A CALL AND A GIFT

         " A Call and a Gift"    Ephesians 4: 1-3, 
   
  "I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord beseech 
    you to walk worthy of  the calling with which 
    you were  called, with lowliness  and  gentle-
    ness,  with  longsuffering, bearing  with  one 
    another  in  love,  endeavoring  to  keep  the 
    unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."  

   In this letter to the Church at large, the Apostle 
Paul seems to  be  zeroing  in on  the Work of the 
Lord  Jesus Christ  in  the  life  of  His  followers.  
There is a call to walk  in a  manner that  reflects 
positively on  Christ  and  His  Church.  The first  
area is  humility,  not exactly an  American  trait.  
This quality in  one's life is displayed in the follo-
wing ways;The first, lowliness, is rare even in the
lives of  people of  the church.  Gentleness, long-
suffering, "bearing  with one  another in love," is 
typified by humility, and in no way self-serving.

    Most of us, as we consider our way of  life or a
course of action, decide these things by  how they
make  us look,  and  whether it  seems to be in our
best interest. (Pride  and  Greed.)  As one follows
Christ, he will look upon the interests of others as
did  our Lord,  Jesus Christ.  Self-interest is not a
priority to one who is following Christ. When one
follows Christ, it is never in perfection;  it is only
as near as his Spiritual maturity will allow. 
  
   Then there is "...endeavoring to  keep  the unity
 of the Spirit in  the bond of  peace."  We  must as 
individuals,  determine  how  it  works out  in our 
own  lives, again, as  we follow Christ.  Scripture 
here is clear on  the principles,  but  leaves  to us, 
the details.  One  principle implied is "patience."  
In order to exercise the qualities given in the text, 
patience  is prerequisite.  Another way of  saying
patience  is  long  suffering,  gentleness,  bearing 
with  one  another, etc.  In other words,  when we 
"bear with another" we display "patience."

When  we  consider the next two  verses, 4-5, we
find something to  tie  it together.  "There is one
body  and one  Spirit, just as  you were called in 
one hope of  your calling;  One Lord, One faith,
one baptism;  one God and Fahter of all, who is
above all and through all, and in you all." 

  Here we  see we are one with what is called, 
"The Body of  Christ."  So, when  we  live out 
the qualities above we  are, in  Christ, patient 
with ourselves.  We are given gifts, traits and
qualities of Deity and  are one, not  only with
our Lord, but with our brothers and sisters in
Spirit as  well, the Body of Christ.  Reference
is not  made to a  man-made denomination or
division  here.  There  are  some  who regard
these  to be a  distraction  from  the  Body  of 
our Lord  and I  am  inclined  to  agree.  This 
body, then, is the Church of the Lord God.  It
is not a local church or denomination, but the
church consisting of every believer on the face
of  the earth and  those who have gone before.
It does not, however; include false professors
or persons affiliated with  a "local body" who
are not following the Lord Jesus Christ by the
power and wisdom of the Holy Spirit of God.  

Finally, we see in the last  verse from the pas- 
sage considered; the  key that  removes pride,
greed  and  self-agrandizment.  "But  to  each
one of  us  grace  was  given according to the
measure  of  God's  Gift.  (7.)  This leaves  no 
room for  credit  due the recipient of the gifts
and Christ  retains the  power to award these
free gifts and receives glory, his due. Only in
Christ can  the Lord God's work be done. We
are  without  power to live a life well pleasing
to our Lord, without the Holy Spirit power on,
and  presence in our lives, in fullness.  That is
the Spirit of our Savior, Jesus Christ, God the
Son. 

