Gather in our Savior's Name.

The manner of some Christians is to forsake getting together.  Can this be true? What could possibly possess Christians not to gather together? At the time of this writing Christians were facing persecution from Rome and from the Jews.  And yet it is very applicable to Christians of every age, isn't it? Don't ALL Christians no matter what age they were born into face persecution from spiritual darkness, from spiritual wickedness, from Satan?

Heb 10:25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

The DAY approaching. Forever the day approaches and forever the day will approaches until it arrives.

We see signs as we watch for Christ's return and frankly they are more apparent right now than they have been in years.  The signs are there… the imminent return of our Lord approaches, the leaves on the tree are starting to bud and will soon be fully unfurled. Summer is at hand, we see this, we KNOW this and 'SO MUCH the MORE we should be exhorting one another'.  Yet…  the manner of some is to forsake gathering together.  The outcome of neglecting such gathering, what is the outcome of drawing back, backing away from God?  And isn't that exactly what's happening when we choose NOT to gather together? In the very same chapter as those words above were spoken we read...

Heb 10:38  Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
Heb 10:39  But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

We cannot be of those who do NOT assemble together for any reason!

We do NOT want to draw back!

We WANT to live by faith! We WANT to live in obedience to God's will. We WANT to gather together and yes, exhort one another!

'ex·hort
igˈzôrt/
verb
1.
strongly encourage or urge (someone) to do something.
"the media have been exhorting people to turn out for the demonstration"
synonyms: urge, encourage, call on, enjoin, charge, press

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We must encourage one another to watch and pray.  We must urge each other to Christ and submitting to God's will.  We have to STRONGLY encourage and urge each other to the LOVE of our Savior more than the love of ourselves!   All too often we get entirely wrapped up in our very selfish flesh desires rather than what we know God would desire of us Spiritually.  We look to our flesh wants, not our spiritual wants.  We HAVE to look to our spiritual self because it is the SPIRIT in us, living in us, it is us being born into the spirit that is the only true life, the only life worth living!

Spiritually we NEED to gather together to exhort one another in our Savior, in our Creator! We need to lay our treasure in heaven and we all know that there isn't a single physical treasure that can be laid up in heaven, not one! We are putting our spiritual treasures in heaven!  If we are supposed to be placing our spiritual treasures in heaven we need to be in possession of them- SPIRITUALLY!  When we gather together we are bringing our spiritual treasures together, treasures we can store in heaven and nothing will destroy them!

Our exhortations are towards the return of our Savior and our being known by Him when He returns. Our exhortations are us looking for the day of His return, of us being a bride ready for the Groom as the wedding day approaches.  Our exhortations must be for the extra oil upon us as we sleep, waiting for the Groom to arrive. We must be prepared! And our gathering together to exhort one another is all towards this single purpose- life everlasting with our Savior.

May God bless us and keep us IN HIM, gathering together, exhorting one another, watching, praying all for His return!

2Th 2:1  Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our GATHERING TOGETHER UNTO HIM.

Mat 18:20  For where two or three are GATHERED TOGETHER IN MY NAME, THERE AM I IN THE MIDST OF THEM.

1Co 5:4  In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, WHEN YE ARE GATHERED TOGETHER and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ

Jud 1:17  But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;
Jud 1:18  How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.
Jud 1:19  THESE BE THEY WHO SEPARATE THEMSELVES, sensual, having not the Spirit.
Jud 1:20  But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,
Jud 1:21  Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

Heb 3:13  But  EXHORT one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

1Th 5:8  But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
1Th 5:9  For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
1Th 5:10  Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should LIVE TOGETHER with him.
1Th 5:11  Wherefore COMFORT YOURSELVES TOGETHER AND EDIFY ONE ANOTHER, even as also ye do.

Please LORD SAVIOR, please help us to comfort and edify one another, teach us how to do this, please, let YOUR HOLY SPIRIT guide us into all truth and understanding as we seek to be known by YOU.   All by YOUR LOVE CREATOR! All by YOUR LOVE!

The LORD hates lies

Pro 6:16  These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
Pro 6:17  A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
Pro 6:18  An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
Pro 6:19  A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren

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The LORD hates a false witness that speaks lies.

