I Yield.

Php 2:3  Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 

What sort of world would this look like if everyone followed the advice from that verse?  NOTHING being done through STRIFE, NOTHING being done through VAINGLORY. EVERYTHING being done with lowliness of mind, humble, EVERYONE esteeming EVERYONE ELSE better than themselves.

I'm not talking with that bitterness and grudging admittance that someone is better than you while you secretly want to be the one who is better. I'm talking a true, humble, loving comprehension that loving others and considering their worth so valuable that no matter the circumstance they are worth more than you, and worth sacrificing yourself for, that's the kind of esteeming others better than ourselves I'm talking about.

Isn't that what CHRIST JESUS did?

The worth of Christ is so far beyond full comprehension yet He did NOT consider Himself before He considered others. If anyone had a right to consider themselves better than another it would have been Jesus. Yet He spent His ministry here on earth humble, lowly of mind, putting on no airs whatsoever, hobnobbing with the rough rabble and least esteemed in the eyes of others. He did not seek any fame or fortune. He had a tremendous following of over five thousand people (remember this was a much different time no twitter, instagram, facebook, or social media of any kind - uhm, no electricity). He had this huge following and most of them left Him when He revealed that He wasn't there to be made their earthly king, that He wasn't going to raise up an army to fight against the Romans ruling over them. He did not want earthly fame at all!

Jesus wanted people to recognize that hope is found in the truth of the love of God. He wanted people to know that THIS EARTH, THIS LIFE they were now living was NOT all there was to life. Jesus came to tell people of the eternal life that could be theirs once they made it through this temporary life.  Jesus did not tell them it was automatically theirs. That every single human being would make it to the eternal life offered. Remember Jesus said this --

Mat 7:21  Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 

Mat 7:22  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 

Mat 7:23  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. 

Jesus came preaching the good news of eternal life, the kingdom of heaven, but He outright told people that not everyone who would say to Him that they followed Him and did things in His name would enter into heaven. Jesus is going to tell these people that He never knew them, to get away from Him because they truly work in sin. These people THINK they are His, but they are not.  How many of these self-deceived people along with the blatant haters of Jesus Christ, will not make it into Heaven?

Mat 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: 

Mat 7:14  Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. 

FEW will find it.

Mat_24:24  For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

Deceive everyone… but the very elect.

Mat 19:16  And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? 

Mat 19:17  And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. 

Mat 19:18  He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, 

Mat 19:19  Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 

Mat 19:20  The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? 

Mat 19:21  Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. 

Mat 19:22  But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. 

Mat 19:23  Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. 

Mat 19:24  And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. 

Mat 19:25  When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? 

Mat 19:26  But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. 

Mat 19:27  Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? 

Mat 19:28  And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 

Mat 19:29  And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. 

Mat 19:30  But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first. 

This kind of brings it right to the point doesn't it?

What priority does God place in our life? Where does Jesus fit into our lives?

We can't imagine forsaking much of anything in our life because we've spent a lifetime accumulating things. We have put so much before Jesus in our lives. I sit surrounded by my earthly treasures, in particular right at this moment I am literally surrounded by most of my Christmas treasures that I store away each year only to bring out the next. Gold (not real but in color), silver, bright and glittering treasures sparkling all around me I can see the sunlight shining on my walls covered in shiny cards and ribbon. Can I imagine forsaking all of this.

Right about now you're saying HOLD UP, STOP, you're not REALLY thinking we need to forsake all that stuff- our family too, are you?

I guess not. But I am asking you as well as myself, to CONSIDER exactly what has the highest priority in our lives. If we were ASKED to leave is all for Christ, would we?  Or are we among the people who tell ourselves that Christ would never ask us to do such a thing, not really, He understands that we can't leave our families and such.

Jesus does NOT want us to leave all and follow Him in the exact same way He told that rich young man. Jesus does want us to follow His teaching first in our lives and that means what?  ESTEEMING ALL OTHERS BEFORE OURSELVES.  If in that esteeming we are called out to a ministry of serving that calls for us to sacrifice earthly ties - then we must do that. Where does God rate in your life? What priority does He have?  If I told you that God wanted you to give 100 dollars to the next homeless person you see, you wouldn't believe me first of all- but even if you had an inkling that maybe God did want you to do that, could you? How near and dear is that 100 dollars to your heart, to your sense of well-being, to your comfort and thought of surviving by supplying your own needs by paying your bills with that money, or buying food and necessities with that money?

This is truth-

Mat_16:26  For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

Mar_8:36  For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

Luk_9:25  For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?

Mat 16:24  Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 

Mat 16:25  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. 

