Galations {4:19} My little
children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be
formed in you,
Interesing choice of words here. Paul speaking to the Galations saying... my little children of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you.
Jesus told us we had to be born again. Born of water and Spirit.
We are told in Peter that we are born again not of corruptible seed but incorruptible.
John {3:3}
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto
thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the
kingdom of God. {3:4} Nicodemus saith unto him, How can
a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time
into his mother’s womb, and be born? {3:5} Jesus
answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be
born of water and [of] the Spirit, he cannot enter into the
kingdom of God. {3:6} That which is born of the flesh is
flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. {3:7}
Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
1 Pet. {1:23}
Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of
incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth
for ever. {1:24} For all flesh [is] as grass, and all the glory
of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the
flower thereof falleth away: {1:25} But the word of the
Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the
gospel is preached unto you.
When Paul says he travails with them in birth, he's talking about how a Christian lives as Christ is being formed within them.
Colossians {1:27} To whom God would make known what [is]
the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles;
which is Christ in you, the hope of glory
Christ being formed in us.
As a baby is formed in a mother's womb the mother of a normal, healthy pregnancy feels little pain. It's the birth that brings the travail. When Christ says we must be born again it is a travailing time.
Dictionary Def.
travail
travail (tre-vâl´, tràv´âl´) noun
1. Work, especially when arduous or involving painful effort; toil. See synonyms at work.
2. Tribulation or agony; anguish.
3. The labor of childbirth.
verb, intransitive
travailed, travailing, travails
1. To work strenuously; toil.
2. To be in the labor of childbirth.
Excerpted from The American Heritage® Dictionary
Being a Christian, accepting Christ into our lives is asking to be born again- asking to travail and be birthed until Christ is formed in us. It's not instantaneous. Christ is being formed in our lives, we are being born of Spirit, born of the Word of God and this is a process that isn't easy, but very painful in many ways. Painful to our natural self. The self we have to let die to have Christ in us. The pain is real and we live it every day. We travail as the old creatures in us are done away with and the new creatures are being formed. Day to day we travail and recognizing that our lives are but one more process of growth that we must go through to be Christs is something important. As babes in a womb we are not fully formed. As young children we are not fully formed. We like to think as adults we are fully formed and yet we are not and the only way to keep growing is to accept Christ's love into our lives, accept His grace and His wondrous forgiveness, His mercy. As we keep growing once we accept Christ the growth process isn't something that is accomplished instantly, but each of us has our own growth process as Christians just as we do as people. I may have been a delayed walker while you may have first walked at 9 months. We grow constantly at different rates in body and in Spirit. We have to accept our lives as the Spiritual growing process, the travail as we seek to be born of the Spirit. When Christ comes again then we will complete our birthing in Him, becoming the new creatures He's always meant us to be.
So, while we suffer now and rightly so- in many and varied ways- it will result in the birth of wonder in God transforming us.
May God bless and keep us in Him as we seek to have Christ formed in us. May the suffering we experience now be realized when Jesus comes again and we are finally, fully, completely birthed into the new creatures of the Spirit, His creatures. By His glory! All praise unto Him now and ever!
Amen.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Seek ye the LORD while he may be found
Isaiah
{55:6} Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near
***
We need to seek the Lord.
We need to call upon the Lord.
We need to put ourselves out there so to speak. Many people don't put themselves out there. They don't seek, but rather expect to be sought.
We need God to live, God doesn't need us to live. Long before we were, He was. We are His creation and sometimes, often we forget that. And we are a wicked people if we can forget something so amazing. Our very breath comes from God. Our very heart beat comes from God. Maybe we're not always thrilled with our lives. Some people are born with defects that make them curse God and yet they have a chance to praise Him for His giving them life and knowing that one day, should they choose to worship and love Him, He will take away all their imperfections and give them glory they can't even realize. Easy to say, I know, I know-- very hard to do. We are so turned inward to ourselves that nothing else seems to matter but us and how we feel, what we think, what we want, what we know, we could careless about other things except as they affect our lives. Sure we can help others but how many people do so because they want the recognition, the glory for their helping? Selflessness is so important and until we realize that and make it a reality in our lives we'll forever be chained down to ourselves and not looking to God. God will help us become the selfless creatures that we need to become, but only if we seek Him- only if we call upon Him.
Isa. {55:7} Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
We need to forsake our wicked ways, we need to forsake our unrighteous thoughts- we need to return to the Lord and find mercy and pardon in Him.
{55:8} For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
God's thoughts and His ways are not our thoughts and ways. He is past our understanding and by faith we have to believe that He knows what is best for us beyond anything we could ever imagine.
{55:9} For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
{55:10} For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater
{55:11} So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
{55:12} For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
{55:13} Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the
LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.
{56:1} Thus saith the LORD, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed. {56:2} Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.
We are giving blessings from God for following His ways. We have to do the following, that is our part. We have to do the seeking, the calling, it is our part to seek and follow, to call to God. We can't do nothing and hope it happens. We have a part to play. Is it a works? No. It's by the Grace and Mercy of our Lord and Savior, now and forever, only by Him that we will ever become one with Him, fully with Him and through Him with the Father. May the Holy Spirit guide us and as we seek may He take over and make our miniscule effort into something amazingly wonderful, something beyond our comprehension.
In Christ forever!
Amen.
{55:6} Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near
***
We need to seek the Lord.
We need to call upon the Lord.
We need to put ourselves out there so to speak. Many people don't put themselves out there. They don't seek, but rather expect to be sought.
We need God to live, God doesn't need us to live. Long before we were, He was. We are His creation and sometimes, often we forget that. And we are a wicked people if we can forget something so amazing. Our very breath comes from God. Our very heart beat comes from God. Maybe we're not always thrilled with our lives. Some people are born with defects that make them curse God and yet they have a chance to praise Him for His giving them life and knowing that one day, should they choose to worship and love Him, He will take away all their imperfections and give them glory they can't even realize. Easy to say, I know, I know-- very hard to do. We are so turned inward to ourselves that nothing else seems to matter but us and how we feel, what we think, what we want, what we know, we could careless about other things except as they affect our lives. Sure we can help others but how many people do so because they want the recognition, the glory for their helping? Selflessness is so important and until we realize that and make it a reality in our lives we'll forever be chained down to ourselves and not looking to God. God will help us become the selfless creatures that we need to become, but only if we seek Him- only if we call upon Him.
Isa. {55:7} Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
We need to forsake our wicked ways, we need to forsake our unrighteous thoughts- we need to return to the Lord and find mercy and pardon in Him.
{55:8} For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
God's thoughts and His ways are not our thoughts and ways. He is past our understanding and by faith we have to believe that He knows what is best for us beyond anything we could ever imagine.
{55:9} For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
{55:10} For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater
{55:11} So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
{55:12} For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
{55:13} Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the
LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.
{56:1} Thus saith the LORD, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed. {56:2} Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.
