Purpose
of the Body
What
is the body?
Romans
12:1
– Therefore I urge you brothers in the
view of God’s mercy to offer your bodies as living sacrifices holy and pleasing
to God, this is your spiritual act of worship.
1
Corinthians 6:2-20
Or do you not
know that the Lord’s people will judge the world? And if you are to judge the
world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? 3 Do you not
know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life! 4 Therefore,
if you have disputes about such matters, do you ask for a ruling from those
whose way of life is scorned in the church? 5 I say this to shame
you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a
dispute between believers? 6 But instead, one brother takes another
to court—and this in front of unbelievers!
7 The
very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely
defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? 8 Instead,
you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers and
sisters. 9 Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the
kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters
nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men 10 nor thieves nor the
greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of
God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you
were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by
the Spirit of our God.
Sexual Immorality
12 “I
have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I
have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything. 13 You
say, “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food, and God will destroy them
both.” The body, however, is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord,
and the Lord for the body. 14 By his power God raised the Lord from
the dead, and he will raise us also. 15 Do you not know that your
bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ
and unite them with a prostitute? Never! 16 Do you not know that he
who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said,
“The two will become one flesh.”17 But whoever is united with the
Lord is one with him in spirit.
18 Flee
from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body,
but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. 19 Do you
not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom
you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought
at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
Corinthians
3:16-17
– Don’t you know that you yourself are
God’s Holy temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you. If anyone destroys God’s
temple, God will destroy them, for God’s temple is sacred and you are that
temple.
2
Corinthians 6:16
– For we are all the temple of the living
God. As God has said, I will live with them and walk among them and I will be
their God and they will be my people.
Acts
17:24
– God does not live in temples built by
men.
2
Corinthians 6:16 – First part
what agreement is there between then temples of God and idols.
Matthew
26:41
– The spirit is willing but the flesh is
weak.
Luke
12:34
– For where your treasure is that is
where your heart will be.
Romans
6:13, 14
– Do not offer parts of your body to sin
as instruments of wickedness but rather offer yourself to God as those who have
been brought from death to life and offer parts of your body to him as
instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are
not under the law, but under grace.
Ephesians
5:29
– After all, no one ever hated his own
body, but he feeds and cares for it.
There are
several verses on two will become one flesh.
Genesis
2:24 that is why a man leaves his father and
mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.
Mark
10:8 and the two will
become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh.
1
Corinthians 6:16 Do
you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in
body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.
Ephesians
5:31 For this reason a man will leave his father and
mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.
Our
bodies are not our own, they are Holy temples of the Lord’s.
The
Holy Spirit resides in our bodies and we are called not to defile our bodies.
In
Romans we are called to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice.
We
have been called to serve the Lord and to serve one another.
If
we are not physically fit, emotionally fit, it becomes difficult to serve
others because we first must take care of our physical and emotional needs,
thus causing us to focus on ourselves, our needs, before the needs of others.
It
is therefore critical to take care of ourselves physically and emotionally
(mentally) so that we can be available to our Father to do his will and
purpose.
Too
many of us are consumed with our own needs of self-preservation to be of
service to others. We become physical, mentally and emotionally unavailable to
do his will because of our total disregard for ourselves and total disregard of
God.
Heavenly
Father has said to not worry about what we will eat; he will provide that which
we need.
Many
of us live from one meal to another, one snack to another never stopping to
think what impact that food has on our bodies, our minds, and our emotional
well- being.
We
defile the temple of the Lord by overeating or eating the wrong combinations of
food, polluting our bodies with nicotine, alcohol, caffeine, and medication,
drugs of all kinds, food, and in-activity.
We
need to be mindful of the physical as well as the psychological impact of
anything that enters our bodies.
We eat food to
sustain ourselves, not to over indulge.
We
must not consume alcohol, smoke cigarettes, take unneeded or unwarranted
medication, use drugs of any kind, consume excessive amounts of food or the
wrong combination of foods (too much of anything is bad, moderation is the key)
and don’t limit our physical well-being by inactivity.
In
Romans we are told to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice.
Our bodies are
not our own, they belong to our Father in Heaven.
We
sacrifice our bodies to him as a witness or testimony of our faith in our Lord
Jesus Christ.
We
don’t own our bodies; our Father in Heaven owns them.
