Jas 1:9 Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted:
Jas 1:10 But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.
Jas 1:11 For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.
Brother of low degree and the rich. It's safe to say these verses are talking about the poor and the rich. The poor rejoice because they are exalted.
Remember this verse-
Mat 23:12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
Being of a low degree- not having a high exalted position- we can rejoice because of this when the world would rather that we spend our days lamenting the fact we weren't born with that silver spoon in our mouths. In truth there are many more people who are poor than those who are rich. And way too many poor despise being less affluent. There is entirely too much time spent seeking riches- too much time spent trying to acquire things of this world and not things of heaven. The brother of low degree can rejoice because he will not necessarily become rich, but rather be exalted in his low estate.
Exalted- raised, lifted up, elevated. How are the brothers of low degree, the poor, the humble exalted? This is a spiritual exaltation, isn't it? This is a spiritual richness that comes from God and not from any man. And it's not easy for a rich man to become humble enough, to become of low degree enough to see His need of God to exalt him. The rich are often too busy exalting themselves and letting others exalt them to see their need of God's exalting. Only when a rich man realizes that he, like every other human being, is in need-desperate need of God can he understand and be made low. Otherwise, the rich will die in their richness, never realizing their need of a Savior.
Spiritual exaltation. Exalted by God, exalted to understand the kingdom of God, to understand the gospel. The poor, those of low degree have very little to keep them from realizing their need. We are blessed as being poor, blessed.
We should not seek to exalt ourselves either. We could NEVER gain a single earthly treasure that has the power to elevate us heavenward, not one! If we do exalt ourselves we will be abased, we will be brought down low.
This is all about learning that there needs to be LESS of us and more of GOD. God alone deserves a high estate, God alone deserves to be exalted. We are His children, we are His servants, we are His -belonging to Him. He is our heavenly Parent, He is our heavenly Master.
So while the temptation may come to us to covet riches, let us realize how dangerous that is, how dangerous it is to be in a place where you no longer sense a need of God in all things great and small. Riches numb the senses, riches steal from us the sense of neediness. By the grace of God may we NEVER become so rich that we lose sight of our need of God in ALL things. May we forever be brought low so we may be exalt by GOD and only by God and never by us, never by ourselves.
Please Lord, please help us humble ourselves so we may be exalted by YOU. Let our riches be found in YOU and only in YOU. Please Lord God, please let us always understand our need of YOU. In Your amazing LOVE, always.
Amen.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
We need wisdom
Jas 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
Jas 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
Jas 1:7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
Jas 1:8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
We lack wisdom. There is no doubt about that. We need the wisdom that only God can give to us. So many of us are filled to the brim and overflowing with our own wisdom- our worldly wisdom. Way too many of us mistake our worldly wisdom for God's wisdom, believing that somehow our wisdom is enough. We need God's wisdom-only the wisdom that comes from God. And God will give us wisdom if we ask for it, in fact we will receive all the wisdom we need if we ask in faith, pure faith.
Pure faith- no wavering.
Did this man waver?
Mar 9:23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
Mar 9:24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.
No.
This man did not waver in faith, in fact He went to the only source of faith and asked for faith help. We need to ask for faith help because we cannot believe that we possess a faith that won't waver- we cannot afford to have such arrogance. Our faith comes from God and we have to seek God in faith. Does it seem contradictory?
Rom 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
We all have the ability to have faith, every single human being is given this ability to believe.
Luk 17:5 And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.
Luk 17:6 And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.
Faith isn't something that needs increase in size, but in quality.
The father who said right to our Savior- 'Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.' Had it right, didn't he? He had faith, but he wanted the quality of that faith to be all that Jesus required it be.
We have faith, we believe and we need the quality of our faith to increase. We can't let our faith waver. We can't hesitate in believing that God will answer our prayer for faith. We have to pray as that father prayed- 'Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief.'
Jas 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
Jas 1:7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
Jas 1:8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
Double minded man.
A believer and unbeliever rolled into one.
So many of us live with this sort of mindset, don't we? We believe and yet we doubt, we waver. We hesitate, we are unstable. We don't want to be this way do we? We want help with our unbelief and we need to pray for that.
Jas 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
We need to purify our hearts.
We have a part to play and that part is to have faith- to believe when so much around us screams for us to not believe, to doubt, to waver, to lose sight of God.
We won't receive anything from God if we don't believe.
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.
Lord we believe! Help our unbelief!
Lord keep us from wavering!
We would have any wisdom You can give to us, any understanding we need to be solely and wholly Yours, Lord!
Please Lord, please!
In Your love!
Amen.
Jas 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
Jas 1:7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
Jas 1:8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
We lack wisdom. There is no doubt about that. We need the wisdom that only God can give to us. So many of us are filled to the brim and overflowing with our own wisdom- our worldly wisdom. Way too many of us mistake our worldly wisdom for God's wisdom, believing that somehow our wisdom is enough. We need God's wisdom-only the wisdom that comes from God. And God will give us wisdom if we ask for it, in fact we will receive all the wisdom we need if we ask in faith, pure faith.
Pure faith- no wavering.
