The Fullness of David: Part Seventeen (Peaceful Prosperity)

August 16th, 2012

When we decide to pattern our expectations after those of the patriarchs and kings of Israel, we must adopt the attitude that they had. Sometimes, this attitude was a gift of the LORD, from an early age in life; as was the case in the very young king Josiah.

Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Boscath. And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.

And it came to pass in the eighteenth year of king Josiah, that the king sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, the scribe, to the house of the LORD, saying,

Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may sum the silver which is brought into the house of the LORD, which the keepers of the door have gathered of the people: And let them deliver it into the hand of the doers of the work, that have the oversight of the house of the LORD: and let them give it to the doers of the work which is in the house of the LORD, to repair the breaches of the house, Unto carpenters, and builders, and masons, and to buy timber and hewn stone to repair the house.

Howbeit there was no reckoning made with them of the money that was delivered into their hand, because they dealt faithfully.

(2 Kings 22:1-7)

Sometimes, the attitude was slow in developing; as is the lesson that is contained in the fullness of David.

In all cases, though, there is one destination toward which we must set our course. In the latter day, at the dawn of the New Age, the Lord Jesus Christ presented the governing wisdom that must regulate our travel, in the LORD, in the kingdom of man.

– Explore The Fullness of David: Part Seventeen –

Kingdom of God: Part Thirteen (Preparation)

August 6th, 2012

Preparation gives us the opportunity to utilize the promise that the LORD has invested in us. Speaking of opportunity in the Kingdom of God, this, too, is on a sure foundation. It is also a long-standing and proven foundation, which we revere as being ancient of days. For, opportunity for mankind, in the Kingdom of God, was made evident in the Beginning: the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden.

These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.

The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone.

And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia.

And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria.

And the fourth river is Euphrates.

And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

(Genesis 2:4-15)
Even after the incident of Adam, opportunity was re-placed for mankind (and it is ever available to us as we move in the Kingdom of God). Its re-placement is expressed thusly: seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

– Explore the Kingdom of God:  Part Thirteen –

The Fullness of David: Part Sixteen (Damage Reversal)

July 26th, 2012

We continue, in this arena, with one who did not succeed at damage reversal: king Saul. However, before we continue, let us study the term damage reversal–what does that mean?

To give you an example of an opportunity to reverse the damage of pursuing excellence before one is ready to contain it; here is a New Age event that highlights the danger of doing so.

And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?

And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.

Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.

And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth.

Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.

And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.

(Mark 10:17-22)

Of course, there is a Power that can fix anything, even our shortcomings. This truth was presented to the folks assembled around Jesus Christ.

– Explore The Fullness of David: Part Sixteen –

Kingdom of God: Part Twelve (Promise)

July 16th, 2012

In order to be confident that we are an heir to promise, in any environment, we need these three things: potential to excel, opportunity to try (with some leeway to falter, or, even, fail), and the assurance that we are in a stable environment. Let us look at each of these necessary things, in our environment. The beginning of the environmental construction has foundational principles, such as Jesus Christ described in a lesson that he gave to his disciples.

Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?

The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master.

And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother’s eye.

For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.

(Luke 6:37-45)

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The stable environment is really our first requirement for belief in promise; for, if we cannot visualize stability, then we will proceed in the following fashion.

– Explore the Kingdom of God:  Part Twelve –

The Fullness of David: Part Fifteen (Forward Fixations)

July 5th, 2012

Here are some added thoughts to assist you in deciding whether you want to allow your indiscretion to be excused, so that you can continue your life as you want to live it. Yes, it is true that king David was given a pass–sort of–as pertains to the ultimate judgment that could have been dispatched from Heaven.

And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD.

And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.

Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.

(2 Samuel 12:13-14)

We say, sort of, because, as you see, above; the total package that could have been king David-extended did not escape.

At this point, I will shift the flow, just a little; in that, I am reminded of an attitude of a certain king, when he received some news of a similar type as that which was spoken to king David. In the case of that other king, the LORD told him of consequence that would come upon his descendants. It was a similar message to the one that king David had received, telling him about the generational downsizing of the family dynasty. The warning was given to the other king, as a preview of the fulfillment of a declaration of consequence that the LORD set in the king’s family’s life-line.

– Explore The Fullness of David: Part Fifteen –

Kingdom of God: Part Eleven (Promises)

June 25th, 2012

There are two truths of the Kingdom of God that we want to highlight here. The first truth is that we owe our existence to God. The second truth is that God has, shall we say, obligated Himself to maintain our welfare. The second truth is the one that fuel this discussion of promises. The second truth is highly important to both our well-being and the recognition that God is consistent in His Entire Kingdom. We can rest in this truth because there is a simple fact of existence that attaches us, unbreakably, to God: we are His, and we are subject to both His care and His rule.

