Month: March 2013

Special Easter Post 2013

9 “Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons. 10 She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept. 11 And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.” ~ Mark 16:9-11

THE RISEN CHRIST

Faith in God; faith in Jesus is all to often determined by what we see, instead of what we do not see. Blind faith is often ridiculed and is put down as something we should never do, but it is exactly that which our Lord Jesus Christ asks us to have and to exhibit in accordance to Him. Faith, absolute, unshakable, undaunted faith is what God bestowed upon Jesus and Jesus taught to all of us. I find it very interesting and revealing of Jesus how he places this faith into Mary Magdalene and how she returns this with her instant obedience and belief in the idea that our Lord had risen. After all Mary was present at the trial of Jesus, she saw first hand the brutality bestowed upon Him, she watched him suffer while being led up the vast hill to Golgotha, she watched him be nailed to the cross, heard his cries of pain and anguish as they lifted him up to be displayed only to suffer more while trying to breathe.  Mary saw her beloved teacher forgive those who taunted Him and even witnessed the promise of salvation to one of the criminals guilty of his crimes but confessed to Jesus His faith. In fact Mary watched in horror as Jesus breathed his last, she watched as the soldiers pierced his side, and she was there when they laid him in the tomb. Out of everyone Mary Magdalene had even less of a reason to believe Jesus could have survived such a punishing death. Yet she was the first to proclaim Jesus had risen despite the fear that had gripped everyone around her and which pierced her very heart!

12 “After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country. 13 And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either.” ~ Mark 16: 12-13

The question that Mark brings to the table in this telling of Easter is simple, “How do you believe when faced with such overwhelming evidence that something isn’t true but in reality it is true… how do you have faith in the impossible?” Thus, to not have such faith as described by Jesus is to be condemned with sin. No one had faith because the scourging of Jesus was so replete that no one could have survived it. No man could have ever beared such a punishment and not confess even if they where innocent, just like Jesus.  The pain of each individual steel ball at the end of each leather strap would have forced anyone to surrender within the first strike, but Jesus took twenty lashes times two. Two soldiers or lectors, (as they where known then),  adept at this kind of torture, each man had one  cat-of-nine-tails, and each ball had tiny spikes at its ends. The lectors stripped Jesus nude, tide his hands to an upright post exposing his bare back, buttocks, and legs. Each lector took turns as they swung the cat-of-nine-tails as hard as they could,  striking Jesus all up and down his body taking pleasure with each ounce of pain they delivered. Blood and bone, clung to the ends of the balls, some flesh fell to the ground while other bits and pieces of tiny tissue was slung all about the area of this horrific scourging. From a biblical sense forty lashes is all a mortal man can take before collapsing in shock and then later dying of his wounds, so the sentence would be thirty nine lashes. In truth the severity of the scourging depended upon the disposition of those who where delivering it, so with Jesus they made him an example, thus it would be fair to say that his lashing was harsher, with more cruelty than what would be given to the run-of-the-mill criminal. So this question of Mark, “How do you believe in the face of such evidence?” is truly the question at the core of our faith, it is at the center of everyones heart and mind who has ever lived, who witnessed the birth, life, and death of Christ. How to believe in something so impossible and yet unseen is what we all wrestle with when building our faith, our believing in Jesus Christ, and when we read about His resurrection and His ascension. Blind faith is at the very core of Christ from start to finish. For Mary Magdalene there was no question because she instantly believed.

14 “Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. 15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” ~ Mark 16: 14-18