Did this man waver?
Mar 9:23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
Mar 9:24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.
No.
This man did not waver in faith, in fact He went to the only source of faith and asked for faith help. We need to ask for faith help because we cannot believe that we possess a faith that won't waver- we cannot afford to have such arrogance. Our faith comes from God and we have to seek God in faith. Does it seem contradictory?
Rom 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
We all have the ability to have faith, every single human being is given this ability to believe.
Luk 17:5 And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.
Luk 17:6 And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.
Faith isn't something that needs increase in size, but in quality.
The father who said right to our Savior- 'Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.' Had it right, didn't he? He had faith, but he wanted the quality of that faith to be all that Jesus required it be.
We have faith, we believe and we need the quality of our faith to increase. We can't let our faith waver. We can't hesitate in believing that God will answer our prayer for faith. We have to pray as that father prayed- 'Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief.'
Jas 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
Jas 1:7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
Jas 1:8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
Double minded man.
A believer and unbeliever rolled into one.
So many of us live with this sort of mindset, don't we? We believe and yet we doubt, we waver. We hesitate, we are unstable. We don't want to be this way do we? We want help with our unbelief and we need to pray for that.
Jas 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
We need to purify our hearts.
We have a part to play and that part is to have faith- to believe when so much around us screams for us to not believe, to doubt, to waver, to lose sight of God.
We won't receive anything from God if we don't believe.
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.
Lord we believe! Help our unbelief!
Lord keep us from wavering!
We would have any wisdom You can give to us, any understanding we need to be solely and wholly Yours, Lord!
Please Lord, please!
In Your love!
Amen.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Wanting nothing
Jas 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations
Jas 1:3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
Jas 1:4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
We are to count it joy when we face different temptations- trials of our faith. The trials of our faith work patience.
IF we are counting it joy we are doing so because we know that any trial we are facing is given to us to grow in faith. These are TRIALS of our FAITH.
Are we able to count it joy when we face hardships of all kinds? It's something that is so difficult that when achieved then you have perfect patience- and you will want nothing. How does this seem possible? Seriously, how?
Only through our Savior. Only through such a complete faith in our Savior that we are lost to self and found solely in Him. Our lives are so wrapped up in being His that we have lost all sense of selfishness, self being first and foremost. Just imagine that sort of life, living solely for Christ and trusting solely in Christ for all things. How amazing that would be.
Today I received some bad news and as the situation unfolded I felt the old irritation start to rise up in me and I was immediately reminded of yesterday's study and I paused for a moment thinking about it… thinking about 'counting it joy' as I faced this trying situation. I wanted to be upset because it's what I consider a normal reaction in this sort of occurrence and yet I knew that I need to realize that my faith was being tried, that I was being tried in fire and I could succumb to the upset or pray and place my hope in God to see me through everything. I have no idea how the situation will be resolved, and the consequences of it not being resolved are not good ones at all, but NOTHING I can do will alter a thing, nothing. I have no control over anything at all in this particular case and so getting upset will do NOTHING, however, having faith in God will do everything. Having faith- believing truly that God will take care of things even when all outward appearances shout otherwise.
Is it any wonder that if PATIENCE is allowed to have its perfect work through the trying of our faith that we will want in nothing? How can we be in want when we are placing all our hope, all our faith in our Savior?
This is so amazing that it's not easy to comprehend at all.
A full trust in God through ALL things no matter what they may be.
A JOY in the face of heart ache, pain, agony, fear, sadness.
It seems unbelievable yet this is truth, truth we need to learn and live by.
Jas 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations
Jas 1:3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
Jas 1:4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
This is a progressive work, very progressive work and that means it will happen over time, a learned process. We fall in diver(s) temptation(s)- plural and this isn't all at once. We fall over and over again every day we live may present a trail, or several in one day there is no telling, none. The trying of our faith- and our faith will be tried over and over- this will work patience in us if we are seriously seeking to deal with our temptations and trials in the love of our Savior. We need to LET patience have her PERFECT work and it is a work and we will be perfected and ENTIRE, wanting nothing.
We'll want nothing because we will possess all that truly matters.
The pure love of our Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ!
In His love and grace, His mercy, His righteousness, may His kingdom come!
Amen.
Jas 1:3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
Jas 1:4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
We are to count it joy when we face different temptations- trials of our faith. The trials of our faith work patience.
IF we are counting it joy we are doing so because we know that any trial we are facing is given to us to grow in faith. These are TRIALS of our FAITH.
Are we able to count it joy when we face hardships of all kinds? It's something that is so difficult that when achieved then you have perfect patience- and you will want nothing. How does this seem possible? Seriously, how?
Only through our Savior. Only through such a complete faith in our Savior that we are lost to self and found solely in Him. Our lives are so wrapped up in being His that we have lost all sense of selfishness, self being first and foremost. Just imagine that sort of life, living solely for Christ and trusting solely in Christ for all things. How amazing that would be.
