Brent Leavitt, Comprehensive – Page 9 – "Freely ye have received, freely give." -Matthew 10:8

Sought Out, A City Not Forsaken

In verse 2, on the first day that I studied this chapter, I went down this side study on the footnote for “name”.

Doctrine and Covenants 130:10-11
Abrham 3:3-17 (Wow!)

Reading this, causes me to realize that there is much more at play here than what our present “reality” would have me to believe. These are realities however that are only discovered by the faithful.

Verse 1 starts with this declaration of the Lord: That for the sake of both Zion and Jerusalem, he will not rest or hold back until the righteousness of these cities goes forth as brightness before all people.

This begs me to consider what is righteousness? How will it become so clear to the rest of the world that kings and nations will come recognize it by its righteousness? Rigtheousness is nothing less that the principles of the Gospel of Christ as He taught them to be. The Church has a singular mission in all the modern world of seeing that nothing is held back. Verses 6 & 7 repeat this sentiment:

I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night:
ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence,
And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.

I also appreciate the long-term view that these verses present about our time and day. The exaltation of Zion and Jerusalem are the end goals here. Only the teaching and preaching of the Gospel of Christ will get Zion and Jerusalem to their appointed destination. This helps me to see that it may be a lifetime of service that I am called upon to render to assist the Lord in achieving these ends. It will be a great work, indeed, to see Jerusalem eventually awaken to the terms of righteousness. Not in the pretended piousness of generations that have struggled in vain, but to be truly converted to the Lord — can this ever be achieved?

The Planting of the Lord

Isaiah 61

I cannot help but feel that these verses are directed at me in some small way. The principles discussed herein resonate so deeply with me. A restorer of paths to dwell in, the riches of the gentiles shall be mine, a double portion for my shame. “I will direct their work in truth.”

The first two verses of this chapter are clearly talking about Christ, and the Lord controversially declares such in Luke 4:18-19. These verses are of particular interest to me because of the picture of Christ that they paint, especially as I am striving to assimilate myself to Him.

Breaking verses 1 & 2 down, line by line:

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me.” The Holy Ghost comes upon the Messiah. Why? “Because the Lord hath anointed me.”

What does it mean to be anointed? The common thought behind the term is to have an oil applied to the body for the purpose of a blessing or setting apart. Several references in the Old Testament connect the word “anointing” with this setting apart to a new office.

At what point did the Father (the Lord) anoint His Son (Christ) and to what purpose? There appears to be no ready answer to the first question, but his purpose is clear: “to preach good tidings unto the meek.” Remember that the meek are those found in company with the lowly of heart. They are not the weak, but rather those that are willing to let God take the lead in their lives. This is in part what makes them able to receive good tidings, while others would hear only condemnation in the words of truth.

Also in verse 1, Christ comes to deliver those that find themselves in progressively harder straits. First the meek, then the brokenhearted, followed by the captives (probably innocent), and then finally those bound in prison (perhaps the guilty). Christ can strengthen them all. There is no one too far gone.

In verse 2, Isaiah says Christ is come to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. Why the time frame of a year? And what is “the acceptable year of the Lord?” What are we talking about? Is this not a reference to the millennial reign of Christ? I feel yes. And then what is the day of the vengeance of our God? And why does the proclamation of both the “acceptable year” and the “day of vengeance” bring comfort to those that mourn? Perhaps because presently neither is our reality. Those that mourn because of current life circumstances and the injustices and inequities that surround us, may be comforted by the reality of what is to come.

But then in Verse 3, wow! Trees of righteousness is what he calls those that are blessed by him. I much appreciate the connection presented in this chapter between Christ and his saints. Christ’s mission is defined in the opening verse. The saints of God, these trees of righteousness, have distinct but very exciting responsibilities as well.

They shall build the old waste
They shall raise up former desolations
They shall repair the waste cities: the desolations of many generations.

The bulk of this chapter has a very descriptive prophecy of the circumstances surrounding these “trees of righteousness”. Beyond having specific missions defined, we read that “strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.” Is there a spiritual significance to these passages? Are we talking about a migrant work force on who’s back the prosperity of the Gentiles is built? Or are we talking about the scatter branches of Israel coming in to Ephraim to feed the flock of God?

