Christians

Saul who was Paul, grew in faith through fear of God. His reverence fueled his faith and his faithfulness defined his obedience.

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Acts 9:15,16

15

But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel.

16

I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

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Simon who was Peter grew in obedience through witnessing the power of the Lord. His obedience defined his faithfulness.

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Luke 22:34

34

Jesus answered, "I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me."

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And

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John 21:15-17

15

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

16

Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

17

The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.

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And

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Acts 10:13-16

13

Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.”

14

“Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”

15

The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”

16

This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.

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Paul learned fear of the Lord, and his devotion to his ministry was defined in his humility. Peter's devotion was defined by his testimony that he was witness to the Law being fulfilled in Christ Jesus.

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Luke 5:38,39

38

No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins.

39

And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for they say, ‘The old is better.’ ”

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Paul's ministry was the new wine, and Peter's ministry was for the old wine. Paul was the faith ministry, and Peter and the other disciples were of the Messianic ministry. Both were distinct, and specific to their works. Both did ministry that included both Jew and Gentile, yes. But both ministries approached the good news from different aspects.

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Acts 11:1

1

The apostles and the believers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.

2

So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him 3and said, “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.”

Acts 11:15-18

15

“As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning.

16

Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with a water, but you will be baptized with b the Holy Spirit.’

17

So if God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?”

18

When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, “So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life.”

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Paul 'died' everyday for the Lord. This is on account of him having to renew his faith daily. He denied himself, in every aspect of worldliness to be his testimony to others. Peter showed his obedience in every testimony. He showed the power of Christ's authority through his righteous ways.

Peter used examples from holy scriptures, and referenced Christ Jesus and his ministry to relate to the Jews he spoke to. While the Holy Spirit placed words on Paul to minister to the Gentiles who did not know the holy scriptures, and Paul was not witness to the ministry of Christ Jesus. What is glorious about this, Paul was greatly well versed and well known by the Jews, while Peter was the son of a fisherman. The Lord is honored by their transitions because each had to set themselves aside with humility to do what the Lord set before them.

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Acts 11:25

25

Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 

26

and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.

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"The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch."

Today, the ministry of Paul is the defining characteristic of the known world of Christianity. The messianical ministry of Peter and the other disciples was meant for Jewish believers to come into the new mediation. Christians that did not come from a background in the Law, are to be of the faith ministry of Paul.

What value is there to a Christian to know the history of Abrahamic Jews, the Law, and the Messianical ministry? Any wisdom that is true, helps fortify faith. But, the faith ministry is what teaches a soul to deny themselves, humbling themselves out of fear for their souls eternal life. And that fear of God shown through denial of self, and acts of faithfulness are what is the foundation of their love for the Father. In this way, faithfulness leads to obedience.

Repent what draws you away from faith. To give your regrets to the Lord in sincerity is a freedom that has been given to all mankind to celebrate. Ask forgiveness and grant forgiveness. Seek strength that is unseen and holy to overcome your worldliness. Pray constantly, and fill your mind with attention to the good that is around you. Persevere.

Faithfulness is holy. It leads us to rely on the Holy Spirit we cling to. Love. Fear the Lord and live to serve in loving ways those around you, and those placed before you. Christians are connected by the Spirit of Truth, and although we all have trials, we can relate in the holiness that comes upon us. So share openly the holy things you are witness to.

We are deeply loved. Thank the Father for His Son. May the Father bless and enrich your day.

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The First Offering

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Genesis 4:3

3

In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord.

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The first offering to the Lord God was made by Cain. Adam did not request this of him, the Lord did not commit him to it. In wonder of the fruition of his efforts, Cain brought this firstfruits of his work to the Lord as an offering. Cain meant to honor God. This was a loving act.

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Genesis 4:5-7

5

but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.

6

Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast?

7

If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it."

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Cain was to overcome rejection. This rejection was a gift from God because God loved him. God's first offering. Cain was offered the first fruits of wisdom. The wisdom for Cain was to overcome rejection and endure. Cain had the opportunity to please God by accepting rejection.

