The Comforter.

Joh 14:15  If ye love me, keep my commandments. 

Joh 14:16  And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever 

We must love in DEEDS not WORDS. So is it any wonder that our Savior wants us to KEEP the commandments He gave to us? Our Savior wants us to love in DEED- KEEPING the commandments. We have to ask ourselves why Jesus would say 'If you Love me- keep my commandments', if He didn't care if we kept them or not. Not only did Jesus say- 'If you love me- keep my commandments' He also added- AND…. He said, AND.    How often have we done the exact same thing in different ways? Have you said to someone- 'Do that for me, AND I'll do this for you.'  If you do that, I'll do this, isn't that what the AND is implying?  'If you love me- keep my commandments and I will….'   If we love our Savior we should keep His commandments, yet our Savior wants to give us added incentive.  If we love Him and keep His commandments then He is going to pray to the Father, and the Father will give us another Comforter that will live with us forever.

IF we…  then He will…

I didn't write those words they are right there in God's word.  I suppose that having the Comforter the God will give us isn't something someone who is unwilling to keep Jesus' commandments would really want.  Loving Jesus- recognizing the debt He paid for us- of course we want to listen to Him and follow His commandments!  We don't want to keep the commandments to be saved, only Jesus can save us. We want to keep the commandments because the ONE who saves us desires us to keep them- they are special gifts given to us- instruction into the will of God. 
 

Who is the Comforter that Jesus promises to pray to the Father for us to have?

Joh 14:17  Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you

The Comforter - the SPIRIT of truth.

Joh 14:26  But the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit…

The HOLY SPIRIT!

The Holy Spirit will dwell with us, and will be IN us.

If we…then He…

Loving Jesus- our love is revealed in our actions, and those actions reveal to our Savior that we are in need of the Comforter and He gives us the Comforter to live IN US.

If LOVE results in living as our Savior commands, we are given a gift of God in us!

The Holy Spirit God.

Act 5:1  But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, 

Act 5:2  And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet. 

Act 5:3  But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? 

Act 5:4  Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. 

Peter said- "… why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost…"  And then continued- "…thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God."

How amazing blessed we are to have the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter living with us and in us, all because we love our Savior and do His will, as He does the will of the Father.

Such love, such amazing love!

All through the LOVE, the GRACE, the MERCY, the SACRIFICE of our SAVIOR, the LORD JESUS CHRIST, now and forever!!!!!!!

Love In Deed.

1Jn 3:18  My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. 

Our love means nothing if there are no acts of love. Speaking the words- I love you- mean nothing if they are followed by abusive words and actions. A person can say that they know soandso loves them even if they can't show it, but if it's not shown how is it love? We can show we love someone by our actions. My father wasn't an affectionately demonstrative man towards me or my siblings. I can say I knew my father loved me, but I don't remember the words coming from his lips- ever. His actions showed his love though. He cared for me basic needs- let me stay with a roof over my head up to 22 years old without asking for me to pay rent or otherwise. Along with that roof came food and clothing, as well as doctor appts. As a child I can remember a few stand out moments that revealed he loved me, but again, we didn't hug easily in my family or speak about loving each other. I'd like to be able to say my mother was different and made up for my dad's lack of physical/verbal affection, but she wasn't, not readily. As I grew older I could hug her, and tell her I loved her and she'd say it back but that was when I was much older. I knew she loved me, I knew my dad loved me, but they weren't loving me in words they were loving me in deeds.

God wants us to love in DEED, not in words.  God doesn't want us to tell people we love them and neglect to show them our love for them. God would rather we SHOW our love.

So how do we show our love for others?

Mat_5:42  Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

Jas 1:27  Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. 

Gal 6:2  Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. 

Heb 6:10  For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. 

Luk 6:38  Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. 

Rom 15:1  We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 

These are just a few verses instructing us on how we show our love for others. We think of THEM before ourselves. We give. We help.

Lord PLEASE help us to SHOW our love. Let our LOVE be in DEEDS not just in words!

All through YOUR power, all through the Holy Spirit, all by Jesus Christ our LORD and SAVIOR now and forever!!!!!!!

Teach Us You.

If there has to be a bottom line in Christianity it would be- love.

What is love-

1Jn_4:8  He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

1Jn_4:16  And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

A few days ago we talked about those who do many wonderful things and the fact of the matter being, you can do amazingly wonderful, seemingly loving things and have no love at all in you.

Mat 7:21  Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 

Mat 7:22  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 

Mat 7:23  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. 

Many wonderful works- yet Jesus doesn't know them because there was no real love in them.

God is love.

When Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan - He was describing an act of love.

Luk 10:25  And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 

Luk 10:26  He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? 

Luk 10:27  And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. 

Luk 10:28  And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. 

Luk 10:29  But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour? 

Luk 10:30  And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 

Luk 10:31  And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 

Luk 10:32  And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. 

Luk 10:33  But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 

Luk 10:34  And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 

Luk 10:35  And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. 

