I started in Matthew. With the first words of Christ recorded there. The red words, the scarlet thread of redemption. Sometimes do you just feel that inward urging, the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit leading you and so gently guiding you into truth? I did today. As I said, I started in Matthew 5, and read the "sermon on the mount."

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

In reading this familiar passage, it really struck me that the circumstances, and state of the heart do not render the blessing, but rather the response of the Lord to the state of the heart. Ownership of the kingdom of Heaven, given by God; Comfort from God; Inheritance from God; Filling with righteousness from God; Obtaining of mercy from God; Being able to see God; and then being called the children of God. When I got to verse 9, something started niggling in my thoughts, a thread to be pursued, and I followed the cross reference to Romans 8. But, ssomewhere before reading Matthew 5, I had followed a reference to Deuteronomy, Hosea, then Psalms, and had ended up in Galatians. It all came together finally, but this is what Galatians 5:16 and following says:

"This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. And how can I really be led of the Spirit? Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Again, inheritance of the kingdom of God, which Jesus said will go to the poor in spirit. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. Law, this got me thinking of Romans, and wouldn't you know..that is where I ended up? And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. How do I really do this? How do I crucify the flesh? Mortify and cease to 'sow' to the carnal flesh? If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another. Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For every man shall bear his own burden. Cross reference here to I Corinthians 11:28 which talks about 'examining yourself', before partaking of the Lord's supper: a clue here to how to crucify my flesh.. Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things. Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting."

And it ended up talking again about not feeding the carnal flesh but feeding the Spirit, sowing to the flesh reaping corruption but sowing to the Spirit reaping life. Then I read the passage in Matthew and followed it to Romans, again with the Holy Spirit impressing upon my mind the thread of sowing, the avenue towards real blessing, the key to life, real life, through crucifying my flesh. This is what Romans says in chapter 8:


"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. And this walking would reap the fruit of the Spirit... For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; Mind, mind, taking every thought captive, not keeping in my mind the 'things of the flesh' but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: This made me think back to the passage in Matthew: Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. Is this saying that we can increase the vitality of the Spirit within us by our obeying the Lord's commands and living righteously? But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken, make alive, your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. I believe that God's definition of life is so different from our own. To Him, life is the life of being led by and producing the fruit of the Spirit, through crucifying the flesh, daily dieing to self and cultivating, sowing in righteousness. There is another form of life, our human perspective on it, which will always be tainted by the sin inherent in the world we live in, and I believe this is the life talked of that is not able to separate us from the love of Christ, but which we so often allow to do so. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: So, from what Jesus said in Matthew, we must be peacemakers. And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; Meek, inheriting the earth.. if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Here the Lord just smote my heart with conviction and shame, for any 'suffering' that I endure hardly even can qualify as such, and 'suffering', again hardly even, would only be my actually crucifying and being dead to the temptations of my flesh, and listening and living through the Spirit within me, which I so, so often fail to do. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. Wow. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, I believe this groaning to be the daily struggle of the flesh warring against the Spirit of God within us... waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: How amazing for God to have provided for our every weakness... for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. Even when we do not know what the will of God is the Spirit does, and He is praying for us, interceeding on our behalf for it to be accomplished. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? The only question and answer that really matters. He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Wisdom, strength, and the possibility to accomplish whatever God calls us to... Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. The Spirit makes intercession for us, and so does the Son...what excuse do I ever have for not heeding, and succeeding? Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, in reading this, I thought it strange that life would be counted as something that might separate us from the love of Christ, but I believe this to be the life that we would live in the flesh.. nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen and Amen!!

I could feel in my spirit the fulfillment of what the Lord wanted to teach me today, what I have been halfheartedly seeking in the last few days, and just not feeling a culmination to my search. Obviously I had been working, living in the flesh, and not taking advantage of the willingness of the Holy Spirit within me to guide me into all truth. I could never express enough the Scriptures' complete end and beginning of all that we need.

II Peter 1:2-4 "Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."

Can our response be anything but wholehearted devotion, a complete and utter falling away from anything that might detract from following wholeheartedly this calling, this life that we are called to live? Sadly, in myself, I too often see mediocrity, apathy, and hard hearted ignoring of what I know to be true. It makes you wonder what our Heavenly Father's response to this is. Or maybe I could guess. Is it wrath, anger at the affront to His holiness, the disregarding of His Son's sacrifice on Calvary? Or is it sadness, consummate grief at my unwillingness to live the full, rich life that He is offering? Because He says that I am an heir, a joint heir with Christ, I am called His child. When my child disobeys, chooses to do things that harm himself or chooses not to take advantage of what I have provided for his blessing, it makes me sad. Sometimes in my flesh, it makes me angry, but it is never a righteous anger. When my heart is right, my response to my errant child is sadness. Whatever God's response, I know what my course of action should be, and I know that He has provided all I need to accomplish what He calls me to today.