Mat 6:9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Mat 6:10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Our Father which art in heaven…Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.
In heaven God's will is done.
Isa 14:12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!
Lucifer fell from heaven. Does this mean he tumbled off the edge of heaven to the earth? No, not literally. Figuratively Satan fell from heaven's graces. How did he fall from heaven- Our Father's dwelling place? Satan did NOT do God's will in heaven and this is why he fell.
God's will is selflessness. God's will is other centered. God's will is love for us.
Some people will turn around and throw it in the faces of those who believe in God's love that God is a narcissist.
Narcissist-- inordinate fascination with oneself; excessive self-love; vanity.
They believe this because God says these words- 'Exo 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.' They put their OWN sin-filled motivation behind their belief. They bring God down to their level and Satan is there to help them do so. They put a SELFISHNESS that doesn't exist in God into God's law. God's ONLY reason for telling us to have no other gods before Him is because as our HEAVENLY FATHER, along with the LOGOS who became Emmanuel - God with us, are the only ones who created us- we were created by NO others!
Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Joh 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.
Joh 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Our Creator … think about it… our Creator wants to protect us not to harm us but Satan would have us believe otherwise. Satan wants us to believe God is hateful, God is restrictive, God is self-centered, God is unloving, God is ALL things evil, but it's NOT TRUE! God's will is for love, God is for all things good!
God's will. We HAVE to want God's will and not our own done because HE knows the end from the beginning, we know soooo little in this grand scheme of things and to think that we know enough to question God's will…it's just preposterous. We do it though, we question God's will all the time. We don't like how things are in this life and we get angry and upset and we question how God could allow horrifying, horrible things to happen, we do, we can't deny it.
Yet Jesus tells us to pray…
Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.
We have to really mean this! Jesus doesn't want us to be lying as we are praying. We have to mean that we really, really want God's will to be done right now just as it is done in heaven. We have to totally submit to God's will. We have to totally surrender to our God keeping no sense of selfish, no self-centeredness, nothing in and of ourselves desiring our will over God's.
God's will be done. We don't have to understand, we don't have to like the things that happen in our lives. We just have to believe that whatever horrors we face that they are only temporary and ultimately it is God's will that we be with Him in heaven when Jesus comes again for us.
By His grace!
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Thy Kingdom Come!
Mat 6:9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Mat 6:10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Thy kingdom come.
What exactly is a kingdom?
kingdom a state or government having a king or queen as its head.
A state or government- territory. Can you have a kingdom made up of nothing? Can you say you're the king of air? Do you rule the air? Absolutely not. A king needs a kingdom and that kingdom is a territory- what territory? We have had kings in Saudi Arabia, Kings in England, Kings in Norway, Kings in Israel…we KNOW what kings are. We know that the king of England would be a king ruling over England not Germany. We know that the territory of a king is in his title… the king of… and we insert where that king rules as king and instantly we know where he reigns.
We are to pray that our Father in Heaven's kingdom…comes.
If we want the kingdom of another to come to us what exactly are we desiring? Not the king coming to visit, but the kingdom to come. We want the rule of another kingdom over our own. Or… if we do not possess a king we desire this king to come and rule over us king-less people.
Wanting Our Father in Heaven's kingdom to come is wanting to be governed by God, wanting God to rule over us, wanting to be the subjects in servitude to God.
Today we think of kings as figureheads and little more, men with no real power. Some would say that kings never have power and are really pawns of those around them. While that may be true in some respects in others it's not- in some kingdoms that have existed through our history the king's word was all that mattered- not anyone else's, not the queen's, not the prince's, not the princess's, not the duke's, not the lord's, no other's words mattered but the king's. If a king wanted someone killed then they were killed. If a king wanted to reward someone then they were rewarded. We might have many movies on television about kings and while they might fictionalize a lot of things to make it *exciting* to our senses a whole lot of what they DON'T show, what they don't fictionalize is very, very real and very horrifying. We can't let sensationalism dim reality no matter how silly that might sound. We are tricked into believing that because something is sensationalized that it's not really true and certainly not worse than it's made out to be. Kings have power as kings.
God our Father in Heaven has power, great power and we must pray for Him to come and bring His kingdom to rule over us. We know that when 'His kingdom comes' He will rule over the world, He will have power over the world, He will be KING over the entire world -- His kingdom will COME.
Jesus wants us to learn to pray-
Thy kingdom come.
Thy RULERSHIP come!
Some might argue that God's rulership is already here but if His kingdom were here we'd have NO need to pray for His kingdom to come, would we?
So the obvious question is … if God isn't ruler of the earth then who is?
Gen 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Gen 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
God created the earth and then created man and then gave man the earth and all that was in the earth. Replenish the earth and subdue it. If you are subduing something you have dominion over that something. If you are subduing something you have control over it, you are dominating it, you are putting it under you.
Replenish the earth…and…subdue…it.
Man was to be the ruler of the earth, man was to have dominion over the animals, over the fish, over every living thing, over the birds, man was to be the king of the earth-God made man and set him over the earth.
So, does man have rulership of the earth today?
No.
Who has rulership then?
Mat 4:8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
Mat 4:9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
The devil told Jesus- All these things will I give thee- all what things? All the KINGDOMS of the world!
Who has rulership of the kingdoms of the world? Who offered the kingdoms of the world to Jesus Himself?! The DEVIL!
