1 John 3
1 How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears,[a]we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3 Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.
4 Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. 5 But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. 6 No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.
7 Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. 8 He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work. 9 No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.
Love one another
11This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 12 Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death. 15 Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.
16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 19 This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence 20 whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.
21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. 24 Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Once again, I cry... you answer
It is so amazing to me that the Lord is ever present in our lives, but, are we listening?
The call upon our lives is to .... "seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Matthew 6:33. Well, when we do, He is faithful and just and will 'reveal Himself to us'. I know because it happened again this morning.
I was having my time alone with the Father, had read the Os Hillman piece for the day; "Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31).
Our Lord never saw the mundane activities as ordinary. Whether He healed the sick or sat around the fire with the disciples, He did not see one activity as spiritual and the other non-spiritual. Life was lived as a holy service to His Heavenly Father.
Today, view every activity you do with an attitude of worship and communion with Jesus.
And this ran right into what I had been speaking about with a new friend of mine in Nashville, just yesterday.... then, I turn to http://www.biblegateway.com/ for the daily reading and it is Psalm 143:1 "Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground."
and in my normal process, I click on the verse and begin to read the entire Psalm;
Psalm 143
1 O LORD, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief.
I had, just yesterday told my friend that God is faithful and will hear us if we seek Him. Here is the validation of that....
2 Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you.
Here is another validation of what we spoke about; "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God"
3 The enemy pursues me, he crushes me to the ground; he makes me dwell in darkness like those long dead.
The world (the enemy) crushes us; causes us to see only frustration and darkness and 'death' when He is light, life and life more abundantly. Are we only focused on the world, the darkness? Where is the light? In Him and in His Word.
4 So my spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed.
see above
5 I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done.
Now, David, turns his eyes to the Lord, to His Word, as should we; to the light of life.
6 I spread out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.
David surrenders; spreads out his hands to acquiesce his life to the Lord. Without Him our souls are dry and dead, thirsty and starving. Surrender...
7 Answer me quickly, O LORD; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit.
Life is killing me, please answer me quickly, I need you! Please don't allow me to go into complete despair like the world around me that is only 'playing' fulfillment.
8 Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.
Here it is!! "In the morning." Every morning, every day... we must be in His presence; in His word, in prayer, in preparation for our mission of the day. I trust... You, please, show me and enliven my soul to know You are there.
9 Rescue me from my enemies, O LORD, for I hide myself in you.
It is a battle out there!! Have no doubt about that. God will rescue us from the world, from our own evil desires and our own failures as well as the sinful darkness that surround us. Let us HIDE ourselves in Him!
10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
We need Him! He will teach us. He is 'faithful'. His Spirit is active and alive in our lives. We must seek Him and listen and act on His inspiration.
11 For your name's sake, O LORD, preserve my life; in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble.
This is all about Him, not us! Everything associated with our life is about Him, His righteousness, His glory, His will, His orchestration of our lives. Everything.
12 In your unfailing love, silence my enemies; destroy all my foes, for I am your servant.
Father, empower us, defend us, bring down our enemies for we are YOUR servants; doing Your work, obeying Your precepts and laws, glorifying YOU and not succombing to the world in which we live.
We live for you. We love you. Please continue to rescue us!!
I love you all
Amen.
The call upon our lives is to .... "seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Matthew 6:33. Well, when we do, He is faithful and just and will 'reveal Himself to us'. I know because it happened again this morning.
I was having my time alone with the Father, had read the Os Hillman piece for the day; "Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31).
Our Lord never saw the mundane activities as ordinary. Whether He healed the sick or sat around the fire with the disciples, He did not see one activity as spiritual and the other non-spiritual. Life was lived as a holy service to His Heavenly Father.
Today, view every activity you do with an attitude of worship and communion with Jesus.
And this ran right into what I had been speaking about with a new friend of mine in Nashville, just yesterday.... then, I turn to http://www.biblegateway.com/ for the daily reading and it is Psalm 143:1 "Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground."
and in my normal process, I click on the verse and begin to read the entire Psalm;
Psalm 143
1 O LORD, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief.
I had, just yesterday told my friend that God is faithful and will hear us if we seek Him. Here is the validation of that....
2 Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you.
Here is another validation of what we spoke about; "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God"
3 The enemy pursues me, he crushes me to the ground; he makes me dwell in darkness like those long dead.
The world (the enemy) crushes us; causes us to see only frustration and darkness and 'death' when He is light, life and life more abundantly. Are we only focused on the world, the darkness? Where is the light? In Him and in His Word.
4 So my spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed.
see above
5 I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done.
Now, David, turns his eyes to the Lord, to His Word, as should we; to the light of life.
6 I spread out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.
David surrenders; spreads out his hands to acquiesce his life to the Lord. Without Him our souls are dry and dead, thirsty and starving. Surrender...
7 Answer me quickly, O LORD; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit.
Life is killing me, please answer me quickly, I need you! Please don't allow me to go into complete despair like the world around me that is only 'playing' fulfillment.
8 Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.
Here it is!! "In the morning." Every morning, every day... we must be in His presence; in His word, in prayer, in preparation for our mission of the day. I trust... You, please, show me and enliven my soul to know You are there.
9 Rescue me from my enemies, O LORD, for I hide myself in you.
It is a battle out there!! Have no doubt about that. God will rescue us from the world, from our own evil desires and our own failures as well as the sinful darkness that surround us. Let us HIDE ourselves in Him!
10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
We need Him! He will teach us. He is 'faithful'. His Spirit is active and alive in our lives. We must seek Him and listen and act on His inspiration.
11 For your name's sake, O LORD, preserve my life; in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble.
This is all about Him, not us! Everything associated with our life is about Him, His righteousness, His glory, His will, His orchestration of our lives. Everything.
12 In your unfailing love, silence my enemies; destroy all my foes, for I am your servant.
Father, empower us, defend us, bring down our enemies for we are YOUR servants; doing Your work, obeying Your precepts and laws, glorifying YOU and not succombing to the world in which we live.
We live for you. We love you. Please continue to rescue us!!
I love you all
Amen.
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