The Trinity Page 61

One morning as I was listening music, the words from a particular song hit a cord with me.

“Praise the Father,

Praise the Son,

and the Spirit, in one. “

I was captivated by the clarity I found as the song presented those words in staccato.  I instantly saw God- the Father in heaven, Jesus -the son, who walked the earth and the Spirit of God that resides in my heart and mind- and whom speaks truth to me using a spiritually elevated, inner voice that I choose to be attuned to.  What I am going on about is known in the Christian arena as The Trinity.

I’ve often wondered if unbelievers find it odd that Christians believe in something called The Trinity.  Do they understand it, from the outside looking in, or do they hear of the phrase “The Trinity” and think that we Christians have a very strange belief system.  With great clarity I wanted to expound on the “how and why” of our beliefs because, to me, it makes all the sense in the world. 

Through scientific research, it has been established that the amazing space we live in, called The Known Universe, can only be explained through Intelligent Design.  No matter how desperately others wanted to dispute this…there seems to be a consensus in the field of science that has concluded that the universe is a conglomerate of mathematical equations that are set to a precise point and that a simple movement to the left or right would change our world and our lives as we know it.  This, my friend, is our Creator God in action!

Science has concluded that Space, Time and Matter all came into existence at once.  Think about that for a minute then join me in saying  “Wow!”  Taking science at it’s word and expounding into religion we can say that God instantly created Space, Time and Matter and then somewhere within that created man.  I LOVE this scientific and religious explanation beautifully tied together in a lovely Christmas bow.  It sure beats some of the alternatives.

 God then set about forming a way to relate to man through divinely inspired directives and Words that became the writings of the Old Testament.  Our creator, God loved the human race, and particularly the Israelites, and formed a family relationship with us graciously placing Himself in position as our “Father”.  Make sense so far?

Ancient writings say that God, the Father created man in his own image and Adam was The Original Man.   Eve, his wife, was created from Adam’s side. They both sinned by not following God’s directions and so God had to set into motion a way for sin to be forgiven.  (The is very much like the Father/Child relationship we humans are very familiar with.)  I don’t completely understand all the gory details but can only explain what writings confirm:  animal sacrifice was established so that human sin could be transferred to the animal and the blood of the sacrifice would become the price paid and ultimately provide the forgiveness for that sin. (The word SACRIFICE is aptly used here). 

Prophecy was then put into motion telling of another way to be cleansed of sin.  Jesus, God in human form, entered the story of mankind.  Prophecy from the Old Testament foretold of Jesus life, death and resurrection (I think God did this because He likes to give humanity something to look forward to). 

God wanted our sins to be atoned for once and for all:

“For God so loved the world that

he gave his only son

that whoever believes in him

Should not perish

But have eternal life.”

John 3:16

God wanted us to have direct access to Him:

“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Hebrews 4:16

The sacrifice of Jesus would become The Way for man to be redeemed of sin.  Jesus’ sacrifice of death on the cross became the fulfillment of prophecy, took the place of animal sacrifice, and became the way for mankind to be forever forgiven of sin.  For a clear and concise summation of Christianity we could say that Jesus’ birth, death and resurrection was God’s ultimate gift to all of us. Jesus’ birth was a holy, ancient, wondrous fulfillment of ancient writings.  Or, in more simple words, Jesus, the man, became our way back to God, The Father.

“Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him….”

Hebrews 5: 8-9

After studying about mankind through the Word of God I don’t find it strange at all that we all need a pathway back to our Creator.  Do you find it odd that something larger than our understanding may be at work in this vast universe and in the very simplest form can be described as a Pathway toward Redemption for Man? 

Jesus taught:

“I am the way the truth and the life.

No one comes to the Father except through me.”

John 14:6

Jesus also taught that when he left earth there would still be a way to communicate with him-but that form of communication would be spiritual in nature.  This is “why and how” the Holy Spirit (God in Spirit form) comes into play in the physical and spiritual world of Christianity.  The scripture in Hebrews 11:6 teaches “we must believe that He exists.”  This is the initial and crucial step.  You must first believe that God, indeed, exists and then your belief system grows from there. 

Look as far as you can through a telescope and ask yourself “How”.  My answer is an intelligent God who loves design.  Now, look deep into the pages of ancient writings and ask yourself  “Why?  Again the answer is God-our heavenly Father; Jesus- the Son or God- in human form; and God, the Holy Spirit-God in spiritual form.  

God the Father!

God the Son!

God the Holy Spirit!

This is The Trinity! 

And makes complete sense! 