Mat 16:26  For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? 

Mat 16:27  For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. 

Php 2:4  Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. 

Php 2:5  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 

Php 2:6  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 

Php 2:7  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 

Php 2:8  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 

Php 2:9  Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 

Php 2:10  That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 

Php 2:11  And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 

God first.

Others second.

Ourselves last.

All through the power of the Holy Spirit.

All through the hope of Jesus Christ.

All through our Heavenly Father's will, and His good pleasure.

I yield. I surrender all.

Eternal Prize.

Jas 1:12  Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

Crown of life… the Lord has promised. This crown of life is truly what we long for isn't it? The knowledge that makes this crazy world of ours and our very existence comprehensible, is the hope we have. The hope given to us by God, that one day all the crazy will be over. Every single bit of crazy will stop. From the smallest irritation, to the greatest horror imaginable- it will all cease to exist. The crown of life promised to those who love the Lord symbolizes the end of all sin and it's results- death.  Without sin there would have been no such thing as us dying. Every day we live is- as some have sung about- one step closer to death. None of us knows when we might die, not a single person knows this not even if they plan their own death- many who have planned their death have failed in the attempt and continue to live. Even when a person may appear to be on death's door, sometimes they pull through to live on longer. Not sick, not injured, not suffering from any life threatening ailment- we just don't know when death will happen to us, but we do know that we are one day closer to our death, yes? Being promised a crown of life is huge!

A crown of living without any death at all. With the crown of life we know that we- through our Savior- will one day live in a world free of death. There will be no sin, and therefore no penalty for sin- no death. We will never again be separated from God.

A crown of existence, permanent existence.

When Jesus took on flesh, setting aside His existence in pure spirit as God with God in heaven, He did so with the expressed purpose of obtaining justly the promise of the crown of life for all who believe in Him, fully and wholly believe in Him.

The crown of life- the kingdom of God- this is why Jesus came to live and die and live again- to GIVE this to us.

Mat 25:34  Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world

A kingdom prepared!

Luk 22:28  Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations. 

Luk 22:29  And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; 

Luk 22:30  That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 

Appointed a kingdom!

Rom 2:7  To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: 

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

Seek for glory, honor, immortality, ETERNAL LIFE!

1Co 9:25  And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. 

An incorruptible crown!

2Ti 4:8  Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. 

A crown of righteousness!

1Pe 1:7  That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ

More precious than gold!

1Pe 4:13  But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. 

Glad with exceeding joy!

1Pe 5:4  And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. 

Crown of glory!

Rev 2:10  Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. 

A crown of life!

Rev 3:21  To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. 

Sit in the throne of Christ, with Christ!

The eternal crown is there for all who believe in Christ and live as a Christ follower in all truth revealed through the Holy Spirit.

Endure and receive.

Too many endure life's many hardships waiting to receive some sort of earthly prize for having to endure life's horrors. Too many wait for earthly relief from all their awful circumstances- some dealt to them from birth shaping their lives into miserable pits of existence. Too many feel the injustices of our current lives as painful nightmares- and still they have s smidgen of hope their circumstances might change for the better. We need to place our hope in the Crown of Life promised to us through Jesus. We need to place our hope in the heavenly prize- no one can take that prize from us, not ever and the prize is very real, and it awaits us all should be choose to endure for the eternal prize.

All through the grace, love and mercy of our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ now and forever!

Amen.

The Crown of Life Awaits.

There is no sugar-coating our life here and now.

Jas 1:12  Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

Endures.

Dictionary definition- experience exertion, pain, or hardship without giving up.  Accept somebody or something that is extremely disagreeable. Survive over a period of time when faced with difficulties.

If you want a candy-coated life with everything sweet and good, everything desirable and right, you will not find that here on earth on any long term basis, you just won't.

Even the closest of the close to Jesus Christ our Savior did NOT lead a life wrapped up in pleasant things. They suffered terribly.

They suffered. They endured pain, they endure hardship, the endured the extremely disagreeable and they survived for a long time confronted with intense difficulties. This is the life of a Christ follower and it's an ENDURANCE way of life.  It is taking all the hardships- and there will be many- and making the best of them by choosing to look towards the prize of life.

A lot of things can be endured when there is hope.

Hope exists whether or not we allow ourselves to believe in that hope. Choosing not to believe in the hope doesn't make that hope disappear. I can't force anyone to believe in the hope of eternal life. I can tell them about the hope and how all of Christ's followers, all of God's chosen patriarchs, prophets and people that held fast to Him and His truth- all of these people lived with the same hope- eternal life in Christ, being at one in agreement with God. Not a single person belonging to God fails to believe in the eternal reward that awaits.

