THREE SAINTS ABOVE: JOB, DAVID & PAUL – Part Three of Three

Having completed our examination of the godly man Job in Part One, and PartTwo with King David, we now conclude this trilogy by looking into the life of apostle Paul.

Why did the apostle Paul claim to be the chief of sinners (1 TIM 1:15)? Many point to this verse for an answer:

1 CORINTHIANS 15:9
For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
Paul remembered the words he heard from the risen Christ:

ACTS 22:7-8
7 "And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?' 8 "So I answered, 'Who are You, Lord?' And He said to me, 'I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.'

Not only was Saul of Tarsus forgiven of his sins, but his Messiah actually made him an apostle (GAL 1:1)! This is the place of grace, indeed!!

THREE SAINTS ABOVE: JOB, DAVID & PAUL – Part Two of Three

Having completed our examination of the man Job in Part One, we now continue with Part Two and the life of David!

David like his predecessor Saul started out humbly when he was anointed as king of Israel. Unlike Saul however he remained a humble man – certainly not a perfect man, but one who owned up to his own failings (even if delayed as with the case of Bathsheba).

He started out as a faithful shepherd boy – little did he realize at the time but GOD had him in training even then, to eventually become the “Shepherd-King” of Israel!

As one of three that I am most eager to meet in heaven, what I so admire about David is his multi-faceted personality and considerable skill set. He was a good leader, a warrior of renown, a gifted song writer, an eloquent poet. In latter times, David would have been known as a Renaissance Man! Not only was he impressively strong, and extraordinarily handsome with a gifted intellect, but also had a great and compassionate heart (a very rare combination among us humans!).

THREE SAINTS ABOVE: JOB, DAVID & PAUL – Part One of Three: JOB

I recently posted on Facebook the following question:

“After the LORD Jesus Christ, who in all the pages of Scripture are you most eager to meet?” Many responded with, “I can only choose three??”

I understand that perfectly! Of the dozens upon dozens of saints found in the pages of Scripture, from the celebrated to the obscure, it’s difficult to pick out just three. As you can see, my three includes Job, David and apostle Paul.

This will be a three part series where I will expound on one of these per article and explain why these three in particular. Of course I’m eager to meet all of these precious saints including Abraham, Methuselah, Moses, Joshua, Samuel, Elijah, Isaiah, Daniel… well, the list is virtually unending isn’t it?

But to start, let’s have a look at this man Job, shall we?

JEWELS From the GOSPEL of JOHN: JESUS COMING & GOING – JOHN 7:31-36

The following is a series of short exhortations, brief commentary, and writings to convey thoughtful meditation on God's Word. I have chosen the Gospel of John as the subject. I pray that these will be a blessing and an edification for the saints.

JOHN 7:31-36
31 And many of the people believed in Him, and said, "When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?" 32 The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him. 33 Then Jesus said to them, "I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me. 34 "You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come." 35 Then the Jews said among themselves, "Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him? Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? 36 "What is this thing that He said, 'You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come'?"

LEGACY OF LIGHT

Scripture states that children are a heritage of the LORD (PSA 127:3), and as children of GOD, what is our heritage? What has the LORD bestowed upon us? The Gospel of salvation to begin with (2 COR 4:4; 2 TIM 1:10), the sealing of the Holy Spirit for another (EPH 1:13; 4:30) – all of the spiritual blessings in Christ are ours (EPH 1:3).

As children of GOD, ours is a “living hope” (1 PET 1:3) – for as long as Christ Himself is alive – and He is eternal!

Inasmuch as we understand this incredible heritage, which is based on the revelation of GOD’s Most Holy Word, the “Light” of that revelation is what we are ever and always thankful for!

All of our inheritance and the blessings of GOD, are granted in the Person of Christ Jesus.
We who follow Him as servants of The Servant of the Most High (PSA 35:27; ISA 53:11-12) are promised to rule and reign with Him in the world that is to come (MATT 18:1-4; 20:26-27; 23:11)!

JEWELS From the GOSPEL of JOHN: VERY CHRIST – JOHN 7:25-30

The following is a series of short exhortations, brief commentary, and writings to convey thoughtful meditation on God's Word. I have chosen the Gospel of John as the subject. I pray that these will be a blessing and an edification for the saints.

JOHN 7:25-30
25 Now some of them from Jerusalem said, "Is this not He whom they seek to kill? 26 "But look! He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ? 27 "However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from." 28 Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, "You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know. 29 "But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me." 30 Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.

