Fill The Lamp

The poor fellow died and was carried on the arms of the heavenly messengers to the embrace of Abraham. Then the rich fellow died and was buried and found himself in the place of the dead. In his torment, he looked up, and off in the distance he saw Abraham, with Lazarus in his embrace. He shouted out, “Father Abraham! Please show me mercy! Would you send that beggar Lazarus to dip his fingertip in water and cool my tongue? These flames are hot, and I’m in agony!” But Abraham said, “Son, you seem to be forgetting something: your life was full to overflowing with comforts and pleasures, and the life of Lazarus was just as full with suffering and pain. So now is his time of comfort, and now is your time of agony.
Luke 16:22-25 

The natural man is not aware that all the answers to life are found in God. The natural man cringes in the earth and seeks and finds that which is vain and temporary while the spiritual man soars on wings of eagles (Is 40:31) and seeks and finds righteousness and God’s incomparable and everlasting blessings and companionship.

Earth is the place where beauty and ugliness dwell together.  “Heaven is the place of harmonious numbers.  Heaven is the place of loveliness; the place of beauty, because the One who is all Beautiful is there!!  He is the Lord of all beauty, and the Earth lies between all that is Ugly in Hell and all that is beautiful in Heaven.

AW Tozer

Without the renewing of "The Mind" and confessing Jesus Christ as Lord.  Mankind  is not capable of understanding or keeping  the main thing, the main thing,  in that,  in the writings of Ecclesiastics if we do not understand the Trap of the World and what it presents to the Church and its potential followers of Christ, we will never understand "The God of Love" portrayed in the Song of Solomon.  In which, I feel with all my heart, is the book about "The Bride He is Preparing"!

Neil Parks

For the sinful nature has its desire which is opposed to the Spirit, and the [desire of the] Spirit opposes the sinful nature: for these [two, the sinful nature and the Spirit] are in direct opposition to each other [continually in conflict], so that you [as believers] do not [always] do whatever [good things] you want to do.
Gal 5:17

“Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher.
“Vanity of vanities! All [that is done without God’s guidance] is vanity [futile, meaningless—a wisp of smoke, a vapor that vanishes, merely chasing the wind].”

Ecclesiastes teaches us that no matter how great our accomplishments are in man’s eyes they will not ultimately have any value if they are not pleasing to God. When Ecclesiastes is understood it awakens us to a fervency that begins the journey.

19 Those whom I [dearly and tenderly] love, I rebuke and discipline [showing them their faults and instructing them]; so be enthusiastic and repent[change your inner self—your old way of thinking, your sinful behavior—seek God’s will]. 20 Behold, I stand at the door[of the church] and continually knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him (restore him), and he with Me. 21 He who overcomes [the world through believing that Jesus is the Son of God], I will grant to him [the privilege] to sit beside Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down beside My Father on His throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear and heed what the Spirit says to the churches.’”

Rev 3:19-22

Now the Antidote for your name and mine, as a true believer to be in the Book of Life is “Change”. We repent or Perish. Matt 3:8 “So produce fruit that is consistent with repentance [demonstrating new behavior that proves a change of heart, and a conscious decision to turn away from sin]”

      When we read scripture in Matt 24 and 25 it can’t get much clearer about the unprepared Church.  Jesus is explaining to the disciples about the Kingdom of Heaven and how the people that profess his name MUST be prepared to meet Him.     

Neil Parks

Their excuses will not be regarded, their pleas will be of no avail, their pretensions to interest in Christ, and love to him, will be set aside; the sentence will remain irrevocable, and there will be no appeal from it, for there is no higher tribunal to bring the cause before; judgment having passed, the execution of it immediately follows: these goats, or formal professors, shall be obliged, whether they will or not, to depart from the presence of Christ;

John Gill

You see, everybody will come before Christ’s tribunal; it doesn’t matter what age group of the world, from the beginning to the end of time; every place on planet earth, even from the remotest corners of the world, or the most obscure, and distant from each other; every nation, and all those nations of men that are made of one blood, who dwell on the entire face of the earth. The Bible says, “it’s appointed for man to die once and then judgement”.  Every person will be on time for that appointment

Neil Parks.      [email protected]