We already discussed how much God hate lying and here again is the lying aspect brought up, why? Maybe because it's so awful!

Try not to lie at all whatsoever. Seriously, try it!  Every single little tiny white lie, try not to do it. Maybe you're different from me and you won't have an issue with any of it. Just the other day a situation came up and to "protect" someone I wanted to lie.  Yet in the end coming clean and NOT living a lie even by omission, was the best course of action even when the coming clean did upset the one I wanted to protect.

The LORD hates a false witness and we know to be a false witness you have to lie.

A witness is one who is called to testify to something, right?

'A witness is someone who has, who claims to have, or is thought, by someone with authority to compel testimony, to have knowledge relevant to an event or other matter of interest.'

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You expect TRUTH from a witness. You WANT truth from a witness. You never want a witness to lie unless you are corrupt yourself.

Truth or lies, so much comes down to these two things. Those two things are good or evil, God or Satan.  But people do NOT want to look at it like that, they'd rather stay stuck on the truth or lie part so it doesn't hit the reality of things. The reality of eternal life.

Eternal life is REALITY.

Eternal life is NOT guaranteed to all.

Sinners, willful sinners, unrepentant willful sinners will not have eternal life. They won't have eternal life in a fiery inferno or some other screwed up form of forever torture, they simply will no longer exist. And because we do exist, it's hard for us to truly comprehend no longer existing, as it should be. We know that we die, we see people dying, we have many relatives that have died before us, we know they cease to exist in our lives. Only some people, a lot of people, maybe even most people believe the dead are still alive somewhere, though it's untrue. The dead are sleeping and they will be awakened when Christ returns, some to everlasting life, the others not.

Truth or lies.

The LORD hates lies of any and all sorts.

The LORD hates lies because they are of Satan and the LORD wants us all to love truth, to love righteousness, to love good, to love forgiveness, to love their Creator, their Redeemer.

Liars are not of God.
Liars have no part of God.

Forgive us, Father, forgive us for our ease of lying, of not realizing just how awful a lie is. Please keep us from lying as You keep us from evil, all evil.

Let us live in YOU and YOU in us!

All by YOUR love and grace, YOUR mercy and truth, YOUR righteousness!

The LORD hates when we rush to do evil

Pro 6:16  These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
Pro 6:17  A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
Pro 6:18  An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
Pro 6:19  A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren

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The LORD hates-  feet that be swift in running to mischief.

Running to mischief.

Strong's
Mischief - 7451
- Transliteration: Ra`
- Phonetic: rah
- Definition: adj
1. bad, evil

The LORD hates when we are quick to do evil.   He HATES EVIL, and it stands to reason HE would hate even more so those who are in a hurry to do EVIL.

We don't like to think that anyone wants to do evil, do we?  Those who are doing evil will often believe they aren't doing evil. They LIE to themselves. They call EVIL good!

Isa_5:20  Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

Woe unto them… and there are so many!

Luk 11:35  Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.

We have to take heed that the LIGHT in us is NOT darkness.

2Ti 3:1  This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2Ti 3:2  For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
2Ti 3:3  Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
2Ti 3:4  Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
2Ti 3:5  Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

Evil-

Lovers of their own selves.
Covetous.
Boasters.
Proud.
Blasphemers.
Disobedient to parents.
Unthankful.
Unholy.
Without natural affection.
Trucebreakers.
False accusers.
Incontinent (without self-control, intemperate )
Fierce.
Despisers of those that are good.
Traitors.
Heady.
Highminded.
Lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God.
Having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof.

And from that long list, how many people possess these traits and still believe they are of the light, and not of the evil.

We call evil good, and good evil.

God HATES when we run to evil and so many of us do this!

Please, LORD, please help us not to run to mischief, not to seek out evil. Help us to recognize any evil in us so we may run from it, not towards it. We would be YOURS, SAVIOR! We would be YOURS.

All by YOUR GRACE, YOUR LOVE!

The LORD hates a heart that devises wicked imaginations.

