[Day One]

 

Real Relationships:
Are they worth dying for?

How many people in your life can you securely say, would die for you? How many would give their life to save yours? Knowing that you are as valuable to them as their own life? BTW—there is one who is willing to die for you. He values your life that much, even above his own. Do You Know that?

THE MORE YOU UNDERSTAND Real Relationships: THE MORE WILLING YOU WILL BE TO PURSUE THEM. They will cost you something to gain, and something more to maintain, but they are more valuable than silver or gold, more desirable than influence or fame, more precious than anything else in this world.

 

Looking forward: Can you imagine: That All your that Real Relationships would gladly give their life for yours, and you would Do likewise? Those who value genuine, true and faithful relationships, hold fast to them. They will not let them slip away, so that they may enjoy those relationships for all of eternity.

 

Real Relationships are permanent. They are one of the few treasures one can take out of this world, into the next, into the kingdom to come. They truly are the most valuable treasures one can gain in this life. May you be stirred up about the Work and Labor involved in Building Real Eternal Relationships that will indeed stand the test of Time. 

 

Before one will be willing to labor for something valuable, he must begin to see, feel, desire, and believe in the value of the thing he is pursuing: That it is worth it. If he doesn’t see the value, he won’t put forth the effort, to obtain, even that, which is most valuable to him, because he does not recognize the value. 

 

For this cause: We will put forth effort to show the value we hold for Real Eternal Relationships, and also to secure them upon an eternal foundation, one that will never fail us. Just as we would make building a Strong and Reliable Home to live in a high priority, so should we make building Strong and Reliable Relationships, a high priority.

 

We will lay out practical steps in order to obtain what we seek. And then follow thosesteps carefully, diligently, and intentionally.

 

Below is a 7 week study on the Subject of: How to Build Real Relationships that will Endure the Test of Time. Each day we will only study one short subject, to lay a solid foundation, then continuing, we will get into the nitty gritty details of why most relationships remain shallow and temporal, and what we can do to transform them into deep and eternal friendships.

Our goal is to “foolproof” ourselves first, then put that “foolproof wisdom” into our friendships next.

The end result, may well produce fewer friends initially, but the ones we keep, we will keep for eternity. And all of those friendships will support us, and walk with us, even through the worst trials and tribulations this Life will throw at us. If this is exciting to your soul, get prepared for your mind, body, will, and your emotional and spiritual life to receive the greatest treasure this life has to offer.

 

In fact, these “Real Relationships” will only become stronger and more valuable, the harder our troubles become in this world. If that is of interest to you, you have just completed day one, and are perfectly positioned to walk into Day Two of this Study, at your next session of Study.

 

[It is recommended that you take your time and be intentional about this subject. This is not always a feel good Study. You will confront Darkness in yourself and others. That is par for the course. Be open. Be challenged. Be humble. Be blessed and insightful.  Be discerning and encouraged to grow and build all your relationships upon a foundation that will never fail, even in times of trouble and turmoil. This study can be done individually, or in small groups. The Values and Perspectives being shared here represent Eternal Virtues: They bear repeating, learning, and teaching, to few, or to many. The greater the input, the greater the impact.

Imagine if every family (every brother and sister, niece and nephew, uncle, aunt, grandparents, and grandchildren, husbands and wives) in your community were raised with the mindset to lay an eternal foundation in every Real Eternal Relationship in his or her life?  

What a difference we would be making in the world we are living in!]

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[Day Two]

 

Two Foundations on which
to build any relationship 

[Author’s Note: This study is not designed to judge or condemn any person. The purpose is to identify unprofitable trends, behaviors, beliefs, and mindsets that cause relationships to remain immature, harmful, and unfruitful in the long run.

Mark this down: One way you can tell if someone is pointing the finger at someone else, is to find out if the will also point the same finger at themselves. So here is my confession. I have spent the majority of my Life involved in shallow relationships, and have seen the damage done by them. My hope in sharing the following thoughts, and what I believe to be a basic Biblical Perspective on this subject, is to spare others the pain and lose of not building Real Relationships that are strong and true on a Trustworthy and Unshakeable Foundation, that will endure through thick and thin.]

