The Passion Of Success

The Passion Of Success

by

Dr. Gale A. Ragan-Reid (April 27, 2017)

"The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider" (Isaiah 1:3, King James Version)

Greetings In the Holy Name of Jesus,

My brothers and sisters in Christ, I am here to tell you today, in modern times that man did not get way. Recently I spoke to a woman of her struggles in the ministry, mostly facing man----teaching in Sunday School, forsaken over the comment, of knowing. Are we short-changed when we are told that we do not know? The word of God says we do not know and the gospel readings of Jesus tell us we do not know. Accordingly the Prophet Isaiah (1:3) told us that we do not know to whom we belong, unlike some animals. "The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider." On a personal level, when we quiry our heart and mind---it is a struggle of faith that bends us to not consider that the fall of Adam confirmed that the fruit of good and evil eaten by Adam and Eve even though Eve gave the fruit of good and evil to Adam and God gave Eve to Adam; still, even nevertheless Adam did not get away---Adam was judged with Eve and the serpent (Satan), cast out of the Garden of Eden with Eve as the serpent (Satan) was cast out of heaven, the story of Christ Jesus repeated itself, for it is his story, the Word, with God, in the beginning (St. John 1:1-5, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. ...And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not."

Likewise, the Prophet Jeremiah {8:7) told us that "Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of the LORD." Jeremiah continued (9:3,6), "And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil and evil, and they know not me, saith the LORD. ...Thine habitation is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know me, saith the LORD." The truth, of not knowing as painful as it bears down on the most learned of holy scriptures from the law, the prophets to the gospel readings, we remain saved in the righteousness of Christ Jesus for we fall short---we could not fulfill the law; Christ Jesus fulfilled the law. Why do we fail to see had it not been for sin, the prevailing law would not condemn us to death, and the grace of Christ Jesus from the Almighty God would not let death the enemy, prevail? Christ checked both the law and death, to save us, to offer us the gift of everlasting eternal life---resurrection power.

Most of us, even I want to feel the power of God---God's winning power that passion of success known to all, witnessed by all that all things are possible through Christ Jesus and it was that power of the passion of success that comes out of Christ Jesus that blinded Judas to want Christ Jesus to be the King of the Jews in that time and space for he witnessed the power of resurrection first with Lazarus (St. John 11:25-26,43), the power of drawing from what you have to increase as the disciples' five loaves and two fishes fed the 5,000 (St. Luke 9:13-17) who came to see and hear the Christ preach and teach and the healing power that made the blind see, the crippled walk, the dumb talk, the maimed and diseased whole. Judas' desperation to escape the darkness---the persecution of the Jews rendered him blinded from the salvation plan, for in his heart he cursed the Christ and God as the friends of Job told Job to do for they could not take watching his sufferings increse in severity each day as he held onto his faith watching his family die and all his belongings leave him. Who can stand the severity of the sufferings of man from th taskmaster even a little suffering weighs down on the heart and mind of man because man will always champion himself inspite of all his lost even without self esteem somewhere man will feel undeserved injustice and hatred and eventually beg in prayer to God to save him for without that faith, man without hope, is death?

The darkness of the soul is a scary place---not of the peace of Christ Jesus. I succumb to Christ Jesus for in the refuge of Christ is saving grace. Many do not realize that without the hedge of protection which is Chirst Jesus, the wings of eagles which is Christ Jesus, even more so the blood of the lamb of Christ Jesus we are left to the serpent Satan and Satan's examination as we saw what he did to Job is severe and harsh as the enslavement of the Jews by Egypt since Joseph's death. However, as severe as the examining judgment of Satan is, the power of God---the wrath of God is a power that Satan could not master but with subtlety, trickey and envy to take it all from man he still complained night and day before the throne of God about the weakness of the flesh of man so we thank Christ Jesus for being our lawyer in the courtroom of God facing Satan to save us, for it is not God's intent to let Satan have his way each and every time he asks to examine us for why else did he give the world his only begotten son from the beginning. Those who have been examined by Satan, who suffered and who did not die feel the passion of success and the weight of the law how it weighs every word and deed, hopefully within the scope of truth not denying because to condemn under lies reveals what Christ said that the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy but I come to give you life [St, John 10:10, "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."]