Pro 6:16  These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
Pro 6:17  A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
Pro 6:18  An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
Pro 6:19  A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

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The LORD hates a heart that devises wicked imaginations.

Wicked imaginations- wicked plans, wicked intentions.

When we have any wickedness in us the Lord hates it.

Gen_13:13  But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.

We know Sodom was destroyed- they were wicked!

Gen_18:23  And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?

We know that God told Abraham that He WOULDN'T destroy Sodom if there were  ten NON-wicked people in Sodom, ten!  And there were NOT ten righteous! Other than Lot and His two daughters, none escaped because they were WICKED!

Exo_9:27  And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, I have sinned this time: the LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked.

Wickedness!

Num_16:26  And he spake unto the congregation, saying, Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest ye be consumed in all their sins.

Wicked!

Psa_7:11  God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.

The wicked!

Psa_10:4  The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.

Wicked- Pride.

Psa_11:5  The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.

Wicked-Violence.

Psa_28:3  Draw me not away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, which speak peace to their neighbours, but mischief is in their hearts.

Wicked- Workers of Inquity- Mischief in the Heart.

Psa_37:21  The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth.

Wicked - no mercy, no giving.

Psa_109:2  For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me: they have spoken against me with a lying tongue.

Wicked- a lying tongue.

Mal_3:18  Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.

Wicked- do not serve God.

The LORD hates a heart that devises wicked imaginations.

Wickedness- anything and everything that does NOT serve God.

The LORD hates wickedness and those who embrace wickedness, wanting wickedness, creating wickedness, everything wicked is all that is not of God.

If our hearts are wicked we cannot serve God and only God can clean our hearts.

Psa 51:6  Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
Psa 51:7  Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Psa 51:8  Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
Psa 51:9  Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
Psa 51:10  Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
Psa 51:11  Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
Psa 51:12  Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
Psa 51:13  Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
Psa 51:14  Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.
Psa 51:15  O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
Psa 51:16  For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.
Psa 51:17  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

Do we see? Do we comprehend?

The love of our LORD is above all things.

The LORD hating wickedness is all things love hating all things evil.

Please LORD, please SAVIOR, please CREATOR, please keep us from all wickedness!

All by YOUR grace!

God Hates the Shedding of Innocent Blood

Pro 6:16  These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:

Pro 6:17  A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,

Pro 6:18  An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,

Pro 6:19  A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

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The LORD hates-  hands that shed innocent blood- murder.

Remember this verse from yesterday's study--

Joh_8:44  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

A murderer from the beginning.  Not only is the devil the father of lying, but he is also a murderer from the beginning.

The very first murder-  Cain murdering his brother Abel.

Gen 4:1  And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.

Gen 4:2  And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.

Gen 4:3  And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.

Gen 4:4  And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:

Gen 4:5  But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

Gen 4:6  And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?

Gen 4:7  If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

Cain was wroth at God because God did not accept his offering.  Notice how Cain brought of the fruit of the ground…  NOT the best, choicest of fruits, but just fruit of the ground.  While Abel gave God the best, the choicest, the firstling of his flock.  Cain did not give God the respect due to Him and God was trying to teach Cain that if he does well he will be accepted.  There are consequences to our actions. If we try to cheat someone out of what they are due, aren't we accountable for that cheating? Cain was trying to cheat God out of what wad due to Him and he was being held accountable for that. Cain didn't want to be held accountable. Cain wanted his half-hearted offering to be good enough and was angry when it wasn't accepted. His anger a selfish righteous indignation. God wanted Cain to do well. God wanted Cain to love Him first and foremost, but Cain had a love for himself in his heart instead. 

Being self serving Cain couldn't have his brother showing him up, it infuriated him.

Murdering Abel, taking Abel out of the picture no longer did Cain have to compare himself and his selfish actions to those of his selfless brother.

Death, the first human death had come to the world and this after Satan told Eve that they wouldn't die as he enticed her to eat the forbidden fruit. He knew, SATAN KNEW that if Eve and Adam ate of that forbidden fruit their disobedience would warrant a sentence of death, they would no longer live eternally.  Satan was a murderer as soon as he first tempted Eve. He wanted humans to die, it was his intention for them to be able to die. In fact, Satan is responsible for EVERY human and animal death that has ever taken place. Without Satan's tempting, Eve would never have ate from the forbidden tree. Satan is a murderer.