Make NO mistake! This earth does have a ruler and this is why we are taught by our Savior to pray-- Thy kingdom come. We don't want to live under the rulership of the devil, we want to live under the rulership of our God! Yes, we must pray for His kingdom to come, we MUST pray this way! We must pray knowing that the Devil rules the world we live in and that his rulership is temporary! Our God will have His kingdom come!
Rev 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
Rev 21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Rev 21:3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
Rev 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
Rev 21:5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
Rev 21:6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
Rev 21:7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
Rev 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
By the grace of God may we drink of the fountain of the water of life freely in the kingdom of our God!
Heavenly Father - Thy Kingdom Come!
Amen!
Mat 6:10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Thy kingdom come.
What exactly is a kingdom?
kingdom a state or government having a king or queen as its head.
A state or government- territory. Can you have a kingdom made up of nothing? Can you say you're the king of air? Do you rule the air? Absolutely not. A king needs a kingdom and that kingdom is a territory- what territory? We have had kings in Saudi Arabia, Kings in England, Kings in Norway, Kings in Israel…we KNOW what kings are. We know that the king of England would be a king ruling over England not Germany. We know that the territory of a king is in his title… the king of… and we insert where that king rules as king and instantly we know where he reigns.
We are to pray that our Father in Heaven's kingdom…comes.
If we want the kingdom of another to come to us what exactly are we desiring? Not the king coming to visit, but the kingdom to come. We want the rule of another kingdom over our own. Or… if we do not possess a king we desire this king to come and rule over us king-less people.
Wanting Our Father in Heaven's kingdom to come is wanting to be governed by God, wanting God to rule over us, wanting to be the subjects in servitude to God.
Today we think of kings as figureheads and little more, men with no real power. Some would say that kings never have power and are really pawns of those around them. While that may be true in some respects in others it's not- in some kingdoms that have existed through our history the king's word was all that mattered- not anyone else's, not the queen's, not the prince's, not the princess's, not the duke's, not the lord's, no other's words mattered but the king's. If a king wanted someone killed then they were killed. If a king wanted to reward someone then they were rewarded. We might have many movies on television about kings and while they might fictionalize a lot of things to make it *exciting* to our senses a whole lot of what they DON'T show, what they don't fictionalize is very, very real and very horrifying. We can't let sensationalism dim reality no matter how silly that might sound. We are tricked into believing that because something is sensationalized that it's not really true and certainly not worse than it's made out to be. Kings have power as kings.
God our Father in Heaven has power, great power and we must pray for Him to come and bring His kingdom to rule over us. We know that when 'His kingdom comes' He will rule over the world, He will have power over the world, He will be KING over the entire world -- His kingdom will COME.
Jesus wants us to learn to pray-
Thy kingdom come.
Thy RULERSHIP come!
Some might argue that God's rulership is already here but if His kingdom were here we'd have NO need to pray for His kingdom to come, would we?
So the obvious question is … if God isn't ruler of the earth then who is?
Gen 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Gen 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
God created the earth and then created man and then gave man the earth and all that was in the earth. Replenish the earth and subdue it. If you are subduing something you have dominion over that something. If you are subduing something you have control over it, you are dominating it, you are putting it under you.
Replenish the earth…and…subdue…it.
Man was to be the ruler of the earth, man was to have dominion over the animals, over the fish, over every living thing, over the birds, man was to be the king of the earth-God made man and set him over the earth.
So, does man have rulership of the earth today?
No.
Who has rulership then?
Mat 4:8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
Mat 4:9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
The devil told Jesus- All these things will I give thee- all what things? All the KINGDOMS of the world!
Who has rulership of the kingdoms of the world? Who offered the kingdoms of the world to Jesus Himself?! The DEVIL!
Make NO mistake! This earth does have a ruler and this is why we are taught by our Savior to pray-- Thy kingdom come. We don't want to live under the rulership of the devil, we want to live under the rulership of our God! Yes, we must pray for His kingdom to come, we MUST pray this way! We must pray knowing that the Devil rules the world we live in and that his rulership is temporary! Our God will have His kingdom come!
Rev 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
Rev 21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Rev 21:3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
Rev 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
Rev 21:5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
Rev 21:6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
Rev 21:7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
Rev 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
By the grace of God may we drink of the fountain of the water of life freely in the kingdom of our God!
Heavenly Father - Thy Kingdom Come!
Amen!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Hallowed be thy name
Mat 6:9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Jesus tell us how to pray- but remember we are not to make vain repetitions, we are NOT to memorize this prayer and make this our entire prayer life. After this manner…. like this… He did not say pray exactly like this, but pray after this manner…
Jesus wants us to pray properly- not as those who are doing so for show, not like those who are praying to garner favors of God, not like those who worship false gods.
Our Father - this acknowledges God as our Creator and there is NOTHING more important than understanding who we are praying to. Seriously. Think about it for a moment- you wouldn't just pick up the phone and dial a random number and start chatting to someone- would you? Most people wouldn't dream of doing that. You don't just walk up to strangers as a rule and start talking to them as if you've known them and they know you. You wouldn't want to pick up the phone and dial a number- start talking- revealing your innermost thoughts only to find out that the person you were talking to the whole time was one who only wished you evil. Don't think it can happen? I beg to differ. People pray to God all the time but because they're not sure who God really is, nor do they care to find out, they are praying to a pretend God, a phony God, a counterfeit, a trickster, a charlatan- you know what I'm talking about. Phonies, counterfeits, pretenders, tricksters, charlatans all do one thing that makes them what they are- they mimic the REAL THING. There is NO doubt that the greatest deceiver of all- Satan- knows perfectly well how to mimic God so closely MOST everyone will be deceived.
