We get so caught up in ourselves. I've said it before and I think I'm going to keep saying it till who knows when. It's true though and I'm just as guilty as the next person of doing the same, of getting caught up in myself. How can we not we yell and scream, we live. We are alive and asked to live in this world with all it's external temptations that give us internal temptations, that flood us with cravings for all that is bad for us! We live here, unless we lock ourselves away in seclusion as some monks and others do, with no temptation to hit us, is there a chance for us to overcome? Really? Is there? Even those monks and such, aren't they tempted with believing what they are doing is a good thing and when they believe that they are doing that good thing, aren't they counting on their own righteousness and not that of God's? Seriously. There are dangers just in living and as long as we insist on being wrapped around ourselves we'll never be free, never. As long as we keep looking at ourselves and our sinfulness and dwelling on our own inabilities we have no hope, why? Because we are placing the hope within ourselves. There's a reason for life being the way it is, there is a good reason and the one lesson we all need to learn, every single one of us is that we can't look at ourselves there is only unrighteousness there no matter what we do, no matter who or what we seem to be.
Isa. {64:6} 'But we are all as an unclean [thing,] and all our righteousnesses [are] as filthy rags...'
That says it all so completely! We are ALL as an unclean thing, and ALL our righteousness are as filthy rags!
Does this mean we should embrace and enjoy our wickedness? God forbid. We should ever ask forgiveness and when we think the battle too hard to fight, when we believe that to give in to sin is the better way then look to Jesus, look to Him who knew no unrighteousness and yet DIED so YOU and I could live. Is giving into sin better? No. Is it easier, yes.
We find hope only in Christ, not in ourselves. And we have to give ourselves to Him completely.
1 Cor. {5:21} For he hath made him [to be] sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Only in Him can we have any righteousness. Only in Him, only in Christ.
It's not easy to constantly fight, especially when we war against principalities and powers and wickedness in high places. It's not easy when we long to give into the pleasures of sin and yes, they have a certain pleasure and if we want pleasure that is temporary and NOTHING compared what is waiting for us who deny ourselves the pleasures of the world now- not in hopes of gaining salvation but only through Christ's prompting, through the Holy Spirit's guiding us closer to Christ.
The easy way is the way most will take, the way we are all in danger of taking.
Matthew {7:13} Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide [is] the gate, and broad [is] the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many
there be which go in thereat: {7:14} Because strait [is] the gate, and narrow [is] the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
We don't want the strait and narrow it's a tricky bit of a path, we want the broad way because that is the more pleasant, more enticing path for us to take.
So as we struggle with our day to day lives and day to day temptations we have to beg Christ to help us to seek Him and His way, not our own way. Reveal our hearts to Him, our longings to be with Him living in a world without any PAIN of any sort. If you think all the pleasures we indulge ourselves in now will keep the pain of the world away, you're wrong, I'd be wrong if I thought it. For all the pleasure here the pain often outweighs the pleasure and if living for temporary pleasure is all you want from life then it's all you'll get.
May God help us ALL as we struggle to cling to the cross, cling to Jesus and claim HIS righteousness because we have NONE of our own. May our hope be solely in HIM, not in ourselves and any of our own actions. Choosing Christ, let that be our sole endeavor, choosing Christ and having faith in Him to see us through with the Holy Spirit's guidance.
By His unfathomable mercy and grace, now and forever!
Thank you Lord Jesus,
Amen.
8/8/10
Rom 2:7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life
Seek for glory
Seek for honor
Seek for immortality
Eternal life
We need to seek for glory- eternal life...
We need to seek for honor- eternal life...
We need to seek for immortality- eternal life…
This is a recipe if you will - for eternal life.
Not seeking glory for glory sake, not seeking glory for selfish reasons.
The only glory one should desire is eternal life.
Not seeking any honor at all for self in any way, but finding and wanting honor only in eternal life. People the world over seek immortality in many ways- but we need to seek it only through eternal life.
Eternal life is found only in Jesus.
To us, who by patient continuance.
To us who by perseverance in WELL DOING seek glory, honor and immortality - we will have eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. If we don't patiently live our lives in WELL doing we will NOT have eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
People get alarmed when they hear that sort of talk- no, no, no, it's not by works but by FAITH, they cry! Don't tell me I have to have patient continuance in well doing!
I'm not telling you that, the Bible is! God is! The Bible also says this...
Rom 2:8
But unto them that are contentious,
and do not obey the truth,
but obey unrighteousness,
indignation and wrath,
Rom 2:9
Tribulation and anguish,
upon every soul of man that doeth evil,
of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;
Rom 2:10
But glory, honour, and peace,
to every man that worketh good,
to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile
And these are the verses above all those we've just read-- it's important to put it all together--
Rom 2:1
Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest
for wherein thou judgest another
thou condemnest thyself
for thou that judgest
doest the same things.
Rom 2:2
But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.
Rom 2:3
And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things
and doest the same,
that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?
