Tag: Encouragement For The Downcast

⁴ Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. ⁵ The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. ⁶ Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years. ~ Revelation 20:4-6

We are to be priests of God and of Christ. When we are caught up to Christ in the clouds and changed in the twinkling of an eye, that is when we will be made priests of God Most High. That is when we will see fulfillment. David ate the Bread of the Presence, but he didn’t partake in the Cup. He ate out of the Holy Place, not the Holy of Holies. I’m not saying he even went into the Holy Place, I’m saying, he ate what came from there.

So, he only had but a taste of the good things the LORD has for us. He had less of a taste than we do today. David received a new body, but it was lifeless at the time, because it had no blood. He could enter Paradise, but not Heaven. He could enter the presence of God, but not dwell in it. He only got but a taste of the good things God has for us.

There are so many good things the LORD has in store for us. That He has blessed us with. That he will bless us with. Let that encourage you to keep going. To run the race at before you with endurance and to never stop.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be Encouraged To Run.

“May the good LORD pardon everyone ¹⁹ who sets his heart to seek God, the LORD, the God of his fathers, even though not according to the sanctuary’s rules of cleanness” (2 Chronicles 30:18–19).

Hezekiah and the Israelites were under the Old, inferior Covenant when they gathered to eat the Passover meal. Many of them had not consecrated themselves, so the Levites had to slaughter the Passover lamb for those who were not able to do it for themselves, because they were unclean… Otherwise, it would not be acceptable to the LORD. Yet Hezekiah prayed for them.

They were unclean and so disqualified from eating or even participating in the Passover celebrations…Yet, verse 20 tells us that the LORD heard Hezekiah’s prayer and healed the people.

They were unclean, yet… still they ate, under an inferior covenant, but the LORD healed them anyway, because they had set their hearts to seek the LORD.

If the LORD showed that kind of mercy under the Old Covenant, how much more will we be healed and blessed if we will only discern the body of Christ and believe that “by His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5b).

We are no longer strangers to Jesus (Romans 7:4). Isn’t that an amazing thing…? We now belong to Christ… We are no longer strangers, but are betrothed to the Son of God… Therefore, let us come boldly with our prayers, our petitions, and our requests, since we now belong to Christ.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Go Boldly. 

Hebrews 12:2 ESV

[2] looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

I read a “Sumerian Proverb” that stated:

How can a poor man who doesn’t know how to cultivate Barley manage to  cultivate wheat?

And it immediately got me thinking. So, since I know nothing of farming or harvesting wheat or barley, I asked ChatGPT if Barley was harder to cultivate than wheat. This is what it sent me in response:

Barley is very hardy. It can grow in poorer soils, tolerates drought better, and can handle slightly more acidic or alkaline soils. Wheat, on the other hand, is sensitive to soil quality, moisture levels, and temperature extremes (especially some high-yield varieties).

Barley has a shorter growing season (about 90–120 days). This makes it faster to harvest and less exposed to diseases or extreme weather. Whereas wheat has a longer growing season (100–150 days depending on type), so there’s a slightly higher risk of crop failure if conditions aren’t ideal.

Barley is generally more resistant to common cereal diseases and pests. While certain types of wheat are highly susceptible to rusts and other fungal diseases, requiring more careful management.

But the pay out is greater from the Wheat Harvest. See, wheat typically has a higher yield per hectare and a broader market (especially for human consumption). Whereas Barley has a slightly lower yield, but easier to grow under suboptimal conditions and widely used for feed, brewing, and malt.

God created the Barley Harvest to take place before the Wheat Harvest. The Barley Harvest represents the biological descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Israelites. The Jews. The Wheat Harvest represents the Church. The Body of Christ. Believers. The Barley Harvest He made easier than the Wheat Harvest, as the Jews were easier to cultivate than the rest of the world. He chose Abram because he would teach his children and his children would teach their children and so on and so forth throughout the generations. This is the Barley Harvest.

They sacrificed a lamb for Passover and the blood of a bull for the Day of Atonement pushing their sins forward one more year, so that they didn’t have to answer for them in that day. No matter how hard nations tried to strip them of their identity, they never forgot who they were, their God, or the land He promised to them. But the Wheat Harvest took a bit more work.

God had to come to earth as a man, die, and rise back up on the third day to bring in the Wheat Harvest. It was no longer just animal sacrifice. God sacrificed Himself for the sake of the Wheat Harvest. So, that Jew, Gentile, anyone who was willing could come. No longer was it just outward actions, but inward actions. No longer just circumcision of the flesh, but the circumcision of the heart. The condition of the heart mattered. Animal sacrifice wasn’t enough anymore, now the spiritual sacrifice of yourself and your desires is demanded.

All for a greater reward. It was no longer just one nation the LORD was saving, it was now all nations. Any person who is willing to believe can be saved. No longer was it just passed down from generation to generation, but now people who have never heard, who had entirely different gods were being converted and saved. More work, but an even greater reward.

You are that Wheat Harvest. Harder to cultivate but worth every ounce of effort. God will never look at you and think, oh they’re just too much work. Oh, they’re just not worth the effort. No, He takes pleasure in knowing that you will be with Him for all eternity, so He gladly accepts the difficult labor.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be His Joy.

