Chapter 16

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.

1 Peter 3:15

So, I read this and meditated on it. Are we asked? What makes you different??? Let me state it a different way. Is there or are there things that cause you to stand out among folks. I will do well to say that among believers, we should ‘fit’ in wonderfully well (we will touch on this when we discuss ‘faith’). What makes you different???

Ok, let me ask…before eating, do you hold and give thanks for the food? I can strip this down…aren’t there people alive that are hungry or in need of more. But, you sit down and are about to take it in. Give thanks! We have been asked to give thanks in all, do you??? We are about to spill over into a “gratitude” teaching; let us hold fast to where we are and what we set out to do.

Let us define ‘hope’. All we do encircled hope. Our lives, our ways, our beliefs, our all. Where do you want to be tomorrow? Our answer is…. Are you working toward it? Striving? We can look back and see just what we put in to be were we currently are. Look back. Did you know you’d be right where you are? It was a hope that your hard work would pay off. No? We live in hope, striving for the next nugget. Well in our Christian walk, we have the very self same hope.

We have not seen or lived, but we hope and live in hope that we will. Let us be a bit ‘unruly’ and take a moment to ask another brother or sister what there hope is. If they speak of there present hope, propel them forward and ask what their ultimate hope and goal is. It is not ‘kosher’ to speak about ‘end time’s’ with anyone at all. But, we did not say ‘end time’s’ rather “Where do you hope to be when your life is over?” Ok, there I get a look of “Aha! That is what you were driving at?”

So in asking we get a heap of answers, the main one goes “If Heaven is real, that is where I hope to be.” Back in the day; there might have been one or two people who had experienced a brief glimpse of where we will all end up. I in reading the Bible have run into accounts of a few. Most importantly, at the time these occurred technology to send this far and wide was unavailable, so we read about it in the here and now. How did people catch a whiff of what was coming? All comes down to hope.

I hope that I am doing right, or what I am doing will get me where I want to be (I should really say “hope to be”.) It is a definite, we as people have hopes and dreams. What are yours? Again we go down lists and lists of every form shape and size. We are clear with what we want-here!!! And after???

Once again, I will be a tad stubborn. If you were coming back to earth (recycled life). I say this because I have listened to one share about this. What can you do to ensure that your next round will be golden? I have so many suggestions, which we have shared in the past. But, I had to admit that not knowing where, when, as what we would be back makes that a very improbable answer or theory. Now, we are getting somewhere. A theory/concept, no?

All this from a verse, no? Shows why and what we have to meditate on His word day and night. Funny enough, that is in The Word, Psalm 1:2 to be precise: “But whose delight is in the law of the Lord,

and who meditates on his law day and night.”

I guess I should ask; “From where do you obtain your thrills and/or chills?” Kinda ‘freaky’, huh? All connected. We may not have realized it just yet, but as we begin to take a thrill in The Word, we will be revealed its ‘secrets’ that are out in the open and get chills as we realize what we may have missed for it becomes established in our Lives.

I guess we will end this with a thrill:

Your word, Lord, is eternal;

it stands firm in the Heavens.

Psalm 119:

And as we meditate on this, we are made to understand:

“Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will bee bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will bef loosed in Heaven.”

“Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on Earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in Heaven.”

Matthew 18:18

So, in all things may we respond in gentleness and respect. In Love y’all, for that is our ‘new way’, Amen.

Chaper 17

“I am the Living bread that came down from Heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh.”

– John 6:51

Must we ‘grub’ to stay healthy? No matter how ‘specific’ we get. Vegans, Vegetarians, standard Nutrition appreciates; we have to eat to be here, no?

We have the promise of ‘living’ bread. Happened and we were not aware. Our debts are played! Were taken on in all their fullness.

We have a way to sup. Believe in your Spirit that Jesus came for you, no one else. Might take a bit of realizing; you were the reason (among other people) that He came. Right now, I am focusing on you. In the verse it says Anyone who eats this bread will live forever… What does this mean?

For you Jesus came and died, He was put to a death that we could/can barely imagine, for us! We hear and in faith believe. Yes there is history. Even with history, stories change. But 2000+ years later the story has remained the same. Truism I call it, crystal clear fact.

We are left with the action we are to take: accept or deny. The choice is clear, a chose we must make. How do I put this? There are things in life we have to decide on; what to wear, what time to leave, when to get there…so many decisions. But there is one that answers all… If we take a moment to dress it down; we have all these decisions but they amount to one fact. The time, place, conditions, health status we cannot decide. Time, place, conditions, season, even reason….all is left to…chance.

So, we can make a decision now that becomes a part; the who and what we are. So, we must come to a decision.

This was said: “And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.”

Can we guess who said this and to whom? A big clue is one of those spoken to was a doubter. But today, I ask you “Where are you going and how will you get there?”

GPS knowledge springs up….”a left, two rights, you’ll see a sign that says …” Stop! Did you really think I meant directions on and of how to get someplace? I meant some where, THE place! No matter where our lives take us there is that deep seated knowledge and hope that there is more. O will ask you “Is there?”

“What makes you believe?” Is it based on faith? Believing without seeing? That is where hope comes from. We have slices and diced it every which way and we are left ‘hoping’ that we trusted right.

Let me be a ‘bad guy’s for a minute. I will ask “How about if it comes to mean nothing at all?” Let me be stubborn and stand in another set oh shoes. “Even if I am proved wrong, when you look back on the way out. Could you or would you have done anything differently? We can be blatantly honest, No one to hear your response, even I the ‘askee’ is not present. All I can do is point our that living by the rules in The Word lead us to live lives that are above reproach. We in essence are in a great place. To have hope, to live it and ‘wait’ for the promise…is a way of life. Live it it peace and Spiritual excellence in Jesus’ name, Amen

(Daniel 3:15b)  “And who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands”                           Therefore as you go out this day with your faith in God, the Lord will deliver you as He did for  the three Hebrew boys. He will open a new chapter in your life. He will defend His name. He will Speak peace to your life. He will demonstrate His power just to give you the last laugh. Your enemies will declare publicly the mighty power of God and your testimony shall be real. Many will follow you to serve your God. Amen