Good . . .

Good contributes to diminish or remove pain. Not add it.
Good's purpose is to increase happiness or prosperity, not take it away.
( a happy mind is a prosperous mind),

Good's purpose is to be of benefit, to give an advantage.

God does Good to ALL people, however, we people sometimes choose . . . . who we will do good to and who we wont, because well, we are just people.

Good really only comes from God . . . Good is spelled like God, but with just another Zero added. Good is added to us when we go through the Door.

Jesus is that door. He said, "I am the Door when you go in and when you go out you WILL find green Pastures." John 10:9-16
God + Zero equals a relationship, not a religion
see James 1:17-18

Advertising

Commend - a word that comes from the same root word for command.

It means to demand the attention of others. To represent oneself as worthy of special notice, regard, or kindness not given to others . . . . In short, to 'advertise' oneself . . . .

"We don’t dare class or compare ourselves with some of the people who 'advertise,' (rendered 'commend' in the KJV), themselves. In measuring themselves against each other and comparing themselves with each other, they are simply stupid." 2 Corinthians 10:12 CJB

Considered - Not really worthy of any good thing, but given care, attention, and viewed attentively anyway. To be given merit by another.

Since we have come to be CONSIDERED 'righteous' by God, because of our trust, let us continue to have 'shalom' with God through our Lord, Yeshua the Messiah."
Romans 5:1 CJB

So since we are presently only 'considered' Righteous by God, what could we possibly have, in ourselves, to ever be 'commended' for if in all truth . . .
" . . . When we display our righteous deeds,
they are, (considered), nothing but filthy rags." Isaiah 64:5 (6)  CBJ

It aint our deeds kids, it is entirely of His doing that we are considered righteous.
Jesus is to be commended, NOT us!

Justification

Justify - to declare, pronounce, or consider one to be just, righteous.
“Now the ACCOUNT of someone WHO IS WORKING, (attempting to earn), is credited, not on the ground of grace, (UN EARNED favor), but on the ground of what is OWED him.” Romans 4:4 CJB

“However, in the case of one who IS NOT WORKING, but rather IS TRUSTING IN HIM who MAKES ungodly people righteous, HIS TRUST IS CREDITED to him AS righteousness.” Romans 4:5 CJB

Right standing with God is free to anyone who wants it. All we got to do is humble down a little and acknowledge and thank Jesus for what he came to GIVE us! . . .

Once we have Jesus, and He has us, we are considered righteous . . . in God's eyes FOREVER!

If that isn't enough to change our world, I don't know what is . . .

So, is it on the grounds of Gods grace, unearned Favor or or is it the favor we have earned and is owed us?
Don't know about you but, try as I might, I have never been able to earn anything from God, but I CAN receive it based on the BLOOD of Christ.

All I can do is receive His help and thank Him for it! That's ALL I can do consistently . . .

The Yoke

Speaking to the 'religious' people of his day, through the Prophet Yesha 'Yahu, the Holy Spirit spoke of the 'mowtah,' the 'yoke.'

He said this:

"Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say:  "Here am I." '

“If you do away with the mowtah, the 'yoke' of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday."  Yesha 'Yahu/Isaiah 58: 9-10

And that kids, using Yeshua/Jesus as our example, (see Ephesians 5:1). is what He came to do . . . to remove the mowtah . . . the yoke . . . of 'religion.'

He came to set us free from the penalty and punishment of sin.
 "It is for freedom we have been set free!"  Galatians 5:1

If we put rules and regulations on people and expect them to keep those rules and regulations, to gain our approval, aren't we damning them for who or what we 'judge' them to be, instead of helping them to become who God want's and see's them to be? (see Isaiah 58).
All things are possible with God!

Kid's, religious Law can't help us to become who God wants us to be.
It can only show us who we are without Him . . .That's why He chose Grace . . . unmerited and unearned favor . . .
He came to be ALL we need . . . He is Grace.

Don't kill the 'worm' let him become a Butterfly!

Curious

A curious thing about translating Hebrew into Greek and then into English is the Hebrew and Greek letters can have different meanings.  The translator has to make his or her best guess.  Take a look at Luke 11:28 as it is translated in the King James and then the New Living Bible.

"But he said, yea rather even more blessed are they that hear the word of God, and 'keep' it."
KJV

"But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into 'practice.'

The Greek word 'phylasso' is the word translated ,keep' or 'practice.'

'Phylasso' actually means 'to guard.'  A direct intrepretaion would be: '... hear the word of God and 'guard'  it.'

A considerable amount of room for interpretation, eh.

It becomes a bit clearer when you put the Parable of the sower and the poor soils up along side.
Then add :
'The thief comes not but for to steal . . .'
And finally,  "Guard your heart, for out of it come the issues of life . . . or .  .  .  'for out of it life issues forth.'

Healing

Yesterday, a young girl and her boyfriend came to visit me, She told me she had something called 'Narcoleptic Bi Polar disease.
I asked her what the effect of that was.

She said she had hallucinations and heard voices. I asked her if I could pray for her.

She said, "I've been told I couldn't be healed because I'm not a believer and that believers could not pray for me either." She was told that in a Church.

I asked her, were all of the people Jesus healed 'believers', when He was here? (before He was crucified and resurrected?)

She thought for a moment and said, No I guess they weren't . . .

I said, 'Now can I pray for you?' She said yes . . . Well long story short, God healed her! Now she is a believer!

Kids, that's the kinda stuff God does on my mountain of faith every day and it is because of Grace, not legalistic performance.

Abba, thank you for the one and not the Ton . . .

Established in Grace 101

'So do not be attracted by strange, new ideas. YOUR STRENGTH COMES FROM GODS GRACE not from rules about food, which don't help those who follow them.'
In the king James it says to BE ESTABLISHED IN GOD"S GRACE. Hebrews 13:9

Now listen to Paul in His letter to the Romans . . . .

"For I long to see you that I may impart some spiritual GIFT to you that YOU MAY BE ESTABLISHED.

Grace, is our impowerment and it is what establishes us!

Grace - God's unmerited and unearned favor, that IS the source and wellspring of every good thing we can receive from God.

