The Gift of Everlasting Life and Eternal Peace

Ancient Manuscript: Gospel of Thomas

Saying:  17

My Reflection on Verse:

The gift of Everlasting Life is so hard for many of us to understand.  Many suffer from illnesses.  Many suffer from guilt.  Many suffer with a lack of self-confidence.  We can feel these things.  Yet, how can we feel Everlasting Life.

The Gift of Eternal Peace is very difficult for many of us to comprehend.  Many suffer from rejection.  Many suffer because of stress.  Many suffer from the lack of necessities.  We can see these difficulties.  Yet, how can they see peace.

The gift of Everlasting Life and Eternal Peace are things that we will truly never feel, see or touch while we are on this Earth.  Our day to day struggles will still surface.  Our pains will never fully disappear.  The gift that we receive will not be here on this Earth.  Our gifts will come when we leave this Earth trusting and believing in God.

As someone that suffers from several debilitating chronic illnesses I understand where people come from.  There are never days when I feel whole.  There are many days that I do not want to even want to crawl out of bed.  My recliner, heating pad and medications are my best companions.  They help me live what I now call my new norm.  This to anyone else would see as devastating. 

How do we that suffer from illnesses, stress and life struggles fully understand the Peace that comes from God?  We have to stop and think about those moments that our life seems calm.  A time that when things are going our way.  Then imagine that peace never ending.  A peace with no end that takes away all of your pain and struggles.  A peace that fills your whole soul.  A peace that will never allow the things that you suffer from to return in your life.  This is the type of peace that we will have when we are called home to God.  An Eternal Peace that will never end and will only make us stronger.  A peace that will make us forget what we went through here on earth.  A peace that allows us to always serve God first for we have nothing else standing in our way.

How do people that experience death of loved ones, experience illnesses that will one day take their life accept Everlasting Life?  See what we have to remember that this life is only the beginning.  Anyone that accepts Jesus into their life has a new life to live.  There human life may end but the spiritual life will live forever.  How can we come to accept this through our times of tragedy and struggle?  Think back to the good moments in your life.  Think back to the times when you were not ill.  Think back to the happy moments that you shared with your loved one.  Learn to feel comfort in the gift that is freely given.  We need to remember that anyone that has accepted Jesus is living in the presence of God.  They are no longer sad, they are no longer in pain, and they are no longer suffering.  Instead they are in a very peaceful place. 

Yes, we have to trust that God will give us these gifts.  Yet, Jesus is clear that we will receive something that we cannot understand.  We have to have faith that God will give us peace and everlasting life as long as we turn ourselves over to the Holy One. 

Imagine what the disciples felt when Jesus said I am going to give you something that you have never seen or felt.  They had to think that it would be something that they would receive on this Earth.  Yet, overtime they had to accept that through their faith Jesus was promising the gift to come.  Jesus had died on the cross and risen from the grave.  They had seen these things and then Jesus ascended to Heaven.  He return to Heaven alive. 

We need to consider when we try to understand everlasting life and eternal peace.  If you were a disciple and saw the risen lord ascend in Heaven would you not fully understand what was to come once we died?  Jesus lived his life so that we would know how to treat others.  Through his death he carried our sins if we are willing to turn them over and accept Jesus as our Savior.  He arose from the grave to show that sin can be killed forever if we accept the gift Jesus is willing to give each and every one of us.  Lastly, the ascension shows us that we will receive the everlasting gift of life if we believe in the one that makes us whole. 

Questions:

Have you accepted the gift of everlasting life is free to all?  Do you desire Eternal Peace in your life?  Do you understand that God wants to make us whole as long as we accept the Messiah as our personal Savior?  Have you accepted that the gifts that we will receive are bigger than anything we will ever have here on Earth?

A House Divided

Ancient Manuscript: Gospel of Thomas

Saying:  16

My Reflection on Verse:

A house divided is a rough situation for all involved.  When two or more people in a house cannot be on the same side friction is caused.  Sometimes there will be more on one side and will use their power to make the other side do what they want.  There are often hard feelings formed over time.  Distrust begins to grow because there is always a struggle going on.

We see this every day when we watch or listen to the news.  We hear opposing sports teams, government parties and religious denominations fighting each other.  Our humanness leads us to take sides and then persuade others to believe what we now believe.  What is amazing is that a lot of times we do not originally believe what we now accept as truth.

When we read this scripture we might be wondering why Jesus is saying that people will find conflict with each other.  We talk about Jesus and we talk about love.  How can Jesus also bring along conflict?  Again we are assuming that it is Jesus that has caused the conflict.  What we miss is that Jesus comes bringing love, yet we n our humanness decides to take sides.