Reading through the blessings detailed in these verse

As I am sitting contemplating the end of this chapter, it strikes me that there will be righteous acknowledgement and praise of Christ the Lord. He will be adorn with his jewels, his saints. Notwithstanding the day of vengeance, there will be no condemnation, rather simply the plant will produce its fruits before all nations. And what will happen? It will be blessing to all nations, a reason to rejoice. Christ will have proven to be the generous victor over all that was oppression. The end is glorious!

What are the actionable items that I can take away from this chapter. I feel like in part, this blessing is mine. But another part, especially as I look at my children, lost in the confusion of sin (and feeling completely incapable of navigating this world of faith within my family), can see that these blessings are not mine in the generational sense. It is verse 9 that I am not yet realizing in my own home. “All that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the offspring which the Lord has blessed.”

(A couple of side notes from a study last evening: Lehi does a generational jump in obtaining this blessing for the posterity of his two oldest sons. He cannot protect them from the effects of bad parenting, and tells his grandchildren as much. Alma, Enos, and others prayed that their children would be “brought to a knowledge of the truth.” )

The City of the Lord, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel

Isaiah 60

(This morning in prayer I was tasked with the assignment to write a description of the city of Zion. Then I came to realize that this is what I am studying presently.)

This chapter starts with a command to “Arise, Shine” but the source of the light that we are to shine is from the Lord. “For thy Light has come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.” We are to be a reflected light source then, not to carry the weight of responsibility to invent our own source of light.

This has me contemplating again how much the principle of light resonates with me personally. And why does it resonate with me? What is the Light? It is Christ, the personal and compassionate One. So the thing that attracts all the world to Israel, or Zion, is the glory of the Lord that is upon them/us. What does this look like? What does this feel like?

—

The abundance of many nations and the seas are brought in to Zion as a result of the attraction that is felt towards this light. Resources are gathered in abundance.

The gates of Zion will be continually open, both day and night, and this that the forces of the Gentiles maybe brought into it. The Hebrew translation suggests “wealth” in place of “forces”. There are a lot of questions here that I am not asking. See also Revelation 21:23–26.

The glory of the Lord will be upon the City of Zion so that there will be no night. (When will people sleep?) Why does Zion become the center of material goods and wealth? Because Zion knows how to distribute resources to where they are needed. This is the welfare program applied to a global economy!

Zion won’t produce garbage. Because they will not be concerned with money (so long lucifer!), the quality of the output will not be influenced by a “bottom line.”

The remainder of this description of Zion talks about it being brought up under the nurture of the Gentiles, but that Zion will know that is the Lord that leads them. (See vs. 16) Interesting features make Zion stand out or apart: A land where violence is far away from it. A city that is hid from the sun and moon because is is self-light by the everlasting light of the Lord. All found within Zion will understand and live righteously. It will start small, but grow from a small one to a thousand! The Lord will hasten this work in its time.

How then would I describe Zion? (This feels like the wrong question. I either need to get to this study earlier in the day, or figure out what the right questions are to understand this chapter. )

Here’s a better question: What does this chapter teach me about hope in Christ? How does this chapter increase my hope in Christ?

(Go study about Hope!)

Some Thoughts on Baptism

(See also Baptism and John the Baptist)

I am grateful for the invitation to speak this evening on a few core doctrines of our our faith.

You hardly know me, and I hardly know you. But we can both make some general assumptions because we are both together in the same space on this specific and significant occasion. (It may be safe to say that that these assumptions could be made about everyone present here this evening.) I am under the assumption that the reason you are here tonight is because you have listened to and accepted the message of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ from these missionaries and now want to follow the example of Jesus Christ by being baptized into the Church of Christ. That desire, if I am not reading too much into it, tells me a lot about your hopes and dreams for the future. These are my hopes and dreams too.

Maybe we might discuss little more about what those hopes and dreams are. Your being here tonight tells me that you are hoping for a better world for yourself. But baptism is more than just about ourselves, and perhaps you already understand this as well. Baptism represents your entrance into a community of believers who not only hope for a better world for themselves, but also for a better world for those around them. That hope also gives us strength to take action, the action that comes through faith in Jesus Christ, to do things to make the world better for ourselves and for others around us.

So I already know this much about you and you already know this much about me and everyone else in this room. Because of the promises made at baptism, we all are hoping to make life better for each other.

And with Christ’s help, that hope can and will become a reality.

