"For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him." 2 Cor 5:21

The salt covenant is a covenant of loyalty; today I want to share an understanding of the Lord's part in this covenant. Jesus said He is the "bread of life". It was His body that was broken on our behalf as the substitutionary sacrifice for our sins. Notice that He never once called us to be the "bread of life"! He is the ONLY "Bread of Life" – the true bread who came down from Heaven which anyone may eat and not die. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is His flesh, given for the life of the world. We must realize that we can ADD NOTHING to His sacrifice. If we begin to believe that any good works can add to His sacrifice then we have nullified the perfection of the Messiah's work which provides our justification by faith alone, not of works lest any man should boast. [Ephesians 2:8-9] Understanding that you cannot save yourself by any good deeds, and falling wholeheartedly upon the sacrifice of Jesus to save you, will remove spiritual pride, as you understand that He has provided you with the righteousness and goodness which you possess as a generous gift of His Spirit. In gratitude you will walk in His freedom, serving the Lord with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength! Brothers & Sisters, just as Adam and Eve put on fig leaves to cover their nakedness, we can try to cover our deeply corrupted sinful nature with good deeds or religious activity. None of this is of any use or value if we have not truly eaten the "Bread of Life", Jesus the Messiah. His free gift of righteousness is the only way we can become good. Once He has provided that, we can begin to do works that are truly pleasing and of great value to our Lord. UNDERSTAND THE LORD'S PART IN THE SALT COVENANT!

"You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier." 2 Timothy 2:3-4

In Hebrew, the word for hardness is "kosher". Interestingly enough, the word "kosher" also means "fitness", as from a workout in the gym. Yes -- it's a workout to serve the Lord in this world -- but God has called us to it! These days, many people are working out intensely to beautify and strengthen their bodies. A lot of them are obsessed with appearance and youthfulness. It has virtually become a religion to be beautiful and/or "ripped", and people are willing to make serious sacrifices for the sake of their bodily condition. Believers are called to a different kind of "workout" which can be equally or even more intense. Our "obsession" isn't with our bodies, but with our spirit. It is easy and "natural" to become caught up in the affairs of this life, even to adopt the worldly obsession with physical appearance. Yet our "workout" calls us to minimize the attention we give to worldly affairs, and to endure the hardness of spiritual warfare and service. Are we aware of the reality of the eternal life which belongs to us, and of ALL its implications? Our life in this world is incredibly short, yet filled with tremendous opportunity for the Lord and our place in the world to come. If we want to please Him, (and we ought to think about why we would), we will make the most of our time, and work out with the greatest spiritual energy possible. That will involve saying no to worldly priorities and concentrating on spiritual ones. Brothers & Sisters, if we have been chosen to be soldiers for God's great army this is no small thing! We will increasingly disentangle ourselves from prioritizing worldly pursuits, and be seeking first the things of the Kingdom of Heaven. When we do that we have two promises: earthly provision for all of our needs [Matthew 6:23], and treasure in Heaven [Luke 18:22]. Let's get free from the cares of this life and get focused on eternal blessings! GET ON YOUR SWEAT PANTS!