Wanna talk about something that is common-place but may not make as much sense?!  We live on a planet called Earth.  It spins in a universe so large we can't measure it and we can’t actually see its vastness SO we overlook its shock-value on a daily basis.  On this Earth we have excavated ancient documents that have been deemed undisputable and are official historical writings that confirm Jesus existed- but we live so far gone from those days and have been so distracted with modern times that we forget our ancient past.  We'd rather live on a planet that is hurling through space and forget there is a God than peer into godly matters that truly matter! Folks, we were designed to worship God…but because of time, sin and distance, we have forgotten our calling and the point of our creation. 

Scripture references the above dilemma:

“We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain
because you are slow to learn.
 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers,
you need someone to teach you the elementary truths
of God’s word all over again.”
Hebrews 5:11-12

God established spiritual and material beacons to lead us back to Him as well.  Here are a few:

·      *A Universe so amazing that science has concluded that it was formed by Intelligent Design; This points us to a Creator.

·      *A skyline that includes the working order of the sun, the moon and the stars that is awe-inspiring!  This certainly points us to something “otherworldly”.

·      *Sin that elicits regret! This points us to intrinsic morality

·      *A longing that elicits a need for something more than this earth could ever provide; this points us to something beyond the material world.

·      *A need for love that never finds fulfillment; this points us to love beyond human ability.

I could go on and on about the deep things of God but when it is all said and done your belief system is up to you.  If you look at this world from simply an economic and political point of view you can see that something is askew.  Go take a peek at the Prophecy of Revelations (particularly Chapter 18) and then you may see the correlation.  After that, I am certain that you will see that the ancient pages of the Holy Bible speaks truth, provides clarification as to what is happening at this time on Mother Earth and points once again to the Father of the Creation of Space, Time and Matter…. and, for that matter, man.  The astronomical truth is…. YOU have to believe this.  I personally believe that the moment you start to seek truth you will find it.   

"And, without faith it is impossible to please God,

because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists

and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." 

Hebrews 11:6

“Ask and it will be given to you;

Seek and you will find.

Knock and the door will be opened unto you.”

Matthew 7:7

“At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized
 by John in the Jordan.  As Jesus was coming up out of the water,
he saw heaven being torn open and
the Spirit descending on him like a dove.
  And a voice came from heaven:
 “You are my son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

Mark 1: 9-11

Song Recommendations:|

All of Creation

BY:  MercyMe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkdniYsUrM8 

Bring the Rain Page 60

I was in Louisiana moving my freshman into her dorm at LSU when the flooding hit so I've been looking at it from ground zero...but to look at this picture of my home town, Denham Springs, brings back the tears.  The loss and the overwhelming amount of work to be done makes you want to sit down and weep-and we did.  All of the homes that filled with water that day literally represent families, lifestyles and the essence of daily life.  These homesteads are now filled with watermarks where the water once stood, a smell that says filth was here, and visible destruction that indicates our helplessness sometimes.  

 My heart fell to my feet as I watched my parents entire life-everything that represents them; their hard earned work which established their 56 year-old homestead, become surrounded with water. Their home, my childhood home, was evacuated but I snuck back in to keep watch.  I sat a few items down on a windowsill and went to peek out the front door to see where the water level was.  As I turned back around to get those items I literally stepped in the water just as it began to seep in.  I gasped and begin to cry.  

Their home isn't JUST a home that flooded… it is A WAY OF LIFE and represents every single nuance that created my siblings and I that became swallowed in that flood.  I looked around the house in disbelief at the mess that we created in order to salvage their belongings; all the furniture was elevated, the piano, the grandfather clock, the dining table where we have celebrated every holiday, every birthday, every big event in our large family-elevated.  Loving my parents as I do and knowing my mother as I do -because I'm a perfectionist, just like her, I became astounded at the destruction-zone their home had become and the water had not even done any damage yet. I was preliminarily stumped as to what to do.  There seems to be a moment in time when you find there is simply nothing you can do. As we watched the water continue to rise I can’t tell you how many times I stopped in my tracks and desperately searched my mind and prayed to heaven for a way to keep the water out of their house.  If I could have found a way I would have.  I honestly would have done anything! There simply was no way!  This is the point that shows us who we are.

The water has crept off leaving brown markings on trees and walls indicating where it once stood.  Through this I have learned that I have parents who are rock solid and steadfast in their stance of faith and who are the hardest workers I've ever known. Actually this is simply a confirmation because I knew this already.  I watched as my 81 year-old daddy began working to protect his home and to this day he literally hasn’t stopped.  My family never misses church so I joined my 82 year-old mother as she led a family Bible study on that 1^st Sunday morning; all of us gathering around to listen to her wisdom through the Word of God.  We wore work clothes instead of church clothes and wore faces that said “I’m tired and devastated but I’m ready to work all day again today for this family”.... and day after day we did- from sun up till sun down! 

