Society deliberately gears itself to undermine those who are born again believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.  When Naomi was returning home to Bethlehem from Moab, times were bad.  It looked very dark ahead.  It was a discouraging time.  She didn’t encourage her daughters-in-law to stay with her.  She wanted them to but told them they’d have an easier time if they went back to their own people.  In the face of discouragement Orpah and Ruth were in the place of decision.  Should they listen to the times around them?  Should they give in to the bad news?  Should they go back?  Should they continue on even in those lean times and go to Bethlehem with Naomi?

Ruth 1: ¹⁴And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her. ¹⁵And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law. ¹⁶And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: ¹⁷Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me. ¹⁸When she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her.

This is a timeless passage.  Haven’t we needed to hear it many times?  It’s a necessary passage for the current hour.  The events of the world are no longer something to just watch.  They are hitting home.  People we know are in crisis mode.  You may be yourself.  If you’re not now, you will be.  We all will be tested.  The Bible says the hour of temptation will come upon the entire world.  Christians are being strained.  The Bible says Satan desires to sift us like wheat.  If you think it’s not touching you now, you should be scared, for it is coming.  That simply means that the subtility of how it is working is taking its toll on you and you don’t even know it.  People are failing the test everywhere we turn.  The true houses of God are seeing a decline across the board as many fail on an individual basis.  We’re on the verge of being home.  What a shame it would be to go back at this late stage of the race.  Jesus is missing in the lives of many who profess to be Christians, and they don’t even know it.

It was a hard journey back to Bethlehem.  There were not blue skies ahead.  It was bad, but Naomi still felt the need to go back home.  We need to feel that same need, the need to be closer to home, to the Lord, to the Bible, to the church, and to each other.  Orpah and Ruth cleaved to Naomi for a long way.  They could see the condition of the land around them; they saw it was not good.  Things were bleak.  Regardless of how things look around us, we need to stick with the Son of God just like they did Naomi.  Just because it looks bad doesn’t mean that heaven is not there just beyond the next hill.  Remember that we walk by faith not by sight.  Determine to stick with Jesus regardless of what is going on around you.  Prayer is not as popular as it used to be.  The old Bible isn’t looked at like it once was.  Prayer still works!  The Bible is still good!  It still takes Jesus to get to heaven.  He’s the one who lifts our burdens when we pray.  It may not be popular to pray and read the Bible in this day, but these are our only hope.  Keep headed toward home.

Naomi had forsaken Bethlehem and had a measure of success for a season.  Her sons married Moabite women.  Her husband died and not too long afterward so did her two sons.  The only family she had was these young women.  Naomi didn’t want to force them to go with her.  She knew what was ahead would take a toll on them.  It does take endurance.  We must overcome the devil on an individual basis day by day.  We may have to go it alone sometimes.  The discouraging times are upon us.

Orpah made her decision.  She cared about Naomi.  She cried, but she went back home.  She gave up and left.  Ruth knew it would be hard, but she knew that somewhere in Bethlehem was a kinsman redeemer.  If she stuck with Naomi, there was hope.  She found it.  On his earthly lineage, Jesus would be a descendant of Ruth.  She married Boaz and from them eventually came King David.  Did she make the right decision?  Absolutely!

Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.

We may see bitter times, but how this thing winds up is what is important.  Road trips are hard.  There are cracks and potholes to face, but once you get to the destination it’s wonderful.  There will be potholes between here and heaven, but it will be worth it.  In the face of discouragement, be decided for Jesus and him alone.

When the word church is mentioned now days what comes to people’s minds?  When Christianity is mentioned, many times it is in a negative way.  Christians are portrayed badly by many.  Attitudes and mindsets are against the Bible, Christianity, and Jesus himself.

Corinth had a unique situation, a lot of assets.  They had access to knowledge through well-educated people.  They got along with the classes—poor and rich, ignorant and learned.  Many spoke more than one language.  Through the power of Christ, they worked together.  Their mistake caused Paul to write this letter, and it’s the same mistake being made today.