Cain's murder of Abel was the first human loss of life. The death that Satan told Eve would not happen- that she wouldn't surely die--

Gen_3:4  And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die

--was a direct bold-faced lie from Satan against what God had already spoken as truth.

Gen_2:17  But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Did this death happen instantaneously? No. God did not say it would be instantaneous. Death was made possible for humans by Eve's and Adam's disobedience, which was instigated by Satan.

Murder.

The ending of life. The bringer of instant death. NO man has the right to determine the death of another man. No man has the right to strip away the very breath of life God gave to someone. No man has the right to end the probation of another. We are all under probation, and we will all decide who we wish to follow -our Savior or Satan- during our probation. Cutting short the probation of another makes you accountable for the state that person died in. Were they, like Abel, innocent and under the Savior's righteousness? Or were they not under the Savior's redemption, and therefore never to be able to enter the kingdom of our Creator and Redeemer?   We don't know, we can't know, but just the fact that we are stealing the life of another is so incredibly wrong that it doesn't matter.  Taking that life you had no hand in giving, the breath of life never having been yours to give, is wrong, terribly wrong.

God hates murder.

Remember this--

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.

We must LOVE, not lie, not judge, not murder, not steal.

Please LORD, help us to LOVE, LOVE in us, we are so weak! Keep us from all things that are of SATAN, please Savior, please save us from ourselves, KEEP US FROM EVIL!

All by YOUR love!

God Hates Lying

Pro 6:16  These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
Pro 6:17  A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
Pro 6:18  An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
Pro 6:19  A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

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A lying tongue- liars, any lie, all lies.

The Lord HATES lying.

ly•ing1 (ˈlaɪ ɪŋ)

n.
1. the telling of lies.
adj.
2. telling or containing lies; deliberately untruthful.
[1175–1225]

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• Lie
• A lie is a false statement to a person or group made by another person or group who knows it is not the whole truth, intentionally. A barefaced lie is one that is obviously a lie to those hearing it. Wikipedia

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The Lord HATES when we intentionally make false statements.

The father of lies is…

Joh_8:44  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father it is your will to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and standeth not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father thereof.

The devil is the father of lies.

The one who created lies.

God is TRUTH.
Satan is LYING.

The LORD hates when we lie because that reveals that we are of the FATHER of lies, not the FATHER of truth!

If we holdfast to the truth then we are holding fast to our CREATOR, our SAVIOR.
If we holdfast to lying then we are holding fast to SATAN, our destroyer!

Every single lie, no matter how tiny we want to claim it is, no matter how harmless we want to imagine it being, no matter how white we label that lie is still a LIE.

We soothe our conscience by saying our lies actually prevent warrantless harm, and undeserved upset.  We say that because we don't want to hurt anyone with the truth because it is true, the truth can hurt… a lot!

The truth can hurt us, it can hurt others, it can cause us untold embarrassment. The truth can destroy, no one said the truth is harmless, but it is THE TRUTH.  How often do we simply tell a tiny lie in order to keep ourselves from the shame of some action or non-action of ours?  Is it easier to say 'I forgot…'  than say, 'I didn't want to…'  Is it easier to say, 'Yes, I like that…'  than to say, 'No, I don't like that…' ?  Is it easier to say, 'It'll be all right…'  than to say, 'It's not going to be all right.' ?    You understand what I'm saying.  We find it EASIER to lie and we ease our conscience by saying it's the right thing to spare another person.

I'm not equating telling the truth to being a blunt speaker who says what they feel, intentionally hurting others.  I'm saying that we should tell the truth when we are faced with either telling the truth or telling a lie. But to offer unsolicited comments on everything and anything, and call it telling the truth is just patting ourselves on the back in a self-righteous way and truly causing intentional harm where no harm is warranted.

The next time we are tempted to lie we need the Holy Spirit to convict us of the truth- the God HATES lying, God will HATE that lie we tell.  Do we believe it? We have to believe it, it's God's truth!

