INTRUDERS!

Image result for CLIP ART SHOWING INTRUDERSIt was too interesting as I read Matthew 11:12 today.  Jesus has been praising John the Baptist (Baptizer) who was a prophet and the  "Elijah" who was to come to earth.  He was to be the "Elijah" preparing the kingdom for the coming of the Lord Jesus.  As I read verse 12, I pondered for sure and grabbed some commentarial comments for a fuller understanding.  "From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men will lay hold of it."

The comments were varied and I am going to list some of my thoughts as I read:
1. The reason the word forcefully advancing is used also the word, violent, is the action of a person being quickened, coming alive, who has been steeped and dead in sin. That is certainly a transaction! 
2.  Salvation is really a "death to self life" and death fights hard against losing control of the self.
3.  One commentator suggested that the forceful men were sinners, Gentiles, all of those who were considered unclean, or INTRUDERS to take the kingdom.
4.  As intruders, we interrupted the hold of the religious and eagerly and enthusiastically sought to seize the kingdom of God for inclusion and for life.
5.  Remember who all thronged about Jesus and John the Baptizer...few of those who were considered "acceptable" by the religious culture of that day. Certainly intruders! 
6.  Don't know about you, but I can shout praises to Father God for HIS pursuing this intruder and allowing me to participate with others in taking the kingdom by force. 7.  Now to daily...hourly...minutely remind Cheryl Graves that she is alive to Christ Jesus and DEAD to sin and self!

Rejoice fellow Intruder!  Ever learning.  In process.  #IHAVETHREESONS. 
 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

THOSE SEEING CAN BECOME BLIND

Image
John 9 is the story of the healing of the blind beggar.  Not only is it a marvelous story of the miraculous healing of the man as he is given his sight, but a sad story of the religious of whom Jesus said, "For judgment, I have come into this world, so that the blind will see, and those who see will become blind ." The religious have seen the miracle, even though it has taken place on a Sabbath, and they interview the man and his parents for their stories and understanding. I find it so thrilling that the healed man speaks so articulately and logically with the religious in their "interview" with him.  His statement, " Now that is remarkable!  You don't know where HE comes from, yet HE opened my eyes.  We know that God does not listen to sinners.  He listens to the godly man who does His will.  Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, He could do nothing." What truth he has spoken to the religious wh
Read more

REHEARSALS

Image
  I wonder how much time do I give to rehearsing God's goodness and how He has intervened in my life to "save" me from myself?  How alike the Israelites I can be, complaining about what goes wrong, how it affects me, and what I lack.  As a Christ follower, I have the Indwelling Holy Spirit to give me remembrance NOT of my complaining and grumbling, but of a recall of God's faithfulness to me.  It is recorded in Psalms 78 and 106 that " They forgot what He had done, the wonder He had shown them", "They did not remember His power--the day He redeemed them from the oppressor...", "They did not remember Your many kindnesses, and they rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea.", "But they soon forgot what He had done and did not wait for His counsel.", and "They forgot the God who saved them, who had done great things in Egypt...". Contrast with me, God's remembrance: Ps. 106:44-46, "But He took note of their distress
Read more

ORDER AND DESIGN

Image
    I do not have OCD, but I do confess that I like order in my home.  Now that I am retired, I am not so much into spotless, but "picked up" and "kinda" clean. (Do not open drawers and closets!) I might go to more trouble when I know I am having company, but otherwise, I remove the clutter that seems to reproduce on its own.   When I began the reading in Genesis in January, I was again taken with the with the orderliness and design of God in creation, and have seen Him use Moses and Aaron to ORDERLY marshal the Israelites to move out of Egypt. How do you move some 600+ males and that is not even wives and children? Animals also?  They have been one year+ out of Egypt, and have been camped at Mt. Sinai where God has given them laws for their spiritual and physical welfare.  God gives Moses the design of the Tabernacle and Moses is able to bring together the workers to complete the Tabernacle.   The clip art at the top is the positioning of the 12 Tribes and the
Read more