Why, because it precludes Pride. Pride is us trying to earn favor from God.
Just receiving it requires being humble . . . "I can't, but He can . . . in every area of my Life!

Peter said He gives what to the Humble and He does what with the proud?
Kids ya got to have eyes to see it and ears to hear it . . . .
Grace is Jesus. . . at work . . . .

Abba, thank you that your Son is at the center of our lives. Thank You that your Grace is sufficient for us. Thank You for providing for us when we choose to believe it. Thank you that you are at work to will and to do in our lives,

Thank You for causing Faith and Trust, not fear, to well up in us each morning.

Thank You for having a plan for us today and everyday for good and not evil, that we might have a . . . hope . . . and a future for this day and for all the days of our lives, I believe Abba that we will see your goodness today. I receive it Abba, in Jesus name.

The Apostle John, the Lolli-Gagger

Things are not always what they seem are they? There is no end to 'specks' to pluck out of the eyes others, is there?

Is the plucking out of them a calling, or a ministry, or a just log in our own eye?
'Plucking' is always a human reaction to someone we think is not where they should be. That reaction only reflects what we assume about others. My question is; are any of us where we should be, performance wise?

When Peter questioned Jesus about John who was lolli-gagging behind, Jesus said, you follow me and leave him to me. We always got something to say to those we think are lolli-gagging don't we?

Amazing thing about John the 'Lolli-Gagger' He was the only apostle to die of natural causes and He wrote John, 1 -3 John, and the Revelation!
Leave the Lolli-gaggers to Jesus. 'For it is God who is able to make us stand,' not us . . . .

As a person who writes, I use words. Words are just pictures to me.
They are neither inherently good or bad. It is the intent of our words that is always the problem when they are not tempered by the Holy Spirit.
Do I sometimes do that? Yes, I do, because I am in the flesh, until Jesus comes for me.

If I use a word or phrase that offends you, think about my intent, not the word I chose. Intent is the thing that comes out of our hearts and saometimes brings words of life and sometimes death, when as I said my words are not of the Spirit and are of the flesh. The more I die to self the more my words will e of the Spirit.
Intent is the abundance of the heart that comes out of us and defiles us.

Even the word of God can be used as a weapon for harm and not for good. Satan uses it that way doesn't he. He uses PART of the word and so do we sometimes.

Words are often times just deemed good or bad by what we believe; at the time we read or say them. Don't know about you, but God is changing my thinking and saying every day.

In the end, it's not about our performance. It's about what we individually believe.
Whether you like that, or not, is of no consequence. It is how God planned it.

True honesty will always come to the same conclusion; We all fail and come short of perfection every day.
Ya see, that's Why Jesus had to come and be perfect for me. If I could be perfect, then He wouldn't have needed to come.

I post what I post here for a lot of reasons, they are not always readily understandable with just a surface look.
Sometimes they are just for fun, and sometimes they are just a reflection of a speck in my eye and sometimes they are a reflection of the Human being I am.

Jesus said, "look under the surface . . ."

My posts are posted with purpose and they are meant to get me to look at my own heart. That's what Jesus did . . . he tried to get us to look at our hearts . . . to see what is there already, and what is missing . . .

So lighten up and just let it go, if it offends you; cause gonna tell ya, responding out of correction to offenses . . . Is just plucking specks and is called Judgement and Jesus already took my judgement for me . . . didn't He yours?

Post Script:

Ya see, John was the first of the disciples who came to understand that Yeshua loved him, ALL the Time!! Even when he wasn't right . . .
There is no fear in Love; For it is the Perfect Love in me that threw and is throwing my fears away and it is the perfect love of God in me that is at work, Not me!
The good work God began in me will finally be completed when Yeshua returns, and not before. For now, I am only CONSIDERED righteous . . . but then . . . I will be . . . righteous . . . .

Finding Help

It's not just that we go to the Throne of Grace, for help, it is that we believed and acted on what we heard when we got there, that gets us help from the Throne of Grace. We got to do both. Go and Believe
Hebrews 4:1-2

Ever notice, when stuff starts hittin the fan, there is a sense of fear and dread about what the possible outcome might be? Well the Good News is it doesn't have to be that way!

We can now come boldly to the throne of GRACE, (the source of unmerited help,) that we might obtain mercy, (undeserved help), to help us, you and me, in time of need!
Hebrews 4:16
Jesus made that possible! Not our goodness, His!
We can REST assured in the knowledge of that!

The rest is found by ADDING faith or trust in the Goodness of God to what we hear in and from the word of God; an abiding restful sense that God is at work to do and to will in our situation,

FRETTING is not RESTING . . . and it is not Faith!

Have a bowl full of Faith this morning, It will give ya more then any 'Wonder Bread' ya can eat . . . Read Hebrews 4 before ya go out the door and face down your Giants today; I did!

When we fail to add Faith to what we hear from the word of God, it just causes everthing to go to hell in a hand basket. But when we do add faith all things become possible. Heck, it's possible then, for even me, to have somethin good happen!
(And you that know me, know that only God could do such a thing . . . .)

Ya see, Trusting is being confident of what we hope for and being convinced about the things we do not see . . .
It was for this that scripture attested the merit of the people of old."
Hebrews 11:1-2
Their merit was that they TRUSTED God, to give help, Not that they earned his help.
Go ahead, find ONE person in the Bible, besides Jesus, who earned Gods help.
God gives help, he doesn't sell it.

Our goodness and perfection cannot and does not earn God's help. we don't earn his help because we don't have any goodness or perfection that approximates God's standard for perfection.
Our merit was earned for us by the blood and resurrection of Yeshua.
That's what we are sposed to put our faith in.

Anything else is not good enough. Jesus is good enough for us and ya can only find rest in that!!
(see Hebrews chapters 4 and 11)

You've read that God will not allow us to be tempted or tested more than we can bear but with the test will make a WAY of escape, right?
The Way of escape, is faith or trust in the finished work of Christ.

Yeshua totally defeated the Accuser! Ya don't need to fear the Accuser any more because the Accuser is ALL READY defeated.
Ya don't have to fight him . . . just refer him to the Throne of GRACE!
If ya are under the blood . . . He will get His rejection notice when He gets to the right hand of God where Yeshua now sits.