In
1 Corinthians 3:16 – we see that God’s spirit (Holy) dwells within us
and we are called not to destroy our body, his temple, for if we do we will be
destroyed.
Destroy
–
to ruin thoroughly, to tear or break apart. Kill.
If
we go on the path of self-gratification Heavenly Father promises us he will
destroy our body because he will not reside in unclean or unholy temples.
When
we choose to ignore or deny God by allowing impure or improper things to enter
into our bodies God will not reside in you, he will leave you, he will abandon
your holy temple, and the Holy Spirit will no longer continue to dwell there.
We will be out of touch and out of communication with the Lord.
He
will not hear our prayers, he will not answer our prayers, he will not listen
when we call out his name, he has not forsaken us nor will he ever leave us, he
will not ever totally abandon us but he will not reside in unclean temples.
1
Corinthians 16:19
– we are told that the Holy Spirit lives
with-in us.
The
spirit lives within each and every one of us, but he won’t for long if we
defile our bodies – he will depart, leaving us in darkness, out of touch with
the Lord through his son Jesus Christ.
The Holy Spirit
prompts us on how to pray and what to pray about.
Romans
8:26, 27
– If he is not available to us we lose
out. We will no longer be inspired to pray to seek our Lord’s guidance, we will
no longer seek our Lord, our eyes and ears will be closed to his voice and we
will miss out on our opportunity to be of service to others.
Excessive
amounts of food and the wrong combinations of food (sugar, carbohydrates,
proteins, vegetables, and fruits, dairy) alter our physical and emotional well-being.
Luke
12:22-31
Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore
I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your
body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than
food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider
the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God
feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your
life? 26 Since you cannot do this
very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
27 “Consider how
the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even
Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field,
which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will
he clothe you—you of little faith! 29 And do
not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it.
30 For the pagan world runs after all such things,
and your Father knows that you need them. 31 But
seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
What are we
called to do, seek ye first the kingdom of God, as it says in the Lord’s
Prayer.
Matthew
6:4
– On earth as it is in Heaven.
It
also says in that prayer your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
Not our will but
his will.
Our
bodies are not our bodies, but his bodies to bring about his purpose which is
to bring about the immortality of all men, to offer men an opportunity to
accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, be baptized in his name, receive
the gift of the Holy Ghost and obey his word and commandments until the day we
leave our mortal bodies.
Heavenly
Father has said do not worry about what you eat or how you clothe yourself. He
will provide as needed and required – have faith, believe and have no doubt,
the Lord will provide.
2 Corinthians
6:16
– it says what agreement is there between
God and idols.
What
is an idol? An image that is worshipped, one that is blindly adored.
How
many of us say we love chocolate, a
good steak, ice cream, French fries, a good salad with ranch dressing, name the
food and someone, somewhere could be heard saying, I love…
For
many of us our love for food, cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, and medication has
become our idol.
We
worship blindly those substances that enter our bodies more than we worship our
Father in Heaven.
How
much time do you spend eating each day, smoking, drinking?
How
much time are you under the physical and psychological effect of medication,
drugs, alcohol and other stimulants or depressants. The effect of any substance
that enters the bodies is both physically and psychologically impacting our
existence minute by minute, hour by hour; day by day.
How
long does it take to eat a 10 ounce steak? 10 minutes? How long do you think it
takes the body to absorb the steak? 10 hours.
Things
we put into our bodies all have a consequence.
The
wrong or improper combination of those things placed into our bodies by our
choice have a definite impact on our physical and psychological well-being.
Just ask the person who is 200 pounds overweight, the alcoholic, the caffeine
addicted, the drug addicted, the medicated person, how they feel about
themselves. I would venture to guess that not many of them would tell you that
they feel great about their addiction or idolization of that substance they
feel compelled to ingest into their bodies.
How could anyone
so consumed by their own addiction be of value or service to others and to the
Lord?
Their
own self-seeking gratification of their addiction renders them almost useless.
The
Lord’s spirit will not and I repeat will not reside there.
These
people who idolize their addiction above the Lord will be left in darkness,
weeping and wailing, gnashing their teeth.
They
will experience pain, suffering, misery that will lead them to total
destruction. They bring this upon themselves.
1 Corinthians
6:12
– we see that our Heavenly Father has
made all things permissible (free will), however not everything is beneficial
and we are called to not be mastered by anything.
If
we allow food, drugs, alcohol, medication to be our master, how can we allow
our Lord to be our master?