We are giving blessings from God for following His ways. We have to do the following, that is our part. We have to do the seeking, the calling, it is our part to seek and follow, to call to God. We can't do nothing and hope it happens. We have a part to play. Is it a works? No. It's by the Grace and Mercy of our Lord and Savior, now and forever, only by Him that we will ever become one with Him, fully with Him and through Him with the Father. May the Holy Spirit guide us and as we seek may He take over and make our miniscule effort into something amazingly wonderful, something beyond our comprehension.
In Christ forever!
Amen.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Perfect
PERFECT (pûr´fîkt) adjective
Abbr. perf.
1.Lacking nothing essential to the whole; complete of its nature or kind.
2.Being without defect or blemish: a PERFECT specimen.
3.Thoroughly skilled or talented in a certain field or area; proficient.
4.Completely suited for a particular purpose or situation: She was the PERFECT actress for the part.
5.a. Completely corresponding to a description, standard, or type: a PERFECT circle; a PERFECT gentleman. b. Accurately reproducing an original: a PERFECT copy of the painting.
6.Complete; thorough; utter: a PERFECT fool.
7.Pure; undiluted; unmixed: PERFECT red.
8.Excellent and delightful in all respects: a PERFECT day.
9.Botany. Having both stamens and pistils in the same flower; monoclinous.
10.Grammar. Of, relating to, or constituting a verb form expressing action completed prior to a fixed point of reference in time.
11.Music. a. Designating the three basic intervals of the octave, fourth, and fifth. b. Designating a cadence or chord progression from the dominant to the tonic at the end of a phrase or piece of music.
noun
Abbr. perf.
1.Grammar. The PERFECT tense.
2.A verb or verb form in the PERFECT tense.
verb, transitive
PERFECTed, PERFECTing, PERFECTs (per-fèkt´)
To bring to PERFECTion or completion.
[Middle English perfit, from Old French parfit, from Latin PERFECTus, past participle of perficere, to finish : per-, per- + facere, to do.]
- PERFECT´er noun
- per´fectness noun
Synonyms: PERFECT, consummate, faultless, flawless, impeccable. The central meaning shared by these adjectives is "being wholly without flaw": a PERFECT diamond; a consummate performer; faultless logic; a flawless instrumental technique; speaks impeccable French.
Antonyms: imPERFECT.
Usage Note: PERFECT has often been described as an absolute term like chief and prime, hence not allowing modification by more, quite, relatively, and other qualifiers of degree. But the qualification of PERFECT has numerous reputable precedents (most notably in the preamble to the U.S. Constitution in the phrase "in order to form a more PERFECT Union"). What is more, the stricture is philosophically dubious. There can be no mathematically PERFECT forms in nature; therefore to say that any actual circle is "PERFECT" can mean only that it approximates the geometric ideal of circularity, a quality that it can obviously have to a greater or lesser degree. By the same token, PERFECT freely allows comparison in examples such as There could be no more PERFECT spot for the picnic, where it is used to mean "ideal for the purposes." See Usage Note at complete, equal, parallel, unique.
Excerpted from The American Heritage® Dictionary
*******
Nave's Topcial Dict.
PERFECTION
-(Moral completeness) -Ascribed to .Noah #Ge 6:8,9| .Jacob #Nu 23:21| .David #1Ki 11:4,6| .Asa #1Ki 15:14| .Job #Job 1:1| .Zacharias and Elizabeth #Lu 1:6| .Nathanael #Joh 1:47|
.See GOD, PERFECTION OF .See HOLINESS .See SANTIFICATION
*******
R.A. Torrey's New Topical Textbook-
PERFECTION
- Is of God Ps 18:32; 138:8
- All saints have, in Christ 1Co 2:6; Php 3:15; Col 2:10
- God's PERFECTion the standard of Mt 5:48
- IMPLIES . Entire devotedness Mt 19:21 . Purity and holiness in speech Jas 3:2
- Saints commanded to aim at Ge 17:1; De 18:13
- Saints claim not Job 9:20; Php 3:12
- Saints follow after Pr 4:18; Php 3:12
- Ministers appointed to lead saints to Eph 4:12; Col 1:28
- Exhortation to 2Co 7:1; 13:11
- Impossibility of attaining to 2Ch 6:36; Ps 119:96
- THE WORD OF GOD IS . The rule of Jas 1:25 . Designed to lead us to 2Ti 3:16,17
- Charity is the bond of Col 3:14
- Patience leads to Jas 1:4
- Pray for Heb 13:20,21; 1Pe 5:10
- The Church shall attain to Joh 17:23; Eph 4:13
- Blessedness of Ps 37:37; Pr 2:21
*******
PERFECTION-IMPERFECTION
(A) PERFECTION
(1) Some Essential Elements of Benevolence Mt 19:21 Love Col 3:14 Good Works Jas 2:22 Control of the Tongue Jas 3:2 Obedience 1Jo 2:5; 4:12
(2) The Duty of Striving after Ge 17:1; De 18:13; 1Ki 8:61; Mt 5:48; 2Co 13:11 Eph 4:13; Php 3:15; Col 1:28; 2Ti 3:17; Heb 6:1; 13:21 Jas 1:4; 1Pe 5:10
--SEE Spiritual Growth, DEVELOPMENT
(B) PERFECTION DIVINE, of God De 32:4; 2Sa 22:31; Ps 18:30; Ec 3:14; Mt 5:48
--SEE God's Holiness, HOLINESS God's Righteousness, RIGHTEOUSNESS God of Truth, TRUTH Divine Excellencies, EXCELLENCIES, DIVINE
(C) CHRIST'S PERFECTION Joh 1:14; 19:4; Heb 2:10; 5:9; 7:28
--SEE Fulness of Christ, FULNESS
(D) CHRIST'S SINLESSNESS, general references to Isa 53:9; Lu 23:41; Joh 8:46; 2Co 5:21; Heb 1:9; 4:15 Heb 7:26; 9:14; 1Pe 1:19; 2:22; 1Jo 3:5
--SEE Righteousness
(2) RIGHTEOUSNESS
(E) IMPERFECTION, HUMAN
(1) General References to Job 9:20; Ec 7:20; Php 3:12; Jas 3:2; Re 3:2
--SEE Unbelief
(1), UNBELIEF Sin, SIN Half-heartedness, INDIFFERENCE
(2) Exemplified in the Lives of the Best Men Ge 20:2; Nu 20:12; 1Ki 3:3; 22:43; 2Ch 16:12; Jon 1:3 Lu 9:54; 22:24; Ga 2:13
--SEE Deception, FALSEHOOD Sin Universal, SIN
*******
Genesis 6:9
9 ¶ These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and PERFECT in his generations, and Noah walked with God.
Genesis 17:1
1And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou PERFECT.