Imagine if you will, the shock upon their faces, the absolute stupor they all where in. They had been told to assemble but for what reason? They where told Christ had risen but yet they did not believe for they had not seen him nor would have recognized him if they had. In fact the bible tells us that they did not believe partly out of fear, but mainly they had dismissed what He told them before His death. Had they truly believed Jesus was the son of man, to which He had openly claimed in their hearing many times perhaps their fear would have turned to wonder and excitement in the possibility that he could have been a live just as they where being told. To some degree for Peter, James, and John it was their actions after witnessing the death of Christ that is most telling, for it was these three who had more of  a cause to believe than all the the rest, Mary included. For Peter, James, and John had witnessed Jesus transfigured before their very eyes and had they understood what they saw they all three would have instantly believed in what Mary was telling them. Ironically, none of the chosen disciples believed in Jesus’s resurrection because of  the circumstances and fear surrounding His death especially Peter, James, and John. Moreover,  Peter, James, and John had a second reason to have had more faith than what they were exhibiting because after the transfiguration Jesus told them to not to tell anyone about this until after He had risen from the dead, but they all three had failed to do this, they all three failed to have absolute, unshakeable faith in the power and might of Jesus. Instead they all chose to cower in their fear and be caught up in their grief and so  Mary’s words made no sense to them. Their disbelief was so great because logically it was impossible. Their viewpoint was based upon a limited frame of reference which dictated that after the brutal death Jesus had suffered His mortal body was to damaged, beaten, and torn that He could not have been resurrected. Therefore, to look for Him ran counter to what was physically possible, (once discounting the transfiguration and after inputting the type of resurrection others like Lazarus experienced at the hand of Jesus), so what Mary was telling them they took as being absolute nonsense;

11 “But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense.” ~ Luke 24:11

This element of fear was so great and had penetrated their hearts to the degree over the course of the three days after Jesus had passed that each one of them was ready and willing to give up on what Jesus had taught them and disassemble as the Romans and Pharisees had hoped. Fear had gripped them so completely they even locked the door to their dwelling for safety and rarely ventured out. They all thought the world would hate them, so the hid. The fear was real and each one of them had cause to be afraid for Jesus had warned them what their plight would be if they followed in his footsteps and it became even more real once seeing it for themselves up-close and personal;

18 “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. 19 The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you. 20 Do you remember what I told you? ‘A slave is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you. 21 They will do all this to you because of me, for they have rejected the one who sent me. 22 They would not be guilty if I had not come and spoken to them. But now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Anyone who hates me also hates my Father. 24 If I hadn’t done such miraculous signs among them that no one else could do, they would not be guilty. But as it is, they have seen everything I did, yet they still hate me and my Father. 25 This fulfills what is written in their Scriptures: ‘They hated me without cause.” ~ John 15:18-25

Therefore, the disbelief was based upon facts of the world, and not of the spirit. With God anything is possible and everything is in your reach. Mary’s belief was in some regard based upon her personal experience as a witness to Jesus’s resurrection, and it was her ears in hearing his voice that convinced her that her teacher was indeed alive. It would be this same personal experience that would finally convince a group of scared, timid,  bewildered, and even frightened men to become the great men of faith they would later become. It would take the voice of Jesus to bring them out of their collective shell’s and build them up into an unstoppable force for Christ.

HAPPY EASTER… AND GO AND SPREAD THE WORD… OUR LORD AND SAVIOR LIVES!

*For a wonderfully article of events that happened on EASTER click here: EASTER BIBLE VERSES by PAMELA ROSE WILLIAMS

God Bless and have a wonderful Easter,

Brian Keith,
Founder of Listening Faithfully

_________________________________________________


ANNOUNCES TO THE COMMUNITY OF FOLLOWER, FRIENDS, AND SUBSCRIBERS;

__________________________________________________________________________________

ANNOUNCING LISTENING FAITHFULLY ORIGINAL BOOKS!

Brian Keith

Author Brian Keith, writer and publisher of Listening Faithfully Blog offers to you his first e-book:

Listening Faithfully: The Sin Series  

THIS EASTER take some time to truly understand the stakes that fueled the mission of Jesus Christ. Step outside your comfort zone for a minute and really contemplate the gravity of Jesus Christ’s actions two thousand years ago and reflect why these actions still affect us so profoundly today. Asked your self, ” Why was Jesus in a rush to die? “Why did He put Himself in such a horrible position and then refuse to defend Himself only to end up on the cross?” Ask yourself, “What was so special about humanity that God would sacrifice His only son for us?” In these questions we have our answer in the miracle we call Christ. It is this which THE SIN SERIES delves to give a complete understanding from scripture the nature of SIN and from where it originated. We explore why Lucifer became Satan and we answer all the above questions in grant detail. Gain a real understand of  our loving and magnificent God who and what sacrifice God made for everyone of us because of sin.  For over three years running these series of blogs have intrigued and mystified all who have read them and now they can truly be yours in kindle format for the special Easter Price of $8.39.

