Ready for take off!

 Take Off!

Are you ready for the take off?

The Bride of CHRIST has got to the runway from the tarmac.

She has made herself ready for the take off.

Have you boarded that flight?

Then he said to me, "These words are faithful and true." 

And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel

to show His servants the things which must shortly take place. 

"Behold, I am coming quickly! 

Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book." 

Now I, John, saw and heard these things. 

And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel 

who showed me these things. 

Then he said to me, "See that you do not do that. 

For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, 

and of those who keep the words of this book. 

Worship God." 

And he said to me, "Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, 

for the time is at hand. 

He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; 

he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; 

he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; 

he who is holy, let him be holy still." 

Revelation 22:6-11 

Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; 

but one thing I do, 

forgetting those things which are behind 

and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 

I press toward the goal 

for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 

Philippians 3:13-14  

Does the LORD command us to love ourselves?

Does the LORD command us to love ourselves?

 Then Jesus said to His disciples, 

"If anyone desires to come after Me, 

let him deny himself,

and take up his cross, 

and follow Me. 

For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, 

but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 

Matthew 16:24-25 

 The fall of man has twisted godly attitudes to become self centered and carnal, which turn us away from GOD. Loving yourself is such an attitude. We need to understand that if we love and cherish our carnal self, we will not please GOD. We must decide to deny that part of our self, but feed and nourish the spiritual part.

 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, 

  "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" Jesus said to him, 

"'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' 

  This is the first and great commandment. 

  And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' 

  On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."
Matthew 22:35-40 

GOD exhorts and commands us to work on loving Him, Who is the source of pure love. 

Such direction and focus would cause us to receive His love into our hearts. 

His Spirit of love will cause increase in the spiritual part of us which is GOD desiring, 

GOD honouring and GOD resembling.

GOD commands us next, to love our neighbour as ourselves. Your closest neighbour is your spouse! Work on loving your spouse and you will be doing good to yourself!

 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; 

he who loves his wife loves himself. 

  For no one ever hated his own flesh, 

but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.
Ephesians 5:28-29 

The Bible speaks about certain attitudes, affections and leanings in us that are natural. We must understand that those are not commandments, but statements of the state of mankind.

It is natural for each one of us to desire the best for our own flesh. Those who have mental disorders such as anxiety and depression would say "I hate myself. I don't like my appearance. I wish I were dead!" These statements are not the truth because they are under the oppression and lies of the devil, the enemy of their soul! The Bible, which is the truth, states that no one ever hated his own flesh! The negative reactions of these individuals towards unfavourable situations or physical appearance, is very proof that they love themselves.

Therefore the scale is: Love GOD more than you love yourself.

                                          Love others as much as you love yourself.

 Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, 

  "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, 

wife and children, brothers and sisters, 

yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. 

  And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.
Luke 14:25-27 

The LORD expects us to deny our natural affections and bondings to love Him and follow Him.

In doing this, our imperfect, corrupted love is purified.

Thus our love for others becomes pure as GOD'S love for us.

He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. 

And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.
Matthew 10:37

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 

  "Honor your father and mother," which is the first commandment with promise: 

  "that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth." 

  And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, 

but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.
Ephesians 6:1-4

 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 

For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, 

boasters, proud, blasphemers, 

disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 

unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, 

without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 

traitors, headstrong, haughty, 

lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 

having a form of godliness but denying its power. 

And from such people turn away! 

For of this sort are those who creep into households 

and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, 

led away by various lusts, 

always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 

Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, 

so do these also resist the truth: 

men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith; 

but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was. 

2 Timothy 3:1-9

The corrupted, selfish love in fallen mankind brings forth the love of money,

which is a root of all kinds of evil.

It also replaces the love of GOD by the the love of pleasure.

The love of money results in various kinds of wrong attitudes,

words and actions of an ungodly life, as listed in the above portion of Scripture.

These spoil relationships and hinder the flow of GOD'S love.

 

It is natural for all of us to love ourselves.

JESUS asked us to deny self and follow Him.

We are enabled to do this by receiving GOD'S love

and loving GOD with all of our heart.

The love of GOD flows through us to others,

enabling them to taste the purity and beauty 

of that divine agape love!

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ENGAGED!

ENGAGED!

When a boy and a girl are serious about their long-term relationship, they get 'Engaged'!

The ring is round, it has no end: So is my love, to you dear friend!

Imagine a baby in a pregnant woman's womb. While it is growing, it keeps moving around with the amniotic fluid in the womb. As the baby grows, the movements gradually get restricted. Then when the pregnancy is full term, the baby gets in position, moves towards the birth canal and the head gets partly into the top of the bony birth canal. Once in this position, the baby cannot move around other than moving its limbs. This positioning is referred to as 'Engaged'!

When the head of the baby in the womb is engaged, the signal is that labour can begin anytime! It is as though the baby says to itself, "Now I am going to be serious about the direction I am to take. I am plunging head down, down the narrow path, on a difficult journey, until I am released into space and liberty!

Therefore, 'Engaged' means, 'Committed and No turning back.'

For the baby about to be born, it is an upside down travel - head down, heart higher and feet up! It is truly a journey of faith. When the process of labour begins, the strong uterine muscles start contracting. There is progressive increase in frequency and strength of the contractions. It almost appears that the uterus becomes a hand, squeezing the baby and moulding it into shape while dilating the birth canal and pushing the little child out of its comfortable temporary home of nine months! 

The baby simply has to be relaxed and yielded to be delivered. It is important that it is not entangled by the umbilical cord. The very cord that sustained the baby's life can become the greatest danger during labour and delivery, entangling and ensnaring and hindering the baby's safe birth!

The very moment the child is born, its environment around and its respiratory system within, is dramatically changed!

We will imagine this same child grown and making a decision to accept the LORD JESUS. At that point his or her spiritual journey begins. The individual's spiritual growth is like the growth of the fetus in the womb. JESUS increases in his or her life. 

As the end of his or her life approaches, it becomes like the baby's difficult journey down the birth canal. There is accelerated moulding, squeezing and pushing towards refining and perfection. The earthly things that gave sustenance and comfort shouldn't be allowed to become snares. There has to be a letting go of earthly things and yielding to the Holy Spirit and resting in Him. We were born empty handed and we have to die empty handed. At the time of death or rapture, there is a sudden release into a completely new life, unimaginable, unrestricted, and immensely glorious!! If birth is beautiful, for a Christian, death is glorious!

 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:13-14

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-6

Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
1 Timothy 6:6-10  

No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.
2 Timothy 2:4 

 
Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed-- in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory."
1 Corinthians 15:50-54 

'In that day,' says the Lord of hosts, 'I will take you, Zerubbabel My servant, the son of Shealtiel,' says the Lord, 'and will make you like a signet ring; for I have chosen you,' says the Lord of hosts."
Haggai 2:23

 You yourselves write a decree concerning the Jews, as you please, in the king's name, and seal it with the king's signet ring; for whatever is written in the king's name and sealed with the king's signet ring no one can revoke." 
Esther 8:8 

 But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. 

Isaiah 43:1