Leviticus 22:21
21And whosoever offereth a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD to accomplish his vow, or a freewill offering in beeves or sheep, it shall be PERFECT to be accepted; there shall be no blemish therein.
Deuteronomy 18:13
13Thou shalt be PERFECT with the LORD thy God.
Deuteronomy 25:15
15But thou shalt have a PERFECT and just weight, a PERFECT and just measure shalt thou have: that thy days may be lengthened in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
Deuteronomy 32:4
4He is the Rock, his work is PERFECT: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.
1 Samuel 14:41
41Therefore Saul said unto the LORD God of Israel, Give a PERFECT lot. And Saul and Jonathan were taken: but the people escaped.
2 Samuel 22:31
31As for God, his way is PERFECT; the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him.
2 Samuel 22:33
33God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way PERFECT.
1 Kings 8:61
61Let your heart therefore be PERFECT with the LORD our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day.
1 Kings 11:4
4For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not PERFECT with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.
1 Kings 15:3
3And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him: and his heart was not PERFECT with the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father.
1 Kings 15:14
14But the high places were not removed: nevertheless Asa's heart was PERFECT with the LORD all his days.
2 Kings 20:3
3I beseech thee, O LORD, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a PERFECT heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.
1 Chronicles 12:38
38All these men of war, that could keep rank, came with a PERFECT heart to Hebron, to make David king over all Israel: and all the rest also of Israel were of one heart to make David king.
1 Chronicles 28:9
9 ¶ And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a PERFECT heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.
1 Chronicles 29:9
9Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with PERFECT heart they offered willingly to the LORD: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy.
1 Chronicles 29:19
19And give unto Solomon my son a PERFECT heart, to keep thy commandments, thy testimonies, and thy statutes, and to do all these things, and to build the palace, for the which I have made provision.
2 Chronicles 4:21
21And the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs, made he of gold, and that PERFECT gold
2 Chronicles 15:17
17But the high places were not taken away out of Israel: nevertheless the heart of Asa was PERFECT all his days.
2 Chronicles 16:9
9For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is PERFECT toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.
2 Chronicles 19:9
9And he charged them, saying, Thus shall ye do in the fear of the LORD, faithfully, and with a PERFECT heart.
2 Chronicles 25:2
2And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, but not with a PERFECT heart.
Ezra 7:12
12Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven, PERFECT peace, and at such a time.
Job 1:1
1There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was PERFECT and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.
Job 1:8
8And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a PERFECT and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?
Job 2:3
3And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a PERFECT and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.
Job 8:20
20Behold, God will not cast away a PERFECT man, neither will he help the evil doers
Job 9:20-22
20If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me: if I say, I am PERFECT, it shall also prove me perverse. 21Though I were PERFECT, yet would I not know my soul: I would despise my life. 22This is one thing, therefore I said it, He destroyeth the PERFECT and the wicked.
Job 22:3
3Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous? or is it gain to him, that thou makest thy ways PERFECT?
Job 36:4
4For truly my words shall not be false: he that is PERFECT in knowledge is with thee.
Job 37:16
16Dost thou know the balancings of the clouds, the wondrous works of him which is PERFECT in knowledge?
Psalms 18:30
30As for God, his way is PERFECT: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.
Psalms 18:32
32It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way PERFECT.
Psalms 19:7
7The law of the LORD is PERFECT, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
Psalms 37:37
37Mark the PERFECT man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.
Psalms 64:4
4That they may shoot in secret at the PERFECT: suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not.
Psalms 101:2
2I will behave myself wisely in a PERFECT way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a PERFECT heart.
Psalms 101:6
6Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a PERFECT way, he shall serve me.
Psalms 138:8
8The LORD will PERFECT that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.
Psalms 139:22
22I hate them with PERFECT hatred: I count them mine enemies.
Proverbs 2:21
21For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the PERFECT shall remain in it.
Proverbs 4:18
18But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the PERFECT day.
Proverbs 11:5
5The righteousness of the PERFECT shall direct his way: but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness.
Isaiah 18:5
5For afore the harvest, when the bud is PERFECT, and the sour grape is ripening in the flower, he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks, and take away and cut down the branches.
Isaiah 26:3
3Thou wilt keep him in PERFECT peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
Isaiah 38:3
3And said, Remember now, O LORD, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a PERFECT heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.
Isaiah 42:19
19Who is blind, but my servant? or deaf, as my messenger that I sent? who is blind as he that is PERFECT, and blind as the LORD'S servant?
Ezekiel 16:14
14And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it was PERFECT through my comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 27:3
3And say unto Tyrus, O thou that art situate at the entry of the sea, which art a merchant of the people for many isles, Thus saith the Lord GOD; O Tyrus, thou hast said, I am of PERFECT beauty.
Ezekiel 27:11
11The men of Arvad with thine army were upon thy walls round about, and the Gammadims were in thy towers: they hanged their shields upon thy walls round about; they have made thy beauty PERFECT.
Ezekiel 28:12
12Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and PERFECT in beauty.
Ezekiel 28:15
15Thou wast PERFECT in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
Matthew 5:48
48Be ye therefore PERFECT, even as your Father which is in heaven is PERFECT.
Matthew 19:21
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.
Luke 1:3
3It seemed good to me also, having had PERFECT understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,
Luke 6:40
40The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is PERFECT shall be as his master.
John 17:23
23I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made PERFECT in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
Acts 3:16
16And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this PERFECT soundness in the presence of you all.
Acts 22:3
3 I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the PERFECT manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.
Acts 24:22
22 And when Felix heard these things, having more PERFECT knowledge of that way, he deferred them, and said, When Lysias the chief captain shall come down, I will know the uttermost of your matter.
Romans 12:2
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and PERFECT, will of God.
1 Corinthians 2:6
6Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are PERFECT: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought
1 Corinthians 13:10
10But when that which is PERFECT is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
2 Corinthians 12:9
9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made PERFECT in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2 Corinthians 13:11
11 Finally, brethren, farewell. Be PERFECT, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.
Galatians 3:3
3Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made PERFECT by the flesh?
Ephesians 4:13
13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a PERFECT man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
Philippians 3:12
12Not as though I had already attained, either were already PERFECT: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:15
15Let us therefore, as many as be PERFECT, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.
Colossians 1:28
28Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man PERFECT in Christ Jesus:
Colossians 4:12
12Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand PERFECT and complete in all the will of God.
1 Thessalonians 3:10
10 Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might PERFECT that which is lacking in your faith?
2 Timothy 3:17
17 That the man of God may be PERFECT, throughly furnished unto all good works.
Hebrews 2:10
10For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation PERFECT through sufferings.
Hebrews 5:9
9And being made PERFECT, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
Hebrews 7:19
19For the law made nothing PERFECT, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.
Hebrews 9:9
9Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service PERFECT, as pertaining to the conscience;
Hebrews 9:11
11But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more PERFECT tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
Hebrews 10:1
1For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto PERFECT.