What is acceptable before God is recognition of His unseen qualities. Cain had an opportunity to show the Lord that he could endure rejection and seek to honor the Lord in ways the Lord desires. This was a gift, true favor. This wisdom was available to Cain, had he overcome the knowledge of good and evil that he relied upon.

And so it is with all of mankind. And we rely on our knowledge of good and evil so we surely die. Our inability to put aside our knowledge and seek in faith the unseen qualities of the Spirit of God, leaves us open to sin. We walk in our reactions to what is placed in front of us, and our actions are solely based on our knowledge of good and evil. So we are led into sin, as everything not done in faith is sin.

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Genesis 4:9

"And the LORD said unto Cain: 'Where is Abel thy brother?' And he said: 'I know not; am I my brother's keeper?'"

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A new opportunity for the first born of Adam, to repent of his sin. A sin that came from his inability to endure rejection. Cain could have feared the Lord, but instead he feared rejection. If Cain feared the Lord, he would have done what is right by the Lord. But Cain again felt rejected, and instead of repenting, spoke rebelliously.

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Genesis 4:10-12

10

The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.

11

Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.

12

When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”

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The Lord knew that Cain was not accepting rejection. And the Lord knew that Cain was not going to repent. So the Lord offered Cain the gift of understanding. The Lord said, "Listen!".

So the Lord explained to Cain the cost of these acts. But because the Lord loved Cain, He gave Cain the opportunity to overcome rejection, and know the peace of the Lord.

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Genesis 4:13,14

13

Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is more than I can bear.

14

Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”

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Cain did not see the opportunity to overcome rejection, and know the peace of the Lord.The wisdom for Cain was to overcome rejection and endure. Instead of fearing God and knowing then a love for Him, Cain feared for his existence, based on his knowledge of good and evil. Yet again we see the Lord loved Cain because he showed Cain mercy.

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Genesis 4:15,16

15

But the Lord said to him, “Not so; anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.” Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him.

16

So Cain went out from the Lord’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

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Having feared rejection from relying on his knowledge of good and evil, the Lord still love Cain. And knowing Cain would not overcome rejection, and knowing Cain would not repent, and knowing Cain would not fear Him, and knowing Cain would not endure but would instead be ruled by his sin, the Lord showed Cain that he was loved. The Lord showed Cain mercy. After hearing Cain fearing for his existence, the Lord said to him, "Not so."

Cain was treated with love. We see patience, we see love, we see kindness, we see gentleness, we see faithfulness, we see mercy. The Lord did not leave Cain, Cain walked away. The Lord never lost faith, Cain just couldn't see his way to it. Cain walked away.

I leave you with this. Cain did not endure. Cain did not overcome rejection. Cain did not seek out the unseen qualities of God. Cain could not separate himself from the knowledge of good and evil that he relied upon, after he was rejected once as a test of love. Cain walked away.

Do not consider rejection from the Lord as anything but an opportunity to seek out His will. What you offer the Lord might be rejected for your own sake, so you can come into a greater understanding. You are deeply loved.

So "Listen" when you feel rejected. Remain humble, and fear God who does bring you down, so He can raise you up in holy ways. This is the ways of loving discipline of our only Father. Endure or be left to your sin which will destroy you. Don't walk away. 

The first offering was met with love. Love corrects our ways, not agrees with them.

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Your mind

Philippians 4:8

8

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

9

Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

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So as Christians, we are told to focus on "whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable..". We are told this because if we are focussed on the attributes that come from acting in righteous ways, then we are growing in understanding, instead of reacting to temptation.

Here is an example that I draw from a sermon I heard.

A man goes to a witch once a month, who tells him about his future. She has been accurate for the time he has known her, and has faith in her abilities. On this particular day, he goes in and sits down in front of her. She looks to him and says, "You will die in your sleep seven days from now."