BIBLICAL MINDFULNESS

That’s a word we’re hearing a lot these days, in the classroom as well as the boardroom, and tragically, even in our sanctuaries: “mindfulness” – that is “the practice of purposely focusing attention on the present moment – thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations and environment”. It’s a Buddhist practice that even churches are beginning to adopt.

As you can see that sort of mindfulness is all about self: One’s own thoughts, feelings, etc. Focus on self is not what the Christian is called to – to be aware of oneself, certainly, but our focus is to be on Christ and His Word! This is where we need to be mindful: apostle Peter said so!

2 PETER 3:1-2
1 Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), 2 that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior,

A TRUE VIRGIN – MOTHER Of The MESSIAH, GOD The SON

There are Progressive, Liberal Bible Scholars and pastors who not only question a miraculous virgin birth but insist that one is not necessary for the Christian faith. I categorically disagree with that assertion. Those who espouse such a view will often deny, even disparage the propitiatory redemptive act of Christ on the Cross, as the Sacrificial Lamb of GOD, dying for the sins of the world.

Biblically, Christ Jesus’ virgin birth and His atonement on the Cross are necessarily intertwined and by no means should be theologically unraveled. Why?

WHY A VIRGIN BIRTH?

ROMANS 5:12
 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—

Sin is passed down from one generation to the next, that is to say, the sin nature (ROM 7:14-25; 8:7-8; EPH 2:3; PSA 51:5). Joseph, the husband of Mary was a sinner like the rest of us. If he was the biological father of Jesus, then He would have inherited the sin nature from him and would be disqualified as an appropriate atonal sacrifice for the sins of the world. Yet because His Father was GOD (the Father), He inherited in His humanity, a sinless, innocent nature, just like the First Adam prior to the Fall (1 PET 1:19).

HOLY CHILD, DIVINE CHRIST

LUKE 1:26-45 – we will focus on vs. 29-35…
26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!"

29 But when she saw him, she was troubled [disturbed, alarmed] at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was [I.O.W. “what could this possibly mean??”]. 30 Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son and shall call His name JESUS.
32 "He will be great and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 "And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end." 34 Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?" 35 And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.
36 "Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.
37 "For with God nothing will be impossible." 38 Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her. 39 Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, 40 and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that [her] babe leaped in [the] womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 "But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 "For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 45 "Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord."

Now let’s break this down a bit and examine a few points in the text:

TIDBITS Of TRUTH - 2 PETER 1:2-3

TIDBITS Of TRUTH 11/26/25

2 PETER 1:2-3
2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,

Peter’s benedictory exclamation isn’t merely for grace and peace upon the saints, but that these wonderful blessings “be multiplied”! Any tiny morsel of grace is so potent and fulfilling, but what about the fullness of that grace? Then take that grace and multiply it to the Nth degree! And on top of that, the peace that GOD graciously provides!

It’s only a child of GOD, experiencing the grace of GOD, that can know the fullness of peace as GOD intended! And how are these blessings distributed? According to “the knowledge of GOD and of Jesus our LORD”. There is no other venue by which this grace and peace can be received and experienced.

HUMILITY BEFORE HONOR

PROVERBS 15:33
The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom, And before honor is humility.

The ways of the kingdom of GOD are quite often, and typically the polar opposite of the kingdoms of this world. This world teaches us that it’s “dog eat dog” and that we need to look out for “number 1” (ourselves). To rise up by any means possible to achieve greatness – that “the ends justifies the means”.

JEWELS From the GOSPEL of JOHN: LAW BREAKERS – JOHN 7:19-23

The following is a series of short exhortations, brief commentary, and writings to convey thoughtful meditation on God's Word. I have chosen the Gospel of John as the subject. I pray that these will be a blessing and an edification for the saints.

JOHN 7:19-23
19 "Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law? Why do you seek to kill Me?" 20 The people answered and said, "You have a demon. Who is seeking to kill You?" 21 Jesus answered and said to them, "I did one work, and you all marvel. 22 "Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. 23 "If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath?

GOD’s VIEW OF THE MOST EXPENSIVE

1 PETER 3:4
rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.

In context this verse is directed to the women of the church that apostle Peter is addressing (see vss. 1-6). Yet I think it’s just as applicable for the bride of Christ, which of course includes all of His saintly disciples.

We are as saints “…the royal daughter…” (PSA 45:13) of our Abba Father.

This verse speaks of “the incorruptible beauty…” that the LORD instills in all of us over time as we walk with Him, yield to His will, embrace the holiness of Christ:

ECCLESIASTES 3:11
He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.

ARE YOU A LIVING EMBASSY?

