St. Matthew, Chapter 24, verse: 19a; Those with child.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The destruction of Jerusalem) Part 5.  

Take nothing with you.  Run for your life if you are to be saved.  Don't turn back for anything, else you loose your life for death is at your heals.  Christ delivers a dire message to his disciples and to the people about the coming destruction of Jerusalem.  Everyone, all the Jews are praising their city, enjoying the sights and sounds of its beauty.  But not Christ.  He is warning the people of impending doom. 

Those who believe are shocked.  Those who disbelieve ignore, pass his prediction off as idle gossip from those who would spread fear.  The leaders and rulers of the people are terrified that this man who has captured the minds and hearts of the people is now spreading rumors of destruction of their great city.  It means ruin for their leadership.  And most horrified are those who are with child or children.  He is saying:  "But woe to those who are with child."

Women beware that you will suffer most because you are with child!  Death and destruction will find you first and foremost because you are unable to flee fast enough to outrun death.  You will be swallowed up by the oncoming horrors of destruction.  And the women know the truth of what the prediction means because they have seen and heard the meaning of tragedy and war.  Women are the possessions of destruction and those with child are ravaged the most.

Even today we see the loss of life due to natural disasters.  And those most vulnerable are the women and children especially those with child.   Floods and fires and hurricanes and storms and all kinds of natural disasters occur around the world in places where people live that do not have adequate means to prepare themselves for oncoming disasters.  Loss of life is precious, something that tears at our hearts when we see and hear of such in places in the world.

Christ was a sort of early warning system in those days in that he was telling the people what was coming that they might prepare themselves for the event.  The same as we have today, early warning systems that give us knowledge of impending doom that we might have minutes to escape death.  Even at the clutches of death though we must prepare ourselves daily thanking God for his precious gift of life and thanking him for the sacrifice made by Christ Jesus ,on the cross, to give us new life.  Believe in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit and know that the promise of Christ is yours for the asking.  Death is but a door that we must all go through to transform ourselves to the true spirit of life that Christ has given us.  Know that it is yours for the asking, yours for the receiving, yours for the keeping that no one can take away.  Take the narrow path and God will be with you.  

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

St. Matthew, Chapter 24, verse: 11b; Many led astray.

Our paragraph topic is:  (He tells them of trials and hard times to come) Part 8.  

He told them of trials, tribulations, and hard times to come.  He foretold the future to them so they would know what would happen.  Christ knew all things and he wanted his disciples to know also.  More importantly he wanted them to know so they could prepare their followers for what was to come.  He gave them the knowledge so they could pass that knowledge down to their followers and to generations to come.  It is written for us today to know and believe what will follow.

Trials and tribulations and hard times.  These are the things that we will face as followers of Christ.  Yet we have the Advocate to help us.  We have the writings from the witnesses to tell us what happened during their walk with Christ.  And we have the words of Christ to carry with us in our hearts and minds, to keep us on the path to his kingdom.  He told his disciples:  "False prophets will arise, and will lead many astray."

Do not be led astray by false prophets of today.  There are many who would have you believe that they have the spirit of God within them and speak the truth.  One must ask oneself if this is true.  One must question what one hears and what one believes about the prophet that preaches the gospel to you.  The word is written for all to see, for all to believe, for all to know.  There is no need for interpretation.  One can understand by oneself if one desires.  One can know for oneself if one seeks.  One can find for oneself if one has a heart to know the truth of who the true God is and the love that he bears for all.

Christ came to open the door that all may know the Father.  He came to pay the price that all might have the opportunity to share in the kingdom of heaven if one believes in him and the father that sent him.  Love is the key to open the heart and the mind to the truth of who you are in him.  We are but clay vessels waiting to be born into our true selves.  To live is to die for we die everyday that we live.  And when our time comes that our clay vessels brake we burst forth into our spiritual selves be it either the light of life or the darkness of death.  

Christ awaits us with open arms.  His love is boundless.  His charity is endless. His mercy is forgiving.  His passion conquers all.  He is the fulfillment of all our needs and desires if we but 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 24, verse: 6c; These things must happen.

 Our paragraph topic is:  (Christ warns them not to be led astray) Part 6.  

