Abram

Before the LORD began to reveal Abram's future descendants and their inheritance to him in Gen. 15, the LORD allowed Abram to see a special covenant sacrifice. The types of animals used in this sacrifice would also be used as sacrifices by future generations in the Tabernacle, and Temple of God.
The wonderful thing about this revelation to Abram ("The Exalted One is My Father") is that it was the Gospel of Salvation that was revealed. No other man that we know of, ever witnessed this revelation in this awesome manner. It is one of the most amazing events in scripture.
This is the Gospel according to Abram:
"So He (the LORD) said to him, "Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtle dove, and a young pigeon."    Gen. 15:9
The significance of some of these animals being three years old, is that they are the more valuable because at this age, they are grown, or nearly grown, becoming able to produce, or having been trained to work. The meanings of the Hebrew words used to describe the animals are also interesting:
heifer- circular, round, revolve
she goat- strong, prevail, make firm, make secure
ram- sacrifice, a leader, pillar, door frame, door posts
turtle dove- beloved, succession, order, plait or braid of hair or gold, circlet, an ornament
                   worn for the head
young pigeon (nestling)- wounded, flay, strip, to tear away, seize, take away by violence,
                                        galled (make sore) and wounded
In these animals I see the circular, revolving world. I see the strong and prevailing Father, who made the world firm and secure in Himself by offering His beloved successor, or Son, a Leader Himself, as a sacrifice upon a pillar, a frame, a support, a doorway. This Son's Kingship, mocked but declared to all, was seen in the plaited circlet (of thorns) He was given for His head. This beloved successor was taken by violence, wounded, flayed, stripped. I see John 3:16 all over this:

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son....."

 

Let us continue with the experience of Abram:

"And when the vultures (fowl) came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him."      Gen. 15:11-12

fowls- ravenous, birds of prey, shrieking, screaming, greedy, swooping, rushing, pressing,

          indignant, wrath

carcass- dead body, exhausted, faint, void of strength

drove away- blow, disperse by blowing

sun- brilliance, battlements, pinnacles, shields

was going down- besiege, come against, stricken

deep sleep- very great inertness, stupefy with sleep or death

horror- terror, dread, terrible, frightful, formidable

great darkness- intense, powerful darkness, misery, withholding of light, hidden

 

As Jesus was losing strength on the cross, and had become exhausted and faint, I can almost hear the shrieking of the demons as they greedily came swooping in to devour in their great wrath. The breath of God, the Ruach ha Kodesh, blew them and dispersed them from touching the Son of God. His holy One would not see corruption (Ps. 16:10). This brilliant Pinnacle, Battlement of defense, and Shield of God was besieged and stricken.

As He was stricken, as this Son died on the cross, Abram experienced the terror, the profound and extremely powerful darkness and misery of death.

However, before we even got to this point, before Abram had even experienced this, the LORD had come in a vision to Abram in the first verse of this chapter, and had told him, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, and your exceedingly great reward (price, compensation, fare, prepared banquet)."

In the middle of this darkness, a smoking furnace, and a burning torch passed between the pieces of the sacrifice. In forming a covenant, men would pass between the divided pieces of the sacrifice together (Jer. 34:18-19). However, this covenant that Abram was witnessing was a covenant that had been made between Father and Son (Ex. 19:15, Jn. 1:4, Isa. 62:1, Ps. 119:105), that the Son was the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world (Mt. 13:35, 25:34, Jn. 17:24, Eph. 1:4, Heb. 9:26, 1 Pet. 1:20, Rev. 13:8, 17:8). It was the covenant made to provide atonement, salvation, and everlasting life to man.These forms of smoke, light and fire,  "overflowed/impregnated" these "cut off, separated, destroyed" carcasses. No man, including Abram, who did not walk between the pieces, was involved in this covenant.

In a prophetic promise to Abram in this chapter (v. 13-14), in the same manner that the Gospel of Jesus takes us from a condition of bondage to sin, fear and death into the freedom of life, Spirit, and Truth, the LORD tells Abram that He will deliver Abram's descendants from the affliction of slavery. They would come out of this bondage with great possessions. This prophetic Word, this Light, had been spoken over these future descendants, and would deliver them.