The man, who is deeply disturbed by this, goes home and tells his family. They are also troubled by this, as they grew accustomed to what the witch supplied. So the man makes preparations. He leaves his job, gets his estate in order, and on the seventh day he died in his sleep.

Here is another example of the same thing:

A woman goes to see a psychiatrist. She has had the same anxiety for most of her adult life. She has gone through doctors and psychologists and other psychiatrists for solutions, and nothing has helped her. Her condition is the focal point of her day, everyday.

The psychiatrist when hearing this, asks her confidently a series of questions, amd writes things down. He tells her he is pleased she came to him, because he is certain he can help. But then he adds that the medication she needs for a full cure, is extremely rare, amd must be shipped from overseas. It will take over a month to get. But once it is in, he will call her immediately. The woman leaves, hopeful.

Six weeks go by and the woman has returned to the psychiatrist at his request. "It came in!" He said to her, openly pleased. He says to he to follow these written instructions, and that because of the potency of the pills, she will notice large changes in her anxiety levels within hours every pill taken. And that the science of the pills will leave her fully cured before she reaches the end of the pill cycle. But that just to be sure, she should complete the pill cycle.

In tears, the woman leaves, now anxious to heal. And on the day after the pill cycle was finished, she entered the psychiatrist's office without an appointment. Her entire appearance had changed. She wore a great smile and walked with confidence in her steps. She laughed about how she noticed changes almost immediately, and that she knew there was a cure for her if she just kept looking.

The psychiatrist had dinner that night with a colleague, and shared the story with him. The colleague asked, "What kind of medication was it that worked so well?"

The psychiatrist smiled, and said, "Sugar drops."

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What we place our confidence in, is what will manifest.

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Now, for those of us who place our confidence in what is holy, we set ourselves aside so that what is holy can come through us. In doing so, our minds are occupied with peace. And our hearts(our conscience), are supplying the fruits of the kingdom through us, by the Holy Spirit within us. What manifests through us is holiness.

If we allow anxiety or fear to settle into our minds, what we will be receptive to will be our downfall. If we place our fear in God, and place our confidence with Jesus, we will know the peace of mind that only God can supply.

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Matthew 11:28

28

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

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Spiritual Integrity

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1 Peter 2:19-21

19

For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God.

20

But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.

21

To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

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Integrìty is defined in human terms as the quality of being honest, having strong principles; and uprightness. Spiritual integrity is a service that honors God, instead of yourself. Carrying the sufferance of what you feel you should do, and instead then doing what your service to God requires. Spiritual integrity is not understood by the world or it's children.

The difference is whom your acts honor.

When a worldly person acts with worldly integrity, they are following a worldly code of ethics or social morality. These standards of ethics and moral sense change from generation to generation. Those who have this integrity, believe their actions form a goodness, and they carry esteem for themselves for standing up for these sensibilities. They are honored by those who are witness to it, and they become example of rightness to those who also would act with integrity.

When a believer of Christ, who carries the Spirit of Truth in them, suffers for their acts, we can have confidence they have brought honor to God. They are not acting on behalf of themselves or others, they are serving God's will because it is Him that they love. What comes from these acts is true goodness, and the authority behind these acts does not change, has not changed, nor will it ever change. Those who carry this spiritual integrity are in the service of master. They realize they are not worthy of honor for doing what is holy. Instead, they allow this holiness to do what they are incapable of doing on their own.

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1 Peter 1:14-16

14

As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.

15

But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;

16

for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.

The humility of a believer is a consequence of their fear of the Lord. They are acting on faith, speaking by faith. They remain open to the truth they carry, and they fear nothing in front of them, because they realize what is within them is the foundation of everything. The fear they carry, is that they are witness to true authority, and they serve it out of love for their master.

So when a circumstance arises, where a person of worldly integrity and a person who serves God with integrity - conflict, this is where suffering occurs. And this is very much the work of the enemy of truth. This is where the battleground becomes real.

