The older I get I often wonder if remaining spiritually immature all of ones physical life is a sin? Especially in light of knowing Once born again of the spirit of God that same God's desires to raise spiritual sons who DO live according to and enjoy their "Being" in the righteous will of God?
How different does that look as opposed to living like a survivalist who has no father that does NOT "Effectually" communicate and on a regular basis enough that those sons are being lead by His spirit?
How important is the presence of God to each individual in this world? It's one thing to assume you're only in Gods presence on Sunday's while at the church building, yet to live as if God is NOT present 24/7 Monday through Saturday says what to your own soul?
Think about liars this way if you can, It's easy to externalize and despise people who lie to you from "Out There", yet when the lie is heard from within how much more does it hurt once its realized you've lied to yourself?
Now add the thought of Christ in You as one who is party to every word you've spoken?
I believe with all my heart the spoken words of God that have been recorded and bound for the eternal benefit of man are true and accurate, yet I also believe God speaks in many different ways to men in their individual daily lives. He tells one to go here and go there and to another wait here.
I believe God explains His personage through and by way of Everything He's created which only agrees with what He says.What men forget too often is they too were "Created" by the hands of that same sovereignty.
Spiritual maturity is NOT only being aware of a spiritual presence, but an attentive life style that is looking for God within everything He's created at all times and that to include ourselves and others. Not so much for what God can do, but how I can find myself in agreement in whatever it is God is doing wherever it is I find myself.
The word of God says much about sin and the sinful nature and men seem to focus on such things, yet God and His Mercy would have those who have chosen His mercy to focus on what being forgiven looks like instead spending a life time responding only the affects of sin.
The sinful nature takes delight in the side affects of sin. This nature almost like the physical addict understands not only the power of the lie but also the after affects and spiritual lethargy (quenching) once yet another "Dose" has been taken.
The words of God spell out what sin looks like as if something participating in this world, yet it does not give sin a singular name or a face does it?
In my opinion men choose to supply the name and face(s) having made the decision to join their bodies together with this nature.
The one thing NOT being preached today is what does the "Forgiven" of God look like? People are always using analogies about a glass half full and one that's half empty, yet what about the cup Jesus had to drink? One might catch a glimpse of it here and there, yet how rare is it to see it day after day in the same person?
Forgiven of God is one thing, but how rare is being forgiven of your yet to be fully realized "Enemies" and who are they? Think about forgiveness this way, are you not your own enemy if you can't find it within you the capacity to somehow forgive yourself? And that's only mentioning you to then consider exponentially all humanity.
When talking about "Christ and His bride the Church", the spirit of God uses the imagery of a man and woman. This image, is it only about what humans without the mind of Christ have NOT accomplished to date or was it intended to follow suit with "The man that loves HIMSELF loves his wife"?
Granted some are quicker to forgive themselves over and above others, yet this forgiven landscape should be one that has been leveled by the sanctifying work of the Holy spirit
One of the best virtues in this world is to be a healer and even better a fast healer. That to suggest quick to forgive does affect how soon you forget. Granted that does NOT mean in some instances time and space between you and the offender is not also needed as part of the healing process.
In terms of mercy King David came to learn a very hard lesson about mercy. His summation was basically it is better to fall into the merciful hands of God than man.
What if this were true, "Every action is first a thought before it becomes an action that's taken"?
Men seem to enjoy laying to the charge of God that He is responsible for everything that takes up time and space on the earth and that because He created everything. Men also love to divide Gods time perspective and the lineage of mankind into two halves as if talking about the first and second half of a football game.
More often it looks like the attitude of God in the first half and the NEW attitude of God in the second half.
What men too often forget is that everything God planned and designed to accommodate mankind began with the thought of forgiveness and that being evidenced by the Lamb that was slain before the foundations of the world were formed.
That same thought within the sinful nature is also what gets abused as if trampling Christ under foot.