Immediately following this revelation of the Gospel, on this same day, the LORD did make a covenant with Abram (v. 18-21) promising his not-yet-born descendants the physical land from the river of Egypt to the River Euphrates. Again, in this covenant, we can see the Gospel by looking at the Hebrew meanings of the words involved:

The spiritual land from the river of Egypt (besieged place, siege enclosure, entrenchment, distress, confine, adversary, foe)) to the River Euphrates (fruitfulness, to break forth, sweet water, fruit-bearing tree) extends from the waters of "death/misery" to the waters of "abundant life". This is the land of the Son.

"...that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

 

 

 

Our Father is our shield and our very great reward.

 

 



 



"Grace to Overcome"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gia4BYZnP-k

 

Dedicated to, and in remembrance of Jennifer C.



Genesis 1

My grandchildren and I have begun a Bible study. I think it is the most important thing for them to have a knowledge of scripture. We began our studies in The Beginning, Genesis Chapter 1. I started here because it is the beginning. I also started here because I have recently read opinions that we should not discuss or teach Genesis creation, because it is a stumbling block to belief for most people. However, the beginning chapters of Genesis give us a wonderful spiritual knowledge and foundation. So, I thumbed my nose at the Genesis silencers, and we forged ahead. The kids found it fascinating. They pointed out that the Book title is "The First Book of Moses". I was able to explain to them that as Moses entered God's presence on the mountain, he received this revelation. In fact, he spent so much time in the presence of God, that his face shone with the glory light of God.
The first foundational truth we discussed is that God, as revealed in this chapter, is "Elohim". We find out immediately that God is a plurality from this name. We are introduced to the Word, Jesus, which Elohim spoke in order to create (Jn. 1:1-3), and we meet the Spirit of Elohim, who hovered over the void and deeply dark condition of the earth. The meaning of "hovered" is to fold wings around, to lovingly embrace. The Spirit of Elohim embraced and loved this mass of nothingness with its fathoms of deep darkness into the creative power, the Word, of Elohim.
We discussed that Elohim spoke creation into being, and how we also create and destroy with our words, requiring a large responsibility from each of us. "Death and life is in the power (yad-hand) of the tongue (wedge, slander, accuse); they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof."  (Prov. 18:21).
The fact that Elohim began His creation, or re-creation, by speaking light into being was also interesting to the kids and to me. As the created light (ore-light of life, light of a lamp, light of instruction, light of prosperity, light of day, lightning) of Elohim divided the darkness, we learned that light is always greater, more powerful, than darkness. We learned at this point that Jesus is the Light of the world, and He told us that we are also that same light. Darkness must retreat in the presence of light, and cannot overpower light (Jn. 1:1-5).
I also discovered and learned something from verses 11-18 as we read them. It was something I had not thought about before. I wondered why Elohim waited until the fourth day to create the sun, moon, and stars. In v. 11-13, on the third day, Elohim spoke vegetation into being on the earth. This vegetation must, by His command, contain the power of perpetual life. It must produce seed and fruit. This vegetation would eventually supply food for the animals and mankind that would be coming (v. 29-30).
Immediately thereafter, Elohim established the Light Cycle that would be needed to support the vegetation. One of the reasons He created the sun, moon, and stars in v. 14-18, was for the creation of seasons. Plants have a Vegetative Cycle, and a Flowering Cycle. For the Vegetative Cycle, the producing of stalks and leaves, a plant needs at least 16-18 hours of light, and 6-9 hours of darkness. This is the light required for photosynthesis to occur. This is the light/darkness that comes during spring and into summer. In order to switch from the Vegetative Cycle to the Flowering Cycle, to produce seeds and fruit, the hours of light and darkness must be balanced to about 12 hours each. This begins to happen as the summer season moves towards the fall. The hours of light and darkness needed for the growing cycle of plants must be regulated, and the sun and moon and stars provided this regulation of light. Various scientists did not discover the process of photosynthesis in plants until the 1600's-1700's, and it is still being studied and updated today (Calvin Cycle, UC, Berkeley). Elohim, of course, knew it all along, and showed it to Moses.
As interesting as this is from a scientific standpoint, I find it even more valuable from a spiritual standpoint. Elohim does nothing without also creating the perfect provision for it. He will create a sun, moon, and stars, in part, to support a blade of grass, or an apple tree. How much more, and how much more bountifully, will He make the perfect provision for each of us?
"So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not worry saying, "What shall we eat?" or "What shall we drink?" or "What shall we wear?" For after all these things Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."   Mt. 6:28-33
If we are struggling through these times, it is good to remember the incredible wisdom, knowledge, understanding and provision of Elohim as taught to us in Genesis 1.

