Luke 17:7-10 And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and sit down to eat'? But will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink'? Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him?
I think not. (This is Yeshua speaking)
So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.' "
When all I do are the minimums, am I an unprofitable servant?
When I have merely completed my assignment, am I an unprofitable servant?
The Commandments, therefore, are the baseline. They are the beginning of love and profitableness to the Creator/LORD.
I have to get beyond the commands. Zeal takes me there. Pursuit takes me there. Ask, seek, knock. Seek first His kingdom. Consider how to provoke to love and good works. Test all things. Hold fast to that which is good. Meditate on these things. Pursue holiness. Seek His righteousness.
Philippians 3:7-11 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Well, Paul, I thought you already knew Him.
But he pursues knowing Him some more, all the more, exclusively more, zealously more … as someone who was hopelessly in love would.
We can know Him, and then know Him some more. We can know our wives during the honeymoon, but that better not be the end of it.
Hosea 5:4-7 "They do not direct their deeds toward turning to their God, For the spirit of harlotry is in their midst, And they do not know the LORD. The pride of Israel testifies to his face; Therefore Israel and Ephraim stumble in their iniquity; Judah also stumbles with them. "With their flocks and herds they shall go to seek the LORD, but they will not find Him; He has withdrawn Himself from them. They have dealt treacherously with the LORD, for they have begotten pagan children.
Hosea 6:3-6 and former rain to the earth. "O Ephraim, what shall I do to you? O Judah, what shall I do to you? For your faithfulness is like a morning cloud, and like the early dew it goes away. Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets, I have slain them by the words of My mouth; and your judgments are like light that goes forth. For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. Let us know, let us pursue the knowledge of the LORD. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, like the latter
The most horrible sound to ever enter a man’s ear will be “I never knew you”.
Burnt offerings are according to the commandments. He desires more than that. This issue separates the men from the boys, the servants from the welfare frauds, the selfless from the selfish, the redeemed from the recycled.
The Redeemed : Titus 2:14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.
The Recycled : Jeremiah 7:10 and then come and stand before Me in this house which is called by My name, and say, 'We are delivered [saved] to do all these abominations'? (return to lawless deeds)
The Recycled return to their vomit, to their abominations - convinced they are released to do as seems best to them and that grace allows a return to what the LORD had originally delivered them from.
This is the dire strait of many. Evidence of this is the notion that I am secure in my Jesus and He has paid it all, scheduled it all, and nothing can keep me from getting it all in heaven.
Revelation 3:17-19 Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing'—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.
Zeal hates the trivial.
Zeal fuels pursuit.
Zeal shuns opinions of men,
Refusing to dilute.
Zeal seeks the battlefield;
Zeal separates.
Zeal tests the thoughts of men,
And hates what YHWH hates.
Zeal seeks the Truth alone.
Zeal lives above.
Zeal shuns all shallowness
To love what YHWH loves.
Zeal simplifies the path;
Zeal clears the way.
Zeal seals our fellowship
'Til He returns that Day.
I think not. (This is Yeshua speaking)
So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.' "
When all I do are the minimums, am I an unprofitable servant?
When I have merely completed my assignment, am I an unprofitable servant?
The Commandments, therefore, are the baseline. They are the beginning of love and profitableness to the Creator/LORD.
I have to get beyond the commands. Zeal takes me there. Pursuit takes me there. Ask, seek, knock. Seek first His kingdom. Consider how to provoke to love and good works. Test all things. Hold fast to that which is good. Meditate on these things. Pursue holiness. Seek His righteousness.
Philippians 3:7-11 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Well, Paul, I thought you already knew Him.
But he pursues knowing Him some more, all the more, exclusively more, zealously more … as someone who was hopelessly in love would.
We can know Him, and then know Him some more. We can know our wives during the honeymoon, but that better not be the end of it.
Hosea 5:4-7 "They do not direct their deeds toward turning to their God, For the spirit of harlotry is in their midst, And they do not know the LORD. The pride of Israel testifies to his face; Therefore Israel and Ephraim stumble in their iniquity; Judah also stumbles with them. "With their flocks and herds they shall go to seek the LORD, but they will not find Him; He has withdrawn Himself from them. They have dealt treacherously with the LORD, for they have begotten pagan children.
Hosea 6:3-6 and former rain to the earth. "O Ephraim, what shall I do to you? O Judah, what shall I do to you? For your faithfulness is like a morning cloud, and like the early dew it goes away. Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets, I have slain them by the words of My mouth; and your judgments are like light that goes forth. For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. Let us know, let us pursue the knowledge of the LORD. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, like the latter
The most horrible sound to ever enter a man’s ear will be “I never knew you”.
Burnt offerings are according to the commandments. He desires more than that. This issue separates the men from the boys, the servants from the welfare frauds, the selfless from the selfish, the redeemed from the recycled.
The Redeemed : Titus 2:14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.
The Recycled : Jeremiah 7:10 and then come and stand before Me in this house which is called by My name, and say, 'We are delivered [saved] to do all these abominations'? (return to lawless deeds)
The Recycled return to their vomit, to their abominations - convinced they are released to do as seems best to them and that grace allows a return to what the LORD had originally delivered them from.
This is the dire strait of many. Evidence of this is the notion that I am secure in my Jesus and He has paid it all, scheduled it all, and nothing can keep me from getting it all in heaven.
Revelation 3:17-19 Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing'—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.
Zeal hates the trivial.
Zeal fuels pursuit.
Zeal shuns opinions of men,
Refusing to dilute.
Zeal seeks the battlefield;
Zeal separates.
Zeal tests the thoughts of men,
And hates what YHWH hates.
Zeal seeks the Truth alone.
Zeal lives above.
Zeal shuns all shallowness
To love what YHWH loves.
Zeal simplifies the path;
Zeal clears the way.
Zeal seals our fellowship
'Til He returns that Day.