Romans 7:4

⁴ Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to Him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God.

Isn’t that an amazing thing…? We now belong to Christ… We are no longer strangers, but are betrothed to the Son of God… Therefore, let us come boldly with our prayers, our petitions, and our requests, since we now belong to Christ.

In other words, we are dead to the Law…, the Old Covenant, and are alive to Christ through His body in a new and better covenant based on better promises (Hebrews 8:6)… Promises like:

• By His stripes we have been healed.
• Ask and you shall receive, seek and will find, know and it will be opened for you.
• Authority to cast out evil spirits in the name of Jesus.
• The privilege to enter the throne room of God and make our petitions known to Him.
• To be seated in Heavenly places with Christ.
• To be fully and completely washed clean of our sin and redeemed from all unrighteousness.
• To be transformed in the twinkling of an eye into the Image of God.

Those promises are never failing, and will all come to pass for anyone who believes and follows the Son of God. Therefore, encourage yourself with these promises. Let the promises of God fuel you to run the race at before you.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Ignite With Reminders.

 

Hebrews 10:19–20 ^NIV

¹⁹ Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, His body,

The huge curtain that hung in the Temple, separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place, represented Jesus’ body… When it was torn from top to bottom at the moment of His death, it immediately opened a new and living way for us to enter God’s Presence with confidence and with boldness—something impossible under the old system.

That’s one of the reasons why the writer declared that we now have a new and better covenant… We now have full access with all permissions granted to enter the Holy of Holies and lay all of our petitions and all of our supplications at the feet of the Father who is on His mercy seat—especially as we gather at His table of grace to receive the cup and the bread.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Partake In Him. 

¹² So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. ~ Matthew 7:12

As a seller, I work hard to make sure that I go above and beyond for my customers. I become flexible to the best of my ability, in order to make the transaction as easy and pleasant as possible for them. I am very proud to say that by doing this, I have a 5-star rating across all platforms that I sell on. But no matter how hard you try, no matter how much you bend over backward for some people, it’s never enough.

I recently had a guy who wanted a PS2 system and some games, but couldn’t make it for over a week. Now, most sellers don’t hold items for people, especially not expensive items like this one, and for so long. But I did it anyway. I held the item for him, without asking for a down payment to hold the item (it cost well over $100). I met him on the date and time that worked best for us both. He came. Checked it out. Made sure everything was good. Paid. Took his item. And left. When I checked my rating, he had given me 4 stars. Why? I’ll never know. He said I was very nice, great to work with, great communication, but yet only gave me 4 stars.

It’s in these moments that I have to remind myself that you can bend over backward and go out of your way for someone, and it still won’t be enough. They won’t appreciate it. And that’s okay. How you treat others shouldn’t just be about what you can get in return. Yes, I would’ve appreciated a 5-star rating, and yes, honestly, it did bother me, but at the end of the day, it’s okay. We, the Church, are to be Christ to the world, whether or not we get the appreciation we deserve. Even in something as simple as selling a gaming system and some games, I was able to look back at that situation and interaction with pride, knowing that I treated my customer as I would like to be treated. That I treated him as the Church should treat others.

So often we get caught up with how we react in the huge things, that we forget that the little things matter just as much, and sometimes, even more. You never know how your actions and reactions can impact someone else. How they can either turn people to Christ or away from Him. We are His representation on this earth. And if we want to represent him well, then we need to live by His Golden Rule.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Treat Others As You’d Like To Be Treated.

¹⁰ Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, ¹¹ inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. ¹² It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look. ~ 1 Peter 1:10-12

There’s a song that I’ve been playing on repeat called “Ordinary” by Alex Warren. My favorite lyric of the song goes:

The angels up in the clouds are jealous knowing we found something so out of the ordinary

This one line really makes me think. God has thousands of thousands of angels devoted to Him. There’s celestial beings that just say before His throne worshipping and praising Him. There’s His counsel that converses with Him and decides with Him, then worships at His feet. He has spiritual terrestrial beings praising Him and carrying Him as a horse draws a king’s carriage. Yet, all of these were not enough. All of these could never come close to the love He has for mankind.

Think about it for a second. Humans are below the celestial angels. If we see God’s face, we will die. We are literally just dust, yet God looked down on us and said, “I want to save you. You sinned. You walked away. You are weak, filthy, and unable to help yourself, but I love you. You will turn on Me, yet I will chase after you. You hate me, yet I will call to you. I do not need you, yet I want you.” No other creation has He ever looked at with such fierce love.

The angels of Genesis 6 sinned and were cast down to Tartarus. Helel of Isaiah 14 simply desired a sin and was cast into the pit, the depths of Sheol. Satan and a third of the angels in Heaven sinned, and were cast out of Heaven, and Hell was created for them. Mankind sinned, so God left Heaven, took on the form of man, allowed man to kill Him, and then rose from the dead with salvation for those same men who crucified Him. Spat on Him. Tortured Him. Mocked Him. That is love that no other creation knows. No other creation has the privilege of receiving.