Also available this Easter the phenomenal oppertunity to own your very own copy of  The Passion Of The Christ Definitive Edition by Mel Gibson now on sale for $2.99. Click  here for instant download. 

51uQ5WShYmL._SL210_

As a gift for visiting Listening Faithfully and helping our children succeed through the gift of supporting computer literacy I give to you a free kindle bible. Click here for the instant Download.

414p3LBC1AL

All proceed from the purchase  of Listening Faithfully: Sin Series ebook and The Passion of the Christ, and / or any purchase of the Listening Faithfully Store covering thousands of Movies, Books, Bibles, and the Kindle Fire HD all go to help fund Our Annual Scholarship Program: Helping to support inner city Computer Literacy, we give children technology advantage.  (JUST ONE PURCHASE OF A Kindle Fire HD 7″, Dolby Audio, Dual-Band Wi-Fi, 16 GB –  for $199.00 helps to support two children to receive $50.00 COMPUTER LITERACY SCHOLARSHIPS. Or One purchase of the Drobo 5N 5-Bay NAS Storage Array, Gigabit Ethernet for $568.99 helps to support eleven children to receive $50.00 COMPUTER LITERACY SCHOLARSHIPS.)

Or you can donate any amount to support the cause by clicking the FLATTR button BELOW here and support creators directly on services you use 

________________________________________________________________

BECOME PART OF OUR EZ MONEY NETWORK!

READ THE REVIEW! THEN JOIN TODAY!


 

 

 

 

Reflection 6: What You Can Expect From Life: According to Faith; pt 6

20 He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” ~ Matthew 17:20

Faith in most of our minds is this mystical,  magical, and even almost other worldly supernatural power that only certain people have in abundance. We read about awesome acts of  faith helping the condemned to survive when anyone else would have perished. We find stories of people who thank God for their recovery claiming it was their faith that pulled them through and we feel they are out of our league.  We in our minds dismiss these people and their stories because we feel that, “we the normal person” is not somehow worthy of this high honor bestowed on just a select few. Well, the truth is that “Yes”, there are some of us who hold onto faith in every aspects of their lives and “Yes”, faith is ingrained into their DNA. “YES”, miracles do happen to some of us because of their faith in God but, “NO!” they are not magically blessed and the rest of humanity is less fortunate.  The truth is God gave all of us the power to believe, and it is this power which we must surrender too in order to have true faith in God. Faith equals trust, trust equals belief, and like a circle bending back upon itself belief equals love. Because “Love” is “God” and those who love God also trust God, again, we find that this equals faith which equals trust. People who choose to live their lives in this manner exhibit characteristics that scare the rest of us because they seemingly have something that we don’t.  People of faith seem to possess absolute resolve in all the trials and tribulations that is placed in their way on a daily basis and seem to handle it better with more fortitude and with greater grace than the normal person could ever muster. But this I tell you is also an illusion, because even though we see something on the out side, the pain and turmoil still has its grip on the inside. We all have the same weakness that which is sin. We all sin, we all fall to sin in our daily lives, it’s just that some of us handle sin better because of their faith, because they trust in God for his promise of forgiveness of their sins. If there was anything which took root in the Roman world after the death and resurrection of Jesus it would have to be this one simple fact that more Romans needed faith in something more real than what they where being offered and Christianity gave them this anchor as it still does for all of us today.  So the simple fact is as Jesus had stated so brilliantly, faith is so powerful because it is show in your actions trust in the word of God. This builds belief in God and in that there is nothing which you cannot do or accomplish even move mountains.

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7

How many times have you been told to, “Have Faith.” ? What does this really mean? I had one of my students tell me flat out when I told him to have faith, “Why should we have faith?” Obviously this was coming from frustration, but I assured him it will all work in the end. Did it? “Yes! it did.” It always works out in the end. God makes sure things that go wrong in our lives according to us, He can and will fix. But how do we have faith when we don’t know the plan? This and so many other questions rest assured will be the road block to your faith if you let it. But, if you don’t and you let go and let God then your faith is multiplied by infinity and with that kind of faith there is nothing you cannot do.

