Galatians 4:1-7
What I am saying is that as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. --
The child of a Noble in the world will inherit the whole estate on the death of the father, even if he's still an infant or toddler: he will, by law, be the owner. But he will be under a nanny, or a guardian or a trustee and cannot make any decisions for himself, just like a slave cannot decide for himself.
He is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. --
The guardians and trustees will be making all the decisions on running the estate, and the child will have no say at all in the matter until he attains the age set by his father, when he will be legally old enough to assume the responsibility.
So also, when we were children, we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world. --
This was the Law of Moses, as well as the legal system of the world's governments. We, the human race, were under restrictive limits in how to run our own lives. We were expected to walk in the steps of our fathers' professions, stay in our own economic and cultural sphere, etc.
But when the time had fully come, --
God waited all the centuries after Adam and Abraham; waited until Rome had conquered the whole known world and built roads making every part of the world easily accessible (for the spread of the Gospel); when the philosophies of Men had developed the thinking processes of intelligent minds; had developed the Greek language, the most descriptive and accurate language ever spoken, etc.
God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, --
God's own Son, the Second Person in the Trinity, Who proceeds from the Father from Eternity Past, Who broke into this World by means of a birth as a human baby, born of a woman who supplied His human nature, subjecting Himself to all the natural laws of the Universe and all the political and religious laws of the time. Setting aside His Divine prerogatives and subjecting Himself to all the limitations we are under.
To redeem those under law, --
To rescue us from the bondage and slavery we are all subjected to in this world.
That we might receive the full rights as sons. --
We will one day be released from all the limitations that hold us down from achieving all that we were created for.
Because you are sons, --
We are, right now, sons; not in some future day.
God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, --
The Spirit of Jesus, in our hearts right now, today.
The Spirit who calls out, "Abba," "Father." --
We call God "Abba," which is the Greek word for the first word an infant will say, "Da-da"; and "Father," which we would say, "Daddy." That's who God is to us when we are "born again" spiritually into His family.
So you are no longer a slave, but a son, --
We've been rescued from the slave-market of sin and received into the family of God as His own child.
And since you are a son, God has also made you an heir. --
We are born into God's own family, and God has also determined that we will inherit His Kingdom (unlike Ishmael, who was born of Abraham by the slave-woman, so had no part at all in Isaac's inheritance as the heir).
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Friday, March 4, 2016
Thursday, March 3, 2016
Joseph's Economics
Genesis 47:13-26
And there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very sore, so that the land of Egypt and all the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the famine. And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the corn which they bought: and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house.
And when money failed in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said, Give us bread: for why should we die in thy presence? for the money faileth. And Joseph said, Give your cattle; and I will give you for your cattle, if money fail. And they brought their cattle unto Joseph: and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for horses and for the flocks, and for the cattle of the herds, and for the asses: and he fed them with bread for all their cattle for that year.
When that year was ended, they came unto him the second year, and said unto him, We will not hide it from my lord, how that our money is spent; my lord also hath our herds of cattle; there is not ought left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands: Wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh: and give us seed, that we may live and not die, that the land be not desolate.
And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them: so the land became Pharaoh's. And as for the people, he removed them to cities from one end of the borders of Egypt even to the other end thereof. Only the land of the priests bought he not; for the priests had a portion assigned them from Pharaoh, and did eat their portion which Pharaoh gave them: wherefore they sold not their lands.
Then Joseph said unto the people, Behold, I have bought you this day and your land for Pharaoh: lo, here is seed for you, and ye shall sow the land. And it shall come to pass, in the increase, that ye shall give the fifth part unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own, for seed of the field, and for your food for them of your households, and for food for your little ones. And they said, Thou hast saved our lives: let us find grace in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh's servants.
And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt unto this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth part; except the land of the priests only, which became not Pharaoh's.
This extended passage describes the economics that Joseph determined in Egypt. He sold the grain to the people, and when their money was gone, having been transferred into Pharaoh's coffers, they paid with their animals and livestock, which all became Pharaoh's property; then, amazingly, the people all consented to give up their land and be slaves of Pharaoh! All because of the famine. So Joseph established in Egypt that the people would all work for Pharaoh, giving him 20% of all their produce and could retain the other 80% for seed and food.
