St. Matthew, Chapter 21, verse:16a; The Sounds of Praise.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Anger of the Jewish leaders) Part 3. 

They were angry.  They were furious at him.  They did not know what to do.  They were fearful of losing the power and influence obtained through their positions.  They were never praised as he was.  They were never sought after as he was.  They were never brought the sick and the lame and the cripple to be cured.  They were only the keepers and enforcers of the Law as handed down by Moses.

The chief priests and the elders saw what Christ did for the people.  He helped the poor.  He cured the blind and the lame.  And he did this in the temple for all to see.  He taught them.  He showed love to them.  He cared for them as no other elder or priest had before.  And all loved what they received from him.  Even the little ones felt his influence.  And the priests could not understand:  And said to him, "Dost thou hear what these are saying?" 

Even the little ones were giving praise to him.  They understood.  They knew.  They saw with their on eyes and they believed.  Yet those with knowledge and experience did not believe, did not know, did not understand.  How was it that the babes could see and believe yet those with years of experience and knowledge could not see or believe?  Even today with all the beauty and wonder in the world, how is it that we do not see what is plainly before our eyes?  Are we blind?  Can we not see the wonders of this world and where they came from?  Do we not breathe the air?  Do we not feel the warmth of the sun?  Do we not have food to eat that comes from the ground itself?  Are these not miracles and wonders for us to see and know that we did not create these things?

Our God provides.  Our God protects.  Our God gives us bountiful gifts to demonstrate his love for us.  Yet we cannot see.  We cannot believe.  We cannot know because we are blinded by the world before us.  Science and industry have turned the world around such that we no longer believe that which we are given.  We have devised a system that turns us away from the wonders of the natural world we were given and turns us toward the world that is created by man.  For man, through his own ingeniousness, has changed the world.  Man has created his own world.  Man has made anew a world inside the natural world and now calls this the new world that we live in.

And with this new world comes the influence of evil and evildoers.  With this new world doors are open that should be closed.  Behaviors are common that once were forbidden.  Acts are accepted as commonplace and necessary that were once frowned upon as outside the norm and unacceptable.  And these same acts and behaviors are permeated throughout society for all to see as normal or necessary to succeed.  Black, brown, blue, green, yellow, white, we are all the same, no one above another.  For God is our creator and it is he who judges and punishes for their sins.

We are all created in his image and his likeness.  We are all spirits.  We are all his children.  God is not a physical being with blue eyes, or black or brown, with colored skin.  He is spirit and we are spirit just as he is, not physical.  He gave to us this form that we might live and exist in this physical realm.  But upon our death, we are transformed into the true beings that we are, spirits, and our lives begin on a different plane, a spiritual plane.  And those that have gone before us await our coming.  Even the little ones that were called early are there to greet us.  They were the ones who saw.  They were the ones who believed.  They are the ones who know the truth more than we do today. 

Christ has said that the little ones make up the kingdom of heaven and that no one can enter unless they become like them.  Let us give shouts and praise like the little ones.  Let us see the coming of the kingdom as the little ones.  Let us know the truth of who we are like the little ones.  For theirs is the true knowledge of the kingdom, theirs is the true glory of the kingdom,  theirs is the gift that God has given us to follow and believe.

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: 15, Christ touching the little ones.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Jesus blesses the children) Part 5.

Christ instructed his disciples not to hinder the little ones from coming to him, for he wanted to touch them.  He wanted to be with them, to see them, to feel their presences up close.  They were the newly born, the new life, the light of life fresh from the tree of life.  Christ knew them before they were born into the physical world.  He knew them from the tree of life as he knows all.  He knew them in heaven as they were still on the tree of life.

So he instructed his disciples to let them be.  He told them to come close.  He told them to come see him that they may see with their eyes the savior of the world.  Though they were still just children, they would remember the day that they met the Savior.  They would remember the day they saw him, the time that they felt him, the time that they were near to him in the flesh.  For his time was short.  His mission was almost complete, his journey coming to an end.  And when he had laid his hands on them, he departed that place.

The little ones come into this world without any knowledge or understanding.  They depend upon those that came before for wisdom and truth.  They take what is given to them and incorporate into themselves the knowledge of those around them.  And when the time comes, they may question the validity of what has been given to them.  Or they may accept what the world has offered them and seek to conform to the norms of the day.  But they came unblemished into the world.  They came without malice.  They came clean, new, fresh from the tree of life.