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.” Ephesians 2:8

Faith is a journey, it is a real hand-in-hand walk with our creator. It is the constant listening, or listening faithfully in faith that we all share in common as we only have one God. No one can ignore the sin in our heart as surely as we cannot ignore the path we are all called to take, the journey called faith in God.

My faith journey has been one built up over forty years of  constant reading and asking questions to clergy and people I loved and respected. I finally came face-to-face with all my sin and troubles which had broken me to the point I could n’t stand myself and it was then I saw the clearest I saw the path and heard, really heard God calling my name to walk hand-in-hand with him. I had to hit the bottom of the barrel to find God, to find His mercy, His love, and His devotion that He so freely had given to me which had been before me for ever in plan view. It was that I simply could not see past myself, I was blind with pride, drunk with lust of this world I could not see God. I will not lie, my faith journey has been the hardest journey I have ever had to endure.  I have been tested in every way, shape, and form, every obstacle has been planted with deep roots in front of me, it seems that once I over come the obstacle another is already in the first ones place. Each new test become harder to beat, testing me in new more uncomfortable ways always forcing me to step outside my comfort zone and think outside of the box. But in all these trials and tribulations God has allowed to happen in my life, I have never wavered and in my faith has become stronger and stronger just like Jesus promised. “HAVE FAITH.” Is more than just a saying that makes most people cringe with fear and anxiety, it is the calling card of love sent straight to you from God himself. It is a commandment for the faithful to uphold, always and forever. The best part about it is I know I am never alone in my trials and tribulations that life beats me down with. Because I am on this journey, I am assured that God is with me, right beside me, holding my hand through every part especially the worst parts always giving me strength and resolve.

Without faith there is no hope, and without hope their is only depression and despair. You can expect to fail for sure with that formula. Added to that you are not pleasing God. The actions of those who feel no hope is to rob others of their hope, to pull others down into their sorrow and pity.  All of which is against God and against what He has commanded. God does not reward bad behavior, but rather there is hope in the reward of trust and love He holds for us for he gave his only son.

The one question that always comes to my mind at Easter is really when you thinking about it, when you remember the love of God; His grace that He so freely gives to all man kind is simple in retrospect, “How much more faith in God did Jesus exhibit in His last hour here on Earth as He suffered and died on the cross? How much more faith did Jesus demonstrate than anyone of us in any hour of trouble we face in comparison to being crucified ” Jesus’s stated mission according to the four Gospels of the New Testament was that He had to die for our sins. Jesus had told the Pharisees that He would be seated at the right hand of God. Clearly this was the reward for sacrificing himself for all mankind? But what if Jesus had misplaced His faith in God, what then? Certainly Jesus had thought this in the garden as he prayed before His arrest. Surely Satan had tempted Jesus with this doubt in the Desert. Had it not been for Jesus’s resurrection on the third day we all would be left without faith, without hope, without the trust in God we all so desperately need. We know Jesus was who he said He was, His father is God, and we know beyond doubt the power of Faith by His example and obedience which “Yes” pleased God immensely. Jesus’s faith in God was absolute, unwavering, and never ending. It is this we celebrate at Easter, and it is this truly gives man hope, faith, and love.

“And Jesus answered saith unto them, ‘Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, that whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in hid heart , but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.”  Mark 11:22-23

Happy Easter Everyone.

Amen

If you liked this Reflection on FAITH please leave a comment. Also please LIKE and SHARE this post with others.

Brian Keith

Your invited to stay in contact with me!

EMAIL: listeningfaithfullyblog@gmail.com

Facebook 

HELP SUPPORT LISTENING FAITHFULLY BLOG BY MAKING ALL YOUR ONLINE PURCHASES THROUGH OUR WEB STORE!  CLICK HERE.  As a special token of appreciation please accept a free downloadable gift from me to you: FREE BIBLE

While  at our Online store powered by AMAZN.com please consider being one the 20 special supporters of Listening Faithfully and purchase a Kindle Fire today. One Kindle Fire supports one child for this Summers Technology Team Course at Ascension Catholic School.  Become a supporter of inner city literacy today!

If your into marketing like I am then you need to generate leads period. So for visiting Listening Faithfully please click the following link and get your very own FREE LEADS GENERATING SYSTEM FOR FREE   – FOREVER TODAY! Click Here to claim your free FREE LEADS GENERATING SYSTEM! 