Our Father reveals His provision in Genesis 1.

High Praise (Song of Job)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeORL0ZThWA

Know

I remember very clearly the moment I was saved.
I was listening to a discussion on TV about prophecies in the Old Testament that were direct references to the Messiah, Jesus. I had never heard about Jesus being in the Old Testament.
So, being curious, I got my dusty Bible, given to me when I was 12, off the shelf, and tried to follow along with the verses being discussed. The final reference given was Isaiah 53. I found Isaiah, and began reading as the TV discussion continued, but faded away, in the background.
As I read this passage, something happened to me. I sat stunned. I think my mouth was hanging open. I had an experience, an encounter, that would be difficult for someone else to understand if they have never had a similar experience. After reading the chapter from Isaiah, there were three things I instantly "knew". In that moment, I knew these three things like I knew my name, and where I lived-with complete certainty. Those three things were:

• God is Who He says He is.
• Jesus is Who He says He is.
• Every word in this Book, the Bible, is true.

As important as it is that I now "knew" the first two things, I am so very happy that the Holy Spirit didn't stop there. It was very important, equally important, for me to know the third truth- that every word in the Bible is true. From that moment on, I was not satisfied until I had read every word of the Bible. I couldn't wait to find out all of this truth.
I know there are believers who have little interest in reading, or studying the scriptures. I don't understand that because of what I experienced. I'm glad that my Father in heaven made sure that I understood and received that third truth. My life has not been the same, and the depths and the riches of His written Word have meant everything to me. It has helped me, changed me, saved me, educated me, and the process continues.
It is too late for anyone to try to convince me that scripture is untrue, inaccurate, or outdated. I already "know" that these arguments are dismissable. Scripture does not need man to prove it true. It proves itself true over and over again. It has been proven true in my own personal experience, so I am not about to question its genuineness at this point. Scripture to me is not a fairy tale, nor a religious doctrine to be debated. It is something that I experienced. One cannot deny an experience. 
However, I am concerned for those of faith who do not read the scriptures, and do not study them. When even religious leaders begin to say and write* that passages in scripture are not to be believed, nor taught as truth, how can some Christians ever keep their faith in God, and in Jesus? What god are they believing in? One that has given them a book of lies? Are they saying, "Yes, I believe in God, but not in what He said or did", or "Yes, I believe in Jesus, but not in the miracles He performed, nor the prophecies He spoke"? Which God and Jesus are they believing in then?
In a time when faith is questioned and criticized at every turn, at least "know" the God, the Jesus, in whom we profess to believe. We're going to need Him.

"I will worship toward Thy holy temple, and praise Thy name for Thy lovingkindness and for Thy truth: for Thou hast magnified Thy word above all Thy name."
                                                              Psalm 138:2

Our Father has exalted His word even above His name.

Heavenly Father, God of Truth, teach us, lead us and guide us in Your Word. Your Son is Your Word become flesh. By Your word, the heavens and earth were created, and by Your Word, they are maintained in place. By Your Word, we know You, Your heart, Your will, Your promises. By the power and truth of Your Word, we are saved, healed, delivered. We are set free by the Word that we know. Give us a hunger, and thirst for Your Word, as well as for Your righteousness. Let our children be taught Your Word, so great will be their peace.
We thank You for the precious gift of Your Word to us, and teach us how to keep it in our hearts forever. In Jesus' name we ask, AMEN.