And then we laid hands on them.  And then we loved them.  We gave them the best of what we had.  We influenced them and turned them out into the world.  And the world took hold of them and molded them into the people that they became.  Yet deep within them there was still life.  Deep within there was still the light of Christ.  Deep within was the spark that came from God our Father who loves them, calling them from the world that they may know the truth of who they are.  Did they hear?  Did they see?  Did they understand what they felt was a deep need that could not be filled from the world? 

Christ came to give his life for the children, that they might have new life.  He came that all would have the opportunity to know that they are spiritual and not physical beings.  He came that we would all have new life in him.  But it is up to us to know it.  It is up to us to see it.  It is up to us to grasp the true meaning of our spiritual being.  For our life is in him and not in the world.  Our hope is through him and not in the sky.  Our dreams are fulfilled from him and not in the dreams of death in the world.  He laid hands on the little ones just as he lays his hands on each and everyone of us.  Reach out and take his hand.  Reach out and hold it.  Reach out and feel him.  And then, you will know the joy of your Father who loves you.  You will know the peace of your Lord who believes in you.  You will know the excitement of the Holy Spirit who will live with you until you make the transition into the kingdom of heaven.

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: 14b, The Children are the Kingdom of Heaven.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Jesus blesses the children) Part 4.

Christ sat with the children.  He played with them and laid hands on them that they would be blessed.  His disciples did not want the children to disturb Christ.  They did not want them to be brought to Christ.  But Christ told them that they should not hinder the children from coming to him.  He told them that they should not stop the children from being with him.  For these were they whom he loved.  These were they whom he had passion.  The children were they who were the new life, fresh from the tree of life.

They knew not about the Christ.  They knew not about the miracles.  They knew not about the message that he came to bring to the world.  They only knew that Christ was special according to what their parents spoke.  But Christ knew them.  He loved them.  He saw them as they were, little ones.  And he had compassion for them, for they were the innocent ones whom he would sacrifice his life.  They were the innocent ones who had died without life before his coming.  They were the passion of his heart.  And he told his disciples:  "For of such is the kingdom of heaven ."

The little ones are of the kingdom.  The little ones belong to the kingdom.  The little ones are the innocent ones, they are the ones without corruption, without malice, without hatred, fear, anger, and evil.  For they are fresh from the tree of life, newly born into the world.  Long had time pasted with many of them without life.  Long had time pasted without the light of life within them.  Long had time pasted with them living in limbo until the coming of Christ.  He was the one who made the sacrifice.  He was the one who paid for the sin.  He was the one who redeemed all.  He was the one who gave new life to all, male, female, young and old, children and adults.

Save the children.  Do not allow them to be harmed.  Sad is the day when we loose the young before their time.  But many have been martyrs.  Many have been sacrificed.  Many have died before their time.  And yet joyous are they that enter into the kingdom.  Joyous are they that meet the Father.  For Christ told his disciples: "Blessed are the pure of heart for they shall see God."  Joyous are the ones who live in the presence of the Lord, because they are the innocent ones.  They are the ones who's life was given and taken away.  And yet they exist in God's presences in the kingdom of heaven.

We live in a world today where anything goes.  Our lives are filled with desires and passions that lead us astray.  We are given to be bad rather than good, to be wicked rather than pious, to be evil rather than filled with the light of life given us by our Father.  It becomes thrilling to us, it raises our blood pressure, it makes us feel good, feel alive, feel strong.  And yet it is just those feelings that lead us astray from who we are, spiritual beings created in the image and likeness of God our Father.

We are his children and he is our Father.  We are his little ones and he is our provider, our protector, our joy and our hope.  He is merciful and through his mercy we live and exist.  We are given to be strong, to seek power, to be wise and knowledgeable.  Yet it is through our own humility that we can come to understand true knowledge and true wisdom.  Acceptance is the key to who we are.  Denial of the world is what must happen.  And understanding of what fills our souls completely will open our hearts to the love that awaits us in him.  Such is the wisdom of the kingdom.  Such is the knowledge of our existence.  And such is the makeup of the children of the kingdom of heaven.

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: 14, The Lost Sheep: The will of the Father.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The lost Sheep) Part 5.

There will be rejoicing in heaven over the return of a lost one.  For the lost sheep are just as precious in the eyes of the Father as all the others.  They are the little ones.  They are the children that Christ placed before the disciples as an example of what they must become.  For the key to entering the kingdom of heaven is to turn and become like little children who do not worry about the cares of the world, who are not concerned about what tomorrow may bring, who rejoice in the here and now because their father will provide for them.