Matthew 6:24 – he says no one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the
other or he will be devoted to one and despise the other.
You
cannot serve God and food, alcohol, caffeine, medication, drugs.
You
will choose one over the other, as for me and my house we choose to serve the
Lord.
Food is meant to
sustain us, not control us.
We
become controlled by food when we eat too much, not eat enough, eat the wrong
things or eat things in combination with one another which renders them useless
to our bodies.
Remember
you are what you eat! Eat the right foods and your body and your mind will
reward you with health, vigor and vitality.
Eat
the wrong foods or combination of foods and your body and your mind will reward
you with ill health, lack of motivation, you will not have energy, you will
feel sleepy or tired, your spirit will shrink and you will sense a feeling of
complacency.
Proper nutrition
gives us strength and energy.
We need strength
and energy to do the work of the Lord.
Proper
nutrition also gives us clarity of thought, mind and purpose.
We
spend less time thinking and feeling about the effects of the food and spend
more time thinking about how we can be of service to the Lord.
When
we become free of the effects of food, caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, drugs,
medication we then allow ourselves to focus and concentrate our mental energies
and our bodies in a manner which adds more value to our lives.
By adding more
value to our lives we are free to experience life in its fullest.
A
healthy mind, body and spirit may then be used by our Father in Heaven to
fulfill his purpose which is to bring about the immortality of all men.
When
we over eat, self-medicate or defile our bodies in any way, shape or form
contrary to our Father’s commands we render ourselves useless to him and the
furtherance of his kingdom and he does promise his spirit will not reside in
unclean temples and that he will destroy those who defile his temple.
Therefore be
extremely cautious of everything that enters into your bodies,
I mean
everything.
Ask
yourself this question. Does this substance I am about to impart into my body
gratify the Lord, will it magnify my calling, will my ability to love and serve
increase or am I polluting my body, my mind and this casting out the spirit of
the Lord that longs to dwell in me?
If
the spirit is not within us, we are unable to serve him!
When
we don’t serve him, we serve ourselves and the world around us.
He
no longer calls upon us to do his work, we therefore remain in a state of pain
and misery, in total darkness, wondering, worrying, uninformed and without
hope.
Choose
not to defile the body and the mind, choose to live to love and serve the Lord.
Choose
to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior.
Choose life over
death.
I
love you Lord, thank you for these words of inspiration. Praise to you Lord
Jesus Christ.
What
are we called to do, seek ye first the kingdom of God, as it says in the Lord’s
Prayer.
Matthew
6:4
– On earth as it is in Heaven.
It
also says in that prayer your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
Not our will but
his will.
The
Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak
Matthew 26:41 – he stated the spirit is willing but the
flesh is weak.
What
is the spirit willing to do?
Instruct
us, comfort us, guide us, teach us how to pray, when to pray, what to pray
about. He is willing to help us, assist us every moment of every day on what to
think, say and do. This is the spirit of Jesus Christ we are talking about. He
is willing to assist us in doing the will of the father. He is willing but our
flesh (our bodies) are weak.
Weak – having little
strength or energy, feeble. Easily damaged or broken, fragile. Marked by,
indicative of, or resulting from insufficient intellect, character strength or
will power. Lacking the usual required strength. Lacking the ability to
function normally, properly. Unconvincing. Having inadequate capability or
skills.
This
description closely sums up the condition of our bodies when we lack the
spirit.
The
spirit is willing to take the lead, willing to give us the strength and energy
we need. He will provide us with sufficient intellect, character, will power,
skill to do the work of the Lord. He will make our bodies strong, durable and
tough; we will have strength in our navel and in our sinews. Where we fail, he
will succeed, where we stumble, he will pick us up. He will instruct us on what
to say and when to say it, what to do and when to do it, what to think, how to
act and where to go. He will counsel us every minute of every day if we just
ask him by praying continuously, continually throughout the day.
Matthew 7:7 – Ask and it will be given unto you, seek and
you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks
receives, he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be opened.
Not
everyone who asks receives, those who seek, find or those who knock, the door
may be closed.
Seek
ye first the kingdom of God and all things will be added unto you!
Matthew 6:33 – seek first his kingdom and his righteousness
and all these things will be given to you as well. What do we need to do first,
seek first the kingdom of God.
What do we do
next?
John 3:16 – Believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and
savior and be saved.
