Scripture says the arm of flesh will fail you. (Jer. 17:5) It’s that simple. Anything built upon the flesh is a dead end street. God invites us to live by the power of his Spirit, but how many Christians actually understand what that is?
Romans 12:2 says we need a renewed mind in order to successfully practice Spirit life, but how do we get that? Many teachers today fail to simplify. They fail to simplify their message and their ministry. They create very hungry monsters needing a lot to keep them fed.
I have identified seven “P’s” to living the Path Without End, instead of the dead-end. But I can simplify even more, because if you are faithful to three of the “P’s”, the others will grow from there, by the power of God, supernaturally.
I can simplify even more, actually. The Old Covenant Jew had a multitude of laws by which they tried to please God, but when they asked Jesus which was the most important, he said he could sum up all those laws in just two! Wow! Jesus the master simplifier! The simplicity of Christ! And the wisdom of simplicity.
Most of us know the answer Jesus gave, and that answer is as simple as Mary and Martha. No…they were not mentioned in his answer. His answer was, as you know, love the Lord thy God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And, love your neighbor as yourself.
But it seems Martha somehow inverted the order in which Jesus gave it. I see this as the biggest mistake being made by well-intentioned people today. Good works can so blind us that we completely fail to realize we are actually serving “self”, and have self on the throne, because without Jesus we can actually do nothing, and we are so busy loving others that we don’t even realize we are not loving God!
You see, a true Priest does not make this mistake. Priests know their first love is to God. But our minds have not been renewed to think as the Priests God says we have become. Most of us still think like kings and base it on some mistranslated scriptures in Revelation. This King Theology has robbed us of a lot. We have not become the Godwalkers we are called to be, but we do understand Martha.
Jesus was very specific in the order in which he answered the question. We have both a vertical relationship to maintain, and also horizontal, but which comes first, and which is most important, and which supplies the power to properly live the second? If you invert this order, or even ignore the vertical, you are traveling a dead-end street.
A very powerful supernatural promise from God is Isaiah 40:31. If we rush off into our busy day of serving others and fail to wait on Jesus, what do we accomplish? (Besides taking God for granted.)
“They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with the wings of eagles, they shall run and not grow weary, they shall walk and not faint.”
That is one supernatural scripture a true Priest does not want to violate, but a king will do his own thing. Jesus said seek ye “first” the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these other things will be added to you.
Priest also understand the principal of “first-fruits”, but this is not complicated, because the child of God who loves God will not ignore God! The first three “P’s” will function naturally in his life, from which the others grow.
It really is as simple as Martha and Mary. Jesus even rebuked Martha. Wow! (Luke 10). I don’t want to over complicate this by teaching too much in one setting, so I plan to get into the three “P’s” and the seven “P’s” in the blog site section.
“Path Without End” is very dedicated to exposing the dead-end street so many are living on, saved and unsaved alike. Remember the “Ten Virgins” of whom five were left behind! So I will leave you with one more picture. Now I warn you, this picture will “look” complicated, but it is not. Most of these things will naturally happen in the power of God, not your own, once you have Mary and Martha right, get yourself off the throne, and be the Priest! God has a master plan that is good for me, and good for you. Here’s the picture. Enjoy pondering.
Path Without End 