 Hebrews 11:6  we find. "Without faith 
         we find it is impossible to please 
         Him; For he that cometh to God 
         must believe that He is and  that 
         He  is a  rewarder of  them  that
         seek him."  (kjv includes diligently)

      Faith is a free gift and is  awarded to those 
who ask.  It is not awarded on the basis of wor-
thiness,  but on  the  basis of  one's  willingness
to submit to  Christ and  ask.  A caveat,  just as
you would not eat or  drink  for a  soiled  plate
or  cup, neither will our Lord use the defiled to
do his work. Not perfect, but forgiven.  If sin is
habitual in the  life, his  use in the  Kingdom is
very limited if not nil. See what Scripture says
about  the "cleansed life" required of one who
would  be filled  with  the  Holy Spirit of Jesus  
Christ,  1 John 1:6-9:  "If we say that we have
fellowship with  him and walk  in darkness, we
lie, and do not the truth.  But if  we walk in the
light as He is in the  light, we have  fellowship
one  with  another;   And  the  blood  of  Jesus  
Christ cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that
we have  no sin, we deceive  ourselves and the 
truth is not in us. If  we confess our sins, He is 
faithful and  just to forgive us our sins, and to 
cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

I believe this  passage gives  requirements for
being  filled  with  the  Holy Spirit and  that is
essential if we would be used of the Lord God.
May the  Lord God bless you this day;  thanks
for  looking.  (In my  understanding  the Holy
Spirit and Holy Ghost is synonymous.          
                  donporter 2.12.14 edited 2.23.15


      

                                    
                   

SEATED WITH HIM IN HEAVENLY PLACES

EPHESIANS                     ( Epistle to the Church at Large)

   Since  there are no specific problems addressed, this
   letter is considered to have been written to the church
   at large.  It  was widely circulated at  the time.  As you
   read the  first two chapters, you find  a  clear, concise
   treatise on Grace, God's unmerited favor, as opposed
   to law to be the Scriptural answer to that "discussion."
   I do not  know if there  are longer  sentences in  God’s 
   Word and found it difficult to make comment using the 
   modern “shorter sentence” styling used today in  most 
   writing. However; the message is critical  to an under-
   standing of the way God deals with  His  own, reaches 
   out to  those who  are Spiritually dead and is  the very
   basis for our (mine and your) Salvation. 

  Ephesians 1: 3 - 9
      “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
        Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every
        Spiritual blessing in  the heavenly places in 
        Christ. 
          
        Just as  he chose us in Him  before  the founda-
       tion  of  the world,  that  we should be  holy and
       without  blame before Him in love, having  pre-
      destined  us to adoption  as sons by Jesus Christ
      to  Himself, according to  the  good  pleasure of
     His will, to  the praise of  the glory of  His grace,
     by  which He  made  us  accepted in  the beloved.
       
         In Him we have redemption through His blood,
     the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of
     His grace which he made to abound toward us in
     all  wisdom and prudence.  Having  made  known 
     to  us the  mystery of  His will,  according to  his
     good pleasure which He purposed in Himself.  

     The more I read the Scripture and compare Scripture 
with Scripture, the more interest I have in the doctrine of 
Predestination.  Having  been a conservative  Baptist all 
of my life, this came late in life to me.  The question has 
been in  the back of my mind to  the point that we  had a 
Presbyterian  Minister, known to  me to be  strong in this 
doctrine, to  address a Bible study we  were leading.  He
made  no attempt to persuade or change our  minds, but
clearly laid our his understanding of Predestination to us.
There is no way to address this doctrine without far more 
knowledge and  understanding than is within me.  So, we 
will  continue  with  the clear  message  from  this epistle.
(I will, however, ask this friend  to post his understanding
on this site and let you know if he agrees.)   

  The  passage under consideration must be considered to
be strong,  viable underpinning  of our  belief in  efficacy of 
the blood of Jesus Christ, our security in Him and  the prin-
ciples we hold dear.  Early on,  verses 4-5, we are chosen 
“….in Him before the foundation of the world… adoption as
sons by Jesus Christ to Himself according to the good plea- 
sure of His will…”  

 I see little room for our “choice” to be exercised at
this point in the epistle.  Do you not  love the phrase: 
    “according to the good pleasure of His will..?"

    Now, let's consider the permanence or security of this
    gift to us.  Ephesians 1: 13-14:
      "In  Him you also trusted, after  your  heard the word 
       of truth, the gospel of  your  salvation; in whom also,
     having believed, you were  sealed with the Holy Spirit 
      of promise.  Who is the guarantee of  our inheritance
     until the redemption of  the purchased possession, to
      the praise of His glory."   