Jesus offers the gift of salvation.  Yet, we are the ones that accept or reject the gift.  It is in this action that conflict arises.  Whichever choice we make we have made a decision on what side of the conflict we are going to stand on.  Some of us will pick Jesus and when we do we are on his side.  Yet, if we do not choose Jesus we stand against Jesus. There are two major conflicts that arise from this choice.  One battle we face is an internal conflict the other is an external conflict.

We have to first face the internal conflict within ourselves. We have to realize that once we become Christians our whole lives change.  No longer are we a part of this world.  We are to live our lives in service and worship of God.  We are to leave our old ways behind and take on our new life.  In the process of accepting Jesus into our life we become new creations.

Our mind will try to tempt us to do the things that we did in the past.  Yet, our sprit will tell us to live for God.  We will daily struggle with this conflict.   We do not have to face these temptations on our own.  We have Jesus in our life and we only need to ask Jesus to help us and the help comes.  We have to remember that we are not what we used to be before Christ.  In this new life, we have to ensure that we listen to our spirit not to our humanness. 

When we fall to our temptations we need to ask Jesus to forgive us.  We need to then strive not to fall again.  Yet, this is where it gets very tricky.  We are not perfect we are forgiven sinners.  Therefor we will succumb to temptations over and over again.  Yet, as Christians our goal should be to stride toward not following our temptations.  We need to focus on serving God. 

We need to know that because Jesus knows that we are not perfect Jesus not only forgives our past sins but our future sins.  Jesus’s blood covers all our sins.  Yet, this doesn’t mean that we should go out in the world and sin.  Instead we should strive every day to live without sin.  Once you realize that the internal conflict is a daily battle the more prepared you become to fight it.

The second battle is an external battle.  We will see people who we loved and trusted do things which harm us.  These are our friends and families who have not accepted Jesus into their life.  There will come times when they will try to convince us to go back to our old way of life.  The problem isn’t that they are not fighting us instead it is our way of new life that they are fighting back against.  They do not have the same saving grace in their life and they cannot understand how we are so free. 

We have to see that we are a representation of the love that they have not found in their own life.  We have to turn the other cheek.  We have to make sure that we do not give into temptation.  We have to remember that we need to always keep our eyes on Jesus.  He will help us through these struggles.

Even when people rise up against us physically we can call on Jesus.  Do not assume because you have Jesus in your life that you will not face physical challenges.  These physical challenges when they come from our friends and family seem to hit our moral much harder than an outsider.  Yet, we have to remember to keep focused on God just.  We have to remember to have the same faith and strength as Job.  No matter what happened in his life he did not lose his strength.  We need to keep that in mind as our loved ones come against us. 

We also need to remember is that they are not coming after us.  They are attacking Jesus which has changed our life.  We become a part of Jesus’s family when we become a child of God.  Those that do not accept Jesus are often jealous or mad at the new self that we become.  They desire the same peace yet, they choose not to accept it from God.

Questions:

Have you accepted Jesus in your life?  What battle are you in today?  Are you focusing on Jesus to help you through it?  Do you need to ask Jesus to help us overcome the struggle that seems impossible for us to handle?

Worship Jesus in Reverence

Ancient Manuscript: Gospel of Thomas

Saying:  15

My Reflection on Verse:

We have to worship Jesus with reverence.  Jesus even though born of a woman is God.  Though Jesus was fully human, Jesus was fully God.  There are so many times that we get wrapped up in the birth and death of Jesus’s human body that we forget about the spirit which was God.

We have to remember that even before Jesus was born in a physical body he was God.  Jesus was with God and a part of God before the formation of all the Heavens.  John made it clear in his Gospel that Jesus was and forever will be God.  We have to accept this to fully understand that we must worship Jesus with all reverence.

We must remember that we need to worship Jesus for he came to Earth to be born so that he could live like us.  He walked this Earth and never once sinned.  Jesus then taught us by example how to live our life.  He taught us to respect others and to be there for those that others have turned away. 

Jesus then took the road to the cross.  Jesus could have easily have stopped the crucifixion at any moment.  Jesus loved us so much that he let his body be beaten.  He felt the pain as the nails pierced his hands and feet.  He felt the agony as he hung from the cross his body slowly slipping away.  He then did the unthinkable he looked up to God and said forgive them because they don’t understand what they are doing. 