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.
God will NOT allow those who are His elect to be deceived and that is the only thing that keeps them from being deceived- GOD.
Praying 'Our Father' acknowledges God as our FATHER. Our HEAVENLY FATHER. To be our Father we must be His children, to be His children we must be His sons and daughters. We were CREATED by God and we must acknowledge this and not in some offhanded way that only is a half-hearted belief that God had a hand in our life. He is OUR CREATOR! We live because He wants us to live! Without Him we don't live. You might quickly scoff and say that's not true, there are many that live who don't even believe in God. It doesn't matter whether they believe in God or not, that doesn't negate the fact God created them. So why does God allow those who don't believe in Him to live? God's nature is all about love and that love is found in the Sacrifice of His Son. That love is revealed in SELFLESSNESS. That love is revealed in FORGIVENESS.
We have to believe that God in Heaven is our Father in Heaven and that He loves us with a love unlike any love we can fully imagine. Is there any wonder His name is Holy???? Is it any wonder that HE is Holy?
When we pray we HAVE to acknowledge who we are praying to, who we are directing our prayer to, and we have to do it knowing the full reality of God as that reality is revealed to us. We must not worship the counterfeit God and don't think for one moment there isn't a counterfeit God and that YOU can't be deceived. We will be deceived if we are not among God's elect and to be among God's elect we must know HIM and He must know us. This is a relationship and we need to understand that. Prayer is part of that relationship, a big part- an important part. Jesus wants us to pray with full comprehension of who we are praying to and this is why acknowledging God the Father, God OUR Father, first and foremost is very important and it's something we MUST do every time we pray- know and acknowledge God as the one we are praying to and NO other.
By His amazing Grace!
In His love, in His righteousness!
Amen!
Jesus tell us how to pray- but remember we are not to make vain repetitions, we are NOT to memorize this prayer and make this our entire prayer life. After this manner…. like this… He did not say pray exactly like this, but pray after this manner…
Jesus wants us to pray properly- not as those who are doing so for show, not like those who are praying to garner favors of God, not like those who worship false gods.
Our Father - this acknowledges God as our Creator and there is NOTHING more important than understanding who we are praying to. Seriously. Think about it for a moment- you wouldn't just pick up the phone and dial a random number and start chatting to someone- would you? Most people wouldn't dream of doing that. You don't just walk up to strangers as a rule and start talking to them as if you've known them and they know you. You wouldn't want to pick up the phone and dial a number- start talking- revealing your innermost thoughts only to find out that the person you were talking to the whole time was one who only wished you evil. Don't think it can happen? I beg to differ. People pray to God all the time but because they're not sure who God really is, nor do they care to find out, they are praying to a pretend God, a phony God, a counterfeit, a trickster, a charlatan- you know what I'm talking about. Phonies, counterfeits, pretenders, tricksters, charlatans all do one thing that makes them what they are- they mimic the REAL THING. There is NO doubt that the greatest deceiver of all- Satan- knows perfectly well how to mimic God so closely MOST everyone will be deceived.
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.
God will NOT allow those who are His elect to be deceived and that is the only thing that keeps them from being deceived- GOD.
Praying 'Our Father' acknowledges God as our FATHER. Our HEAVENLY FATHER. To be our Father we must be His children, to be His children we must be His sons and daughters. We were CREATED by God and we must acknowledge this and not in some offhanded way that only is a half-hearted belief that God had a hand in our life. He is OUR CREATOR! We live because He wants us to live! Without Him we don't live. You might quickly scoff and say that's not true, there are many that live who don't even believe in God. It doesn't matter whether they believe in God or not, that doesn't negate the fact God created them. So why does God allow those who don't believe in Him to live? God's nature is all about love and that love is found in the Sacrifice of His Son. That love is revealed in SELFLESSNESS. That love is revealed in FORGIVENESS.
We have to believe that God in Heaven is our Father in Heaven and that He loves us with a love unlike any love we can fully imagine. Is there any wonder His name is Holy???? Is it any wonder that HE is Holy?
When we pray we HAVE to acknowledge who we are praying to, who we are directing our prayer to, and we have to do it knowing the full reality of God as that reality is revealed to us. We must not worship the counterfeit God and don't think for one moment there isn't a counterfeit God and that YOU can't be deceived. We will be deceived if we are not among God's elect and to be among God's elect we must know HIM and He must know us. This is a relationship and we need to understand that. Prayer is part of that relationship, a big part- an important part. Jesus wants us to pray with full comprehension of who we are praying to and this is why acknowledging God the Father, God OUR Father, first and foremost is very important and it's something we MUST do every time we pray- know and acknowledge God as the one we are praying to and NO other.
By His amazing Grace!
In His love, in His righteousness!
Amen!
Monday, April 4, 2011
Mat 6:6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
When you pray.
