(Sat) Added (7) SongWeekly[1], just one

(Wed) UPDATE to EE[2]. Added (5) EE[2] with Introductory Remarks to the Christian Course

SAT (9:14,28,58; 10:09) Added (7) SongWeekly[1], below!

WED (9:59; 10:01 am; 3:05 pm) Hello! Added (5) Eternal Express[2], Introductory Remarks to the Christian Course, based on Galatians. Also returning MLS back to MLH, Mosaic Law Highlights. Update to EE[2].

(Fri) Update to EE[1], "Seek Truth". Added (5) EE[1] Take Matters to God, Seek Truth, and Part 2 of (6) MLS[1] on Revilement, or Abusive Speech.

FRI (9:27, 46,55; 10:05,14,21,33,40 am) Hello! Added EE[1] Take Matters to God, etc., and MLS[1] part 2, on Revilement/Abusive speech.

SAT (9:44,50 am) Hello! Adding (6) Mosaic Law Selection, Principle Love Rejects Evil, Hating Badness. Part 2 of this article is postponed for now

TAKE MATTERS TO GOD, NOT FALLING TO LIES, BUT ENDURING FAITHFULLY.

FAITH, ENDURANCE. 2Thessalonians 1:4-5 highlights the endurance and faith, especially of those chosen to rule with Christ in the Kingdom. They receive a scourging before God in discipline and training, to truly be worthy of their privilege to rule. Enduring persecutions and hardships faithfully, they learn vital Christian qualities and principles of truth that will serve them well in their role as kings and priests before mankind, lovingly assisting humans to grow in their relationship with God and others. All can follow such examples of faith and endurance. This is all after the example of Christ, as at 1Peter 2:21-23, revealing "21 In fact, to this course you were called, because even Christ suffered for you, leaving a model for you to follow his steps closely. 22 He committed no sin, nor was deception found in his mouth. 23 When he was being insulted, he did not insult in return. When he was suffering, he did not threaten, but he entrusted himself to the One who judges righteously." Verses 4-5 of 2Thessalonians read this way: "As a result we ourselves take pride in you among the congregations of God because of your endurance and faith in all your persecutions and the hardships that you are suffering. 5 This is a proof of the righteous judgment of God, leading to your being counted worthy of the Kingdom of God, for which you are indeed suffering."

KINDNESS, FEED HUNGRY . Thus we should look to God if we are having to cope with any sort of suffering, especially from others, as Romans 12:17-21 says "Return evil for evil to no one. Take into consideration what is fine from the viewpoint of all men. 18 If possible, as far as it depends on you, be peaceable with all men. 19 Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but yield place to the wrath; for it is written: “‘Vengeance is mine; I will repay,’ says Jehovoe.” 20 But “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by doing this you will heap fiery coals on his head.” 21 Do not let yourself be conquered by the evil, but keep conquering the evil with the good." What about the heaping of "fiery coals"? These were used to soften metal, to make it workable. Thus, good works toward wrongdoers can soften or melt their stubbornness of pride, perhaps leading to their genuine repentance. Thus, may we "keep conquering the evil with the good."

SEEK TRUTH, NOT TO BE MISLED. 2Thessalonians 2:9-12 continues mention of a lawless one, who deceives many from true righteousness and true worship. These verses are really meant to save us from falsehood. The judgement here mentioned by Paul is largely past. Verses 9-12 read this way: "9 But the lawless one’s presence is by the operation of Satan with every powerful work and lying signs and wonders 10 and every unrighteous deception for those who are perishing, as a retribution because they did not accept the love of the truth in order that they might be saved." Some verses like this could be misunderstood due to past disturbing abuses of power upon mankind. As strong as such words may seem, God's word is meant, not to condemn, but rather to correct our thinking toward God's way of love, including mercy and forgiveness based on faith in Christ's ransom provision.

1 John 2:1-3 says from the elder apostle John, for instance: "I am writing YOU these things that YOU may not commit a sin. And yet, if anyone does commit a sin, we have a helper with the Father, Jesus Christ, a righteous one. 2 And he is a propitiatory sacrifice for our sins, yet not for ours only but also for the whole world’s.3 And by this we have the knowledge that we have come to know him, namely, if we continue observing his commandments."