Having been made in the likeness of God I've often wondered when my own children would offend me if they were relying on a repeat of mercy and their knowledge of my nature and willingness to forgive as they went ahead and did such things or if they truly DID forget having been overwhelmed by the desires within them?
Having a Godly grasp of this insight I trust is monumental when deciding to raise children, Without this Godly discernment "Parents" can teach very little that has to do with Godliness (Godlike). To think gifts of the spirit are only for Sunday activities is foolishness when one truly considers the Godly tools required to raise up the children of God who are part of the church.
Because we say we know the Lamb was slain before we were, is that only to suggest God knew all men would sin? Or does that suggest God so loved the world that He gave His son before He made man should man be tempted, choose poorly to then fall away from His grace?
Either way you look at it God planned ahead and once again what is Godliness (God like)?
Why does God tell mankind that He can NOT be tempted nor does He tempt any man? How does a creator explain to that which He has created (man) how and what things look like in the Eternal realm and how same relates to godliness? How does an Eternal God place on display how to lay down his life for another?
How important does it then become in knowing the Christ God sent is also the God Christians worship and praise in truth and in spirit?
Does God tell man about everything that is NOT so that man will believe and only look at the things God says ARE true and everlasting? Or does God place on display as His shining example of God in the flesh among men?
And to think how man processes information is his making list of the pro's and con's in life?
The eternal realm being such a place where no one physically dies because no one in the eternal realm has a physical body, yet how do you interpret? Since satan does have a history of telling partial truths as if only part of the story being told, what would he NOT want mankind to know?
Quick review of the Garden, what did satan steal? What did satan try to prevent by way of the spoken lie? Did God see it coming? Did God make preparations in advance?
As if breaking into the middle of that story of mankind being told and that by way of human Beings, what does God tell those who choose to believe Him? I won't argue for or against common sense, yet I will argue for the benefits of what is True and Righteous in God sight in terms of an inheritance from God.
There is wisdom from below and there is WISDOM from God, yet the two can not be mixed without the risk of missing something. I've never enjoyed going gambling AT a casino, yet I've faced the truth that all men are gamblers of different sort and mans highest wager is his own soul.
This being only one of many things God tells those who DO choose to believe Him, is that they are a NEW creation when found to BE ...."In Christ". He also tells them the same thing in as many different ways by way of creation which all agree with each other in their intent and purpose(s) having been spoken of God? And once again what is Godliness (God Like)?
Truly why did Christ not consider it robbery from God in all that He said and did while here? Why did Jesus find it so easy to do and act as he did while here versus how man the very objects of His love he came in order to teach his views not only of himself but also of Christ in the flesh? Once again what is Godliness (God like)?
Does God delight in watching man Fail OR does God find it pleasing when men believe every word that comes from His mouth? Words which meet with His intent and purposes in having spoken those same words?
2 Cor 5:16-21
So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view . Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
NIV
When the heavenly realms stays in heaven and men remain mere men down here, is there not a taste of hell here on earth as if more than an ounce of prevention? Is it true evil is on the increase OR is that Christianity shrinking back because hearts are increasingly growing cold?
Rom 16:25-27
Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey him— to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen. NIV
Eph 1:3-10
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.
In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment — to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.
NIV
Hi brother SW.
ReplyDeleteGod is a mystery to those who don't know Him, but to them who are born of Him, He has made Himself known to them, and they know His Name and call Him by His Name; to them He is NO mystery.
Perhaps just like your Dad, if you know him, he is no mystery to you, but if you are an illegitimate son, then you don't know him or his name.
It troubles me immensely, that Christian people claim to know God and don't know His Name.
When I ask them, they say that He has many Names, only to show their ignorance of the true God.
Perhaps, like illegitimate children who desperately try to find a Name for their heavenly Father whom they don't know.
To them God is a mystery, but to us who know Him that mystery has been revealed, namely 'Christ Jesus' (Col.1:26 and 2:2).