Why do ya think Jesus is sitting down? It's because His work is finished!

Therefore, there is no more condemnation to those that are IN Christ!
Oh and don't forget to send the people who the Accuser uses to accuse you to the Throne of GRACE also . . . They will thank you for it in the end . . .
Ya all 'be' blessed taday, cause it's a choice

Babylon

'She has fallen she has fallen! Bavel the Great!' Revelation 17-18.
In chapter 17 Bavel or Babylon is revealed as a religious system, in chapter 18 it is revealed as a system of personal gain or profit, through politics and religion.

Bavel represents a system that brings glory or self aggrandizement to men and not to God.

If we take a moment and look inside our hearts we will quickly see what 'system' we are following. We are called to follow Christ, not systems.

Religion + commerce + politics = using the name of God for worldly gain. Hmmmmm ...... "You shall not take the Lord's name in vain." (One of the ten commandments).

Revelation 18:4 'And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.'

'Come out of her, my people.' This is a call for God's people to disentangle themselves from the world system. It may also be an evangelistic call to God's elect to come to faith in Christ and come out of Satan's kingdom. In both cases, the message is to abandon the system.

"For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery."
Galatians 5:1

Art

Can anything be added to enhance something that is already finished and complete in every aspect?

We either accept that it is finished, or we spend a lot a time fluttering around that finished something till we wear ourself out trying to add something that doesn't need to be added or to make it more complex then it is'

"For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." Eph 2:10
I guess ya got to be an art lover to appreciate art . . .

There are only two things that can be added to a 'finished' work of Art:
Love and appreciation.
"For we are God's Masterpiece . . ." Eph 2:10

I Wonder what happens to Art that is neither loved nor appreciated?

Most a the time it just gets hidden from view.  Luckily, the Artist will always Love and appreciate His work even though nobody else might.

Art is never out of the Artists heart because that's where it comes from.  The art created, was created to bring joy to the people who Love and appreciate the art and the Artist..

"The will of God is my prosperity" He loves me and appreciates me and has accepted me in the Beloved, (that's Jesus), my Artist.

Can what is not art, become art by itself? Or does it need an Artist? 

Where does a River of Water flow from? Well, the Source . . .

Active Faith

Saying what I believe, helps me to believe what I am saying.
Saying what I feel,, works the same way
Why? Faith comes from hearing; hearing the word of God as it is spoken out of our own mouths. Let the Redeemed of the Lord 'say' so . . .

It is a Law of God . . . (for the legalists out there)

What we say is generally a purty good indication of what we believe

The things of God can only be accessed by an Active Faith or Trust in Him, and what he says. If we fall apart when things don't seem to be going our way then our Faith or Trust in God through Jesus is not yet fully active, is it?

For instance:
Need a job? The Job for you, in God's plan, was planned for you already.
Just let him lead you into it. (see below) . . . go on ahead, tell Him you want His plan and His leading, then see what happens. (hint: ya really got to want His plan first and not yours)

"We are called to good works, planned for us by God BEFORE the foundation of the world." Paul of Tarsus

When you doubt, just declare the above verse till it manifests. It will, if ya really want it . . .

 "For without Faith it is impossible to please God." Our own efforts, by themselves, aren't good enough to please him, but Faith in Him, and His Word, does . . . Please Him.

Pretty important that Faith stuff I reckon . . .

Hunting

My Old Dad always said, "Until ya are ready to put up, maybe ya should just shut up."
When I was a kid, my Dad was a 'Ditch Rider' I think he made about 75 dollars a week. We lived in a little one room cabin.

We hunted and fished for our food. If we didn't, we didn't eat.
Hunting has become a multi - gazillion dollar industry in America since those days.
Many people make their living from it. Maybe in a different way then my family did all those years ago but they 'make their living just the same.'

It is also the money generated by hunters and the hunting industry through the sale of licenses and the taxes on hunting equipment that pay for habitat and wildlife enhancement programs that not only support the animals we hunt, but have propagated their existence in America for over 100 years!

No other group of people do this and especially NOT the anti hunter groups.

Listen kids, who don't get it . . . Here in Montana . . . we who live here . . . still hunt to eat . . . we enjoy the hunt and the food and we are still thankful we still have some a both.
If you would come spend a while with me . . . you would understand.

Ya see, a real hunter respects and loves the animal they hunt and they prove it by paying the bill . . .
Haven't we lost enough freedoms in America?

When there are no more Supermarkets and America becomes the 3rd world nation our government is working so hard to make it . . . ya all who are against hunting now . . . will become hunters then, or ya will starve.

A Shopper and a Hunter have this in common, they both eat.

The difference between a Shopper and a Hunter, is that the Hunter does his or her own killing. A Shopper lets someone else do the killing for him or her.

That is how and why we eat. The process is the same, just a different killer.

So what is that lowing of sheep on your plate . . . .???

"He gave us the animals and the plants for our food," but to eat them someones got to kill em, don't they . . . ?
Somethin about specks and logs isn't it? Or is it just straining at the Gnats and lettin the Camels go . . .
Freedom is about having choices. Doing good is about doing something to enhance someones freedom and life, not reducing them.

It's not about constantly telling people what's wrong with them, they know that. It's about being truly free to pursue Life, Liberty, and Happiness and to make room for others to do the same.

Whether or not I agree with or understand the choices a free person makes is irrelevant. What is relevant is that he had the freedom to choose.

Ya can be a Shopper or a Hunter but they both involve killing .  .  .

Following

"Dreams don't come true they are 'made' true"
Russel Wilson

Following someone as opposed to leading someone is a difficult thing to do when you don't have a paradigm to guide your choice of who you will or will not follow.

I've never been much of a follower of people. Anybody that knows me will tell you so.
Not that I am unwilling to follow anyone. I just need to know the person or persons wanting me to follow them are going where I want to go, know how to get there, understand my strengths and weaknesses, have integrity, and care about what happens to me, on some level, while on the way.

Who would you trust your life to? Because when you follow someone, for all intents and purposes, you ARE putting your life, future, and well being in their hands.