   When we come to the  passage above, there is  confir-
mation that our God, in His Son, has provided an eternal 
salvation to us  based on the virtue, or  qualifications  of 
the benefactor and not  the recipient of  that "gift."  Since 
we cannot earn the gift, it's evident  that our future action 
will never deprive us of  the gift.  We are sealed  (by the 
Holy Spirit, God) and  keeping the gift is no more incum-
bent  upon us than our qualifying  for  it in the first place.  
Our  confession  of  faith in Jesus  Christ as  Savior and 
Lord  was and  is our part.  He works it out  "in us."  It is 
His responsibility. Again, We are recipients of a free gift'

Calling attnetion to one or more verses from Chapter one,
"...which  He worked in Christ  when He raised  him from  
the dead and seated Him at His right hand, "..in heavenly
places."   Keep  this in mind and  read chapter 2: verse 6 
"...and raised us up together, and made us sit together in
in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus."  Could a greater
honor be bestowed on anyone, who in no way qualifies
for such a position, for eternity?  

     In Christ,  we have inherited a position,  with Him, for
which we could never qualify or earn. Thanks for looking.
I pray the Lord God bless your efforts to comprehend for
yourself, the blessings available through an in depth and
consistent study of His Word, Holy Scripture.

                          donporter 1.04.14

The link that follows is from a Presbyterian Teaching
Elder and  friend who  has also served as pastor of a
local Baptist assembly.

http://biblicalclarity-don.blogspot.com/2014/02/election-free-will-predestination.html



http://biblicalclarity-don.blogspot.com/2014/01/hate-is-not-christian-value.html

   
 

RABBI KADURI (Kabbalah)

     Although credit for this post will be given at the close,
     you must know from the outset, this is not my work; It
     if from a publication called "Maranatha Ministries."  It 
     was copied verbatim from that site and is still available
     there.                       

          maranathaevangelisticministries.com

                       
See also, the link at the close of this post.

                         Evangelist Al Gist  

                         224 Al Gist Rd.
                         Longville, LA 70652

       For more information about Rev. Al Gist
       or if you wish to receive his newsleter,
       he may be contacted at the address above.

Rabbi Kaduri lived during three centuries.  Born in the late 1800s (the exact year is debated, but most agree that it was around 1898), he lived in the land of "Palestine" (as it was called then)  before  the  modern  state  of  Israel was  esta-blished  in 1948.  He was a  part of  the  early  years of  the Zionist movement as the first Jewish settlers returned to the land of their forefathers and fought to reclaim the land that had been so abused and neglected for centuries. He was there when David Ben-Gurion read Israel's Declaration of Independence to the whole world in 1948, making Israel's stand as a sovereign nation. He lived through every war launched against the tiny Jewish nation in the twentieth century, including the Six Day War of 1967 and Yom Kippur War of 1973. So, in one lifetime, this man witnessed the regathering of the Jewish people, their establishment as a nation, and their victories over those neighboring Arab nations who tried so hard to annihilate them in the first four decades of their existence. Having lived in Palestine/Israel from 1923 to the end of the century, Rabbi Kaduri lived through the entire process of the establishment of today's Jewish state.

Throughout his many years of ministry in Israel, he became known as a humble man who lived a simple lifestyle lending help to those who were in need. His genuine compassion earned him great respect among his Jewish brethren and the adoration of millions. Perhaps because of his great age, his words were thought to be a true source of God-given wisdom and revelation. To say that Rabbi Kaduri was honored and respected by the Jewish people would be an understatement. In their eyes, he was elevated to the highest pinnacle of Jewish faith and practice and with that came the highest esteem of his people. An estimated quarter of a million people attended his funeral, requiring half of Jerusalem to be blocked off for the procession to the cemetery. 

