Conversations on Kingdom Principles

From: "Darrell, Ruth and Ben Miller"

Save
Address
To: benmiller_16@hotmail.com (Ben Miller); ruthie-miller@hotmail.com
Subject: re: another writing to Matt...
Date: Thursday, January 8, 2009 7:17:08 AM [View Source]
Reputation: No information. Show details
Ahhh... you see this is how we uncover the root of the issue... the will of man, and the
free volition one has; choices, desires, attractions, passion, contrasting interests and
responsibilities, and, ultimately... a DIVIDED HEART. Isn't this REALLY where the
problem seems to exist, especially in our North American church?? Is it any wonder
why the "power" of God ( dunamis/miracle-working mighty resurrection power) is not
prevelent inside the typical congregation to heal the sick, cast out deamons, expose the
sinister plans of the enemy to disrupt and divide, and conquer all strongholds of the
enemy in our midst?? You see, the real reason why is because so few us will follow
passionately the road the bloody and battered Lamb has walked ahead of us. I can
promise you, it is an all-out passion... one must not be dabbling, but completely soldout
to Christ and the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. Why should God entrust His
divinity and His mighty power to the hands of ministers who want a part-time, halfhearted,
take-it-or-leave-it, self-promoting, lazy, service to Him?? God is not looking
to increase His wealth by selling off piece-meal bites and pieces of His power to this
kind of individual. NEVER! He is looking for sons and daughters who will follow
Him through the wind, fire, and floods... with eyes and ears tuned in to His voice as
their primary and the default setting. These are the ones He can simply whisper in their
ears during the lonely nights on their knees before Him... seeking for the life-giving
water which is only flowing from His being into theirs'. They have no attraction to the
many voices clamoring around them to be heard, or to buy this book or that. They
don't need to mercilessly beat themselves into times and seasons of prayer and
devotion... it is more like, from out of the depths of their innermost being there is a
hunger and a thirst for what's real, and a deep-unto-deep crying, which they know
from past experience can only be satisfied by a season in the presence of the Lord God
Himself. Conrary to many popular authors and so-called Christian leaders, these times
are not by our own design as far as the right time and the right place. These times are
"set-up" and directed by divine appointment by the Holy Spirit of the Living God.
Let me make myself perfectly clear, the only place true death to the old nature can take
place is when we are "planted together" into the death of Christ. I don't want to be
misundersood on this point. Paul spoke of dying daily (ICor15:31)... and it is a daily
process in our walk with the Lord. The provision our Savior made for us is the
spiritual reality of the ordinance of Baptism. Most people who have attended church
for very long, or read many books about the Christian life, are familiar with the words
of the Apostle Paul to the Romans, especially chapters 6-8. Am I correct? There are
probably few other portions of Scripture which are analyzed and preached on more
than portions of these chapters. Yet, I challenge you to read very carefully through
chapter 6 right now... notice the clear teaching on the very issues we are discussing...
the place of dying to the old nature, the new life of Christ transforming us, being set
free from the life of sin and unrighteousness, living in the new life of righteousness
and power... what do you think?? Where does the life lived full of the supernatural
power of God get its infusion of God's nature?? Also, read further of the spiritual work
in Baptism in Colossians chapter 2, and also in IPeter chapter 3.
With regard to conflicting interests presenting themselves as ligitimate choices
compared to spending time in devotion and prayer... come on!... don't we do the things
we WANT to?? Who has to be coaxed to give their time to just simple pleasures and
entertainment in life? Why is devotion and refreshing communion with the Lord
presented to our will to choose as out-and-out drudgery?? I'll tell you why... it is
because there is so little life-changing power coming out of those times spent
previously with the Lord, that there is no compelling desire to go there again. So, we
blame simple, innocent, inanimate objects such as computers and televisions for our
lack of spiritual passion, instead of laying the responsibility squarely on the shoulder
of the one responsible... the arch-enemy of our souls... Satan! You see, he knows for a
certainty that if he can obstruct a person's pathway to the streams of living water, it
won't be long till the soil of that person's heart gets dried up and parched, and the seed
of the word of the Lord will be greatly hindered from sprouting and growing into a
mighty tree of life for the Kingdom of Heaven. At issue here is the lack of meaningful
times of refreshing in the presence of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Here's
the truth... Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness fo they shall be
filled! and, Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of God! and,
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God!