Today I see a very similar system at work in the governments of the world, in extracting at least a 20% tax on all that is earned by the populace, which have been reduced to this slavery. Except for the churches (the priests).
This is also similar to how I see the Man of Sin (the Antichrist) will reduce the whole world to servitude, ruling over not only their lives and finances, but also demanding their worship.
When economic conditions get drastic, people will always be willing to give up freedoms for security, and will end up with neither.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
And there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very sore, so that the land of Egypt and all the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the famine. And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the corn which they bought: and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house.
And when money failed in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said, Give us bread: for why should we die in thy presence? for the money faileth. And Joseph said, Give your cattle; and I will give you for your cattle, if money fail. And they brought their cattle unto Joseph: and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for horses and for the flocks, and for the cattle of the herds, and for the asses: and he fed them with bread for all their cattle for that year.
When that year was ended, they came unto him the second year, and said unto him, We will not hide it from my lord, how that our money is spent; my lord also hath our herds of cattle; there is not ought left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands: Wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh: and give us seed, that we may live and not die, that the land be not desolate.
And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them: so the land became Pharaoh's. And as for the people, he removed them to cities from one end of the borders of Egypt even to the other end thereof. Only the land of the priests bought he not; for the priests had a portion assigned them from Pharaoh, and did eat their portion which Pharaoh gave them: wherefore they sold not their lands.
Then Joseph said unto the people, Behold, I have bought you this day and your land for Pharaoh: lo, here is seed for you, and ye shall sow the land. And it shall come to pass, in the increase, that ye shall give the fifth part unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own, for seed of the field, and for your food for them of your households, and for food for your little ones. And they said, Thou hast saved our lives: let us find grace in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh's servants.
And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt unto this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth part; except the land of the priests only, which became not Pharaoh's.
This extended passage describes the economics that Joseph determined in Egypt. He sold the grain to the people, and when their money was gone, having been transferred into Pharaoh's coffers, they paid with their animals and livestock, which all became Pharaoh's property; then, amazingly, the people all consented to give up their land and be slaves of Pharaoh! All because of the famine. So Joseph established in Egypt that the people would all work for Pharaoh, giving him 20% of all their produce and could retain the other 80% for seed and food.
Today I see a very similar system at work in the governments of the world, in extracting at least a 20% tax on all that is earned by the populace, which have been reduced to this slavery. Except for the churches (the priests).
This is also similar to how I see the Man of Sin (the Antichrist) will reduce the whole world to servitude, ruling over not only their lives and finances, but also demanding their worship.
When economic conditions get drastic, people will always be willing to give up freedoms for security, and will end up with neither.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
To Trust Or Not
John 3:18
Whoever believes in Him --
Whoever puts his trust in that Jesus took their place on the Cross; trusts that His sacrifice was the payment of their own personal debt to God.
is not condemned, --
Is not liable any more to have to spend forever paying that eternal debt to the eternal God.
But whoever does not believe --
Refuses to admit that they deserve that death, refuses to agree with God about the severity of sin.
stands condemned --
Still faces judgement.
already --
All the world already lies in the arms of the evil one, to lull them to sleep, unconscious of God entirely.
because he has not believed --
Has not turned to God or been open to hear God, has not put their trust in Him.
in the Name of God's one and only Son.
His Name is His Kingdom Authority, His sovereignty as our Master, our King our Father, our God.
So each of us already stands condemned because we are all descended from Adam and we each bear that sin nature, that original sin, that makes it so much easier for us to make wrong choices, bad decisions, for whatever reason we use as our excuse. That's why Jesus came, why the eternal Son was born as a baby with the same human nature we all have, but without the sin. He alone is the eternal Person who could pay our eternal debt to God in time, and also qualify to die that human death that we all deserve.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Whoever believes in Him --
Whoever puts his trust in that Jesus took their place on the Cross; trusts that His sacrifice was the payment of their own personal debt to God.
is not condemned, --
Is not liable any more to have to spend forever paying that eternal debt to the eternal God.