There is no doubt in Jesus' mind that we are to pray, no doubt at all. What is prayer anyway? Prayer is worshipping God. Some have the wrong idea believing prayer is simply a helpline to God. Prayer is so much more than simply asking for things from God. Prayer is worship, worshipping God is prayer. People try to determine when the first prayer appeared in the Bible but the truth of the matter is it began right there in the beginning with mankind worshipping God, their Creator. Over time after man was separated from God the worship of God continued even outside of the Garden of Eden. We know that Adam and Eve taught their sons to worship God and that continued on down throughout all history. The idea of prayer as something other than communing with God is ridiculous. The idea of being able to worship God without acknowledging God as Creator, as Savior is ludicrous.
We are to pray! We are to worship our God always! Is it any wonder we are told to 'pray always'?
Jesus didn't have to tell people they have to pray- people KNEW already how essential prayer was to their lives. What some people got wrong was their MOTIVE for praying. Their motive changed from worshipping God to worshipping self. They didn't pray in secret but rather used their prayers to show others how well they could pray, how articulate they were, how important they were, how wonderful they were… they wanted people to hear them and they wanted that NOT to glorify God. Is it any wonder that Jesus wanted to teach us that praying in secret - in a closet with the door shut - is better than making a great show of praying in front of people.
Mat 6:7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
Vain repetitions. Who are we honoring with vain repetitions? Who are we honoring when we pray by rote? Not God. God wants our heart felt worship, our heart felt praises, our heart felt supplications. God wants true worship not false worship and if you think that because you cry out God's name and make a show of praying to Him that you can't be a part of false worship- you're wrong.
Mat 6:8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him
Be not like heathens who use vain repetitions, heathens who speak a lot, heathens who makes a show of praying aloud.
We can't be like those who believe their false worship is what God wishes to hear in order for them to get the things they need. God the Father knows before we ask, what we need. Do we doubt He knows what we need? We shouldn't. It's in our nature to want to ask even when we know the answer.
We need to focus on worshipping our God in prayer, and yes we can make supplications as well, but we have to do so knowing that our God understands, our God knows, our God is all powerful, our God is merciful, loving, kind and our God wants our heart love, He wants our worship and devotion in selflessness- all through Him, all made possible by His love for us.
When you pray.
There is no doubt in Jesus' mind that we are to pray, no doubt at all. What is prayer anyway? Prayer is worshipping God. Some have the wrong idea believing prayer is simply a helpline to God. Prayer is so much more than simply asking for things from God. Prayer is worship, worshipping God is prayer. People try to determine when the first prayer appeared in the Bible but the truth of the matter is it began right there in the beginning with mankind worshipping God, their Creator. Over time after man was separated from God the worship of God continued even outside of the Garden of Eden. We know that Adam and Eve taught their sons to worship God and that continued on down throughout all history. The idea of prayer as something other than communing with God is ridiculous. The idea of being able to worship God without acknowledging God as Creator, as Savior is ludicrous.
We are to pray! We are to worship our God always! Is it any wonder we are told to 'pray always'?
Jesus didn't have to tell people they have to pray- people KNEW already how essential prayer was to their lives. What some people got wrong was their MOTIVE for praying. Their motive changed from worshipping God to worshipping self. They didn't pray in secret but rather used their prayers to show others how well they could pray, how articulate they were, how important they were, how wonderful they were… they wanted people to hear them and they wanted that NOT to glorify God. Is it any wonder that Jesus wanted to teach us that praying in secret - in a closet with the door shut - is better than making a great show of praying in front of people.
Mat 6:7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
Vain repetitions. Who are we honoring with vain repetitions? Who are we honoring when we pray by rote? Not God. God wants our heart felt worship, our heart felt praises, our heart felt supplications. God wants true worship not false worship and if you think that because you cry out God's name and make a show of praying to Him that you can't be a part of false worship- you're wrong.
Mat 6:8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him
Be not like heathens who use vain repetitions, heathens who speak a lot, heathens who makes a show of praying aloud.
We can't be like those who believe their false worship is what God wishes to hear in order for them to get the things they need. God the Father knows before we ask, what we need. Do we doubt He knows what we need? We shouldn't. It's in our nature to want to ask even when we know the answer.
We need to focus on worshipping our God in prayer, and yes we can make supplications as well, but we have to do so knowing that our God understands, our God knows, our God is all powerful, our God is merciful, loving, kind and our God wants our heart love, He wants our worship and devotion in selflessness- all through Him, all made possible by His love for us.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Selfless as He is Selfless
Mat 6:1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.
Selflessness not selfishness. Self-less.
We are NOT to promote self. If anything is becoming more and more clear about Jesus' teachings is that we are to be self-less. We are NOT to draw attention to ourselves. We are NOT to do good so that we can get credit for doing good. If we do good in front of others with the intention of being seen by them so they can note our good deed we have NO reward whatsoever, why? Does someone seeing a good deed negate its goodness? The good that comes from the deed still gets done. What's being talked about here is motive. What is our motive for doing good? If we only do good so that we can get praise from others then we are seeking to be honored and ONLY our Savior deserves honor! We have to take the focus off ourselves we are to give all glory to God. Our lives are candles pointing the lesser light to the greatest Light of all.
Mat 6:2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
Hypocrites will make a huge show of their good deeds and the reward they have isn't the reward that the Father in heaven will give them - they will NOT receive the reward of eternal life in Christ- the only reward we should seek.