It's good to have a developed criteria when it comes to choosing who you will follow, who you will TRUST,
Who you will friend,
Who you will marry,
Who you will vote for,
Who you will support,
Who you will work for
Who you will die for,
It's called integrity . . .

The great thing about following someone is that you don't have to know much about where you are going or how you are going to get there. You just have to follow.

Mountain guides take people into some of the roughest country there is; country most would never return from if they didn't have someone to follow who knew the way and how to survive while on the way. Jesus is like that.

It's sorta like the old Greyhound bus motto . . .
"Take the Bus and leave the driving to us!"

Knowing and following Christ becomes problematic only when the differing opinions of men become involved; creating an imperative to search for Him, find Him, know him, and ultimately follow him, individually, in the direction we each see Him take.
Yet, we collectively form a body that operates out of unity!

How can that be????

Christ is the head of the body . . . the eyes, ears, and most importantly, the BRAIN, are found in the Head . . . I guess that's why our relationship with him and the relationships we have with people Have to be based on Trust that the Head knows what it's doing . . . .even when we don't . . . :)

Human Nature vs God's Nature

Scorn : a feeling that someone or something is not worthy of any respect or approval.
Harsh criticism that shows a lack of respect or approval for someone or something
Scornful : being full of it – scorn I mean
Important question . . . Am I full of scorn (human Nature), or am I full of Love, (God's nature), towards anyone, including myself?

Which should I be full of and how do I get there?

“A scorner does not like being corrected. He wont go to the wise for advice.”
Proverbs – 15:12

Pic - a new magazine for those of us who want to be proficient at scorn .. .

(The approved book for learning to be Love full is the Bible.
So how come we who say we read and understand the Bible are so often times filled with scorn . . . ? Answer Human nature at work and not God's nature at work.)

The approved book for experiencing being Love full is the Bible.
( So how come we who that say we read and understand the Bible are so often times filled with scorn . . . ? Answer: Human Nature

Love full is to experience being full of the nature of God, He is:
Patient, kind, never jealous, not boastful, rude or selfish, not easily angered.
Does not gloat over peoples sins, keeps no record of wrongs. He takes delight in the Truth, He always bears up, always trusts, always hopes, always endures and there is no end to the fullness of His love and nothing can separate us from His Love. (see 1 Corinthians 13 & Romans 8).

A good way to measure how full our tank is and what it is full of, isn't it?

Reconciliation - Fence Mending

Fence mending . . . . done a lot a fence mending in my time . . . 

The thing about mending fence is, they don't mend their selves. Sombodies got to get off their Duff and go do it . . . Sometimes even in the Dark or when the weather aint too good. Sometimes ya got to walk and leave yer horse behind . . .

Sometimes ya got to do it without what ya would think are the right Tools . . .
ya just make do with what ya already got . . .
(A life meditation from 2 Corinthians 5:17-20)
 
Reconciliation - The restoration of friendly relations. Fence mending.

The act of causing two people or groups to become friendly again after an argument or disagreement: The process of finding a way to make two different ideas, facts, etc., exist or be true at the same time.

"Therefore, if anyone is united with the Messiah, he is a new creation — the old has passed; look, what has come is fresh and new! AND IT IS ALL FROM GOD, who through the Messiah has reconciled us to himself and has given us the work of that reconciliation, which is that God in the Messiah WAS RECONCILING MANKIND TO HIMSELF, NOT COUNTING THEIR SINS AGAINST THEM, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore we are ambassadors of the Messiah; in effect, God is making his appeal through us. What we do is appeal on behalf of the Messiah, “Be reconciled to God!"
2 Corinthians 5:17-20Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)

Guess we got a lot a fence to mend. Reckon we ought a get at it, eh?

Something to think about . . . .

. . . If God, through Christ, is NOT counting our sins against us, why are we so focused on our sins, and not God, who is no longer counting our sins against us?

Since He has given us the message of this reconciliation, shouldn't our message be about what Christ has done for us instead of what we have done or not done?

The Point of Knowledge

The point of knowledge is to lead us somewhere . . .
Humor me for a minute and think about what I am going to say . . .

Adonai told Joshua this; "Meditate on this word day and night and be careful to do ALL that is written in it. Then you shall make your way prosperous and you will have Good Success!" That thought is repeated all throughout the Bible.

The point of all that is; the Word of God, our source of knowledge, is to LEAD us to The Way the Truth and the Life, Yeshua/Jesus, who tore down the dividing wall between us and God . . .

He took all of God's wrath, toward us, upon Himself! There is nothing keeping me, or you, out a the Throne Room of God anymore! I can come boldly to Him through the Blood of Christ, TO GET HELP WHEN I NEED IT. I do so by Faith. You can too!

Trust and belief in the the promises of God are what brings the promises of God to our lives. Not trying to earn them.

Remember, our best deeds are still not good enough. In fact He says, 'Our best deeds are as filthy menstrual rags." We can't earn what we can't earn! It comes through the blood of Christ.

God's Grace. (UNMERITED FAVOR), is made real in my life by my Faith, not by my works! My works are just evidence of His presence and Grace in me.
We are made worthy in God's sight because of the obedience of one man, Jesus Christ. Not our 'goodness.'

Why, because according to the Bible we have none. The only thing good in me, is Jesus. period.

Jesus Himself said, "I tell you, you can pray for ANYTHING, and if you BELIEVE, that you have already RECEIVED it, 'IT' . . . will be YOURS! Mark 11:24
 
What are some things we might need to ask for?
What does 'Anything' mean? 
What does Believe mean?
What does 'Already Received' mean?
What does 'It Will be Yours mean?

MEDITATE on that day and night and see what conclusions you come up with.

Baptisim

Since we are Baptizing people tomorrow, thought I would take a minute to share with you what it means and what it doesn't mean.

Baptism is publicly identifying with Christ. It is sharing His death and resurrection. It is dieing with Him, to self and the old life, on the cross.  It is being reborn in His resurrection to new life under his care and grace.

When Jesus went to the Jordan river to be baptized John said,  "I am not worthy to baptize you.  I'm not fit to tie or untie your shoes." 

Jesus said, "Let it be done so all righteousness will be fulfilled."
Christ was baptised to fulfill all the requirements of God's law for us, thus exchanging His perfection for our imperfection.

