We see the preciousness of God who knows our being before we were even contemplated to be created. Every limb was written in the book so that it would come forth and have a purpose within our lives, and the thoughts of God which created the blessings within our life cannot be counted, he said, they are as the sands of the sea. Therein is a prophecy that our Lord Himself spoke about. The blessings of God are like the sands of the sea. We see that in the world today so many people are worshipping the blessings of God and seeking those blessings as the sands of the sea which are not stable. There is no stability in that sand as the sea comes in and goes out. It is the same today. We should look beyond those blessings, look beyond that sand and see where they came from, and set out hearts on worshipping and praising He who has granted us those blessings. If we build our life and our future, or attempt to build them on the sands of the sea then we will suffer as our Lord taught while He was on this earth, and He gave us this warning in Matthew Chapter 7 verses 24-29 after He had given His words on how we should live our life. These words were all full of requests. They were advice to us. They were as it were like a catalogue of things we should look at day by day, for they are His words and we should never let them slip, and at the end of that teaching He taught these words, and we find written: “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. And it came to pass, when Jesus ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” We see our Lord made it very clear about these sands. So many blessings the Lord gives us, we should always remember to thank for them, not try to build our life on that sand, but build our life on the rock, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and His Word. No matter what storm will come within our lives those blessings will eventually fail, but if we have built on the rock, the Word of Christ, then we will withstand those storms and be able to receive a greater strength of our inner being. We see we have to be careful that we do not allow our lives to shift, worshipping the blessings of God and not worshipping God the giver of those blessings. In the world today we see that happening. We see so many worshipping the creation and not the Creator. Great sums of money and research is going into trying to save this creation without one thought of asking the Creator to allow His hand to enter over it. We should not fall into the trap of building our lives on the blessings of God. The second great prophecy that was contained in those words was that when the Psalmist said that even when he wakens from his sleep he shall still be with me. We understand that has a two-part meaning, an earthly meaning and a spiritual meaning. The earthly meaning of course is that as we open our eyes in the morning the great blessing of God is still with us and we are still with Him, and we can call on Him to lead us through that day, but it has a greater spiritual meaning for us, and that is that when we close our eyes at the end of this life as it were in a sleep and when we open them we are still with God. He has promised us that He will never leave us or forsake us. That promise was given unto us by Christ on the cross for all Christians, “Today thou shalt be with me in Paradise.” We never lose our place in His Church or in this spiritual building. We are just moved to another place where we can continue to receive these blessings from God that are beyond our understanding.

We read those words and we imagine a short period of time when Noah had to construct this ark. The measurements of the ark are huge. It was a huge ship, we would say today. It had to be constructed without modern day tools. It was recorded that Noah went into the ark when he was 600 years old. We see for 100 years Noah was blessed with this Grace or Christ and he was obedient to God’s word. We can imagine the ridicule that he and his family would have come under as they went about this work. The ridicule as Noah told them that God was going to destroy every thing with a flood. It had not rained in the world at that time. All their water came from under the earth in the form of mists. How they must have laughed and mocked at Noah and his family, who in faith because of this grace that had been granted unto them tried to teach and preach to the people to return back to the Lord to receive salvation.

We see there the ark in symbol form represented the church. In three storeys: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and we see it has sufficient food taken into it to support us through the perilous times in this world. We see only one door that can go into this, and that one door represents our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. He is the only door: He is the way, He is the truth and the life. One window looking up to heaven showing that through the power of the Holy Spirit this ark will be guided so that all of those therein can find safety. We can see how the grace of God was signified in this great event, and it was a signal for future times, the times in the Christian period. There are many times in this period where we will be ridiculed for believing in this grace and testifying that our Lord will return. Many will mock and scorn because that has never happened in the world also. We must stand firm because the end of that text said that Noah and his family were called into the ark by God. We have to be called into Christ’s salvation. We cannot go out and demand it. We cannot find it, we cannot buy it, we are called, and when we are called we then can get an inkling to the answer – What love has the Father bestowed upon us that we can now be called sons of God? The Apostle Peter wrote about this to the people in his day, and the writings are the same today in Chapter 2 verses 1 on as follows: “But there were false prophets also among the people even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly”

We see therein that the Apostle Peter referred to Noah and the events, but he went on to tell us that God is in a position to protect the godly, and the only way we can remain godly is through this Grace which came into the world with the birth of Christ. His birth was different. He did not inherit the original sin, Grace now was in the world and the angels proclaimed that this is the Son of God. Once again the Son of God walked this earth, but He had to provide the means and the way that we could all be blessed. As Eve was made out or Adam, so the church had to be made out or Christ, and the second element then was required. That element was the element of righteousness which was not in the world as a permanent dwelling place. For it is only through righteousness that we can be redeemed and that we can remain the sons and daughters of God, through the Grace that is dispensed through the forgiveness of sins, the righteousness that is given unto us through the Body and Blood of Christ. Christ had to bring that fullness of righteousness into the world. Daniel 9:24 “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.” In prophet terms if we trace that through we come to the day when our Lord stood before John the Baptist and told him to suffer it so, so that the fullness of righteousness can come into the world. Grace and righteousness have remained with all the faithful who believe in them, who are not deterred by and false prophet’s philosophies that may come into the world. The only way to receive these two blessings is through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