So they are given line by line item by item of the things that will happen before the end will come.  Christ points out all the things that will happen, in their time, so they will know what to expect when they hear of these things and they will not be alarmed as others.  They will not panic.  They will not show fear.  They will be at peace.

He is preparing his disciples for the great movement of fear and anxiety that will take place by the evil that will come forth.  He told them:  "For these things must come to pass."

There must be wars and rumors or war.  There must be anxieties and fears, and panic to move the people to do unspeakable things that they would not do ordinarily.  For they will not think rationally when they are afraid and fearful.  They will not think clearly when fear rules their thoughts.  But as far as the disciples are concerned, they will have clear vision, clear understanding, clear knowledge of what is to come because Christ has given them the wisdom to know what is coming and what is to happen.

He has been with them in times of hardship and pain, in times of trouble and sorrow, in times of hunger and in times of impending death.  Each time he has chastised them not to be afraid because he was with them and will be always.  Even though he left them and returned to the Father, he sent his spirit to fill them with his presences to let them know that he is still with them.  So even though certain events must come to pass the disciples were not afraid.  They knew that he was with them and would protect them and keep them from harm.

And if it was true for them it is true for us today, his children.  He would not leave us behind without his protection, without his guidance, and without his wisdom to help us along the way.  He is the way, the truth, and the light that leads to life eternal.  All we have to do is follow his lead, keep his light burning within us, and love each other as we love ourselves.  We are all one family, all made in his image and likeness.  Praise be to God

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 22, verses: 30b; Angels in Heaven.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Christ's answer) Part 3.  

They knew not the scriptures nor the power of God.  This is why they erred in their beliefs about the resurrection and life after death.  The Sadducees did not believe in life after death.  But they were curious as to what Christ had to say on the subject.  They were certain of their beliefs.  Their belief is what they had taught and known all their lives but Christ spoke of something different.  He spoke of a father in heaven and life after death that made them curious.

This is why they came to him with the question of the widow and the seven brothers.  They posed a question that would address the question of the resurrection.  Christ told them that they were wrong in their thinking because they did not know the power of God.  He told them:   "But they will be as angels of God in heaven."  

And there we have it from the living word of God himself as to what we will be in heaven.  Christ has given us a picture of the shape and form of our future selves in heaven.  We will be as angels of God. 

Many people wander about the afterlife, what it will be, how it will be, where it will be.  Here in the spoken words of the Messiah himself he tells us what we need to know of our future selves.  A new type of form, other than the physical form.  He tells us of a new being other than the mental.  He tells us of a new type of spirit other than the soul that we know of today, a spiritual form of the angels given by the power of God our creator.  Eye has not seen nor has the mind conceived of the things that God has prepared for those who love him.  This is the power of God our creator.

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

St. Matthew, Chapter 22, verse: 23; The Sadducees' Question.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The Sadducees question Christ) Part 1.  

The Herodians came, questioned and tested him, and left marveling at his answer.  Now we have the Sadducees coming on the same day with their questions in their attempt to gather evidence against him.  They were learned men.  They studied the text and the books handed down by their fathers and the prophets but they had no wisdom or insight into the meaning behind the words.  The spirit of the Lord was not with them.

They were the ones who did not believe in the resurrection.  They only believed that we lived for today and die tomorrow.  So they had no understanding of what happened after death.  They had no knowledge or belief that there was an after life, a soul or a spirit.  They only believed that they lived for today and tomorrow you die and that is the end of life.  So, "On that same day some of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him, and questioned him."  

Christ was an ordinary man, an ordinary man of flesh and blood.  He was not a hero.  He was not a prince or a scholar, at least not in the eyes of those who practiced being a scholar in those days, those who trained with the elders and learned various schools of thought.  He was just an ordinary man who would not attract the attention of anyone.  Yet within this ordinary man lived the Son of Man, the Son of God.  

He came down from heaven to walk among the ordinary people to be an example to them of a new way of life.  He wanted to show that there is a God and a heaven and a life after death that we could all believe in and live for.  He showed that he had the power of the Holy Spirit and God the Father to perform miracles that no other man or prophet had performed before him.  He wanted the people to rejoice, to have hope, to be happy in the knowledge that they had a God to provide for them, to care for them, to protect them, and to love them, even if they had to suffer in the present.