 Embassies are fascinating to me. They are literally territories in foreign nations that legally, politically belong to the host nation. USA embassies in England, Germany, Japan, Egypt don’t belong to those nations. They are as much a part of the USA as any American State or city.

Because of this, embassies are not subject to the laws or political and social parameters of the foreign country. They operate independently and in accord to the host nation.

2 CORINTHIANS 5:18-20
18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. (We are to be peacemakers between GOD and this planet in rebellion against Him! MATT 5:9).

WANTING ONLY SILVER OR GOLD

ACTS 3:1-6
1 Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. 2 And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple; 3 who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms. 4 And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, "Look at us." 5 So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. 6 Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk."

TIDBITS Of TRUTH - ISAIAH 10:1-3

7/21/25

ISAIAH 10:1-3
1 "Woe to those who decree unrighteous decrees, who write misfortune, which they have prescribed 2 to rob the needy of justice, and to take what is right from the poor of My people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless. 3 What will you do in the day of punishment, and in the desolation which will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help? And where will you leave your glory?

Those who will not use power wisely will find themselves abusing it unwisely. The fallen nature of man can’t resist the allure of power; how it can elevate them over others that too often become their victims.

Yet at the same time, we recognize that no one achieves power but by either the LORD’s express will or His permission. Nevertheless, in either case, everyone will be held accountable to the Granter of power for how they’ve used it.

TOO HOLY TO RECOGNIZE?

Have you ever wondered what you’ll be like once you arrive in heaven? Physically we shall be made perfect; any flaws, disabilities, deformities, unsightly disfigurements will be removed and we’ll inherit beauty and grace unequalled by any and all of the most attractive people of this world.

Mentally, there will be no more deficiencies in our intellect, and in all of our cognitive skills – we’ll have minds that would put Einstein and Hawking to shame!
Remember, Scripture says that Christ is vastly superior to and above the angels (HEB 1:4), and we will be like Christ. As His bride, we shall rule and reign with Him (REV 2:26-27; even judging angels! 1 COR 6:3).

We’ll have abilities and powers that would stagger our imagination if we caught a glimpse of them in the here and now! Review 1 CORINTHIANS 15 for some subtle hints!

AMERICA – PATRIOTISM or IDOLATRY? PART 3 of 3

Consider the following article by pastor Shane Idleman: In Case of National Emergency, Read This…

It’s been the observation of many Christians throughout the millennia that where GOD works, Satan is sure to show up, interfere with and corrupt in any way possible. We see it in church history, especially in our modern day churches, as well as revivals such as the one that occurred at Asbury University, KY.

I believe such is also in evidence at the founding of our nation; while there were many godly men such as Patrick Henry, James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, there were also those involved in Free Masonry such as George Washington, who was a third degree Mason (“Master Mason”). However Free Masonry in those days didn’t have the 33 degrees that came to be, later in the 19th century. The Luciferian Rite of the 32nd and 33rd degrees did not yet exist.

Likewise Benjamin Franklin belonged to the Hell Fire Club which certainly had a very dark essence. Thomas Jefferson lived and died as a Theist, though he didn’t quite conform to all the tenets of Theism, or Christianity, but a subtle blending of both (while also denying the Deity of Christ and other essential doctrines of the faith).

AT THE SOUND OF THE TRUMPET

I used to work at Pizza Hut as a shift manager. Whenever we got a phone call from another store, telling us that a regional or district manager is “in the area” we would all hustle and make sure everything was up to specs; counters, floors, walls were clean; our double boilers, ovens as well as salad bars, coolers and freezers temperatures were on target. Our service and production people were following all company procedures and policies.

And sometimes we didn’t get a visit – but that didn’t stop us from being ready “just in case”.

In 1 JOHN 3 it speaks of the LORD’s arrival to take His bride away:

AMERICA – PATRIOTISM or IDOLATRY? PART 2 of 3

Considering our heritage and vision that was America, we should carefully examine why this dream of self-government came into being. Practically everyone who lived in the colonies either came from Europe, or their parents or grandparents did.

Life in Europe for millennia was governed by Kings – some noble, many despotic, all of them ruling more or less with autonomy with no government office or official to balance their power.

Life in Europe was very much a class system consisting of nobles (including the royals like kings, queens, dukes, etc.), the clergy, merchants, serfs and peasants (the feudal system). The idea of a self-governing nation was a totally unknown concept from medieval days into the 18th century.

Our founding fathers wanted to distance themselves from power mongering systems and those ambitious men dwelling in them: