Love Bears All Things, Believes All Things?

wise seeker

Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play." Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 1 Corinthians 10:1-10

Since God is love and He does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things, men have presumed that they can do almost anything they want and God will forgive them for they are His after all? Wrong! God is love but He is not stupid and He has given His word to men not to do what previous generations of His people had done with most of whom God has not pleased and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. They literally became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play." Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. God’s true ones should run away from all those who teach a very cheap grace or teach doctrines of demons such as ‘once saved always saved’ or ‘universal salvation.’ Heretics and liars have never been friends of God and never will.

God true ones must hold to Lord and walk in Him and hear His voice in the midst of the storm. When the wind is howling around them and the storm is about to swallow them that is when Jesus Christ is in the boat with them and helping them to walk on water. It is important to walk there or they will be defeated by the sheer force of life. It is not always what they want or desire. It is what has been ordained and allowed for their betterment. To make them strong in Him. To make them sure of Him. To help them walk in the assurance of His provision and protection and position.

God’s true ones must look to Him and He will help them to bring to completion the things to which He has called them to do. They can’t do it on their own anyway. Only He can do it in them.

So as they hold on to Him, they can do it together - they in cooperation with Him and enacting the things that they have only dreamed off. Together they will work to bring dreams and victories to fruition. With their prayers and His Strength, Wisdom and Knowledge the mountain will be moved out and cast into the sea. For God plus ones is a majority and more than sufficient to do the impossible.

The ways of life are never sure but in Christ they are sure. He is their anchor and rock in the storm seas of life. He is the oasis in the desert. He is the calm in the storm. He is the healing balm of Gilead. He is the destruction of every yoke men and demons have laid on them. He is the ointment that breaks the yoke. He is the anointing that heals every wound. He is the King of all the earth.

The world’s system may be under the devil’s control but the earth and the kingdoms of the earth are His through rightful acts of conquest. The devil is conquered and defeated. He has only the power that men give to him. They believe that all is love and forget the wisdom of strong judgment. Judgment is the backbone of peace in any land. Without it there would be no rest from sorrow and grief. There is deliverance in judgment for it brings peace and joy and rest. Man has not learned this.
Man has not learned the connection between the virtues God brings to them. There is virtue in justice. There is virtue in integrity. There is virtue in dealing with the unpleasant. Those who do this and will be honored and blessed for their efforts. Those who stand against many to do what God has called them to do. They might have suffered much affliction and persecution for the effort to serve God but He will reward them. For God’s word is true:

These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: "I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. "Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God. "Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.
"You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. "He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." ' Revelations 3:2-6

Jesus Christ did not come for the high and mighty. As a result He was born in a manger and not in castle nor a rich man's mansion and died among common thieves. He never made for himself a name or a reputation nor did he go out of the way to eat with the rich and mighty especially the Pharisaical religious ones. As a matter of fact He despised the religious rich just as He despised the scribes and lawyers and was not nice to them at all. He called them vultures, dead men, parasites, and vipers for a start. He loved to be among the poor and was very compassionate to them. For the Gospel was for the poor and not the high and mighty. As a result Jesus Himself stated about the poor and not the rich:

"The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD." Luke 4:18-19

"Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: "The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. "And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me." Matthew 11:5-6

The religious rich are offended because of Jesus as they did not want to obey Him and do what he was commanded them to do:

"One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me." Mark 10:21

Now many religious ones who are materially rich and covetous object to these words and like to debate what is wrong with being rich? They act like another disciple of Jesus who did not care for the poor but only for money. God's word records:

Then one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, who would betray Him, said, "Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?" This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it. But Jesus said, "Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. "For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always." John 12:4-8

"No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."
Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him. And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God. Luke 16:13-15

Many of the so called rich believers are in reality thieves who try to serve both God and mammon. Though they protest like King Saul did when he was rebuked by Samuel, and state that they want to be rich for the Lord sake and to help His people. But God knows it is nothing but a lie. They do not care about the poor and it shown in the lack of obedience to the words of Jesus who told them:

When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. "But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. "And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just."
Now when one of those who sat at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, "Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!" Luke 14:13-15

They do not do what Zacchaeus who was rich and chief tax collector did when he came to Jesus. Zacchaeus gave away half of his good to the poor and restored fourfold to those he had robbed. God’s word records:
Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature.

So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house." So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, "He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner."

Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold." And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; Luke 19:2-9

It is a fact that most Christians who are materially rich and belong to fancy super churches do very little for the poor and the least in their midst except to throw them bread crumbs once in the while. They are like the rich man that Jesus talked about.

"There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. "But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, "desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

"So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. "And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

"Then he cried and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.'

"But Abraham said, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. 'And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.'

"Then he said, 'I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father's house, 'for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.'
"Abraham said to him, 'They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.'
"And he said, 'No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.'
"But he said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.' " Luke 16:20-31

Many of the rich religious ones protest the most that everything they have belongs to Jesus but then sadly they do very little for Jesus. For God’s word is true:

"Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 'for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 'I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'

"Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?' "Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' "And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." Matthew 25:41-46