THE INNER SANCTUM

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GETTING THE INNER SANCTUM CLEAN

Inner Sanctum

By Ken Blue

“Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth.” Ezekiel 8:12.

Because of their wickedness, the nation of Israel had been taken captive to Babylon. Ezekiel was among those deported. While in captivity, God spoke to him and transported him, in spirit, back to Jerusalem to show him the extent of Israel’s corruption and idolatry. Much of the wickedness was observable and practiced by the members of the nation, but the greater sins were unseen and hidden from view; they were in the inner sanctum.

Within the inner chambers of the temple were drawings on the walls which portrayed every kind of evil imaginable. These images were symbols of the false, perverse gods which Israel had incorporated into their temple worship. Some are too vile to mention, others are described by the Apostle Paul. “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.” Romans 1:21-23. Do you know any religions that practice these things?

[pullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Americans are more concerned with their appearance than they are their character.[/pullquote]

Not only had they descended into the worship of creation and the creatures, they embraced a philosophy that there were no absolute standards of morality. “For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;” Romans 1:26-28.

Although the temple appeared respectable, and men marveled at its magnificent construction; when God was through with it not a stone was left standing. God does not judge according to outward appearance. Many Americans are more concerned with their appearance than they are their character. They have confused being nice or loving animals with spirituality.

Jesus makes it clear that it is not that which is without that corrupts the man; it is that which proceeds from within the chambers of imagery that defiles and destroys. Let us make sure that we get the inner sanctum clean; the rest will take care of itself.

HOW THE IMPORTANT ESCAPES US

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THE IMPORTANT OR THE URGENT

importantBy Ken Blue

“And as thy servant was busy here and there, he was gone. And the king of Israel said unto him, So shall thy judgment be….” 1 Kings 20:40.

Former President, Dwight D. Eisenhower said, “The important is seldom urgent and the urgent is seldom important.” Most of us never figure out what was really important until it has escaped us; then it is too late.

Instead of smiting wicked Benhadad, Ahab made a covenant with him and let him go. The prophet, in the parable, said the above words to King Ahab. Unbeknownst to the king, his response was his own death sentence. Because Ahab had his mind on everything else, except the will of God, he lost that which God had delivered into his hands, and his own life.

How sad, that most of us have lost opportunities and relationships because we were too busy here and too busy there. The Lord tells us what is most important. “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” Matthew 22:37. The following explains how we are to do this: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33.

[pullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Men and women have lost what is most valuable by making a covenant with the world, the flesh and the devil.[/pullquote]

No one can tell you what the will of God is for your vocation or individual choices. But, when the love of God and the will of God become first in our lives, we will not be busy about secondary issues.  Many men and women have lost that which was most valuable while making a covenant with the world, the flesh and the devil. Every marriage is destroyed because one or both parties were not paying attention to that which God had given them and they lost it. Prisons are filled with young men and women because the most important was ignored.

Being busy is not a virtue. There is no music without a rest and there is no spiritual renewal without a pause. I insert the following for your meditation. “Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word. 40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. 41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: 42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42.

The message is simple and clear; God has delivered into your hands that with which you can do–His will. Don’t be negligent or foolish. I know many who are busy here and there, but God is not in their plans or thoughts at all. Therefore, do not be surprised when you discover the most important things in life have escaped you.

Contemporary Christianity

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Contemporary Christianity
Richard Sandlin

(Disclaimer: I cannot vouch for the salvation, sanctification or sound doctrine of this writer, but the article seem appropriate for the time)

“Write thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee”

Generally, we speak of Christianity in collective terms, but actually, it is distinctively individual. From our salvation at the beginning, till the Judgment Seat of Christ at the end, God deals with us one on one. And this is true of all that goes on in between.

Most certainly, our Heavenly Father has some basic rules that all the family is to adhere to, but these are for their well-being. Like any wise father, God does not dictate to his children’s preferences in tastes and likes. He allows them to be their own men or women in these.

