Chapter 12
Long ago, with His life Jesus gave many examples of how we should live our lives and the struggles we would face. We would point out that Jesus had to struggle against those same enemies, and as He conquered them, so we can also conquer them through Him. Jesus or our Father would not give us any obstacles to overcome that He did not have, and we will have no pain or grief to suffer that He did not also have.
1 Pet 2:21-25
For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:
As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.
Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.
Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.
For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.
For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.
For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:
Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:
Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:
Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.
Source: King James 1611
1John 2:5-8
But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.
Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.
Source: King James 1611
Convince ourselves that the potential we were born with is a grace from the Father, a living testimony to His infinite faith and love in us as His children. But there are other graces, Gifts and powers that are obtained only though the excellence of the labor that we exert upon ourselves and upon our fellow brothers and sisters throughout our lives…These graces, gifts and powers will be received
Rom 11:29-33
For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.
For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:
Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.
For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.
O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
Source: King James 1611
12:2-6
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:
So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
Source: King James 1611
We must understand many things, and one of the most important is the importance of humility…By being humble we guarantee our greatness. Don’t make ourselves great, and we shall be made great, Don’t make ourselves wise and we shall be recognized as wise, Don’t praise ourselves and we shall be praised.
James 4:6-10
But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
Source: King James 1611
Meekness is generous in just that way, and it is in the generosity that virtues offered to the brothers and sisters of the world that cultivate them where their virtue lays. There is no definitive list of virtues, but as I read from the Word of God {Bible} we find these virtues to be the constant of all Jesus tells us:
Titus 2:1-15
But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine:
That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.
The aged women likewise, that they be in behavior as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given too much wine, teachers of good things;
That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,
To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.
Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded.
In all things showing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine showing uncorruptness,
gravity, sincerity,
Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.
Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters, and to please them well in all things; not answering again;
Not purloining, but showing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our
Savior in all things.
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,
Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ;
Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.
Source: King James 1611
3:1-9
Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work,
To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, showing all meekness unto all men.
For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.
But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared,
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior;
That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.
But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.
It is courage that gets us through, it is Justice that makes us right, it is Mercy that allows forgiveness, it is Generosity that allows us to help others, it is Faith that keeps us on the right path, it is Hope that gives us Strength, and it is Humility that leads us to ourselves as it is truth, and Faith that enriches the spirit and strengthens it. Cultivate the virtues greatly, for they ensure our prompt arrival at that destiny that waits for us. Paul tells us that these virtues are powerful allies…
1Tim 3:1-14
This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.
A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behavior, given to hospitality, apt to teach;
Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;
One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;
(For if a man knows not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)
Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he falls into the condemnation of the devil.
Moreover he must have a good report of them which is without; lest he falls into reproach and the snare of the devil.
Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given too much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;
Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.
And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless.
Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things.
Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.
For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.
These things write I unto them, hoping to come unto thee shortly:
Source: King James 1611
Rom 5:3-5
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
Source: King James 1611
But we should always be prepared to meet the dangers entailed by the unconsciousness ofour own virtue, and never allow our ego to tempt us to pride ourselves on our own influence …We must identify the ego as well, and always be alerted to its impulses and prepared to counter them, for it is supremely educated and its cunning tricks can make us fall into ordinariness. My brothers and sisters, we need to understand that the way to have more is to desire less. It is that simple…Constant desire is the cause of pointless anguish, and we should convince our self’s that we would attain inner peace and harmony when we identify andappreciate that which we already have which is truly enough, those things that we already possess, materially we must come to understand the difference between ambition and the commendable need to prosper, for ambition is dictated by the ego while the need to prosper is the best of one’s self.
James 1: 2-14
My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into diver’s temptations;
Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted:
But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.
For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.
Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
Source: King James 1611
Ambition constantly longs for the much easy, and rapid, while the need to prosper longs for improvement in moderation, no matter the time it takes or the effort that is needed or the risks that present themselves in obtaining this improvement.
Long ago Jesus commanded that we love one another, yet many of us still do not obey that commandment. It is, we who look at our brothers and sisters with suspicion, resentment, and animosity that we know we have baggage filled with excuses for being the way that we are: Have we been disillusioned, robbed, and victimized in countless ways. And with those reasons we justify ourselves when we do the same to our brothers and sisters…But when we act in that way we show our ignorance, we show how repressed within the depths of our heart we are instead of the seed of love which we were born with…and that is both the sin and its own repayment…But it is through the commandment to loving one’s brothers and sisters that we shall wipe clean the sin the unhappiness and bitterness that always accompanies it… Jesus has told us not to strike back against the wrongdoer: if someone strikes you on your right cheek, you should offer him the left one also. Turning the other cheek to the person who strikes us means much more than words are able to show…
Matt 5:38-39
Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
Source: King James 1611
It is control over our emotions, control over our instincts, yes it is to be human in its maximum expression, it is to disarm the aggressor without ourselves becoming the aggressors; it is to grow through adversity by not allowing the aggressor or that adversity to take control of us and thereby strip us of the most noble aspect of our being, and we must understand, that it is another step to take on that path chosen by us…But that does not mean that we should stand with our arms crossed in the face of the dishonorable acts of other persons that we meet along our way. Remember Jesus’ attitude when He met the money changers in the temple…He expelled them with all the severity that they deserved…
Micah 3:11
And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.
