St. Matthew, Chapter 23, verses: 35c; Between the Temple and the Altar.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Their persecution of religion) Part 13.  

How could they escape the damnation of hell, the doers of evil who in cooperation with Satan's minions were the perpetrators of the murders of the prophets and the messengers of God.  They refused to repent.  They refused to believe.  They refused to open their eyes and see the evil that was within them.  Instead they agreed to go along with that which influenced them.  They agreed to believe that they were right in what they were doing.  

They continued to believe that they were right in persecuting the religion of God and suppressing the messengers and the prophets he sent.  They were lost and could not see.  They were blind and had no understanding of who they were, even though the opportunity was given them to change.  They could not change.  They continued to scourge and persecute from town to town, to pursue from village to village every messenger sent to proclaim the good news.  They even pursued Zacharias: "Whom you killed between the temple and the altar."

They were blind in their sight.  They had no understanding of what they were doing.  Evil led they to commit murder in the most sacred of places.  The evil within led their blind rage to commit sin in the Temple before the altar without thinking of what they were doing.  And yet they will suffer the consequences of their actions and have the blood of all the just to pay.  These words were spoken by Christ from his father God upon the Scribes and the Pharisees to the evil generation of spirits that influenced them. 

What a heavy burden to bear to be a part of such a group that must carry such a sin to pay such a price.  Adam and Eve made the ultimate sin that stained all mankind with mortal sin that no man could pay the price to lift.  It took the Son of Man, Jesus Christ, to come down from heaven to save mankind from the stain of mortal sin.  We now have an opportunity to become new.  We can now have new life because before we were dead with mortal sin but Christ paid the price for our sin and gave us the chance to have new life.

To have new life all we have to do is believe in him.  All we have to do is believe that he is the Son of God and that we have a Father in heaven who is our creator.  Belief opens the door for us.  Belief creates the spark of life.  Belief gives us a new soul that allows us to have eternal life instead of continuing to be dead.  Do you believe?  Do you know?  Do you understand who you are?  The Bible says seek and you will find, knock and it shall be opened to you, ask and it shall be given.  Believe!  Ask for your new life and receive it.

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

St Matthew, Chapter 19, verse: 14a, Hinder not the children.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Jesus blesses the children) Part 3.

So the children came.  They were brought to him that he might bless them and lay his hands on them.  This was a sight to see, the children in their playful nature around Christ, the savior.  They did not know him.  They heard their parents speaking of him.  They heard strangers and other people talking about him.  But now they had the opportunity to come close, to touch him, to be in his presence.  Oh, what a joy that must have been!

The disciples thought not.  They did not see him having time for little children.  He was the savior.  He was the Messiah.  He was the Lord of all, yet he had time to play with the little children.  They did not understand.  They did not know.  For the disciples and all the others considered that he had other things to do, other things to think about, other problems to solve.  Yet he had time for the little ones.  But Jesus said to them, "Let the little children be, and do not hinder them from coming to me."

Do not hinder them.  Let them be.  Do not disturb them.  Let them play, let them have fun, let them see the world through their eyes, fresh and anew.  For they are the little ones, precious in the eyes of God our Father.  They are the innocent ones, uncorrupted by the influences of the world and of evil.  Their light is bright, new and fresh from the tree of life.  Do not stop them from coming to the light of their creation.  Christ loved the little ones.  He knew them before they were conceived into the flesh and he adored them in their new spirit.

His love was the love of the Father.  His love is the love of a brother.  His love for the little ones is the love of all creation, an all-consuming love.  But the world does not love the little ones.  The world does not know their light.  The world wants to hinder them.  The world wants to turn them away from the light and turn them to the darkness.  For they are the precious ones in the eyes of God.  They are loved.  They are adored.  They are new.  Hinder not the little ones.  

When they are born into the world our hearts are filled with love for them.  When they are first conceived our lives are changed, at least for those who know and who understand God's plan and purpose.  For some it does not bring change.  For some they bring a feeling of a burden upon their lives, they not knowing the joy that will come.  So they turn away from the new life that is given them.  They turn away from the gift of life that is passed on to them.  They do not know the love, the protection, and the provision of the Father that awaits them through this new life.  And then there are those who would hinder the plans of the Father from coming forth, they destroy the new life.  All brought forth through the fear that comes from evil.

