Marathoner

Not much, I would think.

Indeed. Every day is the day that our Lord will return. Whether my time is finished first or, He returns while I'm still in this world, that day is the greatest day of all. It's the day I look forward to with hope and joy. I'm only here because it pleased the Lord that I remain. Having faced the end of this body of corruption I also faced fear along the way so that, when the end was upon me, I looked forward to it being over. Ah, but it wasn't my time. I inquired as to when my time will be but the Lord would not reveal this to me; it isn't for me to know. The same is true of His return. Only the Father knows when He will return but being the recipient of His longsuffering kindness, I know better than to assume that He is slack regarding His promises. So, every day is the day when the Lord will return. It will go well for those who walk with Him in such a way.

Choosing Jonah is an excellent illustration of one of the more important books of the Prophets, even though Jonah isn't as long as others. We know that the book of Jonah is so important on account of the Sign of Jonah (Matthew 12 and Mark 8) referred to by the Lord, symbolizing both His death and resurrection. Jonah's time in the belly of the fish, and deliverance from that fish, symbolized the work of Christ. I say that the book of Jonah is also remarkable because of Jonah's confession that the Lord is gracious and swift to forgive (it was why he fled from delivering the words of God to Nineveh, knowing they would repent, and that God would forgive them). We know He is indeed gracious and swift to forgive on account of Jonah's antics which, as we read, the Lord used for good. An entire ship of pagans abandoning their idols for God? All because of Jonah's idiocy? Remarkable!

Right. Freemasonry is not the Moose Lodge nor a bowling league. It is definitely not a social club of any kind. It's a secretive brotherhood akin to similar secretive organizations throughout history. Masons favor other Masons above and beyond all others. Many members will know how I'm not one for conspiracy and conspiracies --- I only address conspiracies that have been exposed and proven, yes? Freemasonry is a great example of that. It's not remotely acceptable among us... And I've seen many Mason rings on the fingers of pastors and deacons. Too many.

Exactly. We recall how the veil in the second temple was torn in half (Matthew 27:51) after our Lord breathed His last on the cross. This is the fulfillment of numerous prophecies recorded in Old Testament scripture and testifies how His work is more than sufficient for the forgiveness of sin. The Lord no longer hides (veils) His face from those who seek Him. The significance of that veil is manifold, symbolizing separation between man and God. Moses veiled his face because the people could not bear to look at his face without fear. The Lord spoke to people through His prophets, but everything changed when the Son of Man perished on the cross: The Spirit speaks to all men, convicting them of their rebellion and evil deeds (John 16). He spoke to me, which is how I came to Christ who called me. The tearing of the veil heralded that.

Let us know how your first appointment goes, @Figure of eighty.

Brother, I understand. I smoked for years and thought nothing of it, nor did the Lord address this. Yet there came a time when stopping was on my mind and in my heart, and so I asked the Lord His will. What did He say? He would deliver me from that addiction so I could be free of it. He would tell me when to throw those things out. He did just that a few months later. I got rid of everything associated with that addiction (packs and lighters tossed into a dumpster) and prepared myself for withdrawals... but it never arrived. He delivered me from it, and I thank for Him for His goodness and mercy always. Something else I'm grateful for is the line of work He placed me in, serving the needy and the homeless as I myself once was. I'm faced with trials that reveal my need to be instructed by the Lord because until our time on this earth is finished, we never "arrive." We only arrive after we cross the finish line!

I have news for you, brother: just like what the Lord promised to me and also declared in John 8:51, we shall never taste death. We don't have have to understand that completely to embrace it. Sure, these bad parts are going to return to dust one day, there's no getting around that. Thankfully our Lord doesn't intend for us to endure this body of corruption forever. Praise the Lord! I'm a whippersnapper compared to you but I already have "bad parts" of my own thanks to muscular dystrophy. Bah. I'm not going to let those bad parts get in the way! Instead of a ladder, maybe you can rig a telescoping chair? Press a button and up you go! Just don't look down.