You see, what they choose to believe gives their life the clarity it needs in such a turbulent existence. If we place our hope in ourselves we open ourselves up to extreme disappointment, to utter despair. If we place our hope in Christ we open ourselves up to His life, and He triumphed, He overcame all the darkness and evil of this world that would destroy us. He is the life line we must cling to as we are dragged through hours, days, months, years and years of life on this sin filled earth.

We endure by looking towards the prize, the very prize Christ came and preached about, that was His gospel, His good news that He told everyone about. Salvation from evil through Him. We should NEVER lose sight of the reason our Savior came to save us, it was for eternal life, everlasting life, the ultimate of prizes that not even David, Abraham, or Joseph, not Daniel, John, Matthew or Peter received as of yet. They wait in death's sleep for that glorious day they lived for and they will see that glorious day just as we will!

The hope that is in us allows us to endure the seemingly impossible. And by endure I mean it keeps us as Christ's not as any pillar to today's society, held in esteem by all around us. 

Christ's most beloved apostles and disciples were treated like the scum of the earth and viewed as such by the majority- they held no position in life that made others envious of them, that gave them peace and tranquility from all hardship. Their HOPE their ENDURANCE was found in CHRIST and HIS OFFERED HOPE, the good news, the gospels, salvation.

We will have to endure. If you long to be a Christ follower, you endure. You keep your eyes- spiritual and otherwise on the very real prize that awaits us. You make salvation a reality, so real that you can't even imagine losing sight of that ultimate prize offered to us all.

Endure to the end. The CROWN OF LIFE AWAITS.

Know you will suffer now, it's not something odd, know it and endure!

All through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, now and forever!!!!!!!

Amen!

Hope for Repair By Christ Jesus.

Grudging.  Dictionary definition- 'done or given reluctantly, or doing or giving something reluctantly.

Murmuring.  Dictionary definition- 'a complaint made in a discreet or secretive way.

Disputing. Dictionary definition- 'strive against something, disagree, argue about something, opposing something.

In the battle against Satan's wiles we truly need to recognize that he will use everything and anything he can against us. He will disguise the evil we commit as being justified in some manner. He will present excuses, reasons, theories as to why the evil shouldn't be evil at all but something we can't but help to do. We are after all- only human. Why then does the word of God hold us to a higher standard? Why are we allowed to comprehend the truth right before Satan immerses it in his lies to distort it so it is no longer recognizable as being truth, but a variation there on which we can mold to fit our evil tendencies. Isn't is much better to admit the truth plain and simple and recognize how we fall short of that truth? Shouldn't we choose to die daily to the sins that would so easily beset us every opportunity they get- rather than excuse the sins away so we don't have to feel the weight of our need to die to sin constantly? We live our lives with that hope of perfection and Satan uses that to shame us over and over. The only way Satan can use that hope to shame us to the point of despair is if we are living with the hope of perfecting OURSELVES. If we are living with the idea that we will achieve a day out of the refiner's fire. If we are looking for a life here without temptation, without the pulls towards sin. We will find shame every single time we try to find the hope in ourselves apart from our hope in Christ.

I have a problem with being grudging, with murmuring and disputing. I do, and by the grace of God it is being revealed to me over and over again. Right now I can't imagine going a single day without an internal grudging, or silent complaint, and even without disagreeing with even the smallest of things. We have things we call the bane of our existence (a bit dramatic I know) but we do have those things and these are some of mine.  I'm admitting to this even though there is the possibility someone I know in person might read this (I've no clue who does or doesn't), and they'll know that while I may appear all nice and good, that's not always the case. I have what I'll call social anxiety and Satan would have me use this as an excuse for a lot of my grudging, murmuring etc. However, I know that I grudge, murmur and dispute even out of anxiety producing situations. I need the touch of the Savior on my heart to rid me of these things. I need to constantly seek forgiveness for my recognized failure to be what I know I should be. I need to keep my HOPE for repair in Christ.  Yes, I said hope for repair, because He is the One I need to fix in me and all the sin tendencies I have. By His grace He will fix what needs fixing and for what cannot be fixed in my own understanding, I need to trust He will complete what has been started in me. He is my HOPE, I'm not my own hope. He is my Redeemer, my Savior.  May my life belong wholly to HIM.

1Pe 4:9  Use hospitality one to another without grudging. 

2Co 9:7  Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. 

Php 2:13  For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. 

Php 2:14  Do all things without murmurings and disputings

Jas 5:9  Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door. 

Intense Love Forgives

1Pe 4:8  And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. 