The Spirit of Jesus returned to Heaven.  The Spirit or God part of Jesus never died.  Being God meant that the spirit of Jesus returned to Heaven.  The body being human passed away.  No longer was Jesus in pain.  No longer was the Spirit of God confined to the body of humanness.

This could have been the end of the story.  Yet, Jesus took it one step further.  Jesus’s spirit came back to the Earth.  It entered the body that just days before died.  It was at this moment that Jesus fulfilled all of the things that had been foretold.  Jesus came back to life so that we may understand the power of God. 

It is through these actions that we receive the gift of salvation.  With that said we know how important it is to worship Jesus.  We need to respect Jesus with all of our heart.  We need to worship Jesus with our whole body, mind, and spirit.  Jesus gave all so that we can have all.  Praise the Messiah.

Questions:

Do you accept Jesus as your savior?  Do you accept what Jesus did for you?  Are you worshiping God with reverence?

Do not be Self-righteous

Ancient Manuscript: Gospel of Thomas

Saying:  14

My Reflection on Verse:

When this is first read it seems contrary to the other Gospels.  God teaches us to pray, fast and to give alms.  Imagine doing these three things to be seen.  Isn’t that what the Pharisees and Sadducees were doing?  They were in the public view making their sacrifices known to all.  They were actually being self-righteous instead of pious.

When we boast about our prayers as if we are more in tuned with God because of our prayers we are causing people to walk away from God.  I want us to think about this a second how many times do you pray on your own.  Do you pray most of the time in public?  See many of us do not even consider when we ae openly praying people may feel as if we think that we are better than them.  There are times to pray in public.  Yet, if you are praying in public for attention you are living outside the will of God.  So be careful when you pray in public if you are doing it for others to see remember that this action is not for Jesus but for your own self-righteous behavior.

When we boast about the times that we fast we are outside the will of God.  Fasting should be a time in which you commune with God.  A time of reflection and meditation that helps you grow closer to God.  Yet, how many people brag about the times that they meditate and fast.  People who boast because they spent so many days fasting to get closer to God are actually doing the opposite.  Doesn’t this make the person self-righteous?  If they had fasted and meditated and kept it to them wouldn’t the fasting led to greater commune to God.  Yet, instead of keeping to ourselves we go out and share it.  Think about how many people who have felt less of themselves because they haven’t fasted like others that they know.

When we boast about helping poor we are not doing what God wants.  Should we not help the poor in secret?  Are we giving out of a heart of joy instead of a heart of boasting?  Think about the people that you see that make a public display of helping others.  Doesn’t it make you feel that you are not doing what you should do?  Doesn’t it also make you feel less than helpful because you might not be able to give what the other person gives?  You think that your gift is not helping.  When you give wanting people to see what you have given you are affecting those that give what they can give no matter how small.  You are showing that you are better off.  God calls us to give to the poor in quiet.  We need to help those that need poor without boasting.  When you give to those that need help in secret you make a bigger impact than when you want others to know what you have given in a public display.

The last part of the verse helps further explain why you should not be self-righteous.  When you are served something you should consume it without pushing it away saying that this is against my religion.  When you tell someone that you cannot eat something because of your religious beliefs you are actually telling the person that they are not as religious as you.  Imagine meeting someone for the first time and trying to witness to them.  They are trying to learn about God from us.  Would this not make them think that they cannot ask Jesus in their heart because of the words you say?  Your words are powerful making sure that you are not speaking out of a self-righteous goal.  Instead speak with the heart of God and you will see more people will accept god because of the way you have acted.

All in all what we are to learn is not to do things so others can see it.  We are to be careful of what we say because it can turn people off of God.  People need to know that we are also sinners who have been forgiven by God.  When you present your story this way you are making a much bigger impact than someone who brags that they are doing things that are more Christian like than others.

Questions:

Do you do things because of a Christian heart?  Are you doing things so people can see what you are doing to help others?  Are you boasting about what you are doing?  Are you keeping the things that you are doing for God between you and God?

Who Do You Say I Am Like

Ancient Manuscript: Gospel of Thomas

Saying:  13

My Reflection on Verse:

Jesus asked who you think I am like.  Imagine having that question asked to you.  Who would you say Jesus was?  Would you acknowledge Jesus as the Savior?  Would you be like the disciples who didn’t fully understand who Jesus was?

The disciples had walked with Jesus.  They had lived with Jesus.  They had learned from Jesus.  Yet, they truly didn’t understand what Jesus would be for them.  They accepted that he was the Messiah.  Yet, they didn’t understand what Jesus would do for them.

