Oh, wretched man that I am

Rom 7:17  Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
Rom 7:18  For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.

This is the plight of an APOSTLE!
Why do we ever try to imagine we would have a different experience?! 

Rom 7:19  For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.

Jesus spoke directly to Paul in a vision. Paul was left blind by the encounter and then given back his sight by another man sent by God to him. 

And Paul struggled with SIN!

Paul was fighting the good fight that we ALL must fight.

Paul was recognizing the SPIRITUAL side of His life and knew that the moral law was spiritual. He also knew that he was powerless to keep from sinning … on HIS OWN!

He fought against the fiery darts of Satan and recognized the source of the spiritual warfare.

Rom 7:20  Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

'It is NO MORE I that do it------- but SIN that dwelleth in me.'

He's warring! The spiritual desire to be sinless and following all of God's spiritual moral laws was paramount to Paul. He didn't want the sin in HIM. He didn't want the fiery darts to get through the armor and pierce him. He recognized his forever weakness, but did NOT use that as an excuse to give in to sin.  He did not say he is a being that can't help but sin so why bother even trying to keep from sin. 

Rom 7:21  I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.

Rom 7:22  For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:

DELIGHTS in the LAW of GOD AFTER THE INWARD MAN.

Do you delight in the moral law of God? Is keeping the moral law of God something that delights you? All too often we fear or abhor the law of God because it becomes something of a great impossible weight to bear.  Or it keeps us from delving into pleasurable sin and do not for one moment even try to believe that sin holds no pleasure.  If sin held no pleasure it'd be very easy to keep from succumbing to it, right?

Do you delight in the moral law of God? 

Paul states here that he delights in the law of God AFTER THE INWARD MAN.

Spiritually HE delights in the law of God.  Spiritually he recognizes the love of God in every single moral law that exists. When you see the beauty of the law of God, when you recognize the LOVE of God in the law you can't help but delight in such amazing, overwhelming love that is directed right at us.

Yet the flesh side of us that wars against the spiritual side does not DELIGHT in the law of God!

Rom 7:23  But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

There is a law in Paul's MEMBERS that wars against the law of his MIND!   Yet, our hands and feet, and any other part of our body does NOT act independently to our mind, does it?  Barring cases of demon possession, it is our own mind consenting to the sin of the flesh, right?  The war is between the flesh and the spirit!   The flesh desiring things SELFISHLY, the mind knowing that we should be SELF-LESS.  There is a war, a constant war between the selfish and selfless part of us.

Rom 7:24  O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

We are truly condemned if left on our own because we CANNOT be selfless on our own, the idea of being selfless or trying to created a selflessness inside of ourselves can stem from a SELFISH desire! We are POWERLESS to save ourselves!  We need to recognize this powerlessness and do so NOT in order to soothe our conscience with we sin, but so that we recognize our NEED of a SAVIOR and when we sin, we CONFESS, we REPENT, we SEEK FORGIVENESS knowing we've done wrong. 

Rom 7:25  I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

NEVER did Paul ever ONCE intend these verses of his to be used to endorse sinfulness, NEVER!

He was recognizing his NEED of a SAVIOR who SAVES to the uttermost!

We need this recognition!

We need this acknowledgment that while we delight in God's law and our sinful nature wars against that, we have to surrender to our SAVIOR who can live in us and save us from all sin! He does what we absolutely CANNOT do, but HE never gave us the endorsement to sin. He told those he encountered and healed to ' GO AND SIN NO MORE' ! Would our Savior tell them to do something that was impossible?! No, He would not!

Is it any wonder we must constantly pray? Praying always, in all prayer and supplication?!  It isn't truly any wonder, it fosters hope in a constant connection to our SAVIOR!

Go and sin no more.

Thank GOD through JESUS CHRIST our LORD.

With our mind we MUST serve the law of God, not make excuses as to why we don't have to, or shouldn't, or that something is wrong with the law of God. Our SPIRITUAL self must SERVE the LAW of GOD.

The flesh, OUR flesh may serve the law of sin- the sin that makes us weak to temptation, that makes us desire sin. 

We must learn to surrender to our God and live in Christ, wholly in Christ.

All by HIS will!
IN HIS LOVE!