Hebrews 11:40
40God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made PERFECT.
Hebrews 12:23
23To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made PERFECT,
Hebrews 13:21
21Make you PERFECT in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
James 1:4
4 But let patience have her PERFECT work, that ye may be PERFECT and entire, wanting nothing.
James 1:17
17Every good gift and every PERFECT gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
James 1:25
25 But whoso looketh into the PERFECT law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
James 2:22
22Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made PERFECT?
James 3:2
2For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a PERFECT man, and able also to bridle the whole body.
1 Peter 5:10
10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you PERFECT, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
1 John 4:17-18
17Herein is our love made PERFECT, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. 18There is no fear in love; but PERFECT love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made PERFECT in love.
Revelation of John 3:2
2Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works PERFECT before God.
PERFECTION
Job 11:7
7Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto PERFECTion?
Job 15:29
29He shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue, neither shall he prolong the PERFECTion thereof upon the earth.
Job 28:3
3He setteth an end to darkness, and searcheth out all PERFECTion: the stones of darkness, and the shadow of death.
Psalms 50:2
2Out of Zion, the PERFECTion of beauty, God hath shined.
Psalms 119:96
96I have seen an end of all PERFECTion: but thy commandment is exceeding broad.
Isaiah 47:9
9But these two things shall come to thee in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood: they shall come upon thee in their PERFECTion for the multitude of thy sorceries, and for the great abundance of thine enchantments.
Lamentations 2:15
15All that pass by clap their hands at thee; they hiss and wag their head at the daughter of Jerusalem, saying, Is this the city that men call The PERFECTion of beauty, The joy of the whole earth?
Luke 8:14
14And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to PERFECTion.
2 Corinthians 13:9
9 For we are glad, when we are weak, and ye are strong: and this also we wish, even your PERFECTion.
Hebrews 6:1
1Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto PERFECTion; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
Hebrews 7:11
11If therefore PERFECTion were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron?
PERFECTED
2 Chronicles 8:16
16Now all the work of Solomon was prepared unto the day of the foundation of the house of the LORD, and until it was finished. So the house of the LORD was PERFECTed.
2 Chronicles 24:13
13So the workmen wrought, and the work was PERFECTed by them, and they set the house of God in his state, and strengthened it.
Ezekiel 27:4
4Thy borders are in the midst of the seas, thy builders have PERFECTed thy beauty.
Matthew 21:16
16 And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast PERFECTed praise?
Luke 13:32
32 And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be PERFECTed.
Hebrews 10:14
14For by one offering he hath PERFECTed for ever them that are sanctified.
1 John 2:5
5But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God PERFECTed: hereby know we that we are in him.
1 John 4:12
12No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is PERFECTed in us.
PERFECTING
2 Corinthians 7:1
1Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, PERFECTing holiness in the fear of God.
Ephesians 4:12
12 For the PERFECTing of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ
Abbr. perf.
1.Lacking nothing essential to the whole; complete of its nature or kind.
2.Being without defect or blemish: a PERFECT specimen.
3.Thoroughly skilled or talented in a certain field or area; proficient.
4.Completely suited for a particular purpose or situation: She was the PERFECT actress for the part.
5.a. Completely corresponding to a description, standard, or type: a PERFECT circle; a PERFECT gentleman. b. Accurately reproducing an original: a PERFECT copy of the painting.
6.Complete; thorough; utter: a PERFECT fool.
7.Pure; undiluted; unmixed: PERFECT red.
8.Excellent and delightful in all respects: a PERFECT day.
9.Botany. Having both stamens and pistils in the same flower; monoclinous.
10.Grammar. Of, relating to, or constituting a verb form expressing action completed prior to a fixed point of reference in time.
11.Music. a. Designating the three basic intervals of the octave, fourth, and fifth. b. Designating a cadence or chord progression from the dominant to the tonic at the end of a phrase or piece of music.
noun
Abbr. perf.
1.Grammar. The PERFECT tense.
2.A verb or verb form in the PERFECT tense.
verb, transitive
PERFECTed, PERFECTing, PERFECTs (per-fèkt´)
To bring to PERFECTion or completion.
[Middle English perfit, from Old French parfit, from Latin PERFECTus, past participle of perficere, to finish : per-, per- + facere, to do.]
- PERFECT´er noun
- per´fectness noun
Synonyms: PERFECT, consummate, faultless, flawless, impeccable. The central meaning shared by these adjectives is "being wholly without flaw": a PERFECT diamond; a consummate performer; faultless logic; a flawless instrumental technique; speaks impeccable French.
Antonyms: imPERFECT.
Usage Note: PERFECT has often been described as an absolute term like chief and prime, hence not allowing modification by more, quite, relatively, and other qualifiers of degree. But the qualification of PERFECT has numerous reputable precedents (most notably in the preamble to the U.S. Constitution in the phrase "in order to form a more PERFECT Union"). What is more, the stricture is philosophically dubious. There can be no mathematically PERFECT forms in nature; therefore to say that any actual circle is "PERFECT" can mean only that it approximates the geometric ideal of circularity, a quality that it can obviously have to a greater or lesser degree. By the same token, PERFECT freely allows comparison in examples such as There could be no more PERFECT spot for the picnic, where it is used to mean "ideal for the purposes." See Usage Note at complete, equal, parallel, unique.
Excerpted from The American Heritage® Dictionary
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Nave's Topcial Dict.
