Monday, May 17, 2004

 

Dear family,

 

There are so very many subjects which need to be addressed especially at this time of year when our children are graduating to different levels of the education process. Some will be entering high school while some are leaving high school and will be going off to college. Other will be starting their advanced degree programs and yet others will be leaving school to enter the job market. Each regardless of whether they are entering the private sector, government or continuing on in education the newness of the change of environment present a world of new challenges. This new environment is going to present challenges never before seen or imagined by these newcomers. Some will be overcome by the new freedom they have while others will be imprisoned by the new responsibility they have.     

 

The degree of confidence, comfort and success brought to their new environment will largely depend on the foundation of life they received from their family in the previous years. It is the environment they experienced at home which will determine how they see this new world and how they are able to survive in it.

 

There are some unfailing guidelines that each should take with them into their new today. These guidelines are found in II Peter and I John.  Now I'm not going to add much commentary because they are self explanatory. (I take it back).

 

2 Pet 3:1-18

1. Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder),

 

I think it is important that we approach Peter's writings here in the way he suggested. "I want to stir up your pure minds by way of reminder."  He wants us to put our minds in gear, open minded without the polluted influence of the non-believing intellectuals who will seek to impress us with their self proclaimed superior thinking. He says, "Approach these words as a child first discovering truth." Approach it with the purity of mind you had before you received the influence of the world, before you learned deceit and deception.  

 

2. that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior,

 

He says first of all be mindful of the words of the prophets and those of us who knew The Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We are those who are His apostles, who learned truth from Him. Think back to the time you were innocent in thought and then come the first warning.

 

3. knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, 4. and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation."

 

Beware of the self-servers who will try to plant doubts in you mind. They know it is not necessary to change your thinking, only cause you to doubt so you will begin to accept their theory as truth.

 

5. For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, 6. by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. 7. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

 

They cannot offer proof of how the universe was formed so they willfully deny the Biblical account and may even seek to omit it from their discussions. Then here is the second warning.

 

8. But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

 

Just because God has not fulfilled all the prophecies does not mean He does not exist. He is patiently waiting for us to learn and accept His truth by faith.  Now is the third warning.

 

10. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.

 

It is impossible for us to interview any of the people who were pulverized on 9/11 but we can see the evidence of what happened to wood, stone and flesh on that day. They all became powder or were totally consumed by the heat. Just because we do not have their testimony does not change the facts. We do not get the second chance to go back and change our minds after the fact. We only get one chance to change our thinking, change our mind, change our belief and that chance is now before proof of His promise becomes a reality. For then it is too late. Now is the time to accept truth by faith. Later may be too late.

 

11. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12. looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? 13. Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. 14. Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; 15. and account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation-- as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, 16. as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures. 17. You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; 18. but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen. (NKJ)

 

What does it mean "to grow in grace"? Very simply put, grace is "unmerited favor". We do not deserve the gift of knowledge God through grace gives us the mentality to learn. We do not deserve wisdom; we learn to receive the graces of discernment as a gift from Him. I have done nothing in this world to deserve being wise, only by His grace do we receive a degree of wisdom. We have done nothing to deserve understanding, sympathy, empathy or love. We receive them all through His grace. Now Peter says in his wisdom ---"grow in your grace"! Constantly be mindful of your graces and seek to gain a greater degree of grace through the knowledge of Jesus Christ while giving Him the glory for these graces. We give you praise for your accomplishments but you give the glory to Him who through grace made it possible for you to accomplish what you have accomplished.    

 

Now here is a tremendous promise and truth.

 

I John 2:1-29

1. My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

2. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.

 

He says do not sin but if you have or if you do, all is not lost. You have a representative who through grace stands in the presence of God and defends you. He defends you based on His righteousness and His perfection. He says to the Father I went to the cross and suffered death for this one's sin. When you look at this person, look at him/her through the blood I shed for him/her.

 

Then Peter gives us a charge.

 

3. Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.

4. He who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

5. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.

6. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

7. Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning.

8. Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining.

9. He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now.

10. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.

11. 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.

12. I write to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name's sake.

13. I write to you, fathers, because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the wicked one. I write to you, little children, because you have known the Father.

14. I have written to you, fathers, because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the wicked one.

15. Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

16. For all that is in the world-- the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life-- is not of the Father but is of the world.

17. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

 

Since you have been given the grace of salvation to know and acknowledge Christ, live a life that reflects the grace you have received and if you do not reflect this grace in your life then you may not have truly accepted this grace. If you do not act differently than you did before you came to know the Father and His Son Jesus Christ then you may only know of them. There is a difference. I know of the president and his father but I have never met them and do not personally know them. To know them personally we must meet and spend time together. When we have children we want to get to know who our children are. We want to know what they think, how they feel, what they like—dislike. Only as we spend time with them will we truly come to know who they are. It is a thrilling thing to be given a glimpse of God by being blessed to watching our children grow and learn who they are. But the even greater blessing we receive is to guide them in their learning who God intended them to be. God does not want us to make them what we want them to be. God uses us to help them become who they are. None of us have the wisdom and understanding to accomplish this great task. Only by His love and grace will He give us this knowledge, wisdom and love to guide our children to the discovery of themselves. Only the creator of these wonderful children knows who they are designed to be. He has a plan for their life and they will live it in a world absent from us at some point. The greatest gift we will ever give our children is the gift of knowledge of who God and His son really are. We can only give what we have actually received.  

 

18. Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.

19. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.

 

My youngest son is buying his first home. I was greatly blessed when he insisted that I go look at how the builder built other houses before he signed on the dotted line. The first thing we looked at was the foundation. It matters little how they build the house if it is not on a good foundation and that is what Peter is saying here. He says there are many choices we have in life. There are leaders we will be called to follow. Intellectuals who will be expounding their philosophies seeking to gain our agreement to their thoughts and agenda. It is the foundation we have which will keep our minds focused on the truth. If we have no foundation we will go for every song poetically sung. We will buy every persuasive pitch.

 

Today we have a world full of antichrist.

            Islam

            Homosexualism

            Humanism

            Occults

            Pornography

            Witchcraft

Anything that is anti – God, anything that is anti – moral, anything that is anti – disciplined freedom, anything that is anti – civility. Our greatest battle today is not against terrorists, it is against the anti's of this world who are out there seeking to steal our foundation in life. They want to steal your mind, morality, faith, family, children and your love. They want you to forget and forsake Jehovah God the creator of the universe.   

     

 

20. But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things.

21. I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth.

22. Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son.

23. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

24. Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.

25. And this is the promise that He has promised us-- eternal life.

26. These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you.

27. But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.

28. And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.

29. If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him. (NKJ)

 

What marvelous words to think that God would anoint us with all that He is to give us the strength and wisdom to recognize these anti's and reject their claims.  And then comes verse 28 "abide in Him". Look at the meanings of the word abide. Think on them and apply them to your life.  The Greek word for abide is:

 

  meno-

1) to remain, abide

a) in reference to place:

1) to sojourn, tarry

2) not to depart

a) to continue to be present

b) to be held, kept, continually

b) in reference to time:

to continue to be, not to perish, to last, to endure; used of persons, to survive, live

c) in reference to a state or a condition:

to remain as one, not to become another or different

2) to wait for, to await one

home or live in Him 

 

These are great  "to continue to be" and " to remain as one, not to become another or different." That one little word gives us more challenge than volumes of books could ever do. Meditate on those words and consider all that is said to you. Then as you graduate to that next level with Him bless me with your blessing.

 

Love ya.

 

Dad