"This I Believe"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-m9sRRN9MA

"Your Love (I Have Been Touched, Changed, Healed)"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feHkL_zuUwc


*referenced article

Cities

To borrow an expression, this is a tale of two cities. It is also a tale of two men, both called "righteous" in Scripture, who are on two different journeys, with two very different destinations in mind, even though for part of the way, over 1,000 miles, they walked side by side. The fact that their destinations were different, affected their futures.
The two who walked together for a time were Abraham and his nephew, Lot.
As they walked together they prospered. Because each of their flocks and herds had increased so greatly, they could no longer graze and water the two flocks together. Disputes and arguments developed because of the close proximity of the flocks and shepherds (Gen. 13:6-7).
Abraham told Lot to separate himself from him and he offered his nephew first choice of where he would like to move and settle his flock. Perhaps Abraham began to suspect that he and Lot were not looking for the same thing. Lot saw the distant green valley which looked like the best location, and made his decision (Gen. 13:10-13). Abraham went in the opposite direction. Abraham did not depend on the greenness of a location in order to prosper. He depended upon God. Lot was looking for a place of increase, and Abraham was looking for a place where he could continue to hear and see God, continue to be in His presence, which also happens to be a place of increase.
In this green valley that Lot chose, stood the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Others coveted this valley, and these prosperous cities as well, and war between kings broke out over them. In this large war between multiple kings, Lot was taken captive with many others, and their possessions were taken as well (Gen. 14:11-12). Abraham, with the help of God, rescued Lot, and all of his possessions. After this miraculous deliverance, Abraham came face to face with the supernatural priest, Melchizedek ("King of Righteousness"), King of Salem ("Peace"), a manifestation before His birth as Christ, the King of Righteousness, and Prince of Peace, Himself. Lot, on the other hand, had returned to Sodom ("burning, conflagration").
We know what happened in God's judgment of sinful Sodom and Gomorrah ("ruined heap, treat as a slave, tyranny"). Angels had to physically pull Lot and his family out of Sodom, in order to rescue them out of the judgment that was about to fall (Gen. 19:16).
Lot begged the angels to let him go to nearby Zoar, rather than into the mountain as the angels had instructed. From Zoar, Lot's wife looked back at the destruction of Sodom, and became a pillar of salt. The word "Zoar" means insignificance, to grow small, to become despised, mean. This place was Lot's preference.
Abraham also looked upon the destruction of Sodom, but he looked from the place where he had previously stood before the LORD in intercession: the plain, or terebinths, of Mamre.
The word "plain" or "terebinth" means great tree, oak grove. The root meaning is the word for the ram of sacrifice, the ram from whose skin the tabernacle of God would be constructed in the future, the strength of the ram, chief, mighty man. The root word also means pillar, door post, door jambs (imagery of Passover). "Mamre" means strength, also, and fatness. It means to flap the wings in order to hasten, lift up, and rise.
Ultimately, the difference between the two men was that Lot was looking for Sodom and Zoar. Abraham was looking for a city built by God, the place of his inheritance:
"For he looked for a city which hath foundations ("principles, system of truth established, set forth, ordained"), whose builder ("founder, bring forth, travail, be born, produce fruit from seed") and maker ("author, work, undertaking for a mass of people knitted together") is God."    Heb. 11:10
Two righteous men, two cities, two outcomes. Abraham became the father of nations and the father of faith in God. Lot became the father of Moab ("seed of his father"), a son from incest (Gen. 19:36-37), and a nation that was a frequent opponent of Israel.
Though both men knew God, and were accounted righteous, their lives turned out very differently. Their lives were determined, in part, upon the spiritual city for which they searched. Lot's choices were based on the outward appearance of wealth and success. Perhaps he sought a life of comfort and convenience that these cities represented. Even though his choice resulted in his captivity, he went back to it. Although his soul was vexed deeply by the sin he saw daily in this city (2 Pet. 2:7-8), he remained until he was forced out by angels. His family, and his future generations, were threatened and ultimately destroyed by his choice. We look at Lot's life and we see the errors, and the fruit of the errors. We face the same choices everyday. We live in the midst of Sodom, ourselves. What will make our choices different from Lot's? Perhaps we need to keep Abraham in mind:
Abraham travelled to and remained in places where he stood before God, and interceded before God. His reliance was upon the covenant, provision, prophetic promises and strength of God. His generations were numbered as many as the stars in the sky, and the grains of sand by the sea. His life continues to teach us about faith, dedication, and obedience to God. Scripture tells us that he continually sought the City of God.
God allows us the ability to make choices, but once He has put the knowledge and direction of His City into our hearts, all of our choices should lead us there. All else is built upon sinking sand.
This is a tale of two men and two cities.