Christ wanted to teach them about the things of heaven.  He wanted them to know what heaven was like.  He wanted them to have all that heaven has to offer.  But first they must rid themselves of worldly ideas, worldly mindsets, and worldly passions that would prevent them from entering into the kingdom.  For it is not the will of the Father that anyone should perish.  It is not the will of the Father that anyone should be lost.  It is not the will of the Father that anyone should not be with him in heaven.  That decision is ours, given us by our father.  So Christ told his disciples the will of the Father.  Even so, it is not the will of your Father in heaven that a single one of these little ones should perish.

The little ones should not perish, this is what Christ told his disciples.  That is the will of the Father in heaven.  So each and every little one is protected, provided for, and cared for.  But there is evil in the world.  There is desire in the world.  There is lust in the world.  There is scandal in the world and all work towards turning the little ones away from the Father.  For the Father gave man free will.  The Father allowed man to decide.  The Father did not command that we choose.  He gave us the opportunity to make up our own minds, to decide what we wanted. 

Do we know what we want?  Do we see the results of our wants?  Do we understand the consequences of our wants?  For there will be consequences.  There will be repercussions.  There will be judgments.  There will be payments that must be made as a result of the decisions that we make of our own free will.  What do we know?  We believe that we can decide.  We believe that we have the capacity.  We believe that we know.  And we follow what we know.  We follow what we are told.  We follow what we are led to believe based on what we see in the world, what we feel about the world, what we hear in the world. 

We follow the path that is before us, the path that is given us.  And for those that lay out the path, those that create the path, they are driven by what they think is good and right and just in the mind of the market.  But the market is led by greed.  The market is led by desires and passions.  The market is led by the forces of commerce that are driven by the influences of the world.  And there is evil in the world.  Do we believe?  Do we see?  Do we know?  The choice is ours. 

We can sleep in the world or we can awake from the drugged slumber that the world offers.  Christ knocks at the door.  Christ holds your hand.  Christ lives in your heart.  Do not turn him away.  Do not close the door on him.  Do not go back to sleep when he talks to you.  Wake up!  See the being that you are in Christ.  Wake up!  See the light within you.  Wake up!  Know the truth that is within you.  For the Holy Spirit wants to visit you.  The Holy Spirit wants to live with you.  The Holy Spirit wants to know you.  The Holy Spirit wants you to know him.  Wake up and see!  Wake up and know!  Wake up and live in Christ! For it is not the Father's will that a single little one should perish.

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: 12, The Lost Sheep: Searching for those that have strayed.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The lost sheep) Part 3.   

What do you think, Christ asked his disciples?  Why do you think that he came to earth?  He wanted to have them speak what was in their minds.  He wanted his disciples to understand the true reason of his coming.  Though they did not know, he told them.  He gave them the key to opening the doors of heaven.  He told them how they should turn from the ways of the world and seek the knowledge held by little children.  For the little children were the example that Christ put before his disciples that they could see who they were to become.

Little ones, he said.  Precious ones, he knew them as.  Loved ones, as he saw them through the eyes of the father.  Protected ones, by the angels themselves in heaven, guarded by the knowledge of God himself.  For Christ came to collect.  He came to return what was lost.  He came to reclaim that which did not belong here on earth but belong in heaven and he wanted his disciples to know.  He told them.  He gave them examples.  And he demonstrated the love for them through a parable.   "What do you think?", he asked his disciples.  And he continued to demonstrate his passion:  "If a man have a hundred sheep, and one of them stray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the mountains, and go in search of the one that has strayed?  And if he happen to find it, amen I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray."

And so it was given to the disciples to understand the tremendous love that a man has for his one lost sheep.  And they understood the love that the Father has for mankind, his lost sheep, his lost little ones, his lost children.  For we are the ones that were lost.  We are the ones that strayed.  We are the ones that he loves so dearly that he sent his son to reclaim us.  For Our Father is a merciful father.  Our Father is a loving father.  Our Father is a forgiving father.  For he understands who are his children and he understands the mistakes that they will make.  And despite our mistakes, our errors, our downfalls, he still loves us.