We have the knowledge of the past.  We know what happened that day Jesus went to the cross.  Yet, do we truly know who Jesus is to us.  Do we know that Jesus is the salvation that we need?  Have we accepted that Jesus is our Messiah?

It is important to remember that Jesus came for each and every one of us.  Jesus came for those that have passed.  Jesus came for those to come.  Jesus is the Messiah of the world.  Yet, how many of us do not understand this.  How many of us miss the saving power of Jesus’s death and resurrection?

The disciples would soon learn all that we know.  They would learn that their teacher would die to make them free.  They would learn that Jesus was not only a man but the Messiah.  They learned Jesus would free them from their sins.

In this moment there were two things that we learn that dispelled beliefs at the time this manuscript was written.   First Jesus was not an angel.  Many people at this time thought that Jesus was an Angel in human form.  This was challenged by this question.  What we and others learn is that Jesus is not an Angel.  Secondly, Jesus was not just a human philosopher.  People at the time had a hard time accepting that Jesus was both human and God.  This goes right to the heart of those that thought this.  Jesus was not just human but was part of the trinity of God.

We also have to ask the question about why Thomas was pulled to the side to be told special things.  I think this is like many of us that are given gifts by God.  He believed that he was not wise enough or important enough to answer the question.  We need to understand that Jesus picked him to receive this special moment because of this humbleness.  We need to remember that we are also like Thomas.  We will only receive gifts from Jesus if we approach it humbly.

Questions

Who do you say Jesus is?  Have you accepted that Jesus is both Human and God?  Have you accepted that Jesus is the Messiah?  Have you given your life over to God?  Are you willing to accept the gifts that God wants to bestow on you?

Turning to Those Which Live a True, Just Christian Life

Ancient Manuscript: Gospel of Thomas

Saying:  12

My Reflection on Verse:

We know from the Gospels that Jesus had prepared the Disciples for the time that he would no longer be with them.  We can question if they really understood what Jesus was saying.  We can imagine that they were confused and shocked.  They thought Jesus would always be with them. 

They had to have questions about who the next leader would be.  Who would they go to ask questions?  Would they be left on their own without any leader to guide them?  Who would be good enough to replace Jesus?

The fact is that we too have the same questions.  We have moments that we wonder who I can go to ask questions.  We understand that we have the Bible to go by.  Yet, we often have questions that we want to discuss with someone.  We have issues that we feel we need to talk to someone about.

Jesus makes it clear in this saying that we can go to when we need to ask questions.  Jesus shares with us who we can go to when we are troubled and need advice.  We need to go to someone who is a true Christian.  We need to turn to someone who not only talks the talk but walks the walk.  We need to go to someone that communes with God in prayer and meditation.  

We all know someone that we have trusted when things get rough.  Someone that you can go to and not worry about what you tell them.  We all know someone that you can talk to and know that they will give you advice that will benefit you.  We know someone that has lived the life of a true Christian that studies the word and is willing to share their knowledge with you.

I know for me I have had a few people that I could turn to in those moments.  Several of them have passed from this world to their reward.  I know without a doubt that they are saints in Heaven.  They shared love and truth with all who came to them.  They provided guidance without judgement.

I worried when they passed where I would turn to now.  Who could I go to and discuss my concerns.  Who would I find that would give me the Christian advice I needed? I was not shocked at all that God provided the person that I needed in my life.  I am able to ask questions and know that they through their studying of the word are there for me.

I have also been humbled by those that come to me for advice.  I cannot explain how humbling it is to know that someone trusts you enough that they count you as a person who can help them understand God’s will for their life.  I never thought that I would be one of these people.  Yet, I have noticed over the years that more and more people have considered me this person in their life.

Then as I think about it I know that the people that I have turned to have felt the same way.  A person that is truly living in the will of God will be humbled when this happens to them.  It is nothing to brag about instead it is something to thank God for.  It is a gift that God has granted.

I know that when the disciples asked this question they couldn’t imagine anyone who could replace Jesus in their life.  I am also sure that they were shocked when the community started treating them as sages and advisors.   Can’t you only imagine Peter the first time someone came to him for Christian guidance.  He knew that he had betrayed Jesus in the bleakest of hours.  Yet, he now had the responsibility to guide someone and to give back to Jesus.  He had to be very humbled by this. 

Questions:

Who can you go to when you need to ask questions?  Are you someone others can turn to in their time of need? 