PERFECTION
-(Moral completeness) -Ascribed to .Noah #Ge 6:8,9| .Jacob #Nu 23:21| .David #1Ki 11:4,6| .Asa #1Ki 15:14| .Job #Job 1:1| .Zacharias and Elizabeth #Lu 1:6| .Nathanael #Joh 1:47|
.See GOD, PERFECTION OF .See HOLINESS .See SANTIFICATION
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R.A. Torrey's New Topical Textbook-
PERFECTION
- Is of God Ps 18:32; 138:8
- All saints have, in Christ 1Co 2:6; Php 3:15; Col 2:10
- God's PERFECTion the standard of Mt 5:48
- IMPLIES . Entire devotedness Mt 19:21 . Purity and holiness in speech Jas 3:2
- Saints commanded to aim at Ge 17:1; De 18:13
- Saints claim not Job 9:20; Php 3:12
- Saints follow after Pr 4:18; Php 3:12
- Ministers appointed to lead saints to Eph 4:12; Col 1:28
- Exhortation to 2Co 7:1; 13:11
- Impossibility of attaining to 2Ch 6:36; Ps 119:96
- THE WORD OF GOD IS . The rule of Jas 1:25 . Designed to lead us to 2Ti 3:16,17
- Charity is the bond of Col 3:14
- Patience leads to Jas 1:4
- Pray for Heb 13:20,21; 1Pe 5:10
- The Church shall attain to Joh 17:23; Eph 4:13
- Blessedness of Ps 37:37; Pr 2:21
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PERFECTION-IMPERFECTION
(A) PERFECTION
(1) Some Essential Elements of Benevolence Mt 19:21 Love Col 3:14 Good Works Jas 2:22 Control of the Tongue Jas 3:2 Obedience 1Jo 2:5; 4:12
(2) The Duty of Striving after Ge 17:1; De 18:13; 1Ki 8:61; Mt 5:48; 2Co 13:11 Eph 4:13; Php 3:15; Col 1:28; 2Ti 3:17; Heb 6:1; 13:21 Jas 1:4; 1Pe 5:10
--SEE Spiritual Growth, DEVELOPMENT
(B) PERFECTION DIVINE, of God De 32:4; 2Sa 22:31; Ps 18:30; Ec 3:14; Mt 5:48
--SEE God's Holiness, HOLINESS God's Righteousness, RIGHTEOUSNESS God of Truth, TRUTH Divine Excellencies, EXCELLENCIES, DIVINE
(C) CHRIST'S PERFECTION Joh 1:14; 19:4; Heb 2:10; 5:9; 7:28
--SEE Fulness of Christ, FULNESS
(D) CHRIST'S SINLESSNESS, general references to Isa 53:9; Lu 23:41; Joh 8:46; 2Co 5:21; Heb 1:9; 4:15 Heb 7:26; 9:14; 1Pe 1:19; 2:22; 1Jo 3:5
--SEE Righteousness
(2) RIGHTEOUSNESS
(E) IMPERFECTION, HUMAN
(1) General References to Job 9:20; Ec 7:20; Php 3:12; Jas 3:2; Re 3:2
--SEE Unbelief
(1), UNBELIEF Sin, SIN Half-heartedness, INDIFFERENCE
(2) Exemplified in the Lives of the Best Men Ge 20:2; Nu 20:12; 1Ki 3:3; 22:43; 2Ch 16:12; Jon 1:3 Lu 9:54; 22:24; Ga 2:13
--SEE Deception, FALSEHOOD Sin Universal, SIN
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Genesis 6:9
9 ¶ These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and PERFECT in his generations, and Noah walked with God.
Genesis 17:1
1And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou PERFECT.
Leviticus 22:21
21And whosoever offereth a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD to accomplish his vow, or a freewill offering in beeves or sheep, it shall be PERFECT to be accepted; there shall be no blemish therein.
Deuteronomy 18:13
13Thou shalt be PERFECT with the LORD thy God.
Deuteronomy 25:15
15But thou shalt have a PERFECT and just weight, a PERFECT and just measure shalt thou have: that thy days may be lengthened in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
Deuteronomy 32:4
4He is the Rock, his work is PERFECT: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.
1 Samuel 14:41
41Therefore Saul said unto the LORD God of Israel, Give a PERFECT lot. And Saul and Jonathan were taken: but the people escaped.
2 Samuel 22:31
31As for God, his way is PERFECT; the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him.
2 Samuel 22:33
33God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way PERFECT.
1 Kings 8:61
61Let your heart therefore be PERFECT with the LORD our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day.
1 Kings 11:4
4For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not PERFECT with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.
1 Kings 15:3
3And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him: and his heart was not PERFECT with the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father.
1 Kings 15:14
14But the high places were not removed: nevertheless Asa's heart was PERFECT with the LORD all his days.
2 Kings 20:3
3I beseech thee, O LORD, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a PERFECT heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.
1 Chronicles 12:38
38All these men of war, that could keep rank, came with a PERFECT heart to Hebron, to make David king over all Israel: and all the rest also of Israel were of one heart to make David king.
1 Chronicles 28:9
9 ¶ And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a PERFECT heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.
1 Chronicles 29:9
9Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with PERFECT heart they offered willingly to the LORD: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy.
1 Chronicles 29:19
19And give unto Solomon my son a PERFECT heart, to keep thy commandments, thy testimonies, and thy statutes, and to do all these things, and to build the palace, for the which I have made provision.
2 Chronicles 4:21
21And the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs, made he of gold, and that PERFECT gold
2 Chronicles 15:17
17But the high places were not taken away out of Israel: nevertheless the heart of Asa was PERFECT all his days.
2 Chronicles 16:9
9For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is PERFECT toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.
2 Chronicles 19:9
9And he charged them, saying, Thus shall ye do in the fear of the LORD, faithfully, and with a PERFECT heart.
2 Chronicles 25:2
2And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, but not with a PERFECT heart.
Ezra 7:12
12Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven, PERFECT peace, and at such a time.
Job 1:1
1There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was PERFECT and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.
Job 1:8
8And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a PERFECT and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?
Job 2:3
3And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a PERFECT and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.
Job 8:20
20Behold, God will not cast away a PERFECT man, neither will he help the evil doers
Job 9:20-22
20If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me: if I say, I am PERFECT, it shall also prove me perverse. 21Though I were PERFECT, yet would I not know my soul: I would despise my life. 22This is one thing, therefore I said it, He destroyeth the PERFECT and the wicked.
Job 22:3
3Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous? or is it gain to him, that thou makest thy ways PERFECT?
Job 36:4
4For truly my words shall not be false: he that is PERFECT in knowledge is with thee.
Job 37:16
16Dost thou know the balancings of the clouds, the wondrous works of him which is PERFECT in knowledge?
Psalms 18:30
30As for God, his way is PERFECT: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.
Psalms 18:32
32It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way PERFECT.
Psalms 19:7
7The law of the LORD is PERFECT, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
Psalms 37:37
37Mark the PERFECT man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.
Psalms 64:4
4That they may shoot in secret at the PERFECT: suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not.
Psalms 101:2
2I will behave myself wisely in a PERFECT way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a PERFECT heart.
Psalms 101:6
6Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a PERFECT way, he shall serve me.
Psalms 138:8
8The LORD will PERFECT that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.
Psalms 139:22
22I hate them with PERFECT hatred: I count them mine enemies.
Proverbs 2:21
21For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the PERFECT shall remain in it.
Proverbs 4:18
18But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the PERFECT day.
Proverbs 11:5
5The righteousness of the PERFECT shall direct his way: but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness.
Isaiah 18:5
5For afore the harvest, when the bud is PERFECT, and the sour grape is ripening in the flower, he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks, and take away and cut down the branches.
Isaiah 26:3
3Thou wilt keep him in PERFECT peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
Isaiah 38:3
3And said, Remember now, O LORD, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a PERFECT heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.
Isaiah 42:19
19Who is blind, but my servant? or deaf, as my messenger that I sent? who is blind as he that is PERFECT, and blind as the LORD'S servant?
Ezekiel 16:14
14And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it was PERFECT through my comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 27:3
3And say unto Tyrus, O thou that art situate at the entry of the sea, which art a merchant of the people for many isles, Thus saith the Lord GOD; O Tyrus, thou hast said, I am of PERFECT beauty.
