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11 Minutes We do not yet have the full experience of the glory that is to be revealed with Christ in heaven. God’s considerations for us go far beyond this life and breath. He has delights not yet created for us that transcend the senses of sight and sound and touch and taste and smell. We will experience the richness of these gifts in the elegance and complexity of perfection. It is said that Adam and Eve knew God so well that they recognized the sound of His feet when He walked in the garden. Our perfection will be omni-sensuous so as to know God’s presence is with us always. And so, we must live by faith in God’s promise as we await the final consummation when Jesus returns. We must endure whatever comes by fixing our everything on Jesus. This life is very short in comparison with eternity, but God’s purpose is not momentary. His purpose of perfection for us will be beyond all comparison in spectacular results throughout eternity. If we pause for a moment to reason with this, we might begin to understand the purpose why God asks us to come and reason with Him. Because that better thing is purposeful perfection that we are given to bring others to trust and obey the same mighty God and He will enable them to endure trials in His strength. The difference is not in the people or in their faith, but in God’s sovereign purpose in each of them. To us, faithfulness to Jesus Christ counts more than anything else, even than life itself. Today, our faith is preparation for the hard work to come, being made perfect in every good work to do his will. And our perfection is powered by the purpose of God because He has us in mind and has something better and greater in supernal view for us. This is the motivation and inspiration that renders our faith fuller than those before us, for we have the faith of Jesus himself to sustain us. Heavenly things are now the possession of ours through the union with Jesus Christ. Our conversation is in heaven. The something better for us denotes the reality we have found already in Christ. Looking for more than our own personal satisfaction, we long to see God’s purposes fulfilled on earth. What a privilege to be God’s last day people, accountable to God for the blending of the two peoples of God together in perfection – the righteous by faith awakened from their sleep and the righteous living. A glorious unity of all God's people. The "perfecting" looks forward to that salvation consummated at the coming of Christ. We will be what the scripture declares – we shall be like him. This is the mystery of God’s will. Ephesians 1:9, 10 They are the “these all”, of a good report by faith. We are that “us”, provisioned by the Holy Spirit with that better thing, the likeness of Christ purposed unto perfection. True believers spoken to and of, as partakers of a heavenly calling, chosen of God. The reception of the promised perfection on earth is not the end of the story! The full unfolding of the “better thing” is not yet finished. God has provided a heaven that eye has never seen nor ear has ever heard nor heart has ever imagined as the precious inheritance for His people. An inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. God’s provision will be our possession. What we cannot see or hear or feel by our natural senses we can know for truth, for reality, and for comfort through the Spirit of Jesus in our hearts. O heavenly truth! That the riches of all the promises we possess in Christ Jesus are ours now by faith to behold, to be assured of, to be comforted by, and thus patiently to wait for their complete revelation. The purpose of perfection readies us for the banquets of His grace. It is so important that we apply the truths and lessons learned from all the faithful lives that God has in consideration. This gives us great leverage and tremendous advantage in being made the perfection of the purpose of God. We persevere in prayer. We stand on scripture. We do according to all the law. The divine family of heaven cannot be made up lest they be made perfect. Our lot is cast in these latter days, to bring those which shall complete the purpose of God. We are to be found worthy to perfect His story. God’s purpose of perfection is to increase in depth and power as we get nearer to the final audition for glorification. Is it not wonderful that we, who bring up the rear of the army of faith, are necessary to its completeness? So, we who believe must all come to make them perfect. God help us to hasten in His purpose, for our Lord Jesus Christ’s sake! God’s purpose has no termination. It fully initiates us into the mysteries of the never-completeness of the potential and the probable and the inconceivable of all that is inherent in eternity. There is great spiritual importance to our perfection. It brings to consummation the human experience which Christ must had passed through to be made perfect to become the author of our eternal salvation. It is in our contemplating and glimpsing the excellent worth of Christ in our hearts that we consider our worthiness as treasured by God. Our preference for his worth is our worth. To be worthy of the infinite worth of Jesus is to see and savor him as infinitely worthy. This is not our earning or meriting or deserving him. It is God’s purpose of perfection that makes us a suitable beneficiary of grace as we embrace the infinite value of the Gracious One. How are we ever grateful...our worthiness is our desperate preference for his gracious worthiness over all things as we prefer him above all things. We do not merit or deserve or earn being called to the Lord’s purpose. But in our need, God saw our determined embracing of Christ with a desperate desire and a savoring love to be like him. We prayed to be empowered by the Holy Spirit and God heard our deep groanings while in His counsel. God purposed us in counsel and what God purposes shall stand. For we are called, predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will. And this according to the eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord who prayed for our being made perfect in him. For we are given him, to be with him. This is endurance truth. Consider being made the righteousness of God in Christ and the distinction of being made perfect in Christ. The righteousness of God relates to the legal aspects of the atonement. Christ died for our sins, satisfying the divine law. Made perfect relates to the priestly aspects of the atonement. Christ approaches the presence of God to ask forgiveness for the sins of the whole house of Israel. The atonement of Christ was comprehensive as sacrifice, substitution, and redemption. We are God’s purpose of perfection based on the superior priesthood and sacrifice of Christ. This draws us nearer to God. While we are experientially imperfect, we are positioned perfect because of our union with our representative, our Great High Priest, who himself was “made perfect through suffering”. We are purposed to complete a work. We must embrace a right understanding of the working words of Jesus saying, “it is finished”, that we might come to the conclusion of the whole matter to hear God say, “it is done”. The Father’s and the Son’s most excellent three words in all of language. Perfect purpose pertains to the faithful that lived before the advent, and those that are alive at the advent, since all are one in their faith in the living God, making the unseen visible, the distant near, and seeing the eternal through the transient and ephemeral experience in this life. There is a pause, a halt, an expectancy, an incompleteness, in life till we all come to see Jesus. God has a perfect purpose. He purposed His Son’s destiny from the very beginning and gave to humanity the very desire to seek eternal life through him. Jesus is the only satisfying need we have that will render us perfect. God’s purposed reason for our calling, our existence, is to proclaim Jesus Christ as His Son. We, making known this truth, is to pursue actual perfection before men as a powerful witness of faith to those without Christ and as an offering of thanks and honor to God. The pursuit itself is of great value because we are working in harmony with what God desires for us. God is perfect. Jesus is perfect. We become perfected as we keep our eyes on Him and seek to imitate Him in every choice we make. This, filling our hearts with joy brings us to God’s purpose of perfection... our knowing that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. God expects us to be perfect, yes. But not just because we can be, but because Jesus has been, is, and always will be perfect. He imputes his holiness to us as a beloved child of God. He gives us his Spirit, who works obedience within us to bring Christ glory. And He will see to it that we make it to heaven, where His spectacular promise of perfect holiness will be completed within us. Jesus is the Light of God’s love. A love so bright that the illusions of death will vanish with time. So it is because of our darkness, our sin, that God cannot directly look upon us without making part of us Godlike. This is His purpose of perfection. He creates a special part of Himself that is truth, the way, the life that is His Son...the process for bringing the imperfect beings into Perfection. This special being can interact with imperfection. This special being works in space-time. This special being is, by definition, a redemptive being who is also God and is God's will for imperfection, but who works through time and thus does not immediately destroy imperfection into nothingness and also allows us to learn of him. And this Son is always anchored in the eternity of Perfection. Because Jesus is God and Jesus is us, we are now of the way and the truth, and the life. And because of Jesus this part of us is already part of God. Somehow just our freewill agreement allows God to dwell within us. This is that better thing that had never existed. A glorious company of beings who belong in the expansive, infinite joy of the Perfection that is God. Jesus is in and of Himself an empowering and unifying being whose will is for completion, wholeness, and perfection in bringing us with him to be with God. He brings everyone and everything that chooses God into perfection. He truly is the beginning and the ending. And in making us perfect he is the everlasting, that causes our perfection to ever increase into more joy, more wonder, more awe, more love. What could be better than goodness, except for ever-increasing goodness. God is the Divine Light. And the Word of God is the realm of the Divine Light. For us to know the purpose of God we must come to the word of God. And without Christ we are not purposed by God. And we get only doctrines and teachings with no life. The function of the word of God is to impart God into us; the word of God operates in us as we turn our heart to the Lord and have an exercised spirit of purpose that is perfected in Christ. Jesus is God’s expression. From him we can receive the divine truth to become God’s purpose of perfection in reality. God’s light is unique. In Him is our purpose. Isaiah 50:10, 11 Without God’s purpose we are in spiritual darkness, no light, darker than black. When we are in God’s light, we see what God sees. And God’s light is Jesus. Psalms 36:9 The mystery of God is our purpose perfected in Christ and our perfection purposed in Christ. The heart of the mystery and the fulfilment of God's purpose is the person and role of Christ fulfilled in and by us. Isaiah 49:1-6

7 Minutes God wants His people to thrive in His truth. The purpose of our perfection is the same as having the presence of Christ in the life. May I explain that this way... Perfection is to be an eternal state; timeless, infinite, awesome, all-love. God’s gift of freewill allows us to be imperfect. God, in His design of total love wants us to exist in holiness, but because we have sinned, we are imperfect, so we must have a place to exist that is not in eternity, because imperfection can't exist in an eternal state. So, God has to create a temporary finite place where imperfection is allowed to exist, so that we could exist at all. But because God’s purpose of perfection wants us to exist with Him in eternity, not just this temporary place that due to sin can't last forever, God has to give us a process by which we can become perfect, and thus escape the temporary finite place. Only God can do that process perfectly, so God has to enfold an aspect of God into this finite, imperfect, temporary place in order to bring consciousness into perfection so it can exist in eternity. What is that enfolding aspect...a Son. God is One, and that makes total sense. The most perfectness of Being, a unity of infinite goodness, love, and overwhelming bright power that is of absolute perfection. He is before the beginning. He is everything and there can be only “one everything” because that “everything” contains all things. Can there be anything outside of God? No. But because of God’s unity – His love – there can be a thing “with” God...His Son, Christ Jesus is that enfolden aspect whereby we can be found perfect in this place. Now, if you don’t know how to reason with God, you may have a problem understanding what perfection is...and I cannot convince you of it. My faith in God tells me that perfection is not abstract...it is real in the life of Christ. Love is the primary essentialness of God. And God is Perfect. Love requires freewill and that must have power to make decisions and choices. God created space and time for purpose. Every decision, state of mind, heart and soul can be mapped out into this space at any time. Every being is somewhere in this space of time. One who chooses to not be perfect moves away from God into a spiritual space without Christ for a time. Now, to reason with God to better understand perfection is to know that because He is perfect and all things exist in Him, anything that Perfection touches will be either obliterated or turned Perfect. Love and freewill demands that we can choose. This is the place where we come to both a moral and a providential purpose of God. It does not mean that the things we do are excellent. It means our beliefs and thoughts pertaining to our decisions and behaviors are centered in the mind of Christ. Maturing in the progress of becoming like him. We must mature in our faith, in our wisdom, and in our experience. God wants us to make this choice with a willing heart above all else to be made perfect. We are to process our choices and actions with the understanding of who Jesus is, what he has shown us, and how he lived. We follow his example without the unattainable expectation of being God. God’s people are in a war with sin. We commit sins of commission - doing that which we shouldn't, and sins of omission - not doing that which we should. That is a reality. If we lower God’s expectations for His people, and de-emphasize the seriousness of His command for holiness, we actually cheapen His grace and lose