The One Shall Become Two

Ancient Manuscript: Gospel of Thomas

Saying:  11

My Reflection on Verse:

The Earth will never be the same because of the life of Jesus.  Jesus changed the world as we know it.  What we thought we knew as the truth has been replaced by the actual truth.  We have come to the understanding that we were never truly alive because we did not have Jesus in our life.

It is not until we accept Jesus into our life do we realize what we always needed.  It is in that moment that we change from being those who are dead in spirit to being alive.  Nothing that we ever understood before is the same.  We are given the knowledge between Good and Evil.  We understand what we need to do and what we should not do.  Our life will never be the same again.

We have to understand that we will have gone from a person that lived in darkness to a person that is now in light.  The Holy Spirit lives within those that accept Jesus.  We are no longer of one spirit but of two.  We have the Human Spirit that desires things of this world.  We also have the Holy Spirit that directs us to the things that we should desire.

It is this connection between Jesus and ourselves that changes us forever.  We further are exposed to what the Good News means in our life.  We also learn that we are to spread the word of God throughout the land.  What we were doing is changed forever.  Therefor our old ways disappears and our new being appears.

Questions:

Have you accepted the Light into your life?  Are you ready to serve God openly?  What do you need to do to put away your old self and accept to walk in the light of Jesus?

Fanning the Flame of Good News

Ancient Manuscript: Gospel of Thomas

Saying:  10

My Reflection on Verse:

We can compare this saying to the process of planting.  In the past the first step of clearing the field involved setting the field on fire.  The fire then would burn down the brush that was left over after the plants were picked.  The fire would be a very controlled burn because the farmer would keep a close eye on it.  The fire would be contained in a certain area until all of the field’s leftovers were burned. Then the field would be ready to be planted.

The fire that was started for the harvest of Christians came with the birth of Jesus.  Jesus’s birth was the preparation for the harvest.  Without the birth there would be nothing to be harvested later.  The birth of Jesus led to the ministry, death and resurrection.  All of these would lead to the great harvest of Christians.

Jesus is the farmer who was watching the fire.  He was making sure that the right information was shared to those that would listen.  Jesus taught those around him so that they would have the knowledge that they would need.  Just like the farmer is able to increase the flaming in one area Jesus was able to flame the Good news.

The death of Jesus is what contained the flame.  Those that had walked with Jesus would soon come to understand what Jesus had been teaching them.  They would come to understand that Jesus had to die for them to be saved.  He wasn’t dying in vain instead he was dying so that we would understand what we truly needed in our life.

Jesus is watching the fire that was started now that he has risen from the grave.  The resurrection led to the overseeing of those that would spread the word.  Jesus is able to help those that came to accept his gift of everlasting life. The Resurrection is the part of the story that we have to understand is the step needed to make sure that the fire would not just distinguish.  Now the fire is spreading in a very controlled and methodical way.

We as Christians are responsible for the next stage of the fire.  That is taking it throughout the land so others can come to know Jesus as their personal Savior.  We know the Gospel and we need to share it to those that need to hear it.

Questions:

We have to answer this question what happens if we do not spread the Good News?  Who in our life do we need to share the story with?  What would have happened to us if we were never told the story of Jesus?

Sowing Your Seeds So that They Will Make a Difference in Life

Ancient Manuscript: Gospel of Thomas

Saying:  9

My Reflection on Verse:

We can spread the word of God to the world.  Yet, there are people that will make all kinds of decisions when they are giving the opportunity of life.  We have to remember in this saying there are no difference in the seed or the sower.  The seed is the Good News.  The Sower is the Jesus.

The first seeds fall on the ears of people who do not care about hearing the Good News.  The seeds fall on deaf ears.  We have to understand that there are people that can just fluster you when you tell them the story.  The Good News is just pushed aside and is eating up by the world.  They have no hope of growing until they are accepted by someone that wants to hear.

The second seeds fall on the rocks.  This is the situation where the person hears the

Good News but turn away.  They are willing to hear yet; they are not motivated to accept Jesus in their life.  Instead the Good news even though heard doesn’t grow.  These people can have the rock in their life slip away and they can one day have good soil to hear the Good News and accept it.

The third seeds fall on good soil.  The seeds start to grow yet, is choked out by the thorns.  These are people that accept Jesus yet, remain in the world.  They do not change their ways.  They are consumed with living in the world.  Even though they have Jesus in their life they will not produce crops.  These people are Christians who do not live the way of God.  They may treat people with discrimination.  They may continue doing their temptations freely.  They may also grow yet feel that they cannot share God.  These are the people that are the closest to having good soil.  They only need to break through what is stifling their walk with God to live in peace.