We are brought into this world to experience life.  For we were not.  We knew not.  We did not until we were given life.  But there are those who came before us.  Those that had life before we were.  Those that would steal us away from the Father.  So the choice is ours to make.  But we must understand clearly the choice that we make.  We must know the truth of our actions.  We must know the truth of who we are.  For without the truth we are misled.  Without the truth we are swayed.  Without the truth we are stolen, not knowing who we are, not knowing the life that we have, not knowing the destiny that is ours in the Father. 

We live in a world but are not of the world.  We see ourselves as physical but we are not physical.  We believe in the things of the world but we are in disbelief of who we are because this is the misinformation that we are given, the misinformation that we are fed, the misinformation that programs us from birth.  But God is with us.  Christ came for us.  The Holy Spirit will be with us, if we choose. 

Wake up from your sleep and see the truth before you.  Let not the influence of the mind stop you.  For the evil of the world will invade the mind.  The evil of the world will persuade the mind.  The evil of the world will turn the mind away from the truth that is in the heart.  Open the heart to Christ and you will find all that the heart desires.  For Christ is our truth.  Christ is our satisfaction.  Christ is our peace.  Christ is our love, and our protection, our provider.  He will give all.  He will show all.  He will lead you and guide you so that there is nothing that will sway you again to the world.  Come!  Open the heart to Christ and receive the Holy Spirit.  For Christ loves you.  The Father adores you.  And the Holy Spirit will be with you all the days of your life.  Amen.

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: 11, The Lost Sheep: Why the Son of Man came.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The lost sheep) Part 2.    

The little ones have angels in heaven.  The little ones have a direct connection to God our Father.  The little ones are protected.  The little ones are provided for.  The little ones are special in the eyes of God.  But the little ones were lost.  The little ones were divided.  The little ones were without a shepherd.  And then Christ came. 

Christ came to take back what was lost.  Christ came to redeem.  Christ came that all was not lost and all the little ones would not face the justice of God.  For man had sinned.  Man had disobeyed the command of God.  And man must face the justice of God, for God is the ultimate judge and justice must be served.  There was a contest.  There was a battle.  There was a test between man and Satan, between physical and spiritual, between the lowly flesh and the spiritual cunning of a fallen angel.  Man lost.  The punishment was pronounced.  The sin was committed and the judgment was enacted.  And Christ came.  He came to renew.  He came to take back.  He came to be tested.  He came to pay the price.  He came to be the sacrifice.  He came to save.  And Christ told his disciples:  "For the Son of Man came to save what was lost."

What was lost?  Where can it be found?  Is it something that is worth finding, something of value, something that we should waste time thinking about finding?  Christ thought so.  God thought that it was worth getting back.  He gave a precious gift to have it returned.  He wanted it returned.  He did not want to loose it. 

Our Father is a loving father, so much so that he forgives, he loves deeply, he has mercy, he understands, he is compassionate.  The Son of Man came to save what was lost.  He came to be tested.  Adam was tested and he failed the test.  Christ came and he passed the test.  He came and he was tried.  He came and he would not bend, he would not relent, he would not give up, he would not yield to the temptations, and they killed him because he could not be broken.  He paid the price.  He was the sacrifice.  He was the restitution for the injustice.

I was lost.  I was asleep in the world.  I was committed to the world, even though I had been given the truth as a child.  I was raised in the church.  I was committed to the church and yet I left the church and went out into the world.  I wanted to be a part of the world.  I wanted to be accepted in the world.  I wanted to be successful in the world.  And I committed myself to it.  The world used me.  The world abused me.  The world tore me down.  And the world took me to the crossroads of temptation. 

The world said to me, in order to be successful you must be ruthless.  It said to me, in order to be successful you must be cunning.  It said to me that in order to be successful you must be vengeful, you must be murderous.  I was lost.  I was on the verge of stepping off that cliff.  And then, out of desperation, I sought help.  I called out to my father for help.  I cried for relief. And he reached out and held my hand.  He reached out and lifted me up.  He reached out and pulled me from the brink of destruction. 

He gave me hope.  He gave me faith.  He showed me compassion.  He opened my eyes and allowed me to see the truth of who I am.  I am no longer lost.  I am no longer wandering.  I am no longer asleep.  I am here and I am now.  I am in him and he is in me.  I am a light in the darkness because I know who I am.  Christ came to save me.  Christ came to save you.  Christ came to save all that want to be saved.  Do you want to be saved?  Do you want to know the truth of who you are?  Ask him to save you.  Ask to know him.  Ask to believe in him.  Ask to seek him and he will seek you.  He saved me and gave me a new life.  He will save you!  