"I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels." Isaiah 61:10

Here's another interesting Hebrew word parallel. The Hebrew word for "love" or "affection", "chiba", is formed by the same root letters as the word, "chova", "obligation", "debt", or "duty". In Hebrew, the only difference between these two words is a few vowel points. But you say, "Isn't love the very opposite of obligation !?" Well, yes and no. The Hebrew language has a wonderful way of relating concepts which seem incompatible. The common romantic view of love in films and novels draws heavily on strong feelings of affection or passion. Even our love for God can flow from those kinds of feelings. (The apostle Peter was filled with them shortly before he denied the Lord three times.) But love based on obligation is another matter, and it's significant that the Jewish marriage contract, the "Ketubah", contains a list of "obligations" that a husband is required to fulfill for his wife. He might be passionately "in love" with her when he signs this contract, yet the wisdom of experience says this passion may wither with time, so the marriage ceremony formally "obligates" him to his spouse. By accepting these "obligations", he agrees that love is nurtured by commitment. One Rabbi commented: "Love which flows from obligation endures, but when obligation follows love, both are doomed." Our bridal relationship to Jesus also reflects this reality. His "obligation" to us flowed from an irrevocable decision of His will and commitment to love us...which cost Him His human life. We might speculate on the Lord's feelings for us, but we don't have to wonder at all about His obligation, or the absolute security we have in His love for us. Our love for Him can be the same. Feelings of love are wonderful. But they also come and go. And there'll be times when we wonder, "Where's that lovin' feeling? Is God really there?" And that's when the sure foundation of commitment will arise in the heart of every true lover. Brothers & Sisters, God's great love for us is expressed in His commitment; to cover our debt of sin; guide us through this earthly life, and be our eternal Heavenly Husband. Cleansed by His blood and filled with His Spirit we can love Him and one another with the same commitment. The feelings will follow. UNDERSTAND THE OBLIGATION OF LOVE!

"Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness"—and he was called a friend of God." James 2:20-23

Looking at the relationship between “love and affection” ("chiba" in Hebrew) and “obligation” ("chova" in Hebrew), we find another closely related word, “chaver”, one of the Hebrew words for “friend”. Friends are people with whom we share love and affection and also a sense of obligation. Our God and Father wants us to be His friends, to share love and affection with Him and to carry the sense of responsibility and obligation which friendship requires. Abraham was a friend to God. He believed and trusted His Friend, but he also came to share the awesome responsibility of that friendship. Abraham's Friend, the Lord Himself, asked Abraham to become a living picture of His relationship with His own Son, Jesus, by offering his own beloved son Isaac on an altar at Mount Moriah. Abraham's response to his Friend's request expressed a level of commitment to the friendship which was probably unprecedented in all human history since the time of Adam. Brothers & Sisters, as we consider these Hebrew words and their common roots, we begin to see that Biblical language expresses profound realities, and carries meanings which resound through history. And we find that the God of all creation desires an intimate friendship with human beings He created and loves. But that friendship involves degrees of commitment which test the very frontiers of relationship. If you are on one of those frontiers, you may count yourself blessed. Not everyone is called "a friend of God." BE HIS FRIEND!

"One thing I have desired of the Lord, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord, And to inquire in His temple." Psalm 27:4

The Hebrew word for "face" is "panim", (the Hebrew letters, peh-nun-yud-mem), literally "faces", a plural word. Normally, when we think about God, we focus only upon one of His "faces” at a time. God is "love" – or He is "holy"-- or He is "just"--- or He's a God of "wrath". Yet, of course, ALL these "faces" are His at once; and so the word "panim" accurately reflects the truth of God's multifaceted being. As we get to know Him better we begin to appreciate the complexity of His nature and the fact that our focus on one "face" is a very limited view, since there's so much more going on in His amazing "Personality". Now the same four Hebrew letters which form the word "face", (peh-nun-yud-mem), also form the Hebrew word for "inside" or "interior". * This would seem to contradict the first meaning, "face", since "face" is the external part of a person or thing, not the inside. Yet here, as with many Hebrew words and concepts lies a deep truth, a paradox which expresses two sides of reality. The "face" is intimately connected with the "interior", and may accurately reveal the true "interior" of someone. There's even a science (or perhaps you might call it an art) of reading peoples' true attitudes and character by looking carefully at their facial expressions. So while we don't "judge a book by it's cover", we may begin to know a person better by carefully looking at his/her face...because it is true that the face often says something real about the inside of a person. Jesus said, "The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light." Inside and out, we're connected. And this is something God wants us to do with Him; to meditate, or gaze upon His "panim", His "faces", and so to receive from His interior depths. Someday, we will see Him "face to face", and begin to know Him in ways which are unimaginable. Yet it is possible, by His Spirit within us, to begin now. Brothers & Sisters, God desires us to look deeper into who He is, even as we only look or meditate on one of His "faces". King David expressed his own unique desire in these words: "One thing I have asked from God, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of God all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the God and to meditate in His temple." God's faces and His "interior" are one continuous eternal wonder. Let us spend time this week simply beholding Him! Shalom! FACES REFLECT ON FACES, AND BEHOLD HIS BEAUTY!

"Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, "Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down." Revelation 12:10

A few years ago, I was in a debate with an atheist who had a legal background, and the Lord gave me a revelation about the tactics of the enemy. At Jesus's first coming, his tactic was to destroy the infant before He could grow up; [Revelation 12:4-5]. After the Lord's death and resurrection, Satan continued his direct assault by attacking the church through persecution, which lasted through the first three centuries. The tactics of the enemy were to destroy any "eyewitnesses" of God's goodness. However, the faith continued to spread all the more in spite of the bloodshed of the saints, and when the devil realized he could not destroy the move of God physically, he switched his tactics to -- "If you can't beat them, join them!" His hatred achieved less success by direct murderous violence, so he adopted the tactics of a lawyer to win his objective. Now, when a lawyer is confronted with damning evidence against his case, he seeks to get that evidence cast out in a pretrial procedure called "discovery." The enemy applied this principle during the dark ages. Having placed his servants into the highest offices in the church, Satan substantially removed the best evidence for the truth by suppressing the Word of God, not allowing it to be read or translated into a common language which the people could understand for themselves. Finally, in the late 14th century the Bible was translated into a common language, by John Wycliffe, and through a handful of Christian pioneers and the invention of the printing press over the next 100 years, the Scriptures became available in the vernacular of the common people during the Reformation. Then the enemy reverted to his original tactics, destroying the saints in the "Inquisition," where anyone found with the Word of God was deemed a heretic and killed. But in legal proceedings there is yet another tactic: when a lawyer realizes the evidence against his case cannot be suppressed in "discovery," he seeks to introduce a mountain of new information in an attempt to overwhelm the juridical process and obscure the truth by hiding it in thousands of documents. Doesn't this seem like exactly what has happened in our "Information Age"? We need to understand how Satan is working in our own time, and especially in our own culture. Brothers & Sisters, there's a saying I heard repeatedly growing up, with the acronym "KISS" -- "Keep It Simple, Stupid!" As we enter into the climax of the ages, the world is being flooded with exponentially more information, let's stay focused on the simple truth of the Gospel. Let's not allow our lives to be overwhelmed with too much information, but rather, "KISS" the message of the gospel to the world in need of His love! KISS!

"Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing." Matthew 24:46

We are called to be servants, are we not? Well, what does a servant do? He (or she) carries out the will of his master. A servant doesn't tell his master what to do -- he performs whatever tasks the master requests of him. A servant doesn't choose what days or times it's most convenient to serve his master. A servant's function is simply to follow and obey his master’s instructions. A servant does not develop a vision for the master either. The master is the one with the vision -- and he wants his servants to be ready and available to carry out that vision and bring it to fruition. How can we experience fulfillment in our lives? Simply by serving our Master -- our Heavenly Father. The world encourages us to seek counterfeit fulfillment -- power success -- prosperity. The more of these things we gain, the more our flesh wants more. It is our sinful human nature. We will never find true fulfillment when we seek these things. We must become servants if we want to experience true fulfillment. We need to become lowly, meek and humble. As God's servants we should have no other agenda, except to do His will. When we become faithful to do His will, then He will fulfill the aspirations He desires for us in our lives… and even those things we desire! Brothers & Sisters, as God's faithful servant -- we share in His success, we have direct access to His power and wealth and are able to walk in His authority! Let’s get our hearts in servant mode and watch how God brings about all the things we need and want. HAVE A SERVANT'S HEART!