So that’s the group part of the baptismal covenant. Let’s maybe change course now and look at the more personal dynamics of baptism. And to do that, I want to draw attention to one prophet who’s name is associated with the covenant of baptism: John the Baptist.

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600 years before the time of Christ, we read about another prophet in the Book of Mormon: Lehi. He and his family had left Jerusalem. The Lord had given Lehi a series of customized commands which by chapter 10 of 1 Nephi, he had successfully demonstrated his faithfulness in obeying those commandments. Consequently, the Lord begins to bless Lehi with visions and further understanding of essential doctrines. (This is a pattern that the Lord often employs: a test of obedience followed by an outpouring of greater light or understanding.)

One of those essential doctrines that was revealed to Lehi was a knowledge of the Savior’s mortal ministry, and key events there in. His son recorded the following:

Wherefore, all mankind were in a lost and in a fallen state, and ever would be save they should rely on this Redeemer.
And [my father] spake also concerning a prophet who should come before the Messiah, to prepare the way of the Lord—
Yea, even he should go forth and cry in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, and make his paths straight; for there standeth one among you whom ye know not; and he is mightier than I, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose…
And my father said he should baptize in Bethabara, beyond Jordan; and he also said he should baptize with water; even that he should baptize the Messiah with water.
And after he had baptized the Messiah with water, he should behold and bear record that he had baptized the Lamb of God, who should take away the sins of the world.
1 Nephi 10:6-10

In trying to understand the significance of the ordinance of baptism, let’s consider a little deeper the mission of John the Baptist, the only prophet in all of scripture and time to have an ordinance attached to his name.

Consider how the Savior Jesus Christ described John:

…Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?
But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses.
But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.
For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
Matthew 11:7-11

John was the literal embodiment of the ordinance that he was called upon to perform, a living witness or symbol of baptism, its purpose being to prepare each of us to enter into the Kingdom of God.

There is another principle or act that is frequently coupled with baptism, and that is repentance. Sometimes repentance happens before baptism. Always among true disciples it happens afterwards as well, frequently, and as often as is needed to make progression in the kingdom of God.

God gives us both inward acts and outward ordinances to help us along the covenant path. There is a state of being that we hope that all who come to the waters of baptism would possess, it is this state of humility before God, and acknowledgement of His path, our own nothingness before him. This is why the Savior used such strong language in commending John by saying he was “more than a prophet” and “none greater”. This is what John the Baptist represented, this state of a humble, penitent, simple follower of Jesus Christ. What John represented was the first steps of the Plan of Salvation.

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil.
The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous… a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.
Matthew 11: 18 & 19

I see in the contrast between John the Baptist and the Lord Jesus Christ, bookends for the our personal Plan of Salvation. We start with the humility of John and, by obedience, we walk step by baby step towards our Lord Jesus Christ.

And just so there was no confusion on how or where to start, Christ himself submitted to the baptism of John.

Wherefore, I would that ye should remember that I have spoken unto you concerning that prophet… that should baptize the Lamb of God, which should take away the sins of the world.
… if the Lamb of God, he being holy, should have need to be baptized by water, to fulfil all righteousness, ….how much more need have we, being unholy, to be baptized, yea, even by water!
And now, …wherein [did] the Lamb of God fulfil all righteousness in being baptized by water?
Know ye not that he was holy? But notwithstanding he being holy, he showeth unto the children of men that, according to the flesh he humbleth himself before the Father, and witnesseth unto the Father that he would be obedient unto him in keeping his commandments.
2 Nephi 31:4-7

And so it is with each of us! By submitting to the ordinance of baptism, we show our willingness to be obedient to the commandments of the Father: both a public and yet, very personal first step in our turning to God.

(Testimony)

(END HERE)

(ADDENDUM, not for today)

As we have briefly considered the life and mission of John the Baptist, can you imagine the surprise and amazement then, when Joseph Smith with his scribe Oliver Cowdery go into the woods to seek guidance and instruction about baptism. A messenger from Heaven, who calls himself John and says that he is the same that was called John the Baptist in the New Testament, appears to them and extends to them the power to perform baptism. These are his words:

Upon you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah I confer the Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of… the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; and this shall never be taken again from the earth…
Doctrine and Covenants 13

It is with this same authority from John, who embodied the principles of baptism and repentance, that you are baptized today.