We have entered into a new year. God has blessed us in so many ways and we are thankful to Him for preserving us both naturally and spiritually. In fact, we should be equally concerned about our spiritual health at least as much as our physical health. For the soul will eventually live in eternity, while the body will pass.
It reads in the gospel according to Mark (6:56) “And whithersoever he entered, into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought him that they might touch if it were but the border of his garment: and as many as touched him were made whole”. When Lord Jesus passed through villages and towns, the miracles he did in those days affected the physical well-being of the people. But Jesus Christ had come on earth to save people from sin through His sacrifice. This is only possible when we accept the word of God in faith. “Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you”.
Jesus taught his disciples (John 15:3). When we receive grace and forgiveness, we are also in touch with the Lord, which makes us sound. When we partake in the Divine service and celebrate communion, we absorb the nature, mind and spirit of Christ inside us. Our sacrifice, an active prayer life and the fellowship with the Apostles of Jesus, that makes us able to remain in closeness with the Lord. But above all else is the love of God that is poured out on us through the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Apostle John described it “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him” (1. John 4:16). Let us be sure we thoroughly understand God’s plan of salvation and prepare ourselves with an everlasting hope for Christ’s return.

In the book of Genesis, we read that after Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of   Good and Evil, they realized they were naked and used fig leaves to cover themselves. However, God replaced their clothing with garments made from animal skins, symbolizing the first sacrifice and the shedding of blood. This event points forward to the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, whose blood was shed for the remission of our sins. Sin leads to spiritual nakedness, and in an attempt to cover it, we often rely on our own works or self-righteous deeds, which, according to God’s standards, are like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6) “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” In His grace, God offers us new attire through His Son, Jesus Christ, in the form of a “robe of righteousness.” Jesus is the embodiment of God’s righteousness, and we are called to seek His righteousness. (Matthew 6:33) “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you”. And clothe ourselves with Christ (Romans 13:14) “But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof”. To put on Christ means allowing His virtues to be evident in our thoughts, words, and actions every day.

The seamless coat of Jesus Christ, as described in John 19:23, can symbolize many things, but one   significant interpretation is that it represents His righteousness. The fact that it was seamless—one   continuous piece without patches—points to the perfection and completeness of His righteousness. This also fulfills the prophecy in Psalm 22:18. On the cross, Jesus was made naked because of “our” sins, and He took on that shame once and for all, triumphing over it. When Jesus said, “I thirst” on the cross, it could also signify His deep longing for righteousness. Through His victory over sin, death, and hell, He graciously offers us His righteousness, imputed to those who place their faith in Him (Romans 3:22) “Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe:” This robe of righteousness is available to all who trust in Jesus Christ, believe in His words, and follow His teachings—it is a one-size-fits-all garment for all believers. (Revelation 19:8) “And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints”.

What an amazing gift our Heavenly Father has given us through his Son Jesus. As it is written (2 Corinthians 5:21) “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”  To God be all the praise and glory, now and forevermore.

As we travel through life, we should, where possible, answer the call of the Lord in assisting Him to complete His mission to bring about the Kingdom of God. On the cross, He made a call to the Church, that we sometimes forget once Good Friday is passed.

John 19:28 “After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I THIRST.”

We know this fulfilled the prophecy in Psalm 69:21, but it had a very profound call to us. Jesus was not referring to water, but was requesting the future Church to satisfy His need in the future to supply Him with righteousness for Him to use in the mission yet to complete. According to the Holy Bible, there are several ways this can be obtained by our actions in life, often unknowingly. Let us consider the simplest of these ways.

When we believe the Word of God and live those words — Genesis 15, records how Abraham believed God’s Word, in verse 6— “And he believed in the Lord: and he counted it to him for righteousness.”

Each day we take time to read, or meditate, on the Word of God, we should also confirm in our heart that we also believe those words. We often use the word “Amen”. This confession is the beginning to answer the call and counts. After that of course comes the greater battle to not only accept the word, but to become the doer of the word to also contribute that to the righteousness for Christ.

We know that Jesus Christ became the living Word of God and explained clearly, those things that we should follow to be counted as righteousness. Matthew — chapters 5, 6, 7 must be referred to regularly to be sure we are answering the call “I THIRST.”

Proverbs 30:8-9 “Remove far from me vanity and lies, give me neither poverty nor riches: feed me lest I be full, and deny thee and say, who is the Lord? Or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.”

 This time we need to talk about greed (gluttony) or eating too much, as we have seen gluttony is an umbrella term that includes overeating, drinking too much, or an excessive focus on foods or drinks. Setting our mind in too much eating is more than overweight. A thin person can also be a glutton. Our hearts attitude determines whether placed too high a priority on the pleasures of the palate; Focusing on food can affect us physically. It may result in illness, cause lethargy, dull our senses and even reduce our mental capacities, making us unable to make wise choices. Overindulging in alcoholic beverages will impact relationships, emotions, inhibitions, and reasoning abilities. Proverbs 20:1 “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: And whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.”