Pro 10:12  Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins. 

Love, intense love. From the brief study I've done on this verse the word charity is love, not necessarily charity as in giving things to others. One study mentioned that some religions believe that if you do give money, time, etc to others you are in affect paying your way to forgiveness. You are paying for your sins to be taken away, but we all know that's not how it works at all! There is NOTHING we can to do take away our sins, all the money in the world would not pay for a single sin committed freeing the person from the penalty that sin warrants. ONLY the forgiveness that comes FREELY from the Son of God can take away our sins, from the least sin to the greatest. Truly, what awful kind of God would our God be if only the rich could be forgiven? If we could work our way to heaven if not with money but with acts of charity, are we still not relying upon ourselves to save ourselves?

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 

Eph 2:9  Not of works, lest any man should boast. 

Grace is a gift of God- no man can boast that they saved themselves through any action- money, working, none of it.

That brings us back to the verse above-

1Pe 4:8  And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. 

We are to have a fervent, or intense, love with those around us. Why? Because that intense love will cover - NOT do away with - a multitude of sins.

If we are intensely focused on the sins of those around us are we loving them?

I've often wondered how various people can love other people who seem cruel and bitter, unkind and nasty and I've often wondered how people can love me with all my many faults. The saying love is blind means what? That love turns a blind eye to a lot of faults. Some might question how another person can live with someone who seems awful to them, and the only answer that appeases the curiosity is that love is blind. The person is choosing to be blind to the faults because they choose to love rather than despise.

Intense love of a parent towards a child will often be the same way. They choose to love their child and overlook their faults. They choose to focus on the good in their child, not the bad.

To those outside looking in we say we are shocked and we may possibly even say stuff like we'd never love someone like that, and we don't know how another can, and yet we do the same thing with those we choose to love, don't we?

People are not really blind to the faults of others, they are forgiving of those faults and yes, often to their own detriment. That detriment is what others who are choosing not to love and forgive the faults of that person will focus on. They won't be able to comprehend how that person puts up with what they believe are unforgiveable ways, they surely wouldn't do so if the shoe were on the other foot, and that is because they are choosing not to love the person in question. Their love is conditional. However, it is very interesting to note that often what we say we could never endure in another person, ends up being what we choose to endure after all. Why? Because you choose to love when the sins come from those you give your love to.

Intense love will love in spite of the sins apparent in others.

Jesus' intense love for us, for humanity had Him sacrifice Himself in order for us to find forgiveness for our sins. His blood washes us clean of sin. God is love.

We are to intensely choose to love with the love of God- forgiving endlessly the sins of those around us, for we too need the same forgiveness from others for ours.

I have to remark here though- that anyone in an abusive, life threatening situation should not believe they have to remain in the situation in order to forgive their abuser. You should not remain in a potentially deadly situation, but your choosing to love intensely can be done from a place of safety, out of harm's way.

1Pe 4:8  And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. 

Love forgives. Love chooses to forgive. Intense love for others, the intense desire for the love of God to be all hearts is what we need. The love that forgives, covering a multitude of sins.

God help us all to love fervently!

All through Jesus Christ our Lord, our Savior!

Give No Offence.

1Co 10:25  Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, that eat, asking no question for conscience sake: 

1Co 10:26  For the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof. 

1Co 10:27  If any of them that believe not bid you to a feast, and ye be disposed to go; whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no question for conscience sake. 

1Co 10:28  But if any man say unto you, This is offered in sacrifice unto idols, eat not for his sake that shewed it, and for conscience sake: for the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof: 

1Co 10:29  Conscience, I say, not thine own, but of the other: for why is my liberty judged of another man's conscience? 

1Co 10:30  For if I by grace be a partaker, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks? 

1Co 10:31  Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. 

1Co 10:32  Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God: 

1Co 10:33  Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved. 

Give no offence to Jews, to Gentiles (non-Jews), or to the Followers of Jesus. Give no offence…

What a concept.

We live in a world filled with beliefs too numerous to count. Religious beliefs of so many kinds truly the world has stopped being categorized into set groups. However, we know the Jewish religion still exists (apostatized from God). And we know that all non-Jews are considered Gentiles. We also know that Christians fall into the category of Gentiles to the Jewish people. Jew, Gentile, Christian- these group sum up EVERYBODY regardless of their individual stance on what religion they follow, what their particular beliefs are from satan worship to the worship of a spaghetti monster (true thing), to belief in sun worship, to any idol worship, to self-worship - the list is endless.  Everyone falls under the category of Gentile who is not Jewish.

Therefore, with EVERYONE included in these groups we are NOT to give offence to anyone.