For most of Kaduri's life, he practiced the mystic Jewish system of belief known as Kabbalah. The word means "to receive" and it is a reference to someone who claims to have received a special revelation from God. Kabbalists generally hold to the idea that secret messages are hidden in the Biblical text that can be discovered by using various methods of Hebrew word and letter associations. And, quite often, the leaders of Kabbalah are known to make prophecies that they claim to have come from some special revelation of God.

Gallups writes, "Kaduri was indubitably most renowned for his prophecies, especially those having to do with the endtimes and the coming of the longed-for Jewish Messiah. In the final years of his life, the elderly rabbi's thoughts were almost wholly centered on this Messiah's coming." (2)

On Oct.13, 2005, the followers of the centenarian rabbi waited anxiously to hear a much publicized "holy revelation" from their leader. It was Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), the holiest day of the Jewish year. After being in a 45 minute, silent, trance-like state, the elderly holy man looked up and said, "I have met the Messiah." To say the least, the crowd was shocked!

The Rabbi went on to claim that his meeting of the Messiah was in a vision and that he knew Messiah's name! Then, he said he would reveal the name in a note, but that the note could not be read until one year after he died.

After a short illness, Rabbi Kaduri died on Jan. 28, 2006. One year later, millions of Jews were on pins and needles as they waited anxiously for the Kaduri note to be read, revealing the name of the Messiah. In typical Kabbalist style, the hand written note of Rabbi Kaduri said (translated to English):

   "Concerning the letter abbreviation [or secret coding] 
of the Messiah's name, He will lift the people and prove that his word and law are valid.
      This I have signed in the month of mercy,

       Yitzhak Kaduri"

The key to understanding the message was easily recognized by the phrase "Concerning the letter abbreviation of the Messiah's name". It meant that they were to take the first letter of each word in the following part of the note to decipher the Messiah's name.

They were completely astounded and shocked beyond words as they realized the letters spelled  Yehoshua, or Yeshua. It is the name that is translated into English as JESUS!

Immediately, many began to deny that their beloved rabbi would write such a thing. Some said the note was a forgery, while others even went so far as to say that the elderly Kaduri had obviously lost his mind. To name Jesus as the true Messiah was (in their mind) a trick of the devil! It was blasphemy to even think such a thing! To say that perhaps the most celebrated rabbi in Israel would make such a declaration was unthinkable!

Every effort would be made to squash this story. But before it could be hidden, Israel Today printed the story ( http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/23877/Default.aspx?hp=readmore) with a picture of the rabbi's hand written note.

This "revelation" was like an earthquake in Judaism... dividing the people over the Messianic note of Rabbi Kaduri and bringing destruction to the names and careers of some who were devoted to him. But there was MORE to the rabbi's claim of the God-sent revelation.

On the Yom Kippur that Kaduri announced that he had met the Messiah, he also said, "I must tell you something disturbing," he somberly continued. "I have no specific information to give you on the following matter other than what I am about to share with you now ... The Messiah has revealed to me that He will not present Himself until after the death of our prime minister, Ariel Sharon." (3)

Ariel Sharon was Israel's eleventh Prime Minister. He is considered by most Israelis as a hero of Israel, having fought in Israel's War of Independence in 1948, the Suez Crisis in 1956, the Six Day War of 1967, the War of Attrition in 1969-70, and the Yom Kippur War of 1973. He was Israel's Minister of Defense during the 1982 Lebanon War and Prime Minister from 2001-2006. Many Israelis claim that he was the greatest field commander in Israel's history. After his amazing victories in the Six Day War and the War of Yom Kippur, many Israelis nicknamed him "The Lion of God" ("Ariel" comes from two Hebrew words meaning "Lion" and "God").

However, under Prime Minister Sharon's administration, Israel made a unilateral withdrawal from Gaza in 2005, turning it over to the Palestinians. Many Israelis were outraged and called for Sharon's removal from office.

Just a few months later, on Jan. 4, 2006, Ariel Sharon suffered a debilitating stroke that left him in a vegetative state. He was in a coma for about eight years. As a prominent leader of the Jewish people, we know that he was given that leadership position as a part of God's plan (Dan. 4:17, Rom. 13:1-7). But what part his death will play is something that only God knows.