sight of His spectacular promise. In this purpose we are specific and intentional in every relationship. Past performances are no longer on the scale. As true followers of Christ we are being made righteous through his grace and atonement by way of suffering and obedience. Our faith is the assurance and conviction that God will perform in us what He says and what Jesus prayed for. And our lives will attest to our faith’s constancy and prevailing in the face of the severest testing and opposition and thus declare the genuineness of our perfection. Our purpose will be our testimony to affirm that we have seen and heard every word of God. And we will report the same to every person in every event with direct knowledge from the Holy Spirit. Beautiful will be the experience of triumph for God in our lives as we make complete the work of Christ upon the cross. By this, that better thing magnifies the perfecting of God’s people by full communion with Him, mediated by the perfect revelation of the Son and His perfect covenant. The knowledge of the second advent of Christ changes the whole estate of his people. The rightness of every faithful being is dependent on our perfection: their and our perfection was all brought in at the same time, when Christ, by one offering perfected forever those who are sanctified. So that the result with regard to them is due to our excellency in reference to Christ. It is Christ’s having descended into the deep dark region of spiritual space, and by his death doing something so important to win back authority that was lost and ascending up into heaven, that these will enjoy heavenly blessedness, and are waiting with us all who have followed our glorified High Priest within the veil, for the resurrection of their bodies and the changing of ours. This reasoning is strong, and should be effectually prevalent with us all. It is this purpose of perfection that God's pronouncement provide assurance of what He intends to do with, and for us. And it is by our greater faith that we lay hold to the promises of God. Promises that overflow with the reality of divine grace. Because God is faithful and not dependent upon anything we do or fail to do, is the reason we trust His promises. His intentions toward us are perfectly purposed. And it is in the challenge to be holy where God’s purpose for us shows in His essence. This is serious. It is not an option. Jesus is equally serious. We will grow in holiness. We will be conformed into God’s image. He will see to it . I Peter 1:1-25, let’s hear it. Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into. Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear: Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you. Matthew 5:48 In a general sense, this written and verbal declaration made by one Person to another, made by God to me, to you, binds the Person who makes it, in honor, in conscience, in law, to do and forbear a certain act specified which gives to me, gives to you, the one person to whom it is made, a right to expect and to claim the performance of the act – that better thing of being made perfection in Christ. This is why God gave us Jesus. Our perfection is to be performed in the fulfillment of our moral obedience and strict integrity to the word of God, observed by the world as something done for the benefit of God. It is by this that we will cause many to look back at the cross to see forward to the glorious appearing of Christ. These will have opportunity to count on salvation. This is where that measure of faith given to every man is most tested and where it most matters. The purpose of our perfection is to establish a people that the Spirit brings forth as proofs of the vitality of a faith that is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. Regardless of our sufferings, our trials, the lengths of our tribulations, the severity of persecutions, we will be the worthies that accomplish distinctive victories for God. We will know destitution, affliction, and torment. But we will hold always to the instancy of our faith made potent by a vision of the imminent things God has in store which we are being prepared to attain while in this world. In the purpose of our perfection will be revealed the promises of the new covenant in Christ’s blood. Ours is complete because Jesus is the perfect sacrifice. We will be perfect worshipers of God.

25 Minutes We are denied what we fervently desire. We are required to continue in a situation which we do not enjoy. We are not to be amazed when we go through hard places with the Lord. We are to rejoice. We are to share in the sufferings of Christ. If we do, we will rejoice and be glad when the Lord returns to earth in His glory. If instead of finding fault with the instruments God uses to save us from our sinful nature, we open to the Lord and sup with him, we will grow spiritually. We will become wiser, stronger, and better able to be there for others. It is necessary now to teach hard things. Yet, we are never to be unscriptural. Let me say at this point that it indeed is hard to remain in the program of redemption. We are still finding it hard to keep the Sabbath holy. We are still finding it hard to let go of worldly recognized months of celebration. We think to have a full month for black history, for women’s history, for hispanic heritage, native american heritage, asian american heritage, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender pride. And don’t attempt to list all the days – beginning with the self worship day called “birthday”. The world has christmas day, family day, even earth day, there is even a zero discrimination day,...nuff said. Do these proclaim to know the Lord? There were three crosses at Calvary; God was crucified in the midst while stretching out both hands offering salvation. One accepted Christ as Lord, the other railed against him. There was one crucified saved at the last moment. And there was one crucified unsaved. It is impossible to go through this life without being crucified in one manner or another. The character of God’s people is compounded from integrity, faithfulness, truth, and honesty.There is too much duplicity among people saying, “here is truth”. You’re either in Christ’s right hand or at his left hand. Any lackness of character, unwillingness to deny self, will make it hard to be saved. God has a reason for the hard way of salvation. The wicked are facing fires so intense, so painful, and so terrible that we need not worry about the justice of God. God is putting His people through painful experiences now so He will be free to judge the wicked at a later time. Otherwise, Satan would point the finger at God and accuse Him of permitting His elect to practice wickedness without retribution. God has a rod for measuring the building, the gathering of His people in times of trouble and calamity that are foretold. It is for our reformation that we might have no deficiency according to the true model. We must be measured to determine whether we make God's glory our end and His word our rule, in all our acts of worship and of life. And whether we come to God with suitable affections, and whether our conversation is as becomes the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the gospel of the kingdom. There are those among God’s people today who are in doctrinal, and consequently moral chaos. This is because they reason not with the hard sayings of God that they might come to the greater truth. One will forfeit salvation when one’s character deteriorates from rejecting truth. Choruses are changing from what is pleasing to the ear and sensual, to more rugged modes and meters presenting hard words that speak of the kingdom of God and of righteousness. There is to be wielded the two-edged sword of the Word of God. The traditional “just reading” the scripture is far too tame to counteract the moral depravities of the world. Let the word of God cut, that we may understand the essential of the written word. That it may be lively in seizing the conscience of the hearer. God’s truth is vital light. It is to convince powerfully the whole truth of God as it performs critical dissection of God’s wisdom from man’s wisdom. It cuts off ignorance from the understanding, rebellion from the will, and enmity from the mind, which, when carnal, is enmity itself against God. Here is how reasoning in the word of God must be...its sharpness is tempered, hardened and softened, to mortify sin while comforting the soul to unveil the most secret and remote thoughts. It will discover to men the variety of their thoughts and purposes, the vileness of them, the bad principles they are actuated by, and the sinful ends they act to. The word will turn the inside of a sinner out and let him see all that is in his heart. Now such a word as this must needs be a great help to our faith and obedience. These cuts are for our salvation. We are sons, daughters of God, and God does not want us to be condemned when He judges the world. It will only be a little while. We are not in a grave, only on a path, and we have the light to show the way. Be not fearful of the trying fire. Only the bondages of sin will be burned away. Christ is Alpha and Omega. What He commenced in our life, He will complete in a most glorious fashion. We will come to know His faithfulness, just as did Job, Abraham, Daniel, and all the faithful others who went and will go through difficulties for a season. We can drink of this cup. And with that truth we come to understand the hardest thing about being saved is seeing ourselves in every word of God. With open face we are to behold the glory of the Lord that we may be changed into the same image. Because all have sinned it seems hard to overcome condemnation. Though unworthy and undeserving we are so loved of God. And in that love we discover that Christ has paid the price for our salvation, and we immediately begin to walk in that light. That is the power of God’s Word. It works through the mirror principle. That means doing this hard thing – seeing ourselves as God sees us. It’s hard to be saved when we give others the power to determine truth for us. It is hard to be saved when we ignore biblical conviction in consideration of another. It is hard to be saved when we accept distorted beliefs of truth. It is hard to be saved when we cling to the old pattern of thinking and behavior. It is hard to be saved when we do not accept God’s free gift of love and grace. Where there was darkness we will be given light, where there was doubt, we will find faith, and where we feel despair, we will have hope. All of the sadness we felt from a life half-lived will turn into a joy of a purpose-filled existence. Life won’t be easier, it will get harder in the trials we go through but it will be brought closer to God in Christ. The hard way of salvation is not a deterrance. But it is the way that only a few will come to endure. We cannot be saved if we do not endure to the end. Many cataclysmic events will occur in our final time. Christ prepares us with truths to be revealed: family division, persecution, violence, suffering, false teachers, hypocrites, social, and environmental unrest, unfaithfulness and lack of love by many in the church. It is hard to be saved if we seek to use these things as valid excuses for falling away. Matthew 7:13, 14 Now we should consider the essence of why it is hard to be saved rather than feeling lowly concerned about what it entails. We should be looking instead at all God does to open the gate for us. Before the world was created it was already planned out who was going to be the Christ and how salvation was going to be realized through his blood. God also had a plan for who was going to be saved, those who through faith are found in Christ to be blameless. Then there is the unimaginable: God sacrificed His Son for us. We know this, but has the concept dulled through repetition? Feel this in your gut. God killed His Son so we could live. The most famous passage in the bible: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. How much does He love us? How much does He want us to be saved? He gave His Son. It is hard to be saved because of ourselves. Romans 5:5-10 How can there be any doubt about God’s love for us. Notice especially how we are described in these verses. Weak. Unable to save ourselves. Lacking the strength. Ungodly. If being godly means being toward God, having God as our focus, living our lives for God, then being ungodly means being against God. Working against His counsel. Sinners. Offenders against God. Having missed His mark. Having fallen short. Then we are all called enemies of God. Weak, ungodly, sinners and enemies. That’s who we were when Christ died for us. He did that to reconcile us to Him and open the door to salvation. Now here is the truth of God. In giving us His Son to die for us should make it easy to be saved. We think the sacrifice ended at the cross. But not only did God give us His Son, He gives us all things. That’s why it is hard to be saved. Because we know not, we do not accept these all things. We hear not. Romans 8:32 Ephesians 1:19, 20 Jeremiah 7:13, 25 What other things does God bestow upon us? All things that He sees to be needful and necessary for us, all good things, and more we should not desire. All things that could possibly be in a life of eternity. He has designed us for the inheritance of sons, of daughters. It is hard to be saved by comparison of all that God does for us and how little He asks of us. He asks that we believe when we hear the word, that we confess Him as Lord and Jesus as Christ, that we repent of our sins and be baptized for the remission of those sins and that we live holy lives before Him. That’s all. And yet we will dispute His truth in the face of what He says rather than do the simple things. After all He’s done for us. That is not saying the way will be easy. It won’t be because Jesus said the way was hard. We will be ridiculed, or worse, by unbelievers if we live our beliefs. We have to work to learn His word. We have to worship according to the pattern. The way isn’t easy, but think of how much He did to open the way for us. This is why it is hard to be saved...the nature of choice - some will choose not to follow God. Some will choose not to live holy lives. This is not what God wants; He wants all to be saved, but the nature of choice is that some won’t follow Him. Don’t be one of those who make the wrong choice. Isn’t it a wonder how our consideration of being saved meets with both a wonderfully profound and yet troubling thought. Christ did it all for us and yet we are told that we must strive, make every effort. Thank God that this effort does not at all minimize grace. It is hard to get through a narrow gate while it is opened and Jesus says it will be closed. And no convincing argument will open it. Salvation is not easy and it is not cheap. Take up your cross and see at what cost the count is...and ask yourself these hard questions...is it hard for me to be saved, and what must I do to be saved?