God Bless,

Brian Keith

Reflection 5: What You Can Expect From Life: According to Enemies; pt 5

71 “That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; 72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; 73 The oath which he swore to our father Abraham, 74 That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, 75 In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.” ~ Luke 1:71-75

In my humble estimation there is truly no proper reason to have any enemies nor for anyone to be enemies of another brother or sister in the Lord. There is no justification for war between family members, friends, distant relatives, nor between other people from other religions or countries. Honestly, I cannot come up with any justification for war period and neither can you if you reflect upon the horror war brings to all who is involved in this nasty business! Here is the problem with mankind, and I mean no disrespect for womankind or kid-kind, but the human race as a whole has ignored God again! It is through our arrogance we allow other nations to become bitter enemies, it is through the lust of power countries go to war, and it is through our stupidity we take weapons and kill other people and then justify our actions by devaluing human life! This is also the case within our interpersonal relationships with whoever we don’t like, we devalue them with words instead of weapons and we depose their importance to gain favor with the powers that be, again a nasty business! We allow greed to fester until it brings us to war, we allow lust to bring us to war, we allow envy to bring us to war, we allow anger to bring us to war, and we allow pride to take us to war! (For a complete understanding of these sins click the following link: Listening Faithfully: The Sin Series Kindle edition). More to the point: God commanded us to never kill another human being period! God commanded us to never do anything which will bring-about the sins mentioned above by instructing all of humanity to always love thy God with all thy heart, mind, and soul. Yet most of us think God’s love not strong enough, or good enough, nor righteous enough thus we strike out on our own. We afflict horrible pain upon those we love and then justify our actions so we can get a good nights sleep instead of taking responsibility for the mess we have created!

35 “One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.” ~ Matthew 22:35-39

If you love God in this way, if you value God in this way, and if you understand the will of God in this way then war becomes obsolete. No one who truly loves God would harm another human being. Thus, it is through sin we fall to the level of animals and fight amongst ourselves and kill, rape, pillage, murder, and take life. Though abortion is generally not classified under this topic of war, it is also against God and it is a grievous sin. Alcoholism also may not be directly classified under this topic, it is however related in the aspect of the eternal separation from God and from family as one’s life is lived outside of acceptance of others, and is always one of many methods people have used to deal with war and the justification of their sinful actions. Again, this too is a grievous sin against God.  In this way written in black and white we can see how war is directly apposed to love and if you know anything about love then you will be forced to acknowledge God is love. Who can stand against the love of and grace of God and then still advocate killing people for anyone of these sins? This is the moral question Jesus himself asked those who had entrapped then wanting to stone to death a woman by the name of Mary.

2 “At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
11 “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” ~ John 8:2-11

firstandgreatest2

Here is the root of the problem, we test God. We of little faith presume we have the authority to test God! We mere mortals assume we have the righteousness to trap God in our own sin! Again no disrespect, but who are you to test our living God? We all do it daily, we give God choices always with a selfish intent and then expect God to grant those wishes and prayers. Tell me if this doesn’t sound selfish to you;

“Dear God, if you allow me to win the lottery I will be forever grateful.”

Or “Dear God you only have to prove you’re there by giving me a new car.”

Don’t laugh, I have heard those prayers being whispered by people who were supposed to be devout followers in church. Most of our prayers are not just selfish, but also insulting. So with prayers like these God has to filter through he truly is merciful for not giving up on us. For a moment put yourself in God’s place listening to all those prayers then tell me you wouldn’t within the first few seconds resolve to condemn all of humanity? Yet our God does not, instead he loves us more each and every passing day. If God can then forgive us then why can we not forgive our brothers and sisters of the human race? Within that context war is also the result of intolerance, the lack of a loving heart, and worse of all the bravado of our own sinful human egos which places our spirit in the mindset of war.

The very idea of having enemies was addressed at least a hundred different times in the bible; Jesus himself addressed it multiple times and was extremely clear of how we are to resolve these matters in scripture;

38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.” ~ Matthew 5:38-39

“When someone strikes you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek, too. When someone takes your coat from you, let them have your shirt as well. Give to everyone who asks. And if someone robs you, don’t demand your property back.” ~ The Lost Gospel Q, Q15.

