October 2000

[Part Twenty-one]

              The highest calling on this earth is to be sons of the Living God. Sonship is not just an empty title added to our names like “Mr. or Miss”. It is a holy state of spiritual being! As natural men we are born into a state of spiritual death as children of the flesh-minded first Adam. What is meant by flesh-minded? Rom 8:6 says, “To be flesh-minded is death, but to be spiritual-minded is Life and Peace.” When natural senses and sensitivities dominate and dictate control over our souls (i.e., our intellect, emotions and will) this is being “flesh-minded”

[The term, flesh-minded, is also called carnal-minded, which is from the root, carne, meaning “meat or flesh”. From this we get words like the food chili con carne or lit. chili with meat; and carnivore meaning meat-eating; even the flower, carnation, meaning: “flesh-colored”; and carrion meaning: “Dead putrefying flesh unfit for food”; and carnival, meaning: “Removal of meat”! (Dict. “A season or festival of merrymaking or masquerading before Lent (a 40 day period of religious penitence and fasting culminating in the Easter celebrations). A carnival is also a traveling enterprise offering amusements, exhibitions and entertainment.” These definitions of carnival are noteworthy- esp. the removal of meat , since Jesus Christ said, “My MEAT is to DO THE WILL OF HIM THAT SENT ME!” Jesus forsook every wicked, worldly pleasure according to His Father’s Sovereign Will, to exhibit a sinless, holy Life! So a season of merrymaking and *amusement signifying the removal of meat- typifying the removal of doing the Will of God as a prelude to 40 days of penitent fasting (40 = trials, testings and probation) that climax in a RESURRECTION CELEBRATION, surely paints a glorious picture of man’s odyssey from the death-state of the first Adamic nature; to the Eternal Life of the second and last Christ-Adamic Nature! (*Interesting to note: “Amusement” has two roots: “a” meaning “NOT”; and “muse” meaning “TO THINK”! So “amusement” is a determined purpose to cause men “not to think”! Yet God says, “Whatsoever is true... honest... just...pure...lovely...of good report; whatever has any virtue and is praiseworthy....THINK ON THESE THINGS!” (Php 4:8)

                Heb 12:1-2 tells us to: “Strip off and throw aside every encumbrance- unnecessary weight- that sin which so easily and cleverly clings to and entangles us; let us run the race before us with patient endurance- steady, active persistence- ’Looking away from all that distracts that we may only *look at Jesus, the Author of our Faith, Who is also the Finisher of our faith, bringing us to maturity and perfection; because, for the joy presented to Him, He willingly endured the Cross!! He despised and shunned its shame, knowing He’d now be enthroned at the right hand of God!” [*“Look” (Gk 972) is from 2 roots: 575- “Off or away”; and 3708-
“To STARE AT; to discern clearly; to attend to; experience; appear, behold, see, perceive, and take heed!”

GOD DID NOT CREATE MAN’S MIND TO BE A BARREN WASTELAND BUT A FRUITFUL GARDEN OF DELIGHT [lit. meaning of Garden of Eden]! He designed every man’s soul (including his intellect) as His own Eternal Paradise wherein His magnificent Mind of Infinity will dwell! Do not be deceived by the fact that His Perfect Plan was allowed to descend into DEATH first! It was in this estate He could establish the foundation of His Glory. You see, every man’s testimony of Redemption is accomplished through his human faults and failings! Then comes the final triumph over our Death-state as we receive our glorious RESURRECTION!

[TO BE CONTINUED]