The moral law is spiritual

Rom 7:14  For we know that the law is SPIRITUAL : but I am carnal, sold under sin.

The law is SPIRITUAL.
Without Christ we are carnal- spiritless. We are lost in sin without any hope at all. We are flesh beings with no real substance at all.

The law is SPIRITUAL.
Keeping the moral law, the moral commandments, goes far beyond the keeping of the ceremonial laws.  People love to entwine the two so they cannot be separated and that means that the moral laws as well as the ceremonial laws were all nailed to the cross and done away with.

A little bit of logic, a little bit of sincere studying would reveal the truth of the matter.

The ceremonial law that pointed to our Savior's arrival and purpose was done away with when our Savior arrived and lived, died, and rose again. 

The moral law didn't point to our Savior's arrival and purpose, it was a revelation of love to all.

Most people have no trouble at all agreeing that the moral law is just that except for the pesky weekly Sabbath law. If they'd just study further they'd comprehend that the Sabbath was instituted LONG before the ceremonial laws were given in full. The Sabbath was part of CREATION week, and as long as this earth and all that in it exists the weekly day of rest will exist.  It was put in the MORAL law for a reason.  The ceremonial law had it's special Sabbath's different from the weekly Sabbath of the moral law.  You have to study to find all this out, it's not something that is just known, and if people aren't willing to study then they are NOT seeking to know the Lord their God as they should.

The law is SPIRITUAL.  The moral law is completely spiritual, it was created from the love of God.  The moral law will reveal our sinfulness in many, many ways.

Rom 7:15  For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.

Does this sound familiar to you?

Do you ever do things you hate, but do them anyway? Do you ever do things you know are wrong, but do them any way? Do you wish you didn't feel the overwhelming compulsion to do things that you do knowing that they are not the things God wants of you? 

This is all a part of our Spiritual existence, this BATTLE.

The spiritual and physical interact a lot, there is no doubt about that. 

Rom 7:16  If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.

IF we did things in our life that we wished we hadn't done, if we do things we wish we didn't do, then we are AGREEING that there is a moral standard that exist in US that makes us feel the weight of the sinfulness of the things we do.

If you feel bad for yelling hateful things at someone, you feel bad because you know it wasn't right to do so. How do you know it wasn't right to do so, because you are feeling bad about it and if it was right to do it, you would not feel bad about it at all whatsoever. What makes it wrong? The harm you are bringing to that other person, the emotional, mental harm you are throwing at another human being.

True there are always exceptions, and it's factual some people love to be hateful and would feel not the slightest bit bad about slinging hateful words at someone. Those people are given totally over to sin and are completely blind to the truth, and yes, those people exist in far greater numbers than anyone might want to even think about.

The spiritual moral law reveals ultimately how we are to interact and treat God and our fellow man, when those spiritual laws are broken, by the grace and mercy of God we are allowed to feel the weight of our wrong doing in breaking those laws. Because only when we feel the weight of sin do we realize it's awfulness and we can begin to comprehend in some small way our helplessness. When we recognize our helplessness we can understand that we need to be helped.

We do things we don't want to do all the time and this truly reveals the spiritual moral law to be GOOD.  We are being shown the wickedness by the goodness. 


Rom 7:17  Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
Rom 7:18  For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
Rom 7:19  For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
Rom 7:20  Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
Rom 7:21  I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
Rom 7:22  For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
Rom 7:23  But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
Rom 7:24  O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
Rom 7:25  I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

The law reveals our sinfulness and our Savior reveals our HOPE.

More tomorrow on this all by the GRACE of God.

We need to comprehend how truly SPIRITUAL we are called to be, and we will all through the HOLY SPIRIT, and the LOVE of our SAVIOR, and the FATHER GOD!

All glory to GOD!

Wake up, Spiritual life.

Spiritual living. 

We all seem to have a handle on the physical side of life. We know what it takes to keep ourselves alive. Our spiritual side of life isn't something we concern ourselves with because it isn't essential to our physical life. Our emotional state of life is important because if we get too unstable mentally or emotionally we can endanger our physical life. Yet, you don't hear many people touting how life important our spiritual side is. Our spiritual side has been successfully buried by Satan.