As far as what seems to be my stubbornness in attending a local church goes... let me
explain... I was called and ordained to the ministry as an evangelist on October 16,
1983, through the divine inspiration of our Lord's gift of prophesy, which He gave to
the Church, when He ascended to the Heaven to sit at the right hand of Almighty God
and Father of us all. I have never shyed away from ministering where the Lord sends
me. I follow the direction of the Holy Spirit to pray for those who are in need;
sometimes quietly and privately, and other times by anointing with oil and laying my
hands on them. Since we have arrived in Western Canada, almost 2-1/2 years ago now,
we have been seeking the Lord's leadership as to where to serve or attend, as some
people would say. The way things have gone, we have been led to various meetings
either in our own home or in someone else's home or in a restaurant or nursing home.
Sometimes, it will be on Sundays... but more often, it is more of a spontaneous
meeting, and could take place any day of the week. I have been blessed by the Lord,
personally, because He has sent Eldon Boldt and another man, Jake Thiessen from
Plenty, SK, and my own Dad, into my life as those to provide counsel and
oversight for me. I really appreciate these people, as they have faithfully and
graciously listened to my many struggles and questions regarding the mysteries of the
Kingdom of God. So, this is how the Lord has led us. My primary interest and goal is
to hear more clearly the voice of the Lord and to sense His direction in my life each
and every day. He has chosen me as one to experience some things which seem far out
to some folks, but I have never questioned or rejected His dealings with me. I am
learning little by little what it means to exercise the spiritual senses in my own life. I,
by no means, am an expert at this, or above disappointment or delusion. But, I have a
firm commitment and a burning desire to know God more today than yesterday, and to
know Him even more tomorrow... that's my desire and my goal. My service is
primarily to my Lord and Savior, and only to people when and as He directs. Please
pray that I will be faithful to the end of my days. Thank You.
OK... enough for now.
Darrell
-------------- Original message from "Matt & Jenny Zacharias"
: --------------
Ok, that was really good, but we are still required to come before God to chose and to obey
Him. Death only takes place when we choose to come before God and ask Him to change us.
To spend time in the fire so the chaff can be burned off. And yes I agree that it is not a case
of saying we have to spend this or that much time before God but the truth is we cannot be
changed without making that choice and picking up our cross and following Him. Choosing
time in the Word over time in my video game or sports. I understand that Matthew
Zacharias cannot change himself, but I still must choose to abide in the One who can which of
course is Jesus. I think often I am drawn to spend time in the Word but have chosen foolishly
and I would like to change that. The question I have is that if God is not in the remodeling
business but into the 100% new construction, then why are so many “Christians” just a mask
of what they were. Where is that life giving power of God that should be in our churches?
Even our church at South Lawrence is having issues. Why isn’t the power of God at work like
it should be. God promised that the disciples that in the last days there would be even
greater miracles done then when Jesus was on the earth, yet it seems in North American
churches that there are more cobwebs then people with that power of God evident in their
lives. I’ll tell you what, I thank God that I have you in my life to inject these life giving
principles in my life. Oh how I need that mentorship.
My only challenge to you would be is this, why do you not use your gifts and the things God
has taught you to instill them into a local church? It seems you have so many valuable things
that people need to hear. I’m not saying this because I think you should be a card carrying
member of some church so you can say I goto this church, but it’s more a case of, that I think
people need to hear the truths you are learning. We need more God fearing men in our
churches today to teach what it means to really follow God. How many more people could
be changed by the truths you share. Maybe I’m just to old fashioned…..or maybe the
Mennonites have infiltrated my brain, but I guess I look at our church and I see all the young
men and women who need more people like you to teach them. Well, anyway, I am very
fortunate to have you in my life. Like I often say, and mean with all my heart, I pray that
God’s riches blessings would be bestowed upon you and your family,
Matt.
From: Darrell, Ruth and Ben Miller [mailto:drbmiller@mchsi.com]
Sent: Wednesday, January 07, 2009 6:42 AM
To: Matt & Jenny Zacharias
Subject: RE: Happy New Year...