Today I received some bad news and as the situation unfolded I felt the old irritation start to rise up in me and I was immediately reminded of yesterday's study and I paused for a moment thinking about it… thinking about 'counting it joy' as I faced this trying situation. I wanted to be upset because it's what I consider a normal reaction in this sort of occurrence and yet I knew that I need to realize that my faith was being tried, that I was being tried in fire and I could succumb to the upset or pray and place my hope in God to see me through everything. I have no idea how the situation will be resolved, and the consequences of it not being resolved are not good ones at all, but NOTHING I can do will alter a thing, nothing. I have no control over anything at all in this particular case and so getting upset will do NOTHING, however, having faith in God will do everything. Having faith- believing truly that God will take care of things even when all outward appearances shout otherwise.
Is it any wonder that if PATIENCE is allowed to have its perfect work through the trying of our faith that we will want in nothing? How can we be in want when we are placing all our hope, all our faith in our Savior?
This is so amazing that it's not easy to comprehend at all.
A full trust in God through ALL things no matter what they may be.
A JOY in the face of heart ache, pain, agony, fear, sadness.
It seems unbelievable yet this is truth, truth we need to learn and live by.
Jas 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations
Jas 1:3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
Jas 1:4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
This is a progressive work, very progressive work and that means it will happen over time, a learned process. We fall in diver(s) temptation(s)- plural and this isn't all at once. We fall over and over again every day we live may present a trail, or several in one day there is no telling, none. The trying of our faith- and our faith will be tried over and over- this will work patience in us if we are seriously seeking to deal with our temptations and trials in the love of our Savior. We need to LET patience have her PERFECT work and it is a work and we will be perfected and ENTIRE, wanting nothing.
We'll want nothing because we will possess all that truly matters.
The pure love of our Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ!
In His love and grace, His mercy, His righteousness, may His kingdom come!
Amen.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Joy from pain
Jas 1:1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.
Jas 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations
Joy.
Counting it joy when we fall into different temptations is not easy.
What is the purpose of being tested? When a person is tested they are given a chance to reveal their knowledge. The harder the test the more knowledge you are expected to have, yes? Is this at all appropriate to this verse? Well if we think about it we are being perfected aren't we? The trials and temptations we face are given to us so that our faith is tested. It's not that we will succeed through every trail we face but we MUST learn from the trials we are given so that if we face a similar trial we will not be overcome by it. We are gaining faith, we are gaining understanding, we are gaining knowledge through every single trial we face. When we fall in to different temptations our faith is being tried, we are face to face with difficulties and we are being tried in fire as gold is tried in fire to perfect it.
We cannot hope to escape trials and tribulations. Trial and temptations of ALL different sorts will come to us, this we have to expect and not just occasionally but often. In fact a lot of times we are barely through one temptation when another will rear up and we are brought face to face with something equally or worse than before. We are being worked! We are being molded! We are being fashioned and we are told as we come to these temptations we are to COUNT IT ALL JOY.
Count it joy. Not count it acceptable. Not count it okay. Not count it painful, depressing, sad, anger-filled, anxiety ridden. We are so used to falling victim to wallowing in the disappointment and pain of the horrible trials we face that we can't imagine truly counting our troubles joy.
There is a huge lesson here that we need to study so that we can count our difficulties joy and not pain.
I'm so tempted to say it's impossible, but it's not. I'm so tempted to say that it's ludicrous to believe that something painful and trying should be counted joy. My Bible tells me that it's not impossible. My Bible tells me that it is not ludicrous. I have to believe, I have to have faith in the word of God. I have to learn from the word of God.
We generally can't plan for temptations, for situations, for trials that come our way. We don't want to plan for the, do we? Who wants to anticipate sickness, pain, despair? How can we plan for the unknown? A lot of people plan for "rainy days', they make financial decisions that will provide for those under their care should something happen. People make contingency plans for situations should things go wrong. They get insurance on cars, houses, valuables just on the off hand chance something will happen, something bad.
So, if we are so incredibly focused on planning for bad situations, why can't we take the time to plan for trials and temptations that we know we are prone to facing? We can't ignore the fact that often Satan goes after us in our known weaknesses. We aren't shocked as a general rule, when a trail comes at us over something we have difficulty with. We might be fed up with ourselves for falling victim time and time again, but we aren't shocked. We aren't however calling it joy when we face these known temptations, are we? We lean towards despair not happiness.
We know that there will be plenty awful situations that come at us completely unexpectedly and throw us for a loop- plenty of them. We know that the shock of those sorts of situations will rip joy from us in a heartbeat, even though we are still to count them joy. We need to fill our minds with the knowledge that it is what God's wants from us- to call it joy when we face trials and temptations. We have to - all by the grace of God- understand that the next time a temptation comes at us we should TRY to count it joy! Seriously, we have to do this, we are told to do this and we need to begin to do this if we haven't done it yet.
Joy.
Out of that joy we should give thanks and praise to God for what we are going through. We need to be aware of the joy. It's so contradictory to us isn't it? Just the mere thought of facing a trial and being joyful sounds very, very odd.
Why do you suppose we are to be joyful in facing different temptations? What does the joy mean? It's not to make us appear insane to others is it? No. The joy is what then?