I've been there many times over the years, waiting to die but not wondering how it would happen. I didn't wonder because I knew how it would happen. The Lord said otherwise, even when it seemed absolutely certain that fungal pneumonia would do the job. It didn't. Chlorine gas didn't do it either, though it was hard recovering from being gassed on account of what fungal pneumonia had done to my lungs. I struggled to breathe for weeks. I'll pass along what the Lord gave to me during those times: I will not die; I will never taste death. The end of this flesh is universal to all living things, and that includes us; but for those whose lives are hidden in Christ, eternal life is His gift to us. He gives this to us. Therefore, we do not die... we pass from this earth instead. We pass from this earth when our days here are finished, and only God knows the span of our time on earth. The Lord will not reveal that to me for any reason, even though I have asked Him to do that many times. It's not for me to know. There are better ways for me to spend my days on earth than waiting to die, yes? Yes indeed. There are neighbors to serve and afflictions to overcome. When it's time, it's time, but not a moment too soon.

A good word, brother.

Your words remind me of what happened after my adopted mother passed on. Prior to the Lord bringing us together, I had been a homeless wanderer for many years. When we were brought together, the Lord declared that she is my mother: I will serve her and stand by her side until her days are complete. That's exactly what happened. I was the son that was taken away from her minutes after he was born, and she was the mother who loved me. My own despised and hated me. I knew that it was the will of the Lord when her amended will was lost shortly before she passed (she didn'thave the chance to make a replacement). She wanted to give me her land and everything she had so that I would have a place where no one could cast me out. She wanted me to have a home... And it was her heart that mattered to the Lord. She didn't know that I already have a home where no one could cast me out... but this home is with Christ, not real estate on this earth. With regard to lacking a place where I could rest my head on this earth, the Lord told me not to be concerned. Did He not raise me up from ruin? He is able. After discharging my duty with her estate faithfully according to what the Spirit bid me to do, the Lord instructed me to come to this city. Oh, but how would I come to this city? It's over two hours away through a trecherous mountain pass... So the Lord told me to look at the title of a particular automobile on her land. I would find my name on this title, and so it now belongs to me. I was astonished to find my name on that title just as the Lord had said. I had the means to safely reach this city. Before I left her land for the last time, the Spirit declared where I should go and what would happen after I arrived here. I didn't know that technically, the car shouldn't be able to clear that mountain pass missing cylinders and with a cracked valve cover, but it made it all the way to where I needed to go. It kept running after I was here... "But I don't have money to repair this car, Lord," I said to Him after I was here. Ah, but I had forgotten about the envelope my adopted mother had stashed away for me in case of an emergency. There was two thousand dollars in cash inside... and it would cost eight hundred to repair that car. Everything happened according to His words. A furnished apartment was renovated and awarded to me... I had work which serves His Kingdom without end... and I was honored in a place where no one even knew my name. That was a long time ago. I have learned that there is marvelous profit to be had in devoting myself to whatever the Lord sets in front of me, even now when He tells me to rest. That was difficult to walk in, my friend. What? The Lord telling me to rest and enjoy all that He has for me? I couldn't fathom it but then, I remembered all of those times when the Lord declared something I couldn't conceive and I watched while it came to pass. Yes, I've learned by now.

When I focus upon what the Lord gives and declares to me, this is where discipline and personal efforts bear good fruit. Without Christ, our discipline and efforts are meaningless. It's no different from the zealous monastic who denies himself food or doesn't speak for decades. The difference is obvious. What did the Lord declare to me? That's what I devote myself to keeping and carrying out. Not complicated at all.

Perhaps you go where the Spirit sends you, focusing upon those things that the Lord intends for you to focus upon when you arrive, and this is your calling in Christ? I say that as one who goes where the Spirit sends me, focusing upon those things that the Lord intends for me to focus upon, and this is my calling in Christ. Now, we are members of the same Body, but we are not the same part serving the same purpose. The Lord sends you to such places according to His will, and He sends me to places that are dangerous according to His will. He's amazing, isn't He? Praise the Lord!

Well said. I had an identical experience, discovering both scriptural precedent and also verification later on with regard to how the Lord dealt with me before He revealed Himself (I knew Him as "the voice"), and what He declared and did after He revealed Himself. I was stunned and astounded by those discoveries. John 8:47 records the words of the Lord regarding who hears His voice --- those who belong to Him --- and those who do not (those who don't belong to Him). When the Lord revealed Himself as the Voice, He said that the time had come for this to take place, and that I will come to Him because I belong to Him. He called me the work of His hand (another scriptural declaration). I spent much time being stunned by those revelations!

