Nothing less.....
Nothing MORE.
Is my chief aim to labor in changing my flaws for God or to merely abide and allow Him to produce the desired Fruit of His Spirit?
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Not self-absorbed but Christ-absorbed. Oswald Chambers writes; "Self-awareness continually produces a sense of struggling and turmoil in our lives." How very true!
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When all else fails, consult the Manual. What did Jesus say?
Jesus told the rich ruler to follow him when he asked; "What must I do to inherit eternal life?""Then they asked him,
"What must we do to do the works God requires?"
Jesus answered, "The work of God is this:
to believe in the one he has sent.""
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,who has blessed us in the heavenly realmswith every spiritual blessing in Christ."[Eph 1:3]
"but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness,has not attained it. Why not?Because they pursued it not by faithbut as if it were by works."
"Which of you, if his son asks for bread,will give him a stone?Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?If you, then, though you are evil,know how to give good gifts to your children,how much more will your Father in heavengive good gifts to those who ask him!"
The LORD is graciousand compassionate,slow to anger and rich in love.The LORD is good to all;he has compassion on all he has made.The LORD is faithful to all his promisesand loving toward all he has made.The LORD upholds all those who falland lifts up all who are bowed down.The eyes of all look to you,and you give them their food at the proper time.You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing..
The LORD reigns, let the earth be glad;
"In him and through faith in himwe may approach God with freedom and confidence."[Eph 3:12]
"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit
of the Lord is, there is freedom."
"Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold."
"Let all who are simple come in here!"she says to those who lack judgment.
Wisdom has prepared a feast in her mansion with attendants and bids us to join the celebration. Folly, on the other hand, invites you to sin and join her guests in the grave. It takes a trained ear to decipher the call of wisdom from folly. Trained by the Word. Like baseball, it takes training, practice, and listening to the coach."The fear of the LORDis the beginning of wisdom,and knowledge of the Holy One
Psalm 32, considered a penitential psalm, teaches much about the effects of sin, benefits of confession, and God's forgiveness.
When I read this Psalm as worship through the spiritual lens of my relationship with God it becomes so personal.
Under the weight of sins shame and from the depths of guilt and remorse, the only place to turn is to God. Now satan, of course, will try to convince us otherwise; preferring we remain separated under its burden and in the dark.
What an incredibly loving and gentle response - filled with a promise to discipline. He adds the comfort of being present; lends wise advice, and goes on to add a firm warning.
He graciously accepts the honest confession of his child and promises to help so that a right relationship is restored and maintained.
A celebration of His unconditional love expressed! An appropriate response of worship and obedience. The conclusion re-enforcing the opening verses of the blessedness of the forgiven.Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you
righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!
[Ps 32:11 ]
Loving Father of all mercy; The joy in Your forgiveness is indescribable! Thank You for accepting my humble and sincere confessions, for granting such freedom, and restoring my heart to a state of righteousness. Teach me prudence and understanding that I might not behave as a stubborn beast, but to come to You of my own free will, trusting You. Thank You for the blessedness of not counting my confessed sins against me and covering them with the purifying blood of Your Son, Jesus Christ. In the Name of my Savior, Amen.Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose
sin the LORD does not count against him
and in whose spirit is no deceit. [Ps 32:1-2]
"MISS!" Enemy boats surrounded on every side yet nary a hit.
Close did not get me the victory.
It just gave me another peg to add to a sea of white pegs. Reminders of all my other missed calls. Hopefully they will prevent me from repeating the same errors.
Yet another defeat - thankfully it was just a game of Battleship!
Make every effort to live in peace with all menand to be holy;without holinessno one will see the Lord.
1) Reverence for God
"Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God." [2 Cor 7:1]
2) Obedience to God
"This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God." [1 Jn 5:3-5]
3) Reliance upon GodReverence ~ Obedience ~ Reliance. All three help to ensure a hit in the holiness department everytime. Now if I could only find that Patrol Boat - "J1!"
Most Holy Father; I praise You Jesus, the Holy One of God, for You are our holiness. Give me wisdom to fear You, strength to obey You and faith to trust You. Holy Spirit, perfect holiness in my life and grant me aid to clothe myself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. In Jesus Holy Name, Amen
"O THOU to whom I owe the gift of this day's life, give to me also, I beseech Thee, the spirit to use it as I ought. Forbid that I should stain the brightness of the morning with any evil thought or darken the noontide with any shameful deed. Let Thy Holy Spirit breathe into my heart today all pure and heavenly desires. Let Thy truth inform my mind. Let Thy justice and righteousness make a throne within me and rule my errant will. Let Christ be formed in me, and let me learn of Him all lowliness of heart, all gentleness of action, and promptness in the doing of my Father's will.
nu·tri·tion [noo-trish-uhn, nyoo-]
–noun. The act or process of nourishing or of being nourished.
The Nutrition Facts Label read all zeros.