For he came to suffer.  He came to die for us.  He came to become a substitute for us all that we might have new life.  He came that the life that we lost in the garden we could have again.  He came because of the passion of his love for us all.  He came that we each might now have the choice to make our own decision as to whether we wanted to live with him or to die without him.  The choice would be ours alone.  The message would be spread to all.  All would have the opportunity over and over again till the last day, to decide.  The choice would be ours.  We must choose or the choice will be made for us.  Death will come and it will decide.  Why wait.

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:23a, The Drink.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The mother of James and John) Part 8. 

They wanted fame and fortune.  They wanted to sit at his side.  They wanted to have power and prestige.  They wanted to be at the head of the table and not at the end.  But, they did not know the price they would have to pay for their wants.  These were they wishes of James and John as expressed by their mother.  She spoke what they would not speak.  She came forth and worshipped even as they could not worship.  She brought forth what others only thought about, what would be their rewards for following in the footsteps of the Lord.

They loved him surely.  They walked with him for years.  They watched him work unbelievable miracles.  They listened to his words with care.  They, like no other living today, had the opportunity to see with their own eyes and experience with their own beings the living Christ. 

He came down from heaven.  He walked the earth.  He lived amongst the people.  He taught them of the Father and gave them his principles and practices.  And then he died.  He suffered, he was punished as no man has ever been punished.  And he was hung on a cross for sins that he did not commit.  They did not know the whole picture at the time they asked to sit at his side.  But they would follow in his sacrifice.  And:  He said to them, "Of my cup you shall indeed drink." 

Here is something that we can ask ourselves today, "Can we drink of his cup?"  Can we take even a sip, a whiff or even a smell of the cup that he drank from?  It was a tall cup, a cup filled with issues, a cup filled with pain, suffering, unselfish love, grace, tenderness, patience, knowledge, faith, trust, and a deep seated passion in the redemption of mankind, a passion that required his life.  Are we worthy of the love that he has for us?  Do we know the value of the sacrifice that was made for us?  Can we not see, can we not understand, can we not know the beauty of who we are in his eyes? 

We live in a world, a realm, where we are provided with all that our hearts desire.  In order to have all, we must strive.  We must work, we must achieve, we must educate ourselves, overcome obstacles, revise who we are in order to conform to the common mole.  We must give up who we are, sacrifice that which is natural to us, change how we think and feel, how we know, and how we believe, in order to achieve all.  And in the process of all this, we become something else, somethin other than who we are.  We become something that the world has created.  We do all this that we might succeed, that we might be on top.

Will we drink of his cup or shall we drink of the cup the world has given us.  Both will change us.  Both require a decision.  We live in the world but we are spiritual.  The world gives us food, gives us protection, allows us to grow, it gives us love, educates us, gives us the opportunity to provide for ourselves, and demands us to conform to its norms.  But when we come of age and decide which road we want to take, we make a choice.  Sometimes the choice is easy, natural, given to us from birth.  At other times we come to re-evaluate the choice in order to continue. 

Our Father walks with us at each choice we make.  We can let go of the world and turn back to him.  We can change the decision that we make.  We can understand that there is something more, something greater, something that gives us peace and joy and love in our lives.  There is something that is within us that is not of this world but of the spirit and life given us by our Father.  It is that spirit that will guide us along right path that leads to him.  The choice is ours to make.  Do we drink of his cup? 

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: 7b, No Man to hire.

Our paragraph topic is: (Parable of the laborers in the vineyard) Part 9.  

Our story continues.  Christ is telling his disciples about the house-holder who has property and needs help to harvest the crop.  He has gone to the market several times during the day and found workers standing around with no work.  Even at the last hour of the day he has gone and found workers without work.  He is puzzled as to why they are still standing around without work and he asks them why.  They tell him that they are still waiting because no man has come to hire them.  They are still waiting at the last hour hoping that someone will come to hire them that they may work.

