Separation from those Close to you
Scripture Reading - John 7:8-10 KJV
8 Go ye up unto this feast: I go not up yet unto this feast; for my time is not yet full come.
9 When he had said these words unto them, he abode still in Galilee.
10 But when his brethren were gone up, then went he also up unto the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.
Today’s lesson will discuss one aspect of “separation”. The aspect we are referring to is “separation from someone close to you”. This is not discussed too often but it happens all the time in the Body of Christ. Yes, we see our precious Lord Jesus using wisdom and discretion to overcome a family challenge in His life. The challenge was that His very own family members didn’t believe in Him as the Savoir of the World according to John 7:5 just three verses prior. If that wasn’t bad enough there were certain members of His family telling Jesus what he should do (John 7:3) while doubting His works (John 7:4). So what did Jesus do? He boldly stated His Position in God to assure them that He gets His inspiration and instruction from God according to the ministry He is called unto. This was done to let His family know that I AM always listening to you but I do disagree with your words and your attitude about Me. The next move Jesus does is to encourage His family to go ahead before Him to the feast stating that it is not His time to go. Jesus needed some space (separation) from His earthly family to enjoy His Heavenly fellowship with His Heavenly Father God. Notice in verse 10 that Jesus specifically waits until His earthly family members were gone up until He leaves for the feast knowing He IS never alone, for The Father is always with Him. Wisdom is knowing what to do at the right time and doing it, whereas discretion is taking a public problem and defusing it privately without expecting any publicity or praise. Therefore the issue wasn’t that Jesus didn’t want to go to the feast but rather the issue was (and still is) Jesus doesn’t like fellowshipping with negative, doubtful critical people. Those family members of Jesus are no exception to the rule, they are just like our family members today. We (ihlcc) would say almost each family on the planet has some family members who would rather tear others down than build people up. We know God is the exact opposite for The Lord is Good all the time and all the time He is Good. Jesus took control of that situation because if He didn’t that same situation would have taken control of Him (Jesus) and all those involved. We all know traveling with people who are contrary to your personality can really make for a long trip and if people don’t respect and appreciate you they will never have any respect for what you are called to do. Remember faith friend God The Father created you fearfully and wonderfully according Psalm 139:14 to His permanent image (imagination) of you which changes not. So please understand and know you are always loved and cherished by your Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ your Brother and Friend. Jesus didn’t want to get in strife with anyone so He took the high road by “separating Himself” from them. Yes, Jesus didn’t pray to God the Father that He would change the heart and mind of His family members because they are giving Him a hard time. No, Jesus just removed Himself from their negative personalities to solve the problem. Problem cured quickly and efficiently therefore no problem at all. We (ihlcc) wish more people would copy the actions of Jesus because doing what the The Lord did will keep peace in your mind and discretion in your heart. Jesus always knew what to do and when to it (wisdom) because He was led by the Holy Spirit of God displaying love and discretion. We too are told to seek peace and ensue (pursue, follow) it because following peace is following God. Following peace is traveling the straight and narrow road that is seldom ventured but that narrow path was created for all God’s Children. It is narrow because only a select few are found worthy of the Kingdom of God and it is straight because there is only one way to live and that one way is Thee Way our Lord Jesus Christ. Choosing Jesus means if there is a conflict between how a friend is acting and how Jesus wants you to act you choose Jesus all the time no doubt about it. You make the decision to separate yourself from that friend until their behavior lines-up with Jesus which is essentially lining up with God’s Word. Yes, if you have family members that are good people but they seem to want to give you bad counsel about reading and/or studying your Holy Bible. It is perfectly acceptable to put some “separation” there to send a message that you are different and you are following God no matter what. Yes, you are a new creation in Christ Jesus so your will and desires shall change to glorify God over magnifying your own will or agenda. Now let us be perfectly clear we are speaking of course to adults only, we are not talking about children separating themselves away from their parents because we would never want a child to pull away from their parents. If you are a teenager and a Believer and your parents don’t believe in God just live a godly lifestyle before them expecting God to answer your prayer (singular) that God is working His Great Plan of Salvation for both your parents and you believe today is that day. Therefore my parents are saved, filled with God’s Holy Spirit and established in a good church home in Jesus Name. Another example that comes to mind is having to “separate yourself” from someone you are close to as a partner (a couple). This is never easy but if you truthfully examine where you are today and what you have to do to fulfill God’s calling upon your life and you know in your heart that your boyfriend or girlfriend doesn’t want to go in that specific direction because they have other plans, you probably need to “separate yourself” from the close partner. Yes, not in complete sorrow as a permanent loss but rather a temporary loss to capture the great gain in your future down the road. Yes, there are multitudes of people who compromise conviction by way of convenience. Convenience stays in a harmful or idle relationship because they don’t want to hurt someone else’s feeling. Whereas, conviction compels the heart to do what is right by having the difficult conversation where truth and understanding are the foundations of the discussions. The truth be told, if you are afraid to confront truth with your boyfriend or girlfriend at any time either you are not ready for a deep relationship or your mate isn’t the right person for you at this time because if you can’t openly and honestly talk about truth how can Jesus be the center of your life? Remember in God’s Kingdom it is all about Jesus and our Heavenly Father and how we fit into His Grand and Great Plan for mankind. The Kingdom of God is not solely about everything revolving around you and your perfect mate because God is trying to save mankind from the eternity of Hell. So dear faith friend be a shining light to all those around you and be ready and open to “separate” from those who refuse to follow you and Jesus Christ into a blessed and wonderful eternity of Heaven. We encourage all believers to always choose life and health which means you always choose Jesus your personal Savior and Friend. You are covered by His Blood which “separates” you unto Him, so we must choose to be “separated” from anything or anyone who is not working with you to shine a brighter light of Jesus who is The Light of God’s Love. Amen!