Most important a misplaced priority on food or drink of any kind can affect us spiritually and even be fatal to our spiritual growth when we look to anything other than God through Christ as our source of satisfaction, we will inevitably be disappointed. And as others witness our choices, what will they conclude about the value we place our relationship with God through Christ?

Enjoying food and drinks is not a sin. God gave us these gifts for our pleasure. However, when that pleasure turns into excess or we turn to it for comfort instead of seeking God, then we are in trouble. So, to avoid or overcome gluttony, we must practice self-control, which is part of the fruit of the Spirit, or self-discipline, means controlling the desires of the flesh rather than allowing them mastery over us. But this can’t be done apart from the power of the Holy Spirit within us.

Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruits of the spirit are love, joy, peace. Longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance; against such there is no law.”

Readiness is the result of a purposeful preparation for one’s goal. For us the children of God, this means to be ready for the coming of Jesus Christ, which will take place at an unexpected point in time. The deciding prerequisite for this, to be transformed and removed, is created in us by God through the calling and rebirth. With the acceptance of godly life, however, no one automatically received the guarantee to participate in the first resurrection. To be prepared for this it is required to continuously allow the Holy Spirit to work upon our souls. It works on us in every service through the spiritually effective word. This all helps us to be ready at any time. Our following, which is also evident in our effort to turn the works of Christ into deeds and to remain steadfast in watching and praying, protects us, like the goodman of the house, from being surprised by a thief (of verse 43).

We do not know how much time we yet have to prepare ourselves for the appearing of the bridegroom of our souls. Today is still a time of grace. Every divine service gives us the possibility to take stock of our faith and our actions in the light of the Word of God. We see what we still lack, when we have omitted something, wherein we must yet alter ourselves, and we can prevent apparent deficiencies in time. In such manner through the gift of grace we can go forth with joy to our goal.

Whoever recognizes the grace of Christ and applies it in full measures, needs to fear nothing: on the day of the Lord, they will be ready! At the end we will praise the grace which has allowed us to be successful.

We must become converted as our Lord. Our Lord was born of Spirit. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and He, was flesh second. We are born of flesh first through the inheritance of Adam and Eve, who received the Spirit of God second, and we need to have this rebirth through this power of the resurrection to become fully converted sons and daughters of God, to be as our Lord, equal with Him to live in His kingdom. This must be central to our faith at all times. We must believe in our bodily resurrection if we pass from this life before our Lord returns. If we doubt the power of the Holy Spirit to do this, we should read of the prophet Elisha. The prophet Elisha was ordained by Elijah. He had seen Elijah do all these powerful works through the Spirit of God that was upon him. He said to him, allow me also to have a double portion of this spirit. The prophet said that if you witness me ascending to Heaven then this shall be so. We know that the prophet Elijah was swept up to Heaven bodily. He did not partake of death. He received his conversion at the ascension to Heaven and his mantel fell on the Prophet Elisha.

The Scripture shows the great works that Elisha did by the Spirit in him and at his death he was taken and buried in a tomb in the Jewish cemetery. His body deteriorated and become only bone.

We can read in the Scriptures 2 Kings 13: 20-21 “And Elisha died, and they buried him. And the bands of the Moabites invaded the land at the coming in of the year. And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet.” The Holy Spirit never leaves us. It stands ready to fulfil that great promise that we too will resurrect on the day that the Lord returns.

It is only the body that is in the grave. The souls which were previously destined to a place of waiting had now been taken to Paradise, and as the first Christian who was the malefactor, ‘This day shalt thou be with me in paradise.’ A place of waiting, to await for this resurrection day and this conversion.

The angel said, at our Lord’s ascension the same way that you see Him go, so He shall come. The prophets foretold that He should come in the clouds. It was shown to the Apostle John that He would come in the cloud to the earth, not the clouds in the sky, but the clouds of souls that are in Paradise, or under the Golden Altar, the dead in Christ who have died waiting for this great promise to be fulfilled, and those souls will come with our Lord, and the graves will open, and the bodies will be made whole, and the souls will go back into those bodes, and then we will be as Christ, our spirit first and our body second.

Those that live will be converted in the twinkling of an eye, and so we shall ever be with the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18. What a great promise! What a great reward! What a great challenge! What a great commitment we should make to preach this resurrection of Christ and the coming resurrection of the church. As the infant Church received great grace through that, so the promise is to us that we too can receive great grace in our life daily.

Every minute of the day this grace of Christ is available unto us, but we must believe in that resurrection. That is why it behoves us also to remember the words of that angel, the same as most of us can quote the words of the angel at Christ’s birth. Let us practice, to quote within our hearts also that great message — ‘Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here. He is risen.’ Luke 24:5-6.