 

Foundation One:
The Shallow (or shaky) Foundation: 

Men and women can often quickly generate artificial or shallow relationships based on self-centered interests. These relationships are often be built around: personal hobbies,  entertainment preferences, and/or some party affiliation.
         Some of these friendships may mature over time, but that is not generally the goal. 
          Shallow Relationships based on worldly values typically don’t have a strong foundation to build deep commitments, nor the deep lasting character qualities, and trustworthy mindset needed to build a lasting relationship foundation. Shallow relationships are generally not based on others truly caring about or knowing who you really are.

In fact, the definition of a shallow relationship could be: “Someone who really doesn’t know anything about you, and doesn’t want to know about who you really are.” 

Sometimes, in shallow relationships, when someone finds out about who you really are, and you find out about who they really are, you will judge and reject one another, and that will be the end of the shallow relationship. It is destined to die an early death, if it becomes “too real.”  Do you know what I’m talking about? Lots of marriage relationships end on this basis.

Without God’s Heavenly resources to deal with the ugliness, deception, and perversion of the real me and the real you, there is little chance of a shallow relationship standing the test of Time and Truth. That is why it needs to hide behind the Party Spirit Facade, which needs no depth to operate in the shallow waters of the “buzzed life,” “the cool life,” “the party/entertainment life.”

Real Relationships don’t need a facade, nor an artificial high, nor a buzz, nor a political party, nor a trendy new worldly philosophy, or some entertainment/recreation base upon which to function.

Shallow Companions are the kinds of friends the Prodigal Son built for himself. (At least he thought they were his friends, but how did that turn out for him? Luke 15:11-32)

Everything went great, that is, until the beer, wine, food, money, and entertainment ran out. Fake Relationships based on this Shallow Foundation will not endure the Test of Time, nor the Test of Trouble.  They will soon pass away, and be no more.

Often, there is a lot of shame, regret, and ethical compromise involved in Shallow relationships. I think you know what I am talking about.

(If you still have a conscience, it will be talking to you about this. If not, it won’t. The truth be told some men have lost their conscience, “they burned it with a hot iron”: 1 Timothy 4:1-2)

In the shallow mindset, one is constantly thinking what he or she can get from that other person (as opposed to what they should be giving to the other person). Shallow people tend to see people as objects to be used, not children created in the Image of God, who need to be nurtured, nourished, trained into Maturity, and sometimes disciplined.

Many have the shallow expectation that “others are put here to meet my personal needs.” (Even if they don’t verbally acknowledge it, their actions, attitudes, and addictions, speak louder than words.)

Of course, this mindset, though common, is a disaster waiting to happen. I know. I have lived in it. Chances are good that you have too. So you surely know what I am talking about.

 

Foundation Two:
The Deep (or Solid) Foundation:  

Jesus told his disciples a parable about a man who dug deep, and built his home upon a Solid Rock, with a Deep Foundation. (Luke 6:48) He said when the winds blew, and the rain fell, and the river rose, and beat against that house, the structure stood the test of stress and time. It stood fast because it was founded upon a Rock, which was secure and immovable.
             He also said, the man whose home was built on the sand (the shallow foundation) fell. And great was its fall. It all got washed away down the river along with the man.
            That man lost everything. While the man who built his Home (his life, his family, his community) upon the Rock, he kept everything he built upon the Rock, and didn’t lose anything worth keeping. That’s what trials do, they purge us, and prune us, and show us what is really valuable, and truly lasting, and they expose false motives, false mindsets.

Relationships based on the Solid Foundation will endure the Test of Time.  These will not pass away. They will be embraced, enjoyed, and enlightened into eternity. They will never end.

 

Matthew 7:24-27 (KJV) 24 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: 25 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.