Agreed. How the Lord called us is something we share in common with regard to our testimony. He called me from "out of nowhere" as it pleased Him and suited His purpose. What did the Spirit declare? It was time. There is an appointed time for everything under the sun (Ecclesiastes 3).

Indeed. While we're in this world, we're not going to agree about every matter that comes up here or there. However, we stand in agreement regarding our Lord Jesus Christ and this, my friends, is more than sufficient to unite us in Him. Why? Because the Lord is the One who fits us together, and it is in Him that we are united as one. I have my reasons for this and reasons for that, but they aren't so important that it's worth alienating a brother or a sister. If it appears that a brother or sister has a grievance with me and there's nothing I can do to make amends, I leave it in the Lord and do my best to be mindful of such things. I would rather say nothing than aggravate matters further.

I avoid topics in that vein because truly, politics are of zero interest to me. I tread very carefully in other hot-button issues (there are others), making an observation or stating an opinion and leaving it at that. I avoid arguments. A good rule of thumb: if you're upset or rather passionate, don't post. Wait until it passes and measure your words when you return. It helps.

Indeed. You'll recall my experience with that certain fellowship a long time ago, brother. Were they a cargo cult seeking to recreate "Acts Christianity?" Yes. It evolved into a cult dominated by one elder and his cadre, all in the name of the Lord.

This is why we walk in the Spirit, my friend. The Lord leads us.

Amen. What Paul warns us about is what I refer to as "religion." It's empty and devoid of Life, for Life is not derived from letters. Life is given by the Son of God alone, and He gives His Life to whomever He pleases. I've also referred to religion as a cargo cult. A cargo cult relies upon ritual and superstition to achieve their imaginary goals; they acquire something of value by believing and acting in a prescribed manner. Some examples of cargo cults: Amish, Amish-Mennonites, and groups that form in order to replicate the church as recorded in the book of Acts. The former believe that dressing a certain way and living a certain way acquires the blessing of God for them, while the latter believe that living a certain way and behaving in a certain way creates the "church as it was." Neither succeeds, and neither have the Life.

Our faith is living, for God is not the God of the dead. Many never had the benefit of the scriptures, but this isn't an issue to the Lord. He called me from this world with me knowing a single verse or passage. I was ignorant of scripture. The Lord is a person, not an idea or concept. He speaks, unlike idols who require men to speak for them. If we don't know Him --- and the only way to know the Lord is if He is pleased to reveal Himself to us --- then the scriptures mean nothing. I know of militant atheists who study the scriptures and use that against the religious.

Walking with the Lord is to always be in His presence, meaning that there is no bifurcation nor partitioning of our time upon this earth, setting aside "time for God" and time for ourselves. That's an ideation of religious doctrine and ritual practice. It means what it says: to walk with God. This, more than anything else, was the root of strangeness that I encountered in the churches I visited after the Lord called me from this world. I could not fathom how (or why) anyone called by the Lord would separate themselves from Him for any length of time, though this understanding eventually arrived many years later. I finally saw it for the cultural tradition that it is. Before the Lord equipped me for what He called me to do, I heard the Lord but was otherwise ignorant of His will and purpose. During those years, I didn't know what my calling was nor what He required of me. I didn't know that the Lord required everything from me. Had I known back then, it would have terrified me to no end. The understanding of this offering didn't arrive until it had been taken away, and I was left with nothing but the life in this body. The Lord was pleased with the work of His hand, and my calling began. Walking with the Lord costs everything, but what we receive from Him is more than we ever possessed. What we give is returned to us in greater measure; I walk in the knowledge of His purpose and will. I live each and every day for Him and with Him, so walking with the Lord is not something that ended with Enoch. When our Lord promised that He would always be with us, He wasn't pointing toward something in our past. He means right here, and right now, while it is today.

That passage refers to the book of Revelation. In any case, all I see as an outsider to this nonsense is division, strife, and harsh judgment of others based upon one's interpretation of scripture. Division and strife are works of the flesh. No one is denying Christ here. That's a contrivance preachers of the YE gospel use to scare and browbeat others who are insecure and vulnerable. It's ungodly.

I'm in agreement with @The Barbarian. How one believes the Lord created all things seen and unseen is most assuredly not an essential doctrine. Many of us steer clear of this melodrama because nothing good nor worthwhile comes of it. It's futile.