Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus,

“Anyone who loves is born of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God—for God is love. God showed us how much He loved us by sending His only begotten Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through Him. This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. . . .  13)  And God has given us His Spirit as proof that we live in Him and He in us. . . .  15)  All who proclaim that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God.  16) . . . God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.  17  And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. . . .” 1 John 4:7-17 (NLT)

GOD made a vow with Himself on behalf of mankind because Adam used free-will to go against God’s will for our lives allowing sin into the earth, and rendering people unable to fulfill God’s initial plan – that man (i.e., male, female) would fill the earth and subdue it (Genesis 1:28). However, when the time was right God came in the likeness of man – Jesus the Anointed One and His Anointing. For only a man could undo the treasonous act committed by a man which turned man’s lease of the earth over to the thief who only comes to steal and kill and destroy (Romans 5:12-19; John 10:10a). When I think about the LORD – His loving kindness, tender mercy and faithfulness, I’m in awe.

We may comprehend through revelation of the information in the Word of God by the Teaching of the Holy Spirit, that the mystery of God’s plan for the redemption, re-creation, and reconciliation of mankind unto Himself was “readied” in Jesus the Christ before the beginning of time (2 Timothy 1:9). The things of God are revealed to the earnest heart seeking EL – The Strong One – The Almighty God – The Everlasting God – The living and faithful God. Such earnest hearts included those of: Abel, Seth, Enoch, Noah, Shem, and Abraham. For the Omniscient One knew that Abraham would teach his children. Hence, the earnest heart that sought God continued through Isaac and Jacob to the twelve patriarchs: Rueben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Zebulun, Issachar, Dan, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Joseph, and Benjamin.

The lineage of Jesus the Christ stemmed from Judah, to Salmon and Boaz whose Mother – Rahab was a descendant of Ham, to Obed whose Mother – Ruth was a Moabite, to Jesse and King David (Isaiah 11:1-5; Revelation 5:5 & 22:16), to Joseph and Mary whose powerful faith-filled response to God’s angel Gabriel was in essence: “. . . be it unto me according to the Word of God” Luke 1:38. Jesus the Anointed One selected the twelve Apostles, of which He knew one would betray Him. Christ Jesus also chose the highly educated one from out of the midst of those who conspired to kill Him and though seeking to continue persecution (Acts 9:1-5) became the primary Apostle to the ingrafted branch (Romans 11:17-20). Hence, by the WORD we may know that the reconciliation of all nations unto Himself has always been the plan of GOD (Genesis 17:4 & 18:18; Isaiah 56:3 [NLT]; Amos 9:11-12; Matthew 28:19; John 10:16 & 11:52; Acts 10:44-46; Romans 4:17-18).

God the Father desires a people of faith which includes those initially chosen by God as well as those who choose God via Christ; these are they who are blessed through faithful Abraham, “This is why the fulfillment of God’s promise depends entirely on trusting God and his way, and then simply embracing him and what he does. God’s promise arrives as pure gift. That’s the only way everyone can be sure to get in on it . . . For Abraham is the father of us all. He is not our racial father —that’s reading the story backward. He is our faith father.” Romans 4:16 (MSG).

God has given all people of faith – who believe and confess the Lord Jesus, the gift of the Holy Spirit but faith is key to the promises of God (Galatians 3:14; Acts 2:38 & 15:8-9; Romans 4:16). “Is it not obvious to you that persons who put their trust in Christ . . . . . are like Abraham: children of faith? It was all laid out beforehand in Scripture that God would set things right with non-Jews by faith. Scripture anticipated this in the promise to Abraham, ‘All nations will be blessed in you.’ So those now who live by faith are blessed along with Abraham, who lived by faith—this is no new doctrine!” Galatians 3:7-9 (MSG).

Perhaps the non-factors of race and/or culture relative to a people of GOD, are factors in regard to each of our own God-given assignment(s), which would necessarily involve an aspect of establishing His covenant—His kingdom—His will, on earth as it is in Heaven (Matthew 6:10). Yet, dearth of knowledge about the nature of GOD who is LOVE due to lack of study in His Word as well as spending quality time with Him through prayer and praise and worship, inhibits familiarity with and/or impedes awareness of the way of LOVE. For we are socialized and/or trained in the way of the world from birth. Therefore, though God is within us via instantaneous re-birth of the spirit by the redemptive work of Christ Jesus, renewal of the mind (soul) is ongoing by the Word of God.

The New Testament/New Covenant between GOD and man (i.e., male, female) ratified by the blood of Jesus delineates a new command – the commandment of love which incorporates the greatest command upon which all the commandments pertaining to the Old Testament/Old Covenant between GOD and man originated (John 13:34-35 & 15:12,17; Matthew 22:37-40). Love is the first of the good fruit that those rendered sons and daughters of GOD by the Blood, are to bear as branches on the Vine – JESUS (Galatians 5:22-23; John 15:5; Philippians 1:11). Further, it’s impossible to simultaneously schlep in hate and sustain evidence of the good fruit that emanates from love. Therefore, at the spirit’s re-birth, the God kind of love was poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit because such is the generator or operative power of the measure of faith (Romans 5:5; Galatians 5:6; Ro 12:3). Vengeance and recompense are of GOD (Hebrews 10:30) who works through people that “believe and have confidence in His ability to execute judgement and justice”; our vindication is of Him (Isaiah 54:17).

Speak the promise . . . Harriet