Luk 10:36  Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? 

Luk 10:37  And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise. 

Compassion, caregiving, feeding, tending to without EVER expecting anything in return.  That was done out of love. Sure, it could have been done out of self-serving- someone wanting others to notice their *love* but it wasn't, not in this parable.

Love. And it isn't self-love we need, though nowadays a lot of people would say I was crazy for saying that because there is a huge push for loving ourselves first before we can love others.

Some use this though--

Mar 12:31  And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. 

Loving your neighbor as yourself…  is this telling us to love ourselves?

Mat 7:12  Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. 

If we have no love for ourselves does this mean we can't love others? No, because we are loving others as WE desire to be loved. We are loving them as if they were US. We are treating them NOT how we are treated, but how we'd want to be treated. 

We do not have to love ourselves in the way we are encouraged to. We LOVE God and LOVE others, to the point we are willing to die for them, not preserve our lives above and beyond theirs. When we love others, we are loving ourselves, when we concentrate on loving ourselves we lose sight of others and we can never lose sight of others.

God forgive us, teach us love, teach us YOU.

All through Jesus Christ our LORD and SAVIOR, now and forever!!!!!!!

The Royal Law

Jas 2:8  If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well

Mat 22:37  Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 

Mat 22:38  This is the first and great commandment. 

Mat 22:39  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 

Mat 22:40  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Mat 7:12  Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. 

Rom 13:9  For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 

Rom 13:10  Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. 

1Ti 1:5  Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned

1Jn 4:7  Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 

1Jn 4:8  He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. 

1Jn 4:9  In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 

1Jn 4:10  Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 

1Jn 4:11  Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. 

1Jn 4:19  We love him, because he first loved us. 

1Jn 4:20  If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? 

1Jn 4:21  And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also. 

Jas 2:8  If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well

1Jn 5:2  By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. 

1Jn 5:3  For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. 

Heb 10:16  This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them

Mar 12:28  And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? 

Mar 12:29  And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 

Mar 12:30  And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 

Mar 12:31  And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. 

Mar 12:32  And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: 

Mar 12:33  And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. 

Mar 12:34  And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question. 

Love.

Love.

Love is so incredibly important, seriously the most important thing there is. God's first commandment to His chosen is - to love God.

Mar 12:29  And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 

Mar 12:30  And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 

Mar 12:31  And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. 

Mat 22:37  Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 

Mat 22:38  This is the first and great commandment. 

Mat 22:39  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 

Mat 22:40  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. 

We HAVE to remember that the ONLY GREAT COMMANDMENTS the people had were the ten moral commandments.

Jesus KNEW that the first four commandments were all about LOVING GOD, and the last six commandments were all about loving our fellowman. JESUS KNEW because He was there when GOD gave the commandments, HE WAS THERE in agreement with the FATHER. Jesus wants US to know that those moral ten commandments were NOT being done away with! What reason would there ever be to get rid of commandments that are about LOVING HIM, LOVING the HEAVENLY FATHER- and LOVING EACH OTHER? There would be NO REASON. We deceive ourselves if we believe any of those ten commandments are not about loving God and our fellowman. 

Exo 20:1  And God spake all these words, saying, 

Exo 20:2  I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 

Exo 20:3  Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 

Exo 20:4  Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 

Exo 20:5  Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 

Exo 20:6  And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. 

Exo 20:7  Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. 

Exo 20:8  Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 

Exo 20:9  Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 

Exo 20:10  But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 

Exo 20:11  For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. 

When we are told in Corinthians thirteen about love we are being told about God.

1Co 13:1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 

We are NOTHING without love.

1Co 13:2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. 

NOTHING WITHOUT OUT LOVE!

1Co 13:3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. 

Imagine… giving all you have to feed the poor,  imagine being willing to die and NOT HAVING LOVE.  We equate those acts with love, don't we? But the truth is, we can do acts of seeming love without any love at all! Its shocking, it's hard to comprehend, isn't it? Can you give up everything for the poor so they can eat, and not have love, how?! Maybe there is an underlying  element of self-serving there that no one can see, perhaps the person doesn't even realize it? We NEED LOVE above all!

1Co 13:4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity 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 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.

Please, may we LOVE as God would have us LOVE!!!!!!!  All through Jesus Christ our LORD and SAVIOR now and forever!!!!!!!

Children of Light

1Th 5:1  But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. 

1Th 5:2  For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 

1Th 5:3  For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. 

1Th 5:4  But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 

1Th 5:5  Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. 

1Th 5:6  Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. 

1Th 5:7  For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. 

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. 

Children of the light, children of the day- not children of the night, nor children of the dark.