There Was No Intercessor; Therefore, His Arm Brought Salvation unto Him

Isaiah 59

This chapter starts off with two very simple statements of fact:

the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save;
neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:

So the Lord is capable of both saving and hearing. The next verse then states:

But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
Verse 2

So, there is an issue of connectivity. And perhaps it is as simple an observation as that! But Isaiah doesn’t stop there, because connectivity is what is needed to be saved. How can we know what needs to be remedied if we cannot see it?

As I roll down the list of iniquities that Isaiah spells out here, I am reminded even more so of the life choices that I have made that hopefully do not play into a system of injustices that our current economic model of life is based upon.

I have been struggling in my scripture studies, and this chapter in particular, to make sense of it all. I can understand the rebellion of Israel and their separation from God because of their iniquities. It is a real condition of bondage. I can understand the eventual fulfillment of covenants made with God. I see that the Redeemer will come to make intercession through the power of His righteousness.

Here’s where my study continues tomorrow… in verse 16. There was none to save man out of his forsaken and fallen state. Christ alone had capacity to bear what would need to be born. He saw it. He recognized the inadequacies of man. He voluntarily chose to intercede on our behalf, to fight for those that would repent.

Wherefore, Father, spare these my brethren that believe on my name, that they may come unto me and have everlasting life.
Doctrine and Covenants 45:5

This chapter ends with a strong pronouncement of protection for the righteous. The Lord is suited up in armor to go to battle for those that would have Him to be their God.

he put on righteousness as a breastplate,
and an helmet of salvation upon his head;
he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing,
and was clad with zeal as a cloak.

See verse 17.

So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.
Verse 19

These are the promises, the guarantees of His protection “unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob”.

Then at the very end of the chapter there is a promise, a covenant that the Lord makes with these righteous who will turn from their transgression:

My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed’s seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and for ever.
Verse 21

This is a blessing that I have long hoped for for my children.

Is Not This the Fast that I Have Chosen? To Loose the Bands of Wickedness…

Isaiah 58

(I am much more intimately acquainted with the content of this chapter, probably more so than any other chapter in Isaiah. This chapter offers foundational promises and instruction in regard to fasting and Sabbath day observance.)

It strikes me as very important that two of the strongest tools that I have at my disposal are fasting and Sabbath day observance. Prayer ought also to be added to this mix, as it is effectively the water that activates fasting and the Sabbath day. These things are not the longed-face resignations and oppressions of blind faith, rather these are the power tools in the hands of skilled disciples. Fasting and Sabbath day observance is what cuts through confusion; it’s what gets the job done.

Verses 3-5: Ideas of false fasting are debunked.

What fasting is not:

Afflicting the soul
For strife and debate, smiting with the fist of wickedness
For public display/hypocrisy (to make your voice be heard on high)
To be bow the head down/lay down sackcloth and ashes under him

Principle: Fasting is not the oppression that the natural man sees in it. Nor is it used for displays of piety or tools of debate.

Verses 6-7: Purpose and motives of a true fast are defined.

Loose the bands of wickedness
Undo heavy burdens
Let the oppressed go free
Break every yoke

Deal your bread to the hungry
Bring the poor that are cast out into your own house
Cover the naked
Hid not yourself from your own flesh (family)

Verses 8-12: The blessings of true fasting are defined.

The blessings described in these verses are the most desirable of good and virtuous blessings to be desired.

Verse 8:

Your light will break forth as the morning
Health shall spring forth speedily
Your righteousness will go before you
The glory of the Lord shall be your rearward (or protection from behind).

Verse 9 gets even more intimate:

After fasting, the Lord shall answer when we call.
When I cry to him, he will say: “Here I am”.

Then in the same verse, I am being asked to attend to a few things, things I should avoid:

Remove any form of yoke (or bondage) from my midst.
Stop the “putting forth of the finger” or scorn or shaming others.
Stop speaking in vanities, or speech that has no meaning. This could also mean flattery, which I have never been prone to resort to.

Verse 10 continues this thought with some proactive points (things we should be doing):

If I draw my soul out to the hungry
If I will satisfy the afflicted soul.

I need to pause here to assess what Isaiah (in so few words!) is actually saying. Drawing my soul out to the hungry is a lot more than just pulling five dollars out of my wallet and giving it to someone on a street corner. There is a much more personal commitment of time and energy and resources channeled towards the “hungry” or the “afflicted soul” if I am drawing out my soul to them.