26 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: 27 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.

 

In conclusion:

The Equation for a Solid Foundation:

1. Heareth the Sayings of Jesus. Step One. Hear.
2. Doeth the Sayings of Jesus. Step Two. Do.
3. Become a Wise Man or Woman who knows how to Do God’s Word, and God’s Will. Step Three. Learn.
4. Build your Eternal Home upon a Rock that will never move. Step Four. Build wisely.
5. So that your House will never fall, but endure, even through troubled, stormy, and tempestuous times.

 

The Equation for a Shaky Foundation:

1. Heareth the Sayings of Jesus. Step One. Hear.
2. Doeth Not the Sayings of Jesus. Step Two. Don’t Do.
3. Become a Fool who knows not how to Do God’s Word, and God’s Will. Step Three. Learn Not.
4. Build your temporary Home upon a shallow foundation, that will fail when trouble comes. Step Four. Build foolishly.
5. So that your House will eventually, and inevitably fail, and fall with many others in the same boat, in troubled, stormy, and tempestuous times.

 

These comparisons are not for condemnation, but for instruction. Jesus calls a spade a spade, because He sees the future. He knows what is coming. He knows what is going to happen. He knows human nature. And He lovingly is warning the entire Human Race to not be foolish, but be wise.  To build their houses so that all will not be lost. The only way to do that is to listen to him. He is the only One who has come down from heave to show us the Way, to His Father. He is the only One validated by Heaven to represent the Father, and to make a way back to him, through the Blood Covenant of God. 

If God didn’t care about you, He won’t not have gone to such great lengths, and made such great sacrifices to bring you back to Himself, to be safe and protected under His Roof, in His Home, as a valuable part of His Eternal Family. If you are getting this part of the message, then God is speaking to your heart. But Hold on.

It’s going to continue to get rough and challenging, as we go forward. This one thing I have learned:

Before the Truth can Heal a Wound, it must cleanse the Wound, which often times means breaking open the infected and diseased wound, scrubbing the wound clean, killing the bacteria, killing and removing the parasites, cutting away the stinking infested dead flesh, pouring oils, and salve into the deep places, sewing up the deep gaps, and bandaging the whole mess up with the hope of healing.

 

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[Day Three]

 

He that Heareth vs. He that Doeth

 

Of course, the parable about “Building Upon a Solid Foundation” is more about a person’s life than about the building he lives in. We understand that Jesus is simply using physical illustrations to make spiritually piercing and imperative points.

If we miss his points, his points will miss us: and We will miss his Life. 

According to Jesus’ Testimony, this happens more often than one would expect. His life, and the nails we drove into his hands and feet are a veritable proof of that. Some people (most actually) don’t believe they had anything to do with the Death of the Messiah. But that is simply due to ignorance. Ignorance that is learned, and Ignorance that is controlled. (More on these two mechanisms later.)

Two take away points:

1. Those who lack spiritual discernment, will lack the heavenly wisdom, care, diligence, and righteous concern to build their relationships on a firm foundation: They will ignorantly build their shallow foundation relationships based on selfish interests, that are doomed to fail both them and their friends. All relationships based on a shallow foundation will not stand the test of stress and time. As soon as “the feel good times” end, and they can end at any second, even in a heartbeat (by even one little offense), all fair weather friends fly away with the wind.  
2. Those who intentionally labor and put their full effort, and full attention, into digging a deep foundation: They secure their relationships on the Rock, (that is upon Christ Jesus). As such, they will never fail to have those deep and abiding Relationships. Those caring and compassionate, loving and loyal, genuine and enduring relationships–will not end after death.

Real Relationships do not happen by accident. They are built with intention, with understanding, and with commitment. These relationships require the Fuel of Heaven to make them run. They need Honest, Honor, Humility, Hope, Faith, and Enduring Love, They need Jesus’ Foundation of Spirit and Truth. They need time and space to put into practice everything Jesus has said, and commanded. They need discipleship. Where older mature Fathers and Mothers, mentor younger sons and daughters, brother and sisters. They are anything but shallow. Since they are based on the solid Rock that is Messiah: They are eternal.