Our Father teaches us to look for His City.


 

Beauty

Most of us will agree that man spends a great deal of time, effort, and money attaining items to adorn and beautify ourselves including precious metals, gems, jewelry, watches, fashion, shoes, hair styles, make-up, cosmetic surgery, cars, houses. We sometimes see this pursuit of beauty go overboard into covetousness, debt and obsession. Some become very unhappy because they are not satisfied with their pursuit of beauty. We are the only creature that is concerned with acquiring beauty. Some scientists, who wrongly contend that man is an animal, believe that this is man's effort to attract a mate, because man does not have the exotic plumage, or colorful trappings that many in the animal kingdom have. Others think that this pursuit of beauty and adornment is an attempt to attain a certain economic or social status.
Perhaps, however, this desire to beautify ourselves comes from a spiritual truth. We end up expressing this desire to be beautified outwardly, from a worldly concept only, rather than inwardly, because we don't understand where this desire comes from. As Mom used to say, "Pretty is as pretty does", and it turns out she was right! I started thinking about this after reading the following verses:
"For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation. Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds."     Psalm 149:4-5
The LORD beautifies us with His salvation: Yeshua (Jesus' name). The root word "yasha" also includes the meaning "to be opulent".
The word "beautify" used above is the Hebrew word pa ar, which means to glorify, beautify, adorn, to gleam, to embellish, to be ornamented. We will see this word again in a verse we will read below. He uses this word here in regard to His "saints".
The word "saints" is the beautiful word kodesh. The term is not connected to a designation given by any church, but it means holiness, consecration and sacredness that comes from separatness and apartness. Its root is the word kadesh, which has the same meaning, but also includes "to show oneself sacred or majestic, to be observed as holy". So it also involves this quality of holiness as being something seen or observed in an outward, visible way. So the beauty of salvation is connected with the holiness of the saints. The first mention of "saints" in scripture is a rich description of the Gospel of salvation found in Deut. 33:2-3. It is not only a picture of the Gospel, but also of Christ's return. It was the last blessing that Moses spoke over Israel before his death. It only makes sense that he would leave Israel with this powerful image of the Gospel:
"And he (Moses) said:
"The LORD came from Sinai, and dawned (rose up) on them from Seir;
He shined forth from Mount Paran,
And He came with ten thousands of saints;
From His right hand came a fiery law for them.
Yes, He loves the people;
All His saints are in Your hand;
They sit down at Your feet;
Everyone receives Your words."

The Gospel message in these verses would seem to be hidden to us, but to anyone who spoke Hebrew, it would be very apparent.
The Gospel is in the meaning of the words:
The LORD came (goes in, enters) from Sinai (thorny).
And rose up (rise up, break out, break forth) from Seir (he-goat of the sin sacrifice, a condition of horror, terror, a whirlwind, to shudder or quiver in fear). Note: Seir is in Edom, meaning red, from the root word dam, meaning blood.
He shined forth (light, shine, give light) from Paran (root is pa ra, the same word for beauty used in our verse from Psalm 149, meaning glorify, beautify, adorn, to gleam, embellish, ornamented).
He came with ten thousands (to become many or great, to be long of journey) saints (see above meaning of kodesh/kadesh).
From His right hand (Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father, also to choose the right turn), came a fiery law (commandment or communion that comes out of supernatural altar fire).
This would be an expression of the above verses:
The LORD entered the thorny place. He broke out, or rose up, from the blood sacrifice for sin, out of the place of terror, horror, and fear. He shined forth from the place of beauty, glory, adornment and ornamentation, and came from this place of beauty with His saints, a great number from a long journey. Where can the saints be found? Separated and apart at His feet, receiving His Word (v.3).
The description of the church of Jesus, His bride, is that of an opulent, beautiful, adorned, glorious city built of precious gems, pearls and pure gold. (Rev. 21:18-21). The gems and gold found on earth are a pale comparison to the size and purity of those that are used for this living city-bride. Likewise, our attempt to capture physically the beauty of adornment represented in the saints, also pales in comparison. There is nothing wrong with seeking and adorning ourselves with earthly beauty, but the deeper meaning and manifestation of beauty is found in only one place: in the beauty of His holiness (Ps. 29:2, 96:9, 2 Chron. 20:21).
What does this beauty bestowed by the LORD upon His saints really mean? It is spiritual authority. When Abraham sent his servant to find the bride for his son, Isaac, he sent his servant with certain pieces of jewelry. They were a nose ring, and bracelets of gold. There were bracelets for each wrist. From the moment Rebekah accepted these pieces of jewelry, she walked in her purpose, her spiritual authority to make sure that the seed of promise, the seed of Messiah, was passed to Jacob, whom God had ordained, rather than Esau. Every decision she made regarding her two sons was made by revelation of God, and was carried out through the spiritual authority given to her, represented by these adornments. The reason she received the outward beautification of spiritual authority, is because she had the inward beauty of humility. She worked hard not only to bring water to Abraham's servant, but also to water his ten camels (Gen. 24). This man was a stranger to her, yet she felt his thirst, even the thirst of his animals, and brought him water. The world seeks this beautification, this spiritual authority, without being willing to come in humility to the One who raises up and beautifies. It is up to us to know the true beauty of His spiritual authority given to us, His saints.