One mark of a cult is seen in its strict regimentation. As one of my daughters used to say as a child, “They’re same-a-likes.” There is no elbow room in such collectivization for individualism. If you’re different in any way from the other robots, the Gestapo will report you to the Fuhrer.

Another characteristic of a cultic Christianity is that dedication is gauged by the things you give up. It matters little what kind of person you are, subtraction of things is the criteria for acceptance. These morbid members cannot give up a thing, without wanting everyone else to give it up.

There is a little tract entitled, “Others Can; You Can’t.” It leads one to believe spirituality is based on asceticism. But how about, “You Can; Others Can’t”? What a servant can or cannot do is between him and his Master, not another slave (Ro.14:4).

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THE GAME

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THE GAME
By Ken Blue

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the
called according to his purpose.” Romans :2.

I was viewing life as a game;
Opponents, against me, all.
To win, I had to be skillful;
Be wise or I’d take the fall.

Each person was viewed a challenge;
Each one, a potential threat.
Always, on my vigilant guard;
The advantage I must get.

Everyone was out to defeat me;
Cleverly I planned with speed.
Words spoken had selfish motives;
Each act; a crafty deed.

Then I realized life’s no game;
I’m led by a loving hand.
It’s not our winning or losing;
It’s a providential plan.

All things, together are working.
Together, they work for good.
His love for us never changes.
His plan is now understood.

DR. JACK KEVORKIAN; A FOOL?

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THE ARROGANCE OF DR. KEVORKIAN

KEVORKIANBy Ken Blue

“The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.” Psalms 14:1.
“Dr. Kevorkian first drew national attention in 1990 when he hooked up a 54-year-old Alzheimer’s patient to his homemade suicide machine and watched as she pushed a button to release lethal drugs. By the time he was jailed nine years later, he claimed to have helped more than 130 terminally ill or chronically ill patients take their own lives.”

In a interview of Fox News, (Sep. 2, 2009), Dr. Kevorkian made it clear that he does not believe in God, and then he attempted to show how ridiculous it is to believe that the body is sacred or that there will be a resurrection. His question to the Fox interviewer was, “If the heart of a baboon was transplanted into the heart of a child, is the baboon heart now sacred, or if a kidney is removed and discarded to the garbage, is the kidney sacred?” His question may sway many school children and corrupt the minds of men like himself, but his argument only shows his ignorance and arrogance about the subject.

Paul makes is very clear that the body which is put in the ground is not the body that will be raised as it was buried. That is, a brand new body, of similar fashion, will come from the corrupt, deformed, and decomposing body. It matters not the condition or location of that body at burial. If the body is cremated, buried at sea, or put in a grave, it will have no effect on God’s ability to give you a new body in the resurrection.

[pullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Kevorkian made it clear that he does not believe in God.[/pullquote]

About four miles from my home is a large field of corn. The location is well known to locals and is called “Bob’s Corn.” Each spring the soil is plowed and prepared for planting. The seed planter is filled with kernels of corn and attached to a large tractor. As the tractor and planter move along, kernels are dropped into the ground at even intervals. In just a few days you can see the new stalks emerge from the ground. In a few more weeks, two to four ears of corn develop on each stock with approximately six hundred kernels per ear.

Now, you know that none of the kernels on the stalk is the kernel you placed in the ground. It has decayed and will disappear, but from that kernel came evidence of what was planted. Paul uses this same illustration to explain the resurrection and the new body. “And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain:” 1 Corinthians 15:37. The word, “chance” here means, “for example”. That is, you know from the new harvest the nature of the seed that was planted. So will it be in the resurrection. The only reason Jesus retained His scars was to validate His resurrection. You will not have them.

We must also keep in mind that the new body will be new, young, and alive! Babies and the aged will not be infants or old in the resurrection. Infirmity or deformity will not be part of the new body. Therefore, it matters not if you have a baboon tail or a chicken gizzard. Just make sure you don’t have a Kevorkian heart.