Mark this down: We are not talking about being a church goer, about adopting a religious faith, about joining a religious group, these things can be just as shallow as “the party spirit” relationships. We are talking about something much deeper than that. This will make more sense as we go forward in this study.

In times of trouble these relationships will deepen and prosper. Fake and flimsy relationships will be weeded out. Weak, self-focused, worldly relationships won’t endure the test of time and stress. They will not pass the trials and the tribulations. They won’t have the depth to handle: persecutions and natural disasters, social and economic calamities (not to mention the supernatural evil that is shortly coming to a place near you). Anything built upon a shallow foundation will fail when tested.

The Big Difference between a Hearer, and a Doer, is the fruit of their lives. As we know, you can tell a tree by its fruit. Later we will discuss the Vine and the Branches, and why the branch cannot bear fruit unless it is attached to the Vine.

Below brings in the question of submission, leadership, and relates those two things to Those who Pretend to Follow Jesus, in their own imaginations, and those who actually do follow Jesus on a daily basis, progressing in both the teaching, and the doing of the Kingdom of God.

 

Luke 6:46-49 (KJV)
46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? 47 Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: 48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. 49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

 

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[Day Four]

 

The Humble Test of a Faithful Friend

A humble test could be this: Can you build (or better yet, “Have you built, or are you currently building?”) eternal heavenly relationships in Christ the Messiah, even right now, worth dying for? Have you been introduced to the discipleship walk with God, becoming a disciple, making a disciple, who in turn is able to make disciples, who will in their turn make disciples. If you are locked into this godly calling you, are among the few who attend the modern church, as far as I can see.

Question: Are you producing relationships that you will die for, and that will die for you?

1. Are you this kind (or quality) of a friend?
2. Do you attract this kind (or quality) of an eternal friends?

In other words, do you actively and intentionally, and aggressively pursue relationships that are spiritually enduring, selflessly giving, and built to last, that will deepen through the trials of life? If Yes. 

Then you are building your life on the Rock that is Christ.

If no. Then you are missing the central goal of Life in Christ.

 

Do these words accurately describe your current close friendships? 

• Reliable, genuine, faithful, and Committed.  
• Unselfish, giving, without strife, and accepting.
• Trusting, lasting, steadfast, strong, and Permanent.
• Humble, trustworthy, endearing, and Righteous. 
• Holy, pure, undefiled, uncompromised, and Just. 
• Truthful, honest, transparent, calm and without prejudice (or bias). 
• Authentic, forgiving, progressively growing, and Self Corrective.
• Deeply Satisfying, fulfilling, and Challenging.

What would say this about me: if I could not confidently confirm that the short list of character qualities above describes my closest personal relationships that I have in this moment?

1. What might that tell you about my own personal character development? 
2. What might that tell you about the people I have adopted to be a part of my current community and spiritual family?
3. What might that tell you about my own spiritual journey or lack thereof?
4. What might that tell you about the times we live in right now?

Is it possible (or even likely), that I have not prepared my own spiritual life, and my own spiritual vessel (my mind, will, emotions, soul, spirit) to contain the Glory of God?

Is it possible that I have not walked with God in His Ways, and I have not walked with my fellow man in such a way that he is attracted by the Word of God in my mouth, nor by the design of the kingdom of God in my life?

Side Note: “The Glory of God” is not simply a religious ditty of a phrase … that only has meaning in the great beyond, or just in religious circles. Actually, the Glory of God should be something pursued and experienced on a daily basis. It is something more valuable than rubies, and more enduring than gold.

So I hope that you will not be too quick to judge simple biblical phrases like this, and I will be careful, to not just use them to fill an empty space, but use this one and others like it with genuine intention. Intention that the reader can discern, and value. 

