Through the Fire

Through the Fire - (Zechariah 13:9 And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God. - recorded in CadreBible 12/25/09 10:46 PM) Its never fun to be in the fire. The prospect of going through it causes me often to turn away. Without it, I will never become more than I am. Without going through the fire I can not be sanctified, I can not be purified, I can not be of more value to anyone. And why should I want to be of more value?

Gold has value. The purer the gold, the greater the value. The greater the value, the greater the desire to have it. Is that why I want to have value to others? Admittedly, that is in my flesh, but there is another reason.

Gold has value. The purer the gold, the greater the value. The greater the value, the greater the ability to give, to help, to encourage, to comfort, to guide. Why does God want to refine me? Why does God want to purge me? Why does God want to bring me through the fire? Oh, God, my Father, purge me that I may have more to give. Keep me safe from wanting to be desired, and cause me to be cheerfully used, spent as gold is meant to be used and spent for the good of those you bring me to.

Build

Build - (Zechariah 8:9 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Let your hands be strong, ye that hear in these days these words by the mouth of the prophets, which were in the day that the foundation of the house of the LORD of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built. - recorded in CadreBible 12/22/09 8:27 AM) This message is pertinant today.  Those who here the word of the Lord as it is preached by the men whom our great God has called and ordained to preach the Gospel, the whole councel of the Lord. 

Let my hands be strong.  Those things by which I accomplish a work.  Let them be strong.  My hands grasp objects as my ear grasps words.  They must be strong to hold them.  My hands carry objects as my heart carries words.  They must be strong to endure the journey.  My hands deliver objects to the place they must go just as my mouth must deliver the words of life to the place they must go.  Strong hands are necessary to build the temple.  Let my hands be strong.

Let my hands be strong.  Don't make them be strong, but let them be strong.  How do I let my hands be strong without first making them strong?  Let God strengthen them.  Let the preaching of His word strengthen them.  Let the doing of that which He has shown me to do strengthen them (Jam 1:22-25, Heb 5:14, ).  Let my hands be strong.

Let the Holy Spirit do as He will through me.  Let Him convince the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment to come.  Quench not the Spirit  (1 Thes 5:19).  Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God (Eph 4:30).  Let my hands be strong.

What is the purpose of those strong hands?  That the temple might be built.  Not the temple of brick and mortar, but the church of Jesus Christ that He will build through hands He makes strong.

Pressing on,

Mark Hebert
Ps. 16:11
Praise God!

To Whom?

To Whom? - (Zechariah 7:5 Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month, even those seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even to me? - recorded in CadreBible 12/22/09 8:00 AM) Seventy years of captivity to turn the hearts back to God.  In all that time, to whom did they fast?  Fasting is hard.  Whether its for one day, one week, or one month it is hard, and not an experience a person undertakes just for the fun of it.  So if they didn't fast to the Lord, then who?

Jesus makes it very clear.  In Matt. 6:1-8, Jesus reveals to whom the religious leaders fasted and prayed, to themselves.  Luke 18:9-11 again shows this truth.

Fasting and praying are religious activities.  Typically viewed as the highest of religious activities with Bible study being the third that is ranked with thbe first two.  If it is possible to do these unto myself, how more the activities of teaching and reaching the word of God?  How much more cleaning the church?  How much more visiting a bus route, driving a bus, or working on a bus?  How much more tithng or giving?  How much more attending church or not?  To whom do I do these things?

The hypocrites conducted their religious activities for only one reason; to be seen by men and held in reverence by them.  It is the same thing satan was going for back when he proclaimed he will be as the most High (Isa 14:12-14).  What is my purpose? 

Lord, cleanse me from all unrighteousness. 

Pressing on,

Mark Hebert
Ps. 16:11
Praise God!

Enter, Stand, Pass

Stand - (Joshua 3:8 And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan. - recorded in CadreBible 12/20/09 8:15 AM) The brink of the waters.  The trigger of troubles.  The start of sorrow.  The opening of obstacles.  The beginning of beatings.  Don't rush through.  Stand still.  Don't go one step deeper: stand still.  Don't turn and run: stand.  When you see it coming and know you must pass through it, enter and stand.  Those waters are there for God to be glorified and for me to learn of Him.

He has called me to a work of great proportions.  He has promised fruit and victory.  There are waters between me and the land of promise.  Enter, stand, pass.  God will not only stop the waters, but He will dry up the ground upon which I must tread.

Pressing on,

Mark Hebert
Ps. 16:11
Praise God!