What is meant by offence?  Where is the line between holding fast to your particular belief and giving offence to another who believes differently? With so many real life occurrences concerning offence to the point people are taken to court and sued because of offending another person, where do we draw the line?

If we are told to give no offence- does that mean we are to take part in satan worship, spaghetti monster worship, the worship of idol, so on and so forth all of which clearly go against the worshipping of God - and Him only? No.

Absolutely not, we are not to engage in the worship of any of the false religions. What denotes worship? Giving honor, praise, glory, heart service, self-sacrifice, thanksgiving to God. In worship we surrender ourselves to God, recognizing He alone is our Creator, that Christ Jesus is our Redeemer, and the Holy Spirit guides us.

Ask yourself if you are required to do something you aren't sure about whether it means you are giving your honor, your praise, your glory, your heart service, your sacrifice, your thanksgiving to that thing.

We can give NO offence as long as it is clearly comprehended that what we do is not in any way taking our worship from God.

We shouldn't partake in another's religious service honoring their false God, giving the appearance that WE TOO are honoring their false God. I can eat from their table as long as the food I'm eating is NOT the food offered to their idols.  I can sit with them, talk with them, laugh with them, work with them, live with them if need be without WORSHIPING their gods whatever they may be. As long as I am free to worship God and serve Him only from my heart, through the Spirit.

If I am called to do something for someone who is not a Christ follower with my own particular belief in the truth revealed to me, I should do it and give NO offence to that person, as long as it is not offensive to my worshipping God.

I need to ask myself if my beliefs are well known and it is known that I will interact with all others with the LOVE that Christ revealed to all others. He sat down with sinners, He interacted with non-Jewish people- REMEMBER He was considered Jewish because He was Jewish and expected to behave as such and shun all others. Christ did not shun the non-Jewish and this infuriated the Jewish people. However, it wasn't until Christ gave the truth that He was God's Son, that He in His own right was a God, that the Jewish leaders could accuse Him of blasphemy. They couldn't have Him crucified for talking with Gentiles.

If my beliefs are well known or available to be well known if asked, and I give a service to a non-believer- I am NOT partaking in their beliefs. I can love all without exception without approving, or partaking in their beliefs. It's when I am told I need to worship as they worship, that I must partake in their beliefs- their ceremonies, their ways that I must stand firm and deny going to that extent even if it means giving offence.

If I proclaim my beliefs and they are against your beliefs, it will NOT mean I despise you.

I am allowed to despise your beliefs, but not you.

People have confused the two - and so many today believe that if you despise their beliefs you are despising them. That their beliefs are them and I can't love them if I don't love what they love.

Give no offence.

1Co 10:31  Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. 

1Co 10:32  Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God: 

1Co 10:33  Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved. 

1Co 9:19  For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. 

1Co 9:20  And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; 

1Co 9:21  To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. 

1Co 9:22  To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. 

1Co 9:23  And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you. 

Paul put on no airs whatsoever and remained true to the Lord Jesus Christ in all He did. Paul did not tell the Jewish people he hated them and couldn't associate with them any longer now that he was a Christ follower. Paul did not tell the Gentiles that he couldn't associate with them. He did not tell those weak in their beliefs that because He was strong in his beliefs he could not associate with them.  He associated with them all, never compromising his truth but was able to reveal the love of his truth to them because he did associate with those who did not believe as he did.

We can reveal our LOVE to others, the love of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior but only if we are loving.  As soon as we stop loving, we are revealing only a false god to them.  As long as others know that we hold fast to our worship of our Lord in all things and do not worship anything as they do against our worship of the LORD, we can love them as our neighbors.  We must leave the heart convictions of others to the Lord, the Holy Spirit will do His work, while we do ours. We mustn't try to do the work of the Holy Spirit.

May the Lord bless us in all our interactions with all people no matter who they are. May we reveal the love of God, the love of His only begotten Son, and the love of the Holy Spirit to all.

All through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, now and forever!!!!!!!  Amen.

I Need A Renewed Heart.

1Co 10:24  Let no man seek his own, but every man another's wealth. 