We wouldn't dare tell someone that their life depends on their spiritual well being because they'd think we were crazy, especially if we believe what we are saying.  They might chuckle and roll their eyes a bit and then say ah you're talking about the after life.  But we aren't just talking about the 'after life'.  We are talking about our LIFE right here and now.  What people don't seem to want to concern themselves with too much is the fact our LIFE right here and now determines our 'after life'. 

Too many people want to wait for the 'right time' to become spiritual. Too many make decisions concerning their spiritual life that have nothing to do with their every day life.

The truth is our spiritual life is more important than any other aspect of our life. 

Our spiritual life is more important then our physical life.

When our physical life is over, the sum of what our spiritual life has been is what matters. Just being alive does not guarantee us salvation, it does not guarantee us eternity in Christ.

Our spiritual life and our spiritual way of living is more important than ANYTHING.  If we are called to choose between our spiritual life and our physical life we must choose our spiritual life without fail, but will we do that if we barely even care that we have a spiritual life?

Php_3:8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ

ALL thing are counted but loss, NOTHING means more than our knowledge of Christ Jesus our LORD.

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

Luk_9:24  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.

Joh_12:25  He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

These words are so incredibly important and yet people just don't seem to care much about their spirituality.

We focus on our worldly life, our flesh life, NOT our spiritual life.

When we wake up we don't have our minds focused on the spiritual part of us waking up, do we?

Most of us haven't even been taught about our spiritual self, so how could we think about our spiritual life as something that needs tending to just as our physical body needs tending. We could no more live physically without doing anything to keep ourselves alive than we can live spiritually without doing things to keep our spiritual life alive. 

Our spiritual life is extremely important and now that we've established that, or at least I hope we have, we will continue on…  tomorrow by the GRACE of our LORD and SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST!

IN HIS LOVE!

May we learn of our spiritual life as a real part of us and learn how to tend to this part of our life so that we may live fully IN CHRIST.

Spiritual Living

Rom 7:14  For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.

The law is spiritual.

We are carnal- sold under sin.

There is a SPIRITUAL LIFE we must have!

Read all of the following very carefully, maybe once or twice, or even three or four times and we are going to take time to slowly study this over the next week or so, however long it takes.

Rom 7:14  For we know that the law is SPIRITUAL : but I am carnal, sold under sin.
Rom 7:15  For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
Rom 7:16  If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.

Rom 7:17  Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

Rom 7:18  For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.

Rom 7:19  For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.

Rom 7:20  Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

Rom 7:21  I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.

Rom 7:22  For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
Rom 7:23  But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

Rom 7:24  O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

Rom 7:25  I thank God through JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD. So then with THE MIND I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

Rom 8:1  There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the SPIRIT.

Rom 8:2  For the law of the SPIRIT of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

Rom 8:3  For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
Rom 8:4  That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the SPIRIT.

Rom 8:5  For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the SPIRIT the things of the SPIRIT.

Rom 8:6  For to be carnally minded is death; but to be SPIRITUALLY minded is life and peace.

Rom 8:7  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

Rom 8:8  So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

Rom 8:9  But ye are not in the flesh, but in the SPIRIT, if so be that the SPIRIT of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the SPIRIT of Christ, he is none of his.

Rom 8:10  And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the SPIRIT is life because of righteousness.

Rom 8:11  But if the SPIRIT of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his SPIRIT that dwelleth in you.

Rom 8:12  Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
Rom 8:13  For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall DIE: but if ye through the SPIRIT do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

Rom 8:14  For as many as are led by the SPIRIT of God, they are the sons of God.

Rom 8:15  For ye have not received the SPIRIT of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the SPIRIT of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

Rom 8:16  The SPIRIT itself beareth witness with our SPIRIT, that we are the children of God:
Rom 8:17  And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

Rom 8:18  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Rom 8:19  For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

Rom 8:20  For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
Rom 8:21  Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

Rom 8:22  For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.

Rom 8:23  And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the SPIRIT, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

Rom 8:24  For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?

Rom 8:25  But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

Rom 8:26  Likewise the SPRIIT also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the SPIRIT itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

Rom 8:27  And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the SPIRIT, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

Rom 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Rom 8:29  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Rom 8:30  Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

Rom 8:31  What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

Rom 8:32  He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

Rom 8:33  Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.

