09/29/97
Earl & Diane Rodd
6044 Pine Creek St. N.W.
North Canton, OH 44720
Phone (330) 305-9318
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
When you look at Jesus, do you really see Him?
Do you see Him at every stage of His life? Do you only see Him as a newborn? Or the risen Savior? Or do you see Him as the scripture reveals - learning obedience through the things He suffered?
Do you see Him at twelve at the height of religious knowledge and understanding? Do you see Him astounding the priests and the rabbis with His questions, His answers, His understanding? Do you see Him obeying His Heavenly Father and abandoning His family? Not yet! It was a sign of His Messiahship for His parents to see, but it was not yet time for the Heavenly Father to reveal Him to the world.
So Jesus went down to Nazareth. He willingly stepped down from the heights of religious popularity, a display of incredible wisdom and insight into the business of His Father, and continued in subjection to His parents.
His parents did not understand Him; they did not know what was happening, but Jesus, at twelve, obeyed them anyway because He walked in the fear of the Lord and refused to be wise in His own eyes. He did not have to prove who He was to any man, and thus, as He obeyed His mother and perhaps His stepfather for the next 18 years, he learned obedience by what He suffered. Those 18 years are silent, but we know He increased in wisdom as those years passed.
Jesus learned patience; He knew how to wait on His Heavenly Father's timing, and it is the same with My children today. You are to look to Jesus. No matter what your age - He is the author and finisher of your faith.
You parents did not learn heart submission to your parents when you lived with them. Some of you do not have it even now. You must let Me show you where you went astray in your youth if you wish to be an example to your own children. Force and control will not work. The rod may be used, but wisdom must also be manifested. For as you can all see, a time comes when the rod can no longer be applied, and reproof is all you can use.
Children, outward obedience does not please Me. I long for the father's heart and the children's hearts to beat as one. I see the heart; I do not want parental control; I want Holy Spirit control and submision to Me.
The family unity that you all long for is My will. Do not let go of it, but accept no counterfeit. Keep looking to Jesus, study Him, follow His example, deny yourself, learn the suffering and the joy of heart obedience, and the unity and love of My kingdom will be evidenced to others. This is a way to lift Jesus up so that others can see Him.
Follow His example. He had to obey His parents even though He knew and understood far more than they did. The fear of the Lord will keep you from being wise in your own eyes. Favor with God and man, increasing in wisdom as you grow, as all of you grow older, can only be manifested as you learn to submit to one another in the fear of Christ.
Allow the Kingdom of My dear Son to prove itself to all of you. Let the bondage and the sins of generations of rebellion and idolatry be broken and walk in the freedom, freedom from self, the old man, sin and rebellion and pride that defiles and paralyzes all of you. Freedom to lift up Jesus with joy and gladness. Walk in the light as He is in the light and have fellowship with Me, the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit and with one another. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Proverbs 3:1
2. My son, do not forget my teaching, #But let your heart keep my commandments;
3. For length of days and years of life, And peace they will add to you.
4. Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart.
5. So you will find favor and good repute In the sight of God and man.
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Luke 2:39
40. And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city of Nazareth.
41. And the Child continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.
Proverbs 3:5
6. Trust in the \Lord\ with all your heart, And do not lean on your own understanding.
7. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.
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Luke 2:41
42. And His parents used to go to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover.
Proverbs 3:9
10. Honor the \Lord\ from your wealth, And from the first of all your produce;
11. So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine.
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Luke 2:42
43. And when He became twelve, they went up {there} according to the custom of the Feast;
44. and as they were returning, after spending the full number of days, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. And His parents were unaware of it,
45. but supposed Him to be in the caravan, and went a day's journey; and they {began} looking for Him among their relatives and acquaintances.
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Luke 2:45
46. And when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, looking for Him.
47. And it came about that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them, and asking them questions.
48. And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers.
Proverbs 3:7
8. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the \Lord\ and turn away from evil.
9. It will be healing to your body, And refreshment to your bones.
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Luke 2:48
49. And when they saw Him, they were astonished; and His mother said to Him, "Son, why have You treated us this way?...."
Exodus 20:12
13. "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the \Lord\ your God gives you.
Ephesians 6:2
3. \Honor your father and mother\ (which is the first commandment with a promise),
4. \that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth\.
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Luke 2:48
49. And when they saw Him, they were astonished; and His mother said to Him,
Colossians 3:21
22. Fathers, do not exasperate your children, that they may not lose heart.
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Luke 2:49
50. And He said to them, "Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father's {house?"}
Matthew 10:37
38. "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.
39. "And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.
40. "He who has found his life shall lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake shall find it.
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Luke 2:50
51. And they did not understand the statement which He had made to them.
I Corinthians 10:12
13. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.
14. No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it.
15. Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.
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Luke 2:51
52. And He went down with them, and came to Nazareth; and He continued in subjection to them; and His mother treasured all {these} things in her heart.
Ephesians 6:1
2. Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
3. \Honor your father and mother\ (which is the first commandment with a promise),
4. \that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth\.
5. And, fathers, do not provoke your children to anger; but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Colossians 3:20
21. Children, be obedient to your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing to the Lord.
22. Fathers, do not exasperate your children, that they may not lose heart.
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Luke 2:52
53. And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.
Proverbs 3:11
12. My son, do not reject the discipline of the \Lord\, Or loathe His reproof,
13. For whom the \Lord\ loves He reproves, Even as a father, the son in whom he delights.
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Hebrews 12:9
10. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live?
11. For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He {disciplines us} for {our} good, that we may share His holiness.
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Hebrews 12:11
12. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.
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Hebrews 12:12
13. Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble,
14. and make straight paths for your feet, so that {the limb} which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.
Proverbs 3:5
6. Trust in the \Lord\ with all your heart, And do not lean on your own understanding.
7. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.
8. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the \Lord\ and turn away from evil.
9. It will be healing to your body, And refreshment to your bones.
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Hebrews 12:14
15. Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.
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Hebrews 12:15
16. See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;
Matthew 6:14
15. "For if you forgive men for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
16. "But if you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.
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Hebrews 12:16
17. that {there be} no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a {single} meal.
Matthew 18:32
33. "Then summoning him, his lord *said to him, 'You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you entreated me.
34. 'Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, even as I had mercy on you?'
35. "And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him.
36. "So shall My heavenly Father also do to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart."
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Ephesians 4:30
31. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
32. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.
33. And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.
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Ephesians 5:1
2. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children;
3. and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.
Luke 2:51
52. And He went down with them, and came to Nazareth; and He continued in subjection to them; and His mother treasured all {these} things in her heart.
53. And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.
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Proverbs 23:15
16. My son, if your heart is wise, My own heart also will be glad;
17. And my inmost being will rejoice, When your lips speak what is right.
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James 3:14
15. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and {so} lie against the truth.
16. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic.
17. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.
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James 5:16
17. Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.
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James 3:17
18. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.
II Timothy 2:24
25. And the Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged,
26. with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth,
27. and they may come to their senses {and escape} from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.
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James 5:19
20. My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth, and one turns him back,
21. let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death, and will cover a multitude of sins.