I think you are beginning to get it, Matt...
Here is the difference between humanism and life in the Kingdom of God... in a nut
shell (hopefully)...
Humanism is mankind's own attempt to make oneself acceptable to God. Every manmade
program which involves self-improvement and self-discipline is just exactly
that... self-improvement and self-discipline. This philosophy is even at the heart of the
entire Masonic teaching mantra... "Making a good man better." This method of
becoming acceptable to a Holy God had been provided to mankind by way of the Old
Testament Law. The problem was, and still remains the problem today, is that if you
break the Law in one single point, you are judged as a LawBreaker, and there is no
longer a remedy for your sin as long as you live. This approach has always been
attractive to human beings, until they fail... compared to...
... a life in the Kingdom of God. In the life in the Kingdom, where Jesus Christ is the
sole Lord and King, the new life which comes forth from the death of the "old man", is
an entirely brand new spiritual being... it has been Born Again! Jesus Christ, our
Messiah, is not in the remodeling business; but He is 100% into New Construction.
This pathway to righteousness is provided for us as we enter the waters of Baptism,
and are raised up again in New Life. All of the old man is buried in Christ's death, so
the new man can come up out of the water hearing the testimony of the Heavenly
Father Himself declaring, "Thou art my beloved child, in whom I am well-pleased!"
He accepts this new child as His own because of the sacrifice of His only begotten
Son, Jesus Christ as the once-for-all sacrifice for all sin. He accepts our faith in the
work of Christ as the seed of His own doing. Now we are a Brand New Person, in
Christ. Just as Jesus Himself was not recognized by His own disciples after He rose
from the grave, so we are able to be changed into and bear His own image in our new
life without offense before God the Father. In each case when Jesus appeared to His
own disciples, He had to show them who He actually was... He opened their spiritual
eyes. God will only ever accept the New Life with the image of Christ's stamp of
authenticity on it. He will never accept the presentation of our own hands, which is
nothing more than a patched up "Old Man".
Now, keep in mind, unless we see the reality of these truths in the spiritual realm, and
cross that bridge between the physical realm into the spiritual realm, we will never see
the final result of our faith. As long as we live on this earth, this process of being
changed into the image of Christ is on-going. When we finally shake off the shell of he
flesh in the grave, we will be eternally free to live forever in this state of being
acceptable to God. This is precisely where things begin to trip us up. We keep our eyes
tuned to the physical life as proof of the status of our spiritual life. BUT, God looks
firstly, and foremostly upon the heart... the spiritual side... the new life, and whether or
not it is living IN Christ... connected to the vine.
The only issue I would still take with your reply is the comment concerning the
amount of time spent abiding in Christ/the vine. If your life is not drawn into these
times by the Holy Spirit Himself, there will be a tendency once again to make even
this time a subject of self-discipline, and eventually, a law. At that point, the effort
reverts once again back to a man-made attempt to prove oneself to God... humanism!
The next thing we know, Matthew will have his own new church which has a new set
of rules... that to be a member, you have to spend the right amount of time alone with
God in order for it to count. Can you see the absurdity of this??... the utter uselessness.
This is where the old man does battle with the spiritual man.
Enough for now... talk to me!
Darrell
-------------- Original message from "Matt & Jenny Zacharias"
: --------------
Hey Darrell,
Once again – Thank you! I think I do understand, it’s all about abiding in the vine – letting
God supernaturally change you as you spend time with Him. Maybe that’s one of the single
most important factors to why the American church is the way it is because there is a lack of
spending time with God, abiding in Him. And that’s my answer too. Needing to sit alone in
the presence of God and let Him transform me. I like that. Just keep praying that I do just
abide in Him. Let it be my goal for this year to abide in Christ. To let Him transform me.
Matt.
From: Darrell, Ruth and Ben Miller [mailto:drbmiller@mchsi.com]
Sent: Tuesday, January 06, 2009 8:05 AM
To: Matt & Jenny Zacharias
Subject: RE: Happy New Year...
Thanks for your thought, Matt...
Actually, I am writing right now on "Kingdom Principles". But, your reply has
touched on at least 2 of these... one of them is the Principle of Growing, or Producing
Fruit. The other is the Principle of Transformation, or The Miracle of Metamorphosis.