It is a privilege to be human. Not because this life is easy, but because the Creator of all things, seen and unseen, loves you with a fierce and unconditional love like no other created thing. So, the next time you feel depressed, alone, discarded, abandoned, or unloved, remember that God has created you with a purpose and He loves you more than you could ever know or think.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Know Your Worth To Him.

John 20:24-25 ESV

[24] Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. [25] So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”

A lot of the time, one moment. One action or reaction. One statement will follow you for your entire life, regardless of how you’ve changed or grown. Regardless of how far you’ve come, that one mistake will mark you to the world. Thomas was marked by the stain of one statement of doubt:

Unless I see … I will never believe.

These words have followed him after death, even adding to his name as “Doubting Thomas.” Nothing else about him is remembered.

Thomas’ sorry doesn’t end there, though. When he sees the resurrected Christ, Thomas makes a bold statement:

My LORD and my God.

The doubt that once plagued him no longer had a hold of him. He was filled with faith. And according to tradition, he willingly died for his faith. It’s believed that he travelled all the way to India to preach the Gospel. To preach Jesus. He converted many to Christ. In fact, in South India there are still a strong group of followers who are called “St. Thomas Christians.” His death? Stabbed to death by spears. A gruesome and cruel death, but he never recanted. He never denied. He never lost faith again.

He died a hero of the faith, yet that one moment of doubt has been what he was remembered for. Here’s what I’m getting at. Mankind remembers Thomas for doubting, but God remembers him for believing. The world will label you by your mistakes but God does not. God doesn’t hold us to our past once we come to Him. He removes our past from us. He remembers them no more. You become a new creation in Him.

Even if the world keeps your mistakes alive. Even if they memorialize you as your sin. God does not. He never will. So, they might be here on this earth in the here and now, but in eternity, they will be no more. Why? The blood of Jesus has cleaned you and His Word has washed you clean. Your sin no longer defines you, instead He does.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Let God Define You.

¹⁴ He answered, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid, and thought, “Surely the thing is known.” ~ Exodus 2:14

When Moses attempted to help and guide his fellow Hebrews, they originally rejected him. His fellow Hebrew responded, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us?” I always just assumed it was because he grew up in the palace as a prince, instead of as a slave with them. While I do believe that was definitely factor, I think there might be a little bit more to the story.

See, they had been enslaved for almost 400 years by this point. They knew the different prophecies Jacob had given his 12 sons. They also knew that Moses wasn’t from the tribe of Judah, but from the tribe of Levi. See, they were looking for a savior, a redeemer to come in and rescue them. To come in and deliver them from this slavery, and here comes this palace brat from the tribe of Levi, who had just killed an Egyptian now trying to lead them.

This Hebrew knew Moses had killed the Egyptian. He knew he had grown up in the palace as grandson of Pharaoh. And he knew the prophecy of Levi. Levi was prophesied that “cursed be their anger… and their wrath… I will divide them in Jacob and scattered them in Israel.” Judah however was prophesied that “the scepter would never depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet…” I fully believe they expected their deliverer from their current slavery to be from the tribe of Judah, not a Levite who had just killed a man out of anger, just as his ancestors had done.

Sometimes people will throw your past in your face. They will tell you that you don’t fit the bill. That you’re not what they believe your call should be. That you will never live up to your call. I’m sure this later factored into the Moses’ decline to the LORD when God officially called him. He remembered this words. He remembered his past. And he allowed his own insecurities to influence him.

We all have a past. We all have insecurities. We all aren’t worthy of the LORD’s call, but that’s the beauty of it. We aren’t worthy, yet the LORD still chooses us and He rises us up to meet the occasion. Your call may feel bigger than you are, but your God will stand by you forever. And when He is for you, no one can be against you. And He will do through you what you cannot.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Let God Rise You.

Genesis 49:8-12

[8] Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down before you. [9] Judah is a lion’s cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him? [10] The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. [11] Binding his foal to the vine and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, he has washed his garments in wine and his vesture in the blood of grapes. [12] His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.

Before Jacob died, he went through and prophesied over each and every one of his sons. Starting with Reuben and ending with Benjamin. Now, when Jacob gets to Judah, he prophesied that the scepter would never depart from him. What I find interesting about this, is that the word translated as scepter is actually the word rod. The same Hebrew word given to the Son of God in Psalms 2. The same rod used to comfort the sheep of the Shepherd in Psalms 23. The same rod used to rule the nations in Psalms 21.

Jacob’s prophecy for Judah wasn’t just to be the ruler, but that God Himself would come down from Heaven, in the likeness of men, through his (Judah’s) lineage. Jacob prophesied something profound that day, even if Judah (or his brothers for that matter) didn’t fully grasp it at the time.

God has a plan and prophecy for each and every one of us. We may not know exactly what it is, but we know it is good. Because the plans He has for us are good. Plans not to harm us but to give us a hope and a future. Judah would’ve never dreamed that God Himself would be born from his lineage and likeness, but God had a bigger plan for him and his lineage. You may not think God has a great plan for you, but He does. His plans for you are achievable. They’re set before us, but it’s up to us to seek them out and follow them.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Find Your Plan.