Our Father beautifies His saints with salvation.


"Lord, You're Beautiful"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtzCD_8KbjI

"Lord, I Thirst for You"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOC7XGmzFJg

"Beauty of Your Holiness"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4iD_3G7F2A

"Never Be The Same"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=465oXQegB2k


Note: Photo at the top of the page-artist rendition of the New Jerusalem, as described in Rev. 21.

Repentance

I would like to find out something more about repentance. I don't think I understand enough about it. As I looked into it, I found some things that made me realize I have only a superficial understanding of repentance, and there is even more that I will have to learn in the future.
My starting place is usually word meanings, and so it is also for this. I found something surprising. There are two sides to repentance, two things going on at once.
In the Greek, it is fairly simple: a change of mind, purpose, or in something done.
However, in the Hebrew, there are two words used meaning repentance, racham and shuv, and this is where things get interesting.
Racham comes from a root dealing with breath. So it means to pant, or groan, to breathe heavily because of sorrow and regret. However, at the same time it means to be consoled, comforted, pitied, receiving compassion, ease, and even to avenge! The act of sincere repentance moves God at the same time to pour out comfort to us, and even to avenge us.
Shuv, the second Hebrew word for repentance, means to turn, turn back, turn away. At the same time, it means to bring back, allow to return, draw back, restore, refresh, to be brought back. So, at the same time that we are turning away from our evil, God is drawing us back and restoring us, refreshing us in Himself. We see this in 2 Chron. 7:14- when God's people repent, God pours  out forgiveness and healing, not just on individuals, but upon the whole nation.
There are some other things about repentance that I found very interesting.

• Repentance is a calling:

"But go and learn what this means: "I desire mercy and not sacrifice." For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."    Mt. 9:13, Mk. 2:17, Lk. 5:32
The word "call" in the above verse means to call aloud, to call by name, to receive the name of, to give a name to one, to bear a name or title, to be so named.
The call to repentance is specific, with the Lord calling each of us by name. As He calls us by name to come to Him in repentance, He also gives us a name. We also bear the name of the LORD (Isa. 62:2, Jer.14:9, Dan. 9:19, James 2:7).

• Repentance is something that is granted (bestowed, permitted, supplied, furnished) and led by God:

"When they heard these things, they became silent; and they glorified God, saying "Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life."      Acts 11:18
"Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads (by laying hold of, accompanying, bringing) you to repentance?"     Rom. 2:4
"...if God perhaps will grant them repentance so that they may know the truth..."  2 Tim. 2:25
Not only is repentance a gracious gift from God, from His goodness, but, again, at the same time as repentance begins, life is given in return.
A man cannot repent unless God grants him repentance. We should rejoice at the graciousness of God Who has allowed us to repent. It shouldn't surprise me to find that the love, and unlimited goodness of our Father is included in His principle of repentance, as with everything else concerning His dealings with us. He ends up giving me far more than I give Him.