When Adwolfe FWB Church is mentioned, what do people think?  What comes to mind when your name is mentioned?  Paul’s desire was for them to be the type of church and type of believers who were known as those who believed the cross and Jesus crucified.  One of the faults of the church at Corinth was falling back on their own wisdom and elevating themselves above the other churches.  We are the big church of the knowledgeable; we have more power than you do.

The problems of our nation and the world have seemingly been put on the back burner for the face of politics.  The world is falling apart and all on some minds is election.  Our leaders are acting childishly when they forget what’s really going on.  Paul said the church at Corinth should cling to the Lord, but they boasted and bragged in themselves.  What makes or breaks a person in God’s eyes?  What enables a person to function in this world?  It is the position to which he elevates the Lord in his life.  Paul said for I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

This is what the Lord wants our church to be known for.  It’s what we should be known for individually.  Our hope, our faith, our life, and our own existence are given over to praising Jesus Christ for what he did on the cross.  When we pat ourselves on the back or give credit to others and not the Lord, we get off base.

Outwardly Corinth was doing okay, but the people should have grown deeper in the Lord.  They were instead in the shadow of self not the shadow of the cross.  Paul told them that although he had all sorts of gifts, if he didn’t have love he had nothing.  All things pass away but faith, hope and love abides forever.

Jesus gave his body on the cross of Calvary to be sacrificed.  He gave his blood to be shed as payment for our sin.  If not for the cross, there would be no change in our lives.  Jesus has helped me for almost 40 years to trust him day by day.  It’s not in me, in other people, in being churchy.  It’s not in eloquence of words.  There is a lot about the Bible I don’t understand, but I don’t have to worry about that.  Jesus came to earth to save sinners by this death on the cross.  He died in my place.  Paul said this is what matters.  Until Jesus comes, Paul said for us to break the bread and remember his body.  He said to drink the cup in remembrance of the blood he shed for us.  Jesus said do this in remembrance of me. When we forget, we cease to remember who we are.

When I die, what I want said of me is that Bob Surber trusted Jesus as Savior.  If you’re a believer in that now days the world will label you as deranged or a fanatic.  However, what matters is how Jesus sees us and what he thinks about us.  When people hear about our church, we should want them to know we trust Jesus and him crucified.  In him is wisdom.  In him is the very power of God.

Our faith shouldn’t stand in what we do or who we are or what we have or don’t have.  That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. It’s in the power of the blood, in the power of the cross.  Forget it and lose it.  Remember it and have victory that overcomes the world!

Luke 22: ⁴⁷And while he yet spake, behold a multitude, and he that was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them, and drew near unto Jesus to kiss him. ⁴⁸But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss? ⁴⁹When they which were about him saw what would follow, they said unto him, Lord, shall we smite with the sword? ⁵⁰And one of them smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear. ⁵¹And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. And he touched his ear, and healed him.

This was the worst moment in Jesus’ life up to that point.  The disciples were sleeping.  He had just finished praying in the garden.  He saw the people coming with their torches and heard the whispers of the soldiers and the mob as they came to arrest him.  One of his own led the mob and was there to sell him out.  Right before the mob came, Jesus woke the disciples.  In confusion they saw a mob led by Judas and heard angry voices.  How shocked they must have been.  They saw swords and staves in the hands of many. They were outnumbered by a mob.  They saw the look of blood in their eyes.

Judas came to the Lord and kissed him on the cheek.  Jesus spoke to him about betraying his Master with a kiss.  He asked the mob whom they were seeking.  When they said Jesus, he answered I am he.  Everything went crazy.  The disciples asked if they should kill them all with the sword, but before Jesus could respond in the negative Peter cut a man’s ear off.  The man’s name was Malchus; he was a servant of the high priest.  He was put into immediate agony.  Everyone was taken off guard but Jesus.  He stopped it all and said it was enough.  He didn’t want the disciples to be aggressive nor did he want them hurt by the mob.