How vital to be truth seekers, considering God's word regularly so as to overcome lies, and not be misled from the truth of God, by those who would either deny or claim to know God's word but teach falsehood, some seeking their own glory and benefit. (John 7:18; 1Peter 5:2,3). May we not be deluded by "every powerful work and lying signs and wonders" causing ones to be led astray from the truth of God. As Jesus said, at Matthew 7:21-23: "“Not everyone saying to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the Kingdom of the heavens, but only the one doing the will of my Father who is in the heavens will. 22 Many will say to me in that day: ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and expel demons in your name, and perform many powerful works in your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them: ‘I never knew you! Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness!’" These words were for those strongly opposing God's loving will, deceiving others. God and Christ most readily seek loving understanding of all, so as not to condemn, but rather to address the root causes of misconduct. May true Christians humbly embrace God's truthful word and law as it is revealed to them. Let us all ensure we are doing the true will of God, including what we read at 1Timothy 2:4, "whose will is that all sorts of people should be saved and come to an accurate knowledge of truth."

GUIDED TO LOVE AND ENDURANCE. 2Thessalonians 3:5 shows two important aims of true Christians: "May the Lord continue to guide your hearts successfully to the love of God and to the endurance for the Christ." Love for God and others, while vital for true Christians, takes time to learn, and should be shown in harmony with godly wisdom, promoting integrity to God and His standards. Such love is to endure into eternity, to the glory of the God who "is love," Jehovoe!

ETERNAL EXPRESS

CHRISTIAN SMALL LETTER HIGHLIGHTS:

CHERISH THE "GOOD NEWS," GUARD ASSOCIATION. Galatians 1:6-8 encourages caution regarding our association. These verses show the Scriptures are what we should hold to regarding our faith, our trust and our belief system, not being persuaded by unrighteous ones: "I am amazed that you are so quickly turning away from the One who called you with Christ’s undeserved kindness to another sort of good news. 7 Not that there is another good news; but there are certain ones who are causing you trouble and wanting to distort the good news about the Christ. 8 However, even if we or an angel out of heaven were to declare to you as good news something beyond the good news we declared to you, let him be accursed." May we continue to grow in our understanding of God's word of truth, trusting and clinging to God as our refuge in a world still promoting unrighteousness.

ADHERE TO WHAT IS PURE, ACQUIRE DISCERNMENT. Galatians 2:16 contains the inspired words of the apostle Paul, who said "that a man is declared upright, not by works of law, but only through faith in Jesus Christ." Our faith in Jesus and the ransom sacrifice, to allow true forgiveness for sins, moves us out of appreciation to please God fully. Our faith and love for God and His Son move us to be obedient from the heart to their commands, but such obedience cannot "earn" us salvation--everlasting life is a gift from a loving God (Romans 6:23). "The love of God means that we observe His commandments, but His commandments are not burdensome. "(1John 5:3). However, we must not think that obedience to one command will compensate for our disobedience to another. We must strive never to violate what is holy, and be disobedient (James 2:10-13). Some practices can bar us from God's Kingdom (1Cori 6:9,10). We should acquire discernment to see the difference between the more important matters of law, and lesser matters, though still required. In the healthy fear of God, we should seek to hate all badness, while loving what is good, with foresighted prudence to see the consequences of both bad and good, and acting accordingly. (Psalm 97:10; Prove 22:3) Faith in God and Christ can thus grow with divine knowledge, considering God's word regularly. (Matth 4:4).

