October 24, 2020
Beloved Brethren & Friends
Neh 8:10 Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to him for whom nothing is prepared, for today is holy to our Lord. Don’t be grieved, for the joy of YAHWEH is your strength.”
As we see the Joy of Yahweh is our strength. As we know when Moses spent time on the mountain with Yahweh, his face would shine.
Exo 34:34-35 But when Moses went in before Yahweh to speak with him, he took the veil off, until he came out; and he came out, and spoke to the children of Israel that which he was commanded. 35 The children of Israel saw Moses’ face that the skin of Moses’ face shone: and Moses put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with him.
As Moses spent time in the presence of God, the nature of God would penetrate upon his physical body so that His Light was reflected in him when he presented himself before his fellow Israelites. 2Co 3:13 and not as Moses, who put a veil on his face, that the children of Israel wouldn’t look steadfastly on the end of that which was passing away. 2Co 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face seeing the glory of the Lord as in a mirror, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord, the Spirit.
We have to bear in mind constantly that we are the Temple of the Holy Spirit and that God dwells in us and that we are one with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and that is so because that’s what God says about us in His Word! Jn 17: 20-23, 1Cor 6:19
So one of the most important things we should do as Christians is to meditate on God's love for us. And there is no better way to do that than by memorizing the scriptures that tell us of His Love. His love fills us with JOY, joy and the gifts of the Spirit. Gal 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
If you look through the letters posted in our website, you will find several letters where I have written many passages about the Love of God, so I am not going to do it again here. But I guarantee that spending time with God will fill you with the joy of the Lord. A joy that overpasses all human understanding
Jn 15:11 I have spoken these things to you, that my joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be made full.
Now let's imagine that we go to two different churches...
- In the first... People have a spirit of religion, which we could describe as the majority of the brethren being serious, somewhat contrite, some could say that under condemnation, as internally sorrowful, they feel unworthy, because at the same time that they know they are not as holy as they think they should be, they have a damning gaze towards those who they consider not to be as spiritual as they think they are, with as much knowledge of the scriptures and the evils of sin. They are not slow to criticize, and their words have a somewhat of a condemning tone, and they see you as asking you: are you trying hard enough to live in holiness? They seem to be looking more at what you are not doing well than at what you are. And that God will only answer your prayers if He in His sovereignty realizes that you have already learned the lessons that you have to learn and then it is possible that He will have mercy on you, in the day He wants to.
- In the second... People look joyful, as if they are full of love; they have a smile drawn on their faces. One can feel an atmosphere of joy. No one is condemning those who did not come well dressed, or because of the type of shoe they are wearing, or because some women put on more makeup than they should have, nor those which didn’t put any. They are happy to see you arrive and let you know it. No one is looking at the shortcomings of others but rather at the qualities and good attributes of those present. Moreover, when they speak they take care that the words they speak will inspire the listeners to know that God loves them just as they are, and not as they should be; and that God will surely help them overcome their problems, weaknesses, and diseases if they only believe that God truly loves them no matter what they did wrong, since God specializes in forgiving sins and pouring his own Nature in those that come to Him, which undoubtedly takes care of turning them away from sin. No one feels holier or better than anyone else, because everyone has understood that all the good qualities they enjoy, have been given to them by the wonderful, amazing & great Grace of God, just because He loves them & freely blessed them, and not by any good works of their own, nor anything good they have done, and therefore they have nothing to boast about because they know they owe everything to God. The brethren are willing to help with whatever is needed and to share sacrificially of what they have with others who are less privileged.
Psalm 100 A PSALM OF THANKSGIVING. Shout for joy to Yahweh, all you lands! 2 Serve Yahweh with gladness; Come before his presence with singing. 3 Know that Yahweh, he is God; it is he who has made us, and we are his. We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, and bless his name.
5 For Yahweh is good. His loving kindness endures forever, his faithfulness to all generations.
Fil 3:1 Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. Fil 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always! Again I will say, “Rejoice!”
How do people remember you? Someone loving, joyful, kind, helpful, merciful, forgiving, etc; Or someone condemning, critical, intimidating, fault-finder, gossipy, self-righteous.
Let's reflect Jesus. If you spend time with Him, when they see you, they will see Him reflected in you.
Love in Jesus... Alejandro
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