The Midas Effect

The Midas Effect - (Haggia 2:14 Then answered Haggai, and said, So is this people, and so is this nation before me, saith the LORD; and so is every work of their hands; and that which they offer there is unclean. - recorded in CadreBible 12/17/09 2:31 AM) You remember the story of King Midas.  He was the guy that had a golden touch.  As the story is told, everything he touched turned to gold.  How cool would that be?  What is you needed or wanted?  Here let me pick up this sand... POOF!  Its now gold.  Gold dust, perhaps, but gold none the less.  You've heard the proverb, "One man's trash is another man's treasure?"  If you had the "Midas Touch" that would be your life.  Touch trash... POOF!  Its treasure; literally.

As the story  goes, King Midas was having great fun with his little talent until one day, he touched his daughter.  Can you believe it... POOF!  She became a gold statue.  Then he wasn't quite so pleased with himself.

We have a talent similar to King Midas.  That's right, the good King isn't the only one who can transform the quality of every object he touches.  Just like the king, we transform the quality of everything we touch whether we want to or not, and typically we don't want to.  You see, God prefaced the statement He made above with a couple of questions to the priests which they correctly answered.

Haggia 2:11-14  -  Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Ask now the priests concerning the law, saying, If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any meat, shall it be holy? And the priests answered and said, No.  Then said Haggai, If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these, shall it be unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be unclean.  Then answered Haggai, and said, So is this people, and so is this nation before me, saith the LORD; and so is every work of their hands; and that which they offer there is unclean. (KJV - CadreBible)

Our talent, unfortunately is to defile everything we touch.  I know its a repulsive thought, and we immediately think of all sorts of people who "improved" the world around them, and truth be told, in my judgment those people were good people and did improve the world around.  Problem is, my judgment doesn't count.  I hate to be the one to say it, but niether does yours.  Its God's judgment alone that matters.  Here's some more statements He's made:

Isaiah 64:6 -  But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. (KJV - CadreBible)

Job 14:4 -  Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one. (KJV - CadreBible)

Jeremiah 13:23 -  Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil. (KJV - CadreBible)

Are you getting the picture?  Left on our own, we are in a great state of desparity.  We are defiled and unclean before the just, righteous, perfect, and holy God.  Nothing we can do can change that, it is not within our power to do so.  So I've done a good work, I had compassion on a person and gave them what they needed to go on and more.  The work was unclean and defiled as soon as I did it for no one can bring forth a clean thing from an unclean.  What do I have then to offer up to God in order for me to get to heaven?  Only unclean and defiled works.  Nay, even worse, filthy rags.

So I spent a good portion of my life devoted to raising my kids and doing all I could do, all I knew to do and endeavored to learn more, but even this is as a filthy rag for I did not, could not, love them as God does.  I did not teach them the ways of God, the statutes of God, the path of God as He commanded.  I tried sometimes, and somteimes I did not.  Who can bring a clean thing from an unclean?  No one.

Arguing with me won't change anything.  Joining forces in agreement with others won't change anything.  Shunning God and removing any mention of Truth from your life won't change anything.  We may satisfy ourselves that we have argued and won, but its only an illusion.

Why would God make such a statement?  He must be mean.  On the contrary.  He loves us too much too let us wonder around in the darkness that exists outside of truth.  God's not saying that to insult anyone.  He's not saying it to brag.  He's simply alerting mankind to the fact that we can do nothing good.  God does not delight in punishment. 

Ezekiel 33:11 -  Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel? (KJV - CadreBible)

All our ways are evil.

So what is the answer?  God's love; mercy and grace.  His love in His desire to give us the kingdom of heaven.  His love in that in order to do so, He had to put the wages of sin on the sinnless Son of man so that we could escape eternal destruction.  His mercy in that we are not consumed already.  His grace in that while we can not generate the righteousness He requires for us to enter into heaven, he freely offers His own righteousness to us through the deathe, burial, and resurection of His only begotten Son.

Of course, if a person insists that the Bible is not the very Word of God, and clings to the lie that they can be as God, then they will never truly accept the payment Jesus has made for them, and thereby reject the gift of eternal life He purchased for all.  What say ye?

Pressing on,

Mark Hebert
Ps. 16:11
Praise God!

Confusing Confession?

I Fear the Lord?

- (Jonah 1:9 And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land. - recorded in CadreBible 12/5/09 7:05 AM)

Really? How do I fear the Lord? When I make such a statement, what do I send a confusing message to those who hear it? Here is Jonah in open rebellion against God, running from His command to preach the Gospel, saying he fears the Lord. As an outsider looking in, that makes my head spin.

I wonder, how does my life, my works, my thoughts, my vision, my meditation, my love, my direction, and my obedience say about my profession. When I tell people that I am a Christian, does there head spin in an attempt to reconcile what they see in me with what they just heard, do they say, "Ah, that explains it," or is there no reaction at all; as if I were neither hot nor cold?