Have you thought about how things used to be as you look at how they are now?  Do you see no way out?  Have things caught you off guard?  Malchus’ life changed in an instant.  Bleeding and deformed he sat screaming on the ground in pain.  Jesus stopped it all in its tracks and said that was far as it was going.  No matter what has come unglued in your life, Jesus wants you to know this is as far as it has to go.  He has the power to change your life in an instant.  Did you use to serve the Lord?  Have you been closer to him than you are now?  In the middle of whatever you’re in, Jesus is in the midst.  Jesus didn’t cut this man’s ear off, but he did put it back in place.  He puts lives back together.  He will help you today.

His first miracle was at the wedding in Cana.  He did if for his family and friends.  Here the miracle was for someone who hated Jesus.  As the servant of the high priest, he had heard what all was planned for Jesus.  He may have added his opinion to it all.  He may have volunteered to be in the mob to arrest Jesus.  Even as an adversary, Jesus still loved him.  You may feel like a big adversary of the Lord, but he loves you.  If he performed a miracle for Malchus, he’ll do one for you.  The devil had descended upon the garden.  The disciples would soon run, and Jesus knew that.  At his lowest point to date, he still took time to do this miracle.

Our attitude toward sin is important.  Sin cuts deep.  It severs us from hope, from family, and from all that is important to us.  Your sin will cut you to pieces without a second thought.  Malchus could have bled to death.  Hating Jesus didn’t matter anymore.  His job didn’t matter.  His ear was gone; he was in pain and could possibly die.  Jesus took a wounded man’s severed ear and put it back.  He re-attached it.  The bleeding stopped.  The pain stopped.  He was healed and his ear restored.

The miracle of miracles is the salvation of the soul.  Man is transformed from a state of being lost, cut apart by sin and changed to someone who is whole.  This man’s ear was restored.  Salvation restores a person’s soul.  If you’ve known the Lord and chose to walk away, Jesus waits to put you back together.  Sin changes a person’s life for the worse.  Things were hectic in the garden that night.  The events got fast paced quickly.  Jesus was not taken by surprise and caught off guard.  He was Lord of the situation.  He let that mob take him.  In order for us to be put back together, he had to willingly suffer the death of Calvary.  He was willing to step into our place so that we wouldn’t have to suffer.

More than one time Jesus has put me back together.  Today is as far as your hurt and pain needs to go.  Today is as long as you need to be without the Lord.  In the midst of whatever is going on in your life right now is Jesus.  He’s in full control.  He’s not up against it even if you feel you are.  He has the power to do what needs to be done in your life.  He healed Malchus at one of the lowest points in his life.  Today he is sitting at the right hand of the Father ready, willing and able to help each of us.

A few hours later, Jesus would encounter a thief hanging on a cross beside him.  That man would ask to be remembered.  The last miracle Jesus did was give heaven to a dying man.  Jesus wants to put a halt to the direction you’re headed and restore the shattered pieces of your life.

The day of miracles is still here.  Jesus Christ is still able to save all who will come to him.  He’s still able to solve problems.  He’s still a miracle worker.

Acts 20: ¹⁸And when they were come to him, he said unto them, Ye know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons, ¹⁹Serving the LORD with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews: ²⁰And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house, ²¹Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. ²²And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there: ²³Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. ²⁴But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.

Paul didn’t count his own life dear.  His goal was to finish his course with joy.  Too often we find ourselves aimless.  We have no clear goal.  There is no purpose.  We lose sense of our value as a child of God.  God saved us, and we are all called with the same calling to serve in some way or another.  That service should be our common aim.  Continue in the faith and finish the work the Lord has given us to do.  That is God’s personal will for us.  Paul told the Philippians he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.  When he started salvation in our lives, he started a purpose for us.  He started something for us to do, a task for us to perform.  Ask yourself if you’re fulfilling the task you’ve been given.  We are a work in progress and it takes continual submission to his will so he can work in us.