Third, we need
to be baptized for the remission of sins. But first we need to repent of our
sins.
Matthew 4:17
From that time on
Jesus began to preach, “Repent,
for the kingdom of heaven has come near.
Luke 13:3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent,
you too will all perish.
Luke 5:32 I have not come to call the
righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Acts 17:30 In the past God overlooked such
ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.
After repentance
we need to forsake our sins
Acts 26:20 – Repent and turn to God and prove their
repentance by their deeds.
Luke 3:8 – Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.
Matthew 7:16 – By their fruit you will recognize them.
Matthew 7:15-23
True and False
Prophets
15 “Watch out
for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are
ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will
recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles?
17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a
bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree
cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down
and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their
fruit you will recognize them.
True and False Disciples
21 “Not everyone
who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the
one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we
not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name
perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell
them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
The
fruit of the spirit is love and joy.
Galatians 5:22. Isaiah 55:7 – Let the wicked forsake his ways and the evil man his thoughts.
Probably you need to repent, then be baptized, then forsake your ways.
Baptism
Mark 16:16 – Whoever believes and is baptized will be
saved, but whoever does not believe and is not baptized will be condemned. Acts 2:38 – Peter said repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of
Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins. And you will receive the gift of the
Holy Spirit. John 3:6, 7 – Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the spirit
gives birth to the spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying. You must
be born again. After we have been baptized we are called to receive the gift of
the Holy Spirit.
In
Acts 2:38 – we see that after we are
baptized we will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized,
every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.
And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Interesting
passage on the Holy Spirit in Luke 11:13
– Your Father in Heaven gives the Holy
Spirit to those who ask him. Do we not need to be baptized??
Interesting
question.
Once we have
received the gift of the Holy Spirit we are called in to obedience, following
his words, his commands and his instruction (the bible).
Matthew 28:20 – he says obey everything he has commanded.
John 14:23 – He who loved me will obey my teachings. Acts 5:29 – We must obey God
rather than man. 1 John 5:3 – A love for God to obey his commands.
We
have now come full circle, hopefully this helps you see that our Lord and
savior resides in us, his holy temples, we are here to do his will, his
purpose, and his work.
If
we are walking in full accordance with God’s will, God’s spirit will be with us
and he will provide us the strength, energy, wisdom, insight, knowledge,
understanding to break the chains of our addictions which lead us astray from
loving and serving the Lord our God with all our heart and soul.
Deuteronomy
10:12
– It is our choice, he gives us free
will. Galatians 5:3 – You my brothers were called to be free.
But
do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature, rather love and serve one
another in love – love your neighbor as yourself.
You
need to ask yourself the following questions. Are you ready willing and able
to:
1. Seek first the
kingdom of God.
2. Accept Jesus
Christ as your Lord and savior.
3. Come to him with
a humble and broken spirit, and contrite heart.
4. Willing and
ready to receive repentance of your sins.
5. Be baptized for
the remission of your sins.
6. Ready to receive
the gift of the Holy Spirit.
7. Ready to forsake
your sins.
8. Ready to walk in
obedience to his commandments, his commands and his word.
9. Ready to lose
your life for the sake of finding the life God has in store for you.
10.
Accept
your reward on earth as it is in Heaven.
If
you are ready, willing and able then get on your knees and pray to our Heavenly
Father giving him thanks for your decision.
Then
begin your life anew. If you are not ready, willing and able at this time, once
again get on your knees and pray to our Heavenly Father for forgiveness, wisdom
and ask him to open your eyes and ears to receive the glory of the light of our
Lord Jesus Christ.
The
choice is yours each and every moment of each and every day.
We
either choose the light of Christ or the darkness of Satan.
As
for me and my house we choose the light of Christ. Remember we are asked to
take up our cross daily and follow him.
Luke 9:23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple
must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.
We
make that decision to follow Christ each moment of our waking day. Choose the
right, choose to follow Christ.
Luke 18:27 – What is impossible with man is possible with
God.
I
don’t know if I can do it? Of course you can’t, you can’t do anything without
the help of the Lord.
Take
out the I in life and replace with our Father in Heaven.
Once
you have made a choice to follow Jesus, you need to lose the “I” because it is
not about you anymore. Instead of saying I can do this or I did that or I want,
I need, I wish, I, I, I. Say my Father in Heaven or my Lord and redeemer Jesus
Christ.