The world grows towards unity that reconciles all mankind, while the works of Christ grow towards reconciliation to the Father. The sword of division that separates mankind is placed there by the Holy Authority. We are not meant to reconcile ourselves to one another, nor are we meant to judge one another. A love of the Father is meant to bring us into a love of all he created. The difference is one honors God and one honor ourselves.

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2 Corinthians 5:18,19

18

All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:

19

that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

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When we are accepting of each other, without having the integrity to bring about understanding that is righteous, we are serving what is seen, instead of standing up for the unseen qualities of God. To be loving of one another because we love the Father, is to separate ourselves from the desire to create our own peace.

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Matthew 5:32-34

32

“Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven.

33But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.

34

“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.

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Matthew 5:37-39

37

“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

38

Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

39

Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.

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The Father spoke through His Authority, and sometime the Authority spoke on behalf of the Father, both were acts of the Spirit. The Son of Man was our great example of faith and spiritual integrity. Because Jesus loved the Father above all, he was able to be loving to us all. He cast aside his worldly integrity, and became the light that was in him. We are to do the same, even to the point of persecution, or death.

Be aware of what you do and say. Keep God first with love, and honor Him with your service. Do these things and expect adversity, because what you are attempting to do is foreign, and will be considered wrong. The time upon us will celebrate humanity without God. And we will be chastised and hated because of our spiritual integrity.

Just remember God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son. So that whosoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. God loved you first, honor Him, stand up for Him.

Deliberation

Sirash said,

'a person's test is in his deliberation.'

To deliberate is to engage in long, and careful consideration.

It is maturity that usually brings out deliberation, but there are some who through upbringing, have grown to consider things before they act. For most of us, it is better said that we learn from our mistakes, so we will not make them again.

But that is being human. So what is different for a Christian? Deliberation begins for a Christian with the fear of God.

Sirash said,

'Fear of the Lord is the beginning of loving Him, but faith, faith is the beginning of clinging to him.'

If we love the Father, we consider what we do as having the potential to glorify Him. And having faith that what we do out of love for Him, is what is His righteousness acting through us. That perfection is what we rely on with confidence.

Jesus deliberated. We know this because he knew what was in the hearts of the Pharisees seeking to condemn him. So he considered what was upon their hearts, before he spoke. And because he was the voice of righteousness, what came through him, glorified the Father by His authority. Jesus was tested, and did not react as a human, but instead acted as a vessel of holiness. A vessel that supplied wisdom which honored the Father and supplied understanding for any who would listen.

When we are tested, there is an opportunity. If we have a fear of God, we put Him first. In putting the Father first, we then seek to apply holiness, instead of human reaction. And we can only supply that holiness by having the mind of Christ within us; the Holy Spirit.

Deliberation is also a form of self control. Self control is spiritual and holy. There is no sin that can come from using self control. So to deliberate in fear of God, is itself a way to honor the Father. Deliberation is in this context, a maturity.

Manna

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Deuteronomy 8:3

"And He afflicted thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that He might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every thing that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live."

and

Deuteronomy 8:16

"who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that He might afflict thee, and that He might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end;"

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Manna is of the unseen qualities of God. It is itself life. Life is spirit. And what we know now is that the physical cannot exist without the spiritual, and that the spiritual can, and has, been known to sustain the physical.

Our reliance on our senses leaves our soul seeking out the wrong things. We have to unlearn what we have grown to rely upon. When Jesus was in temptation, he stated the very same essence:

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Matthew 4:2-4

2

After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.

3

The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

4

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’

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The 'words' that come out of the mouth of God, is another way of saying 'by God's authority'. So 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but by clinging to God's authority obediently.'

It was said many times during the mediation of Law, that if a man followed the Law, years may be added to his life. Well, that is exactly the case. But what is essential to remember; is the spiritual is what is the life that resides in this physical existence.

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Romans 3:21

21

But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.