This is what drove Paul.  He was determined to finish.  How determined are we?  We can’t stop right in the middle of this.  We won’t be finished until our last day on earth.  We might finish a short-range goal, but those go toward the long-range goal.  We can’t build a deck with a few boards and nails.  That’s what you start with and then add more and more as you go along.  Things are accomplished in steps.  That’s how we work for God.  We start a work.  We finish it.  We start a new one.  We finish it and on it goes.  Down through the decades, the work has all been toward the same goal.  No matter what happens don’t lose sight of the finish line and the finished product.  We never retire from serving the Lord.  We never finish the will of God.  As long as we’re here, we must continue to work and see things through.

It would be a sad thing to finish with regrets and loose ends.  Paul wanted to finish with joy.  He wanted to hear well done thou good and faithful servant. Is this possible?  It is!  That’s what Paul is telling us.  He put the Lord first.  That’s what we must do.  He was Christ-centered, not Paul-centered.  He never forgot about the Lord while he made his living sewing tents.  We can witness no matter how our life goes.  People came to Paul when he was in prison and couldn’t go to them.  God will make a way for us to do his work.  Jail cells and bars didn’t stop Paul.  Shipwrecks didn’t stop him.

At the end he said I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. Those are noble words.  I want to be able to say them at the end of my work, at the finishing of my task.

How about it?  If that’s what you want to be able to say, you can’t wait until the end to get serious about it.  You must do it now.  Paul put all things aside.  But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.

Do you have that kind of determination?  Have things gotten fuzzy or aimless in your service?  Use Paul’s words to reboot.  It’s time to re-set the goals so that you can finish the course with joy.

Jesus taught many subjects, some of which consumed several verses.  Some are just one statement.  This verse is one of those.  If you’re not saved, think about your soul.  Accept Jesus as Savior.  He is the most precious possession you’ll ever have.

Taking something valuable that we treasure and throwing it away is absurd.  We wouldn’t dare throw a valuable diamond out to the dogs or the hogs.  They wouldn’t care about it.  They certainly wouldn’t wear it.  This is a good lesson for us.

The Jews listening to the Sermon on the Mount knew what Jesus was talking about.  He was taking them back to where God wanted.  He was telling them not to reduce God to a religion to be observed. Live for him in a personal, practical sense.  For us it means that those who come across our path and go against us because we’re Christians, those who put down the Bible and sin, are not to be argued with.  You will never debate someone to the altar to be saved.  When I was saved, someone witnessed from a personal relationship with Jesus.  It’s an insult when we treat Jesus as a topic.

People may approach you as if you’re just another religious person belonging to one of many religious groups in the world.  Many view Christianity that way.  Time after time I’ve seen young people raised in church and grounded go off to college.  They take a religion class to enhance their relationship with the Lord.  That’s far from what happens.  The professors teach that Jesus was just a man.  They reduce the meaning of the Bible.  The students become a target when they try to defend what they believe.  Those against the gospel will automatically make you a target of ridicule and debate.  Don’t get in the flesh when people come at you like dogs or swine.  Don’t cast your pearls against them.  Never argue or debate the gospel.  We’re not called to do that; we’re not to get mad or try to outdo others.  We’re called to witness of our relationship with Jesus.  Meet altercations with love.  You can be versed in the scripture, but if others don’t see Jesus in your life, it won’t help.  You will never force anyone to Jesus.  You can only lead them by your testimony—when others see the light of Jesus in your life.  Don’t cast your pearls before swine.

Jesus is the pearl of great price.  When we take him as Savior, we’ve done more than join a movement or church.  We’ve been saved by the blood of the crucified one.    Don’t let what others do or say to you affect you.  Keep your pearls shined. Wear them visibly. Openly cherish the Lord.  Let your knowledge of the Bible show.  We may be able to quote lots of things with our mouth, but we need to show the Lord by our life.  Don’t respond in anger when someone comes against you for being a Christian.  Jude tells us to contend for the faith, but that doesn’t mean fight.  It means to stand in the Lord and be who you are regardless of what others do.