Uhm, this isn't what we are taught growing up, is it? We are taught it's a dog eat dog world, and every man needs to fend for himself, that people will have to step on other people as they climb to the top of the ladder- which by the way is where everyone is trying to be. This is a do crazy stuff just to be wealthy. This is a sin until the cows come home as long as you are bringing in the bucks. This is a sacrifice all your principals because it is the way of the world. This is a change your stance on morality in every single way you can just so you don't get kicked out of your money-making job. As we line up some of the world's idols let's note quickly- movie stars, singers of all genres, athletes-  these are all at the top of the world's idols list.  Ask a child who they like the most and more than likely you'll get someone from the above short list (outside of perhaps a mom, dad, grams, gramps, sibling- which some kids do choose). I have a pre-k work folder (I'm 56 years old now) in my Baby/Child Memory Box and one of the questions on a worksheet was along the lines of who you admire most and I think I chose Judy - from Lost In Space ( a televison show).  I was in PRE-K guys, that means pre-5 years old! That was 52 years ago if I was 4!  It seems almost all of us have this inner desire to be famous, barring that, to be rich by some means- even if it is just through winning the lottery (most of us have a better chance at stardom than winning the lottery (the big one that is).

Years ago being a millionaire was a guarantee you're set for life situation- it isn't that way any longer. The bar has been raised because the cost of living has raised and so on and so forth. Not that I'm knocking a million dollars by a long shot. The point being with all this- we seldom seek the wealth of ANOTHER over our own wealth.

That Bible verse isn't advocating taking (stealing) another's wealth by the way, I know some people love to twist words and play games with meanings.

1Co 10:24  Let no man seek his own, but every man another's wealth.

We are not to seek wealth for ourselves, especially above another's wealth- IT IS NOT A DOG EAT DOG WORLD, or rather, it is not supposed to be.  The way it is supposed to be is we are supposed to seek OTHERS welfare OVER our own, before we take care of ourselves. It's the oddest thing isn't it? To believe that is true. When we mostly take care of ourselves and those that we consider belong in our special circle of family and friends.

Others before ourselves.

I struggle with this on an unbelievable personal level which only reveals the depths of my depravity and my unending need for repentance, forgiveness and renewal through the Holy Spirit. Some people have a spirit of charity that is overwhelming and amazing to witness, while others don't come by that spirit of charity naturally and the claws of the world's fend for yourself at all costs sink deep into the hearts of others. I don't want these claws in me! I want to be charitable and NOT because others make it easy to be charitable, it shouldn't matter whether another is making it easy to be nice! If I am a Christ follower I need to learn to TURN THE OTHER CHEEK and allow it to be slapped without resentment.  What good is turning the other cheek at all if it is done with bitterness and not compassion for the cheek slapper?  If all good is done begrudgingly is it good? I need this STONEY heart taken out of me and I need it replaced with a heart of flesh- of compassion, of love, of the love of GOD because my love is tainted bitterly with selfishness, with self-serving, with seeking my own. God help me!

You Can Be Your Own Idol.

1Co 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. 

1Co 10:14  Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry. 

Flee from idolatry.

ANYTHING in our lives that takes precedence to GOD is a form of idolatry.

God needs to be first.  Why? Because God created us and knows us, and loves us so much more than we could ever imagine and with Him first in our lives only then is it possible for His salvation to be full in us. For Christ to be able to live in us, God must be first in our lives. God the Father was first in Christ's life- Christ deferred to God in EVERYTHING and Christ is our example.

A song that is currently a bit popular on a Christian music station has these lyrics-

'It's Your breath in our lungs…'

This is truth! God breathed life into Adam- a lifeless husk made of dust and that same breath of life has been given to us from God. The very ability to breathe, the very beats of our hearts, all of it comes from God.

When we flee from idolatry and seek to place God first in our lives we are choosing to seek the escape made for us to defeat temptation from drawing us into sin. We are to FLEE from putting anything before God. FLEE - runaway from very quickly. You can run away from something but not necessarily very quickly at top notch speed. We are told to run away QUICK AS WE CAN from setting up any idols in our lives. You can be your own idol too, so we need to watch out for that tricky trap.

1Co 10:15  I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say. 

1Co 10:16  The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? 

1Co 10:17  For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread. 

1Co 10:18  Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar? 

1Co 10:19  What say I then? that the idol is any thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing? 

1Co 10:20  But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. 

When we belong to our Lord Jesus Christ and we follow the example He personally gave to us by taking a bit of bread that represents Jesus' life in this example, and taking a bit of wine which represents the life blood He gave so we may live in forgiveness, the penalty paid for our sins, we are partaking in the Lord's example as having Him, the One in common.

We are NOT to partake in any example of such a communion with any other at all whatsoever. If someone offers you the chance to partake in a ritual example they follow for any other person, place or thing, we must decline. We are to be examples of Christ ourselves, not learning from the examples of those who outrightly choose to worship any other.

1Co 10:21  Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils. 

