10/11/2023

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE READING:

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” (Matthew 5.17)

TODAY’S REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD:

Then Jesus said, “For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.” And let us remember that not even Jesus Christ knew when everything would be accomplished. He said in the “Little Apocalypse of Matthew,” “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Matthew 24.36) He speaks in terms of the wedding tradition practiced in the region we call “The Middle East.” While there is a groom and a bride, betrothed to each other and essentially married but not yet living together, the consummation of that relationship is a time in waiting. Regardless of the yearning for each to be together, it was up to the father to determine “the right time.” In the season, or Age (capture the sense of meaning in the words of Jesus to the disciples before His ascension), there is preparation for that forever unity of body, mind and soul. The bride prepares to spend the rest of her life with the groom. She fashions and strengthens herself with a resolve to give all she has to the husband who is found worthy of her affection. Equally, the groom has gone to prepare that place where they will spend the rest of their lives manifesting a love which honors each other and God. They both know that only by God’s blessing, the investiture of the Holy Spirit, can such a love be known. Anything less than that falls woefully short and falls into the definition of sin, or “missing the mark.” Hear also the understanding of “this house” in which they live. It is a vessel in which the Holy Spirit shall exist, reside and make known the fullness of God in each person and in the person they will become as the “two become one” and as “the TWO become ONE.” By that I mean, as a “man leaves his mother and a woman leaves her home, they shall then become as one.” But, then that “one (husband and wife) shall be united as their ultimate identity and goal with the One True God.” Jesus becomes the image of that and the Church, as His body, becomes the manifestation of that hope.

So, until that moment when the Father says “It is time,” it is a season of “waiting.” It is not limited to exhibiting great patience and enduring the time until all things are made new. It is inclusive of “waiting,” as in service to God and one another, which maintains the freshness of faith, hope and love. We can read the expression of this in Lamentations 3.19-27 as the prophet expresses the dependence on the Lord to pass through such a season. The concept of “marriage” is not limited to the literal man and woman context. It speaks to all aspects of our lives to which we can be or must be married (vocationally, politically, religiously, corporately) in our service to God above and before all else. There must be this balance of knowing and preparing to receive the fullness of what is yet to come. It is with this in mind that the Apostle Paul spends time defining and aligning the relationship of husband to wife, wife to husband, parents to children, children to parents, owners to slaves, slaves to owners and all of these to God. Violate this balance at any level and the “disturbance” is undeniable. If you doubt me, then you can read the Old Testament and watch as the “faithless” Israel in so many different generations stumbled in sight of God and the world and brought their own demise. Those nations which refused to “be married” to God suffered greatly as well; and, I may boldly declare, needlessly, too! Can we say and see no less in today’s current culture and climate around the globe? We most certainly should ascertain a greater level of accountability as it pertains to Israel and her enemies. Who is Israel truly married to? And without reserve, let me ask so many “churches” the very same question. We dare not speak of “relationship” as our true Christian identity when we are promoting being out of relationship by not engaging in an active way the fullness of this season as “The Age of the Church.” Jesus told the disciples who would become apostles on the day of Pentecost, “Lo, I AM with you always to the close of the Age.” Yes, He is with us in Spirit until that Day. Our focus should be to live before God and man as if we are already made new and dwelling in that place being prepared for us. But, that Day of His return when the consecration and consummation occurs has not happened. It will happen. Many are working to convince the Church and those who are seeking new life that it will never happen or happen over “our dead bodies.” Such terror exists fomented from the depths of Hell with Satan as the General of Mayhem, Disaster and Curser of God.

Mighty ones of God, let us discern for ourselves whom we shall worship, whom we shall serve and on whom shall we wait. Let it be said in your house as we must say it in mine, “As for me and my house, we will serve (worship and wait) the Lord our God.”

PRAYER IN LIGHT OF GOD’S WORD:

Father, You have revealed to us best in Jesus the Christ. By Him and Him alone shall we gain the eternal life and our place in eternal rest, living for You always. Show us more and by Your Holy Spirit instruct us in the way we should go, the truth we should reveal and the life we shall live with you forever. In Jesus’ name, we pray. AMEN.