, in that knowledge, in that trust.  Not only will you do what I have done to the fig tree if you do not waver, if you believe, if you know within yourself, it will happen.

What do you want today?  Do you want money?  Do you want fame?  Do you want power?  What is it that your heart desires more than anything else in this world that will satisfy you and fulfil your deepest desires?  Careful for what you desire, for material desires are fleeting and do not satisfy.  Spiritual desires are eternal.  I want peace within myself to know that I will not stress or worry for what will happen tomorrow or what has happened in the past.  I want forgiveness from all my past sins.  I want a true feeling of that which has been promised.  I want to be with Jesus Christ in heaven because I know that he is the only one that can satisfy all my needs and fulfil the hunger within me.  What do you want?  Unwavering Faith. 

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

St. Matthew, Chapter 20, verse:33, Open our eyes.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

St. Matthew, Chapter 20, verse:21a, A Mother's Hope.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The mother of James and John) Part 3.  

James and John, sons of Zebedee, were followers of Christ.  They rejoiced in him.  They believed in him, for he was the Messiah.  John the Baptist told them that he was the one that they should follow even when they were his disciples.  They believed in John the Baptist and knew that he was a prophet but when he told them that they should follow Christ they rejoiced.

It was a special time for them.  They knew of their history as Jews.  They knew of their tradition.  They knew that God had guided Israel and protected them throughout history for they were a chosen people.  And they knew of the prophesy that the Messiah would come and walk among them.  So they were ecstatic that they had found him and they had the opportunity to live in his presence. 

They told their relatives.  They told their friends.  They told their brothers and sisters and their parents.  They told everyone that they knew about the Christ they followed.  And because of their zeal, and their belief and their hopes, their mother saw the change in them.  She was their mother.  She provided for them.  She raised them, cared for them, protected them and loved them from birth.  And she, more than anyone else, wanted to make sure that they were taken care of.  So she went to Christ.  She desired to know herself that her children would be provided for, taken care of, and that they would have some place in the new kingdom with Christ.  When she came to him,  He said to her, "What dost thou want?"

What do you want?  This is a question that we can ask ourselves, "What do we want?"  What is it that we want.  What is it that we want today?  What is it that we want tomorrow?  As though we had a genie that would grant us our every wish, what is it that we want.  There are many things that come to mind that would answer this question.  We could say money.  We could say power.  We could say fame, or fortune, or riches, or health, or any number of things.  But the real question is what do we really want in our lives. 

We live day to day, going about our daily routines.  We work, we play, we socialize with our friends.  We shop, we cook, we eat, we sleep, we do things to entertain ourselves on a daily basis, but what is it that we really want in this life.  Do we really know the answer to this question?  Do we really know what we want?  Do we really know what would make us happy?

We are presented with ideas of what others do, or have, or want and we think that this is what we want also.  We rejoice over the possibility of how we would feel if our wish was answered, if we won the lottery, or won a car, or won some money.  And the joy of winning would make us happy for a while.  But will this sustain us for life?  Will this joy be with us for eternity?  Will we be happy when we get what we want? 

Each morning we wake up in search of what we want.  Our every thought, our every action, our every belief moves us in the direction of our wants and our desires.  There is something inside that needs fulfilling, something inside that drives us to do what we do.  Christ told us that our Father knows our every need, our every desire.  He told us not to worry about tomorrow because tomorrow has enough worry in itself.  But the Father knows us, provides for us, protects us from harm.  And the Father fulfills us.  For it is with him and through him that we find what we want.  It is in his love that we are complete and desire nothing more.  Through his love our hearts desire is found.  Through his love we long no more.  Through his love we are finished and can rest in peace knowing that he loves us.  What do you want?  I want to be with my Father, my creator, my Lord and savior Jesus Christ.  For through him and with him I want nothing else. 

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: 12d, Who can accept His teachings?

Our paragraph topic is:  (Continence preferred to marriage) Part 6.

Christ spoke to his disciples concerning God's law, God's plan for man and woman.  He gave them the truth.  He gave them knowledge, even though they did not understand it then.  He gave them a foundation upon which to build relationships with each other for the future of mankind.  He gave them love.  For it was through the love from the Father that they would come to understand the truth of God's law concerning marriage.

They thought it was hard.  They thought it was difficult.  They thought it was extreme.  But they did not understand the depth of meaning in what was being given to them.  For their eyes were focused upon the physical.  Their minds were concerned with the emotional.  Their hearts were built upon the passions of the world and not the spiritual being and the nature of God.  For God was about to give them new life.  He was about to transform them from the dead into the living.  And all this was to take place through his son Jesus.  So, they did not completely understand.  But soon they would completely know, the truth of what they were given.  He told them:  "Let him accept it who can."

That was his message to his disciples concerning marriage and divorce, adultery and immorality, male and female, one flesh and many flesh.  There were eunuchs who were created so.  There were eunuchs who were made so.  And there were eunuchs who gave of themselves  for the sake of the kingdom of heaven.  Let him accept it who can.  Let him who desires to be chosen do so.  Let him or her who loves God do so.  Let him or her who understands God's plan and God's purpose be so, for the kingdom of heaven.  For they are the ones whom the future will be built upon.  They are the ones who are planted to yield fruit.  They are the ones who were chosen from birth to be the fathers and mothers of men and women for all eternity.