Our story is one of simple theme.  It is meant to bring home principles that even the simple man can understand.  Every man wants to work to earn wages that he may provide for himself and family.  It is the nature of man.  Idleness is not in man's nature.  He needs something to do to occupy his time.  In past times man worked on the land, planting, growing, and harvesting his food.  He built his home, cared for his livestock, and provided warmth to his home.  He hunted for his food in the forest and sought companionship for himself with a mate.  This is the nature of man, the nature of his need to be productive.  So when they hoped for work in the market place, the house-holder, "He said to them, 'Go you also into the vineyard.' " 

So the house-holder wants all that seek work to find work.  He wants all who hope to not be idle to have work.  The house-holder has need of harvesters and seeks to hire all who want to work.  This is what we can draw from this parable so far.  For we have only talked about working and finding workers who hope to work.  There are those who seek to work and there are those who seek to be idle.  There are those who hope for employment and those who do not.  And then there are those who are work motivated and need no man to hire them but are themselves self hired.  They are the ones who know that there is a harvest and that there is need for workers.

Do you know about the harvest?  Are you one of the harvesters or just an idler?  There is work to be done.  There is need for workers.  The rewards are great.  The benefits are plentiful.  Do you have the skills?  Are you willing to work?  There are many positions that are in need of filling.  All you need is an open heart and a desire to be counseled.  It does not matter the day or the time, the need is ever present.  It does not matter if you are young or old, rich or poor, black or white, Asian or Latino.  All are called to be witnesses to the harvest that is in need of workers.

What does it take?  It only takes your willingness to follow Christ and your willingness to be a witness to his love.  Everyday you may be called upon to let him in.  Everyday you may be called upon to show his love.  Everyday you may be called upon to lend a hand, to give a word, to spare a dime, to give some food, to see beyond what may be apparent externally but to see what is internal that belongs to him.  For we are all created in his image.  We are all spiritual beings and not physical.  And within the external body is the spirit and life of God our Father.  And that is what we are called to love, to see, to believe, to know that we are all alike. 

We are not Black, or White, or Jew, or Gentile, or Asian, or Latino or any race, or color or religion.  We are all spiritual beings created in his image and given life, a second chance, through the love and sacrifice of Christ Jesus our Savior.  So if we can reflect what is within us outward, others can see and experience that which is within us.  Then we become workers for the vineyard, attracting others and showing them the way to eternal life given us by Christ our savior through God our Father.  For he is the one true ever living God.  And he is our creator and our Father, and our provider, and our protector.  Open the door to your heart and let him in.  Seek that which is within you and know the truth of who you are in him.  The light of life will shine forth and others will see that which is within you.  Be the worker!

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: 6a, Standing Idle.

Our paragraph topic is: (Parable of the laborers in the vineyard) Part 6. 

We were listening to Christ telling his disciples the parable of the laborers in the vineyard.  He had previously told them how riches would hinder one from entering the kingdom.  He is teaching his disciples about a new place.  He wants them to understand that the kingdom is different from anything that they know.  It is not like what they know here on earth.  One cannot think about heaven in the same light as one would think of a place here on earth.  Heaven is a spiritual place.  It is a place of peace.  It is a place of glory, and majesty, and love.  And the human imagination has no reference to compare with.

There are rules to entering.  We entered the earth through our parents.  They brought us into the physical world.  Yet we are given spiritual life through God our Father.  He gave us life for a purpose.  He loved us enough that he wanted to share his love.  And he is merciful enough that he forgave our trespasses.  Christ tells his disciples of this parable of the laborers because he wants us to understand our part.  He wants us to know what we have to do to participate in the kingdom of heaven.  As he told his disciples:  "But about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing about." 

Are we standing about with nothing to do?  Are we idle workers seeking work?  Have we been called to work in the vineyard?  What is your purpose?  What is your job?  What has the spirit given you to do in the vineyard?  Are you collecting the grapes?  Are you picking the grapes?  Are you the one that carries the grapes to the wine press?  Or are you the one that works the press to tamp out the wine?  We all have a purpose.  We all have an assignment.  We all are workers in the vineyard if we are believers.