If you had those above questions about me, out of a deep concern for my eternal life, I would deem you a wise and discerning friend. I would be wise to welcome that Spirit of Enlightenment into my Life. I would be wise to join in learning from you and gaining life from your understanding and your spiritual maturity. I would be a fool not to gain, and learn, and receive the good things God has given you to share with others.

Proverbs 9:8-12 (KJV)
8 Reprove not a Scorner [or Mocker], lest he hate thee:
Rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.
9 Give instruction to a wise man,
and he will be yet wiser:
teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.

10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom:
and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.
11 For by me thy days shall be multiplied,
and the years of thy life shall be increased.
12 If thou be wise, thou shalt be wise for thyself:
but if thou scornest, thou alone shalt bear it.

 

Know anyone like these?

 

I know for certain, if I did not get the knowledge of the holy, and if I did not receive the rebuke of a wise man, I would not be alive today. His Grace and Favor, Forgiveness and Healing, Transformation and Regeneration, are a marvel, a sign, a wonder, and a reason to be eternally grateful.

 

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[Day Five]

 

Ever lose a
Precious Relationship?

 

Don’t feel so bad. You are in good company. Yeshua (aka Jesus) also lost many, and each one was exceedingly painful to him, maybe even infinitely painful.

Can you see how your lost relationship was not firmly based upon a solid rock foundation? (Jesus can, and he will help you to see it, if you let him.) 

Sometimes you might be the guilty party: Sometimes your friend is/was. Most times, you both were guilty. In other words, you both did things, said things (and didn’t do things, and didn’t say the things) that would have built your relationship upon an eternal foundation. Note: True Humility can often mend an awful rift. Sometimes it only needs one person walking in Humility to get the ball rolling.

This is critical to grasp: A lost relationship not skillfully designed to be deeply connected to an eternal source is destined to be lost, even before it starts.

God designs all His relationships to last forever. Man designs his relationships to meet his temporary pleasures.

• Can you see the difference in focus? The difference in Character? The difference in Purpose?
• Can you see how there might be a great chasm of misuderstanding, and misinterpretation of God’s Ways versus Man’s Ways?
• Can you see there is a vast difference in character and motive between heavenly relationships and worldly ones?

Since God is eternal: it is only natural for Him to create Laws, Statutes, Decrees, Standards, and Judgments that would Protect, and Provide, and Proclaim how to reproduce His Eternal Kingdom Friendships to Live by for eternity.

Every lost relationship a person has in this life is like a miniature example of what it will feel like to lose a relationship for eternity.

There is nothing quite so painful.* If you have lost a deep and valuable relationship, one that you thought was good and right and true, or when there is a great rift in your precious relationship: That is a painful experience (especially with a family member, spouse or best friend). Once you have lost several such relationships, you can easily become hardened, become skeptical, become sarcastic, or even just mean, due to the way you handle the pain. But know this for certain, this is not God’s Design. This is not the way of Light. That is the way of Darkness.

[* People commit suicide over the pain of lost relationships it would seem on a daily basis around the world, because, they feel, the pain of the loss is too great for them to bear.]

God fully provides complete healing from Broken Relationships in His Own Heavenly Covenant of Love.

That is one reason to build all your relationships on the Foundation that He has provided for you.

Through that He Provides everything we need to be healed, restored, hopeful [* able to overcome the temptation of suicide] grateful, joyful, forgiving, and to become an enduring and powerful example of His LOVE.

In fact, we are actually made stronger through trials, and the grace He supplies in the midst of them. This is all par for the course according to His Blood Covenant.

If there is no Blood Covenant holding your relationship together, sooner or later it is going to fail. That’s a given. Every relationship not built upon the sold rock will go the direction it was predicted and foretold that it would go. All relationships not founded upon and fastened to the Blood Covenant of God, will eventually perish.

If any relationship you had lost, was solidly built upon the Blood Covenant of God, you would still be enjoying that relationship, to this day!