• The sorrow of repentance is a godly sorrow:

"Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death,"                    2 Cor. 7:9-10
The source of even the sorrow that makes us repent is from God, and is not the same as the sorrow known by the world. This godly sorrow and repentance leads to salvation, even for those who already know Christ (Paul was writing to those who were already believers).

• Repentance is a place:

"For you know that afterward, when he (Esau) wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.
                                                                  Heb. 12:17
The place of repentance referred to here is "a space marked off from surrounding space". It also means a "Rock". Not everyone who seeks "a" place of repentance can find it. You can't create a place of repentance with tears and striving, and self-flagellation. The place of repentance can only be found at the place of the Rock, Jesus of Calvary, the place that is  set apart from all other places. Esau never found that place. Aren't we glad that we have been shown that place, and can go there freely?

• God will never grant repentance to His great enemy: Death.

"I will ransom them from the power of the grave;
I will redeem them from death.
O Death, I will be your plagues!
O Grave, I will be your destruction!
Repentance (pity) is hidden from My eyes."    Hosea 13:14
For our sakes, God has cut off Death and the Grave from ever being able to repent before Him. He has cut them off from Himself forever, and they cannot live.

• Repentance produces specific fruits (harvest):

"Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think to say to yourselves, "We have Abraham as our father." For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones."    Mt. 3:8-9, Lk. 3:8
Jesus is reminding the people of God that repentance applies to them. We cannot have the spiritual pride of our own salvation, the pride of self-righteousness. These are the worst of the prides.
Scripture also says that we shall be known by our fruits:
"You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? ...Therefore by their fruits you will know them."     Mt. 7:16, 20
One of the fruits that God's true people will be known for, and identified by, are the fruits of repentance.

Considering all of the wonderful benefits to us that can be found in repentance, I should be searching myself continually, and taking every opportunity to partake in it. I should be running to that place of repentance as often as my Father calls me. I need to change my knowledge and attitude about repentance.

Our Father calls us to, and grants to us, repentance.


"I Repent"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vw71-oDK4M

"Come Let Us Return to the LORD"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWrHSH_zfDc&list=PL1AC19848DC3D2AEF&index=2

Tried

Jesus had strong words for the church of Laodicea in the Book of Revelation:
"I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.
Because you say "I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing" - and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked- I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see."               Rev. 3:15-18
Laodicea had a tremendous spiritual calling. Its name means "Justice of the People". "Justice" here means more than right, justice, or a judicial decision. It has to do with causing something to be seen. Its root means "to show, to expose to the eyes, to give evidence or proof of a thing, to teach or exhibit, something presented to one in a vision, to bring to pass, of miracles performed in the presence of others to be seen, spoken of God as the author of Christ's visible return".
What an awesome purpose this church had been given. They were to be signposts for the return of Christ, and vessels to bring the invisible miraculous into manifestation, or visibility. However, their "lukewarmness" prevented the zeal for the "justice" of their name.
Jesus told them to buy from Him "gold tried in the fire". This gold is something that we can only get from Him. It is the everlasting victory over all things (Rev. 3:21) that He won for us, because He went through the "fire" on our behalf.
Why does Jesus say that this church must "buy" it from Him? Why doesn't He just give it to them? We are said to be buying this gold tried by fire from Him, because it costs us something. Following Christ as His disciple must come at a cost, with trials and testing of our faith:
"Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it."    Lk. 9:23-24 (Mt. 16:24, Mk. 8:34, 10:21)
"And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which of you intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it- ...
So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple."
                                                                              Lk. 14:27-28, 33
"If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you....If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you..."                       Jn. 15:19-20 (excerpt)
"Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you."       1 Jn. 3:13

 To buy that gold tried in the fire from Christ, is to our advantage. It costs us something, but we gain so much more:
"I will bring the one-third through the fire,
will refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested.
They will call on My name,
and I will answer them.
I will say, "This is My people";
and each one will say, "The LORD is My God."            Zech. 13:9

"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of you faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love."         1 Peter 1:6-8a
"Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings...If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part, He is blasphemed, but on your part, He is glorified."                              1 Pet. 4:12-14
At the same time that the trial condemns those who are blaspheming, the Spirit of glory is resting upon us, and glorifying both us, and God, because we also share in Christ's sufferings. This glory (gold) comes at a cost-the sharing of His suffering. The resurrected Christ says to buy this gold from Him.