25 Minutes Most of us understand that we are justified by faith. But then we have a difficult time comprehending what that means. I Peter 4:18 Jesus Christ kept the law of God perfectly. He demonstrated perfect righteousness, and a life lived in the presence of God. Jesus was righteous and he earned righteousness for us in earnest to be drawn on at a later time. For that, he experienced for a brief pause, the substitutionary role of the guilty sinner, the penalty for breaking the law of God, which is separation from the presence of God. He became sin for us. The righteousness and life that Christ earned for us are still in the bank of heaven. Whosoever chooses to do so, may, by faith, in the name of Jesus Christ, draw righteousness and life from that account. We call this being justified by faith. By faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, we can receive perfect righteousness in God’s sight with the hope of eternal life. In order to be free legally from our own obligation to the law of God, we must count ourselves as having died with Christ on the cross. We must portray this death. We must be born again. Many of us have been baptized by water and by the word. But not all of us have counted that as the end of our first life, our first personality. Many continue in the erroneous belief that God is going to save them as they are. God is not going to save anyone as he or she is. For us to be saved we must allow God to crucify us with Christ, we must die daily that we might have the newness of life in Christ. Until we and God accept the fact that we have been crucified with Christ, we are still under the law. We are not free to draw righteousness and life from the bank of heaven. We are to understand that salvation is not a one-time event. Salvation is a program of accessing faith to enter into grace. But find truth in the path of faith given in measure, for that faith is proportioned according to our abilities to measure to the full stature of Christ. Romans 10:14 It is hard to be saved if you do not believe the word of God. Salvation is dependent upon hearing, upon knowing the right word of truth. That right word is Christ. Most think the word of God means simply the bible and this causes many to loose their way making it hard to be saved. The word of God is the bible. And it is also and most certainly words that are prompted by the Holy Spirit to some who are chosen to preach, to teach the truths of God. The word of God is pure, and it is the seed of God. And those who teach, teach with words that cannot be broken from scripture. Many of the word of God is spoken that is not written, giving much increase to the truth of the word. Acts 4:31; 6:7; 12:24 Those that teach the word must do it according to the proportion of the grace of faith. There is the measure of faith dealt to every man. Let him that teaches set all the faith he hath to work, to impress the truths he teaches upon his own heart in the first place. And these expressed words of faith are manifestation of the truth as they bear record and testimony of Jesus Christ and of all things that are shown by God through reason and revelation. Jesus is the Word. That is who we teach. And to what end can the truth of Jesus come. As most people cannot hear well the word of God, so teachers cannot teach well, without faith in every word of God. Let him first believe and then speak. And the teacher must remember the proportion of faith. Though all were given some faith, a great many have become beside themselves. And therefore we must allow others to have a share of knowledge and ability to instruct, as well as we, even those that in less things differ from us. Have faith to thyself; and do not make it a ruling directive to others, remembering that ours is but our proportion. Our teaching must be according to the proportion of the doctrine of faith, the word, as it is revealed in the holy scriptures of the old and new testament. There are some staple-truths, plainly and uniformly taught in the scripture, which are the touchstone of teaching, by which we must prove all things, and then hold fast that which is good. Truths that are more revealing must be examined by those that are of more faith. And these truths are then entertained when they are found to agree and comport with the analogy of faith; for it is certain one truth can never contradict another. Here is what ought to be the great care of teachers, to teach sound doctrine, according to the form of wholesome words. It is not so necessary that the revelation be according to the proportion of the logic and rhetoric of another; but it is necessary that it be according to the proportion of faith as is measured by every word: for it is the word of faith that we are to teach. The works are to teach and to exhort. And this is proper to be done by the same person at the same time. And let him that teach, wait on teaching. Teaching is the bare explaining and proving of gospel truths, with practical application, as in the expounding of the scripture. Teaching and learning should not be of a different faith. Now he that has a faculty of teaching, and has undertaken that province, let him stick to it. It is a good gift, let him use it, and give his mind to it. He that teaches, let him be frequent and constant, and diligent in it; to apply gospel truths more closely to the case and condition of the people, and to press upon them that which is more practical through reasoning. Teaching requires a clear head and a warmer heart. God will only meet us at the cross. It is here where boldness is given us to come to the throne. A holy God who condescended to change to be like us that we might change to be like Him. Our change is into the image of Christ, and our entrance into untroubled rest in the center of God’s Person and will. Our change into the image of Christ comes about as the Holy Spirit puts our sinful nature to death, and Christ is formed in us. Neither is the easypath...it’s hard to be saved. We need the wisdom and the power of the Holy Spirit. We will have to enter into the suffering of Christ and God is going to allow Satan to place us in trials. Here is to be the patience of our perfection. And we need not wait until we have been perfected in our relationship to Jesus Christ, or are in his image, or are dwelling in untroubled rest in God’s will, in order to serve the Lord in the roles and tasks assigned to us today. It is our responsibility today to move by faith progress toward spiritual maturity. Spiritual maturity is the ability to judge what is good and what is evil, and the willingness and strength to embrace the good fervently and totally reject and renounce all that is evil. So why is it hard to be saved? The righteous are in contrast to the ungodly and the sinner. The righteous is the one who has put his faith in the blood atonement made by Jesus Christ rather than in the letter of the law and is laboring to live a godly life. This is not an ungodly, or a sinful person, though still a sinner, but a righteously justified person. We cannot overemphasize imputed righteousness. There are many professing believers who are wicked, who do ungodly things. There also are people who do not yet know Christ, for one reason or another, who practice righteousness. God will bring such to Christ in His time. God has a people who obeys the laws of conscience, places faith in Christ when Christ is presented to them, and then obeys the commandments of God as did Christ. Saving is a transforming morally, spiritually, and it has its beginning and ending on earth. It is to be released from the person and works of Satan, to have Christ formed in us, to be in the moral image of Christ, to have the Father and the Son dwell in our transformed inner nature, and to dwell in untroubled rest in the God’s will. It is to be released from the love of the world, from the lusts of the flesh, and from self-will and disobedience to God. God’s people are in a difficult task because of the means God uses to effect such transformation. Our sinful nature is reluctant to respond correctly to the sufferings that God employs to change us from Satan’s image to God’s image. The word informs us that judgment has begun in the house of God, and that this judgment consists of intense suffering, suffering designed to save the believer. We are saved by these fires of Divine judgment because they burn out of our personality what is of Satan. We find this program of salvation by judgment difficult because our sinful nature seeks continually to find its life in and of the world, in the lusts and passions of our flesh and soul, and in our self-will and personal ambitions. We find this program of salvation by judgment difficult because we desire to blame people, and even God Himself, rather than to humbly submit ourselves to God and remain in the prison of suffering where He places us for a short while. These trials are not punishment because we are continuing to sin, but are necessary for our purification because God desires to perfect our spirit. I Peter 4:1, 2, 12, 13

12 Minutes Think of the appearance of the heart mind performing as intentioned, as purposed by God. When we reason to know, not just remember who we really are, and reconnect with those qualities in ourselves that are powerful and creative, it will transform how we think, how we bear and how we behave in the world. In short, it will change everything about us that we might be like Christ. I pray that we agree that the brain receives signals and transforms them into images and feelings that we experience as reality. If the heart is our connection to our Creator, and the heart sends signals to the brain, what should we reason will happen when we unify the mind with the heart? Creating a heart mind enables us to access that perfect image for our life that we call "Heaven", and the heart will send signals to the brain that cause it to create our personal "heaven on earth" - a real life experience. God allowed Himself six days to create the heaven and the earth. How long it takes you to come to this source is your choice. If there is anything in your life, any truth that you fail to reason with that separates your heart from the mind, then you have some work to do. What we must avail in the power of the heart mind to access infinitely more resources, is how to manifest our spirituality. Hebrews 8:10; 10:16 There is so much wisdom found in reasoning with the word of God. The heart is the only organ that can function for a while without the mind...a short while. And the mind needs the heart to ensure the flow of life (the blood). And the heart needs the mind to advance signals for proper functioning. Fearfully and wonderfully made...the intricately and intimately connected heart and mind. And when the mind dies, death appears. Judgment is in the mind. Let this be in you. Compassion is in the heart. Blessed are the pure in this. Reasoning to understanding requires judgment and compassion. Judging separates. Through understanding, we grow. The heart mind unity allows for a peaceful, thoughtful attitude to exist by always asking the question, “how’s that like me”. Our spiritual makeup is made of the heart and the mind. Both are necessary for the fulness of faith. The mind and heart must both be engaged in this process because to have faith in God, we must believe and trust God. Believing requires the mind, and to trust someone requires the heart. Because of our faith, we believe every word of God. If your faith stops with what your mind thinks, you have no trust. This is how and why reasoning requires the heart and the mind, faith and trust, to be in every word of God. We must know the atonement, the resurrection, the humanity and divinity of Christ, the covenant and upon what it is established. When we study, if there be even one word of unbelief, there is no faith, neither trust. Then how could there be understanding? And in choosing how we study and who we study with, requires both judgment and compassion...how’s that like me. To have an intimate relationship with God, we will have to engage our heart. To have a true relationship with God, we will have to engage our mind. We can passionately worship a false version of God, and we can lifelessly believe in a doctrinally accurate picture of God. God desires us to love Him compassionately and truthfully. The more we passionately love God as a person, the more we will desire to know the truth about Him as our God. And the more truth we learn about Him from studying the bible, the more we will passionately love Him. In our relationship with God we must rejoice in our heart because God is near. We must be reasonable in our mind because God is. We must pray about specific things in specific