So
instead of saying I wish I lived in a big beautiful house say my Heavenly
Father desires for me to live in a big beautiful house and if it is his will,
he will provide a way for this holy temple to reside there.
Our
needs, wants and desires take a back seat to our father’s will.
He
will provide for us, he will give us food shelter, clothes and water. We will
lack absolutely nothing. Accept what the Lord has given you stewardship over,
be a good steward with what he has given you.
Take
what he has given you and multiply it.
Matthew 25:14-30
The Parable of the Bags of Gold
14 “Again, it
will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted
his wealth to them. 15 To one he gave five
bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to
his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The
man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work
and gained five bags more. 17 So also, the
one with two bags of gold gained two more. 18 But
the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his
master’s money.
19 “After a long
time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received five bags of gold brought the
other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I
have gained five more.’
21 “His master
replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a
few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s
happiness!’
22 “The man with
two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags
of gold; see, I have gained two more.’
23 “His master
replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a
few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your
master’s happiness!’
24 “Then the man
who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are
a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not
scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and
went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
26 “His master
replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not
sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with
the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with
interest.
28 “‘So take the
bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 29 For whoever has will be given more, and they will have
an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from
them. 30 And throw that worthless servant
outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Do
not be envious of others, take what you have been given and nurture it.
Remember
we can’t take anything or anyone with us beyond the grave.
Work
on your own salvation as you are loving and serving the Lord.
We
are not to question why or necessarily understand God’s will; we are called to
be obedient to his word.
Remember
if we are walking in obedience to his word – all things will be added unto us.
When
we are walking faithfully in obedience to the Lord our minds and bodies will
never stop desiring to love and serve him.
We
will have an unquenchable thirst for increased light, truth, knowledge, wisdom
and understanding.
The
good news is we will receive it just by asking according to his will and
purpose for us.
Each
of us has been given many talents; the Lord uses these talents to bring about
the immortality of men.
The
Lord requires we develop our talents so that we may be a witness to others of
our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. If we don’t use the talent God have us he
will take it away and give it to another.
I
don’t know if I can keep up the pace, I don’t know if I am capable of getting
an A+ in math, I don't know if I will be successful in business. I don’t know
if I will win the race.
This
is call (FUD) fear, uncertainty and doubt.
This
is what the evil spirit uses to stop us from walking in faith, truth and
righteousness. Of course you can’t do it, but with the strength and support all
things are possible.
Parable of the Fig Tree – Mark 11:20-25 In the morning, as they went along, they saw
the fig tree withered from the roots. 21 Peter remembered and said to Jesus,
“Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”
22 “Have faith
in God,” Jesus answered. 23 “Truly[a]
I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’
and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen,
it will be done for them. 24 Therefore I tell you,
whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will
be yours. 25 And when you stand praying, if
you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven
may forgive you your sins.
If we have faith and believe we will be able
to move mountains.
We can’t do anything on our own, you are
correct when you say I………, remember those who ask will receive, let the Lord
help you.
Footprints in the Sand
|
|
|
One night I
dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.
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Many scenes
from my life flashed across the sky.
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In each scene
I noticed footprints in the sand.
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Sometimes
there were two sets of footprints,
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other times
there were one set of footprints.
|
|
This bothered
me because I noticed
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that during
the low periods of my life,
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when I was
suffering from
|
anguish,
sorrow or defeat,
|
I could see
only one set of footprints.
|
|
So I said to
the Lord,
|
"You
promised me Lord,
|
that if I
followed you,
|
you would walk
with me always.
|
But I have
noticed that during
|
the most
trying periods of my life
|
there have
only been one
|
set of
footprints in the sand.
|
Why, when I
needed you most,
|
you have not
been there for me?"
|
|
The Lord
replied,
|
"The
times when you have
|
seen only one
set of footprints,
|
is when I
carried you."
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Mary Stevenson
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During our times of trials and suffering when
you only see one set of footprints in the sand, it was then that he carried us.
We are never alone when we walk in the ways of the Lord, he will always be
there for us.
God’s
purpose – his work
Master’s
will – God’s will
Luke 12:47, 48 – The servant who knows his master’s will and
does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with
many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment
will be beaten a few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much more is
demanded and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be
asked.
Watchfulness – we don’t know
when Jesus will be coming so be on guard.