The joy comes from realizing we ARE being tried, we are being PERFECTED by God! We are HIS! We are under HIS love, His law, His grace, His mercy! This brings us the joy. We don't find the joy in ourselves but IN HIM, wholly in HIM. He is WORKING IN US! This knowledge needs to bring us joy! We aren't to be happy that we are so far from perfection, we are to be happy in knowing we are being perfected. Only that knowledge will bring us true joy.
More on this tomorrow by the grace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
Amen.
Jas 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations
Joy.
Counting it joy when we fall into different temptations is not easy.
What is the purpose of being tested? When a person is tested they are given a chance to reveal their knowledge. The harder the test the more knowledge you are expected to have, yes? Is this at all appropriate to this verse? Well if we think about it we are being perfected aren't we? The trials and temptations we face are given to us so that our faith is tested. It's not that we will succeed through every trail we face but we MUST learn from the trials we are given so that if we face a similar trial we will not be overcome by it. We are gaining faith, we are gaining understanding, we are gaining knowledge through every single trial we face. When we fall in to different temptations our faith is being tried, we are face to face with difficulties and we are being tried in fire as gold is tried in fire to perfect it.
We cannot hope to escape trials and tribulations. Trial and temptations of ALL different sorts will come to us, this we have to expect and not just occasionally but often. In fact a lot of times we are barely through one temptation when another will rear up and we are brought face to face with something equally or worse than before. We are being worked! We are being molded! We are being fashioned and we are told as we come to these temptations we are to COUNT IT ALL JOY.
Count it joy. Not count it acceptable. Not count it okay. Not count it painful, depressing, sad, anger-filled, anxiety ridden. We are so used to falling victim to wallowing in the disappointment and pain of the horrible trials we face that we can't imagine truly counting our troubles joy.
There is a huge lesson here that we need to study so that we can count our difficulties joy and not pain.
I'm so tempted to say it's impossible, but it's not. I'm so tempted to say that it's ludicrous to believe that something painful and trying should be counted joy. My Bible tells me that it's not impossible. My Bible tells me that it is not ludicrous. I have to believe, I have to have faith in the word of God. I have to learn from the word of God.
We generally can't plan for temptations, for situations, for trials that come our way. We don't want to plan for the, do we? Who wants to anticipate sickness, pain, despair? How can we plan for the unknown? A lot of people plan for "rainy days', they make financial decisions that will provide for those under their care should something happen. People make contingency plans for situations should things go wrong. They get insurance on cars, houses, valuables just on the off hand chance something will happen, something bad.
So, if we are so incredibly focused on planning for bad situations, why can't we take the time to plan for trials and temptations that we know we are prone to facing? We can't ignore the fact that often Satan goes after us in our known weaknesses. We aren't shocked as a general rule, when a trail comes at us over something we have difficulty with. We might be fed up with ourselves for falling victim time and time again, but we aren't shocked. We aren't however calling it joy when we face these known temptations, are we? We lean towards despair not happiness.
We know that there will be plenty awful situations that come at us completely unexpectedly and throw us for a loop- plenty of them. We know that the shock of those sorts of situations will rip joy from us in a heartbeat, even though we are still to count them joy. We need to fill our minds with the knowledge that it is what God's wants from us- to call it joy when we face trials and temptations. We have to - all by the grace of God- understand that the next time a temptation comes at us we should TRY to count it joy! Seriously, we have to do this, we are told to do this and we need to begin to do this if we haven't done it yet.
Joy.
Out of that joy we should give thanks and praise to God for what we are going through. We need to be aware of the joy. It's so contradictory to us isn't it? Just the mere thought of facing a trial and being joyful sounds very, very odd.
Why do you suppose we are to be joyful in facing different temptations? What does the joy mean? It's not to make us appear insane to others is it? No. The joy is what then?
The joy comes from realizing we ARE being tried, we are being PERFECTED by God! We are HIS! We are under HIS love, His law, His grace, His mercy! This brings us the joy. We don't find the joy in ourselves but IN HIM, wholly in HIM. He is WORKING IN US! This knowledge needs to bring us joy! We aren't to be happy that we are so far from perfection, we are to be happy in knowing we are being perfected. Only that knowledge will bring us true joy.
More on this tomorrow by the grace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
Amen.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
The wonder of His Love, His law
Remember- God is spirit and we must worship Him in spirit and truth.
God's moral law has a very spiritual aspect to it and it's not a law that will ever disappear. Why people want to believe differently is Satan led.
Jas 1:25 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.
This was written after Jesus died. 'Whoso looketh into the PERFECT LAW of LIBERTY… AND CONTINUETH THEREIN- SHALL BE BLESSED.'
Some will try hard to pervert this into meaning the law of liberty is the fact that Jesus did away with all the laws and is liberty for us, liberty from having to keep laws. The fact of the matter is, IF you love Jesus and want to live your life in Jesus' love you will NATURALLY be living more spiritually and that spirit life is a life that automatically follows the spiritual laws given to us, the moral laws that have NO end. The moral laws that exist is something that reveals the beauty of God, it reveals the love that God is.