But whoever does not believe --
Refuses to admit that they deserve that death, refuses to agree with God about the severity of sin.
stands condemned --
Still faces judgement.
already --
All the world already lies in the arms of the evil one, to lull them to sleep, unconscious of God entirely.
because he has not believed --
Has not turned to God or been open to hear God, has not put their trust in Him.
in the Name of God's one and only Son.
His Name is His Kingdom Authority, His sovereignty as our Master, our King our Father, our God.
So each of us already stands condemned because we are all descended from Adam and we each bear that sin nature, that original sin, that makes it so much easier for us to make wrong choices, bad decisions, for whatever reason we use as our excuse. That's why Jesus came, why the eternal Son was born as a baby with the same human nature we all have, but without the sin. He alone is the eternal Person who could pay our eternal debt to God in time, and also qualify to die that human death that we all deserve.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
The Two Mites
Luke 21:1-4
As He looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. "I tell you the truth," He said, "this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on."
I've wondered how this woman thought she would survive, having given "all she had to live on." Did the religious community of the day take care of their widows? Would she be reduced to begging? Would she appeal to friends to feed and house her? I think she, as a true worshipper, trusted God to meet her needs.
Dear Father, may I have enough trust in You to be able to depend only on You to meet my most primary needs, when my circumstances reach that point?
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
As He looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. "I tell you the truth," He said, "this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on."
I've wondered how this woman thought she would survive, having given "all she had to live on." Did the religious community of the day take care of their widows? Would she be reduced to begging? Would she appeal to friends to feed and house her? I think she, as a true worshipper, trusted God to meet her needs.
Dear Father, may I have enough trust in You to be able to depend only on You to meet my most primary needs, when my circumstances reach that point?
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Monday, February 29, 2016
Light And Darkness
Psalm 139:11-12
If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
This is physical light and darkness. God made light (Genesis 1:3-5), separating what was light from what was not light, or darkness. Then He made the "light-holders" (Genesis 1:14-19) to shine in our sky and delineate days, months, seasons and years, so we could keep time. So the light is what God made, and the darkness is the absence of light; but they're both the same to Him; He sees me and holds my hand regardless of whether I'm in the day or the night. He is always there to take care of me, I need never fear, His love holds me.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
This is physical light and darkness. God made light (Genesis 1:3-5), separating what was light from what was not light, or darkness. Then He made the "light-holders" (Genesis 1:14-19) to shine in our sky and delineate days, months, seasons and years, so we could keep time. So the light is what God made, and the darkness is the absence of light; but they're both the same to Him; He sees me and holds my hand regardless of whether I'm in the day or the night. He is always there to take care of me, I need never fear, His love holds me.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Sunday, February 28, 2016
Love Makes The World Go 'Round
John 14:15-24
If you love Me, you will obey what I command. . . . Whoever has My commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves Me. . . . If anyone loves Me, he will obey My teaching. . . . He who does not love Me will not obey My teaching. . . .
Love really does make the world go 'round. God's love for us and for the whole universe He created. He put His order into it so it would run effectively, and He designed this world to provide everything we need right here. He told us to take care of it and use it, and He gave us His directions, the Manufacturer's Instructions, to keep it running for our benefit. When we love Him, we will follow His instructions, and when we love one another, our relationships will run more smoothly. It's when we don't follow His rules, and not love the way He loves, then we get into trouble environmentally, relationally and spiritually.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
If you love Me, you will obey what I command. . . . Whoever has My commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves Me. . . . If anyone loves Me, he will obey My teaching. . . . He who does not love Me will not obey My teaching. . . .
Love really does make the world go 'round. God's love for us and for the whole universe He created. He put His order into it so it would run effectively, and He designed this world to provide everything we need right here. He told us to take care of it and use it, and He gave us His directions, the Manufacturer's Instructions, to keep it running for our benefit. When we love Him, we will follow His instructions, and when we love one another, our relationships will run more smoothly. It's when we don't follow His rules, and not love the way He loves, then we get into trouble environmentally, relationally and spiritually.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Saturday, February 27, 2016
Why Satan Hates Us
A Meditation
God made the angels perfect, beings of light, beautiful, and incapable of dying. So when sin was found in them, when Lucifer decided that he didn't want to be #2, but elevated himself into God's #1 spot, he was so beautiful, charming and deceptive that he drew a third of God's angels after him in his sin. Since they could not die, there could be no redemption for them. They would have to bear the consequences of their choices for all eternity.