Your life for God should be able to speak for itself.  In the face of those against the gospel, success won’t come from arguing but by showing the truth in love.  Pearls are not to be cast down.  You wear them so others can see them.  The witness from your mouth will be your last avenue to share the Lord.  Before we ever talk to someone about the Lord, we must show them the Lord by the way we live.    Romans 12:1 says I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. We can talk Christianity and the Bible, but if we turn around and are conformed to the world, we destroy everything we say with our mouth.

This was a caution.  Keep Jesus precious.  Be who he made you to be.  Let him shine in your life.  Don’t dare cast your relationship aside and be ashamed.  If someone stands in opposition against you, remember they are probably lost.  The devil is behind it.  He makes critics of Christianity.  Wear the pearls so they can be seen by others.  Your mission in life is not to outdo someone in a conversation or win a debate.  You don’t argue Jesus; you witness for him.   When you’re called upon for an answer, be ready, but not to beat someone at something as if in a contest.

Souls are dying and going to hell.  We must wear the pearls wisely.  Show others a Savior who forgives sins.  It’s easy to argue because that’s our human nature.  We all have faults, but we must draw closer to the Lord and grow in grace and knowledge of his Word so the lost can see Jesus in us.  The closer we are to the Lord, the better others will see us as a true child of God.  Don’t be stereotyped or categorized. Some are and rightly so because of the way they act.  A lack of closeness with the Lord will do that.  The closer we are, the more we’ll know what to do with our pearls.  When a stone is thrown at you, don’t try to clobber others with the pearls.  Don’t cast the pearls at their feet.  They will trample it and tear you apart.  The devil would love to tear you to pieces.

Never treat Jesus as a religious object; treat him as the Lord of your life.  When we do this, we’ll be able to help someone out of the hog pen.  Instead of arguing with others, pray for them.  You’ll never win others with your fist; it will come through prayer and showing the love of God to them.

What are you doing with your pearls?  Are you wearing them well?

Colossians 2: ¹³And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; ¹⁴Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.

This is deliberately written in this way by the inspiration of God to call our attention to the facts that we don’t want to know.  We are responsible for our own lives, our own soul, our own actions, and our own deeds.  Whatever we do with God, with Jesus, and the plan of salvation is our responsibility.  It’s in our hands.  Colossians 2:14 speaks about the handwriting of ordinances that was against us.

We hear so often about the three nails of the cross, one in each hand of Jesus and one in his feet.  There was a fourth nail above the head of Jesus.  Crucifixion was a form of execution invented by the Romans.  If a crime was punishable by death, crucifixion was how it was carried out.  People were nailed to crosses.  Calvary was the place of execution in Jerusalem.  Above the head of the person on the cross, a board would be nailed that stated the name of the criminal and his crimes.  It had to be in the handwriting of the condemning judge to be binding.

When Pilate talked to the Jews, he asked them what Jesus was guilty of.  He told them he found no fault in him.  They used the political angle and said they had no king but Caesar and Jesus claimed to be their king.  Pilate relented and allowed Jesus to be crucified, but he wrote the saying placed above the head of Jesus.  It was written in three languages of the day:  Hebrew for the Jews, Greek for the Greeks and Latin for the Romans.  All who read it understood that it was Jesus.  It identified him and his crime. It said JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS.  When the Jews saw it, they told Pilate to change it to read that Jesus said he was king.  Pilate, however, said what I have written I have written. The people saw it and knew it was true because it was handwritten by Pilate.