Such an amazing love! Think about it fully for a moment or two. Living in a world where these laws are followed out of love perfectly by everyone! No one who truly loves God will find a single fault in the moral law of God. Our perfect God created perfect laws and Jesus kept those laws perfectly for us in a way our flesh nature cannot. How could God create moral laws that aren't perfect? Jesus said He was ABLE to keep those laws and that they'll NEVER be destroyed. Never be destroyed.
Mat 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
Mat 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
What do people think this means?! Seriously, what?
Jesus fulfilled- and ALL will be fulfilled when He comes again. The people that are His that rise from the dead to be with Him, and those who are His who are alive that rise to meet Him in the air, all those people will fulfilled the law perfectly through Him forevermore. Sin will be no more. And if sin is no more then there is no need for a law, because sin is breaking the law. If the law is NEVER broken and cannot be broken ever again, the law is being perfectly fulfilled- perfectly lived in Christ. Only when this happens, only when the law can be perfectly kept in Christ by all who are His will we live in a world where the law is no longer needed as it is needed in a sinfilled world. As long as there is sin- there will be laws it can be NO other way.
Salvation is only available to us through our Savior's perfect love, His perfect life, His perfect sacrifice. And our Savior Himself advocated keeping the law every single time He told someone not to sin any more. So those who believe He was doing away with us having to keep any laws only need to look at the verses of the Bible where He spoke these words…
Joh 5:14 Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.
Joh 8:11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
Why would he say this if they didn't have a law to transgress any longer? Why didn't He just say I've saved you, go and just believe in me and don't worry about sinning because I've done away with the law that you transgress, the law that means you sin when you break it. He didn't say that, He said 'go and sin NO MORE'. They couldn't sin unless there was a law to break, it'd be impossible. We can't break a law unless there IS a law to break. You can't be guilty unless there is something to be guilty of. This makes perfect, perfect sense and yet people want to do away with the law of God, as if that were possible when our Savior said that it would not go away.
By the grace of God we can keep His law. We can read His moral law and understand the perfect love of God in that law. Jesus lived that perfect love as He was living keeping all the commandments perfectly. Jesus IS our example, the example we are to follow. We are to love as He loves and He loves perfectly.
Oh the wonder of our Lord's love! All that He's done for us, we cannot begin to fully comprehend, we just can't. We have to lay ourselves at the feet of Jesus and it is by His mercy, His grace, His all consuming love that we are saved. We are powerless without Him, completely powerless to even think for a moment we can keep the law without Him.
Please Lord, help us to fully understand as much as You would have us understand, help us to love as You would have us love. All in You all through Your amazing grace, Your love!
In You!
Amen.
God's moral law has a very spiritual aspect to it and it's not a law that will ever disappear. Why people want to believe differently is Satan led.
Jas 1:25 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.
This was written after Jesus died. 'Whoso looketh into the PERFECT LAW of LIBERTY… AND CONTINUETH THEREIN- SHALL BE BLESSED.'
Some will try hard to pervert this into meaning the law of liberty is the fact that Jesus did away with all the laws and is liberty for us, liberty from having to keep laws. The fact of the matter is, IF you love Jesus and want to live your life in Jesus' love you will NATURALLY be living more spiritually and that spirit life is a life that automatically follows the spiritual laws given to us, the moral laws that have NO end. The moral laws that exist is something that reveals the beauty of God, it reveals the love that God is.
Such an amazing love! Think about it fully for a moment or two. Living in a world where these laws are followed out of love perfectly by everyone! No one who truly loves God will find a single fault in the moral law of God. Our perfect God created perfect laws and Jesus kept those laws perfectly for us in a way our flesh nature cannot. How could God create moral laws that aren't perfect? Jesus said He was ABLE to keep those laws and that they'll NEVER be destroyed. Never be destroyed.
Mat 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
Mat 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
What do people think this means?! Seriously, what?
Jesus fulfilled- and ALL will be fulfilled when He comes again. The people that are His that rise from the dead to be with Him, and those who are His who are alive that rise to meet Him in the air, all those people will fulfilled the law perfectly through Him forevermore. Sin will be no more. And if sin is no more then there is no need for a law, because sin is breaking the law. If the law is NEVER broken and cannot be broken ever again, the law is being perfectly fulfilled- perfectly lived in Christ. Only when this happens, only when the law can be perfectly kept in Christ by all who are His will we live in a world where the law is no longer needed as it is needed in a sinfilled world. As long as there is sin- there will be laws it can be NO other way.
Salvation is only available to us through our Savior's perfect love, His perfect life, His perfect sacrifice. And our Savior Himself advocated keeping the law every single time He told someone not to sin any more. So those who believe He was doing away with us having to keep any laws only need to look at the verses of the Bible where He spoke these words…
Joh 5:14 Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.
Joh 8:11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
Why would he say this if they didn't have a law to transgress any longer? Why didn't He just say I've saved you, go and just believe in me and don't worry about sinning because I've done away with the law that you transgress, the law that means you sin when you break it. He didn't say that, He said 'go and sin NO MORE'. They couldn't sin unless there was a law to break, it'd be impossible. We can't break a law unless there IS a law to break. You can't be guilty unless there is something to be guilty of. This makes perfect, perfect sense and yet people want to do away with the law of God, as if that were possible when our Savior said that it would not go away.