Let me make one point perfectly clear:

I absolutely DO NOT believe in the validity of the mystic rituals and prophecies of Kaballah! I believe in The Bible, God's written Word, as His clear revelation for us today.

However, there are some puzzling questions about this whole story (and a few things I would say in response):

1.   Why would such a distinguished and revered Jewish rabbi name Jesus as the Messiah, knowing full well that it would ruin his name and legacy and the social status of his whole family? It seems that the only answer is that no one can deny the resurrected Christ if they meet him face to face... even if it goes against his own lifelong held belief system.

2.      But why would the rabbi wait until after his death to reveal the name of Jesus as the Messiah? I can only think of two reasonable possibilities... 1 He didn't want to face the persecution of making such a declaration while he was still alive, or 2 The Lord told him to do it that way.

3.      Could it be that God would reveal the name of the true Messiah (Jesus) to a Jewish Rabbi just as He did to another Jewish rabbi many, many years ago on the road to Damascus (the Apostle Paul, Acts 9:5)? Some would point out that Rabbi Kaduri's Kabbalistic beliefs and his associated practices are totally unbiblical and that God would not reveal Himself to such a man. My answer is that Paul was so Unchristian that he persecuted the Church. And yet, the Lord spoke directly to him, saved him, and called him to be a minister of the Gospel. So, why couldn't God speak directly to Rabbi Kaduri?

One thing is for sure... Kaduri got the name of the Messiah right! It is Yeshua!

As far as the idea that Messiah will return after the death of Ariel Sharon, there's no way that we can know that. But... IF one accepts the idea that Rabbi Kaduri did actually see Jesus in a vision, and since only the Lord knows the significance of Sharon's death and the timing of Messiah's coming, then it is logical that the Lord could have told the rabbi something about it.

One last thing to note... Ariel Sharon, the "Lion of God"... the one whom many called "The King of Israel"... the one whom many are now calling the " last of the great fathers of modern Israel"... passed away on January 11.

1. Carl Gallups, The Rabbi Who Found Messiah, The Story of Yitzhak Kaduri And His Prophecies of the Endtime (Washington, DC: WND Books, Inc., 2013)

2. Ibid., page 33

3. Ibid., pages 13-14


http://biblicalclarity-don.blogspot.com/2014/12/alexander-jews-and-hellenism.html

                                                                   donporter2.03.14  jlrsbnch@msn.com

TRUTH FROM THE LAW, PROPHETS AND WISDOM LITERATURE

PROVERBS 3...Truth from the Law, Prophets and Wisdom Literature.

  You may have heard the term, "Wisdom of Solomon" as I have over
my entire  lifetime.  Chapter  three  has encapsulated  much  wisdom 
as might be expected  from, probably, the wisest  man to live, except 
for Jesus  Christ, God the Son.  Nothing remains  that  is  attributed  
to our Lord, as "His writings."
   
                                         Proverbs 3: 1-13
    My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my command-
ments: For length of  days,  and long  life,  and peace,  shall they add  
to thee.
   Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck 
   write them upon the tables of thine heart.
So shall thou find favour and  good understanding in the sight of God 
   and man.  Trust in the Lord with all thine heart;  and  lean not unto 
   thine own  understanding.  In  all  thy ways  acknowledge him,  and  
   He shall direct thy paths.   Be not wise in thine own eyes;  fear the 
   Lord  and  depart  from  evil.  It  shall  be  health to thy  navel, and  
   marrow to thy bones.  Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with 
  the first fruits of all thine increase.  So shall thy barns be filled with 
   plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.                 kjv

   The following is a comment on each verse, 1-13 of the 3rd chapter 
   of the Proverbs  of  Solomon, Son of  David.  As we look  into  this  
   chapter  we discover  "secrets"  for living successfully in the eyes 
   of  God and  man:                                        
I.  Keep God's Law, live long in peace.  vs. 1-2

II. Make mercy and truth the effort from you heart and find favor 
     with God and man. vs. 3-4

III. Trust the Lord God, rather than your understanding, submit 
       to him,  and He will  give you direction and more.  vs. 5-6