The last seeds fall on good Earth.  The harvest is grand with these seeds.  They accept God freely.  They grow their faith daily.  They become a very strong plant.  They are willing to share the Good News freely.  People will come to know Jesus because these Christian share Jesus not only by what they say but how they live their life.

Like many other choices we have an opportunity to choose how we want to accept the Good News.  Remember that this is the most important choices you will make in your life.

Questions:

Are you the person that hears the Good News but it is insignificant in their life?  Are you the person that hears the Good News yet isn’t ready to accept?  Are you the person that hears the Good News accepts it but doesn’t follow what you are taught?  Are you the person that hears the Good News and undergoes a full life change?  Are you ready to become the person that accepts Jesus and has their life changed forever?

A Wise Fisherman

Ancient Manuscript: Gospel of Thomas

Saying: 8

My Reflection on Verse:

This is a saying about choices you can make.  You can make wise decisions or you can make foolish decisions.  Even though the saying doesn’t talk about the foolish choices we can infer what the foolish decision would be.  We have to understand that the wise man will make the best decisions and the most important times of all.

Let us understand that when you make foolish decisions you affect your whole life.  We have to understand that the most foolish decision you can make is not to accept Jesus in your life.  We have to see that we have the opportunity over and over again to choose Jesus in your life. 

A wise person will choose salvation over all other things.  They are looking for something in their life to change things.  They look through the multitude of choices that confront them and they choose the one that leads to everlasting life.  The things of the world they skip to be forever connected to the Holy One.

The fish are all the available choices that a person can choose from.  We can decide to take some of the small fish and have a lot of problems.  See the small fish are all the transgressions that we can consume in our life.  We can choose to keep all the little fish and throw back the big fish.  This would be like having that opportunity right in front of you and instead of accepting Jesus you choose to live in sin to the fullest.

The person that chooses the big fish and throws the small fish back is choosing the lifesaving power of Jesus in their life.  Now, we have to understand that the person that didn’t accept Jesus will be given the opportunity to accept Jesus at any point of their life.  Yet, if they continue throwing back the saving power of Jesus they will never receive the big reward in life.

I actually experienced a situation like this the other day.  I went to a small lake and was watching people fish.  There was one man that was catching fish; he was throwing back on the small fish that he caught.  He was only keeping the large fish that would give him more meat to consume.

No more than 25 feet away sit two people fishing.  Every fish that they pulled out of the water they were keeping.  They had actually gotten into a school of small fish.  They were catching many fish and they were taking them all with them.  The time that I was there they never caught a large enough fish to really keep.

When I asked the first man how things were going.  He said it was fun and he had caught one really nice fish.  Yet, he was letting the others go back so that they could grow and become bigger fish.  He was allowing the little fish go back in the water with the thought that the next time that he came maybe he would never catch it again and it would be big enough to take home.

When we asked the second couple about how things were going.  They were really excited about all the fish that they were catching.  Yet, the man said that he came out several times before and hadn’t caught anything.  I wanted to say you aren’t catching fish because you are taking the little ones before they have a chance to mature.  

The choice is yours.  You can throw your net in the world and consume all the small fish and throw back the big one.  You can also decide to throw your net and only keep the large fish.  The first person that keeps all the small fish is allowing the world of sin to be more important than the love of Jesus.  Yet, the person that keeps the big fish and let the small ones go back is accepting to follow Jesus over the things of this world.

Questions:

Have you accepted the love of Jesus?  Are you choosing to live in the world by allowing yourself to fall for temptations without ever accepting Jesus in your life?  What do you need to do today to change your life?

The choice is yours who will you follow the Lion or the Lamb

Ancient Manuscript: Gospel of Thomas

Saying: 7

My Reflection on Verse:

 The lion represents the evil of the world.  We have to understand that we have an option of how to deal with the lion when it comes.  We can decide if we follow Jesus and walk away from the world.  We can also decide to follow things of the Earth.  This saying explains the blessings that come when you make that choice.

Let us start with the second part of the saying.  The person that turns from God and lives in the world is not blessed.  Instead you are paying your respect to the world.  In this situation sin becomes the victory. 

The first part of the saying is talking about the person that accepts Jesus in their life.  This person is confronted by the world yet walks away from it.  This person does not allow the sin of the world to overcome their life.  The person that does not allow the world to consume them will be blessed in life.

Now we might say we all commit transgressions even when we have Jesus in our life.  We are not perfect.  No one can go through life without committing sin.  In fact, people who are sinners will continue sinning after they are saved.  So how can they still be blessed while the other person who is not saved is not blessed?