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

St Matthew, Chapter 18, verse: 7a, Scandals in the World.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Avoiding scandal) Part 3.    

Christ has admonished his disciples and the people that follow him of the consequences of misleading the little ones.  He has told them that the sin of corruption of the innocent new life is more serious than the sin of suicide.  For it is far better for a man to hang a millstone around his next and drown himself in the sea than to corrupt the new life of the little ones.  They are the new life.  They are the new light from the tree of life.  They are the babies of the world, without sin, without knowledge, without corruption.

But the world is doomed already.  The world is fated to sin.  The world is on the path to death and those that are in and of the world will follow.  For the choice is theirs.  The decision is theirs.  The path is theirs to follow.  And the sleep is theirs to awaken from.  For without the knowledge of truth we wonder in darkness, the life within us is dead, the light within us is darkness.  We have no idea of who we are except that we have flesh and live and survive in the physical world.  The spiritual being is without knowledge, without awareness, without truth.  And Christ warns us of the world, for he says:  "Woe to the world because of scandals !"

Scandals are the gossip of the world.  They form the basis of the profits of what we call news.  They are the talk in the back rooms, the talk around water fountains and our cigarette smokes.  They are what we speak of during lunch, and have conversations about over dinner.  The talk we have, the judgments we make, the anger we feel, the decisions we decide, the actions we take, all result from the scandals that we hear, read and know of on a daily basis.  We are programed for scandals.  And there is more to come.  The world will be doomed because of scandals.  Woe to the world.  The world has faced wars because of scandals.  The world will face the wrath and punishment from God because of the scandals brought forth for the destruction of man.

For Scandal, she is contagious.  She is corrupt.  She is destructive and hideous, and addictive.  She demands to be told and she demands to be spread.  For those who hear are compelled to repeat, compelled to spread the news, compelled to seek out another to spread the contagion of her disease.  Yet we live in a world where scandal is accepted.  We live in a world where we are fed scandal daily.  We live in a world surrounded by scandal because it is profitable.  She is everywhere.  She is pervasive.  She is within and without, in every nook and cranny of our daily lives.  And she demands to be heard.  But once heard she requires obedience. 

Be not a party to scandal.  Spread not her lies and deceit.  Turn a deaf ear to her and let not her addiction fill your soul.  For death is upon her.  She is the door to evil.  Through her comes lies, deceit, murder, destruction, and darkness.  We were not created in the image of darkness, but in the image and likeness of our God.  For through Christ  new life was given to all mankind, if they only believe.  For those who believe or want to believe, seek the truth.  Search for the life that was given you by the sacrifice.  It is there waiting for you. 

The truth will come to those who want to know, to those who seek, to those who knock.  The door will be opened and the Holy Spirit will come and dwell with you.  And when this happens you will know the truth for he will show you the way.  Christ told us that he will not leave us as orphans.  He told us that he will send us an advocate.  He told us that we will be one with him and he is one with the father.  Believe and know the truth!  Seek and find your answers!  Follow the path and know the light that is within you.  For you were dead and now you have the life that Christ has given you through his sacrifice.  Then you will know the truth of who you are in Him.

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

St Matthew, Chapter 18, verse: 6, Punishment for leading the little ones to sin.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Avoiding scandal) Part 2.   

Christ treasured the little ones.  They were newly born, fresh from the tree of life, given new life by God.  Theirs was the innocence.  Theirs was the beginning.  Theirs was the start of a life in eternity.  For they knew not life.  For they knew not existence.  They were conceived in the being of God who brought forth the tree of life that it may bring forth fruit.

Precious are the little ones.  Happy and joyous are their lives.  Full of questions and curiosity is their life.  Happy in the learning and the experience of all that life has to offer.  And Christ said to his disciples: "He who receives one such little one for my sake, receives me.  Yet there are those who do not receive them.  There are those who would corrupt them.  There are those who would use them for their own means, to serve their own purposes.  The little ones are the gems of heaven.  They are the newborn life of God.  They are the ones to be protected and guarded against the evil of the world.  And for this reason Christ told his disciples:   "But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it were better for him to have a great millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depths of the sea."

How precious are the little ones.  Look into their eyes and see the light of life that comes through them.  Feel the joy and love that comes through their hearts as they experience the physical life that is theirs.  Through them we become alive and experience the newness of life.  Through their lives we are reborn.  For with them and through them we shape the future of their lives and provide the protection and have the opportunity to set them on a path that they may follow for the rest of their lives here on earth.  We are their foundation.  We are their light in the darkness.  We are their protection as God protects us.