When a solid rock relationship comes under attack, and the storm hits it full force, it cannot overcome the rock solid foundation. That is unmovable. Anything not attached to it will be washed away and be lost. And it should be lost, that is a part of God’s pruning process. But everything deeply rooted and grounded in a love relationship built upon the solid rock will overcome every obstacle trial, and tribulation. The storm will only wash away idolatry, and expose selfishness, and burn up all the dross and impurities in the relationship. If the relationship is founded upon the rock without a doubt it will endure.

The proof?  The proof is in the endurance of the Relationship and the Endurance in the Blood Covenant of the two parties involved. The fact that it continues to endure is a testimony not to each individual, but to the staying power of the Rock, to which each individual is securely attached.

That is the true promise and the deep purpose of His Word.

 

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[Day Six]

 

Real Relationships are built
upon a Solid Rock Foundation,
but what is the foundation?

 

See if you can identify: Who is the Solid Rock? and, Where does he come from?

Daniel 2:44-45 (KJV)
44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. 45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that The Stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.

[I recommend reading the entire chapter of this historical prophecy, if you are not familiar with this story, it is well worth your time.]

Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon was the Head of Gold. At one time, he was the Number One ruler of the Middle Eastern World. He was powerful, creative, inventive, rich beyond measure, and he ruled ruthlessly throughout his kingdom. He subdued all the nations around him. He was also insecure, knowing that jealousy, spite, and retaliation could come at him from any direction at any moment, because he ruled his Kingdom through fear of Death, and brutal punishments.  

One nightNebuchadnezzar had a dream from God, but didn’t know what it meant. Then, God created a divine setup to declare unto “Nebu” what was going to take place in the future–from the time of the end of his reign to the end of the world as we know it.

God gave Nebu’ a history lesson he would never forget.

At the same time, God declared the History of the World, to all the Rulers of the World from the Day of Nebu’, to the Time of Christ, also including the Second Coming of Christ, in one short dream.

And thus far, everything in that Dream has happened according to plan, and is still happening, until all shall be fulfilled.

(One would do well to study the book of Daniel, and the book of Revelation to fill in the precious Details. One must understand this one prophecy, is just a part of the whole tapestry woven throughout Daniel, Revelation, all the prophets, Moses, the Law, and the Entire Testimony of the Word of God.)

The clarity, precision, readability, and simplicity of Daniel is unsurpassed in world historical documents.

The final point, God presents to Nebuchadnezzar: “The Stone [that] was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold” (which represent all the kingdoms and systems of man’s government upon the earth) that Stone, is the cornerstone upon which God will build His Eternal Kingdom.

THAT STONE will break into pieces, and remove every trace of the rulership of men and devils from the Earth for eternity.

Then, that STONE, Himself, will set up his own Kingdom for those who are worthy, for those who will “hear and do” His Word, building their lives on His Eternal and Solid Rock Foundation.

That Eternal Stone came once and stretched out his hands to bring salvation to many. And He is coming again soon to take up the throne prepared for Him, and to defeat the kings of the Earth who will battle against him, and fall away from Him for all of eternity. (More on this later.)

 

Psalms 118:20-23 (KJV)

20 This gate of the LORD,

into which the righteous shall enter.

21 I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me,

and art become my salvation.

22 The stone which the builders refused [and rejected]

is become the head stone of the corner.

23 This is the LORD’s doing;

it is marvellous in our eyes.

[More on this Cornerstone later.]

 

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[Day Seven]

 

Real Relationships overcome
“Verbal Attacks”

Verbal attacks? They should be like water off a duck’s back.

 

“The discretion of a man deferreth his anger;
and it is his glory to pass over a transgression”
[offense/insult/accusation].
Proverbs 19:11

When you trust in God, like Daniel did and his 3 friends (Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah), you build your life upon an eternal and faithful foundation. By doing so, you will become like them, persons with an excellent spirit, being able to influence kings, rulers, officials, governors, princes, and knaves alike. Some unto honor, some to dishonor.