By the grace of God we can keep His law. We can read His moral law and understand the perfect love of God in that law. Jesus lived that perfect love as He was living keeping all the commandments perfectly. Jesus IS our example, the example we are to follow. We are to love as He loves and He loves perfectly.
Oh the wonder of our Lord's love! All that He's done for us, we cannot begin to fully comprehend, we just can't. We have to lay ourselves at the feet of Jesus and it is by His mercy, His grace, His all consuming love that we are saved. We are powerless without Him, completely powerless to even think for a moment we can keep the law without Him.
Please Lord, help us to fully understand as much as You would have us understand, help us to love as You would have us love. All in You all through Your amazing grace, Your love!
In You!
Amen.
God is spirit
Excerpt From yesterday-
'The spiritual aspect of the law is what so many try to take out of the law and it is the spiritual aspect that MUST fill every law and Jesus wanted that Spiritual aspect to be well known.
When the Pharisees accused Him of breaking the Sabbath by healing on the Sabbath, Jesus reminded them of the SPIRITUAL aspect of the law!
Over and over Jesus was reminding everyone of the Spiritual aspect of the law because the law is Spiritual- given in love which is spiritual NOT tangible, not something you can grasp but something you must have, must believe in spiritually.'
*
Spirituality.
Some might try to argue you have to see, touch, smell, hear, or taste something for it to be considered real. Yet you can't see a feeling. You can't touch, smell, hear or taste a feeling- and feelings exist- they are real. You can't touch a thought, you can't use any of your senses. People who can't hear, see, taste, feel, or smell can still have thoughts. We call this the mental part of us, not the physical part. We call this the emotional part of us, not the physical. We call this the spiritual part of us…sometimes.
What are the gifts of the Spirit-Spiritual gifts?
1Co 12:1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.
1Co 12:2 Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led.
1Co 12:3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.
1Co 12:4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
1Co 12:5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.
1Co 12:6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.
1Co 12:7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
1Co 12:8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
1Co 12:9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
1Co 12:10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
1Co 12:11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
1Co 12:28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
1Co 12:29 Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?
1Co 12:30 Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?
1Co 12:31 But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.
Spiritual gifts for a spiritual living.
Wisdom, knowledge, miracles, prophecy, discernment of the spiritual, different languages, interpreting different languages- gifts- spiritual gifts.
Spiritual existence.
Joh 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
In spirit-
Pro 29:23 A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.
Spiritually humble.
Ecc 7:8 Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
Spiritually patient.
Spiritually proud.
Isa 29:24 They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine.
Spiritual erring.
Isa 54:6 For the LORD hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God.
Spiritual grieving.
Mat 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Spiritually poor.
Luk 1:80 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.
Spiritually strong.
Luk 10:21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.
Spiritual rejoicing.
Joh 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Spiritually worshipping.
Joh 13:21 When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.
Spiritually troubled.
Rom 12:11 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord
Spiritually fervent.
1Co 7:34 There is difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband.
Spiritually holy.
1Ti 4:12 Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
Spiritual example.
Remember- God is spirit and we must worship Him in spirit and truth.
God's moral law has a very spiritual aspect to it and it's not a law that will ever disappear. Why people want to believe differently is Satan led.
Jas 1:25 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.
More tomorrow- by the wonderful, amazing, powerful grace of God.
In His LOVE, His PERFECT LOVE!
Amen.
'The spiritual aspect of the law is what so many try to take out of the law and it is the spiritual aspect that MUST fill every law and Jesus wanted that Spiritual aspect to be well known.
When the Pharisees accused Him of breaking the Sabbath by healing on the Sabbath, Jesus reminded them of the SPIRITUAL aspect of the law!
Over and over Jesus was reminding everyone of the Spiritual aspect of the law because the law is Spiritual- given in love which is spiritual NOT tangible, not something you can grasp but something you must have, must believe in spiritually.'
*
Spirituality.
Some might try to argue you have to see, touch, smell, hear, or taste something for it to be considered real. Yet you can't see a feeling. You can't touch, smell, hear or taste a feeling- and feelings exist- they are real. You can't touch a thought, you can't use any of your senses. People who can't hear, see, taste, feel, or smell can still have thoughts. We call this the mental part of us, not the physical part. We call this the emotional part of us, not the physical. We call this the spiritual part of us…sometimes.
What are the gifts of the Spirit-Spiritual gifts?
1Co 12:1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.
1Co 12:2 Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led.
1Co 12:3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.
1Co 12:4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
1Co 12:5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.
1Co 12:6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.
1Co 12:7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
1Co 12:8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
1Co 12:9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
1Co 12:10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
1Co 12:11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
1Co 12:28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
1Co 12:29 Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?
1Co 12:30 Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?
1Co 12:31 But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.
Spiritual gifts for a spiritual living.
Wisdom, knowledge, miracles, prophecy, discernment of the spiritual, different languages, interpreting different languages- gifts- spiritual gifts.