And like Christ, after his immersion, the Holy Spirit descended on him bodily like a dove and a voice from heaven identified him as His Son, so we who follow him in baptism receive the same. The Holy Spirit comes and we are identified through Christ, by God, that we are now His son's and daughters!

see Galatians 4:6-7

"And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child.  And since you are his child, God has made you his heir."

It doesn't necessarily mean we are now religious, self righteous, a member of a particular denomination, or a follower of approved doctrine, or particularly better in the natural then any one else. It just means we are now his sons and daughters and that means EVERYTHING!!

Plagiarism

Plagiarism - Calling someone else's 'work' your own. Taking the credit for the work of someone else. There are penalties for plagiarism . . . .
Would you say Plagiarism is a sin?

Because God's Grace is solely based on Jesus work, and not mine, the only way I can 'fall from grace' is by believing I can earn, merit, and deserve it through my obedience and good works, when it is really a GIFT that is unearned and unmerited.

If it is unmerited and unearned, when I receive it, why would it require merit and effort to earn it to keep it?

My good works are just evidence of the good work of Christ in me . . . Without Christ, I can do things that seem good, but are really just selfish and not selfless.

Without Christ, in me, there would be no desire for truly good works in me. The desire to do good is the evidence of Christ present in someones life.

"You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by Law; you have fallen from Grace . . . (back into legalism) . . . .

"Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace." KJV

Galatians 5:4

Be careful you aren't plagiarizing the 'work" of Christ . . . by calling it your own

What is that Lowing of Sheep?

"There is nothing new under the Sun," said Solomon, the Teacher.

What God did in the past he is still doing today. The stories of the Garden, Creation, the Patriarchs, the Hebrew Children, Pharoah, the Wilderness, the Promised land, The Judges, the Kings, The Prophets . . . while these stories are true, in every detail, they are also meant to be a metaphor from God, if you will; of just how he works in our own lives, the Heirs of Salvation.

Take the Promised land for instance. My ancestors were told to rid the land of all who dwelt there . . . . they didn't. Remember "Saul's lowing of Sheep" If only he had followed Samuel's instruction . . . Even then, Saul wanted to APPEAR as though he had done no wrong . . . to the people. He wasn't quick to repent like his successor David did after committing murder and adultry.

We are told by Jesus to get rid a some stuff too aren't we?

Yet, We like Saul, are more concerned about what the people will think of us, then just admitting we blew it.

Or we have this problem or that problem. Kids our problems are why we need Jesus . . . He is not amazed or surprised that we have problems, but maybe he is when we trust Him enough to just be real about it. He is an ever present source of help in time of need. He's here to help us not beat us up!
It is a story about GRACE!

( Baaaa . . . There's that dang sheep lowin again.)

We are told to, 'Walk in the light as He is in the light' . . . that's just another way of saying, "Get real! That means, God wants us to come clean about our own weaknesses . . . . His grace is sufficient for Us! His Love covers it all when we just get real about stuff.

The tides and the ebb and flow of the Ocean will tell you that, if you sit and ponder it's message . . . . .long enough

Following Instructions

While I was caring for my Mom, in Washington, everybody was asleep. While sitting on the deck after doing the morning chores, I heard this instruction, "Go for a walk."
It was already 95 degrees outside and getting hotter.
Seemed kinda foolish to me to go out in that heat . . . but I obeyed.

As I walked I heard this instruction, "Walk to the river."
That was 7 miles away! That seemed even more foolish! I obeyed.

When I got there and sat where he told me to. I heard this instruction. "There is a woman named Karen coming. Talk to her." She showed up within two minutes after I had sat down where He told me to.

As I talked with her, I was using her name, "Karen." I had forgot He had told me her name while on my way to the river.

After concluding our conversation, I prayed with her.

She said, as I was leaving, "I didn't tell you my name and that is really freaking me out!"
I smiled and said, that happens sometimes . . . .

God gives us Help by giving us an instruction. The reason we don't often get the Help we need is because we don't listen for the instruction and then don't Do it.
Sometimes His instructions seem foolish to the 'wise.'

Grace and Mercy

"Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions." Ephesians 2:5

"It is by Grace, through Faith you have been saved." Ephesians 2:8
(Grace saves us, when we have Faith enough to believe it. It also provides "Shalom." Shalom - Everything we need for LIFE and GODLINESS. Grace works from the inside out, not the outside in.

A good way to understand the meaning of MERCY is to see how it relates to GRACE:

Mercy-- What you DON"T get when you deserve it. ( Withheld punishment )

Grace-- What you DO get when you don't deserve it. ( Unmerited Favor )

Mercy is like a judge finding you guilty, but then withholding any punishment. Grace is getting something you could never have imagined. An inexplicable gift. It's like the same judge awarding you $10,000,000.00, after finding you guilty!

Listen and Ask Questions

When Jesus was just 12 years old, in the Temple, in Jerusalem, he sat among the religious teachers of the Law; He 'listened' to them and asked them 'questions.'
All who heard him were amazed at his 'understanding' and his 'answers.'
Luke 2:46

"Be an imitator of God using Christ Jesus as your example," Ephesians 5:1

Listen, Ask Questions, Get Understanding, and Be Ready with an Answer.

Understanding should be what knowledge leads us to. Knowledge is just knowledge. The world has a whole lot a 'knowledge' but it's still going to hell in a hand basket without understanding; aint it?

I'm pretty sure that is why Jesus said, from the cross,  Father forgive them because they don't know what they are doing."

Faithfulness . . . Ephesians 1:1-2

I've been meditating on Ephesians 5:1 daily for three months now. It's been very enlightening . . .
I'm going to begin a study of Ephesians and will share it here with you all.  :)

To those of you who pray:

Please ask the Holy Spirit to give me revelation in my study of this Great Book.

Thank You for all of you who pray for me, it has made all the difference.
I pray for all of you and I'm daily asking God to give us all Spiritual wisdom and insight so our hearts will be flooded with light and thereby grow in our knowledge and understanding of God.

"He said, "My Child, pay attention to my words. Let them penetrate deep into your heart . . . Then you will have success and it will bring healing to your entire 'body.' "

Jesus is the head of His 'church,' (true Believers), which is his 'body.'