Mat 6:3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:
Mat 6:4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
While some believe that it gives God glory to do their good deeds and point people towards God we have to really seek to understand what our Savior is saying to us.
Do not let our LEFT hand know what our RIGHT hand is doing.
This is NOT possible. Right? What we do is in our mind and what's in our mind is known. There is NO way our hands know anything anyways, period. Some might argue that a typist's hands automatically know where the keys are- or a gamer's hands know where the control buttons are on their controllers. The truth is…ONLY our brains know. Our brains control the actions of our hands - always. No one can slap someone and jump back defending themselves by saying their hand did it all on its own. No one would believe them- the person's mind controlled the person's actions. So what is our Savior telling us? He's telling us that we are to be SO incredibly secretive about doing good deeds for others that we don't even THINK about doing them to garner credit from others. God sees ALL we do, NOTHING is a secret from God. God knows every good deed we commit we don't need others to know. We don't need to brag about our goodness. We don't need to surround ourselves with accolades and praise. We need to be so careful about letting good deeds that are seen be given praise that goes to our heads. Praise and honor are addictive. That feeling of doing good and of having others know about that good we've done is something that is truly addictive and Satan will encourage us to seek it even just a little bit pleases him. We truly have to shun acknowledgement for the good we do. When it happens that the good we do is acknowledged by other we have to immediately give ALL glory to God. By the grace of God we are able to do any good and only by His grace. We have to realize that ALL good comes from God, ALL good.
Jesus wants to teach us selflessness as He is selfless. We MUST learn selflessness and learn it over and over and over again- learning it daily because at any opportunity our selfish natures will rear up taking over trying to destroy any selflessness we might possess through our Savior. Satan knows selfishness is a key towards gaining us as His trophies. We HAVE to be aware of this! We can't let this slip past us as unimportant, as something trivial. Nothing our Savior tries to teach us is trivial, nothing!
By the grace of God may we become so fully His we are selfless as He is selfless.
In His love!
Selflessness not selfishness. Self-less.
We are NOT to promote self. If anything is becoming more and more clear about Jesus' teachings is that we are to be self-less. We are NOT to draw attention to ourselves. We are NOT to do good so that we can get credit for doing good. If we do good in front of others with the intention of being seen by them so they can note our good deed we have NO reward whatsoever, why? Does someone seeing a good deed negate its goodness? The good that comes from the deed still gets done. What's being talked about here is motive. What is our motive for doing good? If we only do good so that we can get praise from others then we are seeking to be honored and ONLY our Savior deserves honor! We have to take the focus off ourselves we are to give all glory to God. Our lives are candles pointing the lesser light to the greatest Light of all.
Mat 6:2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
Hypocrites will make a huge show of their good deeds and the reward they have isn't the reward that the Father in heaven will give them - they will NOT receive the reward of eternal life in Christ- the only reward we should seek.
Mat 6:3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:
Mat 6:4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
While some believe that it gives God glory to do their good deeds and point people towards God we have to really seek to understand what our Savior is saying to us.
Do not let our LEFT hand know what our RIGHT hand is doing.
This is NOT possible. Right? What we do is in our mind and what's in our mind is known. There is NO way our hands know anything anyways, period. Some might argue that a typist's hands automatically know where the keys are- or a gamer's hands know where the control buttons are on their controllers. The truth is…ONLY our brains know. Our brains control the actions of our hands - always. No one can slap someone and jump back defending themselves by saying their hand did it all on its own. No one would believe them- the person's mind controlled the person's actions. So what is our Savior telling us? He's telling us that we are to be SO incredibly secretive about doing good deeds for others that we don't even THINK about doing them to garner credit from others. God sees ALL we do, NOTHING is a secret from God. God knows every good deed we commit we don't need others to know. We don't need to brag about our goodness. We don't need to surround ourselves with accolades and praise. We need to be so careful about letting good deeds that are seen be given praise that goes to our heads. Praise and honor are addictive. That feeling of doing good and of having others know about that good we've done is something that is truly addictive and Satan will encourage us to seek it even just a little bit pleases him. We truly have to shun acknowledgement for the good we do. When it happens that the good we do is acknowledged by other we have to immediately give ALL glory to God. By the grace of God we are able to do any good and only by His grace. We have to realize that ALL good comes from God, ALL good.
Jesus wants to teach us selflessness as He is selfless. We MUST learn selflessness and learn it over and over and over again- learning it daily because at any opportunity our selfish natures will rear up taking over trying to destroy any selflessness we might possess through our Savior. Satan knows selfishness is a key towards gaining us as His trophies. We HAVE to be aware of this! We can't let this slip past us as unimportant, as something trivial. Nothing our Savior tries to teach us is trivial, nothing!
By the grace of God may we become so fully His we are selfless as He is selfless.
In His love!
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Love your enemies
Mat 5:43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
Hate thine enemy.
Hate definition--
G3404
μισέω
miseō
mis-eh'-o
From a primary word μῖσος misos (hatred); to detest (especially to persecute); by extension to love less: - hate (-ful).
Hate- to detest, to persecute, to love less.
We have no doubt what loving our neighbor means- not really, right? Loving others- treating them with respect, forgiving them any ill will, tending to their needs, revealing the love of Jesus to them. When Jesus says that is has been said - thou shalt love they neighbor there is no mistake about where that comes from.
Lev 19:18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.