Most of us in the western world who have had access to television for years and years, know all about various movies being made about the children of the dark. When we hear that sort of label we associate it with a dark, evil force and those who follow that evilness.  We've fictionalized evil so much it scarcely seems real, the supernatural evil, the principalities of evil. We recognize evil in the mass shooters, the terroristic armies, in rapists, child molesters, murderers, cop killers, cops who kill, sex traffickers, and the like. We leave out the evil behind all their actions. Not a single evil act is committed without the source of it being Satan, a supernatural being- a real fallen angel, a leader of an army of supernatural evil beings.  The children of darkness are real, as real as the children of light.  We have to acknowledge that if we are not children of light, children of the day- then we are children of the dark, of the night, of evil.

With so much evil in the world we sometimes forget the subtle evil.  We recognize right away the evil of bad people throughout our world, but we don't recognize evil in those who seem to be good. We tell ourselves it's not our place to know who is and who isn't evil, we can't judge, but truthfully we can judge between good and evil actions- we just can never judge another's eternal life, that is beyond our knowledge.

If there are going to be FEW who are God's when Jesus returns, then why are we so accepting of the evil called good all around us?  Evil called good has deceived the world, and all but God's very elect will choose deception. 

What a terribly sad world we live in.  Such a sad, awful world set up so perfectly by its ruler to deceive.

We can see a lot of beauty in the world, a lot of it, I'd be remiss if I didn't say there is beauty and a lot of loving people in our world. The thing is… how much of the beauty, and love is colored by our acceptance of  things not of God? So much… so much.  And I hear in my head that I'm being too judgmental, that I don't know what I'm talking about, that I don't have a right to say such a thing, I'm no authority on what is acceptable and what isn't, how dare I believe that the love I see in self-less acts is tainted by the world? I too want to believe that God will overlook so much and just see the good in us all, but my Bible tells me otherwise.  My Bible lays it plain for me to read….

Rom 1:18  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; 

Rom 1:19  Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 

Rom 1:20  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 

Rom 1:21  Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 

Rom 1:22  Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 

Rom 1:23  And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 

Rom 1:24  Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 

Rom 1:25  Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. 

Rom 1:26  For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 

Rom 1:27  And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. 

Rom 1:28  And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 

Rom 1:29  Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 

Rom 1:30  Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 

Rom 1:31  Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 

Rom 1:32  Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

Mat 7:21  Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 

Mat 7:22  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 

Mat 7:23  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. 

Maybe I am wrong.  By our fruits we are known and yet, how many are known for wonderful works, and Jesus is going to say He doesn't know them?  I know it's NOT for me to decide, praise GOD! But I can't let myself be blind to the truth either.

I fall so far short… so far… I have to trust that my GOD will do for me ALL I cannot do for myself.

Please, Lord, let us see as children of the LIGHT, Your truth! Let us live YOUR truth, through YOU by the Holy Spirit!

Please!

All in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, now and forever!!!!!!! 

Denying Ungodliness.

Tit 2:2 That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience. 

Tit 2:3 The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; 

Tit 2:4 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, 

Tit 2:5 To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. 

Tit 2:6 Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded. 

Tit 2:7 In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, 

Tit 2:8 Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you. 

Tit 2:9 Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters, and to please them well in all things; not answering again; 

Tit 2:10 Not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things. 

Tit 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 

Tit 2:12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 

Tit 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 

Tit 2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. 

Tit 2:15 These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.

Denying ungodliness.

Denying worldly lusts.

Live soberly.

Live righteously.

Live godly.

Do we?

Or do we make excuses for living however we please?  What sort of excuses do we make so we can indulge our vices, so to speak? I'm not talking about the blatant vices, the big nasty vices. I'm talking about the everyday, very acceptable, not considered to be vices at all- vices. We know God's way and the world's way are at odds with one another and we try to marry them. Seriously, I mean, marry God's way with the world's way, not us marrying them, that's just crazy. We try to join God's way with the world's way and we do it all the time. Maybe we believe we'd have to shut ourselves completely off from the world in order not to be caught up in the mixing  and mingling of the two. That's ideal isn't it? Shut ourselves up in some monastery type place and shut the outside world away so we aren't tempted at all by its many worldly attractions. God doesn't want us to do that though--

Joh_17:15  I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.

God didn't have any of the apostles taken out of the world. Jesus didn't tell the men He chose to hole up in a place that would keep them out of the world's temptations. Jesus, Himself, did not hide from the world. Yes, we can separate ourselves from others to pray and such, but our lives weren't meant to be lived away from others.

Remember these words of our Savior-

Mat 5:13  Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. 

Mat 5:14  Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 

Mat 5:15  Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 

Mat 5:16  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. 

We are to LET others see any good works we do (by the GRACE of GOD) so they can glorify the Father in heaven.  Our lives are to be lived so that others can glorify God.  When we are caught up in the world is there any wonder that the men we are to shine before see the world in us more than they see the anything to glorify God?

When we join with the world, keeping enough of God in our life to please ourselves and ease our conscience, Satan is pleased.

We cannot join with the world, and desire the world's approval. The only approval that should ever matter to us is our God's, our Savior's- the Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ our LORD.

More on all of this tomorrow by the grace of our LORD.