With a proud but grieving heart I've learned that I have brothers that will do anything for our family, sisters- in-law who love unconditionally, nephews and nieces who will put others before themselves, and sisters who stand by their parents even when their homes have been flooded as well.  I've learned that life can quickly become devastating but we can salvage it.  This is what South Louisiana is doing right now.  This is what my parents and siblings and entire extended family are doing right now.  The smallest kindness helps. A stranger gave me a cold bottle of water and I was blessed beyond measure in that moment.  Please do one small thing for Louisiana and you have done one small kindness for my family.  Like Jesus said:   "What you do for the least of my brothers you have done for me".

End Note: 

My family & their homes may be water-logged but they are safe.  The Lord that brings the rains still reigns in our hearts and with my parents setting the lead, we kept that 1st Sabbath holy and honored him in the midst of it all.  This is who my family is and I am overwhelmed that God has blessed each of us with this kind of family legacy and this kind of faith that my heart wants to burst and my tears rain down. 

This writing is in honor of my entire family

and scripture below
 is in honor of my brother, John!

You are my hero!

Always have been-but you’ve always known that!

RvH

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

I have summoned you by name;

You are mine.

When you pass through the waters,

I will be with you;

And when you pass through the rivers,

They will not sweep over you.

When you walk through the fire,

You will not be burned;

The flames will not set you ablaze.

For I am the Lord, your God,

The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;

Isaiah 43: 1-3

My family members who were affected by the flood:

Parents –home flooded.

Brother, Jimmy-home flooded

Brother, John-home flooded

Sister, Gloria-home flooded

Sister, Rachel-home flooded

Nephew, Ben-home flooded
Niece, Linzee-home flooded

Niece, Jennifer-Salon flooded

Song Recommendation:

Jesus, Bring the Rain

By: MercyMe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8HgAVenbUU

Song Recommendation: 
O The Blood
By: Gateway Worship

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxeVrMC1qVY

 Pray for my family and ALL of Louisiana!

Advanced Warning Signs Page 59

I was going over an old Bible Study that I had sitting on my desk and came upon this question:  “What will people be saying when sudden destruction comes upon them?”  With the state that our country is in the question seems appropriate.  The study then directed me to the answer that is found in this scripture: 

“Now, Brothers,
 about the times and dates
we do not need to write to you,
 for you know very well
 that the day of the Lord will come
 like a thief in the night.
 While people are saying,  
“Peace and Safety”
destruction will come on them suddenly,
 as labor pains on a pregnant woman,
 and they will not escape.”
1st Thessalonians 5: 1-3

This is a section from a Beth Moore Study and she adds this cool twist of information to the above scriptures: The phrase “Peace and Safety” was a “well-known slogan of the Roman Empire”.1  A different time and a different people but the political scene was the same as here in 2016 (and 2020).  I absolutely LOVE when scripture ties history together with its teachings because this is exactly what we are to see as we study God’s Word; the relevant etchings of humanity and the weaving of the mystery of God into our daily lives. 

The above scripture is indeed a mysterious forewarning of Christ’s return.  I find it beyond profound that the people of that day were calling for “Peace and Safety”-just as we are today! Don’t you?  (Don't let that paralleled warning sign slip by you.) The writers of the Old Testament as well as the New both let us know that advanced warning signs are there for us but we must be aligned with truth and be a student of the Word to see them.  

The scripture in 1st Thessalonians tells us that Christ will return to earth 'like a thief in the night'.  As a believer I am not surprised that an unexpected event will change things as we know it-for few are paying attention to the relevant things of God these days and it seems to me that God always likes to bring us back to Him through the channel of the painfully unexpected.     

Regarding Advanced Warnings, let’s become a student and research this- using the scripture Jeremiah 18: 7-12 as our study guide- because this advanced warning is of the upmost importance in America, 2016 (and also here in 2020):

“If at any time 
I announce that a nation or kingdom
 is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed,
 and if that nation I warned 
repents of its evil,
 then I will relent
and not inflict on it 
the disaster I had planned.
And if at another time I announce
 that a nation or kingdom 
is to be built up and planted,
and if it does evil in my sight
 and does not obey me,
 then I will reconsider the good 
I had intended to do for it.