Rom 8:34  Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

Rom 8:35  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

Rom 8:36  As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

Rom 8:37  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

Rom 8:38  For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Rom 8:39  Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

PRAISE GOD!

All glory to GOD!

All thanksgiving to GOD!

All honor to GOD!

May we come to comprehend even more the SPIRITUAL life we must live as being of CHRIST!

May the SPIRIT life become REAL to us, so REAL we do comprehend that the SPIRIT world around us is MORE a reality than this flesh life we live.

ALL THROUGH OUR GOD! OUR CHRIST! OUR SAVIOR! THE HOLY SPIRIT!

IN HIS LOVE!

ALWAYS!

Seek those things which are above

If we claim Christ as our Savior, If we choose to walk in the Spirit, we are making a choice to live a certain way.  Throughout the Word of God we are told how we should be, what the characteristics are of Christ followers. 

Read the following very carefully-

Col 3:1  If ye then be risen with Christ, SEEK those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

Col 3:2  SET YOU AFFECTION ON THINGS ABOVE NOT ON THINGS ON THE EARTH.

Col 3:3  For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
Col 3:4  When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

Col 3:5  MORTIFY therefore YOUR MEMBERS which are upon the earth;

FORNICATION
UNCLEANESS
INORDINATE AFFECTION
EVIL CONCUPISCENCE
And COVETOUSNESS

which is idolatry

Col 3:6  For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
Col 3:7  In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.

Col 3:8  But now ye also PUT OFF ALL THESE

ANGER
MALICE
BLASPHEMY
FILTHY COMMUNICATION OUT OF YOUR MOUTH
LIE NOT TO ONE ANOTHER

Col 3:9  LIE NOT TO ONE ANOTHER, seeing that ye have PUT OFF THE OLD MAN WITH HIS DEEDS
Col 3:10  And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
Col 3:11  Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

Col 3:12  PUT ON therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved,

BOWELS OF MERCIES
KINDNESS
HUMBLENESS OF MIND
MEEKNESS LONGSUFFERING

Col 3:13 

FORBEARING ONE ANOTHER
FORGIVING ONE ANOTHER

 if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

Col 3:14  And above all these things PUT ON CHARITY, which is the bond of perfectness.

Col 3:15  And LET THE PEACE OF GOD RULE IN YOUR HEARTS  to the which also ye are called in one body; and BE YE THANKFUL.

Col 3:16  LET THE WORD OF CHRIST DWELL IN YOU RICHLY IN ALL WISDOM, TEACHING and ADMONISHING  ONE ANOTHER IN PSALMS and HYMNS and SPIRITUAL SONGS SINGING with GRACE IN YOUR HEARTS TO THE LORD
Col 3:17  And WHATSOEVER YE DO IN WORD OF DEED
DO ALL IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS
GIVING THANKS TO GOD AND THE FATHER BY HIM.

*

So ask yourself… is this how you live your life?
Is this how you try to live your life?
Is this the standard you hold up before yourself and strive for?

Satan would have us despair of even imagining we could be all this and more in Christ. Satan wants us to believe we shouldn't do ANYTHING because then we are claiming that our works are making us Christians which is NOT true, only CHRIST gives us salvation.

Some will ask why bother doing anything at all if it means nothing, if it doesn't give us points towards salvation, towards a bigger mansion, a larger crown, more jewels in that crown.  The very face people ask this reveals their concept of God's love is skewed and they need to be prayed for.  It isn't about gaining something selfishly in any way, it's about LOSING self and all selfish desire.  It's not about doing good to get something out of it, it's doing good because you can't HELP but do good because CHRIST is living in you!

You want Christ to live in you, you want to live like Christ.

Will we always desire to do good, to do the right thing, to be all that was said above? No.  Our flesh nature will NOT let us DESIRE that constantly, but MENTALLY the part of us that can overrule our senses and comprehend that the desire not to do good isn't of God, can repent, can ask for forgiveness and can do that which is good regardless of the flesh desire in us to NOT want to do good things.