The key here is the power of the blood of the lamb compared to the aggression of the Lion of the world.  The blood covers any sin if you accept Jesus in your life.  God no longer sees your sin all that is seen is a person that has the blood of the lamb covering their sins.  Yet, the person that does not accept Jesus does not have the gift of the blood of the lamb.

The lion is defeated by the lamb.  The lion can only strike against those that are not saved.  Those that have Jesus in their life have a shield around them.  A power that helps them makes choices between following the world and relying on God.  They may slip and do things of the world.  Yet, the lamb is there to help them to recover.  If you do not have Jesus in your life you will be completely immersed in the world.

The choice is yours.  Jesus is waiting for you to accept the saving power all the time.  You can choose today to follow God.  It may take a while for you to truly understand the saving power of God.  Yet, what is important is that as soon as you accept Jesus in your life you now have the saving power of the one above.  Your life will be blessed from that day forward.

Questions:

 Are you living consumed by the evil of the world?  Are you living in the blessings of the blood of the lamb?  Is today the day that you ask Jesus in your heart?  

How Are We Supposed to Live

Ancient Manuscript: Gospel of Thomas

Saying: 6

My Reflection on Verse:

We have to start with the questions of the disciples.  There they are questioning how we live our life.  Do we give to the poor?  Do we pray?  What things must we do to praise God?

God tells them to live their life as if there is nothing to be ashamed of.  God knows what we do in secret and what we do in open.  We need to live our life knowing that God is with us at all times.  If we feel something is wrong, then it is wrong.  If we feel that we are doing the right thing, then it is right. 

I was told this when I was little and it is still true as an adult.  My parents might know what I do but God sees it.  My parents might not be able to discipline me for what I am doing wrong behind their back but God will.  See we cannot hide from God.  Live your life so that others may see God in your life.  If you live your life like this you will see that you have a more productive life.

You will not have anything to be ashamed of.  People can look at you and say there goes a Christian.  This happens because not only what you do in the open, but also what you do not do. You have to understand when you are a Christian people are watching you.  This is a time to shine bright.  Live with your eyes on God and you will be successful in your life.  Hide away from God and you will soon that you are getting nowhere.  The best thing to do in life is live as if God is always there and in that moment you will find that you are doing the right thing all the time.

Questions to Ask Yourself:

Are you living as if God is with you all the time?  Are you trying to hide things from God?  Are you ashamed of what you are doing?  Is this today that you turn all things over to God and live as if God sees all things?

You will Come to Understand All Things

Ancient Manuscript: Gospel of Thomas

Saying: 5

My Reflection on Verse:

We always think that there is so much that we do not know about God and God’s plan for our life.  Yet, the biggest problem is that we do not recognize what is right in our sights.  We are so busy hunting for the unknown that we do not realize what all God is showing us now.

When we start to recognize what is right before us we start seeing what we thought was hidden.  You come to realize that some of the things that you thought were hidden are right in front of your eyes.  In fact, you start to realize that God doesn’t want to hide the plan for your life.  You are just not looking at what is happening and guiding you along your set path.

We have to understand that all the things seen and unseen will come to pass.  We come to understand that God’s plan for our life will manifest itself.  We have to understand that God will lead us through life.  Sometimes a wall comes up and we think that this has stopped us from where we need to go.  Yet, if we pay close attention and look around the wall we will see the new path.   Keep your mind open for God will reveal everything to you and everything that you thought was hidden will come to be.

Questions to Ask Yourself:

Are you really looking at the world with open eyes?  Are you willing to accept the truth that God has in front of you?  Are you so worried about what you don’t know that you are missing what you do know?  Has a wall come up on the path that you thought you were on?  Have you become willing to look for the path that God has set for your life?

We are all the Same

Ancient Manuscript: Gospel of Thomas

Saying: 4

My Reflection on Verse:

How many times in our life do we judge the young and think they are less knowledgeable than ourselves?  How many times do we look at strangers and judge them before we ever know them?  Don’t be upset if you discover that you have done this quite often.  The truth is that we are all guilty of judging others at one point or another.

There is one thing that we need to understand is that we are all the same. None of us are any better than anyone else.  There are things that we all can learn.  We have to remember that judging others separates us from knowledge that we will one day need. 

When we think we are better than others we will eventually have to face the fact that we have faults.  We will see that we need other people to help us along the pace.  We have to come to realize that we are no better than the person next to us.  The person next to us may know the secret that we need to hear.