Spiritual existence.
Joh 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
In spirit-
Pro 29:23 A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.
Spiritually humble.
Ecc 7:8 Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
Spiritually patient.
Spiritually proud.
Isa 29:24 They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine.
Spiritual erring.
Isa 54:6 For the LORD hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God.
Spiritual grieving.
Mat 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Spiritually poor.
Luk 1:80 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.
Spiritually strong.
Luk 10:21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.
Spiritual rejoicing.
Joh 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Spiritually worshipping.
Joh 13:21 When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.
Spiritually troubled.
Rom 12:11 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord
Spiritually fervent.
1Co 7:34 There is difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband.
Spiritually holy.
1Ti 4:12 Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
Spiritual example.
Remember- God is spirit and we must worship Him in spirit and truth.
God's moral law has a very spiritual aspect to it and it's not a law that will ever disappear. Why people want to believe differently is Satan led.
Jas 1:25 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.
More tomorrow- by the wonderful, amazing, powerful grace of God.
In His LOVE, His PERFECT LOVE!
Amen.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Please Lord help us understand Your, Love.
Too many believe that keeping the law is something separate from the love of God and it is not!
I left off yesterday's study with the above sentence and I want to pick up that same train of thought for today's study.
Separating the love of God from His laws- it's IMPOSSIBLE.
Jesus came and revealed God to us and He kept every commandment in love. If we keep the commandments thinking they will somehow save us we are incredibly wrong. Only our Savior's mercy and grace saves us. We are only saved by the thought action it takes to accept Christ. This assent to being saved is the only thing we can do. However…
Php 2:12 ... work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
And…
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Too many people like to stop reading after the 9th verse, continuing on into the 10th we read… we are CREATED in Christ Jesus UNTO GOOD WORKS….WALK IN THEM.
So here we have the admonition to work out our own salvation and then we have the wonderful announcement that we can't save ourselves and it's a gift we receive of God- however…we are CREATED IN CHRIST JESUS UNTO GOOD WORKS. This salvation gift isn't a gift we receive and then walk away and continue our lives as if nothing has changed. Remember this…
Mat 13:18 Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.
Mat 13:19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.
Mat 13:20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;
Mat 13:21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.
Mat 13:22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
Mat 13:23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
After we receive the word of the gospel- the message of salvation through Jesus Christ we do NOT simply return to our old ways. Those who receive the word HEARETH the word- UNDERSTANDETH the word-BEARETH fruit.
Hear.
Understand.
Bear fruit.
Fruit-
Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Gal 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Why is there NO LAW against those who have the fruit of the Spirit? Because THERE is NO LAW prohibiting these things! These are those intangible things we talked about a few days ago. These are the things you can covet because these are NOT possessions, these are not tangible, these are not of the flesh in any way. We are to covet spiritual gifts- it stands to reason we'd desire spiritual fruit.
Gal 5:24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
Gal 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Gal 5:26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
When we claim Christ we claim to CRUCIFY OUR FLESH- crucify our affections and lust- that which desires the earthly possession surrounding us. If we are truly living in the SPIRIT we will live as the SPIRITUAL- desiring the SPIRITUAL- not anything we can possess of the flesh, nothing tangible, nothing we can touch, see, feel.
Imagine LIVING In the SPIRIT, truly living in the SPIRIT. To live in the SPIRIT means living in the LOVE Of GOD fully. Keeping the law of God fully IS living in the SPIRIT and not living in bondage.
We've studied each law and we've seen how not a single one is something our Savior would say is no longer relevant. We've studied and we've seen how our Savior kept the law perfectly- never sinning- never transgressing a single law. We understand that because our Savior remained sinless- never transgressing the law- that He is worthy to save us- He is without sin.
We know that there is no sin without a law, yet there is life with out a written law. The law that was given on Mount Sinai was the unwritten law written. But that wasn't the only law given then- there was a ceremonial law, among other laws to govern life yet those laws were NOT included in the ten commandments, those laws were NOT written by the finger of God, those laws were NOT written in stone. There is a difference, a big difference. For years and years and years since before Adam and Eve sinned- God's ways existed, God's love existed, God's laws of love existed. From Adam and Eve to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph…God's laws existed- how do we know? Because SIN existed. We know that sin existed, we know there were heathen, the God-less, those against God. We know that cities of these God-less people were destroyed! We know that the entire population save eight were destroyed because of sin! And WHAT is sin? Sin is a transgression of the LAW! We cannot get around that though we can try all we want. When people talk about the law being done away with- they are talking about laws that are NOT the ten commandments! Jesus said He did NOT come to destroy the law! How could He, if He destroyed the law He would be destroying love, the love He put into those laws to govern our spiritual lives.
Oh there is soooo much we can talk about with this, so incredibly much. Satan would make this very hard to comprehend - in fact impossible to comprehend but God will not allow that. Those that truly love God will have their understanding opened. We need to have our understanding opened to discern the love of God in the law of God.