Thy neighbor here meaning - children of thy people- those children being members of the family of Israel.
It was said in times past to LOVE thy neighbor - those who were of your own people. This is why the question had to be asked--
Luk 10:29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?
Who is my neighbor? This is a very valid question and one that needed clarification because based on the old ways that were twisted and warped into anything but love- a neighbor was those of your own people, it wasn't a non-Jew. To clarify what a neighbor really meant Jesus gave this little, but very powerful story-
Luk 10:30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
Luk 10:31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
Luk 10:32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.
Luk 10:33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,
Luk 10:34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
Luk 10:35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.
Luk 10:36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?
Luk 10:37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.
Which of the men was a neighbor to the wounded? The priest, a Jew? No. The Levite, a Jew? No. A Samaritan, one the Jews had NO dealings with? YES! The wounded man was obviously a Jew- coming down from Jerusalem and going to Jericho and the priest and the Levite just passed him by leaving him for dead- a fellowman- one of their own people. Then a Samaritan, one that had NOTHING to do with the Jews saw the wounded man and showed Him compassion. This is truly telling in so many ways!
It doesn't matter if the fellow human being is a hated foe and rightly so- when they're in need you help. Where compassion is needed- it should be shown.
When we show compassion, when we show love we reveal Christ in us. Undeserved love!
Our entire existence is not about you and I as individually being important. Our entire existence is about our Creator, without our Creator we would NOT exist. Man has forgotten this, man has chosen to ignore this, man has taken credit for something they can never take credit for. Man has talked themselves out of believing in the ONLY truth that matters. GOD!
As long as we are more concerned with ourselves, the more our minds are solely focused on self and others as extensions of ourselves, and taken off God we lose the whole reason for our existence. When we lose that reason for our existence we try to fill it with all sorts of things that Satan has handily made available to keep us blinded.
Christ in us is all that matters. By having Christ in us we acknowledge fully that God the Father and God the Word created us, we are theirs, we belong to them- we belong to the oneness that is shared by God our Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit- we are one with them in purpose, in life, in love.
As being one in purpose with Jesus we want to emulate Him- emulate the perfection He is as God who became man. Jesus wants us to learn from Him and He is teaching us that we are NOT the center of our existence. That ALL mankind has been created, ALL mankind - those of our own families, those of our own people, those who aren't of our people, those who are our enemies (by definition not those of our people), those who persecute us, curse us, revile us- they are ALL creatures created by our Creator and because they are ALL created they ALL deserve to find life in the sacrifice of God who became man- God with us, our Savior Jesus Christ.
Mat 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you
Love your enemies.
God loves His enemies- we have all gone astray.
Isa 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Bless them that curse you.
God blesses those that curse Him.
Do good to them that hate you.
God does good to them that hate Him- by the very act of salvation this is proven, by the opportunity of repentance this proven.
Pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you.
God does this.
Luk 23:34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.
Mat 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
Mat 5:46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
Mat 5:47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
Mat 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
Be God's.
Reveal God.
Show a living example of a forgiven child of the king to the entire world, to ALL- friend or foe- to all of those you come in contact with.
We ARE children of GOD, we need to BE children of GOD in ALL we do.
We are not to be taken out of this world and all it's horrors of sin and the unrepentant sinful.
Joh 17:15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.
We are to be kept from evil. We are to be kept from leaving our God and becoming one with the world for that is true evil- being God-less.
*******
Empty Me- Jeremy Camp
Holy Fire burn away,
My desire for anything
That is not of you and is of me.
I want more of you and less of me.
Holy Fire burn away,
My desire for anything
That is not of you and is of me,
I want more of you and less of me, yeah.
Empty me,
Empty me, yeah,
Fill, won't you fill me,
With you, with you, yeah.
Holy Fire, burn away,
My desire for anything
That is not of you and is of me.
I want more of you and less of me, yeah.
Empty me,
Empty me, yeah.
Fill, won't you fill me, with you, with you, empty me now.
Well won't you empty me, well won't you empty me now. repeat x2
I want more, I want more, I want more of you, Jesus.
I want more, I want more, oh.
Thank you, Jesus.
Thank you, Jesus, oh yeah,
Thank you, Jesus, yeah.
Holy Fire, Holy Fire, Holy Fire, Holy Fire.
Pasted from
*******
By the grace and mercy of our loving Savior, now and forever!
Amen.
Hate thine enemy.
Hate definition--
G3404
μισέω
miseō
mis-eh'-o
From a primary word μῖσος misos (hatred); to detest (especially to persecute); by extension to love less: - hate (-ful).
Hate- to detest, to persecute, to love less.
We have no doubt what loving our neighbor means- not really, right? Loving others- treating them with respect, forgiving them any ill will, tending to their needs, revealing the love of Jesus to them. When Jesus says that is has been said - thou shalt love they neighbor there is no mistake about where that comes from.
Lev 19:18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.
Thy neighbor here meaning - children of thy people- those children being members of the family of Israel.
It was said in times past to LOVE thy neighbor - those who were of your own people. This is why the question had to be asked--
Luk 10:29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?
Who is my neighbor? This is a very valid question and one that needed clarification because based on the old ways that were twisted and warped into anything but love- a neighbor was those of your own people, it wasn't a non-Jew. To clarify what a neighbor really meant Jesus gave this little, but very powerful story-
Luk 10:30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
Luk 10:31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
Luk 10:32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.