We have to learn to be humble.  We need to be open to the lessons people can teach us.  We need to remove the pedestal that we put ourselves and others on.  In all reality we are no better than anyone else.  When we learn this lesson we will see that through it all that we are no better or no worse than anyone else.  With this knowledge we can treat people fairly.

Questions to Ask Yourself:

Do you judge others?  Do you think you are better than others?  Do you need to become humble and accept that we are all the same in the end?  Do you need to accept that those that think they are better will be knocked to their knees and those that are humble will become first?

You Must Use Your Mind or It Will Be Worthless

Ancient Manuscript: Gospel of Thomas

Saying: 3

My Reflection on Verse;

The mind is a tool that we must use.  Once you come to the knowledge of Gods inner salvation you must continue learning more.  We have to enlighten ourselves on where the Realm of God is truly are.  We have come to understand that we can reach the Realm of God by accepting God.

The question that comes into play is where the Realm of God is.  If we say the realm of God is in the sky are we not saying that the Birds of the air are closer to God.  If we say the realm of God is in the seas are we not saying that the fish of the sea are closer to God.  If we say that the Realm of God is in the things of the Earth is not the animals that walk the earth are closer to God.

The concept that we are to learn is that the Realm of God is within us.  God lives within us if we accept God.  We have to remember that our mind allows us to experience God in a way that nothing else.  The Realm of God is embedded deep in ourselves.

We must then continue using our mind to learn about God.  We will find over way that we will grow closer to God if we continue to learn more about the realm of God.  It is an inner experience that only comes from accepting the beloved Savior to live within us.

Questions to Ask Yourself:

Have you found the Realm of God?  Do you use your mind to continue learning the story of God and?  Do you use your mind to walk closer to God?  Are you using your mind so that it will not become worthless?

Discovering God Through Knowledge and Understanding

Ancient Manuscript: Gospel of Thomas

Saying: 2

My Reflection on Verse:

We must search for the truth.  It is through this that we discover what we are seeking.  We find the many things that Jesus wants us to know.  It is a matter of using your mind to search.

Once you discover the truth your mind will become troubled.  For you not only find the Salvation of Jesus.  You also discover the truth of what you have done.  Through searching you will come to the point that your knowledge is so vast that you start to wonder about your own life.  You have gained the wisdom, similar to what Adam and Eve discovered in the Garden of Eden.  They had learned the truth by eating of the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil they came to understand their shortcomings.  As you continue to seek you will also come to the knowledge of what has been good and bad in your own life.

Those that have come to the knowledge of what they have done in life.  Those that also have knowledge have found their way to the salvation of Jesus.  It is in that moment when you are most troubled that you come to understand how much you need God in your life.  If you had not searched for the truth and be killed with knowledge you would never come to the point where you were troubled with your life.  Once you are troubled you will come to the understanding that all can disappear from your life as long as you give it over to Jesus.  Wisdom of the past and future will lead one to accept the good fortunes of the future when they come to accept the savior.  We will then have the knowledge that we need to live our life in Reverence of God.

Questions to Ask Yourself:

Are you seeking for understanding?  Have you discovered the fact that you have fallen short of what God wants in your life.  Have you accepted that you must have Jesus in your life?  Have you turned your life over to God because of the knowledge that you have come to understand?

How is one Saved: Knowing that Christ Died or a Deep Understanding of Why Jesus Died?

Ancient Manuscript: Gospel of Thomas

Saying: 1

My Reflection on Verse:

The Gnostics believed that salvation came from within a person.  The process was not due to an outward experience.  Knowledge and understanding is the very essence of understanding God. 

Many of us accept Jesus at face value.  We understand that Jesus died on the cross, was buried, and on the third day arose from the grave.  With this information we come to accept Jesus in our life with what we can physically see. 

In this saying of Jesus it becomes apparent the responsibility of the person to use their mind to understand the gift that God freely gives.  It goes deeper than what we can see but it is the inner knowledge to understand God.  It is through understanding of all the mysteries contained in the Gospel that keeps a person from perishing.

In this way of thinking it is not only about accepting Jesus but understanding the reason behind accepting Jesus.  A deep inner thought in which you look at the sayings and decode what is written.  A person must use their mind to accept the grace of God.

Questions:

Do you believe that you have to have a deep understanding of the mystery of God to be saved?  Do you believe you can accept that Jesus died for your sins and arose from the grave and because of this knowledge one can be saved?  Is it possible that it is a combination of the two understanding why and accepting that it did happen and in these two things one is saved?