Words from the Mountain

By Robert Cruikshank

We are called by God and we are called from death to life. We are called to the miracle of salvation and we are called to sanctification. We are called to everlasting life, and we are called to be blessed in this life. We are called to live holy lives, and out of this we are called to do certain tasks. It is in the fulfillment of those varied tasks that the words from the mountain continue to call us and inform us how to live our lives in ways which are pleasing to God and which will bless our lives with treasure beyond measure.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Mar 11, 2011
• ISBN: 9781426960734

Robert Cruikshank

Robert E. Cruikshank was born at Newton, West Virginia, and spent fourteen years in the U.S. Air Force prior to becoming an ordained minister in the United Methodist Church. He has served churches in the Alabama-West Florida and the West Virginia Annual Conferences. He has received degrees from Troy and Emory Universities. Married for 62 years to his high school sweetheart, the former Sharon Lynn Griffin, they live in a little patch of woods just south of Greenville, Alabama. He retired in 1994 from appointive ministry in the West Virginia Annual Conference; however, he continues to serve as Associate Pastor at First United Methodist Church, Greenville, Alabama.

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Words from the

Mountain

by

Robert Cruikshank

Greenville, Alabama

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© Copyright 2011 Robert Cruikshank.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

Printed in the United States of America.

isbn: 978-1-4269-6072-7 (sc)

isbn: 978-1-4269-6073-4 (e)

Trafford rev. 03/07/2011

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Dedication

The words from the mountain

addressed in these pages

are dedicated

to the glory of Almighty God

and to his only begotten, who is the Christ,

and in loving tribute

to all the saints of every generation

whose lives have been transformed with a new birth of grace

to faithfully embrace and follow in faith and love

the path which leads into our Father’s house.

The journey continues

and there remains uncommon deeds to do

in the glorious cause to which believers are called

to wholeheartedly embrace and lovingly share.

Words From the Mountain

Introduction

Chapter 1. UNDERSTANDING THE CALL OF GOD

Chapter 2. GOD IDENTIFIES HIMSELF

Chapter 3. CHOOSE THE RIGHT GOD

Chapter 4. REMAIN FOCUSED

Chapter 5. KEEP IT CLEAN

Chapter 6. STAY IN TOUCH

Chapter 7. ESTABLISH GOOD BONDS OF BELONGING

Chapter 8. CONTROL YOUR EMOTIONS

Chapter 9. GOVERN YOUR PASSIONS

Chapter 10. PROTECT YOUR REPUTATION

Chapter 11. BE TRUTHFUL

Chapter 12. HARNESS YOUR DESIRES

Chapter 13. BE BLESSED, AND BE A BLESSING

Chapter 14. BE SALT AND BE LIGHT

Introduction

 "

UNDERSTANDING THE CALL OF GOD"

Since the beginning of human history, God has called us to be in fellowship and service with him. As our Creator and Father, God has lavished the fullness of his love, his grace, and his glory upon us. In return, he has asked only from us a relationship grounded in the bonds of adoration, thanksgiving, and faithfulness. Such loyal response from us has filled God’s heart with honor and joy while blessing our lives with happiness and abundance. It was a neat arrangement. It still is!

The teaching of evolution has in recent years wrecked havoc upon the framework of human society. Its error is that, far from teaching the process of natural selection, or even the theory of how the universe and life came into being; those who embrace it often scoff at the idea that there is a God who has a plan and a purpose for our lives. In short, evolution places chance on the throne instead of a just and loving Creator. Chance, however, does not rule our universe. Luck does not control our existence. Fate does not guide our destiny. Our Creator did not bring us into this world to live without a purpose, to exist without a reason, or function without meaning.

In the Genesis story we read about God calling his children in the cool of the evening. It was a time of bliss shared between God and his children, named Adam and Eve. But the relationship between God and his children was soured from an act of their disobedience. They lost their innocence. They had violated their covenant with God and the ensuing guilt with which they clothed themselves in sin and shame forever changed their relationship with their heavenly Father. However, while God, himself, was not changed by Adam and Eve’s disobedience, he faced the challenge of restoring them, and their descendants, to their former relationship and state of grace. It was like trying to paste a broken Humpty-Dumpty back together. You probably know the Genesis story well.

However, the important point which we must keep in mind is, first, God has always called out to his children, seeking a covenanted relationship with us. Second, our problem is not that we cannot hear God calling us but, like Adam and Eve, we harbor the notion that we can ignore or delay God’s call, continue to do our own thing, and still maintain an open relationship with God on our own terms. Alas, like those first parents, we place ourselves in opposition to God, an estrangement of our own willful choosing, leaving us without a way back home. Third, God remains unchanged and we remain the children of his loving heart. Fourth, as with Adam and Eve, God continues to call out to us in every possible way. All he asks of us is that we abandon our sinful ways in favor of him. God is constantly ready to welcome us home. Fifth, there is not one single reason why each person cannot turn homeward, right now, to the loving heart and the welcoming arms of God, our heavenly Father.

The best way in which I can portray the effect of our rebellion and sin against God is to picture God gowned in a magnificent white robe of holiness. This magnificent white robe represents the whole of God; the entirely of his clean and glorious kingdom. Every sin becomes an ink stain upon the robe, defiling and making it less than sparkling, clean and holy. A holy God cannot abide an ink-stained robe. It is tainted, soiled, ruined. It is less than perfect. Thus, God must cleanse his holy kingdom robe. Every stain must be purged to make the robe perfect and pure again. Now, God can punish away the stain by taking his robe to the river and washing it, laying it