We are given so much SPIRITUAL instruction that to choose NOT to follow it, NOT to have anything to do with it means we are choosing to live with a spiritual deficit.  God wants us to be spiritually full in HIM and Satan wants us to be spiritually dead, not even aware of our spiritual nature. If Satan can hide our spiritual nature He will and He's done just that for sooooo many people.

*

Don't do the following, don't encourage the following in your life-

FORNICATION
UNCLEANNESS
INORDINATE AFFECTION
EVIL CONCUPISCENCE
And COVETOUSNESS which is idolatry

Col 3:6  For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
Col 3:7  In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.

Col 3:8  But now ye also PUT OFF ALL THESE

ANGER
MALICE
BLASPHEMY
FILTHY COMMUNICATION OUT OF YOUR MOUTH
LIE NOT TO ONE ANOTHER

*

These are just a FEW of the things we are not to do, not to encourage, not to strive for in our lives, not to accept as a natural part of us that cannot be surrendered to Christ.

When we have these things in our lives and WANT to keep them there, feeling absolutely no remorse for them, then we need to do a lot of praying, a lot!

Please LORD help us! Help us to desire to live more like YOU. Help us have YOU in us a living, real presence through YOUR Holy Spirit.

Please LORD, Satan would destroy us through despair that we will ever be as You would have us be, but we cannot despair, YOU would not have us despair but HOPE, live in HOPE, the HOPE of YOU!

In YOUR AMAZING LOVE AND MERCY, YOUR GRACE, YOUR FORGIVENESS!

Love as CHRIST loves

Rev_22:11  He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.

In context now-

Rev 22:7(JESUS IS SPEAKING HERE)  Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.

Rev 22:8  And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.
Rev 22:9  Then saith he (THE ANGEL) unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.
Rev 22:10  And he (THE ANGEL) saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.
Rev 22:11  He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.

Rev 22:12   (JESUS IS SPEAKING HERE) And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
Rev 22:13  I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

Rev 22:14  Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
Rev 22:15  For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

Rev 22:16 (JESUS IS SPEAKING HERE)  I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

Rev 22:17  And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
Rev 22:18  For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
Rev 22:19  And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
Rev 22:20  He which testifieth these things saith, (JESUS SPEAKING) Surely I come quickly.

 Amen.  Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Rev 22:21  The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.


Rev_22:11  He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.

There will be two sides at the end, as there has been seen sin came into existence and then when man chose to follow sin.

Two states of being.

Those who are unjust and filthy.

And those who are righteous and holy.

Before our Lord comes again all will have chosen a side in this spiritual warfare that will suddenly become very real to people.

The difference between the two states of being is in the choice they've made to either live for Jesus or live for Satan.

It all boils down to choosing a side.

We make light lately of choosing to be on 'Team Soandos, or Team Thisandthat' according to those we like in the movies or tv shows and whatnot. The reality is that there is a Team Jesus and a Team Satan and we all will all have chosen a side before our Savior returns. He's returning whether you believe or not, that won't stop Him.

Whose side do you want to be on?

The sides are spiritual- the choice is spiritual.

We spoke a little bit yesterday of love being a part of spiritual living and what that love means and it's NOT just three little words spoken, it's a sacrificial state of being.  Only Satan has twisted love to mean something different, he's warped it into a selfish state of being.  We love others under conditions and as long as those conditions are met we love. When those conditions stop being met we then make a choice as to whether or not we want to change the conditions of our love and continue on loving regardless of the old conditions.  It happens all the time. We are filled with ideas of what love should be, how it should feel, how it should act and when those ideas are interfered with we either alter our perception of love or we keep our perception intact and move on.

People get all caught up in the state of 'being in love' without realizing they are caught up in emotions that can fade, or even completely disappear. When we reduce love to emotions we strip love of reality and become victims of just another trap of Satan's.

Ideally we'd all live in a state of unending perfect love, but that is NOT reality. 

When you start a new relationship you have these overwhelming feelings coursing through you and even if you're smart enough to stop and realize these feelings will fade over time, you don't really know what will remain when they're gone. Will there be a deeper abiding love, or an emptiness, a hollowness?       Often the fading is so gradual it develops into something deeper a true abiding relationship, but sometimes the fading is a fight, a battle to keep things from fading and the fight creates that emptiness.

