Not yet

Jacob cried out, “Everything has been against me!” Genesis 42:36

Have you ever felt that way? I know I have. Stay with me as I elaborate on the intricately complex details concerning GOD’s truth found in Isaiah 55:8-11 and Ephesians 1:11 by relating just a bit of 2 Bible stories. These tidbits show us an amazing truth.

1-The LORD GOD ALMIGHTY GOD had set a plan in motion to save Jacob’s entire family of 70 people during an extended famine and then fulfill HIS promise to make a great nation out of them. But at the moment all Jacob saw was a piece of the big picture. What he saw was his favorite son’s robe shredded and covered with blood. He assumed Joseph was dead, mauled by wild animals. While the truth was Joseph had just begun a wild journey that would lead to his becoming 2nd in command over Egypt (Genesis 42-50).

2-The angel of the LORD appeared to a barren women and gave her specific instructions and telling her she would have a child that would be a Nazarite (devoted) to the LORD from her womb. Many years later that mother of Samson and her husband were very upset when Samson asked his dad to arrange his marriage to a certain young Philistine woman. They said something like, ‘Why can’t you marry an Israelite girl instead of one of our enemies?’ But let’s hear what GOD thought about it: “But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the LORD, that HE (the LORD GOD) sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel” (Judges 14:4).

These true stories illustrate for us how much of what we perceive can be totally wrong because we cannot see what GOD intends and is doing behind the scenes. Like Jacob, we are prone to draw erroneous conclusions on what we can see and then speculation with our vivid imaginations. But GOD says–“… judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness…”(1 Corinthians 4:5).

“All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of GOD. (things we don’t understand GOD is using for an end result of good for you who love HIM [Romans 8:28] and they will reach other people and cause them to reach out to GOD and it will all overflow to HIS glory [Acts 17:26-27]) Therefore we do not lose heart (don’t become discouraged). Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our (comparative) light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that FAR OUTWEIGHS them all. 18 So we fix our eyes )focus our attention) not on what is seen (our circumstances), but on what is unseen(what GOD is achieving through our circumstances), since what is seen(our situation) is temporary, but what is unseen (what GOD is accomplishing through it all) is eternal (2 Corinthians 4:15-18).

“And without faith it is impossible to please GOD, because anyone who comes to HIM must believe that (1) HE exists and that (2) HE rewards those who earnestly seek HIM (Hebrews 11:6).

Faith is just believing what GOD says HE will do. GOD’s eternal word says that it all “according to the plan of HIM who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of HIS will” (Ephesians 1:11)When problems hit, instead of saying, “everything is against me!” say “I trust YOU LORD!”

Hugs

Sharon

What is happening?

Oh no!

No, Zachary no! Don’t throw those rocks.

I hate to see kids throw rocks, probably more that most because when I was 6 I was hit by a rock thrown by a young boy and it severed an artery between my eyes. I am glad they were able to keep me from bleeding out as they got me off the roof of the school building (where I had no business being in the 1st place) and rushed me to a hospital 35 miles away.

But, to automatically assume Zack was going to throw those rocks without asking what he was doing is WRONG!

You can surmise and speculate all you want, but unless you know more of the details, you don’t know Zack’s intent. It might look from this angle that he is going to throw the rocks, but in fact, he was building a rock tower. To know the why and the what, you need to look at the whole picture, and maybe ask a question or two.

Individual verses in the Bible, can be like this snap-shot of my grandson. By that I mean, that standing alone, they may seem to mean one thing. But you must look at their setting to know what they are talking about.

Last week in a group discussion of Matthew 22 we came upon this problem. In Matthew 22:1-14 a man made a wedding feast for his son and told the invited guests that the food was ready. But the guests didn’t come. The man sent out his servants to ask any they could find to come to the wedding feast. The invitation was indiscriminate, including all.

(Now I’ve heard it commonly reported that in that day and culture, the host of a wedding feast provided a special garment to each guest to be worn at the feast).

As it happened, the father, mingling among the guests who came, saw one of the guests didn’t have the wedding garment on. So, he commanded his servants to make the man leave the wedding feast.

The next line says: “many are called, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14).

All of the group understood this was a parable depicting being saved and going to the wedding feast of the Lamb (Revelation 19:9). But one gal looked at vs 14, and said it meant that GOD chose who would be saved.

But let’s look at the entire picture. Many were called. Those originally invited, and those later invited. But being chosen to be at the wedding feast was conditional. People were allowed, or chosen to be in his house as his guest, IF they put on the wedding garment he offered them. Without the wedding garment, they had no right to be there.

I am teaching Revelation and in that book we find that people wash their garments and made them white in the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 7:9,13-14). To me that says the wedding garment offered the guests is accepting JESUS’s saving work on the cross on their behalf. Without being clothed with the righteousness of JESUS that is placed on us when we believe that JESUS is the Son of GOD came to earth via a virgin birth, was crucified to pay for the sins of the world, was resurrection and is coming again (Romans 3:20-22), they have no right to come to the wedding feast of the Lamb, therefore, will be kicked out.

Each person chooses to believe in or refuse JESUS (John 3:16,18).

Have you put on the wedding garment by calling out to JESUS to save you? (Romans 10:13). Just going to church is not enough.

Are you clothed in a white garment of righteousness that was washed in the blood of the Lamb (JESUS)?  Only that gives you the right to go to the wedding feast of the Lamb.

Look unto JESUS, the Author and Perfecter of faith.

Hugs,

Sharon