Maybe that's the Body that will get healed . . . . when I let His word penetrate deep into my heart.

Faith - full - ness -  The confidence  that comes by trusting God's promises, to keep moving forward.  Hebrews 11

A letter is usually written to someone for some purpose. Ephesians 1: 1-2

Paul wrote the Letter to the Ephesians to "Faithful Followers of Christ" in Ephesus.
He asked God to give them two things 'Grace and Shalom . . .' (more on that later)

I can only assume from that, He wasn't writing to 'Unfaithful Followers of Christ' because there aren't really any of those.

We are either Faithful Followers or we are not Faithful Followers.

Paul wasn't asking God to give 'Unfaithful Followers of Christ' Grace or Shalom.

Unfaithfulness doesn't need either Grace or Shalom because unfaithfulness follows it's own path.

As an imitator of God, using Jesus as my example, maybe it would conserve time and effort if I would follow suit . . .

"Holy Spirit lead us to 'Faithful Followers' and to those who are in the 'process' of being saved.

It sure would save a lot a wasted time and effort Sir! Thank You Jesus!"

Understanding

A Heart full of understanding is much much more than a heart just full of knowledge.

Understanding - The ability to understand something; comprehension. sympathetically aware of other people's feelings; tolerant and forgiving.

Solomon asked God for an understanding Heart; 1Kings 3:9.
That's what made him a great leader.

Abba, give us understanding Hearts to lead this great people of YOURS!

Faith

Walking by faith and not by sight, imparts protection, and will lead you to a place where no evil can touch you.

Job 5:19
2 Timothy 4:18
Proverbs 34:19
Isaiah 54:14

Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Kids, that implies that we are actually reading, hearing, and speaking the Word of God.

Fluff does not build Faith, the Word does.

The 'Campers Promise. "  (An example of Faith built on the promises of God.)

"You’ll be able to laugh at destruction and famine.
Also you won’t have to fear wild animals,
for you will be in league with the stones in the field,
and the wild animals will be at peace with you.
You will know that your tent is safe;
you will look round your home and miss nothing."
Job 5:22-23

 It is how I believe every single day! I heard it in the Word of God and I have Faith to live it. 

So far, I aint been ate yet.  :)

About moving forward . . .

Dream, learn, do and become!!!!
Faith is the confidence to know you can keep moving forward. Even when everyone and every circumstance tells you, you can't . . . .

Yemenite Bride, A Bride for a King . . .

During a Yemenite Jewish wedding, the bride was bedecked with jewelry and wore a traditional wedding costume, including an elaborate headdress decorated with flowers and rue leaves, which were believed to ward off evil. Gold threads were woven into the fabric of her clothing. Songs were sung as part of a seven-day wedding celebration, with lyrics about friendship and love in alternating verses of Hebrew and Arabic.

After immigration to Israel, the regional varieties of Yemenite bridal jewelry were replaced by a uniform item that became identified with the community: the splendid bridal garb of Sana'a.

Before the wedding, Yemenite and other Eastern Jewish communities perform the henna ceremony.
The family of the bride mixes a paste derived from the Henna plant that is placed on the palms of the bride and groom, and their guests. After the paste is washed off, a deep orange stain remains that gradually fades over the next week.

Yemenites had a special affinity for Henna due to biblical and Talmudic references. Henna, in the Bible, is Camphire, and is mentioned in the Song of solomon, as well as in the Talmud.

"My Beloved is unto me as a cluster of Camphire in the vineyards of En-Gedi" Song of Solomon

From Isaiah 61 and 62

“I am so joyful in Adonai! My soul rejoices in my God, for he has clothed me in salvation, dressed me with a robe of triumph, like a bridegroom wearing a festive turban, like a bride adorned with her jewels.
For just as the earth brings forth its plants, or a garden makes its plants spring up, so Adonai, God, will cause victory and glory to spring up before all nations.”

“You will no longer be spoken of as ‘Azuvah [Abandoned]
or your land be spoken of as ‘Sh’mamah [Desolate];
rather, you will be called Heftzi-Vah [My-Delight-Is-In-Her]
and your land Be‘ulah [Married].”

“For Adonai delights in you, and your land will be married —
as a young man marries a young woman, your sons will marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over the bride, your God will rejoice over you.”

Revelation 19:17

"Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”

Learners Permit

Tzaddik - Hebrew singular noun for the 'Righteous One"
Tzaddikim - Hebrew plural noun - Students of Righteousness - people with a learners permit. When I was a teacher, I noticed something about students, "They sometimes fail." Eventually though, if they keep tryin, they get it.

"All your people will be 'tzaddikim;'
they will inherit the land forever;
they will be the BRANCH I planted,
my handiwork, in which I take pride.
"The smallest will grow to a thousand,
the weakest will become a mighty nation.
I, Adonai, when the right time comes,
will quickly bring it about.”
Isaiah 60:21-22 Complete Jewish Bible

( Didn't Paul say something about a BRANCH? )

Walking with God

 

The Jews of old used to have over a 100 blessings they would say all day that related to everything they did.

It began when they woke up in the morning after a nights sleep:
"Adonai, thank you for causing my spirit and yours to return to my body this morning."

Can you imagine, the Blessings that would constantly be in your spirit if you did the same?

That's what Paul meant by, "Pray without ceasing" It is also what is meant by walking with God. And what the Psalmist meant when He said, "In everything let God be praised."

Enoch curiously, the seventh from Adam, (seven being the number of perfection), Is the only other person, other than Yeshua, mentioned in the Word of God, that "Walked with God," and God took him.

We can only practice walking with God but with Yeshua in us, we are counted worthy just as Enoch was. God is gettin ready to take us too . . . In a twinkling of an eye at the Last Trumpet, which, I think, is about to be sounded.

The 'EYES' of Faith

What do you 'see' when you close your eyes? Can you 'see' the thing you need?

We don't get the things we pray for unless we can see it, with the eyes of the Spirit, inside us, first.

It begins with the seed of possibility; planted in our heart.
"Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God."
Romans 10:17

Then, when you can see it, inside, just believe it.

