How you doin? We a had a tremendous time at the "Re-Awakening" conference yesterday. Mark Chironna is one of my favorites. Way too much to get into, especially last night, but I will say it was wonderful. Three people from our church/Bible study were in attendance, other then Stacey and I. Two more sessions today (10am and 6pm). Different speakers then Mark Chironna though. I hope you can make it out. 2 Peter 2 today.
This chapter is very heavy reading. Plus, I'm in a place with the Holy Ghost of transformation. Those two things together are going to equal a short email. Verses 9-10, "then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from [b]temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, 10 and especially those who [c]indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority." It's really hard for me to put what I learned in this reading down on paper. I would strongly suggest for you to read the entire chapter for yourself and ask the Holy Ghost to guide you through it. Verses 9-10, make me secure in God's refuge. God is the Judge, not me. He frees people and judges people. He knows our hearts.
Verses 20-22, "For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. 21 For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them. 22 [h]It has happened to them according to the true proverb, “A dog returns to its own vomit,” and, “A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire.”' This is a significant warning. In AA we call it "re-trying" (not relapsing). Re-trying to do something and expect it to have a different result... insanity. AA taught me that those who "re-try" fall into a deeper darkness. This scripture certainly support that teaching. I can recall times early in my walk when I would leave a conference, Bible study, sermon or something, on fire for the Lord. I would then experience the fading glory. It would ware off and I would be right back into my unwanted miladies/sins a few days later. Now, I have an understanding that the Holy Ghost takes me from glory to glory. His Glory doesn't fade, because I've been drawn closer to Him through faith, grace, study, understanding, increased desire to love Him and most of all my identity in Him and Him in me. I have a relationship with Him, not temporary experiences with Him. I don't read this scripture as a warning about mistakes or short comings. I hear it as deciding to follow Jesus or to follow the world. To decide to give God our all or not. To decide to accept the invitation from God to be in an intimate relationship with Him. To be a believing believer or an unbelieving believer. To make Jesus the Lord of our life's or not. Mistakes happen and are forgiven and become fewer as we grow, but decisions to deny power, authority, and a relationship with Him is something all together different. God doesn't invite us to pull Him out of a box on Sunday morning, dust Him off, and demand that He resigns our "get out of hell free card", so we can go back to our unbelieving, self serving, sinful lives the minute we walk out of the justification/rationalization room called church. In AA, it's said that justification and rationalization are other words for B.S.
Well, that's enough preachin for me this morning. Know that "the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation" today.
PS Here's a potential brain twister, when Jesus knelt down to right in the sand, only 2% to 5% of the population could right in that time. That 2% to 5% were the highly educated in the schools of the Pharisees. Jesus also taught and read from the Scriptures in the synagogues. Jesus also turn over tables in the Temple while the Pharisees were trying to catch Him in error, so to crucify Him and they didn't arrest Him.
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