Your handwriting is exclusive to you.  No two people have the same.  Just like your retina, your DNA, and your fingerprints are unlike anyone else’s, neither is your handwriting.  It defines you.  It identifies you.  Experts can tell a lot about you by your handwriting.  It is your responsibility.  The spiritual matters of your soul are your responsibility.  You cannot blame anyone else for your spiritual condition; you cannot pass the buck.  You and you alone are responsible for your soul.  Someone may forge your signature, but an expert can tell.  God knows the handwriting of the spiritual book that you’re writing.  When the dust settles, you will have lived how you wanted.  You will have made your own choices.

Before you wrote the first page in your spiritual book, the fingers of God wrote in stone the Ten Commandments, the moral law of the world.  True and false, right and wrong were made known to all.  Those commandments were written on stone by the fingers of God, not Moses.  They are our responsibility.  We have all sinned and come short.  We cannot keep the commandments; that sin is our responsibility individually.  The truth of God’s word gives us the clear vision of what is right and wrong.  The devil doesn’t want us to know that.  The Word runs contrary to us because our Adam nature is prone to sin against the truth of God.  While the Word was given to help us, we find ourselves against it by our own sin.  The Word was given as a light to illuminate the night.  It was given by God, the handwriting of the truth.  It shows us our sin. It shows us who we really are.  We’re frail.  We’re a fallen race that deserves judgment.

The thieves crucified with Jesus deserved their punishment.  One even testified to that saying they were there justly. The man on the middle cross had done no wrong. He was guilty of one thing, and Pilate correctly wrote it on his inscription.  We could not and cannot get it right.  God knew we needed a Savior.  He could have easily destroyed us, but instead he gave us his son.  John 3:17 says for God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.  The innocent became guilty.  Jesus deliberately came and suffered to the death when he willingly stretched out his hands to be nailed to the cross.  Our sins can now be forgiven.

Every sin you commit is your responsibility.  Sin is the result of failing to follow the truth of God’s Word.  You are the author of your own sin.  You wrote it.  No one else does it for you.  It’s important to understand that.  It’s your condemnation, your judgment.  It’s your hell that Jesus came to save you from.  With his own blood he wrote the plan of salvation that would deliver you from the condemnation of your sin and supersede even your own handwriting.  He took the handwriting of ordinances that was against us and nailed it to the cross.  He was wounded for our transgressions and by his stripes we are healed. You can take God at his Word; it’s written in his own handwriting.

You cannot trust your hands, your eyes, or your feet.  They may lead you to wrong.  You cannot save yourself.  I’m so glad someone came from heaven.  I was writing my own plaque, but Jesus took my place on the cross and nailed my sins to it with his own hands.  He did that for you too.

What kind of book are you writing?  You are writing one, and it’s all yours.  You have sole responsibility for it.  That’s why you need a Savior.  Jesus successfully nailed the book you’re writing to the cross with his blood.  The only written invitation you have is in the Bible, God’s holy Word.  Will you accept the invitation and let him handle the handwriting in your book?

Many of you have practically preached the sermon.  For me, I want to call it Ava’s Sermon:  Happy, Happy, Happy.  Most of you know that Ava is Kristina’s daughter.  She used to sing that little song about being happy, happy, happy.  It seems like she said it three times.  When I read this I thought of her, aglow with her child-like faith, and it inspired me to say a few words, but mostly this speaks for itself.

Matthew 5

³Blessed (happy) are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

⁴Blessed (happy) are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

⁵Blessed (happy) are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

⁶Blessed (happy) are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

⁷Blessed (happy) are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

⁸Blessed (happy) are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

⁹Blessed (happy) are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

¹⁰Blessed (happy) are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹Blessed (happy) are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

¹²Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

¹³Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

¹⁴Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

This is great teaching about the kingdom of God.  Jesus tells how life in this world will be for the child of God.  We will mourn.  We will be broken in spirit.  Those who choose to follow the Lord and live humbly may get walked on.  Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness (which is contrary to the flesh and the world) may be laughed at by others.  Many are abused verbally, some even physically, because they choose to follow the Lord.  What the Bible tells us right here is that when we’re under this we can and will be happy because we are blessed under the heart of God.