Luke 12:35-48
Watchfulness
35 “Be dressed
ready for service and keep your lamps burning, 36 like servants waiting for their master to return from a
wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the
door for him. 37 It will be good for those
servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he
will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come
and wait on them. 38 It will be good for
those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of
the night or toward daybreak. 39 But
understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was
coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40
You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when
you do not expect him.”
41 Peter asked,
“Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?”
42 The Lord
answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the
master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the
proper time? 43 It will be good for
that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. 44 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his
possessions. 45 But suppose the servant says
to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to
beat the other servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get
drunk. 46 The master of that servant will
come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He
will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.
47 “The servant
who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the
master wants will be beaten with many blows. 48 But the one who does not know and does things deserving
punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given
much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much,
much more will be asked.
John 3:34 – God gives the spirit without limit!
Jesus said in John 4:34 – My food is to do the will of him who sent me
and to finish his work.
What
is the work of God.
John 6:29 – The work of God is this, to believe in Jesus
Christ. This is the will of the father.
John 6:39 – That Jesus shall lose none of all that he
has given me, but raise them up on the last day. 40 – For my father’s will is
that everyone who looks to the son and believed in him shall have eternal life
and I will raise him up on the last day.
As
I have written about, the will and work of the Lord is to bring about the
immortality of all men through his son Jesus Christ.
Jesus is the
bread of life.
John 6:25-59
Jesus the Bread of Life
25 When they
found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you
get here?”
26 Jesus
answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not
because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had
your fill. 27 Do not work for food
that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man
will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”
28 Then they
asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”
29 Jesus
answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has
sent.”
30 So they asked
him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What
will you do? 31 Our ancestors ate the
manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to
eat.
32 Jesus said to
them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given
you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread
from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is
the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
34 “Sir,” they
said, “always give us this bread.”
35 Then Jesus
declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will
never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do
not believe. 37 All those the Father gives me
will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but
to do the will of him who sent me. 39 And
this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has
given me, but raise them up at the last day. 40 For
my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him
shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”
41 At this the
Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, “I
am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They
said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?
How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”
43 “Stop
grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus
answered. 44 “No one can come to me
unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last
day. 45 It is written in the Prophets: ‘They
will all be taught by God.’[b]
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.”
52 Then the Jews
began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to
eat?”
53 Jesus said to
them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of
the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal
life, and I will raise them up at the last day. 55 For
my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them.
57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live
because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me.
58 This is the bread that came down from heaven.
Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live
forever.” 59 He said this while teaching in
the synagogue in Capernaum.
Jesus is the Light
of the world
John 8:12 – I am the light of the world. Whoever
follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.
Jesus is asked
to do Gods work
John 9:4 – As long as it is day, we must do the work of
the one who sent me. John 9:31 –
We know that God does not listen to
sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will. John 12:26 – Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, my servant also will
be. My father will honor the one who serves me. Christ will set us free. John 8:34-36 – I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a
slave has no permanent place in the family but a son belongs to it forever. So
if the son sets you free you will be free indeed. John 8:31-32 – If you hold to
my teachings you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the
truth will set you free. 51 – I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my
word, he will never see death.
Jesus washed the
feet
of his disciples to demonstrate the importance to us that no man is greater
than another man.
John 13:1-17
Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet
13 It was just
before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to
leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the
world, he loved them to the end.
2 The evening
meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of
Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus
knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come
from God and was returning to God; 4 so he
got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around
his waist. 5 After that, he poured water
into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel
that was wrapped around him.
6 He came to
Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
7 Jesus
replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you
will understand.”
8 “No,” said
Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered, “Unless I wash
you, you have no part with me.”
9 “Then, Lord,”
Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”
10 Jesus
answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their
feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of
you.” 11 For he knew who was
going to betray him, and that was why he said not everyone was clean.
12 When he had
finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do
you understand what I have done for you?” he asked
them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’
and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14
Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should
wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an
example that you should do as I have done for you. 16
Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a
messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now
that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
Key verse. 13 – You call me teacher and
Lord and rightly so for that is what I am.
14 – Now that I your Lord and teacher have washed your feet, you should
also wash one another’s feet. I set an example for you that you should do as I
have done for you. 17- When we serve others we will receive his blessing.
Jesus set the example of love and service. He
demonstrated that even though he was the Lord and teacher it was not beneath
him to serve his disciples by washing their feet.
I love you Lord Jesus, praise to you Lord
Jesus Christ.
Amen.