Lets’ think this through for a second. Isn’t these two passages talking about conflict? Couldn’t we apply them to our everyday lives, and if so couldn’t our nation’s foreign policies reflect these two passages in the spirit Jesus was commanding us to adhere too? If this then is true then it is also true it takes great effort to make those changes, and it is easier to ignore God by ignoring these simple commands. Thus, war and conflict on every level is also a direct result in our laziness to properly follow God, yet we expect God to be there for us whenever we call. Simply put we are all hypocrites within our expectations, wants, desires, and we thus are also slaves to sin because of our laziness and slothfulness in our misplaced demands upon God. In this light if indeed all of humanity is thus guilty of all the above then God is even more merciful and His love is even more powerful than anything we could have ever imagined. This also explains why we have enemies, because we in our stupidity rebel against this perfect love and we make ourselves God’s enemy just as Satan has done. Logically speaking, if we continue to challenge God with war and violence against our enemies then what can we truly expect form Him? Perhaps a review of the old testament will shed some light;

47 “Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things, 48 therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you, in hunger and thirst, in nakedness, and lacking everything. And he will put a yoke of iron on your neck until he has destroyed you.” ~ Deuteronomy 28:42-48

I simply ask, “Is this not the case in our modern lives today? Isn’t this curse still upon us?” We only have to look at the economy, the greed within it, the interest every nation is enslaved too, and in this there is no retribution but a yoke of iron that has indeed been placed upon all our necks from cradle to the grave! This is but one example of the iron yoke at work, there is still hundreds if not thousands of more examples you only only have to look for them.

As a matter of principle it is never right to offer such condemnation without offering some sign of hope and or to suggest an answer to fix the problem I have thus laid out before you today. In doing so I will speak with a tone that is stark in contrast of these appalling conditions we all find ourselves with being morally bankrupt while again turning to scripture for the answer.

“Treat people as you would like them to treat you. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same. If you do good only to those who do good to you, what merit is there in that? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what reward is there in that? Even sinners lend to sinners. Instead, love your enemies and do good, expecting nothing in return. You will have a great reward, and you will be children of your Father in heaven. He makes the sun rise on the bad and the good. He sends rain to fall on both the just and the unjust.” ~ The Lost Gospel Q, Q16

Our Lord and Savior offered these words of wisdom up after he had given us the example of how to deal with strife and how to deal with our enemies. His ultimate command on this issue is to always face our enemies with love, kindness, respect, and compassion. This is in stark contrast to our current actions in all levels of our lives, though we have been told to love we have chosen war every time. Indeed, we are very much like those first Israelites who escaped Egypt and was made to wonder in the desert for forty years. Of these people Moses brought with him God called them a stiff-necked people;

33 “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Leave this place, you and the people you brought up out of Egypt, and go up to the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ 2 I will send an angel before you and drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 3 Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way.’” ~ Exodus 33:1-3

Of these people’s children Jesus commanded;

“Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate. Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven.” ~ The Lost Gospel Q, Q17

In all of these passages where Jesus spoke that can be found in the bible on the topic of “enemies” He always confronts it with forgiveness and love. Jesus saw the way to peace was found in treating everyone as you would have them treat you. There is always a common respect extended and with in this respect there is found love, kindness, forgiveness, and a profound understanding of the human condition. As I had written in my very first blog posting back in 2009, “God’s Desire for Man” (Relationship Series), we all want to be part of a group, we all long for love and acceptance. This is simply the reason so many wars have been fought and so many people have died. God simply loves you and accepts you for who you are and He alone has the power to remake you into a more perfect person through repentance and the forgiveness of sins. It is only through His love can we all find that utopian world of perpetual peace, and it is this which Jesus talked so masterfully about the Kingdom of God. For in that Kingdom there is no enemy to fight, there is no sickness that kills, there is no suffering because of our ignorance and intolerance because there simply is no sin. For in the Kingdom of God we feast with God as his beloved children.

Pray With Me:

1 “Hear my cry, O God;

   listen to my prayer.

2 From the ends of the earth I call to you,

   I call as my heart grows faint;

   lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

3 For you have been my refuge,

   a strong tower against the foe.