Let me just give you a brief glimpse into these amazing principles and how things
work when Christ Jesus rules our hearts as King and Lord.
First of all, one simple question... how does the worm become a butterfly? What much
does it actually have to know about the process, or, how long does it have to discipline
itself before it can become a butterfly?..., or, how hard does it have to work at
changing itself into a butterfly??... can you begin to see the point?? The worm simply
begins to secrete juices what is left over from all the leaves that it has been eating
during its short lifespan in such a manner that a cacoon begins to form around itself.
This step it accomplishes as a natural part of its life. In no way has it had to be taught
the discipline of forming a cacoon... it just simply does it, naturally. Once it is inside
this shell-like house, an amazing process begins to take place which we refer to as
"Metamorphosis". (We English borrowed this word from the Greeks.) The various
uses of this word is found in our Bibles and translated as "transformed" (Rom12:2),
and "transfigured" (Jesus, Peter, James, and John on the Mt of Transfiguration), and
"changed" (2 Cor3:18)... among other places. If we could take a look inside the cacoon
the worm has made, without destroying what is being done, we would see what looks
like deep sleep has come over the worm, or we may even think the worm has died.
But, what is actually taking place is a miracle of new life, unlike anything the worm
could have ever been trained for, or disciplined for. What appears to be death, or neardeath,
is actually a resurrection of new life. Then, the sruggle begins... as this new life
begins to live, it realizes it cannot just lie there... it has to break out of the shell which
is surrounding it and actually suffocating it. It digs and struggles toward the light
which surrounds the cacoon. The result is, a beautiful butterfly emerges from the
cracks of the shell which has held it prisoner...
Next, we have the Principle of Growth, or Fruit Production. A simple, lifeless little
seed with a shell, or casing of sorts around it, is lying dormant on a shelf somewhere,
or in a seed bag. A farmer, or a gardener, takes that little seed, and places it in loose
soil. Before he covers it up, he tries to make certain there is at least some amount of
moisture content in the soil. Then it happens... death! The seed begins to decay and
die... not because it is doing anything for which it has been trained for many years...
but, simply because it is placed there, watered, and covered up. So, it dies... so we
think. But what is actually taking place is once again is an act of miraculous
resurrection life. Regardless how decayed the outer shell casing of the seed becomes,
there is a power of new life in the center of it, waiting to break out... and break out, it
does! It begins to push away the clods of dirt which was over it, and fight its way
upward, always in the direction of light; NEVER in the direction of darkness! This is
the Principle of life in the Production of Fruit. This is a Kingdom Principle, and it is a
natural process of life when the Giver of all life, our Savior and Redeemer Jesus
Christ, is Lord and King in this Kingdom.
The enemy of these amazing processes are the natural elements which would try to
destroy the seed, and keep the new life from being a reality. Enemies such as floods,
draught, winds, storms, earthquakes, etc. In our spiritual life the enemies may be preconceived
ideas we have adopted or have been taught, traditions by which we judge
and rule one another, the cares of this life, the deceitfulness of riches, etc. In the
Kingdom of God, the enemy of this tranformation process seeks to keep this process
from taking place as well. He, Satan, knows if he can interrupt the natural processes of
dying and the springing forth of the new life in Christ , he will keep one more soul
from walking into the Kingdom of Life, setting the captives free, and healing the sick
and raising more of the dead. But, let me ask you, what did the seed have to do to
make this process all take place? How much training did it have to have so it would be
able to die "just right"?? How many times did it have to practise this process to make
certain he would be able to "do" this??? ... can you begin to see the point? How much
discipline and training do we have to know about dying? Whose doing the work
anyway while we are dying?? Why aren't we content to just let the Lord do the work in
us He is trying to accomplish? Do we think we can actually "help" Him do a better job
on us??
Take a look at these verses... this is the Truth of the Gospel of the Kingdom...