If you believe in your heart that Christ is the son of God our Father and that he came down from heaven to sacrifice for our sins, then you are a worker.  The question is, are you working or are you idle.  Do you only work on Sundays or are you a 24/7 worker?  Do you feed the hungry when the opportunity arises or do you pass them over?  Do you lend a helping hand or do you turn the other way when a hand is needed?  Do you have the love of Christ within you or is that something that comes out only with church members?  Do you share the love that is within you with those who are down and out without hope? 

Being a worker in the vineyard only means that it is in your heart.  Being a worker in the vineyard means that the love and the spirit of Christ is within you.  Being a worker in the vineyard means that the passion that Christ has for each and every one of us, is seen in the drunk on the street, to the dope addict, to the beggar, to the thief, to the ones who has lost their way, to the prostitute.  We are all children of our Father in heaven.  He gave us life from nothing.  We did not exist.  We had no form or shape or life or purpose until that moment when he commanded that we have life. 

And here we are today, living in this physical form that we may experience the physical realm and choose who we are.  Are we the children of God our Father or are we just the physical embodiment of ourselves?  The spirit lives within.  But the physical is what we experience.  In that spirit lives the life that is given us by our Father.  In that physical body lives the spirit of who we are.  And in that body lives that light of the life that we are, waiting for that time when we transition into the glorious beings that our Father has given life to. 

The work of the spirit is within us.  The acknowledgement of the spirit is upon each of us.  The knowledge of who we are is open to each of us.  And that knowledge will open our eyes to the beings we are, transforming us to workers in the vineyard of Christ.  When the truth of who you are in Christ comes upon you, the light of life shines within you.  And your light glows from the love that comes from God our Father.  For from him, and through him, and with him we are transformed into more than just the physical.  We become the lights of the world that shine for others to see in the darkness.  Open your heart to the truth!  You are the light of the world.  Let your light shine for all to 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 19, verse: 21a, The commandments: If thou wilt be perfect.

Our paragraph topic is: (The rich young man speaks to Jesus) Part 12.

What is wanting, what is missing in my life, were the questions that lingered in the mind of the rich young man who sought Christ.  He sought something.  He hungered for something that nothing up to now had satisfied.  He was young.  He was mindful of all that transpired in his lifetime and he wanted to understand all.  The word had come to him and stirred a longing within him.  He had heard of the new teachings of Christ and felt that this was what he wanted.  So he sought the teacher, he sought Christ to get answers to the longing that was calling deep within him.

What he found were things that he already knew.  What he heard were commandments that he most likely already practiced.  But these were not enough to satisfy the hunger within.  These did not touch the surface when it came to the desire to be more, to do more, to feel complete within.  Christ gave him the basics.  He gave him the foundation upon which to build an entrance into the kingdom.  But the young man wanted more.  So Christ gave him more tasks to do, more to accomplish, he gave him an assignment that would open the heart, unburden the mind, and release the longing spirit within.  Jesus said to him, "If thou wilt be perfect, go, sell what thou hast." 

If thou wilt be perfect, if thou wilt fill thy soul, if thou wilt desire to have more, then do this is what Christ told him, sell what thou hast.  Get rid of all that possesses thee.  Unburden thy body so that you can free the spirit within you.  Did he have the will to be perfect?  Did the young have the desire to fulfill the passion that was burning within him?  Do we today have the desire to strive to be perfect in the eyes of God even though we are imperfect beings?

This young man followed all the requirements of his faith, just as we do today.  We go to church regularly.  We give out tithes as required.  On occasion we give to the poor.  We honor or fathers and mothers.  We try not to lie, cheat, or steal.  We try to follow the commandments as best we can.  If we seek more, we must fight the status quo of our times.  We must be different.  We must dress differently, talk differently, live differently which will make us stand out, make us unpopular.  Even if we seek to be more among those that are our peers we stand the risk of alienating ourselves from those that we can call friends.  We become like religious geeks in our own group.

Yet what do we seek?  What did the young man seek?  He was rich.  He was independent.  He was in a class all his own for there were very few who had the same wealth.  And Christ told him to sell all that he had.  He told him, if thou wilt be perfect then sell what he had.  Get rid of that which possesses thee.  And he tells us the same today.  Rid yourself of those things that hold thee.  Separate yourself from that which will control you, possess you, lend sway over you.  For these are the things that will prevent you from achieving your goals in Christ.

