Sabbath 2/2/29/120
Dear Friends,
I trust that everyone had a blessed, peaceful and inspiring Passover Feast. Well, it’s “back to the grind stone” so to speak for most of us. Unfortunately, some of our problems from before the Passover season are still with us and will have to be attended to. Fortunately, we have had the opportunity to “unwind” and get rid of most of the stress, although the unresolved matters that have caused the stress were most probably still lingering in the back of our minds. However, we will hopefully be able to focus clearer now that we have had the past eight to ten days to relax and be fed spiritually (and physically, so it’s back to the diets!)
After the cleansing of the temple and putting sin out of our lives since the beginning of Abib, partaking of the Lord’s table, renewing our baptisms, sharing the Passover meal with our dear ones and going through the Days of Unleavened Bread with prayer and study, we just cannot afford to slacken our guard for one single moment as Satan is not going to cease his attacks on us. Paul, in his speech to the Ephesian Elders in Act 20:28-31 said:
Acts 20:28-31 Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. 29 For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. 31 Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.
As we get closer to the end time we will be experiencing more and more attacks on us. We are warned in 1Peter 5:8-9 that we should be sober and watchful and resist the temptations of Satan.
Over the past festive season most of us were basically cut off from the outside world with no television, radio, and telephones. No influences from the outside to pollute our thoughts as we were fully occupied with spiritual matters. Now, as most of us are returning to our homes mainly in big cities, we are not only bombarded with all its air pollution, we are also again becoming vulnerable to thought pollutions.
Satan is very subtle in “transmitting” his thoughts and emotions into our minds.
Especially when we deal with people of the world we should constantly be on
our guard and not allow anger or discouragement or any other evil emotion into
our heads and always be aware of "thought pollution". While we cannot
control all the information coming in we can and should choose to get as much
positive, uplifting and inspiring information as possible.
Christ said in:
Mark 3:27 No man can enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except
he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house. We should
be aware of and discern between good and evil thoughts.
Be careful with what you allow to enter into, and above all, to stay in your head. It’s the thoughts that you allow to take root and grow that control your life. Our minds are like a fertile garden; whatever we plant will grow. So, we should only plant that which we want to harvest.
This reminds me of the story about Two Wolves. It goes as follows:
One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside
people.
He said, "My son, the battle is between two 'wolves' inside us all.
One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego.
The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather,
"Which wolf wins?"
The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."
We should be careful what we allow out of our mouths. In James 3:10 we read: “From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brethren, this ought not to be so.”
It has been said that, "Sticks and stone can break my bones but words can never hurt me". Well this is just not true; words can cause, and have caused, tremendous damage. Words are very powerful and can be used to hurt or to heal, to break down or to build up. When they are your words you must choose how to use them.
Be careful with your tongue. Proverbs 21:23 says: “He who keeps his mouth and his tongue, keeps himself out of trouble”.
Our performance determines our destiny. Every action generates a result; we must be careful that our actions generate the results that we want. Every action is a building block of our past and a foundation stone of our future so once again, we have to be careful with what we think, say and do because we can influence the potential of tomorrow with our actions of today.
In 1Peter 1:3-25 we read:
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His
abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection
of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled
and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are kept by the
power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you
have been grieved by various trials, 7 that the genuineness of your 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 revelation of Jesus Christ, 8 whom
having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you
rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 receiving the end of your
faith—the salvation of your souls. 10 Of this salvation the prophets have inquired
and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you,
11 searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them
was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the
glories that would follow. 12 To them it was revealed that, not to themselves,
but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you
through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from
heaven—things which angels desire to look into. 13 Therefore gird up the loins
of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be
brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 14 as obedient children, not
conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; 15 but as He
who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it
is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” 17 And if you call on the Father, who
without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout
the time of your stay here in fear; 18 knowing that you were not redeemed with
corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received
by tradition from your fathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as
of a lamb without blemish and without spot. 20 He indeed was foreordained before
the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you 21
who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory,
so that your faith and hope are in God. 22 Since you have purified your souls
in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love
one another fervently with a pure heart, 23 having been born again, not of corruptible
seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever,
24 because “All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of
the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away, 25 But the
word of the Lord endures forever.”
We again, have had the opportunity to repent and cleanse ourselves and overcome as we prepared for the Lord’s Supper and Passover through the Days of Unleavened Bread and on a continual basis hereafter, every day of our remaining lives on this earth for we know not the day or time when our end will come.
1John 2:9-19 He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness
until now. 10 He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no
cause for stumbling in him. 11 But he who hates his brother is in darkness and
walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness
has blinded his eyes.
12 I write to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you
for His name’s sake. 13 I write to you, fathers, because you have known
Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you have overcome
the wicked one. I write to you, little children, because you have known the
Father. 14 I have written to you, fathers, because you have known Him who
is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, Because you are strong,
and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the wicked one. 15
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world,
the love of the Father is not in him. ?16? For all that is in the world—the
lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the
Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of
it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. 18 Little children, it is
the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now
many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. 19 They
went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they
would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest,
that none of them were of us.
It is, was and always will be an extremely sad experience when a loved one passes away and it is just as sad when a fellow brother in Christ falls away or no longer continues with us as has happened recently.
Let us, however, not become discouraged, let us hold fast to our crown and pray without ceasing for our brethren as well as for those who falsely accuse us and spitefully misuse us, encouraging one another in patience and love.
Juan Boshoff
Regional Coordinator
South Africa
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