IV. Do not be too proud to fear the Lord and you will be healthier 
      and stronger.  vs. 7-8

V.  Honor the Lord with your possessions and income and enjoy 
      freedom from want. vs. 9-10

VI. Accept Chastening from the Lord and find Happiness, Wisdom 
      and Understanding.  vs. 13

The book of proverbs contains 31 chapters, making it convenient 
to read one chapter per day in a month.  The third chapter has 
become one of my favorite passages in all of Scripture...

donporter 1.30.14  (I may have posted this previously; here it is again.) 
                                 

   

WORLD TAXATION

Some time ago the UN  considered the matter of taxation for every-
one on the planet.  (“ALL THE WORLD”)  There is to be a census, 
where everyone will be registered and each person will be assessed 
a tax.  

 In my Bible, Luke 2 verse 1 and following:  “And it came to pass in 
those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the 
world should be registered...” (for purposes of taxation)

   When you consider these remarks were made about the time of the 
first coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ and is part of the "Christmas"
 story...

Is there anyone on this planet that names the name of Jesus Christ 
who cannot see the similarity of these two events.  I believe in “signs 
of the times,” and if this is not one I have missed the mark.  Is this 
not a sign of the “soon” return of our Lord?  

This information came to mind several months ago and has been sit-
ting in the Documents Folder on this computer.   I came across it 
again   today and decided it was time to publish.

What do you think?                                                donporter...1.25.14

   Upon looking into this subject TONIGHT, there was discovered a 
web piece you must see...This initiative was developed to replace the 
shortfall from nation states that did not meet their commitments to 
an earlier  voluntary system.  When  you consider that taxes have a  
depressing effect  on  the  economies of  the entities  taxed,  there is 
no good end to this program.  (even if you spell it, "programme") 
Be sure to check out the link below.  It is comprehensive and mind 
boggling...

http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/news/policy/wess2012.html

This is current and not something that happened some time ago 
and forgotten.                           donporter,sr...edited 8.25.14

HATE IS NOT A CHRISTIAN VALUE

   In  reading  from the  Scripture, we  find much said
about the practice of love for brother , sister, neigh-
bors and even strangers. There is, to  my  knowledge, 
no great body of literature on this subject that is not 
drawn from Scripture. There are no injunctions from 
literature  encouraging  readers to  practice  selfless 
care and  concern for others as there are in the  gos-
pel of the Apostle John, chapter 3:16-17, 

    "For God so loved the world that He Gave His 
     only  begotten  Son, that whosoever  believeth
     in him should not perish, but have everlasting
     life. For God sent no his Son into the world to
    condemn the world, but that the world through
     him might be saved." 

        So, the  basis for  the actions of a Holy God
     on behalf of a sinful, hopeless and lost man-
     kind was his selfless care  and  concern  for
     his creation.  This care and selfless concern 
    is shared by his Son.  The Lord God, in three
     persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, loved
     his creation so much he was not only willing
     to reach out  to him through Holy Scripture,
     but came to this  earth  as a  new born child,
     lived a life  without  fault, according to  law,
     and died for his creation.  He is the  God of
     Abraham,  Isaac and Jacob... (For this rea-
     son, there must not be "Anti-Semetic" views 
    among  the  Family of  God,  the  Church of  
    our Lord Jesus Christ who was born of Jew-
    ish parents,) 

     As we look in the epistle of this same apostle,
 we find in the second chapter, First John Vs. 9- 

 11; "He who says he is in the light, and hates his
 brother, is in  darkness until now.  He who loves 
 his  brother abides in  the  light, and  there is no 
cause for stumbling in him.  But he who hates his 
brother is in darkness and walks in darkness and
does not  know  where  he is  going,  because  the
darkness has blinded his eyes."  
(Read 1 John 4: 7-21) 

"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of
God; and everyone  who  loves is  born of God 
and knows God. He who does not love does not 
know God,  for God is love." 

