While growing up, a treat for breakfast would be bacon! It would send a scent throughout the house and if sleeping while the cooking was going on, my sister and I would certainly rise to greet that bacon being served. It was exciting for a young child to see what was coming to the plate on an early morning rise! Older now, seeking more fruit and lighter fares of food, still bacon is in my future! Yes, the weekend is coming!
In living in the 21st century, I remember that which seemed good to me at that time, but today bacon is less important to what is appearing not only to humans but animals as well!
Today, there is a lot of violence, bad-mouthing, covetousness, and no love being expressed, not only where my family lives, but all over the world. There is no love for a person or an animal. People and animals seem to be the disposable things today! All are being treated in horrific ways. Babies are not allowed to be born even up to term if the parent so desires to end the babies life in the ninth month. Now that is horror indeed!
Have been working on teaching for this week and I was captured by Romans 1:11: For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established---12 that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me. 12 Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you ( but was hindered until now), that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles. 14 I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to the unwise. 15 So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also. 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
Paul in his giving the word was going to impart as to liberality or generosity. He was exhorting those with two outer tunics to give one to someone who has none. In that giving with a cheerful outflow he teaches this in Romans 12:8 he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality, he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness to Urge workers to labor with industry in order to give to him who has a need. Most certainly covid--19 revealed a group who choose to stay home and watch television or play games all day long. But the word does not tell us to stay home! But verse 16 also stands out in the whole of Romans chapter 1, and that is Paul points to his identification in Christ. He had the desire to go to Rome. He viewed the Gentiles to know of God but reject Him and of the Jews, they had God's law but are not righteous. But God would judge all men. Faith is still the main point both for Jew and Gentiles, that they repent and receive Jesus as Lord!
God is righteous and will have no sin before Him! Today we have humanist telling God what He should have in heaven because they believe by their faith they have all their fleshly desires before them on and in the earth! And we know that will not stand before God. There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable. There is none who does good, no, not one. Their throat is an open tomb, with their tongues they have practiced deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips. Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood.; Destruction and misery are in their ways; and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes. ( Romans 3:9-18)
Reading this and you know there are many people on a total destruct button, even now!
God had given Israel the law! In it, He was using Israel as a sample of the human race! THEY failed! And God correctly applied that to all humans, finding it in all humanity. All have gone astray. It is a revealed unrighteousness, ignorance gone to seed and man feeling pretty independent on making his own rules and way! But he is wayward. He is not profitable. Mans' throat is full of rottenness, his tongue deceitful. His lips are venomous and mouth full of swearing. His feet is hell bent for murder and he leaves trouble behind him and destruction of life. No regard for God, man chooses to have a world without God in it and it shows.
Even today in that of Ukraine, men, women and children are being attacked by hostile men. They have a war against humanity. They are given over to their sims, they in their lewdness rape a nation. They are associated with war: destruction of innocents, atrocities, gas chambers or we would call it oil production to a shutdown. You know it looks you will have no heat this winter for your homes, and gas will either be too pricey for a purchase or the town or city you live in will not have any available for use. They have camps set up to torture. They curse, do character assassinations, grumbling and complaining to a people and desire to annihilate them so they can take their nation.
God is holy. He will have nothing with sin. He will not overlook it or condone it. The punishment for it is death. Yet God loves people, the sinner and wants to save him. He saw the dilemma and God's righteousness demand the sinner's death, but God's love desires the sinner's eternal happiness. The Gospel was given, the Way through Jesus to the Father. John 14:1-6
That is the only way: Jesus Christ is the doorway. Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. The power of God to salvation. This mysterious power connected with lives dedicated to the Lord. We are to have Pentecost in our hearts to have the fruit of Pentecost in our lives. But poverty is seen today!
Are we displaying fire for the Lord from our hearts? Are we dying to self to glorify Him in our daily walk in His ways?
It is God who points to man's need for the gift of righteousness. God's righteousness appeared at the event of the cross. Jesus was to be the object of a faith belief: He is the only way. He is the only truth and life. No one comes to the Father except through Jesus. For you and I, well, we have a resurrected Jesus seated on our hearts. There He rules our life. As Spirit empowered believers, we preach and teach the Gospel to those God sends us to speak to. Many times it begins at the kitchen table of your home! It will be a father or mother giving truth of God and His way for living life today. In that blessings occur. It is the blessings of justification, reconciliation and the gift of the Holy Spirit. These are all presented in salvation. And while gathered there you eat a meal, talk of the love of God and pray for others. And even sometimes you might have that slice of bacon!
What I can write here is that God dropped down in the ugliness of our sin. He dropped down in the miry depths of despair, gloom, death, the shaking and shivering where our words were empty but His full of life. God dropped down in the midst of covid- 19 and said it was not over. Yes, normal is over for you indeed, but I am doing a new thing.
Yes, you will have to work but I have a new position for you. And it is grand! I have a new place for you in the body of Christ. I have a plan to enrich your life with My Word so that no devil can prevail in your life. I have a thought for you that is good and not evil to give you a hope in your final out come.
I have seen and heard the cries of My people, I hear their voices weep not for themselves, but for the children in foreign nations, for the people who are moving in migration force from demonic type terrorists and tyranny. I have heard the hounds barking out lies, and their hot breath is felt by your face, but God says they will not touch His anointed.
God speaks the tyranny and terrorists will have to take another path. They will be moved! Their haunts will be their homes of cruelty. Psalm 74 :21 Remember this, that the enemy has reproached, O Lord, and that a foolish people has blasphemed Your name. 19 Oh, do not deliver the life of Your turtledove to the wild beast! Do not forget the life of Your power forever. 20 Have respect to the covenant; for the dark places of the earth are full of the haunts of cruelty. 21 Oh, do not let the oppressed return ashamed.
Titus 3:6 reveals that even salvation----the regeneration of the dead spirit of man and the cleansing makes the new man acceptable to God and comes by the Holy Spirit. At last the world will see the glory of God through a restored body of believers to His praise!
And as He told Peter to not call what God had cleansed as common. In Acts 10:11-17 it is three times Peter saw a vision of ritually unclean animals, and each time a heavenly voice insisted that he eat them in violation of his Jewish convictions.
Peter was to go with the strangers. He was to accompany them to Cornelius's home and welcome there, Peter might have to eat their foods prepared for all. God showed Peter He held no partiality to anyone, to those who would hear the gospel and believe! Peter was to go and give the message of Christ Jesus and Him crucified! God holds no bias, He gives or shows no discrimination.
But the society today, that culture thing dictates: toward a certain people, toward a certain practice of faith, toward a certain type of marriage, to changing genders, saluting that which God destroyed in Sodom and Gomorrah, salutes the lazy and sloth and kills babies.
The Gospel was to advance. The Jews rejected it and it was given over to the Gentiles to receive salvation. Cornelius' prayers had come up to the Lord. And his alms are remembered in the sight of God. ( Acts 10:30-31) Cornelius and those with him, including family, were saved that day. They were baptized and spoke with tongues to glorify God. What was unclean was made clean in God! God would have His family and the advancement of His word was seen! And there would be some new foods on the menu!
In Isaiah 1:2-4, the prophet gave God’s words……"I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against Me; the ox knows its owner and the donkey its master's crib; but Israel does not know, My people do not consider." Alas, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, children who are corrupt! They have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked to anger the Holy One of Israel, they have turned away backward.
Yes, a dumb ox and donkey show more sense and appreciation to their masters than Israel did to her Father! Instead, she rebelled against Him!
Jesus gave this: Luke 18:8 Nevertheless when the Son of Man comes will He really find faith on the earth?”……In this contending for the faith, we are not the possessors of a religion or of taking on of any other doctrine. The Lord is our treasure our choice, He is our everything for all time!
Romans 16:17-19 I appeal to you brethren, to be on
your guard concerning those who create dissensions & difficulties &
cause divisions in opposition to the doctrine (the teaching) which you have
been taught. ( I warn you to turn aside from them to] avoid them.
18 For
such persons do not serve our Lord Christ but their own appetites and base
desires, & by ingratiating & flattering speech, they beguile the hearts
of unsuspecting and simpleminded people. 19 for while your loyalty and
obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, I would have you well
versed and wise in as to what is good and innocent and guileless as to
what is evil.
Our following Christ Jesus is love out of our heart’s
desire for His truth and not to make up something from the word that suits us
for a moment. We are to have Him in our hearts activating faith that is of
power for each day of our lives. Christ is Returning and it is for a body of believers holding onto His love living in power expecting glory! That is what I believe for the word tells me it is so. It is close indeed. Do you hear Him coming? Do you hear Him speaking? Is that Bacon in my future? Yes, all that My Lord desires for me and you and if you do not eat bacon, I will take yours, please!
New teaching at: Voice of Prayer
But In CHRIST
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