We have tons of examples surrounding us of what love is supposed to be and what it's not.  Ultimately there is only one perfect example and that is CHRIST JESUS our LORD and SAVIOR, Our God.

When we look at HIM, when we STUDY HIM and HIS life, we are shown that PERFECT LOVE.

Jesus DIED for sinners He loved!  Jesus didn't die pining over something that didn't exist. Jesus didn't die to get people to love Him. Jesus didn't die strictly for those who were high ups in the church -the so called righteous of His day.  Jesus didn't die for those who were sinless.

Jesus gave His life for ALL.

1Ti 2:3  For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
1Ti 2:4  Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
1Ti 2:5  For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
1Ti 2:6  Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

A RANSOM FOR ALL!

Jesus wasn't choosy about who He died for. He loved HUMANITY, He love MANKIND, His love didn't get down to the pickiness that we possess when we decide to love others. He didn't love that way. He LOVES ALL equally!  He is our SPIRITUAL EXAMPLE!

We too are to LOVE EQUALLY, all of mankind!

And we can ONLY love this way by HAVING HIM IN US!

Of our own accord at the very most all we'd be able to do is love somewhat, with a very imperfect love.

We aren't given instruction by our Savior without reason.

Love - suffers long
Love - is kind
Love- does not envy
Love- does not revolve around self
Love- does not think more of itself than others
Love- isn't unseemly
Love- doesn't seek to receive
Love- doesn't easily get angry
Love- doesn't think of committing evil
Love- will not be happy in evil acts
Love- WILL be happy in the truth
Love- WILL bear ALL things
Love- WILL believe ALL things
Love- WILL hope ALL things
Love - WILL endure ALL things
Love- won't fail
Love- is the Greatest Spiritual Gift of all

Love is, love will, love  does, love doesn't…

Guidelines.

Why do we need guidelines because with these guidelines we are able to recognize what is of God and what is of Satan.  When we aren't loving we need to repent and seek forgiveness, not just blow it off as being human. 

We need the Holy Spirit in us revealing just how truly we have surrendered our will to God's. We have to live in constant surrender to our Lord, allowing HIM to live in us in a very REAL way, not just as something we say but don't really mean at all.

It's a choice, a daily choice, not something less, but probably something more.  A constant choice, because we are in a constant battle all around us- Satan versus GOD, Evil versus LOVE.  A constant battle and a constant battle needs constant choosing.  This battle is so insidious that from one moment to the next we are presented with temptations towards evil. Satan is an enemy that doesn't rest for a moment and will jump in at every opportunity to try to wrest us away from our SAVIOR.

We need to have CHRIST in us, our ALL IN ALL! 

And by HIS MERCY and GRACE we will have Him in us! By His love we will have Him!

Please LORD let us CHOOSE YOU always!

Please LORD let us recognize our choices and let us repent and seek forgiveness when we are shown to be choosing sin, choosing Satan over YOU and YOUR LOVE!

Please LORD, bless us! We are NOTHING without You, nothing!

All in YOU!

Choosing Forever Love

Spiritual living-

1Co 13:4  Charity (love) suffereth long, and is kind; charity (love) envieth not; charity (love) vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
1Co 13:5  Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
1Co 13:6  Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
1Co 13:7  Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
1Co 13:8  Charity (love) never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
1Co 13:9  For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
1Co 13:10  But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
1Co 13:11  When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
1Co 13:12  For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
1Co 13:13  And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity (love)


Love is spiritual, isn't it?
The results of love can be physical, you can act out of love but that love that is causing you to act is spiritual in nature.

Even atheists will admit to love existing, and yet love isn't something tangible.

Throughout time people have tried to find the meaning of real love, because throughout time people have sought love to give it and to receive it.

Love is spiritual.

Though I suppose some might argue it is mental and emotional, but in truth it is spiritual.

God is love.

There would be NO such thing as love without God, He is love and from Him all love exists. 

People want to twist God into a monster because Satan has perverted all that is God. People want to believe that IF God really exists He never would have let sin exist and that any God that would let sin exist is an awful God and sinful Himself.