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When we have holiness work through us, we have Jesus, who is the Father's Holy Authority; acting through us. The more holiness comes through us, the more life is in us. This is the strength that is not our own. This is in essence what manna does. It is an extension of God's righteousness working in us. But, if we fall away from Him, we return to dying.

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Deuteronomy 8:19

"And it shall be, if thou shalt forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I forewarn you this day that ye shall surely perish."

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We don't die, but spiritually without the Holy Spirit, which is the mind of Christ, who is the life, we are left again to the poverty of this existence, and we perish in it. Eternally, what we have done is proven we cannot abide in the authority while tempted, better said is, we failed to prove we can exist on everything that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD.

Manna is real in unseen quality. It is life. And Jesus is that bread of life.

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John 6:45-51

45

It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me.

46

No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father.

47

Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life.

48

I am the bread of life.

49

Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died.

50

But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die.

51

I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

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Amen

Jars of Clay

None are righteous. Not one.

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Ecclesiastes 9:3

3

"This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one event unto all; yea also, the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead."

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There is a greater understanding to why we must die and be born again.

In all of us, is a heart that does what it deems right. And in what we believe is right, there is judgement. In this reaction, we are led. We are led into wisdom or into folly, but in either wisdom or in folly, we still we believe we are right in our hearts. We believe we are right, because something tells us that there is a right and wrong. Our heart is what some call instinct. Our heart is not our soul, but it is what our soul relies upon in the darkness of our existence.

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2 Peter 2:12

12

But these people blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like unreasoning animals, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like animals they too will perish.

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Peter was speaking to those under the Law, making an example of those who are lawless. But in truth, all begin as lawless. It was only the Law that gave way to correct living for the lawless, and it is Christ Jesus who gives a way to have righteousness comes through those who deny themselves. But we all have this heart of evil. We are the corrupted animals, we are all that the Law defines as sin, and we are all that Christ died to save.

There is nothing we do under the sun that is good.

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Gospel of Thomas 15:1-3

14

1

Jesus said to them, "If you fast, you will bring sin upon yourselves,

2

and if you pray, you will be condemned,

3

and if you give to charity, you will harm

your spirits.

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So we alone suffer, or we cause others to suffer, or we cause ourselves and others to suffer. But there is cost in all we do under the son, and whether it is good or evil, it will be judged.

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Ecclesiastes 12:13,14

13

"The end of the matter, all having been heard: fear God, and keep His commandments; for this is the whole man."

14

"For God shall bring every work into the judgment concerning every hidden thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil."

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Ecclesiastes 1:1

"THE WORDS OF the Koheleth, the son of David, king in Jerusalem."

He wrote much, and it is to be considered wisdom. But what is wisdom without truth? Wisdom without truth is knowledge without understanding. It is meaningless, a comfort, and as Koheleth puts is beat, 'all is vanity'.

With Christ we find the Truth, as he is the Truth. Christ Jesus is the authority which knowledge drinks from and blooms. Christ Jesus is the only way to fully glorify the Father. Christ Jesus is the only meaning in a life that is surrounded by evil on all sides. Christ Jesus says we must die and be born again in order to receive what is holy and act on it.

So reborn as slaves to what we do not know, and what we cannot attain without faith in it's unseen qualities. There is no other way, because otherwise our hearts make claim and our faith is dead.

So in our slavery we seek first by the kingdom. The kingdom is the conscience of God, and in His righteousness, all that is holy is then placed upon us, and in the service of Him and one another we selflessly supply holiness that comes through us. We are empty vessels made full by faithfulness, and in these acts of service, what comes through us is overflowing, and greater than our comprehension.

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2 Corinthians 4:7

7

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

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In our wisdom and folly, we are kings of meaningless things and empty relationships that end with our death. But, in our faith, we are slaves to love and it's truth; and we have a purpose that is greater than the existence we died of.

Fellow slaves rejoice at the call of your master!

Know you are worthless, and remain in fear of His attention. For when we are raised up, we will receive payment for our service to His will!