Still, HE always left each person with a message, such as, "Go and sin no more", or "Do the WILL of MY FATHER, and you will be doing well", or, "Keep MY COMMANDMENTS"! HE never once allowed someone to walk away without something to think about, or to work towards improving! HE never implied that we remain the same, instead HE bid us to RAISE ourselves HIGHER, body, mind, and spirit, for TRUTH IS, those HE forgives, those HE instructs, are NOT of this world, and so, that they ELEVATE consciously, is not surprising...
CHRIST THE LORD, despite the POSITIVE responses of the rich young Man, did not send HIM away thinking that he had it going on, instead, HE told HIM, that IF he wished to be perfect, he would go, and sell all he had, give to the poor, and follow JESUS! Let us look into this a bit:
MATTHEW 19: 16-22...
16/ Now someone approached him and said, "Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?"
17/ He answered him, "Why do you ask me about the good? There is only One who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments."
18/ He asked him, "Which ones?" And Jesus replied, " 'You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness;
19/ honor your father and your mother'; and 'you shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"
20/ The young man said to him, "All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?"
21/ Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to (the) poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
22/ When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
Christ knew that covetousness was the sin which most easily beset this young man; though he had got honestly what he possessed, yet he could not cheerfully part with it, and by this his want of sincerity was shown.
Christ's promises make his precepts easy, and his yoke pleasant and very comfortable; yet this promise was as much a trial of the young man's faith, as the precept was of his charity and contempt of the world.
It is required of us in following Christ, that we duly attend his ordinances, strictly follow his pattern, and cheerfully submit to his disposals; and this from love to him, and in dependence on him.
To sell all, and give to the poor, will not serve, but we are to follow Christ. The gospel is the only remedy for lost sinners. Many abstain from gross vices who do not attend to their obligations to God. Thousands of instances of disobedience in thought, word, and deed, are marked against them in the book of God. Thus numbers forsake Christ, loving this present world: they feel convictions and desires, but they depart sorrowful, perhaps trembling. It behooves us to try ourselves in these matters, for the Lord will try us.
Understand: CHRIST is NOT denouncing riches entirely, instead, HE is denouncing ATTACHMENT to things, such as money, addictions, sex, and so forth! Where there is attachment, we are serving that attachment, NOT *GOD*! You see? The rich young Man was so happy with his riches, that he had to walk away, feeling devastated, because more than anything, even the good he did, and lived in, these riches mattered most to him! He just couldn't part with them to please THE LORD, and to live accordingly...
MOST of us are like this young Man; we are ATTACHED to what is of the world, and when we discover, or realize what *GOD* expects of us, we are shattered, torn, and dismayed, and the TRUTH of our heart is exposed...
We are comfort creatures! We seek comfort most of all, and much of this is due to how we are raised! We are taught wrongly, that we have no part to THE COVENANT OF RECONCILIATION, that we CAN have the best of both *GOD*, and the world, because CHRIST died so that we could! But, as we study, and absorb THE TRUTH, THE WORD, and TAKE TO HEART HIS instructions, we see that this is not so, in fact, CHRIST said that we CANNOT serve 2 Masters!!!
Just as in ancient BIBLICAL times, perhaps even worse, those Chosen to lead HIS people are proclaiming PEACE, and safety in HIS name, without teaching the WHOLE of THE TRUTH! Do we imagine that all of HIS instructions are mere fillers? ATTENTION TO HIM, HIS WILL, and HIS WAYS PROVIDES enough to KEEP us ABOVE that which would take us down, and so, STUDY TO SHOW THYSELF APPROVED has IMPERATIVE meaning to us! People cry that *GOD* LOVES us unconditionally, as is, yet, we are not understanding this properly! There ARE conditions involved, and COVENANT is a great example, because it IS between 2 or more parties, in which case, all parties have conditions to fulfill, in order for said COVENANT to be manifest; *GOD* HAS fulfilled HIS side, and we have ours to HONOUR, in which case, THE GIFT OF LIFE, and THE HOLY SPIRIT, PROVIDING THE WAY, through enlightenment, aid, and protection AS we STRIVE to meet our end! WHEN we GIVE our lives to CHRIST, we are giving away the flesh, along with it's egocentric carnality, which then, LEADS us to fulfillment of our end! We have roles, responsibilities, and duties TO *GOD*, and our future, indeed! And why not? The physical being, with all of it's imperfections, is NOT the TRUTH of being CREATED IN HIS IMAGE, our spirit IS that image!!!
We are called to detach from the world, and it's false ways; to step into THE LIGHT OF THE TRUTH, that THE WAY, THE PATH is THE FOCUS, and THE HOPE, as it LEADS TO THE GLORY OF *GOD*, in which the diligent, and deliberate will share, eternally!!! AMEN, PRAISE HIS HOLY NAME, WORSHIP HIM, and REJOICE IN HIS LOVE for us, and in HIS PRESENCE in our lives, for without HIM, we ARE lost, now, and forever...
REV. LWINSOR © 2013
BIBLICAL, and/or other references marked BOLDLY IN COLOURS
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