"A-B-I-D-E... in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it
abide in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the
branches; he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for
without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch,
and is withered, and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are
burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask what ye will and it
shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified; that ye bear much fruit; so shall
ye be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you. Contiue ye in my
love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my
Father's commandments and abide in His love." (John15:4-10)
Can you see the principle by which fruit production works in the Kingdom of God??... the secret is; ABIDE IN
CHRIST!! That's it! As the seed lies in its grave, and as the worm lies dormant in its cacoon, so we are to ABIDE
IN CHRIST!! There is our role, and there is our discipline... ABIDE IN CHRIST!! If we can get this one thing
straight, everything else will work itself out to the honor and the glory of God. No one ever praises the dead seed
for how beautiful of a plant it has produced. Why?... it is dead! The farmer gets the praise! That's pretty simple, isn't
it??
OK... write back now... you hear! Let me know if this helps turn on a light bulb for you.
Your old uncle,
Darrell
-------------- Original message from "Matt & Jenny Zacharias"
: --------------
Hey Darrell,
Thanks for the email! The thing that really struck me was Romans 12:1-2. That we would
present our bodies as a living sacrifice and I love that he puts in there which is our reasonable
service. It’s like saying that giving up your life for God should be normal and is a very
reasonable request when you look at what Jesus has done for us. How often do you hear of
people truly laying down their life for God? Then the second part of that verse is great to.
But let us no longer be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing your
mind. Now I do have a question. Is that transforming work something I need to do or is it
only God who does that work? Is it the work that happens when I get in the word and God
continues to show me things and change the way I think? Is it a result from faithful
obedience to Him? I need to be transformed and feel too often I am not there. Paul Washer
asks the question, how can you say you’re a Christian and have met God and not be
changed? Ok, just as I’m asking that question, the thought of the Israelites comes to mind.
They experienced God in many supernatural ways throughout the Old Testament and yet
often turned back to their idols and such. I guess it’s just sinful man making choices. It only
takes one bad choice to negate many good ones. So maybe the question is more of, why are
so many Christians today not staying changed or not continuing to be transformed?
Although I guess the answer to that would be that the bible states that many will fall away in
the last days and maybe that’s what is happening. So maybe the real question is how do we
prevent that in our own lives? And if we have lost that zeal for God how do we get it back? I
like your questions about what will we say to God when we meet Him? What will we have to
show for our lives? Very challenging! I am back at this starting block of discipline
again…..been here to many times….last year’s goals didn’t happen and this year’s goals
haven’t begun – as a matter of fact I don’t know what I want my goals to be this year. So
please continue to pray for me. You know that this whole discipline thing has been my
greatest stumbling block and continues to be that. It’s hard to die to self without discipline.
Darrell, I feel like I’m that rich young ruler who comes to Jesus sincerely and says, look, I am
trying to do what is right, what else do you require and Jesus tells him to sell all he has, give it
to the poor and follow me. And he just doesn’t do it. What holds him back? What holds me
back? I guess those are answers I need to find, but I really appreciate your emails and your
insight. I pray that God continues to reveal a greater level of truth to you and that He blesses
you for all the time you spend emailing the truths of His word to me. I truly am grateful.
Matt.
From: Darrell, Ruth and Ben Miller [mailto:drbmiller@mchsi.com]
Sent: Friday, January 02, 2009 11:47 AM
To: Jenny Zacharias
Subject: re: Happy New Year...
Good Morning, to you all in beautiful Wisconsin...
Hope all is well with you and your families, and full of anticipation to the New Year!
I pray that this year will be one of many more joys than sorrows for you, and that most
of all, you find a depth in the life of Christ where you can live fully immersed in His
divine will!
I was up early on New Year's morning, and in prayer and meditation, asking the Lord
for a word of guidance for this new year... here is what He directed me to...
"For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever! Amen."
