St. Matthew, Chapter 23, verses: 38; A Desolate House.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Lamentation over Jerusalem) Part 5.  

God sent his messengers to warn them, but they would not listen.  He sent prophets to prophesy but they would not hear.  They were stubborn.  They were arrogant.  They were full of their own beliefs.  They could not see the changing of the tides, the coming storm.  God wanted to protect them.  They refused to believe in the God of their fathers.  It was so long ago that it was a distant memory and no one cared.  The people had forgotten.

The signs were there for everyone to see.  Some saw and believed.  The faithful knew what was coming.  They heard the messages and believed.  They heard the warnings.  They prepared themselves for the coming storm.  But the leaders failed to warn the people.  They failed to carry the message to the general public.  They failed their responsibility to the people because they were to busy partying in their palaces.  So:  "Behold, your house is left to you desolate."

Torn down, destroyed, burned, years of architectural wonder desiccated for all eternity.  They were warned but would not listen.  They given signs but could not see.  Over and over again opportunity was given them to heed the message but they refused to do so and now the house is gone, the beauty is destroyed, the joy of yesteryear is no more.

It is said that you don't miss your water until the well runs dry.  All the signs are there telling you that the water is drying up but you do not see.  The water is getting lower and lower but you believe that it will always be the same, today, tomorrow and forever.  We are only as old as we think but our bodies say otherwise.  This is the fact of life that we must recognize no matter how much science breakthroughs may want to change our minds about our health.  Death is our inevitable end.

And yet death is only a transition from the physical to the spiritual.  Christ came to demonstrate that fact to us.  He overcame death.  He rose from the grave.  He ascended into heaven and he awaits for each and every one of us who chooses to receive him as our Lord and Savior.  For he paid the price for each of us to have a new life.  And that price is simply asking for forgiveness of our sins and accepting and believing in him.  He came that we may have life and have it more abundantly.  Thank you Christ Jesus for your great gift.  Thank you for opening my heart and showing me the way to 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 18, verse: 9, Occasions of sin for the Eye .

Our paragraph topic is:  (Avoiding scandal) Part 6.   

Drastic as it may sound, Christ continues to warn his disciples of the dangers of occasions to sin through the parts of the body.  The eye is the key to the soul and if it leads to sin then Christ says that it should be plucked out and cast away.  The vision to plucking an eye out is very hard to imagine.  Plucking an eye out compared to being cast into the hell-fire is not imaginable since we have no real comparison to the hell-fire.  But Christ knows and he warns his disciples so.  He warns the people of the same.

And the occasions of sin of the eye are the causes of scandal.  The people heard his words.  The disciples heard his words and how drastic or bad, or unbelievable they did sound.  Yet they were spoken from the mouth of Christ, the mouth of the Messiah.  For one must imagine the loss of an eye as compared to the hell-fire.  And if the plucking of an eye is bad then the hell-fire must be ten times worse.  Control the eyes.  Let them not lead to sin.  Let them not stray.  Let them not be controlled by evil such that one commits sin as a result of what one sees.  For the words were spoken.  And the words were written.  And Christ told us:  And if thy eye is an occasion of sin to thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee!  It is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell-fire.    

It all starts with what we see.  For through the eyes and into the mind and settling in the heart begins the passion of our desires.  For we desire earthly things.  We desire cars and houses and clothes and women and money and power and all manner of earthly things that become ingrained in our minds and desirous of our hearts.  We are fed these desires on a daily basis.  And it is through these desires that we make plans.  It is through these desires we scheme.  It is through these desires that we take actions that lead us down the road to the commission of sins.  And through the commission of those sins, our hearts turn black and we become instruments of evil.

Guard what the eye sees.  Reject the desires of the mind.  Fill the heart not with the desires of the world but with the love that Christ has given us.  For it is through his love, through his passion, through his desire for man to live eternity with him and the father that we find our freedom from sin.  We are heavenly beings created in the image and likeness of our father.  Creatures of light and not of darkness.  But evil would have us live in ignorance.  Evil would have us destroy our likeness and assume its likeness.  We are not evil.  We are not of the darkness.  We are children of light.  

Come!  See the light that is within you.  Know the truth of who you are in Christ.  Seek the knowledge that will provide freedom from the desires of the world and your father will provide for you.  Your father will protect you.  Your father will strengthen you to walk in his goodness.  For Christ came that we may have life.  He restored us to new life.  He provides us with the opportunity to live a life of eternity in heaven, if we choose.  But without choosing we live in darkness.  Without the knowledge of who we are we are asleep.  Without the truth of the light of the Holy Spirit we live in darkness.  Open the door and let him in.  Seek the light that Christ has given you and you too will know the true self that is within you.  Christ loves you.  God the Father adores you.  The Holy Spirit awaits you.  Let him in.

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

St Matthew, Chapter 16, verses: 9-10, The Leaven: The Teaching.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees) Part 3.   

The disciples argued among themselves.  They argued.  They were angry.  They opened their hearts to evil thoughts.  They were misled.  They were becoming infected by the leaven of the Pharisees and yet they did not know.  They did not understand.  They did not see what was happening. They forgot the miracles that were given them.  They had no true belief in the one who stood before them and warned them of the things that were taking place in their presence.  Christ called them.  Christ accused them.  Christ warned them that they might see the truth.  Yet they argued over something as petty as to who forgot to bring the bread, even though they had the bread maker in their presence.

It was not the fact that they did not bring bread.  It was not the fact that they had to accuse someone of being negligent.  It was not the fact that they were angered among themselves.  It was the fact that evil was creeping in  among them and they could not see it coming.  They were unable to understand.  They had forgotten the subtlety of its coming.  Christ had to call their attention to what was happening.  Christ had to teach them.  He had to show them.  He had to remind them of what was happening now.  They had witnessed the miracles take place before their eyes to feed thousands and yet they argued over not having bread when they had the bread maker before them.   Christ had to remind them so that they would understand and see how they were being affected by the leaven.    He told them:  "Do you not yet understand, nor remember the five loaves among five thousand men, and how many baskets you took up?  Nor the seven loaves among four thousand, and how many large baskets you took up?"

Just as Christ taught his disciples then, he is teaching us now.  Have we forgotten?  Do we not understand?  The leaven is among us and is working every minute, every second of our lives.  It is like a plague, a cold, the flu.  It will spread and infect all.  We must be on our guard less we forget, less our memory is blinded, less our sight is taken away.  For the evil one wants to turn us away from the truth that is before us.   He wants us to forget the times when we were down and had no one to turn to.  He wants us to forget when Christ answered our prayers and picked us up from the depths of our despair.  The leaven wants us to call the miracles that have happened in our lives, mere circumstances.  The leaven wants to bring chaos, fear, doubt, frustration, anger, hatred, hopelessness and all the other emotions that will open the door for evil to come into our hearts. 

Let us not forget the times when we were in need and he performed a miracle to help us.  We did not see it as a miracle but our prayers were answered.  We were helped.  Add it up to circumstances but God is the circumstance in our lives.  He watches over us.  He provides for us.  He heals us.  He forgives us because he loves us so much and does not want to see us suffer the fate that was made for the fallen angels and the evil one.   Beware the leaven, it will infect.  Beware the leaven, it will blind your memory.  Beware the leaven it will open the door to evil.  Beware the leaven, it will change you.  Remember all the things that have happened in your life, brought you to Christ that he might save you.  Come, receive the Holy Spirit and live the life of truth.  For once you know who you are, there is no turning back.

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