KNOWING GOD

Am I content in my knowledge of God? Without peace, has God left me, or have I moved away from Him? Do I recognize that I lack the full knowledge of God? Do I measure my contented heart and find a lack of His peace? Impoverished souls may choose to admit their desperate need for a Savior. While on earth, the Son of God was sent into the world to walk with ordinary and those that considered themselves extraordinary. The ordinary came to know Jesus, and in knowing Him, they came to know His Father. Those that prided themselves on their knowledge of God tended to reject Jesus, or their need for a Savior. The Old Testament testifies a few pre-incarnate manifestations of our Lord Jesus. Daniel 3:25 and Daniel 6:22

"Like a son of the gods." Who was the fourth man? Who walked with Daniel's three friends in the furnace? Who was the angel whom God sent to shut the lions mouth when Daniel was in the den? The Lord Jesus Christ is now absent from us in body, but present with our Father God, and also never forsaking us, ever with us, true to His word, the Comforter was sent to dwell within us, Who is like Him. Today in 2012, when we seek the company of Jesus, we come to know God. Seek the Lord Jesus and find God. The promise is that when we seek Him with all our hearts, we shall surely find Him. Consider your purpose, what you were made for, and what direction, what aim, what goal is worthy of our full attention?

What is eternal life? The answer that Jesus gives is: "This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent." John 17:3 KNOWLEDGE OF GOD ~ "This is what the Lord says: 'Let not the wise man boast of his wisom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows Me." Jeremiah 9:23-24 Consider what gives God the greatest pleasure? KNOWLEDGE OF HIMSELF. ~ "I desired....the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings" says God Hosea 6:6 KJV

FLAWLESS Author

The flawless Author of our souls, has superior authority over, in and throughout ALL people and in all things created. When the occasion arises that we need to know which way to go, we are wise to ask for direction. When we are lost we must trust the authority of Whom we inquire. Having been wrong before, we are skitterish on our own, and perhaps we delay our first step. Like babes we yearn to be picked up and carried across the great abyss that looms before us. Our Father reminds us of His love, and His care for generations of those who followed His advice. He arranged to have His word, His will and His way recorded in one book that we may learn of His provision for our ancestors, that we may recognize, trust, believe and obey the voice of our Shepherd. Jesus said with flawless authority “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and My sheep know Me— just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father—and I lay down My life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to My voice, and there shall be one flock and one Shepherd. The reason My Father loves Me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from My Father.” (John 10:11-18) God SPOKE and created the heavens and the earth and every thing in it. God is a communicator. Man does not know who penned the book of Hebrews as God’s Final Word: His Son. "In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom also He made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. So He became as much superior to the angels as the name He has inherited is superior to theirs." Scholars think that the book of Hebrews came into being in order to pronounce that Jesus is superior to all else. That He sustains all things by His word. The early Jews who were persecuted for their faith in Jesus as the Messiah were falling away. The book of Hebrews is a sermon full of God's flawless authority in Whom we should turn to when our faith is challenged. We are instructed through progressive revelation to only WORSHIP JESUS, not angels, not man, not statues, nor any created thing. While in prison in Patmos, John wrote down what he saw and heard. "Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear. (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people, His bride) Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.” At this I (John) fell at his feet to worship him. But he (the angel) said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.” Revelation 19:6-10

WALK by FAITH

The day before Thanksgiving 2009, Ben took me on the San Javier Pilgrimage dates back to 1760. The native indians of Loreto had tribes that spoke different languages. The Guaycura of Loreto and the Cochimi of San Javier held entirely differing customs. Padre Jacob wrote "They have no words to express whatever is not material and not perceptible to the senses. If it could not be seen or touched, they had no words to communicate virtue, vices, feelings or quality. Life, death, weather, time, cold, heat, world, rain, truth, friend, honor, decency, faith love, hope, desire, anger, hate, patience, graditude, beauty, happiness could not be put into words. They had words up to the number four, after that the indians simply held up a hand, to signal "MORE". To illustrate the lack of language of the natives the Jesuit priests told the story of a youth (PACO) from San Javier who journeyed to Loreto. The priest in Loreto sent PACO back to San Javier with a letter to Padre Juan Ugarte telling him the latest news and mentioned two loaves of bread he was sending via PACO. Bread was only baked in Loreto and it was a rare treat. On his trek, the PACO tasted the bread and enjoyed it so much he ate all of it. When the Padre read the note he asked PACO to give him what was sent with the note. PACO denied that the Loreto priest had given him anything with the note. Padre Ugarte reminded PACO that he had two loaves of bread. The boy asked "who said so?" Holding up the note the priest said "this". PACO was astounded that a thin piece of paper could speak. The boy stood his ground and replied that if the paper said that he had bread, that the paper was lying. On a return trip with more loaves of bread PACO decided to hide the note behind a tree while he ate the bread so the paper could not see him eat. Padre Ugarte received the second note and said that he knew that PACO had been sent more bread with this note. The boy then admitted that he had eaten the bread on his first journey in front of the paper, but this time he hid himself where the note could not see him. If the note said he ate anything, the note was surely lying because the note did not see him and therefore does not know if he ate bread or what he did. We travelled the same path as PACO to reach San Javier and had I been sent up this 20 mile climb, I would have ate the bread too! This is the staircase that leads up to the roof of San Javier where the bell is. Feeling a peaceful presence I snapped a few shots of the view. Peoples come from all around to prayerfully consider their loved ones, and give thanks while asking Saint San Javier for miracles. Many miracles have occured at San Javier over the years. A new Thanksgiving tradition began in 2009. A trip to Loreto to visit my brother and his bride Jill will replace times shared at the Stockton Yacht Club in years past. On a cool Wednesday morning 11-25-09 the winds shifted our plans for the day. Ben adorned his feet with socks and said "The winds are high, the sea has given us reason to rethink our plans. The Alleycat stays put today so we shall take a private pilgrimage. San Javier is the esteemed 2nd mission which is located beyond the highest pointed mountain 1700 feet above sea level. The stone church in San Javier is protected by the mountains and has been standing since 1744. The ornate alter was carried by burro from Mexico City up the same steep, rocky roads that we climbed on Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving! This remote village was established in the early 1700's. Then and now farms grow foods with a year round water supply. Orange groves, vineyards, date palms and fig trees planted by missionaries provide livelihood for residents to this day. What a fantastic journey of reflection on all that we have to be greatful for! Mucho Gracias Benito y Jilly for the perfect tour!