    This  might  be  a good  place to "define" the term.  
To love is to have affection,  benevolent compassion, 
desire and  to choose to act  upon those traits. There 
is no cut and dried definition and love may be frater-
nal as to a brother or  sister and it  can  be romantic 
or passionate as with one to  whom you  would  care
to marry.  The one  common denominator, this  fact; 
A lover  always has  the best interest of the object of
that love, to the point of denying self in the favor of 
of  that loved one, as  in the love of  Jesus Christ for 
His church.  If it were not for Scripture there would 
be no knowledge of love in this world.  If we were to 
accept the "world's" definition of "love," it would be
more perfectly interpreted, "lust."    

 The clear teaching of Scripture here,  and  other 
passages is this;  If you are born of  the Spirit of
God, saved, etc.,  you are instructed  to love and
are  capable of love.  If  you  are not one of  His, 
you are unable to love.  Is that  not what it states
in this  passage? This does not  mean one cannot
have warm feelings toward another, be attracted
and enjoy one's company. It is, however; another
matter to love unconditionally, and unselfishly as 
in the love God gives.  The other side of the coin;
if  we do not love our brother, neighbor, and any
with  whom we  have a  relationship, how can we
say we love God,  whom we have  not even seen? 
Then, there is this; Some say one must love every
one in the whole world. My view is this; only God
is capable of love like that. We are limited to lov-
ing only those with whom we have  personal rela-
tionship. To say you love everyone in the world is
"pie in  the sky."  It is unsupportable in Scripture,
nor is it practicable. 
      

HOWEVER:   I do not believe it would be a stretch 

for me  to call every  soul walking this earth  today 

my brother or sister.  Are we not all from  the same  
parentage, Adam and Eve of the Garden of Eden.  

     These were the  first man and woman to inhabit 

this earth and all of  the inhabitants of earth came 

from  that  union.  There  is not one  soul  then,  to 

whom I may turn a deaf ear  when  there is a need 

of which I am aware. We also must  recall persons 

who  have been benevolent  to us as  we had  need.  

Then there is the fact of our heavenly Father, who 

with God  the Son  has met us at our deepest point 

of need and provided Salvation; no cost to us. The

great cost was on Him.

    Although it may not be spelled out in Scripture, I 
am  convinced Jesus Christ's  identification with the
human  race, in  His incarnation, will affect him for 
eternity.  He is one with the Father,  but we who are 
his  followers  will be one with  our Savior when we 
move  from this earthly sphere,  at death,  and enter
into  life  with him in  heaven.  The cost He bore, we  
will never know until we see him and are made to be
like him in truth.  God Bless you, and  may the Holy
Spirit of God enlighten you and me as we follow our
Lord, Jesus Christ in our temporary condition.

     One personal note; Have you noticed when you 
have an issue with someone and it rises to the level
of  resentment, contempt or  just ill will, the  blind-
ness it  causes. As we  are influenced by such emo-
tions  related  to any  individual, we  are no longer 
interested in that  ones well  being, nor do we want
to be around  him and we lose  the joy  of our rela-
tionship to others, including  our Lord.  So, "hate"
and any emotion like that, has no  place in  the life
of one who would serve the One who always  loves.
There is also this;  if we just begin referring to our
neighbors  who are somewhat different  from us as
of  another race or color, we  will then believe that
one who is "different," does not qualify for similar
care as  one  who  is more  like  us.   Can  you  or I
still say we are following Jesus Christ when we see
a fellow being with a need and fail to meet it.  If we
have the  ability to  meet that  need  and do not,  we
are failing to follow Christ  as Lord in that  area of
life.  If we consider color, ethnicity, national origin,
religion, status or any of the variables that make us
"different," we "SIN".  See the link below...   

http://biblicalclarity-don.blogspot.com/2013/10/who-separated-races.html   

     As it stands now, we are flawed and incomplete,
temporarily.  Our  Lord  loves us  too  much  to let 
us stay in this temporary condition.  We  must love 
others in the same  way and do whatever we can to 
help them see how the love of Jesus Christ changes
 their temporary condition and eternal destinies.

donporter  1.20.14