Source: King James 1611
Matt 21:12-13
And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,
And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.
Source: King James 1611
We should know that from time to time we will have to use the authority required by the occasion and take the right action, and in doing that, our faith, belief, integrity and our intelligence must be our guide. We should also understand that we have to just remind ourselves of the fact that everybody is born with the seed of love planted in their hearts and we should not allow our mind to repress it, to keep it from growing. In fact you could say that we are born with an inner child and we must nurture and cultivate our inner child to raise him or her properly for this seed is our most precious inheritance that comes directly from our Father in Heaven. If we nurture it and cultivate it with passion and devotion it will help us open our perceptions wide enough to understand the miracle that is ourselves, to unlock the secrets that lie hidden in our own heart? We are the miracle of miracles…And when we understand this truth we will realize how blessed we really are from our Father in Heaven. The good works that Jesus performed long ago were necessary so that the people of His time and of all times would believe; they guaranteed His place in all generations, guaranteed that His gifts would endure as part of all memoirs forever, brothers and sisters, we are surrounded by miracles on each and every side of our lives; it is the very short sidedness of us that cause us to perceive them as everyday, common things…Yet if we could just open our eyes and our hearts we could see, {for how can we see without looking or how can we feel without touching}, so brothers and sisters lets truly open our eyes and hearts and look around us and marvel at the creation that we are a part of. Enjoy the divine feast to which we all have been invited, as this is one of the ways to honor our Father, Jesus tells us how not to be, if you say it and believe it follow your path don’t be like these brothers and sisters and think you can bluff your way through.
Matt 15:8-9
This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
Source: King James 1611
We must work every day to open our eyes and hearts ever wider, to become more and more aware of our own existence and appreciate it more and more. As we see in today’s world all we seem to be is destructive and we are in the process of destroying ourselves completely. Yet in all this we can still find the courage, faith, and love to get through it all, because we know that through Jesus Christ our lives will be better and peaceful no matter what happen around us or to us.
I Rev. Samuel Mack have come to give witness to you of His infinite love and to show you the way to become in touch of that love, so that you might give it to Him and our fellow brothers and sisters in return, for their happiness and our own…I had cancer this year and let me tell you that I had my fears cause they told me it was in stage 3 but I had to be brave for myself and my wife and family. I felt different like an outcast even though everybody was good and treated me nice, but I just felt different, not like them anymore. Then come the miracle of it all was when I woke up one morning after 4 weeks of radiation treatments and the voice told me you’ve done good Sam now it’s time to stop and finish healing and I did. Let me tell you that just a few weeks before Christmas I had some blood test done and they reviled I have no sign of cancer in my body so far and we will know more when the rest of the test are done in June 2010 because I have to wait till all the kimo is out of my system before I can have any other scans for cancer. I thank our Lord Jesus and our Father in Heaven every day for this, and I would like to tell you that this is the prayer I prayed while I was in treatments,
Jesus has redeemed me from the curse of the law;
Jesus has redeemed me from poverty;
Jesus has redeemed me from sickness;
Jesus has redeemed me from spiritual death;
We should always remember that medicine and our father in Heaven work together to help heal us so please don’t stop taking any medicine for any reason unless your doctor tells you to).
Also let me point to this little fact that if we,
Confess victory in the face of apparent defeat
Confess abundance in the face of apparent lack
With this we have reached a mil stone in our lives and relationships not only with or Father and ourselves and with our brothers and sisters as well. I believe that we reach this because while all this was going on, I thought of the story of Joseph and Job and all the trials and troubles he went through from his teen year until he was 30 years {13 years in fact} we are shown here that God has a divine plan and purpose with our lives each and every one of us as it also teaches us a proper way to look, be like and hold our total attention and communication with God no matter what happens in our lives good or bad,
Genesis 37:1-36
And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan.
These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report.
Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.
And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.
And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.
And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed:
For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf.
And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words.
And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.
And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?
And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.
And his brethren went to feed their father's flock in Shechem.
And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I.
And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks; and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.
And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field: and the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou?
And he said, I seek my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks.
And the man said, They are departed hence; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan.
And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him.
And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh.
Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.
And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him.
And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him; that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again.
And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stript Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him; And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.
And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.
And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood?
Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content.
Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.
And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes.
And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child is not; and I, whither shall I go?
And they took Joseph's coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and