0 ~ ZERO
According to "them" the contents contained no nutritional value.
Now, what if I told you the label was on a bottle of water?
You can't live without it. The body is made up of 70% water, requires a couple quarts a day and can't survive longer than 5 days without it.
How can something you can't do without be of no nutritional value?
It depends on the standard of measure. Water may not have any nutritional value according to the standards of the science of nutrition but it is life-giving and crucial to good health.
I have conflicting opinions with many standards set by man in this world.
Something else that is life-giving and vital to good spiritual health that man may not agree with is church involvement. Some think regularly attending worship and Bible study is not of major importance. I differ with that -- as does Jesus.
To grow and thrive and remain faithfully healthy is to be actively involved in a body of believers -- in worship, study, fellowship, service and relationships of accountability. It lends to the soul what water lends to the body.
I'm hoping the label is just as misleading on the Brownie package - you think?
Dear Lord Jesus; I give thanks for You offer an endless well of living water to refresh, cleanse and nourish. Help me to measure the value of things according to Your Word and with an eternal perspective. I pray more will taste and see Your goodness and thirst for more. Amen.
Praise the LORD.
From Philippians 3:
If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. [vs 4-6]
The Paul and the Benjamite connection.
Six hundred Benjamite lives were spared and a nation preserved, providing the line of Paul's heritage. In this dark hour God shone a spark of light in the hearts of these men for it to occur to them what their actions could potentially cause.
Even in their wickedness the Lord God was able to turn this terrible act of the Israelites into something good. Had the entire tribe of Benjamin been wiped out who would have authored the books of Paul?
Yet another example of God's sovereignty. His plans for His church will not fail regardless of mans atrocities.
I strongly suggest that you read both chapters of Judges; there is a lot going on there and I only used selected excerpts due to space and to make an observation briefly. We can learn a lot from the Israelites and the grave error; "everyone did as he saw fit."
God has so much to teach me and I have so very much to learn. One of the best ways is time spent in His thrilling Word.
Dear God of history; Your plans fail not and I ask that You continue to teach me through Your life-giving Word. Forgive me my sin of doing things independent of Your truth and Your ways and keep on the straight path. For Christ sake, Amen.
To our God and Father be glory
for ever and ever. Amen.
[Php 4:20]
In devotion to the God of all creation, give wings to my words of praise; resounding in the heavens among the angel-song to alight upon Your ever-listening ear.
“There was no one to rescue them
because they lived a long way from Sidon
and had no relationship with anyone else.
The city was in a valley near Beth Rehob.” [Jgs 18:28]
Being in a delicate position is no where to be alone. Being in a dark place without relationships can most definitely seem like the deepest valley.
My Defender and King; That you would defend a guilty sinner as me is beyond reason. I am grateful for Your honor and thank You for fighting a battle I cannot win. Help me to rest in Your intervention, safe and secure in Your presence. Write on my heart that it is not mine to judge or avenge, but to trust these matters to the One who is Able and who gave His Life that I might be seen as blameless in Your sight. Empower me to fight the good fight and live in a manner that pleases You. In Christ Jesus Name, Amen
O righteous God,
who searches minds and hearts,
bring to an end the violence of the wicked
and make the righteous secure.
[Ps 7:9]
Jesus embodies the epitome of paradox.
He possesses several qualities that, to our standard, appear conflicting:
It is beyond all reason and explanation - it's simply a matter of faith.
"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
For it is written:
"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate."
Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is thephilosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.
Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.""
Praise the LORD. Praise, O servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD. Let the name of the LORD be praised, both now and forevermore. From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the LORD is to be praised. [Ps 113:1-3]
I have selected the 85th Psalm as a prayer for our nation this 4th of July.
I am sure you would agree that our country is in dire need of prayer. Yes, prayer for us; but more so by us. A prayer for a great awakening to God’s truth; recognition of God; submission to His word, His will, and His ways.
More than intercession we need humble and sincere prayers of confession, revival, repentance, thanksgiving and praise.
Believe me, I pray these things for myself on a regular basis but this day I choose to focus on a rich nation in poverty and need.
I am comforted by the fact that there are many Christian Americans interceding on her behalf already. I am blessed to know several personally. Fine men of great faith pleading for God’s bountiful mercy and grace to be upon our land.
As we enjoy the great freedoms and privileges from generations past accomplishments, I also believe we are enjoying the fruit of the prayers of our forefathers.
Moses and Abraham interceded for Israel with unprecedented honesty and boldness. These stellar prayers pleased God and spared their nation the very wrath of God.
I am thankful for this land I call home but I do hope there may come a day when we would celebrate the 4th more as Dependence Day – upon our Sovereign and Almighty Lord who paid the ultimate price for our freedom.
"Now this is eternal life: that they may know you,"[Jn 17:3]
By faith we understandthat the universewas formed at God's command,so that what is seenwas not made out of what was visible.[Heb 11:3]