ways. And when we do this, a peace that surpasses understanding will rest on us which will be sourced in the mind and impulsed in the heart. Overall, when we have a relationship with God, the bible says Christ Jesus will affect our heart and mind. The mind is primary. God goes through our minds to get to our hearts. We must know some content in order for us to love rightly. Just knowing facts, however, is not enough. We must have the truth. Faith speaks of the primacy of the heart. The heart is primary in importance. We can know all the facts about Christ but yet if we do not accept his every word, we do not love him. Knowing the truth and loving the truth of Christ are both essential to salvation. The heart mind is the whole of the innermost person. Job 38:36 Matthew 15:18, 19 The mind has many things which we know, but are not the better for, because we do not reason them, we do not apply them to ourselves, nor draw proper inferences from them through consideration of the heart. This is a truth so evident that it cannot but be known, and so influential that, if it were duly considered, it would effectually reform the world...that the Lord God, an infinite and eternal Being, and the Lord Jesus Christ, the fountain of all being, though distant from the throne of his glory, and the Holy Spirit, the power and motion, are One. If we would but consider every word closely, we would have this wisdom. Genesis 1:1, 2 Colossians 1:15, 16 Deuteronomy 4:39 Proverbs 23:7 Judge of the man as his mind is...deliberate decision. Where was Adam’s mind when his heart went out for Eve. Where was the wisdom of Lucifer when God said to him, “for thou hast said in thine heart”? Our heart should be the determination of the mind. It is with our minds that we focus our attention and choose to obey God, and it is those actions that first are decided with our mind in consideration of what we focus on. That is what God holds us accountable for. Neither conviction nor friendship is worth anything further than as it is sincere. The heart mind unity, centered in every truth of God, associates life’s activities with the will of God. Acts 13:22, 23 It is as we still our hearts that a tranquil mind is activated for spiritual expression. We share truth in the mind with the heart. This is when we find deep thoughts rooted in love for God that will flow through our voice and work through our hands. Discernment of spiritual things, partaking of the divine nature, aligned with Christ in purpose – this is the transforming. And we stir the passion of Christ as God’s truth is written in our human hearts. It is in the heart mind that truth becomes far more than a moral guide, it’s inseparable from God’s own person. If we get anything wrong about the God-Christ relationship, it doesn’t matter what else we get right. There is reason why we are admonished to have the mind of Christ. That our minds are not taken up with our own hearts. That we first look wholly out of our selves unto Christ. In this there will be found no barrenness of the knowledge of God and His heart is set upon us. The Spirit causes us to actually feel Christ's heart for us. With the heart mind we are drawn to Christ’s tenderness that comes in fact from the Spirit, who stirs us with the very love of the Father. The heart of Christ in us is the express image of the heart of his Father. And with this heart our minds are given a knowledge of God the Father. I think with this heart mind we can love Christ more than we do...with a mind for truth and a heart for God. Jesus is not just that son of God born of a woman. Jesus is the eternal God in the Person of the Son. The Holy Spirit is not just that power that moved upon the waters at creation. The Holy Spirit is that eternal God in the Ever Presence in the Spirit. And God is our Father who is confirmed by God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. These are the heart mind unity that ultimately will include all beings, men and angels, without a single exception. It is the destiny of each and every being and each and every angel, to enter the Eternal Kingdom of God of the New Heaven and the New Earth to be part of the one huge Family of God; the Elohim Family of the one true Father God, Yahweh Elohim, and His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, Yeshua Elohim, and the Spirit, Ruwach Ha-Kodesh Elohim. This is indeed God’s plan for all, the glorious Grand Family Plan of our heavenly Father God.

12 Minutes Punctuated throughout this writing will be the concept of the heart of Christ and the mind of God and the power of the Holy Ghost. The truth of God the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Ghost is most distinguishable in the Person roles they each possess. We may learn of the heart of Christ and the mind of God and the unity of the Spirit as we come to reason with the Word. The Spirit applies...what Christ accomplishes...what God acknowledges. But let’s first read a couple of verses declaring the power of the Holy Ghost as God. We will see the union of heart and soul or mind and that truth that the Holy Ghost is God. Acts 4: 31, 32; 5: 3, 4 The unity in heart and mind was by the power of the Holy Ghost. How is it that God’s people are going to be united as one...by faith, and that means by every word of God. “Every” means without exception. The Spirit is that empowering connection that establishes and confirms oneness. The heart is our compass, the mind is the control, and the power is in their unity. The Father’s election and the Son’s humiliation and exaltation brings salvation to the faithful. Yet, no one of us would enjoy the benefits of Christ’s saving life, death, and resurrection apart from the Holy Spirit. He is the vital bonding Agent, the glue of the gospel, securing sinners immediately and permanently to Christ Jesus. The bible contains a verse that says “I change not” referring to God. In actuation God has appeared in human form as Melchizedek and as Jesus. There must be truth bringing light to that truth because God does not contradict truth. We will come to better understand this purpose as we delve into the heart mind unity. Malachi 3:6 Hebrews 7:1-4 John 1:1, 14 Hebrews 13:8 These truths complete one another in heart, in mind, in unity. Promises are only as good as the character of the person who makes them and the authority the promise rests upon. When we investigate God’s specific promise that He does not change, His promise is based upon His character and His authority to uphold it. When God says He does not lie, it is becauseGod’s nature is truthful and He has the power to uphold that truth. When God says He does not break His promises, it is because His nature and authority does not permit it. When God said He does not change, this promise is specifically in reference to His covenantal promise to Israel that He would bless all nations through them despite their disobedience. God has every right to judge us in our sin, but He does not justly judge Israel in this passage because He promised to fulfill His covenant of redemption for mankind through them. This covenant promise of God was fulfilled by the arrival of God Jesus in the flesh. When Jesus became flesh God was in fact, fulfilling the promise He gave beginning in Genesis just as He said he would. If we were to reason with the statement “in the beginning” we would come to this understanding...what the bible is saying is “in the mind of God”. When we reason with God, with His Word of truth, we will rise to epic proportions of understandings upon which we may come to the spiritual wisdom that reflects the mind of Christ and thereby be obedient to the command to “let this mind be in you”. The bible instructs us to rise to this truth to narrow theseparation between God and man. With this mind we can understand the mysteries of truth as it impacts and broadens our biblical thought and intertwines our spiritual teaching and learning with God’s purposes. Our minds are located in our brains and are sourced by the signals received from the brain. The brain creates images and sensations that are experienced in reality that are to be reasoned in the mind. It is here where recorded memories and experiences are stored and may be accessed for interpretation by the mind. The dilemma – with what mind are interpretations made...the natural mind or the spiritual mind. The mind is a discreet entity created by God to be subject to His judgment and laws. But sin caused a circuitous, devious, convoluted, tortuous, disordered deficit often causing conflicting intentions and desires. Every spectrum of the imaged mind created in Adam malfunctioned in its development. This insult ultimately affects our conscious to encounter the voice of God as did Adam in the Garden. And so, God gives us the pattern proposed to our imitation...the mind of Christ. Simply stated, we in our human nature can partake of Jesus’ divine nature and again receive of the imparted image of the invisible God. This writing is for those who believe that there is a Creator of all that exists, and who have felt aware of, or connected to this Creator at times in the life and know the power of that conscious connection. Isn’t it a spiritual wonder of God how the mind of Christ can exist in His people at the same time? This is that One Mind! This is that open door that accesses infinite places at once all within itself. What does it mean to our life here to have a point of awareness or consciousness that connects us to that mind. That point is the heart. The heart is the first organ to form in the human fetus. When it starts to beat it generates an electromagnetic field that extends at least fifteen feet out from the body. This field contains energy and information that triggers cells in the body to perform in ways that create all the other organs and systems required for life. This is the heart that will send signals to the brain that will be reasoned in the mind. Depending on the nature of the mind, these signals will either be "coherent", creating healthy activity in the brain, or incoherent (like static), creating unhealthy and dysfunctional thinking and behavior. Oh, the mind of Christ! The heart activity influences and affects our ability to think, to reason. Can the word of Jesus saying the kingdom of God is within you be the truth? Recall the first sentence in this writing...in thebeginning, in the mind God created heaven and earth. Heaven is the perfect image or idea of creation. Earth is the physical manifestation of that image. So where is heaven...the kingdom? In the mind. The heart mind unifies to fulfill life’s experience here on earth as we prepare for heaven. Remember the spiritual aspect of the mind where there is only One Mind, the Mind of God. And that Mind exists simultaneously in infinite people of God within itself. That Mind is in us. And in that Mind is heaven, the perfect image for our life. When we access that image it creates feelings of joy, appreciation, well-being and infinite abundance, obedience, faith, love, humbleness. When we accomplish that task, the brain begins to create those images and feelings as our physical life experiences. And it is upon these experiences that our reasoning must meet with God to attain the wisdom of truth. Thecommandments are God’s law given to us because of sin. We were intended to be God’s law of creation. So, for us to best understand the purpose of the heart mind unity we must reason with revealed truth about the omnipotence of God. We must understand the difference between nature and position. For God to be faithful and always fulfill His covenant promises, it must require that His nature never change. However, such promises do not necessitate that His position cannot change. Remember the promise of Malachi is that God’s promise will not change based upon His truthful nature. However, God can in His nature lower Himself in position, to the point of a servant in order to best fulfill His promises. He doesn’t have to change His nature to do this, rather He lowers Himself in His nature to do this. He takes on a different position. In truth we could take it one step further and say, “Jesus’s position lowers so that he can fulfill his promises in accordance with his nature as he is God in verity.” In nature, we cannot hold the mind, but we can grasp the heart. God is that mind, that Spirit Person. Christ is that heart, that Flesh Person. The Holy Ghost is that unity, the Presence Person. We have a purposed journey to be reborn. To reflect the character of Christ. To become sons and daughters of God. With the love of God in our hearts, the mind of Christ, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit our position will change. In our flesh we will partake of a divine nature.