4 I long to dwell in your tent forever

   and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.

5 For you, God, have heard my vows;

   you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.

6 Increase the days of the king’s life,

   his years for many generations.

7 May he be enthroned in God’s presence forever;

   appoint your love and faithfulness to protect him.

8 Then I will ever sing in praise of your name

   and fulfill my vows day after day.” ~ Psalm 61

Let us all fulfill our vows we have made upon our baptism, may we have the faith and courage to sing these vows to God in the Highest day after day until we meet Him in heaven. My we have the wisdom to forge peace with our enemies and become stronger for having done so.

Amen

If you liked this Reflection on ENEMIES please leave a comment. Also please LIKE and SHARE this post with others.

Brian Keith

Your invited to stay in contact with me!

EMAIL: listeningfaithfullyblog@gmail.com

Facebook 

HELP SUPPORT LISTENING FAITHFULLY BLOG BY MAKING ALL YOUR ONLINE PURCHASES THROUGH OUR WEB STORE!  CLICK HERE.  As a special token of appreciation please accept a free downloadable gift from me to you: FREE BIBLE

While  at our Online store powered by AMAZN.com please consider being one the 20 special supporters of Listening Faithfully and purchase a Kindle Fire today. One Kindle Fire supports one child for this Summers Technology Team Course at Ascension Catholic School.  Become a supporter of inner city literacy today!

If your into marketing like I am then you need to generate leads period. So for visiting Listening Faithfully please click the following link and get your very own FREE LEADS GENERATING SYSTEM FOR FREE   – FOREVER TODAY! Click Here to claim your free FREE LEADS GENERATING SYSTEM! 

God Bless,

Brian Keith

________________________________________________________________________________

ANNOUNCES TO THE COMMUNITY OF FOLLOWER, FRIENDS, AND SUBSCRIBERS;

In the spirit of charity and from the necessity to provide  for all of Gods children, together in this mission,  Listening Faithfully has teamed up with a wonderful charitable organization in East Texas whose name reflects their good works, “God’s Hand Ups” and their work  is accomplished by a Godly motivation to help every children throughout their community. I am honored to have them as good friends in the Lord.  I can testify before you all today, that my good friend who is a founding member of this charitable group  has truly been tested in the manner described here in this blog posting and who has consistently passed this test of giving and working for the benefit of all in her community. I introduce you all to Tonia Allen, who currently has a wonderful new campaign in raising money for children in need. Please visit her donation site:  “GOD’S HAND UPS NOT HAND OUTS ”  and please be very charitable.

“Someone once told me that compassion was not simple. They believed compassion was huge. Compassion is SO simple as it is an act of kindness from one to another. It is only huge when it becomes over thought. God’s Hand Ups was founded by the vision of a 17 year old junior in high school who believed the world could be saved–“one person at a time.” ~ Tonia Allen, Gods Hands Up, 2013. 

280103_1359355052.6129

It is also my great pleasure to announce to all that God’s Hand Ups Not Hand Outs has now become an official Non-Profit Ministry. From a house to a non-profit ministry in the matter of a few months of operation. God has truly bless this East Texas Group of beautiful caring parents and followers of God. It is truly through His Devine Love that such things are possible.

_________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________

ANNOUNCING LISTENING FAITHFULLY ORIGINAL BOOKS!

Author Brian Keith, writer and publisher of Listening Faithfully Blog offers to you his first e-book: 

Listening Faithfully: The Sin Series  (Nov 28, 2012)

Taken from the most successful and popular series of postings on Listening Faithfully Blog in 2009-10, then edited and repackaged for your reading enjoyment, Brian has put together a comprehensive chronicle of sin!  With a massive amount of research and based upon Biblical Scripture each chapter reveals the shocking and revolutionary message of our Lord, while describing how each type of sin can destroy your life if left unchecked. It is a must read for-everyone to avoid the penalty of spiritual death.

Now available in the Listening Faithfully Store powered by Amazon.com! Start reading the Sin Series today in under a minute!

God Bless,

Brian Keith
Founder of Listening Faithfully

Listening Faithfully: The Sin Series   (NOW ON SALE IN EBOOK, INSTANTLY DOWNLOADABLE FORMAT FOR $9.19)