Yet there are those who would destroy.  There are those who would corrupt.  There are those who would lead astray the new life sent to earth by God.  There are those who would turn these little ones away from their true nature and send them into darkness.  Beware, you who corrupt, you who destroy, you who tear down and turn the light to darkness.  Grave is your sin.  And great is your punishment.  Far greater will be your suffering in hell for the sin that you commit hear on earth.  Christ tells you that it would be far better for you to commit the sin of death than to face the sin of corruption of a little one.  For the sin of death is far less a punishment than the sin of corruption. 

Turn away from these acts of evil against the Lord your God.  Seek forgiveness and repent.  Open the door to the light of Christ who forgives the sins we commit.  God loves you.  He created you in his image and not in the image of darkness.  You are life and you are light.  See the goodness within you and know the truth of who you are in Christ.  He has provided the way and the path awaits you to follow.  Come!  Receive the light of the Holy Spirit and you will 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 and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ. The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in. 

St Matthew, Chapter 18, verse: 5, Humility: The door to recieving Christ.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Avoiding scandal) Part 1.    

Christ continues to teach his disciples about spiritual principles.  Humility, he tells them, is the key to entering into the kingdom of heaven.  For it is through the humbling of the spirit and the denial of self serving pride that one enters into the kingdom of heaven.  It is through the knowledge and the practice of humility that one is able to drive out the spirit of pride.  For it is through pride that the door is open for Satan to enter in and influence the physical.  This is the knowledge that Christ wants his disciples to have, the knowledge that he wanted his disciples to practice so they would have a defense against the tricks and traps of evil.

Christ goes on to show his disciples the simplicity of a little child.  For children are under the care of their parents who will watch over them and care for them.  And the disciples are under the care and protection of Christ.  So he tells them that to receive a little child is to receive him, to know as a child is to know him, to be as a little child is to be as he is.  He tells his disciples:   "And whoever receives one such little child for my sake, receives me."   

Receive the little children of the world and you receive Christ.  Receive the innocent of the world and you receive Christ.  Keep them safe.  Protect them.  Watch over them and he will watch over you.  Christ gives his disciples a very important spiritual principle to live by.  This same principle is available for us today.  Protect the little ones.  Guide the little ones.  Love the little ones and you will love him.  For it is through the heart that one receives the little ones.  It is through the love that one receives them and it is through the spirit that one opens up to the spirit in them. 

We are all parents at some point and we know the love and care that we give to our children.  We have a responsibility to them when we bring them into the world.  And for mothers there is a bond that comes with the birth of children.  For a father there is a dome of protection and provision that he provides and with that provision comes a love from the heart.  God has given us the privilege of sharing in the creation of life.  We provide the physical and he provides the spiritual life that comes through our children.  But there is something more than that.  The bond is deeper than just physical.  We respond to the physical touch, smell, taste and feel of our children.  The sight of them brings joy.  The knowledge of them fills our waking thoughts and actions.  They are our hope and our beliefs and our love for the future.

But all that is just the physical and not the spiritual.  For Christ is one with the father and we are one in him, if we choose.  Our children should be one with us spiritually.  For they are the true spirit of life and love that comes from God.  They know not, they are not, and they experience not except what we give them.  And if we give them not of our spirit then they will be not. 

For how can we give of what we do not know?  How can we experience the truth of the joining if we have not joined?  How can we see their light if we have no light in us?  It is through our own light that we can truly know the light of Christ within us.  We are physical beings but even more we are beings created in the image and likeness of our God.  He gave us life.  He created us.  He provides for us.  He protects us.  And it was through the sacrifice of Christ that we are given the light of life renewed.

Receive the little ones into your heart.  Receive the little ones into your spirit.  Receive the little ones into your light for they are new in the physical world and fresh from the tree of life.  Their spirit is strong and their light is new.  It is through them that we can truly see the light of the life of Christ.  Come!  Know the life that is within you.  See the truth of who you are in Christ.  For with the truth you will know who you are.  With the truth you will see the light within you.  With the truth you will have no fears, no doubts, no anxieties, no hatred, no anger, no lust.  For yours is the kingdom of heaven and your father loves you.  Open the door!  Follow the path!  Read the truth before you and receive the Holy Spirit of Christ who loves you.

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