Ezekiel 27:11
11The men of Arvad with thine army were upon thy walls round about, and the Gammadims were in thy towers: they hanged their shields upon thy walls round about; they have made thy beauty PERFECT.
Ezekiel 28:12
12Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and PERFECT in beauty.
Ezekiel 28:15
15Thou wast PERFECT in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
Matthew 5:48
48Be ye therefore PERFECT, even as your Father which is in heaven is PERFECT.
Matthew 19:21
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.
Luke 1:3
3It seemed good to me also, having had PERFECT understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,
Luke 6:40
40The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is PERFECT shall be as his master.
John 17:23
23I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made PERFECT in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
Acts 3:16
16And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this PERFECT soundness in the presence of you all.
Acts 22:3
3 I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the PERFECT manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.
Acts 24:22
22 And when Felix heard these things, having more PERFECT knowledge of that way, he deferred them, and said, When Lysias the chief captain shall come down, I will know the uttermost of your matter.
Romans 12:2
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and PERFECT, will of God.
1 Corinthians 2:6
6Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are PERFECT: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought
1 Corinthians 13:10
10But when that which is PERFECT is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
2 Corinthians 12:9
9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made PERFECT in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2 Corinthians 13:11
11 Finally, brethren, farewell. Be PERFECT, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.
Galatians 3:3
3Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made PERFECT by the flesh?
Ephesians 4:13
13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a PERFECT man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
Philippians 3:12
12Not as though I had already attained, either were already PERFECT: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:15
15Let us therefore, as many as be PERFECT, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.
Colossians 1:28
28Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man PERFECT in Christ Jesus:
Colossians 4:12
12Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand PERFECT and complete in all the will of God.
1 Thessalonians 3:10
10 Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might PERFECT that which is lacking in your faith?
2 Timothy 3:17
17 That the man of God may be PERFECT, throughly furnished unto all good works.
Hebrews 2:10
10For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation PERFECT through sufferings.
Hebrews 5:9
9And being made PERFECT, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
Hebrews 7:19
19For the law made nothing PERFECT, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.
Hebrews 9:9
9Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service PERFECT, as pertaining to the conscience;
Hebrews 9:11
11But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more PERFECT tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
Hebrews 10:1
1For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto PERFECT.
Hebrews 11:40
40God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made PERFECT.
Hebrews 12:23
23To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made PERFECT,
Hebrews 13:21
21Make you PERFECT in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
James 1:4
4 But let patience have her PERFECT work, that ye may be PERFECT and entire, wanting nothing.
James 1:17
17Every good gift and every PERFECT gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
James 1:25
25 But whoso looketh into the PERFECT law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
James 2:22
22Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made PERFECT?
James 3:2
2For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a PERFECT man, and able also to bridle the whole body.
1 Peter 5:10
10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you PERFECT, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
1 John 4:17-18
17Herein is our love made PERFECT, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. 18There is no fear in love; but PERFECT love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made PERFECT in love.
Revelation of John 3:2
2Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works PERFECT before God.
PERFECTION
Job 11:7
7Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto PERFECTion?
Job 15:29
29He shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue, neither shall he prolong the PERFECTion thereof upon the earth.
Job 28:3
3He setteth an end to darkness, and searcheth out all PERFECTion: the stones of darkness, and the shadow of death.
Psalms 50:2
2Out of Zion, the PERFECTion of beauty, God hath shined.
Psalms 119:96
96I have seen an end of all PERFECTion: but thy commandment is exceeding broad.
Isaiah 47:9
9But these two things shall come to thee in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood: they shall come upon thee in their PERFECTion for the multitude of thy sorceries, and for the great abundance of thine enchantments.
Lamentations 2:15
15All that pass by clap their hands at thee; they hiss and wag their head at the daughter of Jerusalem, saying, Is this the city that men call The PERFECTion of beauty, The joy of the whole earth?
Luke 8:14
14And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to PERFECTion.
2 Corinthians 13:9
9 For we are glad, when we are weak, and ye are strong: and this also we wish, even your PERFECTion.
Hebrews 6:1
1Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto PERFECTion; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
Hebrews 7:11
11If therefore PERFECTion were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron?
PERFECTED
2 Chronicles 8:16
16Now all the work of Solomon was prepared unto the day of the foundation of the house of the LORD, and until it was finished. So the house of the LORD was PERFECTed.
2 Chronicles 24:13
13So the workmen wrought, and the work was PERFECTed by them, and they set the house of God in his state, and strengthened it.
Ezekiel 27:4
4Thy borders are in the midst of the seas, thy builders have PERFECTed thy beauty.
Matthew 21:16
16 And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast PERFECTed praise?
Luke 13:32
32 And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be PERFECTed.
Hebrews 10:14
14For by one offering he hath PERFECTed for ever them that are sanctified.
1 John 2:5
5But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God PERFECTed: hereby know we that we are in him.
1 John 4:12
12No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is PERFECTed in us.
PERFECTING
2 Corinthians 7:1
1Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, PERFECTing holiness in the fear of God.
Ephesians 4:12
12 For the PERFECTing of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ
Friday, July 17, 2009
Because they trust in God
Ps. {37:37} Mark the perfect [man,] and behold the upright: for the end of
[that] man [is] peace.
{37:38} But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of
the wicked shall be cut off.
{37:39} But the salvation of the righteous [is] of the LORD: [he is]
their strength in the time of trouble.
{37:40} And the LORD shall help them and deliver them: he shall deliver
them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.
The perfect man.
The upright man.
Peace.
Sinners destroyed.
Wicked cut off.
Salvation of the righteous of the Lord-
The Lord is their strength in the time of trouble.
The LORD shall help them
Deliver them
Delivered from the wicked.
Saved from the wicked.
Because they trust in God.
*
The Lord is their strength- not The Lord gives them strength. The LORD IS their strength. Having trust in God is the key. Without that trust nothing else matters.
Heb. {11:6} But
without faith [it is] impossible to please [him:] for he that
cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a
rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
We shall be delivered, we shall be saved. The wicked may kill the flesh and blood in us but our Spirit - our breath of life returns to God. We are delivered. The Lords is our strength. The time of trouble is on its way and the only way to survive is by trusting in the Lord and His righteousness.
May God help us find our strength in Him, our trust in Him. May we diligently seek Christ, believing in Him now and forever.
By His mercy and grace.
Amen.
[that] man [is] peace.
{37:38} But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of
the wicked shall be cut off.
{37:39} But the salvation of the righteous [is] of the LORD: [he is]
their strength in the time of trouble.
{37:40} And the LORD shall help them and deliver them: he shall deliver
them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.
The perfect man.
The upright man.
Peace.
Sinners destroyed.
Wicked cut off.
Salvation of the righteous of the Lord-
The Lord is their strength in the time of trouble.
The LORD shall help them
Deliver them
Delivered from the wicked.
Saved from the wicked.
Because they trust in God.