9 minutes We study about the Garden of Eden and we often feel drawn to its beauty and abundance and innocence. It must have been wonderful to live in such a pristine environment, with every need met, to experience an intimate marriage full of delight in each other, and to have a satisfying sense of purpose in ruling over God’s creation together. We sometime loose focus and talk about the future in terms of a return to, or restoration of, Eden. But to speak of the new creation in terms of a restoration of Eden is actually a reduction of what God has planned for His people and for His world. Eden was never intended to be the end. It was always headed somewhere. Somewhere even more glorious: an eternity with new heavens and a new earth. Eden met perfection but eternity will always pursue potential. Just as Eden was not all that God intended, nor was Adam and Eve. The tree in the garden brought disobedience. The tree at Calvary brought obedience. The cross is our guidepost to eternity. Eden was limited. The first pair were sinless, but they were vulnerable to temptation. They were alive, but they were vulnerable to death. They were made in God’s image, and crownedwith a measure of His glory, but they weren’t yet as glorious as God intended them to be. What eternity will have is never a temptation, it will be forever secure in holiness, never a thought of evil, of waywardness of any sort, never a death of any kind and most of all the fullness of the stature of Christ in its inhabitants. God created eternity for the escalation of all excellences. God created eternity as a focus of our learning, that we might grow a sense of our identity as citizens of heaven, that changes how we see ourselves now. Nothing can capture our anticipation of being just like Christ but seeing God face to face. Our love to Christ begins on earth and the expectation of the love relationship in eternity must inform how we live by faith here on earth. Eternity is that evidence, that substance that God has made us for Himself, and our heart is restless until it rests in Him. We are created with a knowledge of God and a longing for eternity. As God grants us the trials of life under the sun in perceiving the ways of God, He pushes us to recognize our innate awareness of eternity when God’s ways are incomprehensible. God has given us the capacity to discern that history has a purpose, even if we are unable to understand fully what God has done from the beginning to the end. Being confronted with our finitude should increase our dependence on God. We are to live our lives from the vantage point of eternity. We must show ourselves as the people of History under God’s providential rule that live far beyond just the moment. We are made to know God. Nothing apart from eternity with Him will satisfy our deepest longings. And it is Christ who provides the way for us to dwell in the presence of God forever. I Peter 3:18 We ought to recognize that every Lord’s Day is a foretaste of eternity. It developes in us this sense of “wanderlust” knowing of that soon coming journey with Christ. Eternity is more than God restoring His creation to the state of integrity that was Eden. Christ came to accomplish what was necessary to open the better way for us. When we join to the risen Christ now we have the newness and glory and life of the greater Eden breaking into our life. We aren’t yet experiencing redemption in the full and complete way we one day will, but it is breaking us up into the shivers for the potter’s remaking. Revelation 2:26-28 God’s preparation pattern for His people is overwhelmingly impressive. Consider the wilderness theme; the first couple was sent into the Edenic wilderness because of sin, the Israelites’ in their wilderness wanderings were being made peculiar in the presence of God dwelling in the sanctuary, and Jesus’ perfect contentment in the wilderness in preparation to face the enemy face to face. Note the thread of emptiness without God that was the experience. We too will have an emptiness experience of wilderness ourselves in trials and tribulations. It must be endured to heighten the sense of awareness and elevated consciousness beyond the mere dimensions of human understanding. God sees the emptiness in our life as His greatest opportunity, because God does His best work with empty as He fills it with Himself. We are God’s work on full display. This is God performing that begins to shape our perspective on whatever it is we lack. We receive instruction toward God-ward living, and how keeping eternity in mind can shape our current assessments of truth. And when God has a seriously faithful people who are informed and influenced, knowing that eternity is not simply a destination but the way of reverent expectation to worship God in Spirit and in Truth by His transcendant design...the ultimate spirituality of God’s holy law to be written in lively stone. Eternity is our ultimate rest. This world is our tour of duty per se - one continuous assignment after another of waging spiritual warfare. We are not alone in this. Christ is with us always. Our faith is that powerful means to draw upon to guide us to the ultimate eternal union with God the Father and God the Son. Our coming to Christ now is the spiritual essence of our anticipation of dwelling together with all created beings in the declared glory of God’s excellence. Our thoughts of eternity contain massive theological truths that move beyond the biblical narrative. All nations, partaking from a tree with root spanning both sides of a crystal clear river of the water of life, flowing from the throne of God and the Lamb, bearing twelve kind of frutis every month, whose leaves heal all who are already changed into incorruptible immortality. Humanity existing in God’s image. There is no temple there...eternity is God’s Holy of Holies. Will scripture be relevant in eternity? Hear the grand design of God that He is empowered and has undertaken to set before us. To know Him, the only true God, and all the discoveries and principles of truth, and Jesus Christ in whom we will have every excellency in duration in the vision and fruition of an eternal God. In the perfection of eternal life will be the intuitive knowledge of God and Christ. We will rejoice in eternity as it will take even longer to know the inexhaustible glories of God. Our understanding may extend itself as far as it will. Eternity is created for us that we may never exhaust the beauty and lovliness of God. We are now upon the threshold of possessing eternity. Let us not think of it as an unending progression of time. Let us think of the experience of possessing life as in Christ. It is then that eternity is not something that has no beginning, no ending, it is the ever revealing of the awareness of God where all things are woven into His love. God’s love is not the end, it is the aim declaring His eternal purpose which never ends. Our words, our thoughts, regardless of how intentional can only begin to grasp what eternity really means. God created eternity to be a motivator for our obedience and that we be called to holiness. God created eternity that we might know of our reward for walking through undeserved hatred and abuse and holding to His calling so firmly that nothing could overwhelm our mind. God created eternity that our ultimate vision is heavenward, and our purpose is to bring people there. Eternity offers us untold performances of love. From grasping the mysteries of heaven to glimpsing every promise of God. God created eternity that He may be ever present in our life. God created eternity that His infinite essence will be found in peace, in ease, in glory. Eternity makes heaven to be heaven.

9 Minutes Let’s take this hard hit and then ease into our discussion. Let us declare the love of God to be so as to passionately delight Him to create an eternity for us to live in. And to show the brillance of this love consider the alternative. Eternity is for those who sacredly find life in Christ. What of others? God’s love is so unconditionally infinite that even those who reject Him is subject to His extreme care. How so? God could have also created an eternal hell. Those who reject God’s goodness will suffer the second death and its accompanying pain yet their pain will come to an end. Thank God that we who will reside in the eternity with God will never have a thought of any continuance of suffering for the wicked. Now let’s rejoice in God’s eternalness. Eternity is not an inherent part of human existence, and it is a uniquely everlastingly theologically gifted relational event of God through which all demise is forever ended. Eternity is the event that God sets in our heart so that our confidence in what God determined in counsel from the afore beginning to the not ever end, will be infinitely diversified truth. Revealed to us will be the many-colored wisdoms of God overshadowing all that has been displayed to thrones and dominions. God has entrusted, under the Spirit’s leading, a people to teach the spiritual things hidden from the world’s beginning, which are now to be sounded universally to those who will be worthy of a seat in the heavenlies to share fully and forever all that Christ is. We can begin to see our life in eternity through heavenly eyes when we reap the harvest of truth that God seeks to fill our hearts with. It is truth that moves us beyond the past and for life with him in eternity. Eternity will be the unveiling of treasures of wisdom, of love, of togetherness, that we will find contemplation and wonderment in coming to understand how there can be no future, no past in eternity. Think on this...in this life we move at the remarkable rate of speed of one moment per one moment. In eternity events do not follow a sequential pattern. Think about a destination with no end. Everything in scripture points to eternity, and everything within us cries out for it. We are magnificently designed for life on earth, right now, with all its pressures and problems, its joys and tears. But there is yet more for us to experience. God has prepared something incomprehensibly beautiful for those who love Him and trust Him - something that is beyond time, something so beautiful and vast and breathtaking that only God is big enough to contain it. Eternity isn't the place where God lives. God is where eternity lives. When we reason with every revealed truth of God, we become a bit claustrophobic because of the tiny speck of time that you and I inhabit on earth. The only millisecond of time that we actually have access to is this very millisecond we’re living in right now. The past is closed off behind us; there’s no way back to get back there. The future is always beyond our reach, because as soon as we do reach the future, it instantly gets locked up in the present for a moment and then is vaulted as the past. The time that you and I can actually live in is about as wide as a planck – the smallest possible size of anything in this universe. This is why God has His appointed to write. They wrote the bible. The spirit of prophecy is written word. Testimonies are written. Reasoned and revealed truths are written. Why? Because God gives His people the spiritual sense to move backwards and forwards through time and are able to slow it down or speed it up at His will, that we might come to the highest understanding of His Word. This is a truth illusion because we know that time moves on, yet in the gift of writing we can step outside of time to reason with truth, even before day one of creation and beyond the seventh millennium. Think on this...even our current bodies will be changed to accomdate our life in eternity for eternity. Eternity means immediate and always accessibility to God. Eternal life will be nothing like this one. First, it will be never ending. This life is a kind of confinement, and it’s the reason we yearn to transcend it. When we have the mind of Christ, we are programmed with an inner GPS rerouting us to the mansions prepared. This may or may not be a place. It may be a scene, a setting, a situation...God’s thoughts and ways are higher. Christ stepped into time from eternity that we may follow him. Consider how overwhelming is the concept of eternity. Yet, we have no fear, only joy in desiring to be there even though it is unknown. The reason? Eternity is one of the most beautiful attributes of the God we worship. Where God is known, there is no fear. Every treasured biblical doctrine taught, and every truth learned would collapse without the reality of an everlasting eternal God who gives us eternal purpose. There is this fully comprehended truth – those who reason with God have faith that in no way puts any limit whatsoever on His Being. A God who is small enough to be understood isn’t big enough to be worshiped. God, by definition, must be infinitely great. If we have a God we can grasp, He ceases to be God. By definition, God must be incomprehensible. If we could unravel the mysteries of His Person, we would elevate ourselves to His level, which we cannot. So, we depend on what God reveals in His Word. His qualities and attributes are infinite. His character is unchanging, yet His mind is unfathomable, and yet He wants us to think about it, to consider it, to ponder it, and to rejoice in it. He filled His Word with information and knowledge about it that we may come to wisdom through understanding. Everything which happens to us in this life is directly related to what is coming. In fact, is getting us ready for it. Nothing, then, is purposeless or futile in our present experience. It is all necessary to the ultimate end of time for some and the entering eternity for others. Are you experiencing a daily inner renewal? Are you increasing in wisdom and love which mark the coming into oneness with Christ? Is your spirit broadening and growing serene as you grow from faith to faith? Reach out for light...the new covenant is glorious...the day is at hand. The mystery of God’s chosen is how in Christ they transmute each trial into a corresponding glory. By means of the Spirit, the trials are for our preparation. Something tremendous is ahead. Our present affliction is preparing it, and the very nature of faith itself guarantees it. II Corinthians 5:1, 2 Our heavenly dwelling place will be eternity. We groan because we long to be in heaven. Earth is temporary. This present time is temporary. Eternity is not a continuation on a larger and perfect scale of life as it was on earth. We will not be locked in space or time. Eternity is always now. Within that now all events happen. One may experience sequence, but only in relationship to him or herself, and events will occur on the basis of spiritual readiness. No two individuals need, therefore, experience the same event just because they happen to be together. Yes, there are many elements of speculation concerning eternity. But think of the wonderful experience of being with the Lord without the slightest consciousness of anything less than perfect. God’s way of thinking and our way of thinking are very different. God is focused on our eternity. There is too much fixation we have on things here that consumes our lives. Let’s be seriously clear - we are to have concern about the here to some degree, because that is the way of our occupation, but God clearly tells us if we will focus on Him, and the things that He desires, He will take care of the here and in addition He will secure for us a rich inheritance in eternity. The knowledge was really not in the tree, the tree was a test of obedience. Adam and Eve had access to all knowledge in God. That mistake can never be made again by God’s people. The Sabbath is the greatest test that man will face. The final test of man's loyalty to God will center around the authority of God's law. But the more considerable criterion is who blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. With all the beauty and wonder that we have here even after the affect of sin, what think we of the things in the eternities of glory with God. God took six days to create this home for us. For how long has Christ being preparing eternity for us? We are to have a mind made ready for life in eternity.