If we can't see it, inside first, and are unable to believe what we see inside, then we aren't ready to pray for it, yet.

Doubters may hear, but they never SEE.

Faith is what enables us to 'SEE."

"Therefore, I say to you, WHATEVER THINGS . . . you ask for . . . WHEN YOU PRAY . . . BELIEVE that you RECEIVE them, and you will have them!"
Matthew 11:24

"Without prophetic vision, people abandon restraint, but those who obey the Law are happy." Proverbs 29:18

I have to believe the vision I see, restrain the abandonment of Faith, and obey the Laws of Faith.

That's how I live in the mountains, If I didn't, I would die there or get ate!
Practice makes perfect . . .  :)

Qualifiers

After 40 years of listening to people, who said, "they knew," tell me why I didn't qualify, I stopped listening to them and started to Listen to the ONE who, "does know" tell me why I do qualify.It has madeallthedifference. Shouldn't you too?

Everything is possible with God, when we follow Jesus!
He will tell ya so too! Their are no disqualifiers with Him.

John 5:41-44Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)

“I don’t collect praise from men, (your approval means nothing to me), but I do know you people — I know that you have no love for God in you! I have come in my Father’s name, and you don’t accept me; if someone else comes in his own name, him you will accept. How can you trust? You’re busy collecting praise from each other, instead of seeking praise from God only."

Every Good and Perfect Gift

"Andrew, one of the Talmadim, the brother of Shim'on Kefa said to Him, There's a young fellow here who has five loaves of Barley bread and two fish, but how far will they go among so many?" John 6:9 CJB

Then, Jesus showed them, How far, so little, can go, among so many.

It wasn't about the 'giving' of the 'two fish and five loaves.' It was about 'Who they were given to.'

What should WE DO in order to PERFORM the works of God? Here's what the WORK OF GOD is; TO TRUST in the One He sent.
John 6:28-29 CJB

God's not looking for miracle workers, He already has 'One.' He is looking for Believers.

It isn't about PERFORMING; it is about BELIEVING.

Being a cheerful giver is easy; It's just based on what we already have.

Being a cheerful receiver, is a whole nuther Ball game. It is based on what we don't YET have. Hebrews 11:1-2

It takes Belief, and Trust, in the One He sent, to receive by grace through faith.

"For by 'grace' you have been saved through 'faith, (trusting that it will be done), And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God," Ephesians 2:8 ESV
(Read it S L O W L Y)

(note: We get everything else good in our lives this way too.)

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. "  James 1:17

Complaining

In his effort to control the downward spiral of his circumstances, through constant and consistent complaining . . . It was pointed out to a certain man that he had forgotten some of the usual things he complained about.

In an effort to be more consistent in his complaining he began to keep a complaint journal to better track and keep up with his complaining.

It caught on well, among others, of like bent, and eventually became Face Book . . . .

Numbers 11:1-4

"And the people complained in the hearing of the Lord about their misfortunes, and when the Lord heard it, his anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some outlying parts of the camp.
Then the people cried out to Moses, and Moses prayed to the Lord, and the fire died down. So the name of that place was called Taberah, because the fire of the Lord burned among them.
Now the rabble that was among them had a strong craving. And the people of Israel also complained again and said, “Oh that we had meat to eat! "

The Power of Forgiveness

Corrie ten Boom, a survivor of the Holocaust, whose sister was killed in the camps, went to Germany with a message of God's forgiveness in 1947.
 
She then began a ministry to Holocaust survivors.

She later said, "Those who forgave their captors, an understandably difficult thing to do, went on to live prosperous lives. Those who continued to nurse their bitterness, continued to suffer and never found peace or healing for their wounds . . ."

"Whenever you stand up to pray, forgive whatever you have against anyone, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins.
Mark 11:25

Forgiving others can be a very difficult thing to do, but it IS Gods Way to healing and freedom.

"It is for freedom you have been set free"

God help me to forgive today!

Hear O Israel!

Where Help Really Comes From . . . Hear O Israel!

When Solomon dedicated the Temple. God said to him, "When your enemies, or plague, or famine attack you, you can come before this Temple and ask for MY help and I will deliver you!"

King Jehoshaphat learned, from some 'messengers,'  a vast army from Edom, Ammon, and the Menuites were approaching Jerusalem to attack Israel. He was TERRIFIED!

Jehoshaphat Went and stood before the new courtyard of the Temple and said this to the Lord, "We don't know what to do. but WE ARE LOOKING TO YOU FOR HELP!"

Long story short, God said, "Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. Tomorrow, march out against them. You will find them coming up through the ascent of Ziz at the end of the valley that opens into the wilderness of Jeruel. But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord’s victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!” 2 Chronicles 20:15-17

Long story short, God did just that He defeated Israel's enemies! All they had to do is TRUST Him, The army of Israel was led by Singers and Worshipers!

Where does your HELP come from?

Martha said of Mary as she sat at the feet of Jesus, Lord don't you care that Mary has left me here to serve alone?

What did Jesus say?

We run around looking for Help from every possible source but the ONE who can really help, don't we?

Tishah B'Av The 9th of Av

A lesson in Trust and Faith . . .

What happened on the 9th of Av? (Av, in the Lunar calendar of the Bible is August).  What was set in motion?

The troubles associated with the Ninth of Av began in 1313 BC when the Israelites refused to go into the promised land and remained in the Wilderness. Consequently that generation of Israelites never enters the Holy Land, they die in the Wilderness. Only their children had that privilege, after wandering in the desert for another 38 years.

The first Temple was destroyed on the 9th of Av in 423 BC.
The second Temple was destroyed on the 9th of Av in 69 AD
Both Temples were destroyed on the same day and month, (9th of Av),  that the Israelites refused to Trust God and go into the Promised land!

When the Jews rebelled against Roman rule, they believed that their leader, Simon bar Kochba, would fulfill their messianic longings. But their hopes were cruelly dashed in 133 CE as the Jewish rebels were brutally butchered in the final battle at Betar. The date of the massacre? Of course—the 9th of Av!
One year after their conquest of Betar, the Romans plowed over the Temple Mount, our nation's holiest site. on the 9th of Av!

