SALT

SALT

This word is to you that have experienced a birth into the family of our Lord. Your life has been changed because of Jesus Christ, but the leaders of today have lost the vision of how the children of our Fathers kingdom grow up.

The purpose the Lord has is to stir up your thinking; to think… asking yourself where you are and what message are you hearing? What direction are you going? Are you on the milk of the Word? Is the milk healthy? Have you ever tasted meat that comes from the Lord? We need to ask ourselves if we know what salt is. Have we ever really tasted the flavor of the saltiness of the Word of God? Are we really carrying the cross that Jesus has asked us to carry following Him all the way or is it only a cross attached to a pretty chain around our neck?

The scripture the Lord has chosen for this letter comes from 2nd Kings 2:19-20, 21 and the men of the city said unto Elisha, Behold, I pray thee, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth: but the water is naught, and the ground barren. And he said, Bring me a new cruse, and put salt therein. And they brought it to him. And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus saith the LORD, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land.

A cruse is a container or vessel that is used for different things. Some are used to hold water, salt, seed or other things for the household. In this case it is a vessel that holds salt.

The city the Lord is referring to are a people who call themselves the bride of Christ or the Jerusalem of God, the brethren or perhaps they prefer to just plainly be a Christian church. At any rate I spent the first 42 years in these churches of different names and doctrines before the Lord called me out.

It is a divided city which is so full of different names and teachings that we almost lose count of how many there are.

Continue reading here

Peculiar People

Peculiar People….

What are we to come to an understanding of… when we consider this question of what it means to be a ‘peculiar people?’

We can have the noblest of intentions, yet fail miserably in the execution of same. “For to be carnally minded is death, but to spiritually minded is life and peace” Romans 8:6.
When we are concerned with what others think or say or do; when we judge according to our own understanding, are we not yet carnal? As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 3:3 “For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?”

Every denomination and religious group has their version of what the scriptures mean. Man has gone to great lengths in his attempt to seem different from those around him, according to outward things such as dress, conversation, traditions, modes of living etc., but is this the kind of ‘peculiar’ that God desires? Or is it more than these things?

How we perceive ourselves is very often quite different than how we are perceived by others. We are all very adept at seeing the mote in the ‘other guys eye,’ while being totally oblivious to the ‘beam in our own.’ There is but one reason for this, and that is SELF.

Some of the most grievous atrocities that have been committed by men against other men have been done in the name of God and religion. If we are not walking in humility, then we have nothing to be proud of when it comes to our own perceived righteousness, or correctness, or execution of principles. Sadly, many times when we are called weird, its because that is what we are, not because we are the shining light in a dark world that we imagine ourselves to be.

Continue reading here

"What Is That To Thee...?"

What Is That To Thee….?

In this day of information overload, it is no easy task to remain focused upon the Lord; to hear his voice amid all the other voices clamoring for our attention. Yet that is exactly what we must do. One of the things that can often become a major hindrance and stumbling block… is looking at other people for validation. We need to realize that it makes no difference what we are looking to others for, be it approval, agreement, enlightenment, acceptance, appreciation, whatever. We cannot look to other people for those things that belong to God; those things that give us validation in this world. If we are genuinely born-again, then our lives are not our own. We do not have the freedom to live in this world according to our own inclinations, preferences or judgments. We were bought with a price, and we have been strictly charged to ‘follow Christ.’

Far too often, we find ourselves caught up in debating the things ‘about God,’ rather than walking in the Spirit and living our daily lives ‘unto God.’ There is an enormous difference here folks. We have ONE example we are charged to follow… and that One is Jesus Christ. So many of our misunderstandings would be completely avoided if we would remain fixed on obediently following Him. We would greatly benefit from truly seeking Him first in everything in our life, rather than assuming that we know more than we actually do, and running here and there shooting our mouths off. One of the best suggestions we could follow is found in Psalms 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” It is our ‘flesh’ that feels it has to be heard, when in fact we would benefit far more if we would learn to listen. Jesus gave us a graphic example here. We can learn a lot from this simple discourse between our LORD and Peter. Consider the following…

… “He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep. Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me. Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee? Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me. Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?” John 21:17.

Now taking the entire chapter in context, Jesus asks Peter three times, “Lovest thou me?” We can only try to imagine the turmoil in Peter’s heart and mind, having so recently denied the Lord three times following his arrest in the Garden, and subsequent crucifixion and resurrection. He has just gone through events that would try the stoutest heart. And all he can do is respond in the full knowledge that Jesus does know his heart, and knows that he loves Him. The Lord then tells him in what manner he shall die. His reaction is only natural, for we must remember that Peter has yet to receive the promised Holy Spirit. In a vain attempt to put the focus on someone other than himself, Peter turns and sees the Apostle John, and asks, ‘what will happen to him?’ However, Jesus will not allow Peter to sidestep the issue, and plainly tells him, twice no less, “What is that to thee?” or ‘what business is it of yours what he must suffer in this life, all you need to worry about is that YOU Follow Me.’

Do you see here, the application for us all? At the time of this exchange with the ‘risen LORD,’ the Comforter had not yet been sent. Peter could only manage as best he could these traumatic events in his own strength. However, following Jesus ascension and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, everything changed. I don’t know about you, but I can identify with Peter. I have stuck my foot in my mouth and done things I deeply regretted more times than I can count, yet God is faithful. He didn’t cast me aside. We don’t have to reach some carnal ideal of perfection, to be perfect. We simply have to be obedient to the Spirit of God within us. When the Spirit gives you words to speak… then simply speak them. It is not our concern how they are received. When the Spirit gives you something to do, then do it, without concerning yourself with how others might respond. We need to come to the full realization that this is the LORD’s work, not ours! When we do, we will have pretty much won the battle. We will no longer strive in our own flesh, or from our own understanding. Look at some of the things Jesus (our example) said:

Luke 9:5 “And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them.”

John 8:29 “And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.”

John 5 5:19 “Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.”

Mark 13:11 “But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.”

Matthew 7:21 “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”

John 14:10 “Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.”

If these standards applied to the Son of God, how much more do they apply to us, who are the recipients of the promises of God? May we examine our own hearts.

May we learn as Paul learned…
“Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” Philippians 4:11-13.

And as Peter learned, so may we…
“If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen” 1 Peter 4:11.

No longer worrying about what other people think, lest the Lord should directly tell us… “What is that to thee?”

Amen & Amen

Cathy Morris
6/3/2009