The Spy

I picked a persimmon that looked like a cartoon spy.

There are good spies and bad spies.

Num 13:17  And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them, Get you up this way southward, and go up into the mountain: 

Num 13:18  And see the land, what it is; and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many; 

A spy should be "cut out" for his job.

Num 13:30  And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. 

Spies must not fall apart , nor be fearful.

Num 13:31  But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. 

Num 13:32  And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. 

Num 13:33  And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.

Who knows, there may be a spy around us. In communist countries the government had spies and even children accused their parents. It will be this way in the end times.

Mat 10:21  And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death. 

Mat 10:22  And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. 

We all may be be put to the heat. Will we be faithful?

1Co 3:13  Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. 

1Co 3:14  If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 

If we survive the heat and are true, 

we shall come forth as gold. 

1Pe 1:7  That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: 

1Pe 1:8  Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: 

Be of Good Cheer

John 16:28  I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.
John 16:29  His disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no proverb.
John 16:30  Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth from God.
John 16:31  Jesus answered them, Do ye now believe?
John 16:32  Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.
John 16:33  These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

 

Jesus speaks to his disciples in simple words that he " came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father." Here it is for believer and unbeliever to hear in easy words that Jesus was from God and would return to God. Sometimes even easy words have a broader meaning.

 

John 3:12  If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?

John_3:13  And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

 

How could Jesus be in his human body and at the same time be in heaven? Jesus, the Son of God is God in heaven. These things we receive by faith and our faith will be tested. We are to believe God's word, not our thoughts or the ways of the world. We will be tested; will we leave Jesus when persecution comes? When hard things come will we doubt God? Jesus says that we are to remain in his peace, always hopeful.

 

When I was a young man I faced cancer. I did not know Jesus at first but I came to faith in the hospital. When working again I would think the cancer was gone, but it would return, yet because of Jesus being in me, there was peace and a feeling of his presence with me. This is how we are to face the opposition of the world, we are to live in the peace of God with joy in our hearts. "Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." "...Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee." ( Mat 9:2)  When the storms of life come, remember Jesus who walked on the waters of a stormy sea.

 

Mat 14:26  And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.
Mat 14:27  But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

Jesus overcomes the storms of life; be at peace and be of good cheer. If we believe in him, he will never forsake us, we are with him always. Stay calm in him who has overcome the world, death and hell. We shall go to be with him.