The Jews were expelled from England in 1290 CE on, you guessed it, the 9th of Av!

In 1492, the Golden Age of Spain came to a close when Queen Isabella and her husband Ferdinand ordered that the Jews be banished from the land.
The edict of expulsion was signed on March 31, 1492, and the Jews were given exactly four months to put their affairs in order and leave the country. The Hebrew date on which no Jew was allowed any longer to remain in the land where he had enjoyed welcome and prosperity?  Oh, by now you know it—the 9th of Av.

Ready for just one more? World War II and the Holocaust, historians conclude, was actually the long drawn-out conclusion of World War I that began in 1914. And yes, amazingly enough, Germany declared war on Russia, effectively catapulting the First World War into motion, on the 9th of Av, Tisha b'Av.

There are many more significant world events connected to the 9th of Av. Many are happening now.
Study it you will be amazed.

What can we make of all this?

Jews see this as another confirmation of the deeply held conviction that history isn't haphazard; events – even terrible ones – are part of a Divine plan and have spiritual meaning. The message of time is that everything has a rational purpose, even though we don't understand it.

I wonder what will be next . . . Remember this all started with a refusal to 'Trust God.'

Tishah B'Av - Aug. 4th-5th ( The 9th of Av in the Jewish Lunar Calender is very signifigant to Jews and it should be signifigant to Christians and the Whole world!

Here is a little about it.
Pay close attention to the last paragraph.



Tishah B'Av (תשעה באב, the "ninth [day] of [the month of] Av") is an annual day of mourning that recalls the many tragedies that have befallen the Jewish people over the centuries, but most especially the destruction of the Holy Temple and the ongoing galut (exile) of Israel. This year Tishah B'Av begins Monday August 4th at sundown and runs 25 hours until Tuesday, August 5th, one hour after sundown. The customs for observing the holiday are similar to those of Yom Kippur.

Tishah B'Av is generally regarded as the saddest day of the Jewish year (and even sadder than Yom Kippur) since it was on this date that both the First and the Second Temples were destroyed and the Jewish people were forced into exile. The root of these tragedies is said to go back to the Exodus from Egypt, when the LORD decreed a 40 year exile from the Promised Land because of the Sin of the Spies on the ninth of Av. In addition, Aaron died on Av 1 (Num. 33:38), and this was said to foreshadow the destruction of the Temple. The sages call this prophetic principle: ma'aseh avot siman labanim (מַעֲשֵׂה אֲבוֹת סִימָן לַבָּנִים): "The deeds of the fathers are signs for the children." (Believers in Christ are the Spiritual offspring of our Jewish Forefathers).

The ninth of Av is the lowest point of a three week period of mourning that began with the fast of the 17th of Tammuz (which was undertaken to recall the first breach in the walls of Jerusalem by the Babylonians before the First Temple was destroyed three weeks later). The period of the "Three Weeks of Sorrow" is intended to instill a sense of teshuvah (repentance) and to prepare for the Messianic redemption to come.

Emunah - Faith

The word translated 'faith' in Hebrew is "emunah".

Emunah - acting with firmness toward God's will.

Emuna 'Faith,' is best learned and applied when we don't have what we need, or see any way out of the circumstances we are in. It is most profitable to us when we don't have the things we need, and then is used to appropriate the things we need.  It is based on God's promises.

We don't need emunah faith when we already have everything we need or when everything is ducky, do we?

"Trusting is being confident of what we hope for, convinced about things we do not see." Hebrews 11:1

Faith, trust should lead us to act with "emunah."
Acting or doing something with firmness toward God's will.

Recentlym a man who went to our men's retreat in the mountains of Montana came home to find out his wife had left him. An opportune time to hold on to your faith and not throw it out the window; wouldn't you say . . .
It's times like these that faith comes in most handy, aint it?

What do we normally do with our faith when the poop hits the fan . . .

. . . Hold on to it and act accordingly or throw it away? What should we do?

Again . . .Emunah - A Hebrew word translated 'faith' - 'A firm action toward God's will'
Hebrews 11:1

To get water you have to dig the well first. Usually, you have to do that by faith that there is water somewhere under the ground ya haven't seen YET.

What do ya do when you dont 'see' the promises of God happening around you?
Well, ya just keep diggin!

The righteous live by faith and NOT by sight!

"So don't throw away that courage of yours, for it carries with it such a great reward; for YOU need to hold out; so that, by having DONE what God wills, you may RECEIVE what He has PROMISED." Hebrews 10:15

One more time . . . Emunah - Hebrew word translated "Faith" - "A firm action toward God's will"

Abba, lead us ALL in the way of faith and trust today so we might receive what you have promised. Help us ALL to just keep movin forward today and not worry about the things of tomorrow. Show your self strong on our behalf and give us your peace to know you hold the universe in your hand. In Jesus name, strengthen us, help us, and uphold us by your righteous right hand!"

The Temple of God

From Tehillim (Psalms) 132 -
God put it in David's heart to build a dwelling place.
God told David he could not because David was a man of blood. It would be one of Davids sons who would build the Temple.
Solomon built the physical Temple.
I think it was another Son who would build the Spiritual Temple . . .

"Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?" 1 Corinthians 3:16

He wants US to be His Dwelling Place.
The spiritual result of that is the same as the physical one . . .

"For the Lord has chosen Jerusalem;
he has desired it for his home.
“This is my resting place forever,” he said.
“I will live here, for this is the home I desired.
I will bless this city and make it prosperous;
I will satisfy its poor with food.
I will clothe its priests with godliness;
its faithful servants will sing for joy.
Here I will increase the power of David;
my anointed one will be a light for my people.
I will clothe his enemies with shame,
but he will be a glorious king.”

Jesus said to the Samaritan woman, at the well,  "If you knew who I was you would ask me for water and the water I would give you, if you would drink it, would flow out of you like a river of living water"

Everything we do then would flow out of being His dwelling place!

Christ In Us

It's NOT the natural character, history, intelligence, wealth, cultural lineage, moral rectitude, or social standing of men that makes a Man of God, it is the indwelling of Christ. If He is in us, those things will be there too. If He is not in us, well, we can only pretend.
"Christ in us, the hope of Glory!"