Luk 10:33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,
Luk 10:34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
Luk 10:35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.
Luk 10:36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?
Luk 10:37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.
Which of the men was a neighbor to the wounded? The priest, a Jew? No. The Levite, a Jew? No. A Samaritan, one the Jews had NO dealings with? YES! The wounded man was obviously a Jew- coming down from Jerusalem and going to Jericho and the priest and the Levite just passed him by leaving him for dead- a fellowman- one of their own people. Then a Samaritan, one that had NOTHING to do with the Jews saw the wounded man and showed Him compassion. This is truly telling in so many ways!
It doesn't matter if the fellow human being is a hated foe and rightly so- when they're in need you help. Where compassion is needed- it should be shown.
When we show compassion, when we show love we reveal Christ in us. Undeserved love!
Our entire existence is not about you and I as individually being important. Our entire existence is about our Creator, without our Creator we would NOT exist. Man has forgotten this, man has chosen to ignore this, man has taken credit for something they can never take credit for. Man has talked themselves out of believing in the ONLY truth that matters. GOD!
As long as we are more concerned with ourselves, the more our minds are solely focused on self and others as extensions of ourselves, and taken off God we lose the whole reason for our existence. When we lose that reason for our existence we try to fill it with all sorts of things that Satan has handily made available to keep us blinded.
Christ in us is all that matters. By having Christ in us we acknowledge fully that God the Father and God the Word created us, we are theirs, we belong to them- we belong to the oneness that is shared by God our Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit- we are one with them in purpose, in life, in love.
As being one in purpose with Jesus we want to emulate Him- emulate the perfection He is as God who became man. Jesus wants us to learn from Him and He is teaching us that we are NOT the center of our existence. That ALL mankind has been created, ALL mankind - those of our own families, those of our own people, those who aren't of our people, those who are our enemies (by definition not those of our people), those who persecute us, curse us, revile us- they are ALL creatures created by our Creator and because they are ALL created they ALL deserve to find life in the sacrifice of God who became man- God with us, our Savior Jesus Christ.
Mat 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you
Love your enemies.
God loves His enemies- we have all gone astray.
Isa 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Bless them that curse you.
God blesses those that curse Him.
Do good to them that hate you.
God does good to them that hate Him- by the very act of salvation this is proven, by the opportunity of repentance this proven.
Pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you.
God does this.
Luk 23:34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.
Mat 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
Mat 5:46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
Mat 5:47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
Mat 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
Be God's.
Reveal God.
Show a living example of a forgiven child of the king to the entire world, to ALL- friend or foe- to all of those you come in contact with.
We ARE children of GOD, we need to BE children of GOD in ALL we do.
We are not to be taken out of this world and all it's horrors of sin and the unrepentant sinful.
Joh 17:15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.
We are to be kept from evil. We are to be kept from leaving our God and becoming one with the world for that is true evil- being God-less.
*******
Empty Me- Jeremy Camp
Holy Fire burn away,
My desire for anything
That is not of you and is of me.
I want more of you and less of me.
Holy Fire burn away,
My desire for anything
That is not of you and is of me,
I want more of you and less of me, yeah.
Empty me,
Empty me, yeah,
Fill, won't you fill me,
With you, with you, yeah.
Holy Fire, burn away,
My desire for anything
That is not of you and is of me.
I want more of you and less of me, yeah.
Empty me,
Empty me, yeah.
Fill, won't you fill me, with you, with you, empty me now.
Well won't you empty me, well won't you empty me now. repeat x2
I want more, I want more, I want more of you, Jesus.
I want more, I want more, oh.
Thank you, Jesus.
Thank you, Jesus, oh yeah,
Thank you, Jesus, yeah.
Holy Fire, Holy Fire, Holy Fire, Holy Fire.
Pasted from
*******
By the grace and mercy of our loving Savior, now and forever!
Amen.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Givers
Mat 5:42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
Give.
Mat 10:8 … freely ye have received, freely give.
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.
Mar 9:41 For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.
Mar 10:44 And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.
Mar 10:45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
Luk 6:30 Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.
Luk 6:38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
Give.
Mat 25:35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
Mat 25:36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Mat 25:37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
Mat 25:38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
Mat 25:39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
Mat 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
Rom 12:20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.
Rom 12:21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
1Ti 6:17 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;
1Ti 6:18 That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;
1Ti 6:19 Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.
1Jn 3:16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
1Jn 3:17 But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
1Jn 3:18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
Love NOT in word.
Love NOT in tongue.
But in DEED and in TRUTH.
We can profess our love all we want. We can talk of our love until our throats are dry and we can scarcely speak another word. We can write of our love until our fingers bleed. We can boast of love until people believe it's all we talk about and can't talk of anything else and guess what? All that talk, all that professing of love means absolutely NOTHING! We can say the words 'I love you' a million times and it's worth NOTHING! We can be the world's utmost authority on love and it will mean NOTHING! We are NOT to talk of love, we are to love.
The saying- 'talk is cheap' is very, very true. Talk means very little if our lives don't reflect what we talk about. We call people liars when they talk and talk and talk but never do any of what they talk about. Liars. When our mouths profess love and our actions say otherwise we are LIARS! Why do people think talking about love is good enough? Why do people think that 'people know I love them' when in truth if you are NEVER loving towards them they know no such thing! People want others to believe the love them just because they say they do. People want others to believe they really care with in truth they are anything but caring towards them. People want others to believe they love them when they hug them and kiss them, and yet do little else for them. The showing of affection while never providing for someone's needs means little- hollow affection- words without substance, actions void of truth.