Laodicea was known as "the seat of the Christian church", yet this church was very self-satisfied and complacent, according to Christ in His prophetic word to John. Their purpose, revealed by the meaning of their name, was to show and exhibit to others the miracles and the blessings of the salvation, and the return of Christ, but they were more concerned with enjoying those blessings themselves. They took more pleasure with their riches and comfort, their success, than with their purpose in Christ.
They enjoyed the blessings of Christ, but they had not been tried. When we experience Christ, we also experience or share a portion of His sufferings. When we live and believe the Word of God, that Word in us is tested and tried. This testing produces that gold tried by fire, the pure gold that does not perish that Jesus mentioned. Without attaining that gold tried by fire, we are really "poor" in the Spirit (reduced to begging, destitute, powerless to accomplish an end), as was Laodicea.
The experiencing of Christ in the testing fire, is valuable to ourselves, and for our testimony to others. In the ultimate challenge to come, because we have joined Christ in that fire of experience, and we have been tried, even if our trials in no way compare to His, and have been delivered out of all (Ps. 34:19, Isa. 43:2), we are able to overcome by the blood of the Lamb, the word of our testimony, and the fact that we love not our lives unto the death (Rev. 12:11). Our overcoming faith, which is the faith of the Son of God, has been purified and sealed in the fire of testing.
Instead of leading others to spiritually "see" Christ and His return, the church of Laodicea was call "blind" by Christ. This word means to be wrapped in a cloud of smoke or a mist that prevents sight, and as a result, to be puffed up with pride and haughtiness. He urged them to anoint their eyes with eye salve, to clear their spiritual vision.
Jesus also described them as "wretched". This refers to a pair of balancing scales, as in our symbol for justice, but by this definition, these scales are weighted down with a burden, instead of weighing out liberating justice.
He said they were "naked". Instead of exposing others to the truth in Christ, their own nakedness was revealed. They were showing and exposing their own flesh and shame, and not His glory, nor the clothing of glory, which is righteousness, the white raiment, that He had attained for those who believe. He urged them to attain this spiritual raiment.
However, Jesus did not leave them with only these harsh words. He told them that He was correcting them because He loved them. He was knocking at their spiritual door because He wanted them to intimately experience and fellowship with Him (Rev. 3:19-20). You cannot stay lukewarm after you experience Jesus. You cannot stay lukewarm when you have seen the wounds of His suffering, and have been delivered from your own trials by His victory.
Jesus said that if they would heed His words to them, and repent, they would sit with Him on His throne, which is the throne He shares with His Father (Rev. 3:21). They would be overcomers, as He is. What an incredible promise and blessing to a church that was missing its calling so completely. It was still possible for them to walk in their calling and purpose.
This was a very timely word to the comfortable, complacent, lukewarm church of Laodicea. We can only hope that they received that prophetic warning, and heeded it. Shortly after they would have received this word, Laodicea was destroyed by an earthquake in 66 A.D., and was not re-built until almost 100 years later by Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, who was a persecutor of Christians. Not only this church, but many other lives had been hanging in the balance when this prophetic warning from Christ was issued to them.
Christ is also warning the modern church, because many of us have become very much like the Laodiceans of Revelation. It is very tempting to compromise, or remain silent with the truth we know, in order to keep our comfort and wealth, to be accepted by the world and its views, and to avoid the trials that come with the truth of Jesus, and the Word of God. Again, as in the time of Laodicea, there are many lives in the balance, not just our own. We also have a vital End-Time calling and purpose. We also are called to bring the miraculous salvation and soon return of Christ into visibility for all around us. It is time to repent of our lukewarmness, and to become "hot" again, and to buy from Jesus that gold tried in the fire.

Our Father is a refiner's fire Fire.

"Have You Been Tried in the Fire?"  by Macedonia Youth Choir
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7J6Ry0b_E6s