How many people try desperately to do just what it says we cannot do in the verse above? How man choose to drink from the Lord's cup- following the Lord's example and also choose to drink from the cup of devils? How many people has Satan tricked into believing there is harmlessness in choosing to believe in all worship so long as it keeps the peace and harmony and makes everybody happy? I can choose to love an atheist, muslim, buddist, etc as a human being given a chance to know God and His Son Jesus Christ, I can even lay down my life so they may live, but never at the expense of following their false beliefs. Christ NEVER promoted hatred of other people, never. But Christ did promote hatred of sin committed by people. He could despise the sin ruled lives of people while praying that they could have their eyes opened, their hearts restored, their understanding enlightened. He is our example in all things! We must choose Christ over all, God must be first in our lives and NO OTHER in anything.

1Co 10:22  Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he? 

We should never intentionally provoke the Lord to jealousy- to tempt the Lord God in any way. We are NOT above Him in any way. We do NOT know what is best for ourselves, He knows!

1Co 10:23  All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not. 

Even if God allows for so much in our lives  (lawful things) as we seek our path through Him- it doesn't mean we should partake in things that are acceptable if they are not edifying us towards the knowledge and growing in Him and His love. We must put God first. By His grace! God first. This is something so incredibly alien to our way of life. God first. God before my desires. God before my wants. God before my self-glorifying. Just because we exist does not mean we exist for our own pleasure. We exist for God's pleasure. We've done so much to put ourselves first that we can scarcely recognize that we aren't first. Self has become so glorified apart from God that when we are blessed by God and offered a reconciliation with Him we continuously attempt to put ourselves before Him. We are so blind to truth. God HELP US.

Daily Escapes from Tempting Sins.

Common Temptation.

Placed in a room painted entirely white, with a white chair, with a too bright white spotlight pointed directly where you sit, alone in that straight back hard wooden seat, you are filled with fear. You are all by yourself and the weight of your aloneness, your fear sets in as time slowly passes. You try to move but you're paralyzed by some unseen force. You look frantically around you trying to see past the blinding light, but no matter which way you turn your head the light is there. You panic as your mind scrambles to unravel what is happening to you. You wonder why you are going through this. You want it to stop. The awful unknown, the powerlessness you feel, the total lack of control over yourself is excruciatingly painful to your mental wellbeing. Why is this happening to you!

Then suddenly the light goes off and the white wall in front of you becomes a screen of sorts, or is it a window? It's too difficult to tell. What isn't difficult to see is the rows upon rows of rooms exactly like your own with other people in the same position you are in. Similar to an infinity mirror, the rows of endless rooms is horrifying to you, but at the same time a small sense of relief touches a part of you when you realize one fact…you are not alone in your situation at all. Others are going through what you are going through and somehow that lightens the awful weight of what is going on. The relief is short-lived though because you are still trapped, only you're not trapped alone.

Being alone in a bad situation can be very frightening. Sharing a horrifying experience somehow lessens the weight of fear.

Knowing you're not alone in your situation can make a big difference. When we are told that there is no temptation- not a single one- that isn't common to others- Satan can no longer isolate us in our guilt. Satan can no longer point the finger at us and tell us that we are horrific above all people in our tendency towards temptations. 

Do we all face the same exact temptations?  I may be tempted to gluttony while you would never feel a pull towards it. You may be tempted towards fornication while I may never feel pulled in that direction. We can be sure though, there are many, many people leaning towards gluttony and many towards fornication. We are not alone in our temptations. The reason this is good to know is to keep Satan from singling us out- to keep him from putting us in a white room situation. To stop Satan from terrifying us with our seemingly individual nightmares. He wants us to believe there is NO hope for ourselves.

Our temptations are common to us as human beings, but not a single one has the power to force us to sin.

We are not forced to sin. And if you are forced - literally forced - into an act of sin by the very fact you were forced negates the sin in you and places it on the one forcing the sin. Barring a literal forcing into any sin, you are not forced to sin- but there is always a way to escape. 

The way of escape doesn't mean that it will be easy.  Many escapes from horrible situations are very, very difficult. The fact you have to escape indicates you are captive to something or someone.

Let's say you're back in that white room, only now you are given two different ways to escape your captivity. The quickest way is the hardest, the longer way is the easiest.  Now the choice becomes do you want to suffer terribly to end the captivity almost instantly, or do you want to remain captive longer without suffering? You have ways to escape and the choice is yours.  If you only had one way to escape without a choice, you of course would choose that way no matter how awful, wouldn't you?