PRESS FORWARD IN SERVING GOD. Galatians 2:17-18 encourages us as ones turning to the truth of God, not to turn back to things we've left behind. The apostle Paul set an example in this regard, having been raised as a Pharisee with great prominence in Judaism, with prospects of easily being well-off materially and otherwise. But in God's name he fell to approving serious violations of even the law of God, pleasing those opposing God. Upon learning the truth about Christ, he left a life of falsehood behind to pursue God's favor and the reward of eternal life promised by Him for one's faithful and loving course. (James 1:12). We do not necessarily need to drop everything for the truth, but we should take a fresh look at our life and adjust or do away with anything detracting us from serving God faithfully. Paul referred to the "excelling value of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord," and considered his past pursuits as "a lot of refuse," that he may gain Christ. (Phili 3:8). True worship of Jehovoe through Christ opens our eyes to the truth, and as we grow in divine wisdom, we are better able to assess what is truly important in life and adjust our life accordingly. (Phili 1:10). We should turn to God in prayer before making any rash decisions, however. Look to God for guidance and direction, as we 'let our reasonableness become known to all men.' (Phili 4:5). God will nevertheless bless us for any sacrifice we make for the sake of His name and purpose, that enables us to move forward in serving God, and not turn back to a sinful course in life. Galatians 2:17-18 reads this way: "Now if we have also been found sinners while seeking to be declared upright by means of Christ, is Christ then sin’s minister? Certainly not! 18 If the very things that I once tore down I build up again, I demonstrate that I am a transgressor." Paul added in verse 20: "Indeed, the life that I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and handed himself over for me." May we appreciate the loving, selfless spirit Christ displayed in his earthly life course, seeking the everlasting happiness of all willing humans, as described in the Holy Scriptures, and seek to follow this example. (1Peter 2:21).

MOSAIC LAW HIGHLIGHTS

CHRISTIAN STANDARD: PRINCIPLED LOVE COURAGEOUSLY REJECTS EVIL, HATING BADNESS

Let’s now consider Exodus 22:28: “28 “You must not curse God nor curse a chieftain among your people.”

GOD NOT TO BLAME. Verse 28 Another term for “curse” here is “revile,” to speak abusively of this one. How we should always hold God in high esteem, learning the proper healthy, reverential fear of ever displeasing Him, always wanting to please God, never hurting Him in any way, appreciative of His great love for us and all of His human creation. Some have blamed God when they’ve misunderstood the issues of universal sovereignty and free will, involving His temporary permission of corruption and suffering. Our first parents, inspired by Satan, chose disobedience to God, wanting in effect to decide for themselves right and wrong, rather than trusting God for that determination. They and the human family thus came out from under God’s overriding protection and blessing, and this is why mankind has experimented with various forms of rulership, but struggling to find one that can fully care for all the needs of it’s subjects. Still, we’ve all been given the gift of free will, to choose whether or not we want to please our loving God, pleasing and honoring Him in love, or turn away from Him. Of course, there are consequences to our decisions, but He’s given us free will nonetheless, which we can use to make His heart rejoice when we freely choose to love and serve Him, appreciating His guidance in life. Proverbs 27:11 says “11 Be wise, my son, and make my heart rejoice, So that I can make a reply to him who taunts me.” Thus we are wise to choose to obey God, and we may still receive certain protections and blessings for doing so, although we must trust in God’s kingdom for humankind to experience this in full measure, with everyone siding with God’s right of rulership over His human creation. What blessings are in store!

CHRISTIANS, WHILE SPEAKING AGAINST WHAT IS BAD, AVOID ABUSIVE SPEECH. Notice, we are likewise to avoid cursing a “chieftain” or “ruler” among God’s people. Those that God has allowed to receive authority to govern His people deserve our respect and appreciation for their hard work and efforts to do so properly. Of course, if they received their post underhandedly, then it was not with God's blessing. If they stray from God’s moral guidelines, setting a poor example, we should make this a matter of prayer, but while their public conduct might be discussed, we should still avoid abusive, hateful speech. We may still express hatred for what is bad, but we should compassionately use the utmost caution as regards sullying a person’s reputation. If there is a need to discuss such things, try to focus on the supposed actions themselves rather than the person so much. It was Satan’s hateful false slander against God that deceived Eve and led to man’s fall from perfection and true happiness. We should thus guard our tongue, using it to bless where appropriate rather than curse. For instance, Romans 12:14 says “14 Keep on blessing those who persecute; bless and do not curse.” Trust God to help us deal justly with things that appear out of harmony with His will. It is wrongdoers that often “sharpen their tongue like that of a serpent; Venom of vipers is behind their lips.” (Psalm 140:3). Regarding God’s servants, Proverbs 10 says “20 The tongue of the upright one is like the finest silver” and Proverbs 12 says “18 Thoughtless speech is like the stabs of a sword, But the tongue of the wise is a healing.” Our hearts are most valuable to God when they are found in the way of righteousness. Proverbs 10:20 continued with saying “But the heart of the wayward one is worth little.” May all look to God to grow in true wisdom, understanding the right way to live before Him, looking forward to doing so with eternal life and happiness in view!