When you love someone through the Grace Given in the Kingdom of God, you will often love them beyond their ability to love you back.

People will often misinterpret your confidence in your God (and your lack of fear of Man), as arrogance or insolence, towards them. Such is the insecurity of many immature leaders who have been put into high places of leadership who have not the maturity nor Character of a Righteous Man. (A righteous man is someone who has right-standing before God. In that, rests his complete security.

Jeremiah, Daniel and friends, Nehemiah, Ezra, Mordecai and Ester, and are some quick examples of people who feared God more than earthly rulers, and came under severe attack for their faith in God, but overcome their enemies by the Grace, Favor, and Workings of God, as their enemies fell before them.)

When you truly Fear God: You need not fear man’s instabilities, deep insecurities, their jealousy, verbal attacks, or physical threats.

Even the threat of death from a human king, did not alarm Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, (Daniels three closest comrades). Why? Because they knew their life, and the life of the king, were both in the hands of God.

When you are founded and secured upon the Solid Rock Foundation (which is Christ Jesus Himself). In other words, when you come completely under God’s Authority in God’s Kingdom, you receive special privileges from heaven, and have access to special rights, and special faith, that only God can give, and will give to those who seek them diligently. (Jeremiah 29:13)

This is the Good News of the Kingdom of God, it comes from the Good News in the Gospel, which is based on the God News of the Blood Covenant that was from the very beginning.

You are never responsible as to how others treat you. Your only concern is that you represent the Kingdom of God to them with grace, love, and truth. The consequences you can place in God’s hand.

You are never called to enable or endorse false or fake, evil or compromised corrupt behavior that promotes sin. As a good friend you will use wisdom from above to speak the truth in love.  

You didn’t bring that person into the world, God did. They are responsible to listen to him. Your job is simply to point the way, with good reason, and Holy Spirit Kingdom of God common sense.

You can’t teach others how to love you, if they don’t already know how to love God, and keep his commandments. If they don’t know how to love God, they won’t know how to love themselves: How could they possibly know how to love you? Therefore it is your glory to overlook an offense. 

When a man is spiritually dead in his trespasses and sins, he does not have the light of God to know how to Love according to God’s Definition, nor according to God’s Way. But, you can show him the way.

Ephesians 2:1-6 (KJV)
1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

Everyone who is “quickened” [aka: made alive] and together with Christ, will build their lives around the heavenly foundations of God and will not suffer loss on the last day, when men will have to give an accounting of all their doings, and what they have built, or not built upon God’s Foundation. Everything that is well built will, will be tested by Fire, and survive. Everything poorly built will be burned up.

More on the Story and Testimony of Daniel’s Three Precious and Eternal Friends to Daniel and others, coming up.

 

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[End of Week One]

copyright 2022 © 

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If you would enjoy continuing this study, you can participate in the whole 7 week course online for free, please email me. The bulk of the study is written but it is in desperate need of thorough editing and revision. If that is one of your strong points and you’d like to review it. Please let me know. 

 

Shalom,  

 

 

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There resources are copyrighted but …  free to use for non-commercial purposes. Please do not charge for the sharing of this study, or any time you share God’s Word with others. “Freely ye have received. Freely Give”. (Matthew 10:8) God will bless that more than you can imagine.

 

Also, asking for donations, on your website, for me, is something akin to begging for money on a street corner,.

Personally, this is something that to me, is not honoring and glorifying to God. The Servant of God who is a beggar is not a good Witness to the Glory, Honor, and Majesty of God.

Therefore I request, that you: Please don’t add this article to any website that has a Donation (begging button) on their website. I hope you can be sensitive and see the point and importance of not associating with those who want to make a profit off the Gospel of God, that was freely given to us. 

If Jesus came today, I have a picture of Him cleaning up the internet, like he cleaned out the Temple in the first century.

 

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Matthew 6:25-34 (KJV)
25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

 

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