Satan is the one who loves lies and loves to hear us lie.

Who do we choose to follow?  It is OUR choice.  God or Satan.

And yes, it's easy and hard.

Mat 11:29  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
Mat 11:30  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Mat_10:38  And he that doth not take his cross and follow after me, is not worthy of me.

Easy and hard.

It is the truth and because Satan hates the truth He will attack us and make it as hard as he can for us to live in the truth.

God will allow what He will allow knowing the end from the beginning , knowing what we all need to endure even when we can't fathom the how's or why's.  All by HIS grace may we LIVE in HIM in HIS holy TRUTH!

Please Savior, please help us to live in truth, hating lies as You hate lies. Teach us, guide us, keep us in YOU!  All by YOUR grace and mercy, YOUR LOVE, ALWAYS!

The Lord Hates

Pro 6:16  These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
Pro 6:17  A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
Pro 6:18  An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
Pro 6:19  A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

1- A proud look - pride, self-centered, boastful, haughty.
2- A lying tongue- liars, any lie, all lies.
3- Hands that shed innocent blood- murder.
4- A heart that deviseth wicked imaginations-evil scheming, destructive planning.
5- Feet that be swift in running to mischief- eager to do wrong, ready to cause strife in any form at any moment, desiring to cause trouble and upset.
6- A false witness that speaketh lies-  lying against others, harming others by not telling the truth, protecting yourself through lying, through providing false information.
7- He that soweth discord among brethren- stirring up strife, enjoying being able to cause others to fight against each other.

The LORD hates all the above and yet for so many this is their daily way of life, isn't it? We can make all kinds of excuses to justify when we come off as being prideful, boastful, haughty- because we're not supposedly really doing that, we're just 'saying', we're just 'explaining', we're just 'letting people know' and don't worry we're still good people because we give to the poor, we help those in need, we give 'this and that' much to the charities that need our help.  Truly- even more boasting in the justification.   We are told the LORD hates a proud look and that proud look is a self-pride, it's a haughtiness in us individually.

We've been talking about selfishness and our need to be rid of self and filled with Christ, if we are haughty and prideful that is the ultimate in being filled to the brim with selfishness. Even if you give millions to the poor you can do so and still be filled with intense pride and selfishness.  We have to be EMPTIED of self, empty of pride because we have to be able to fully comprehend we only exist because of our Creator, because of our Savior and we lose sight of that often and some lose sight of it altogether. When we lay claim to self--boasting then we leave out the truth that all things worth boasting about are gifts entirely from God. Yes, all things.  It's by HIS grace that we are given any talents we may have.

Our Savior said--

Joh_5:19  Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.

Joh_8:28  Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.

Jesus could do NOTHING of himself!

And if JESUS could do NOTHING of HIMSELF- why in the world do we ever believe WE can do things of ourselves? Why? Why do we imagine any kindness in ourselves comes from ourselves? Why do we have to bother ourselves about whether or not WE are good people?  We aren't supposed to even be thinking that way, but rather whether or not we are GOD'S people!  Are we GOD'S people?!   If we are God's, truly God's, and not under some false god's control, then we will automatically become what we imagine being a good person is.  If our 'goodness' isn't God's goodness it's not goodness at all, not really.

God works in all people in different ways, the most sweet, the most kind person who claims to believe in no God at the moment could be under the influence of God and being led to Him by a different path than the one we are on. We can condemn NO ONE!  We can pray for their walk with God to become fully realized, but who are we to judge when we cannot see the end from the beginning.

We need our Savior to empty us of self. We need to abase ourselves, meaning put down and degrade the part in us that wants to be prideful. When we are blessed to realize our own prideful acts we should immediately repent of them! God first, God always!

When inside us stirs up that flickering evil flame of - 'What about me? Where do I fit in?'- we have to stamp it down and fully comprehend there would be NO 'me', there would be NO 'I' without God FIRST!

Please Lord Savior, Creator, please help us to be boastful only of YOU, let any pride we have be pride of YOU and not of self.  Bless us and keep us IN YOU always, our blessed Savior!

In YOUR amazing LOVE!