*
The Lord is their strength- not The Lord gives them strength. The LORD IS their strength. Having trust in God is the key. Without that trust nothing else matters.
Heb. {11:6} But
without faith [it is] impossible to please [him:] for he that
cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a
rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
We shall be delivered, we shall be saved. The wicked may kill the flesh and blood in us but our Spirit - our breath of life returns to God. We are delivered. The Lords is our strength. The time of trouble is on its way and the only way to survive is by trusting in the Lord and His righteousness.
May God help us find our strength in Him, our trust in Him. May we diligently seek Christ, believing in Him now and forever.
By His mercy and grace.
Amen.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
With God all things are possible
Mark
{1:35} And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.
Jesus prayed.
Strange? No. Not strange and yet some people might think so because if Jesus, the Son of God, prayed that shows weakness and a need to commune with another and why would the Son of God show such weakness if He had power to do miracles and such? We often associate praying solely with the thought in mind of petitioning God for help in some way. We tell others to pray when they're in need. We tell them to pray for others that need help. Praying and need seem to go hand in hand and this isn't so far off because of our own selves we are nothing. Jesus said He does nothing of himself.
John
{8:28} Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am [he,] and [that] I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.
{8:29} And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.
'I do nothing of myself' Those are Jesus' own words! He does NOTHING of Himself, NOTHING. Jesus relied on God just as we need to rely on God. Jesus prayed, He communed with God all the time. He needed God, apart from God, Jesus had nothing. We need to pray. It's more important than we realize to have this communion with the Father. Why do we think we can get by without praying when Jesus Himself prayed all the time. Prayer gives us the strength of God. Not that we have any of the strength ourselves but we connect ourselves to God and through God all things are possible.
Mark {10:27} And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men [it is] impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.
Jesus taught us this with His entire life holding true to this. Why we think we can do anything of ourselves is a trap that Satan wants us to hold fast to and not let go of. He wants us to flail and wail as life hands us hardship after hardship and we fail to meet the hardships and just let it overwhelm us. He wants us to look to ourselves and call ourselves failures and he also glories in our taking the credit for our successes. You hear people say- where was God when this or that happened. Basically where was God when I needed Him most. And yet throughout their lives as God has blessed them none of that matters, nothing. Satan will get us any way he can using everything he can and the bottom line is if he can break our faith in God to see us through no matter what comes our way, then he wins. Good or bad, worldly success or failure. The worse life, the best life through it all God is the same for all of us no matter what.
May God bless and keep us as we live. May our lives be realized ONLY in Him. May we pray to Him always. All by the mercy and grace of our Lord and Savior may we find all we need to survive all that life gives us - the good and the bad - and prepare us for life eternal in Jesus our Savior now and forever!
Amen.
{1:35} And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.
Jesus prayed.
Strange? No. Not strange and yet some people might think so because if Jesus, the Son of God, prayed that shows weakness and a need to commune with another and why would the Son of God show such weakness if He had power to do miracles and such? We often associate praying solely with the thought in mind of petitioning God for help in some way. We tell others to pray when they're in need. We tell them to pray for others that need help. Praying and need seem to go hand in hand and this isn't so far off because of our own selves we are nothing. Jesus said He does nothing of himself.
John
{8:28} Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am [he,] and [that] I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.
{8:29} And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.
'I do nothing of myself' Those are Jesus' own words! He does NOTHING of Himself, NOTHING. Jesus relied on God just as we need to rely on God. Jesus prayed, He communed with God all the time. He needed God, apart from God, Jesus had nothing. We need to pray. It's more important than we realize to have this communion with the Father. Why do we think we can get by without praying when Jesus Himself prayed all the time. Prayer gives us the strength of God. Not that we have any of the strength ourselves but we connect ourselves to God and through God all things are possible.
Mark {10:27} And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men [it is] impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.
Jesus taught us this with His entire life holding true to this. Why we think we can do anything of ourselves is a trap that Satan wants us to hold fast to and not let go of. He wants us to flail and wail as life hands us hardship after hardship and we fail to meet the hardships and just let it overwhelm us. He wants us to look to ourselves and call ourselves failures and he also glories in our taking the credit for our successes. You hear people say- where was God when this or that happened. Basically where was God when I needed Him most. And yet throughout their lives as God has blessed them none of that matters, nothing. Satan will get us any way he can using everything he can and the bottom line is if he can break our faith in God to see us through no matter what comes our way, then he wins. Good or bad, worldly success or failure. The worse life, the best life through it all God is the same for all of us no matter what.
May God bless and keep us as we live. May our lives be realized ONLY in Him. May we pray to Him always. All by the mercy and grace of our Lord and Savior may we find all we need to survive all that life gives us - the good and the bad - and prepare us for life eternal in Jesus our Savior now and forever!
Amen.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Matthew
{10:6} But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. {10:7} And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
The Apostles were charged to 'Go, preach.' Preach what? 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'
The message is salvation through Jesus Christ, because only through salvation do we find the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom of heaven being ours is amazing! The promise of eternal life, amazing! The message being brought to the 'lost sheep of the house of Israel', at that time only the house of Israel was to be preached to- God's chosen was to get the message first. God's people who were entrenched in the rituals given to Moses so that they might have a way of being forgiven for their sins, a way to be reconciled to God. The outcome of being reconciled with God is to be made right with Him. To be His and His alone, nothing between the two, nothing separating us from God. The sacrificial system they'd been given represented daily the need to be reconciled with God, to have nothing, not a single sin standing between a person and God. The Israelites were blessed with this marvelous life, this chance and the out come of the reconciling was supposed to result in a permanently fixed relationship with God once the Messiah came to save the people from all their enemies, from all the hardships. The Messiah was to come and set the captive frees, heal the people, bring new life, new hope. They looked forward to the Messiah doing all this for them, raising them up to complete reconciliation with God, taking sin away.
We today live in a world where the Messiah came and did all that in the way of God's love- not man's love. Man's love is twisted and warped, it's full of getting not giving. Not that it isn't normal to desire to receive all the best from God, but God's love is about giving. The Messiah came and gave all that the people of Israel were promised but not in the way they expected.
Isn't that the trouble with a lot of things in life? We imagine things and expect things to happen in certain ways and we're unable to accept when they come to us in different ways. We want to make sense of things and we do that by keeping things in order. Chaos seems to come when we find things out of order to our natural way of thinking, with our expectations shot to pieces. So we try to reorder things, to put things back into order to make sense of them. Sometimes people can do that, other times they just want to do away with the reality of things and keep to their same plan of order wanting it to come in another way, in a future way where things make sense to them again.
Things not coming in the way we've imagined and expected in all truthfulness should be... expected. A paradox, yes, a paradox that leaves us going in circles if we're not careful. Expecting the unexpected. Some people are taught just that. They have it drilled into their heads to be prepared for anything, and yet as prepared as they become they are still surprised by situations. We can be prepared to a degree but only to a degree and then even the most prepare find the unexpected troublesome.