The word of the LORD came unto me again, saying,What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge? As I live, saith the Lord GOD, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel. Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right, And hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither hath defiled his neighbour’s wife, neither hath come near to a menstruous woman, And hath not oppressed any, but hath restored to the debtor his pledge, hath spoiled none by violence, hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment; He that hath not given forth upon usury, neither hath taken any increase, that hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, hath executed true judgment between man and man, Hath walked in my statutes, and hath kept my judgments, to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord GOD.

(Ezekiel 18:1-9)
As interactions–including interventions, along with intercessions, and even when they are spontaneous–provide the glue that binds us to God, in the Kingdom of God; promises are the grainy things inside the interactions that give them their stickiness. Before we proceed, we need to take a good look at the diversity that is in the word, promise. In our world, there are promises, and there is promise; these two need to be kept separate.The word, promise, is a double-edged sword: on the one edge are promises; on the other edge is each entity’s promise. Entities’ promise is best expressed as: the potential for evolution, leading to advancement. We will explore both of these aspects of intervention, as revealed in the kingdom of God; each in their own topic, and in their appropriate place in the flow of enhancing our understanding of the Kingdom of God. Here, let us start with the promises of the Kingdom of God. Of course, we will not try to cover all the promises, here; but we will explore a representative sample. First, let us state the bedrock that supports all the promises of the Kingdom of God.

– Explore the Kingdom of God:  Part Eleven –

The Fullness of David: Part Fourteen (Mindful Intervention)

June 14th, 2012

We will start on the path to personalized mindfulness about our interventions, in a moment. First, though, we need a charter. Here is our charter.

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

(Galatians 6:9-10)

In addition to our charter, we need some motivation. To gain motivation, let us search Scripture. One very good example of positive incentives that can incite one to be motivated to be mindful of their intervention in the world involves what may be thought of as being an addendum to the charter.

– Explore The Fullness of David: Part Fourteen –

Kingdom of God: Part Ten (Spontaneity)

June 4th, 2012

Before we delve into spontaneity, please think about the alternatives: intervention that requires action on our part versus intercession that is done without our involvement. A particular figure of history said it this way, “God helps those who help themselves”. Sometimes that is true; however, sometimes it is not. For instance, in a certain event, the intervention for the sake of the wayward kings that reigned in Israel, from time to time, was preceded by an inspiration for the king to humble himself before the LORD. The following is Scripture that describes king Ahab’s humility in a petition for intervention, and lets us see the disposition of it in the Kingdom of God. First, the king was given ample reason to turn his heart toward humility. And yet, the king was also too corrupt, it seems, to merit a good return from the LORD as an answer to the king’s humility.

And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, which is in Samaria: behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to possess it.And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine.

And Ahab said to Elijah, hast thou found me, O mine enemy? And he answered, I have found thee; because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the LORD. Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity, and will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel, And will make thine house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked me to anger, and made Israel to sin.And of Jezebel also spake the LORD, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel. Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat.

(1 Kings 21:17-24)
However, even with a corrupt beneficiary, still the LORD gave the humility greater weight than the corruption.

– Explore the Kingdom of God:  Part Ten –

The Fullness of David: Part Thirteen (Present Restoration)

May 24th, 2012

In the matter of present restoration, we must be ready to play our part. We should all be aware of the restoration that involves the offended, and often unwilling, participants in our variance from the way of the LORD; but it goes beyond that. There is restoration that needs to be done for the ones who may have cooperated with us in the offense. For instance, as pertained to Naboth, there was a need for restoration in the lives of these men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who were the inhabitants in his city.

And the men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who were the inhabitants in his city, did as Jezebel had sent unto them, and as it was written in the letters which she had sent unto them. They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people. And there came in two men, children of Belial, and sat before him: and the men of Belial witnessed against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth did blaspheme God and the king. Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones, that he died.

Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, Naboth is stoned, and is dead.

(1 Kings 21:11-14)

Besides our self, the need for restoration includes those situations in which there is a need for intervention that is external to us. Such a situation was described by the apostle Paul, in a portion of his New Age sharing of the wisdom of God.

– Explore The Fullness of David: Part Thirteen –

Kingdom of God: Part Nine (Intercession)

May 14th, 2012

The first intercession that is recorded in the Bible was not a voluntary one, as far as we can see with human eyes. Yes, the object of substitution may have volunteered their services to the LORD, but there is no mention of such an intervention by this particular portion of creation. In the text, it seems that the LORD volunteered this particular portion of reality to be the intercessor for mankind.

And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. (Genesis 3:17-19) In most cases, intervention that is of the LORD is a fixed matter of ordinance. In such situations, there is no negotiation. Considering this, let us not think of the discussion in Heaven about Job as being a matter of Satan’s persuasive abilities. The intervention of Satan in the life of Job was by ordinance of the LORD. The same is true of all interventions in the kingdom of man. In general, we accept the LORD’S presence as being present when things are positive. However, the ordinance of the LORD is indeed the power source even when it is a negative event, one that could trigger a desire for negotiation with the LORD. The patriarch Job explains:

– Explore the Kingdom of God:  Part Nine –

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