Do not hinder the little ones, Christ told his disciples.  Let them be.  Give them the freedom brought forth through God's plan and purpose.  Theirs is the gift of love.  Theirs is the promise of hope.  Theirs is the joy of innocence.  See the world through their eyes and rejoice in their passing back to the Father.  For the transition is a joyous time.  The transition is a time of happiness.  The transition is a time of love for those who have gone to be with the Father.  And the little ones will go without the taint of sin or corruption.  Hinder not the little ones and let them be with the one who gave them life.  For Christ rejoiced in seeing them that his sacrifice would have purpose, his sacrifice would have meaning, his sacrifice would mean love for these little ones who were new from the tree of live.  

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 11, verses: 29 - 30, The Call for Rest.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Jesus draws men gently to himself) Part 4. 

Christ has called all mankind to come unto him.  He has praised the Father for his good pleasure in hiding the mysteries of heaven from the wise and the prudent.  He has praised the Father for only revealing the mysteries to the little ones who are not filled with earthly wisdom and who are not concerned with the advancement of their cause for greed.  He calls people to come unto him that are burdened and who labor without hope.  For they are the ones who he wants to give hope.  He calls all the people who labor without purpose.  For they are the ones he wants to give purpose and belief in the Father.  With the true belief the people will rejoice and be glad because the Father will protect them.  The Father will provide for them.  The Father will bring them peace.

Christ says, "Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me."   For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."   The Lord of Lords and the King of Kings tells us to take his yoke and to learn.  For he will teach us.  He will guide us.  He will instruct us in the ways of life.  Our world is burdensome.  Our world is harsh.  Our world is hard.  But when we take the yoke of Christ he will teach us how to have an easy life.  He will guide us and provide for us, showing us how to have a light burden.  For our burden is heavy.  Our burden wears us down.  Our burden brings pain and suffering.  For he is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.  His wisdom exceeds all.  His knowledge is greater than the knowledge of man.  His love for us exceeds the love that we have for each other.

Christ says,  "For I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for your souls."   Christ calls all men unto himself.  He tells us that he is meek and humble not proud and vain.  Learn from him.  For it is in his heart that we find the riches of the kingdom.  It is through his meekness that we learn the wisdom of God.  It is through his humility that we become transformed from this world to the person that we will be known as in the kingdom of heaven.  Our spiritual beings grow in humility.  Our spiritual knowledge increases with the practice of our humility.  For through love we understand.  Through love we come to know.  Through love we become love with the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  God created us in his likeness and we are his children.

Do you hunger and thirst for rest?  We wear ourselves down trying to keep up with the weight of the world.  For the world calls us.  The world leads us.  The world lusts for us and we lust for the world.  For our passions are in the world.  Our love for worldly things is in the world.  We are lost in the world and do not know it.  We wear ourselves down and try to catch a breath on the weekends when we seek to rejuvenate.  We party.  We go to outings and events.  We seek others who share our interests in an effort to share the pain of existence.  Yet we continue to find ourselves in the race for life in the world.  Oh, there are those who have it made.  There are those who live on top, who make enough money, who have the right job, who drive the right cars, who wear the right clothes, and who live in the right apartments, in the right communities, in the right homes.  Yet they too continue to struggle to keep up.  They too desire to be like others who have more than they do.  They too are driven by the world, led by the world, lust for the world.  For at every level there are those who are our carrots to chase after.  There are those who have more.  There are those that we look up to and desire to be like.  And the world has a carrot for everyone.  For we are lost in the world and do not know who we are.

Christ calls to all, "Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me."   For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."   Learn from him.  His yoke is easy.  His yoke is light.  Step away from the world.  Get out of the race.  For it leads along the road of destruction.  Many follow that path but few follow the narrow road to life.  Will you take up the yoke of Christ and learn from him?  Will you accept his light burden and his easy yoke?  Come, receive your reward!  Come, learn from him that will teach all!  He calls to you!  He awaits your coming!  He loves you!