Of course any person can face the truth, the logic of the fact that had God only made beings that could NEVER think for themselves in any way, He would have had mechanical creatures incapable of receiving or giving love. God did NOT want to surround Himself with loveless beings. Yet to surround Himself with beings capable of love meant giving them the power of choice to love or not love. To force love is to destroy love- because love cannot be forced and still be love.

Love is forever a choice.

Can you choose to love forever? Does that choice take away the power to choose not to love?

We have something called marriage in our world and marriage was supposed to be forever- NEVER ending- unless death caused widows or widower's.  As long as the man and woman were married they were to never part. They were making a CHOICE to love forever regardless of anything unforeseen occurring.  That part about in sickness and health, about committing as long as both shall live, that was a  REAL thing and it symbolized Christ and His People. 

Is it any wonder breaking that vow of choice to love forever is so horrendous? It is essentially saying that there cannot be a choice once and for all to love forever- that there will always be a chance that the love will end. 

How can we comprehend that there will come a time when Christ will return for His people and they will live with Him forever in love if we only comprehend the love we experience here on earth? A love that can cause two people to marry knowing that divorce is something that is always possible should things get too bad, or someone better comes along, or for whatever reason.

Love is a choice, and it CAN be a forever choice and our GOD will know all those who make the choice to LOVE HIM FOREVER and it will be those who fully surrender themselves to HIS LOVE who will be those who live forever in HIS love. 

Sin will NOT enter the world a second time, and it won't be because the power of choice has been removed, it will be because a forever choice to love has been made.

Just as the angels- God's created beings- had to make a choice, a forever choice.  Two thirds of ALL the angels made the choice to love forever while one third of ALL the angels made the choice to not love forever.

Their choice was made and it cannot be altered because it was a FOREVER CHOICE, a decision for eternity.

Have you ever had to make a forever choice?  A choice whose consequences you knew were forever and ever, never able to undo?  We make choices like that all the time on a small level, don't we?  Just the very actions we commit to in one day are forever choices- we cannot undo. If we've made the choice to commit some sinful act and then commit it, that choice can't be undone.  We can be forgiven the choice, but it's not something that can be undone. Equally we can make an act for the sake of love, a loving act and that too will not be able to be undone.

We are the sum of our choices- and we ALL have the opportunity to choose the forever Love that our Savior Jesus Christ offers to us. No one will be able to say they didn't have that choice.

Forever love.

The Spiritual love that goes far, far beyond the physical sensations people can give to one another. The love that comes from that choice, love forever is a very, very amazing thing.

Is it possibly on a human level that you can choose to love forever and your partner not choose that same love? Yes, it is very possible. But when we choose to love the source of love, the author of love, the Creator who is love, that is something that will NEVER not be love- forever love.

Our Creator, our Redeemer, our Father in Heaven, the Holy Spirit -  are all FOREVER LOVE.

1Co 13:4  Charity (love) suffereth long, and is kind; charity (love) envieth not; charity (love) vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
1Co 13:5  Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
1Co 13:6  Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
1Co 13:7  Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
1Co 13:8  Charity (love) never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
1Co 13:9  For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
1Co 13:10  But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
1Co 13:11  When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
1Co 13:12  For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
1Co 13:13  And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity (love)

Love - suffers long
Love - is kind
Love- does not envy
Love- does not revolve around self
Love- does not think more of itself than others
Love- isn't unseemly
Love- doesn't seek to receive
Love- doesn't easily get angry
Love- doesn't think of committing evil
Love- will not be happy in evil acts
Love- WILL be happy in the truth
Love- WILL bear ALL things
Love- WILL believe ALL things
Love- WILL hope ALL things
Love - WILL endure ALL things
Love- won't fail
Love- is the Greatest Spiritual Gift of all

We have to choose ALL the time whether we will love or not love, in big things and in small things. We have to make this choice - no one is exempt. Those who say they'll opt out and not choose are choosing in that very action and the choice is not to love.

Only through CHRIST are we able to love as HE loves, we CANNOT do it of our own accord. We can choose to put on CHRIST, to accept CHRIST, to allow CHRIST to live in us and LOVE in us, and we must choose this-- forever love in Him.

All by His mercy!
All in His love!
Always!

Praise God!