Verse 11 begins the pouring out of blessings upon blessings:

The Lord shall guide thee continually.
He shall satisfy thy soul in drought.
He shall make thy bones fat.
Thou shall be like a watered garden
Thou shall be like a spring of water, whose waters never fail.

This sounds to me like there is the capacity to live after the manner of a united order, or such a way to succor to the needs of those around us, while not being neglected ourselves.

Spending a little more time in the footnotes on verse 11, I’ve started with “divine guidance”. This reminder of paths trodden serves a reminder that God has been with me, and of the distance already traveled down an unknown or undefined road. But we’re not done traveling that road yet, are we?

The other footnotes in verse 11, suggest a combination of blessings resulting in an abundant life both temporally and spiritually.

The promises found in verse 12 resonate deeply with me:

They that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places.
Thou shall raise up the foundations of many generations.
Thou shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of paths to dwell in.

These are the blessings of a true fast. The blessing articulated in verse 11 come from the Lord. The blessings found in verse 12 suggest the works that we will be enabled to accomplish, a foundational work that will bless my posterity for generations.

Verses 13 –14: Sabbath day observance is defined and blessings received.

Verse 13 addresses what Sabbath day observance looks like:

Turn thy foot from doing thy pleasure on my holy day.
Call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable.
Honor Him [the Lord].
Do not do thy own ways.
Do not find thy own pleasure.
Do not speak thy own words.

So if I am to take as much effort in observing the purpose of the Sabbath day (which is to do the Lord’s will and his work, speaking the Lord’s words, finding what bring Him pleasure), then will the blessings of the Sabbath be received:

Thou shalt delight thyself in the Lord.
The Lord will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth.
The Lord will feed thee with the heritage of Jacob.

There is a footnote on “high places” that points to a passage in Deuteronomy 32, where the Lord explains how the house of Israel (though they lived a desert place) were brought into great temporal prosperity.

All the mysteries of temporal and spiritual prosperity are uncovered in these two principles: Fasting and Sabbath Day Observance, both with their worship towards the true and living God. There is no other recipe for success sanctioned by heaven. There is no other pattern of living that works with lasting and true results.

There Is No Peace… to the Wicked

Isaiah 57

This chapter starts with a consideration of the state of the righteous at the point of death. Isaiah points out that none really give the demise of the righteous much thought. But the blessings that follow the righteous, this is the end of it all, or in other words, this is the point of life: To be prepare for death and what lies beyond!

There was a quote somewhere in a recent General Conference talk that said something to the effect of the reason why he lived so long was because he was so prepared to die. (*add reference)

Joseph Smith received of the Lord some additional insight into this thought:

Behold, blessed, saith the Lord, are they who have come up unto this land with an eye single to my glory, according to my commandments.
For those that live shall inherit the earth, and those that die shall rest from all their labors, and their works shall follow them; and they shall receive a crown in the mansions of my Father, which I have prepared for them.
Doctrine and Covenants 59:1-2

There is clearly something more that we ought to be preparing for.

Verses 3 – 9 are a clear set of accusations against a group of people who are lost in sin. Sin, such as the grievous claims that were laid against this people (sacrificing their own children to dumb idols), put a clear stop to personal progress. Fortunately, things are different today. But are there other dumb idols to which we voluntarily sacrifice our children to?

This is instructive on several different fronts though. Learning to judge between right and wrong, what actually is sin, and what is only facade/personal preference, is extremely important.

To understand that there is another Being who is more keenly interested in our success and well being, even more so that we ourselves could ever be, this is to begin to comprehend the greatness of our Eternal Father. And this is the ironic state in which the wicked find themselves: seeking their own self-conceived definition of personal interests, utterly alone. Strangely though, these efforts of self definition seldom scratch the surface of our true identity or understanding of those things that would bring us the greatest joys. And the painful reality is that we choose to walk alone, unaided by the divine, when He is willing and able and ready to assist all those who are of a contrite and humble heart.

My House Shall Be… For All People

Isaiah 56

The chapter starts with a call to righteousness. It doesn’t expressly say to “keep the commandments”. Rather it says to keep judgment, and do justice. Then there is the reminder that the Salvation of the Lord is near at hand. There is a second distinguishing characteristic of those who would do righteousness: they keep the sabbath day from polluting it. What would pollute the Sabbath day? The commandment for the Sabbath day is to “keep it holy”.