Now, clearly these words are the closing words to the verses we have in our
Bibles known as the Lord's Prayer. Usually, by the time we are either repeating this
prayer from memory, or we are hearing it prayed, we are thinking that it is being
closed... kind of like a benediction. But, if we take a little closer look at what Jesus is
saying here, we will receive a wonderful blessing of His truth revealed. Jesus' entire
earthly work was to do the work of His Father in Heaven and to preach the good news
of the Kingdom of God. He said He only spoke the words He heard His Father speak,
and only did those things which He had seen His Father do. This was His role and well
defined purpose during His time on this earth. Without faltering or hesitation, He
performed His role perfectly and with total confidence in the sustaining power of His
intimate fellowship and communion with the Heavenly Father. His message of the
"good news" of the Kingdom of God caused hope to be born in the lives of the
hopeless. The lame jumped and ran for joy. The lepers were cleansed. The Scriptures
declare that ALL disease and ALL sickness was irradicated by the power of the words
of this message. The "good news" of the message of the Kingdom of Heaven is pure
and unhindered divine power, overcoming the forces of the enemy of our soul. This
message brings restoration of our original intended purpose in this life and perfect
alignment between our will and the will of our Father in Heaven. This is REAL power!
As I contemplated quietly the depth of these words and read and re-read this prayer our
Savior spoke for our learning, I did a concordance check to see if this phrase was
recorded elsewhere in Scripture. To my amazed eyes came a verse from the Old
Testsment... 1 Chronicles chapter 29, and verse 10-13...
"Blessed be thou, Lord God of Israel our father, forever and ever. Thine, O Lord, is
the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty; for all
that is in Heaven and Earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exated
as head above all. Both riches and honor come from thee, and thou reignest over all;
and in thy hand is power and might; and in thy hand it is to make great and to give
strength unto all. Now, therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious
name..."
King David, a man whom God Himself testified concerning that he was a man with a
heart as God's heart, had been accumulating huge amounts of building materials for his
son to use in the building of the magnificant temple according to the instructions the
Lord had shown to David. God had explained to David he was not to be the person to
actually construct the temple, but one of his sons would be chosen. David had much
violence and blood on his hands, and was not a man of rest and peace. From all of his
sons, the one chosen was Solomon, whose name in itself means peacefulness. So, the
Lord God placed in Solomon a spirit of rest and quietness and confidence. In the
chapter just prior to this one, the Bible states that God would make Solomon His son,
and He would be a father to Solomon. So, not only did David relinquish control over
all the vast wealth of his kingdom which he had amassed during his 40 year reign, but
he also relinquished the throne and even his own son into the hands of Jehovah God.
All that had defined his life was placed into the hands of the Almighty.
In the Book to the Hebrews, chapter 10, we read wonderful words of the once-for-all
sacrifice of our Savior for the sins of all mankind. In verse 5, we read these words,
"Wherefore when He (Jesus) cometh into the world, He saith, 'Sacrifice and offering
thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me."
Consistant with the offering of all that David had, our Savior and Lord came to this
earth without worldly wealth and riches, but all that He had been given by His Father,
namely His physical body, He offered as a sin offering which was to be accepted by a
holy and just God as the all encompassing sacrifice for all sin. This He accomplished
through His own personal obedience and alignment with the Heavenly Father's will.
What about me?... what will I offer to my King as a sign of my commitment and
allegiance to Him? With what will I come before the throne of my King? What has
been accomplished in my life which will last as a memorial of my love for my Savior?
How will I show my love and appreciation to Him for all He has sacrificed for my
benefit? These are questions we must confront our own life with at some point before
we find ourselves standing before the throne of God naked and embarrassed. What
of my life will endure throughout eternity? With as much certainty and clarity as I
have ever witnessed concerning, the wonderful presence of the Holy Spirit approached
me and reminded me of these words from Romans 12:1-2...
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your
bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
And be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your
mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
There it is! This is the path of righteousness which the Lord Himself has built for each
of us to follow His steps to eternal life. This is the highway of holiness carefully
mapped out through the twists and turns of this life which we can walk on in full
confidence of its safety and condition. You see, many multitudes have walked this path
before us, including our own Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. There is a liberty and a
divine freedom afforded those who will navigate by the light of the precious Word of
God as they walk on through this life. The work of the cross to bring resurrection life
into our soul and body is a work of tears and disappointments. But, this necessary
work cuts away the elements of this world which has attached its sticky tennacles to
our very existance. In spite of the worries and the fears, we can speak the message of
hope and trust in our resurrected Lord. For all that exists in Heaven and on Earth
belongs to the Lord God Almighty. Therefore, we pray,
"Thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven... for Thine is the
Kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever! Amen."
Have a Happy New Year!
The Millers in the Northland