Chapter six verses four through six: As the Apostle Paul tells us in these three verses, having truly known God then having left Him has eternal consequences. Fortunately for those involved in the Institutional Church, they have never known Him and therefore have the opportunity to know Him and to receive eternal life. However, those few who have truly known Him and have been known by Him, should they fall away from Him–fall from grace–have no chance for salvation. God says that it is impossible for those who have been one with Him and have “fallen away to return to Him because they have crucified the Son of God again and in so doing expose Him to public ridicule.” As the Scriptures tell us, these people have been enlightened by and have partaken of the Holy Spirit–the “heavenly gift”–through which God speaks to His people in these last days of Satan’s rule over the earth. It is the Holy Spirit by which God opens our eyes to His Word and enables us to know, understand, believe and obey that Truth. What more could a seeker of the Lord want from this life? What else is there to seek, hunger and thirst for? Who else is there to look to for meaning in our brief earthly tenure? For those who truly have their eyes on the future prize, God is all things, every thing and the only thing. For them, THERE IS NOTHING ELSE AND NO ONE ELSE. All other considerations–family, friends, material things–all must fall in behind Him in order of priority. It is this attitude, and only this attitude, that will enable one to overcome Satan’s siren call to seek and strive for other things, to place too much emphasis on the things of earthly life. The Lord tells us that He takes care of the flowers, birds, etc. Therefore He will take care of us if we, as do they, depend on Him and go about our lives doing what He created us to do–worship, obey and serve Him which is the “walk” that Jesus of Nazareth set before us by His example (1 Jn. 2:6). THERE IS NO OTHER PURPOSE FOR THIS LIFE.

This “walk” is what the Lord was referring to in Matthew 7:13,14 where He warns us that only a “few” people throughout the history of mankind will “find” and enter His strait gate and “walk” His narrow way leading to eternal life. That gate and way involve doing what we were created to do. Many, He warns, enter Satan’s wide gate and walk his broad way by doing what he wants man to do–seek and strive for the things of the world. The things of the world are not necessarily evil in and of themselves. Evil results when those things replace God as the central and all-consuming concern in man’s life. The Lord commands us to “redeem the time” for Him and for fulfilling His will for our lives (Col. 4:5). One of the main proofs of our devotion to Him involves the amount of time we dedicate to studying His Word. To determine where our priorities lie one must compare the amount of time one gives to the Lord to the amount of time one gives to such things as watching t.v., using the internet, reading, listening to music, recreating, pursuing material items, etc. We find time to do those things that are important to us. Our use of that time tells us, the Lord and those around us what is important to us. God plays second fiddle to no one and nothing. L.J.