Loving in deed and truth.
Deed-
G2041
ergon
Thayer Definition:
1) business, employment, that which any one is occupied
1a) that which one undertakes to do, enterprise, undertaking
2) any product whatever, any thing accomplished by hand, art, industry, or mind
3) an act, deed, thing done: the idea of working is emphasised in opp. to that which is less than work
Part of Speech: noun neuter
A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: from a primary (but obsolete) ergo (to work)
Loving in action. Loving in what we DO. Loving in how we live.
Loving in truth- really, really loving as Jesus would have us love, loving as HE loved.
Mar 10:44 And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.
Mar 10:45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
Jesus came NOT to be ministered unto, but to minister!
We shall be servants!
Mat 5:42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
Minister- give.
Love in deed- give.
Luk 6:30 Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.
Give.
We can profess Christ and never be Christ's. Christ will not know those who profess him in word but not in deed, they will be complete strangers to the greatest Giver of all.
One who naturally gives has a gift, a blessing, because so many of us are takers more than givers. Those natural givers have something in common with our Savior in a very special way. Is it any wonder Satan will attack the natural givers so horrifically? Being able to give freely is something very, very special.
Jesus would have us LEARN to give because not everyone is a natural giver. Over and over Jesus is revealing Himself to us in His lessons. We are to treat others as Jesus treated us. We are to reveal Jesus through our lives in all ways, not just on the written page, not just by speaking. Don't get me wrong- some people give of themselves in their words I would never say otherwise but those giving in their words need to live giving. We need to be givers in all aspects of our lives and by the grace of God we will be! By the power of the Holy Spirit we will be givers, we will love in deed and in truth!
Givers.
Because He gave.
In His love!
Give.
Mat 10:8 … freely ye have received, freely give.
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.
Mar 9:41 For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.
Mar 10:44 And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.
Mar 10:45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
Luk 6:30 Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.
Luk 6:38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
Give.
Mat 25:35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
Mat 25:36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Mat 25:37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
Mat 25:38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
Mat 25:39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
Mat 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
Rom 12:20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.
Rom 12:21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
1Ti 6:17 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;
1Ti 6:18 That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;
1Ti 6:19 Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.
1Jn 3:16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
1Jn 3:17 But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
1Jn 3:18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
Love NOT in word.
Love NOT in tongue.
But in DEED and in TRUTH.
We can profess our love all we want. We can talk of our love until our throats are dry and we can scarcely speak another word. We can write of our love until our fingers bleed. We can boast of love until people believe it's all we talk about and can't talk of anything else and guess what? All that talk, all that professing of love means absolutely NOTHING! We can say the words 'I love you' a million times and it's worth NOTHING! We can be the world's utmost authority on love and it will mean NOTHING! We are NOT to talk of love, we are to love.
The saying- 'talk is cheap' is very, very true. Talk means very little if our lives don't reflect what we talk about. We call people liars when they talk and talk and talk but never do any of what they talk about. Liars. When our mouths profess love and our actions say otherwise we are LIARS! Why do people think talking about love is good enough? Why do people think that 'people know I love them' when in truth if you are NEVER loving towards them they know no such thing! People want others to believe the love them just because they say they do. People want others to believe they really care with in truth they are anything but caring towards them. People want others to believe they love them when they hug them and kiss them, and yet do little else for them. The showing of affection while never providing for someone's needs means little- hollow affection- words without substance, actions void of truth.
Loving in deed and truth.
Deed-
G2041
ergon
Thayer Definition:
1) business, employment, that which any one is occupied
1a) that which one undertakes to do, enterprise, undertaking
2) any product whatever, any thing accomplished by hand, art, industry, or mind
3) an act, deed, thing done: the idea of working is emphasised in opp. to that which is less than work
Part of Speech: noun neuter
A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: from a primary (but obsolete) ergo (to work)
Loving in action. Loving in what we DO. Loving in how we live.
Loving in truth- really, really loving as Jesus would have us love, loving as HE loved.
Mar 10:44 And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.
Mar 10:45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
Jesus came NOT to be ministered unto, but to minister!
We shall be servants!
Mat 5:42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
Minister- give.
Love in deed- give.
Luk 6:30 Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.
Give.
We can profess Christ and never be Christ's. Christ will not know those who profess him in word but not in deed, they will be complete strangers to the greatest Giver of all.
One who naturally gives has a gift, a blessing, because so many of us are takers more than givers. Those natural givers have something in common with our Savior in a very special way. Is it any wonder Satan will attack the natural givers so horrifically? Being able to give freely is something very, very special.
Jesus would have us LEARN to give because not everyone is a natural giver. Over and over Jesus is revealing Himself to us in His lessons. We are to treat others as Jesus treated us. We are to reveal Jesus through our lives in all ways, not just on the written page, not just by speaking. Don't get me wrong- some people give of themselves in their words I would never say otherwise but those giving in their words need to live giving. We need to be givers in all aspects of our lives and by the grace of God we will be! By the power of the Holy Spirit we will be givers, we will love in deed and in truth!
Givers.
Because He gave.
In His love!
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