In this post I would like to point to my blog header photo. It is very special to me. Not only because I love living in the Oregon Outback, which I kind of consider by "backyard", but because within the past couple of years that sign has been missing. At the beginning, a semi truck slid into it and knocked it over. It layed there on its side for months. I waited and waited for someone to put it back up on its rock base. However, that never happened. During that time, I wondered whose responsibility it was to fix it. Next thing I knew, it was gone! The base remained but the wooden sign was just gone. I felt saddened by its disappearance. I made calls to different agencies and organizations to find out what happened to it and if it was going to be replaced. No one seemed to know anything about it, not even when I gave them the location. The city sent me to the county. That county sent me to another county. Then that county sent me to the state road department. No one seems to even care about it. To me it was a special landmark. It marked the gateway into the Outback. I still do not have any answers as to its whereabouts. It may have even been stolen.
Proverbs 22:28 says, "Do not remove the ancient landmarks which the fathers have set." These were markers that marked out ones property. The command to not move them had to do with not stealing you neighbor's property.
Psalm 16:6 "The lines of my boundary have fallen in pleasant places. Surely my inheritance is delightful." Ephesians 1:13&14 "In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him you also, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory."
I Peter 1:4 states that we have an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading, kept in Heaven for us. This is all by Faith which according to Hebrews 11:1 is the "substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen." The Righteous live by Faith!
Jesus is our Boundary lines. It is in Him that we live and move and have our being. Colossians tells us that it is in Him that all things exist and hold together. It is our responsibility to keep our boundary lines or landmarks within Him,
It is by Grace we are saved through Faith in our Savior Jesus Christ and His shed blood on the Cross to remove the separation from God that came about through sin. We have now been brought back in and have received a beautiful eternal inheritance. The goal of our Faith is the Salvation of our souls.
I said all that to say that John 10:10 lets us know "the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy (our landmarks, our boundaries, our inheritance... in essence our FAITH). Jesus came that we might have life and life more abundantly."
We need to watch out in these last days to not allow our "ancient landmark of Faith" to be removed. We must not allow ourselves to be tempted to doubt what God has said like Eve did in the Garden. We must not allow ourselves to lose faith because of persecution or suffering. We must not allow ourselves to lose faith in the ability of God to expose the lies of the "thief". We cannot look to this world, the government, the economy, the medical field, the pharmaceutical industry or anything that promises hope in the natural. Those boundary lines are temporary. Some may disappear never to be seen again like my special landmark. Our boundaries are according to the Truth found only in Scripture and they remain firm and steadfast forever. We have to contend through Prayer, Fellowship and the Word of God dwelling in us richly.
Encourage one another daily. Hebrews 13:8: "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever." Don't be deceived. Abide in the true Vine. Stay close to the Shepard. His Sheep hear His voice. Only through deep intimate relationship with Him can this be accomplished.
I hope you have been encouraged by this "word". Love one another deeply!
BarbaraJean