Then God made Mankind. He made Man capable of dying, so that if he made the wrong choice, he would be subject to death, and therefore eligible to be saved. If he had made the right choice, and ate from the Tree of Life instead (which was not forbidden), then Man would also live forever. But he ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, disobeying the only rule God placed on him.
Now we, as Adam's children, are all subject to death, the separation of our life (spiritual parts) from our bodies (corporeal part). And, because we can die, now we can have a substitute die in our place, and continue to live. This was the animal, that God demonstrated to Adam and Eve, that had to die to furnish their clothing, to cover their nakedness.
Then the Old Testament Law stipulated all the sacrifices, all the animals that were to die, and their life-blood poured out. This all gave Mankind the picture of what our Redeemer would accomplish for us.
Then when Jesus was born, lived and died, then was resurrected, He fulfilled more than 400 prophesies, pictures, that had been given over the ages past, so that we would recognize Him, and let Him take our place on that Cross of execution.
No wonder Satan (formerly Lucifer) hates us so much. He was perfect, he sinned, and there is no hope for him. We were made to have the possibility to become perfect, like Lucifer was. But we sinned, too. Unlike the angels, though, God made provision for us to be able to be redeemed, and to become beings of light; essentially to take Lucifer's place as God's worship leaders. And we will judge those angels that sinned, we will have authority over them. That's why Satan and his demons (fallen angels) are trying to destroy us, to destroy our society, and to claim our world for himself.
But God is still greater than our adversary, and He wins in the end. God has it all "on a string," like a yo-yo, and even as everything seems to be careening totally out of control, when it reaches a certain point, God will tug on that string, and this world and all creation will return to Him.
Praise God for His greatness, goodness, power, authority, wisdom, compassion, faithfulness, integrity, creativity, generosity, truth and love.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
God made the angels perfect, beings of light, beautiful, and incapable of dying. So when sin was found in them, when Lucifer decided that he didn't want to be #2, but elevated himself into God's #1 spot, he was so beautiful, charming and deceptive that he drew a third of God's angels after him in his sin. Since they could not die, there could be no redemption for them. They would have to bear the consequences of their choices for all eternity.
Then God made Mankind. He made Man capable of dying, so that if he made the wrong choice, he would be subject to death, and therefore eligible to be saved. If he had made the right choice, and ate from the Tree of Life instead (which was not forbidden), then Man would also live forever. But he ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, disobeying the only rule God placed on him.
Now we, as Adam's children, are all subject to death, the separation of our life (spiritual parts) from our bodies (corporeal part). And, because we can die, now we can have a substitute die in our place, and continue to live. This was the animal, that God demonstrated to Adam and Eve, that had to die to furnish their clothing, to cover their nakedness.
Then the Old Testament Law stipulated all the sacrifices, all the animals that were to die, and their life-blood poured out. This all gave Mankind the picture of what our Redeemer would accomplish for us.
Then when Jesus was born, lived and died, then was resurrected, He fulfilled more than 400 prophesies, pictures, that had been given over the ages past, so that we would recognize Him, and let Him take our place on that Cross of execution.
No wonder Satan (formerly Lucifer) hates us so much. He was perfect, he sinned, and there is no hope for him. We were made to have the possibility to become perfect, like Lucifer was. But we sinned, too. Unlike the angels, though, God made provision for us to be able to be redeemed, and to become beings of light; essentially to take Lucifer's place as God's worship leaders. And we will judge those angels that sinned, we will have authority over them. That's why Satan and his demons (fallen angels) are trying to destroy us, to destroy our society, and to claim our world for himself.
But God is still greater than our adversary, and He wins in the end. God has it all "on a string," like a yo-yo, and even as everything seems to be careening totally out of control, when it reaches a certain point, God will tug on that string, and this world and all creation will return to Him.
Praise God for His greatness, goodness, power, authority, wisdom, compassion, faithfulness, integrity, creativity, generosity, truth and love.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
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