22 Minutes Who God is - The Fact God is our creator, this is where the story begins. The fact of God’s existence is so conspicuous, both through creation and through man’s conscience, that the bible calls the atheist a “fool”. Psalm 14:1 Accordingly, the bible never attempts to prove the existence of God; rather, it assumes His existence from the very beginning. Genesis 1:1 What the bible does is reveal the nature, character, and work of God. Who God is - The Definition Thinking correctly about God is of utmost importance because a false idea about God is idolatry. Psalm 50:21 God reproves the wicked man with this accusation: “These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes”. To start with, a good summary definition of God is “the Supreme Being; the Creator and Ruler of all that is; the Self-existent One who is perfect in power, goodness, and wisdom.” Who God is - His Nature We know certain things to be true of God for one reason: in His mercy He has condescended to reveal some of His qualities to us. God is Spirit, by nature intangible. John 4:24 God is One, but He exists as three Persons - God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. One Being in essence, existing eternally in three Persons. And as such, God can change to accommodate the role of His Spirit and His Son. Matthew 3:16-17 Hebrews 7:1-3; 10:5, 7 God is infinite, incomparable, and unchanging characteristically. That God is the same yesterday, today, and forever in His character, is so important. It is our anchor and hope in a world where life can be uncertain and unpredictable. It is the firm foundation we can stand on. I Timothy 1:17 II Samuel 7:22 God exists everywhere, knows everything, and has all power and authority. Psalms 139:7-12; 147:5 Isaiah 40:28 Ephesians 1 Revelation 19:6 Who God is - His Character Here are some of God’s characteristics as revealed in the bible: God is just, loving, truthful, and holy. Acts 17:31 Ephesians 2:4, 5 John 14:6 I John 1:5 God shows compassion, mercy, and grace. God judges sin, but also offers forgiveness. II Corinthians 1:3 Romans 9:15; 5:17 Psalms 5:5; 130:4 God is love. I John 4:8, 16 God is faithful. The bible is full of God’s promises: for individuals, for the ancient nation of Israel, and for us. Many times, the old testament tells how God’s people turned away and sought other gods or desires. Through it all, God remained faithful, pulling them out of their worship of false gods and reminding them of God’s own love and faithfulness. The same holds true for us today. Even when we are not faithful to our promises to God, God is always faithful to us. God will never forsake us or stop loving us, even when we make mistakes. I Corinthians 1:9; 10:13 Who God is - His Work We cannot understand God apart from His works, because what God does flows from who He is. Here is an abbreviated list of God’s works, past, present, and future: God created the world. Genesis 1:1 Isaiah 42:5 He actively sustains the world. Colossians 1:17 He is executing His eternal plan. Ephesians 1:11 Which involves the redemption of man from the curse of sin and death. Galatians 3:13, 14 He draws people to Christ. John 6:44 He disciplines His children. Hebrews 12:6 He will judge the world. Revelation 20:11-15 Who God is - A Relationship with Him In the Person of the Son, God became incarnate. John 1:14; 14:6 The Son of God became the Son of Man and is therefore the “bridge” between God and man. I Timothy 2:5 It is only through the Son that we can have forgiveness of sins, reconciliation with God and eternal salvation. Ephesians 1:7 John 15:15 Romans 5:10 II Timothy 2:10 In Jesus Christ “all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form”. Colossians 2:9 So, to really know who God is, all we have to do is look at Jesus. And God is yet bigger than all this. While we can come to know God through reading the bible, following Jesus Christ, and listening to the Holy Spirit, we can’t confine God or put God in a box. Even when things happen that we can’t understand or explain, when there are facts written that require precept to understand, we remain confident of God’s redemptive purpose in all things - trusting that God is good, that God loves us, and that our eternal salvation comes through God’s grace. We need to hear Him when He says, “ I Am Who I Am”!

10 Minutes The wonderful thing about scripture is that we cannot claim ignorance. The truth is reasoned, revealed, and available to us that we can have no excuse. If there be any thought that there is arbitrariness in any of God’s word, it is because someone chooses not to hear what a thus saith the Lord is saying. Because of the entrance of sin, God’s role changed from Creator to Savior while there is in Him no variableness, neither shadow of turning. For He is and always and can only be the One Divine Being. That truth confirms that we can never define all that He is with the senses of humanity; gustation, olfaction, vision, audition, tactition, memory, thought, and reason. The strongest of these senses is reason. Why? Reason is the faculty or process of drawing logical inferences. Reason can broaden the use of the other narrower senses. Reason is in opposition to sensation, perception, feeling, desire, and causes fundamental truths to be intuitively apprehended. These fundamental truths are the causes or results of all derivative facts. Next to reason is thought. Why? The sense of thought is very important in people's spiritual development, as thought enables us to consider new conceptual beliefs. Next to thought is the sense of memory. Why? Memory relates to events that are scattered across the brain's sensory centers. When one of the senses is stimulated to evoke a memory, other memories featuring other senses are also triggered. When we remember the Sabbath our thoughts highlight the goodness of God whereby we reason the source that He is the bringing forth all things created. God is the invariable Divine Being who made us to be perfect. James 1:17 The sun has no variableness, yet we say it sets and rises...perspective that is not truth. I pray that we have the wisdom to understand why the One God shows Himself in three Persons, the three in oneness. The word “God” itself suffers from some imprecision. Since every culture has “something it refers to as “god”. But what comes into our mind when we think about God is the most important thing about us and to us. Those whose faith will show pleasure to God look to the bible as an authoritative source for knowing God. And our God’s name is based on an eternal claim: “I am who I am.” In essence, God said, “My name is, ‘I exist’ - in the past, in the present, in the future. I am before and after all time. I am the harbor of eternity. The breath and depth and height and width and length of wisdom is astounding. Consider the “Word”. John 1:1-18 What is this “Word”? Pretty immediately, we learn that “the Word” refers to a Person—a “him,” in fact. And notice the wise use of truth by John. He uses the same truth for both the Father and the Son. He writes “in the beginning” as it is in the book of Genesis. The Creator entered into His creation. Humankind may have been banished from God’s presence in the Garden of Eden, but in Christ, God came “to seek and to save the lost.” And this God who walked the earth in the person of Jesus of Nazareth is present with those who believe in him through the Holy Spirit. We must come to fully understand how the truth is rooted in scripture. It is a mystery of complexities. It is on the cross that we see God as He truly is. He demonstrates His own love for us by taking away the sins of the world. On the cross, God’s manifold perfections meet in a single event. We see at once the God of justice and of love. He is just. He does not let sin go unpunished. He is love. He takes that punishment on Himself. Let’s say it this way: “The wisdom of God has ordained a way for the love of God to deliver us from the wrath of God without compromising the justice of God.” Ours is the only faith whereby its central event is the humiliation of its God. And it is in this humiliation that our God is exalted. As we ponder who God is, great and gracious, Creator and Savior, Triune Lord - may we do so with faith. God is a personal Being, and He wants a relationship with us. Therefore, He has revealed Himself. The knowledge we can thus have about God is limited but true and reliable. He tells who He is and what His will is. This knowledge is a source of deep joy, and the basis for eternal life. God reveals Himself by His works. By His creation, for example, He shows His power, wisdom, and wonderful creativity. In His answer to sin, God shows His holiness and righteousness – but also His love in offering people a way to salvation. The bible offers us an extensive report about what God has done and will do for His people. God’s greatest reasonable and revelational change was when He revealed Himself in Jesus. He is the Son of God who became human and showed humanity Who God is. John 1:18 This Son is a son to indicate that they have the same nature. They’re both personal, and love reigns between them. The bible speaks of God the Father loving God the Son, and God the Son loving God the Father, and the bible points to the reality that there is this Spirit between them, this love between the Father and Son - carries, as it were, such a fullness of all that they both are, that a third Person is them, standing forth, and has always been God. And if that’s not amazing enough, the most amazing thing of all about who God is, in His perfection, is that He wants to share it all with His created ones. God is eternal and unchangeable in His determination, His character and His purpose. He has always been and will always be. He is sovereign, self- sufficient, omniscient, and almighty. He does not have a physical body but is a Spirit. Therefore, He is omnipresent, not confined to one place. All of God’s attributes form a unity. We cannot only stress God’s love and forget about His holiness, or just talk about His wrath and keep silent about His mercy. That would create a false image of God. He is not partly this and partly that, for whatever He is, He is so in all its entirety. And God is triune, which means that there is one God existing in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Scripture begins with God. In the very first sentence we know who He is. It assumes He exists. In part that is because when the bible was written no one said He didn’t. Why answer a charge no one is making? What scripture does tell us, however, is that the God who exists speaks and reveals Himself in and through creation. He is there and He is not silent. God reveals Himself because He wants to be known, but for us to know God completely is impossible. As scripture says, how great is God - beyond our understanding! The number of His years is past finding out. This comes as no surprise. We don’t know anyone or anything completely. As finite creatures, all our knowledge is limited. But even if we can’t know God completely, that doesn’t mean we can’t know Him at all. Consider this: whatever we see that has power, God has more. Whatever we see that is good or lovely, God is better and lovelier. Wherever we see creativity, we know it started with God. But God has given us more than creation to tell us about Himself. He has spoken to people and given us His written word through inspiration. God needs nothing outside Himself. He did not create the world to fill a void within Himself, and He doesn’t need help from anyone or anything in order to exist. He created us for His pleasure, and we are meant to display or reflect Who God is. Revelation 4:11 The language used in the bible to describe God is decidedly anthropomorphic. That is, it starts with us below in order to say something significant about God above. It starts with what we know in order to say something about the one who wants to be known. But if God cannot be known completely, neither can the language we find in the bible adequately describe Him or exhaust His nature. He is the absolute pinnacle of truth and goodness and beauty. God is just, and this sense of God’s justice or righteousness is central to the scripture. God’s righteousness will ultimately extend to all creation, and He will restore creation to what it was meant to be in the first place - perfect and pure.

10 Minutes The two great commandments will be our job description for life. We will have a new illuminating view of the divine and the eternal. Divine love is in God, not as in a subject that receives it from another, but as in its original seat, where it is of itself. And from God, this love flows out toward all the inhabitants and of all the things that are sentient in creation. It flows out, in the first place, necessarily and infinitely, toward His only begotten Son; being poured forth, without mixture, as to an object that is infinite, and so fully adequate to all the fullness of a love that is infinite. And this infinite love is infinitely exercised toward Him. Not only does the fountain send forth streams to this object, but the very fountain itself wholly and altogether goes out toward Him. And the Son of God is not only the infinite object of love, but He is also an infinite subject of it. He is not only the beloved of the Father, but He infinitely loves Him. The infinite essential love of God, is, as it were, an infinite and eternal, mutual, holy, energy between the Father and the Son: a pure and holy act, whereby the Deity becomes, as it were, one infinite and unchangeable emotion of love proceeding from both the Father and the Son. This divine love has its seat in the Deity, as it is exercised within the Deity, or in God toward Himself. But this love is not confined to such exercises as these. It flows out in innumerable streams toward all the created inhabitants of God. We see that this love manifested in the new creation had its expresssion toward us from the beginning of the world. And as most reasonable, we learn that even the angels' love was exercised toward us in supreme unity in common with Christ. Every heart is wedded to this once Bridegroom who is holy and spiritually now our Husband, and all rejoice in Him, while the angels join us in love. And every being in creation all loves each other. And all of the glorious society of creation are sincerely united. There is not a single secret or adversary in thought, word, or deed among us all. Not a heart is there that is not full of love, and not a solitary inhabitant that is not beloved by all the others. And as all are lovely, so all see each other’s loveliness with full complacence and delight. Every soul goes out in love to every other; and among all the blessed inhabitants, love is mutual, and full, and eternal. This love is perfect in that it is commensurate with the capacities of our new natures. There can be no contrary principle, having no pride or selfishness to interrupt it or hinder its exercises. Every one has not only a sincere, but a perfect goodwill to every other. Sincere and strong love is greatly gratified and delighted in the prosperity of the beloved object; and because the love be perfect, the greater the prosperity of the beloved is, the more is the lover pleased and delighted; for the prosperity of the beloved is, as it were, the food of love, and therefore the greater that prosperity, the more richly is love feasted. The love of benevolence is delighted in beholding the prosperity of another, as the love of complacence is, in beholding the beauty or perfection of another. So that the superior prosperity of those that are higher in glory, the 144000 and the great multitude, is so far from being a hindrance to the degree of love felt toward them, that it is an addition to it, or a part of it. Because these are the most loved of Christ, all will rejoice in their being the most content, having endured that which brought us to the likeness of Christ. Having more of the spirit of love to others, we will so love those that are below us more than as if our own capacity and elevation were less. We, that are highest in degree in glory, will be of the highest capacity; and so having the greatest knowledge, will see most of God’s loveliness, and consequently will have love to God and love to all in creation most abounding in our hearts. And on this account, those that are lower in glory will not envy those that are above them, because they will be most beloved by those that are highest in glory. All will be equal in worth and dignity. But will we be equal in the sense of the same? God forbid! One of the chief pleasures of life will be the mutual sharing of different excellences, the pleasure of looking to someone who is determined higher and learning from him or her. There is a stunning carry over from humanity – emotion. But not like that which resulted from the fall. There will be no sadness. The past is no memory. Like God, we will live in the eternal present. Our heavenly emotions will be appropriate to present reality, not past reality. Our emotions will not drive us or control us. They will be no less passionate, but they will be less passive. Doing love, rather than just feeling love will result in a "voluptuous outpour" of pleasure. Clothing in the new creation is not artificial and concealing, but naturally spiritual and revealing. Clothing will be a pure glory as was the woman clothed with the sun. Harmony is derived from the sound of different notes of different instruments. We will be the music of creation, instruments of God, sounding individual notes, sounding harmonious is every phase of being. There will be no confines to space. We will be able to transform space into place by humanizing it, spiritualizing it. There will be nothing too small or too large in creation. In a sense, it will be in us rather than we in it. Purposes and events will be measured by mind and will, not time. That’s why on earth there is never enough time to do the things we set out to do. We were made for eternity. We long to step out of the sea of time into the land of eternity, even though we do not really understand what eternity is! What is it to never grow old, to not age, to never die? Will there be in heaven the old and the young? Whereas on earth, in our witness for God, our words were of a purer speech having the outward expression of an inward grace. In our love for him our testimony was enlarged and deepened. In the new creation we will have a pure language void of judgment. Our eternal interests will come from a pure heart and the rich treasure of wisdom will flow in our words. The vocabularies of the new creation will be transparent as to be fully understood. With what words or sounds will we converse with God? What language did God speak with Adam, with Abraham, with Moses. We will have a divine language where the elements of speech sound the power that is as the mind of Christ. Isaiah 64:4 I Corinthians 2:9 The light, oh thank God for the light, for it will be always, no darkness. The significance...when God said let there be light, He was infusing spiritual energy into the world. Light was the first created matter. The light was for our benefit. The darkness had to remain else the enemy would have accusational cause toward God’s fairness. There was no spiritual resource available to the angels that rebelled and were cast to the darkness. In the new creation, light will provide healing, balance, and spiritual awareness. We will be essentially, absolutely, and virtually light, with the polarity being drawn to God. Remember the impact that Jesus had on the world. As the angels of light are intuitive always of God’s will, so we will be powerfully engaged with the consciousness of God. Turn on a flashlight and immediately the light is where it is intended. Remember the necessary ascension and descension of the Light... John 20:17, 19 Light embraces the cessation of darkness. That is why God’s people always reach for the light of truth. On earth we simply retain a spark of divine energy that aligns us with order in Christ. We build our consciousness through the skillful learning of his truths. We hear and are present with one another as we integrate our knowledge. But in the new creation our characters will determine the brillance and the variety of the colors of light shown. We will be radiant and luminous. The Spirit will be that light in and around us. We will forever be connected with the Source of Light experiencing the continual flow of information. Our light will not only shine, it will vibrate as we grow spiritually in loving relationships. We will be the soul material of God’s mind. And the wonder of it all is that wherever we go and with whomever we are with, there will remain our residual spiritual energy. God designed it so that everything would progress in a perfect marriage with all of the other spiritual entities that progresses here; aligning with everything that exists. There will be nothing artificial, no conflict. All emitted spiritual energy is a request for balance even among and with the beings that will live in other multitudes of dimensions in other worlds. We will have an eternity of lifetime to journey in enlightenment. In our being-ness, our closeness, our likeness will be so of God that as He is the “I Am”, “we are all of I Am.