And so the world goes on.  The day to day lives of us all are not impacted.  We live.  We eat.  We breathe.  We have joy, pain, sorrow, troubles, trials and tribulations and we survive.  But amongst all of what we do each day, we are of the world and not in it.  For we are spiritual.  We are aliens.  We are created in his image.  And we do not belong here for eternity.  This is an awareness that each of us must come to.  It is an awareness that we can have now or after now.  But the truth still remains as to who we are.

Christ came that we would have the opportunity to be aware.  He came that our eyes would be opened if we chose to see.  He came that the truth would be there if we sought it.  Whether we believe or not, the truth is still present.  And our awareness of the truth will happen.  The joy in that truth is in the now.  The happiness in that truth is today.  The peace in that truth is in his presence.  Are you ready to see?  Are you ready to believe?  Are you ready to know?  The love of his presence awaits, you and only you, both male and female.  Come!  Let him, or her, accept it who can!

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

St Matthew, Chapter 18, verse: 2-3, Pride: Closes the door to the Kingdom of Heaven.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

St Matthew, Chapter 17, verse: 26, Tribute to the kings of the earth: The Payment.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Paying the Temple tax) Part 4.   

Simon Peter was questioned by the tax collectors about the didrachma and he was angry.  The question opened a wound.  The question made him see red.  The question made him see the injustice of the system and it did not sit well with him.  For many years Simon did not like how the tax collection system was administered and he wanted to do something about it.  But Christ wanted to teach him a lesson.  Christ wanted to show him how to overcome the anger.  He wanted Peter to learn not to let the injustices of the world cause him to open the door to anger, to frustration, to hatred, and not to give evil a foothold into his heart.  

Christ saw how Peter was disturbed.  He knew the turmoil in his heart.  He felt the anger and the frustration in Peter so he wanted to help him to understand how to accept it.  Christ sought to question Simon on the injustice.  He sought to show Simon how to overcome.  And he sought to demonstrate to Simon the trust that he must have in the father to overcome all injustices.  So Christ sent Simon fishing.  He gave him a task that would bring him peace, a task that would take away the pain of injustice and bring calm into his mind and soul. 

Simon was a fisherman and that was the one thing that he knew.  And Christ sent him to fish that he might believe in the providence of God.  He told Simon:  But that we may not give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook, and take the first fish that comes up.  And opening its mouth thou wilt find a stater; take that and give it to them for me and for thee."

What can we learn today from this lesson that Christ gave Simon then?  Simon was disturbed by this injustice.  This injustice had been with him for years and each experience made him feel worse.  He wanted to react.  He wanted to do something.  He wanted to find some solution.  We face the same situations today.  There are many things that would disturb us.  There are injustices that we face that would make us angry, disturb us, frustrate us, make us want to take action into our own hands to find a solution.  But God is our father and it is his to resolve, his to deal with, his to exact wrath and punishment.

How then do we find resolution?  How then do we cope with what we face daily?  How then do we allow ourselves to have peace with the pain and horror in the world?  Christ sent Peter fishing.  He gave him something to do to past the time until the issue would be resolved.  He gave Simon a task that would give him the time to trust in God's justice.  He gave Simon a task that would allow him the opportunity to practice patience.  And so it is with us today.  God's rule will prevail.  God's justice will be upheld and the wrath of God will be exacted upon those who practice injustice.  We must trust in God to fulfill his promise.  We must have faith in God's will for us that we do not open the door to the evil of hatred, fear, frustration, anger, and all manner of wrongs that are against the will of the father.

Christ gave us a commandment that we should love one another as he has loved us.  For we are all created in the image and likeness of our father.  We all have the spiritual life given to us by our father and it is that life within us that is most precious.  For our father loves each and every one of us and if we understood the love that he has for us we would know the truth of who we are in him.  That knowledge of love brings a peace that is not of this world and that peace is the joy of who we are in him.  Let not your peace be disturbed.  Let not your joy be overturned that you loose the inner peace that comes with the truth of who you are. 

For God so loved the world that he sent his only son that we would have life eternal in him.  And it is that precious gift of life that we must strive to protect from the destruction that comes through the open door of the injustices of this world.  Hatred, fear, frustration, anger, all are intended to disturb the peace that Christ has given us through the father.  Practice Perfect Patience and you will know the justice of God.  Practice Perfect Patience and you will see the miracles of the father.  Practice Perfect Patience and you will know the love of the father that will fill your heart and soul completely.  Be at peace.  Be with love.  See the truth of the light of the life that Christ has given you and you will see your brothers and sisters as they truly are in you.  Come!  Follow the path before you.  The truth is before you.  Seek it.  Follow it.  Find it and you will know.  Christ loves you.  The Holy Spirit awaits you.  God the Father 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 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.