This is a chapter of inclusion. Isaiah identifies two different case scenarios of people who might feel excluded from the fold of God: eunuchs and the sons of the stranger. Clearly we are not dealing with children of the House of Israel in either case. Verses 4 & 5 explains that eunuchs that 1) keep the sabbath, 2) do the will of God, and 3) make covenants with God, these shall receive a place and name within the temple (mine house).

A similar scenario is repeated with the sons of the stranger in verses 6 & 7:

they join themselves to the Lord
they serve Him
they love the name of the Lord
they are His servants
they (everyone of them) keep the Sabbath day from polluting it
and finally, they make covenants with Him.

These are then promised to be brought into his holy mountain, and to made joyful in his house of prayer.

There is a powerful prophecy at the end of this verse 7: “for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.”

Near the end of the chapter is an observation of those that are called to be “watchmen”. Isaiah calls them blind and dumb dogs. He also calls them greedy dogs, shepherds that cannot understand. These are harsh words of accusation and a reminder to not be found sitting on my laurels.

Neither Are Your Ways My Ways

Isaiah 55

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me this morning, as is also memories of the “Glory” soundtrack from my youth. This points me to the African nation and peoples of African descent, while also considering the words of this chapter that invite all to come and buy freely.

God is not a transactional God. Neither are the creations which are under his control. Governments and the transactional systems that are setup to maintain such are of temporal concern. There will be no stock markets in the Millennium. It’s not a miracle to overload the nets of a fisherman and more than it is that an apple tree can set enough fruit and more to sustain a household for an entire year. In a moment, God can offset and counterbalance any established system, with abundance or drought.

Peace, peace is being taken from the earth. You are in possession of peace, that peace which comes through Christ.

The conditions that were imposed upon the earth at the Fall of Adam and Eve are reversed or rescinded by the incorporation of the Word of God into one’s life. This may be as true in temporal affairs as it is in spiritual matters.

This chapter is then a set of strong arguments for why one should turn from their wicked ways back unto the Lord.

Peace, No More?

In thoughts that have been impressed upon my mind this morning, and from comments that I’ve been listening to over the past few days, it seems to me that we are or have already entered into a period in which peace, generally speaking, has been taken from among us.

Now I don’t know where you are at–what your circumstances look like, what challenges lie dauntingly before you. I don’t know what you’re quietly carrying, or maybe it’s not so quiet or hidden. Maybe you’ve been carrying this burden for so long, the hope that anything will change is gone.

What I know, simply, is that the Prince of Peace (Jesus Christ) will triumph individually as soon as we will let Him. In this regard, He waits patiently “at the door” for us to let Him in to our lives. He will triumph universally at the end of this unique period of universal unrest and re-establish peace, Millennial peace!

Let’s return just for a moment to the individual act of letting Christ in to my life. I can only speak by way of personal experience as to how this works for me. The real efforts that I made to let Christ into my life today, included getting on my knees this morning and praying for understanding about feelings and impressions that I had had for the last couple of days. I got up off my knees prematurely, so after a few minutes I returned to my knees again to make sure I was where the Father needed me to be.

Then I did some listening. I could hear something of the truth as I tried to figure out what to pen in my journal about the day that had passed. I then turned to the scriptures which I accessed through a web browser. Taking notes in a blog format, I recorded the feelings of my heart. At the end of this hour of communion, this morning, I found myself in a state of quiet reflection. After struggling to keep the space in my mind uncluttered for several moments, I felt the words “publish peace”. Immediately the words from Isaiah came back to me, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him… that publisheth peace.” (Isaiah 52:7)

Do I feel like I am in a state of despair or devoid of peace? I am not. Can I relate with those that feel that they are in such dark spots? Maybe for a moment, I can recall these feelings (because I have come and gone from such spaces, even recently). My hope though is in Christ, that “man of sorrows… acquainted with grieve” who also is known as the Prince of Peace! He’s been in the darkest of dark spots. He knows the way out.

Truly, he does.

Can you come with me and sit under the shade of His peaceful protection? What do you have to do to be here? Are you going to take the time to answer these questions, especially if you need to answer these question?