When we are tempted to sin we make a choice.  If you get caught up in a sin of ignorance that means you find yourself embroiled in sin without any awareness of how you got into it, the thought process wasn't there at all for choosing. As soon as the awareness comes to you that you are in sin, you must stop sinning and seek forgiveness. Temptation to sin is the choice to sin or not sin. You face temptations that are common to others, you aren't alone in the world- a horrible monster of a person because you feel pulled to sin. Sin exists and Satan has such great influence he will attack us in such a way we believe we are hopelessly trapped in our sins even if the temptation is what we are trapped with and not the actual sin. TEMPTATION DOES NOT MEAN WE SIN.  If that were true, if our worst temptation, our daily agonizing temptation towards some vile sin was in fact us sinning and not escaping daily from its tenacious pull, we'd have no hope at all.  JESUS WAS TEMPTED TO SIN. The temptation was NOT the sin. The struggle with temptation is NOT the sin. The escape made from the temptation keeps the sin from occurring. 

We will face temptations- maybe the same one over and over, or maybe different ones each day. We mustn't confuse temptation with sinning, we mustn't allow Satan to use that sneak attack to draw us into his web of deceit. If he can get us to believe our being tempted is the sin, then it is very easy for him to lead us down the path into sin. The slippery slope from temptation to sin is hideous, but we do have an escape from the temptation…even if that escape is something we have to suffer to be free.  We will be able to bear temptations, but it won't necessarily be easy at all in any way. The bearing of temptations is something we need to recognize as a fact of our lives. Not that we will be temptation free- ever- but that we CAN bear them through the escape made possible for us by very faithful GOD.

1Co 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. 

A Way to Escape.

Temptation.

Temptation is making a choice, it is having things to choose between. You can't be tempted without having at least two things, if not more to choose from. Temptation is an offer. Temptation is an opportunity. We are tempted- offered an opportunity to either do the thing we know is contrary to God's will, or do God's will. Daily temptations will make themselves available to us, we can't escape them. These words - 'lead us not into temptation' are very familiar words from the prayer of Jesus as He instructed the apostles on the form of prayer.

Being led by God we do not want to be caught up in temptations to be led astray. We want to be delivered from evil, not caught up in it. We need God to lead us away from anything that would cause us to despair of His love, of His grace.

So why then does it seem as if we are lead into temptation daily, hourly, minutely? Is God leading us towards these temptations? We are to pray NOT to be led towards temptations yet find ourselves led there, why? What is happening for this to occur?

Jesus prayed this-

Mar 14:35  And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. 

Mar 14:36  And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt. 

Jesus wanted His trial to be taken from Him, He did not want to go through what was to come- the horror he knew waiting for Him. He told His Father that ALL things are possible with Him, meaning, it was possible for His Father to prevent what was to come upon Him- the extreme mental, physical, emotional torture. All of it could be avoided if the Father wanted to take the horror away from Him. Jesus KNEW he needn't suffer, yet to fulfil the plan of salvation He submitted to the will of His Father. There was a REASON for His Father allowing the trial, the pain, the agony, and that reason was worth whatever was to come. Jesus trusted the Father, even as the cup remained in His hand to drink from and was not taken from Him.

When we pray not to be led into temptation we are praying that we are able to endure whatever will come our way and that we will prevail through God. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. We don't want to be tempted to stray from God, we want to be delivered from all evil in our lives. And we NEED the FATHER to do this for us, we recognize that we are powerless in the face of our adversary and all his evil ways. The Father is NOT powerless and we run to Him for constant deliverance- trusting that whatever we are called to go through that it is ultimately for our good.  Our good is learning to depend solely upon God, trusting in Him for all things. Our good is learning we are saved by Christ, not by ourselves. Our good is learning to obey the will of God, not our own will. Our good is choosing God over all else, through the Holy Spirit's power. Our good is recognizing the evil from the good and NOT calling evil good, or good evil. Our good is taking up the cross daily comprehending that following our Savior is not going to be having any cups taken from us, but submitting to the will of God.

1Co 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. 

We are NOT tempted above that we are able- we are NOT tempted so much that we are forced to give into the despair Satan wants us to- of ever trusting in God to save us. The failure lies in believing there is no escape, no Savior. As we struggle with our temptations- DAILY- for it is a daily prayer Jesus taught to us- we must believe that the temptation will be overcome if not instantaneously then eventually through unending perseverance in the belief that there is a way to escape so we can bear what is taking place in our lives.

A way to escape. He is the way to escape. He is the choice we must choose. He is the answer. May HIS WILL BE DONE, not ours.

In any temptation we face may we ultimately choose God's will over our own.

All through the love of our LORD GOD THE FATHER, and  all through the LORD SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST,  all through the HOLY SPIRIT now and forever!

AMEN.