No matter how the devil works on you, and he has many different ways to do it, he can’t take your happiness.  Life and the world can take a whole lot out of you, but it can’t take Jesus.  The joy Jesus gives remains.  Let’s hold onto the joy and enjoy our happiness in the Lord.  No matter what comes or goes, let’s be happy.

I’ll have to say “Amen” to Ava’s little song: happy, happy, happy!  There is happiness in knowing the Lord.  We are blessed!

And thank you, Ava.

Stay safe and warm.  God Bless you with a wonderful day.

Genesis 17: ¹And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. ²And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. ³And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, ⁴As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. ⁵Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. ⁶And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. ⁷And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. ⁸And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. ⁹And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. ¹⁰This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee.

This is mostly God speaking to Abraham.  Several times he speaks of it as my covenant and it being with thee.  Can we not see ourselves in what God said?  Abraham would be the father of many nations.  Through his descendants all nations would be blessed.  The Savior came through Abraham, and we were included.  Because we have accepted the same Holy God as the Jewish nation did, we share the same plan.  It is by God’s calling and choosing Abraham through this covenant that it is all made possible.

It gives us wonderful insight into the character of God.  When promises are made they must be kept.  Abraham was yet to be a father; he was still waiting on the promised child.  Even in patriarch times 99 was old to become a father.  However, God keeps his promises.  Don’t give up.  He always performs what he says he’ll do.  He reminded Abraham that he was the Almighty God.  He was able to do, not just some things in certain times, but all things, in all times, under any circumstances.

Abraham fell to the ground before the Lord. We need to remember this.  He is able.  Don’t be discouraged at what you see the devil do.  He’d have us think God is not what he used to be and the covenant is too transparent to have power. Don’t listen.  God is still the same.  The way things seem is not always the way they are.  The devil is not stronger than God.  You and I are children of God by faith in Jesus Christ.  We can still claim the promise of the covenant.

This covenant was not made by Abraham.  He gave no terms.  Often men make the mistake of trying to make their own terms with God and make their own covenants.  God won’t accept any covenant but the one he created and offered to us.  We don’t know how to promise God.  In our flesh we are promise breakers.  God is spirit, and it’s far better to be the receiver of the covenant than the creator.  We can’t set our own perimeters.  We deceive ourselves if we think we can.

Listen seriously to what God’s covenant has as its conditions.  God has promised us a lot that we could never do.  He has put himself under obligation to us.  For it to work there must be two.  We may feel we’ve run out of gas.  As the years go by it seems we do.  God made the promise, and it’s just as good today as it was the day we were saved.   It is still just as fresh and powerful because he is still the Almighty God.  No wonder Abraham bowed down.

God made a covenant with Abraham. He has made it with you and me.  He would honor it 100% if only a few followed him.  It is his covenant with us.  Don’t ever forget the high honor of a covenant relationship with God.  It is for us and with us.  Abraham was a sojourner in the land; he traveled his entire life, but God gave him the land.  Israel has her land today.  The covenant went with him in generations to come because it was an everlasting one.  It wasn’t a sunny-day promise that didn’t hold up.  Even after Abraham’s death, the covenant lived on.

We are spiritual children of Abraham because we’re children of God.  We’re part of the covenant as believers with faith in Jesus Christ.  Let’s not give up on our end of the bargain.  In verse 10 God told him to keep it.  God does his part, and we must do ours.  God required Abraham to believe him, to walk before him and live an upright, pleasing life.  Keep the covenant.  Let it be a road map.  God will bring it to pass.

We have sure footing with God, the Rock of Ages.  Don’t sell your birthright as Esau did.  Hold on.  One day you will see it fulfilled completely.  Abraham saw it afar off.  He searched for a city whose builder and make was God.  Let’s do what it takes on our end, and we’ll find that same city that Abraham found.