Rom 2:4
Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering;
not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
Rom 2:5
But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God
Rom 2:6
Who will render to every man according to his deeds
God- WHO WILL RENDER TO EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS
I didn't make that up! I didn't! We are told these things and for the people who think that they can act any way they want to and never have to account for their actions but simply say the words they accept Jesus as their Savior and have eternal life- well they are in for a rude eternal death awakening. Many will say to Jesus in that day that they knew Him, that they even did things in His name, but He won't know them. This is life! And Jesus came and led as our great example and if we think we can act contrary to how Jesus would have acted, how Jesus lived, then we are fools. He gave us a lot of instruction, a lot! We can't ignore it all and honestly believe we will be saved. We are accountable for the opportunities to learn and grow in Christ. We are accountable. God will render to EVERY man according to his deeds. Rather than trying to convince ourselves that it's okay to live worldly- in accordance and acceptance with the world- face the truth, we have to live in accordance with the will of God and it's not the will of God that we conform to the world, that we don't hold ourselves accountable for our own actions.
Salvation is found in Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone! As a result of having Jesus Christ as our Savior we will …
In well doing--
Seek for glory
Seek for honor
Seek for immortality
Eternal life
Rom 2:7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life
By the grace of our Lord! By His mercy may we live in Him now and always, our hope in His righteousness because no matter how good our deeds are we will fall far short in righteousness. Does this mean we shouldn't do good deeds? Or live a life of good deeds seeking to do well in all things? No. It is our hope the Lord can use us for His will now and always, in all things! It was no mistake that Christ said this…
Mat 7:20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
What are fruits but the produce of our lives? Make no mistake what we do in our lives, who we are in our lives, the type of person we are is all a part of who we believe in, who we call our Savior. We are known by our actions by God and man.
In His amazing grace!!!! In His love always!
Amen.
8/9/11
Pro 8:36 …. all they that hate me love death.
Pro 5:11 And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body
are consumed,
Pro 5:12 And say, How have I hated instruction, and my
heart despised reproof
Eze 33:11 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no
pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and
live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of
Israel?
Hate.
We see so much hate in our world, so much that it's downright sickening
to read of it day in and day out. People might not agree, believing that their
actions aren't of hate, but those actions speak loudly of hate even if the words
don't.
People hating God is nothing new. Throughout the Bible there are people
that hate God and truthfully, all those who hate God truly do love death.
Without a love for God there is no true life. What we are living now is no where
near the life intended for us.
We do so hate instruction though, don't we? We despise reproof and
yet it is instruction and reproof which are the very things that reveal our need
of God. And our pride often gets in the way of admitting any need we might
have. We commit wicked acts, sinfilled acts because of our pride, because
of our self love, our self absorption, our need to be masters of our own limited
existence. Truly we cannot change so much about us that we often go overboard
trying to control and change the things we can. Trying to feel superior we
choose paths that don't always lead us to God. When we go astray we are
reproved, we're chastised, we're given instruction and we need to listen, to
follow, to turn from our evil ways- and all ways that aren't God's are evil,
though so many would have people believe otherwise. We live in a world of
compromises and it is no wonder at all whatsoever that so few will be truly
God's when our Savior returns.
Joh 15:21 But all these things will they do unto you for my name's
sake, because they know not him that sent me.
Joh 15:22 If I had not
come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for
their sin.
Joh 15:23 He that hateth me hateth my Father also.
Joh
15:24 If I had not done among them the works which none other man did,
they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my
Father.
Joh 15:25 But this cometh to pass, that the word might be
fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.
Hating God without a cause.
Psa 69:4 They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs
of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are
mighty: then I restored that which I took not away.
What cause do people have for hating those that love them? Does that love
make them aware of their own failings and they'd rather lash out against that
love than face the realization they are not perfect, they are not all that they
wish they could be? You see it all the time- people giving love to others
only to be rewarded with hatred. Kindness rewarded with wickedness. People
hate God maybe because His existence holds them up to a higher standard which
they can never achieve and rather than admit their dependence upon God they want
to rebel against Him instead. Admitting that you cannot save yourself,
admitting that you did not will yourself into existence- or that mankind did not
do that at some point, admitting that we are creatures isn't something people
want to do. Becoming a servant is NOT something people automatically aspire to.
Finding love in serving is not something typical but rather atypical. Forever
the people serving wish to be in a place where they can instead be served, and
this is part of the wickedness of selfishness, of self-love.
Yes, people hate God and His Son without cause. God and His Son are
of a love we can only hope and pray one day to achieve through their mercy and
sacrifice, their righteousness- not ours. As long as we refuse to submit to
love, as love as we refuse to admit our dependence, our actions will continue to
be of those who are selfish, evil, and wicked- even if we never become wicked
and evil in the way mankind today gives those labels. As long as we refuse
to submit and continue to despise instruction and being reproved, we are lending
our voices to the many of millions who hate God without cause.
By the grace of our Savior may we NOT be found among those who hate
God! May we accept instruction and being reproved. May we seek to submit
to our Creator, to our Redeemer for it is only in full submission to love- the
love that comes from God, the love that IS God that we can love and live
eternally- not loving death as those who hate God do.
In His name, in Him always!!!
Amen.