“Now therefore say to the people of Judah
 and those living in Jerusalem,
‘This is what the LORD says:
‘Look I am preparing a disaster for you
 and devising a plan against you.  
So turn from your evil ways,
 each one of you 
and reform your ways and your actions.’

 But they will reply,
‘It’s no use.'
We will continue with our own plans;
each of us will follow the stubbornness of his evil heart.’

51 A.D.

Please don’t over look this example that shows that the Lord wants to give us a way out of the disaster that is heading toward us.  The above scripture gives us exact directions on how to avoid this calamity:“Turn from your evil ways” by a direct change of behavior. The answer is relatively simple! 

 The dilemma comes into play these days, just as it did in Jeremiah’s, because the people (or citizens) respond with stubbornness or, quite the contrary, fall into apathy because of the overwhelming belief that  “It’s no use.”  Why bother seems to be the prevailing implication here.  Why was this their reply?  Why is it ours?

Maybe we’re truly worn out for standing up for our Christian principles.  Perhaps we feel that it is a lost cause or that it is beyond our control.  Perhaps we are that stubborn.  Humanity is that selfish, we all know that.  But with frustration, I still have to ask “Why?” - for we are running out of options!!!  Why do we overlook or simply squander the warning that is so blatantly given to us that implies that We, The People need to change our ways and our actions; our hearts and our attitudes. This is a call to all U.S. citizens.

It’s a gift of mercy that the Lord is willing to relent and it requires true faith to pray and watch as God answers those prayers.   But, we have moved so far from scripture and God’s directives that we don’t know the lesson or see the relevance.  My fellow Christians:  Scripture tells us that "The prayers of a righteous man are powerful and effective” James 5:16.  Do you believe that?  If so, then form your prayers for our sake of our country with the conviction that God’s power will find a way and restoration of our way-of-life will be found through the saving grace of God! That, my friend, is faith!!!

Scripture teaches this very profound and applicable directive on prayer:

“If my people, who are called by my name, 
will humble themselves and pray 
and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways,
then will I hear from heaven
 and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

II Chronicles 7: 14

The phrase ‘If my people’ is a shout-out from God, Almighty to all fellow believers.  Spiritual apathy has been the ruin of many people and the downfall of great nations.  America could be the next one and it’s truly unfortunate -for we have been given advanced warning signs and the birth pains of evil are close and consistent; the time is near!  “Change our ways” is the directive!  Using the same spot-on analogy regarding pregnancy that was used in 1^st Thessalonians 5: 1-3 (above) I ask “How can we over-look labor pains that are always so blatant and meant to indicate the obvious?” 

What are some of America’s Labor Pains? (Please note that this was originally written in 2016): 

• ·      Social Unrest -Created & PURPOSELY implemented to loosen America’s Foundation.
• ·      Astronomical Rising Debt -purposely created to weaken the dollar & therefore America.
•     The Rise of Socialism - Political Movement for Government to Provide for All Citizens.
•     Willingness to Accept Lies as Truth -A Doorway to Manipulation & even death-think Nazi Germany
• ·      Christianity as Socially Unacceptable -Meant to change the U.S. into a godless nation
• ·      Political Correctness -Established as a Form of Control to manipulate certain groups of people-for example- Christians
• ·      Control of News Media Outlets -A form of mass control meant to sway the low-information voter & eventually change the entire foundation of our belief system
• ·      Propaganda Flaunted as News -Meant to Sway & Control the country and its citizenry
• ·      Organized Uprisings -Used to Manipulate truth, instill fear, sway opinions & therefore control the citizenry with said FEAR.

Whether you find it tasteful or not, politics and religion are tied together.  Jesus was executed because of politics so there you have it.  These bullet points are just a few to ponder and, to me, they are all dangerous and flabbergasting!  Please look at what is happening in America through the lens of the truth listed above and realize that these are indeed the Advanced Warning Signs of the Downfall of a Mighty Nation!

My advanced warning:  Please don’t let your reply to this manipulative evil be “It’s no use” as they did in Circa 51 A.D. God has directed us to pray and indeed this is what we better do! 

In regards to Socialism and Communism-ponder this: 

“Those who can’t remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
George Santayana

Socialism defined:
 A stage between capitalism and communism;
a classless society.

Jesus:

Son of God;

A Rabbi who taught about charity, morality,

the principle that you reap what you sow

and, in regards to faith, taught you become what you believe.

Question:

At this point in time what does America believe?

Song Recommendation:

There Will Be A Day

By:  Jeremy Camp

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=le-TG4sRRiQ 

Song Recommendation: 

Love Has Come

By:   Mark Schultz

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIIAf2lS_Us 

1- Children of Light by Beth Moore