There was a reason Jesus said this in clarification--
Mat 5:21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
Mat 5:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
The spiritual aspect of the law is what so many try to take out of the law and it is the spiritual aspect that MUST fill every law and Jesus wanted that Spiritual aspect to be well known.
When the Pharisees accused Him of breaking the Sabbath by healing on the Sabbath, Jesus reminded them of the SPIRITUAL aspect of the law!
Over and over Jesus was reminding everyone of the Spiritual aspect of the law because the law is Spiritual given in love which is spiritual NOT tangible, not something you can grasp but something you must have, must believe in spiritually.
Oh please Lord help us..help us understand Your LOVE!
More tomorrow by HIS GRACE.
Amen.
I left off yesterday's study with the above sentence and I want to pick up that same train of thought for today's study.
Separating the love of God from His laws- it's IMPOSSIBLE.
Jesus came and revealed God to us and He kept every commandment in love. If we keep the commandments thinking they will somehow save us we are incredibly wrong. Only our Savior's mercy and grace saves us. We are only saved by the thought action it takes to accept Christ. This assent to being saved is the only thing we can do. However…
Php 2:12 ... work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
And…
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Too many people like to stop reading after the 9th verse, continuing on into the 10th we read… we are CREATED in Christ Jesus UNTO GOOD WORKS….WALK IN THEM.
So here we have the admonition to work out our own salvation and then we have the wonderful announcement that we can't save ourselves and it's a gift we receive of God- however…we are CREATED IN CHRIST JESUS UNTO GOOD WORKS. This salvation gift isn't a gift we receive and then walk away and continue our lives as if nothing has changed. Remember this…
Mat 13:18 Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.
Mat 13:19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.
Mat 13:20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;
Mat 13:21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.
Mat 13:22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
Mat 13:23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
After we receive the word of the gospel- the message of salvation through Jesus Christ we do NOT simply return to our old ways. Those who receive the word HEARETH the word- UNDERSTANDETH the word-BEARETH fruit.
Hear.
Understand.
Bear fruit.
Fruit-
Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Gal 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Why is there NO LAW against those who have the fruit of the Spirit? Because THERE is NO LAW prohibiting these things! These are those intangible things we talked about a few days ago. These are the things you can covet because these are NOT possessions, these are not tangible, these are not of the flesh in any way. We are to covet spiritual gifts- it stands to reason we'd desire spiritual fruit.
Gal 5:24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
Gal 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Gal 5:26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
When we claim Christ we claim to CRUCIFY OUR FLESH- crucify our affections and lust- that which desires the earthly possession surrounding us. If we are truly living in the SPIRIT we will live as the SPIRITUAL- desiring the SPIRITUAL- not anything we can possess of the flesh, nothing tangible, nothing we can touch, see, feel.
Imagine LIVING In the SPIRIT, truly living in the SPIRIT. To live in the SPIRIT means living in the LOVE Of GOD fully. Keeping the law of God fully IS living in the SPIRIT and not living in bondage.
We've studied each law and we've seen how not a single one is something our Savior would say is no longer relevant. We've studied and we've seen how our Savior kept the law perfectly- never sinning- never transgressing a single law. We understand that because our Savior remained sinless- never transgressing the law- that He is worthy to save us- He is without sin.
We know that there is no sin without a law, yet there is life with out a written law. The law that was given on Mount Sinai was the unwritten law written. But that wasn't the only law given then- there was a ceremonial law, among other laws to govern life yet those laws were NOT included in the ten commandments, those laws were NOT written by the finger of God, those laws were NOT written in stone. There is a difference, a big difference. For years and years and years since before Adam and Eve sinned- God's ways existed, God's love existed, God's laws of love existed. From Adam and Eve to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph…God's laws existed- how do we know? Because SIN existed. We know that sin existed, we know there were heathen, the God-less, those against God. We know that cities of these God-less people were destroyed! We know that the entire population save eight were destroyed because of sin! And WHAT is sin? Sin is a transgression of the LAW! We cannot get around that though we can try all we want. When people talk about the law being done away with- they are talking about laws that are NOT the ten commandments! Jesus said He did NOT come to destroy the law! How could He, if He destroyed the law He would be destroying love, the love He put into those laws to govern our spiritual lives.
Oh there is soooo much we can talk about with this, so incredibly much. Satan would make this very hard to comprehend - in fact impossible to comprehend but God will not allow that. Those that truly love God will have their understanding opened. We need to have our understanding opened to discern the love of God in the law of God.
There was a reason Jesus said this in clarification--
Mat 5:21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
Mat 5:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
The spiritual aspect of the law is what so many try to take out of the law and it is the spiritual aspect that MUST fill every law and Jesus wanted that Spiritual aspect to be well known.
When the Pharisees accused Him of breaking the Sabbath by healing on the Sabbath, Jesus reminded them of the SPIRITUAL aspect of the law!
Over and over Jesus was reminding everyone of the Spiritual aspect of the law because the law is Spiritual given in love which is spiritual NOT tangible, not something you can grasp but something you must have, must believe in spiritually.
Oh please Lord help us..help us understand Your LOVE!
More tomorrow by HIS GRACE.
Amen.
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