15 Minutes God Does Know Your Heart, But You Don’t... Okay...lest we be foolish beyond reason, let’s begin with this foundational truth concerning man’s wisdom that we not allow “self” to get in the way. I Corinthians 8:2 And if any man think that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know. There is no evidence of ignorance more common than a conceit of knowledge. Any person who is vested by God with a semblance of intelligence knows most best that in most things they are ignorant, and they understand that its implication implies only that at this point they are unlearned and the imperfection of human knowledge is a consequence of sin. Any that imagines themself a knowing person, and is vain and conceited on this imagination, has reason to suspect that they know nothing properly. It is one thing to know truth, and another to know it as we ought, so as fittingly to improve our knowledge. Those that love God are most likely to be taught of God, and be made by Him to know as they ought. In response to what you think is an unfair assessment about your intent, you clarify others mistake. You say (or think) “Well, God knows my heart in the matter.” While this is an accurate statement – God does know your heart – I’m not sure it’s the right response. Why? Because you say it to imply that your intentions are good. But God knows you better than you know yourself and God knows that you could do a lot better. Here are reasons why we should stop trying to find solace in the fact that God knows our heart. Instead we should find solace in the fact that God can change our heart to be like the heart of Jesus. God Knows Your Heart... Yes, God knows your heart. There’s no doubt about that. He understands it completely. Psalms 33:15 He fashioneth their hearts alike; he considereth all their works. I Kings 8:39 Then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men. Not to mention, He knows absolutely everything about absolutely everything. He is omniscient: all-knowing. Psalms 147:5 Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite. He knows everything you’ve ever done, thought, spoken, or contemplated, and everything you will do, speak, think, or contemplate. Psalms 139:4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether. He knows your secrets. He knows about those horrid and despicable things that come across your mind at times. Yes, He knows about them too. Psalms 44:21 Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart. There is no part of your being (your mind, will, intellect, conscience, thinking, emotions, actions, motives) that is concealed from His sight. Your heart is laid bare before your Maker, and there’s not a fig leaf big enough or adequate to cover it up. Genesis 3:7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. Hebrews 4:13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. God’s omniscience should be a sobering thought. So before you declare that God knows your heart, you might want first to consider its true condition. You Have a Heart Condition... The Bible has a lot to say about your heart, and the conclusion of the matter is not good! Look at what Jesus thought about the human heart. Matthew 15:18, 19 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. Jesus didn’t entrust Himself to man because He knew what was truly in them. John 2:24 But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men. No matter how well they cleaned up on the outside, He had the inside scoop. In the book of Jeremiah, it says there is one thing more untrustworthy than anything else. Wanna guess what it is? Your heart! Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? In fact, there was even a point in history where the human race had become so corrupted, the Bible says that all of the people’s thoughts were evil, all of the time. Genesis 6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Our hearts can become hardened, dull, blind, darkened, foolish, rebellious, and unrepentant. Romans 1:21; 2:5 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God. Acts 28: 27 For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. Hebrews 3:8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness. Even the good things we do are stained and soiled with sin before a holy and righteous God. Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. Hmm...not such a great track record for the human heart so far. Let’s review. The heart left to itself is: 1. Unclean. 2. Capable of conceiving and carrying out all sorts of evil thoughts and deeds. 3. The most deceitful (sly, insidious) thing about ourselves. 4. Untrustworthy. 5. Stubborn. 6. Unrighteous. So to say that God knows your heart should not cause assurance, but alarm! Why? Because nobody has an accurate view of themselves. We tend to think we’re a little more unique than we are. You’re Under the Influence... While God knows your heart in every way imaginable, the truth is that you do not, at least not fully. You do not have perfect clarity and objectivity when you think about yourself. The eyes with which you use to evaluate yourself are somewhat blurred; self is standing in the way of clear vision. Your estimation about the intent and motives of your heart are under the influence of sin. When you say God knows my heart, you are saying that you have confidence that you are just in the matter. Your confidence is based on self. Self confidence is... SOP – Peter’s fall was not instantaneous, but gradual. Self-confidence led him to the belief that he was saved, and step after step was taken in the downward path, until he could deny his Master. Never can we safely put confidence in self or feel, this side of heaven, that we are secure against temptation. Those who accept the Saviour, however sincere their conversion, should never be taught to say or to feel that they are saved. This is misleading. Every one should be taught to cherish hope and faith; but even when we give ourselves to Christ and know that He accepts us, we are not beyond the reach of temptation. God’s word declares, “Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried.” Daniel 12:10. Only he who endures the trial will receive the crown of life. (James 1:12.) {COL 155.1} SOP - Now all eyes turned toward the woman in question, a Mrs. Alcott. What would be her reaction to this plain delineation of her strange witness and her adultery? “What did she do?” asked Loughborough as he told the story. After sitting about one minute, she slowly arose to her feet, put on a sanctimonious look, and said, “God—knows—my—heart.” That was all she said, and sat down. Here was just what the Lord showed (May 28) that the woman would say. On June 11 she did just as it was said she would do, and said the identical words predicted she would say when reproved, and no more.—Ibid. {1BIO 281.2,3} Your depravity is why Paul says to be sober in self-assessments and warns not to elevate the view you have of yourself. Romans 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. Let’s look at a parable Jesus tells about two very different people and the perspective they had of themselves. The first, was a person of prestige and position. He was a Pharisee. The other, a lowly tax collector, not the most reputable of jobs at the time. Both of these men went to the temple to pray one day. The Pharisee bragged about his righteousness and thanked God that he was better than everyone else. He jabbered on and on about his good works and what a great guy he was. You know...kinda sounded like you when you think you’re something, kind of sounds like blah, blah, blah. The tax collector, on the other hand, had an entirely different approach. He had a humble, not prideful attitude, as he approached the Lord. He physically kept himself at a distance in the temple, and his countenance was contrite. There was no mention of his good heart or any of his accomplishments. Instead, he hit himself on his chest and pleaded for God to have mercy on him because he knew what a mess he was. Luke 18:9-13 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. Jesus tells us the moral of the story: when you exalt yourself, God will humble you. But, if you humble yourself, you will be exalted. Luke 18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. The tax collector humbled himself, and because of that, he went home justified before God. The other man, the Pharisee, thought he was God’s right-hand man. In his heart, he was an asset to God’s kingdom. Because of this, he remained under God’s judgment. These two men had a perceived view of themselves. One was distorted and elevated, leading him not to exalt God, but himself. The other was a sober and accurate perception of his condition that resulted in humility and dependency on God, not himself. When you proclaim that God knows your heart, it makes you sound a lot more like the Pharisee than the tax collector. It’s like you are saying, ‘I’m something...”! Righteousness Comes From Above... If you were to take a survey asking people if there was anyone perfect in this world, I think the answer would be a unanimous and resounding "no!". Not only do life experiences attest to this, the Bible clearly affirms this truth. In Romans 3 for example, Paul says nobody is righteous. Not you. Not me. Not one single person. Romans 3:10-12 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. For you to obtain righteousness, you would have to be perfect in every way, completely in line with God’s will. Here are some biblical definitions of what it means to be righteous: innocence, faultless, and guiltless are used of him whose way of thinking, feeling, and acting is conformed completely to the will of God, and needs no rectification in the heart or life. I don’t know how you feel after reading that, but for me, it knocks me down a few gazillion pegs. Even as I grow in my obedience and conformity to Christ, my thoughts, feelings, and actions are nowhere near being totally in-line with God’s will. To say that God knows your heart implies a certain air of self-confidence. In essence, you’re declaring your complete innocence and faultlessness in the matter. You believe you have an accurate assessment of what’s going on in your heart and as far as you’re concerned, your motives are pure. Better watch out friend, because self-righteousness is knocking at your door and self-deception is waiting to answer. There’s only one way to obtain righteousness, and it’s from Christ. He alone perfectly fulfilled the requirements of the definition of righteousness and even he said there is none good but one. Mark 10:18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. Jesus is the only one ever throughout history that lived a life completely conformed to the will of God. He was obedient in every way at every time, even to the point of death on a cross. Philippians 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Only when you place your faith and trust in His sacrifice can you obtain a righteous standing before God. II Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Romans 3:22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference. In Christ only, can you become righteous in your position before God, but not in your practice. While you still live in an earthly body, your deceitful heart will need ongoing correction. If you come to know anything, you come to know that is the work of the Holy Spirit and the word of God. Because of that, there is no place for self-confidence in the heart of the believer. Paul talked about this in Philippians 3 where he had quite an impressive list of things he could brag about – practices, pedigrees, and a Pharisee, hmmm! But after he was converted? He considered the totality of those things as a complete loss in comparison to what he had received in his union with Christ. He knew that none of those accomplishments or standings could make him righteous before God. His confidence was no longer in his flesh, but in his faith in Christ. Philippians 3:4-9 Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. Any boasting was now credited to His Savior and His work, instead of his own. I Corinthians 1:30, 31 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. How tight is truth... Now, I don’t want to neglect here the fact that you may have been judged unfairly by another person or by me. This study is not to dismiss what happened to you or imply that you should ignore it either. No one enjoys an accusation for doing, saying, or thinking something you didn’t do, say, or think. But, why not ask the reason for the assessment before you dismiss it. You might come into a knowledge of the truth. Even though the title is, God does know your heart, but you don’t, the truth is, no other person knows your heart either. So here are just a few thoughts about this: Do your part – God does know your heart and whether or not you sinned in this particular situation. More times than not, when someone sins against us, we tend to sin back in response. Reason together, asking the Lord to show you if what is said is true and what you are responsible for in the situation. You are told to live at peace with everyone, as far as it depends on you. Take responsibility where accountability is your answerability. Romans 12:18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. You are in good company – All throughout Scripture we see people being treated unfairly by others. Joseph by his brothers, David by Saul, Jesus by the Pharisees. If you are suffering for doing good, the Bible says this is commendable before God. I Peter 2:19-21 For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps. It is an opportunity for you to follow in the steps of your Savior and to show how awesome He is, not you, in the matter. Remember God is just – After you have asked the Spirit to reveal your real thoughts and attitudes, and you have done all you can to be at peace, entrust yourself to God. He will judge the situation with justice. I Peter 2:23 Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously. Seek help – Look for someone to bring clarity to your perceptions, not confirmation of your position. What I mean by this is, don’t just find people that will agree with your stance. You want to be selective about those you go to for counsel and advice. Look for someone that will not just tell you what you want to hear, but will bring a more insightful view to your thinking. Speak with someone that will refer only to the law and to the testimony. A person like this will be wise in Christ, inquisitive while asking specific questions, seeking godliness, mature in their faith and relationships, peaceable, have solid biblical theology, and boldness to speak the truth and bring correction, rebuke, instruction, and doctrine to you when and if needed. If you don’t know anyone like this in your life, you may have been associating with the wrong people. God has a people. When we are in conflict with an issue, not necessarily with someone, our habitual reaction is usually to defend ourselves, or excuse what has happened. It’s easy to point out the faults in others or to think that you are accused, when someone simply makes a statement of concern. Move yourself out of the way, Christ is the way, what saith the word. Self makes it much harder to see what’s truly in your heart. Proverbs 21:2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts. Is that true about us??? But God is the one that weighs our hearts, and as He does, we can believe it will be with complete and thorough accuracy. There is no need to put any confidence in ourself. Any righteousness we may have comes from our righteous Redeemer. I John 3:20 For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.