Christ wants us to be free.  He wants us to open our minds and our hearts to all that he has to offer.  He wants us to know that what is in the world is not of him and what is of Christ is not in the world but in the Father.  So the focus must be on God and not on the riches of the world.  For what the Father has to give cannot be found in the world.  What the Father offers is everlasting and not fleeting.  What the Father gives is true and not fake. 

So to seek to fill the desires of the soul, the longing of the spirit, one must relinquish that which is in the world.  One must empty oneself of that which we see in the world and seek that which is in the spirit.  For it is through the spirit and by the spirit and with the spirit that one comes to know and understand the truth of who you are in Christ.  And through this knowledge and wisdom in Christ on finds the treasures of the heart, one finds the unspeakable peace that only the spirit can bring.  And through this knowledge and wisdom one comes to know the eternal love of our Father who gave us life eternal.  Come!  Empty thyself and find the treasure that is waiting for you.  Sell all that thy hast and buy 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 16, verse: 15, The Rock: What do the Disciples say?

Our Paragraph topic is:  (Peter's confession) Part 3.  

And now it came down to the disciples.  They had heard what the people were saying about Christ.  Who was this man?  Was he the Messiah?  Was he a Prophet?  Was he John the Baptist come back to life?  Was he Elias?  Who was Christ?  There were questions on the minds of the people and even questions on the minds of the disciples.  They did not truly know.  They had no answer, even though they walked with him and talked with him everyday.  He had called them to be his disciples and they followed.  They wanted to be disciples because something in them wanted to change their lives from the ordinary.

But they did not know who he was.  They did not have an idea whose footsteps they walked in.  They did not know the light that they followed was that of Christ and the God the father.  They wanted to know.  They wanted to believe.  They wanted to see.  But they did not know.  He was a good man.  Christ was a gentle man.  Christ was a man different from any other man.  For he made miracles.  He walked on water.  He made the lame walk, the blind see, the deaf here and cured the lepers.  He was like no other man.  Yet they still did not know who he was.  So he asked them:   He said to them, "But who do you say that I am? "

The moment of truth had arrived.  What did the disciples think.  What did the disciples believe.  What did the disciples know.  Who do you say that I am, Christ asked them?  Who do we say that he is today, is his question to each and everyone of us?  What do we believe?  Do these words come from a relic, old book?  Are these words relevant today?  Why is it important what I believe or what I say that he is today?  If asked, if a poll were taken on the streets, what would people say.  Most church going people would say that Christ was the Son of God the father.  Most others would say that he is the Savior.  Some would even say that he was a prophet.  And even others would say that he was a great man.  But what do you say, I would ask, to those who are reading this post? 

Does he have any meaning to you, today?  What would you say?  What do you believe?  We live in a world that demands all of who we are, yet we do not know ourselves.  Are we all flesh?  Are we body and soul?  Are we spirit.  How do we know?  Is this something that we are taught in church?  But do we believe it?  Do we know it?  Or are we just who we are in this world?  Christ wants to know who you say he is?  For within that knowledge, within that awareness of him is the awareness of ourselves.  We did not live and walk this earth when Christ came to this earth, to this planet, to this physical realm.  We did not walk in his footsteps,  hear his spoken words, see his miracles, touch him in his physical body.  All we have today is his words passed down through the writings of the disciples with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  Yet who do we say that he is?

Is he the Messiah?  Is he the Savior?  Is he the Son of the Father?  Is he the Anointed One?  Is he the Lamb?  Is he the Light of the World?  Is he our spirit and life, our body and blood?  Is he the life within us?  Christ came that may have life; for before him there was death.  God decreed that if Adam eat of the forbidden fruit that he would surely die.  And mankind died on that day.  Christ came to give life to those who believed in him and the Father who sent him.  Do you have life within you?  Is he the life within you?  Then, you are more than you know.  You are spirit.  You are life.  You are love.  Come know the truth of who you are.  Follow the path before you and know the life that is within you.  Christ awaits you.  God the Father loves you. 

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