We'll continue to live a life of expectation, but we all really do need to be able to accept when the unexpected happens and to find the truth through any lies that might be present. Isn't that the most important thing of all? To accept that thing might not turn out how we imagine them, but have an open heart and mind to realize that whatever God's will may be that we'll find it through His love if we only seek to find Him and His way, always.
The kingdom of heaven is the gospel Jesus preached and wanted His disciples to preach. When Jesus died and rose from the grave He sent his Holy Spirit to us and He told His disciples to continue to preach His message - His message being that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. The kingdom of heaven is at hand and has been at hand and will be at hand until Christ comes again. We who believe in Him, believe in this and in believing we hope and wait and we're full of expectations.
May the Lord bless and keep us in Him now and forever, always His, by His mercy and grace prepared.
Amen.
{10:6} But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. {10:7} And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
The Apostles were charged to 'Go, preach.' Preach what? 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'
The message is salvation through Jesus Christ, because only through salvation do we find the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom of heaven being ours is amazing! The promise of eternal life, amazing! The message being brought to the 'lost sheep of the house of Israel', at that time only the house of Israel was to be preached to- God's chosen was to get the message first. God's people who were entrenched in the rituals given to Moses so that they might have a way of being forgiven for their sins, a way to be reconciled to God. The outcome of being reconciled with God is to be made right with Him. To be His and His alone, nothing between the two, nothing separating us from God. The sacrificial system they'd been given represented daily the need to be reconciled with God, to have nothing, not a single sin standing between a person and God. The Israelites were blessed with this marvelous life, this chance and the out come of the reconciling was supposed to result in a permanently fixed relationship with God once the Messiah came to save the people from all their enemies, from all the hardships. The Messiah was to come and set the captive frees, heal the people, bring new life, new hope. They looked forward to the Messiah doing all this for them, raising them up to complete reconciliation with God, taking sin away.
We today live in a world where the Messiah came and did all that in the way of God's love- not man's love. Man's love is twisted and warped, it's full of getting not giving. Not that it isn't normal to desire to receive all the best from God, but God's love is about giving. The Messiah came and gave all that the people of Israel were promised but not in the way they expected.
Isn't that the trouble with a lot of things in life? We imagine things and expect things to happen in certain ways and we're unable to accept when they come to us in different ways. We want to make sense of things and we do that by keeping things in order. Chaos seems to come when we find things out of order to our natural way of thinking, with our expectations shot to pieces. So we try to reorder things, to put things back into order to make sense of them. Sometimes people can do that, other times they just want to do away with the reality of things and keep to their same plan of order wanting it to come in another way, in a future way where things make sense to them again.
Things not coming in the way we've imagined and expected in all truthfulness should be... expected. A paradox, yes, a paradox that leaves us going in circles if we're not careful. Expecting the unexpected. Some people are taught just that. They have it drilled into their heads to be prepared for anything, and yet as prepared as they become they are still surprised by situations. We can be prepared to a degree but only to a degree and then even the most prepare find the unexpected troublesome.
We'll continue to live a life of expectation, but we all really do need to be able to accept when the unexpected happens and to find the truth through any lies that might be present. Isn't that the most important thing of all? To accept that thing might not turn out how we imagine them, but have an open heart and mind to realize that whatever God's will may be that we'll find it through His love if we only seek to find Him and His way, always.
The kingdom of heaven is the gospel Jesus preached and wanted His disciples to preach. When Jesus died and rose from the grave He sent his Holy Spirit to us and He told His disciples to continue to preach His message - His message being that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. The kingdom of heaven is at hand and has been at hand and will be at hand until Christ comes again. We who believe in Him, believe in this and in believing we hope and wait and we're full of expectations.
May the Lord bless and keep us in Him now and forever, always His, by His mercy and grace prepared.
Amen.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Upon them the light has sprung up
Matthew
{4:12} Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee
{4:13} And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:
{4:14} That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying
{4:15} The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, [by] the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles
{4:16} The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up. {4:17} From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Isaiah
{9:2} The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath
the light shined.
People walked in darkness
People have seen a great light
Us who dwell in the land of the shadow of death
Upon them the light has sprung up.
Jesus began to preach-
Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
When you've walked in darkness and see a great light it's a good thing. People as a rule seek the light, they see the daylight and are more at ease in the day than they are at night. People seek shelter at night, they settle down to sleep away the darkness so they can be awake during the day. Daylight is more productive. Light is equated with goodness, and darkness evil. Light is equated with knowledge, darkness the lack of knowledge. When we walk in the light we have enlightenment, our knowlege is increased and in this case, we who live forever under the shadow of a future death are offered life in the kingdom of Heaven. We are called to repentance. To acknowledge that in and of our own selves we are nothing and we cannot escape the shadow of death that lingers over us. Only through Christ, only through salvation through Christ are we given real life, life everlasting. Only through Christ are we given the hope, the light that springs out of the darkness. Repent, acknowledge we are sinners worthy of that death, sinners worthy of nothing more but darkness, sinners who know that the way to escape lies not within ourselves but through Christ. Repent, feel remorse for our sinful state, a state so far from that of Christ's.
By the grace of God, by the mercy of our Lord and our Savior, Jesus Christ let us cling to Him begging His forgiveness through repentance may we find the kingdom of heaven He offers in Him and Him alone.
Amen.
{4:12} Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee
{4:13} And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:
{4:14} That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying
{4:15} The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, [by] the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles
{4:16} The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up. {4:17} From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Isaiah
{9:2} The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath
the light shined.
People walked in darkness
People have seen a great light
Us who dwell in the land of the shadow of death
Upon them the light has sprung up.
Jesus began to preach-
Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
When you've walked in darkness and see a great light it's a good thing. People as a rule seek the light, they see the daylight and are more at ease in the day than they are at night. People seek shelter at night, they settle down to sleep away the darkness so they can be awake during the day. Daylight is more productive. Light is equated with goodness, and darkness evil. Light is equated with knowledge, darkness the lack of knowledge. When we walk in the light we have enlightenment, our knowlege is increased and in this case, we who live forever under the shadow of a future death are offered life in the kingdom of Heaven. We are called to repentance. To acknowledge that in and of our own selves we are nothing and we cannot escape the shadow of death that lingers over us. Only through Christ, only through salvation through Christ are we given real life, life everlasting. Only through Christ are we given the hope, the light that springs out of the darkness. Repent, acknowledge we are sinners worthy of that death, sinners worthy of nothing more but darkness, sinners who know that the way to escape lies not within ourselves but through Christ. Repent, feel remorse for our sinful state, a state so far from that of Christ's.
By the grace of God, by the mercy of our Lord and our Savior, Jesus Christ let us cling to Him begging His forgiveness through repentance may we find the kingdom of heaven He offers in Him and Him alone.
Amen.
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