Tag Archives: Christianity

Be Not Ashamed

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From his rightful and lofty place above all creatures, the Lord rules with joy.  He is the definition of Good.  Therefore it is His right to define what is good.  He gives life generously to all who set their heart toward Him. 

His righteousness is life.  All His laws are righteous.  Therefore his laws are joy.  He gives the right of righteousness to all who receive the life in His Son Jesus.  And as many as will listen to the Son, will find their lives transformed.

Wicked men attribute their own nature to the living God and His Son.  They think that because they are corrupt, even God must be corrupt.  Because of their depravity they cannot imagine something pure and fully Good.  Still the Holy Lord holds off the end day.  His compassion and His patience are evident among us.

For now, the wicked are encased in a dark, pathetic and unholy accusation.  For it is impossible for them to give glory to a creature such as themselves.  If this is how they perceive while they are here, they are not likely to be able to change their mind when they appear before Him.

If any man will only believe that God lives and is Good, he will open the door for the Lord to come in.  The Great Physician cannot heal a wound if a man will not let Him near.  No matter how great the Lord’s desire, such a man remains in death.

All these things that are written here are true.  Therefore I am not ashamed to testify.  I do not testify as a man who has become righteous by his own strength.  What righteousness now covers me has appeared from the Lord Himself.

Moment by moment He has taught me how to live so that I could please the Holy Father’s righteous demands.  More than just forgiveness, the Lord teaches us how to live so that forgiveness need not be constantly considered.  The freedom of righteousness now takes the place of wickedness.

He is wise, compassionate and patient with His people.  He allows His people time to learn.  And he teaches us how to love His Father’s ways.  What we once perceived as an angry and corrupt God now appears as Good! 

Little by little we begin to live righteously.  Little by little joy overtakes despair.  Strength overcomes weakness.  What is holy destroys what is unholy.  Thread by thread we become dressed, prepared for a great wedding feast.  And the dread of judgment is replaced by a great joyful hope!

Come join us!

By His Grace

Stark differences

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Non believers may live their entire life as an enemy of God.  All the while fear dresses them like some dark shimmering  light.  The end of such a man brings him directly before the Most High God for judgment.  Fully unaware and fully unprepared.

If they had fear in this life while they were at such a great distance from God, how much more fear will they have before him at the judgment?  And that with no place left to hide or ignore.  The steady gaze of perfectly righteous eyes is no longer turned aside.

There are many who have placed some measure of faith in Christ Jesus, but have never matured as God would have them.  As the writer of Hebrews pointed out they are still sucking on milk.  They have never considered the solid food of Christian maturity to be worth the effort.  How do they plan to stand any stronger than the previous group?

This post is therefore for both groups.  I write with all hope to stir up a desire for freedom in Christ.  I write this with the hopes that their fear may become dispelled. 

If maturing christians have a fear similar to the first two groups it will be found in continuing in the work of Christ.  By this I mean they are painfully aware of the sinful nature’s presence.  They are painfully aware that they too are capable of falling.  But their fear is mixed with a belief that Christ is willing and able to cause them to stand on the day of judgement.  So the fear in maturing Christians is more a love for the gain of God, and a great respect for he who is able to make us stand.

The difference being that the first two groups fear punishment.  While the maturing Christian finds his heart yearning  for God’s honorable reputation among men.  The first two are centered on themselves.  The third is centered on God.

Doesn’t this fit the gospel perfectly; death to self, life for Christ.  The honorable man will seek the better of the greater.  He will give honor where honor is due. 

If you do not find yourself to be an honorable man, don’t despair.  Simply get on your knees and confess to the Lord that you need his help to become honorable.

It must also be said that, there is not one aspect of maturity in Christ that a man can manufacture himself.  Everything the Christian becomes is given to him by God. 

This last statement has got to fly like broken glass in the face of established religious practices.  The Lord can heal those kinds of lacerations too.

By His Grace

Remember

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Am I sober?  Am I willing to walk in the day undressed before Him?  Has He shown me what I am before Him, that I might remember?

 

Or am I as the man who owns a mirror?  I saw my reflection but I can’t remember what I look like.   My mind is so tiny.  I am so very small and fragile.

 

But He has not left me alone, without instruction.  “Remember”, He commands.  And my mind is quickened to look around.  Do I remember what I once knew?

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”  (Romans 12)

Here

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Night Sky 5

Night Sky 5 (Photo credit: dgrice)

Here, you dress me.

Here, I submit.

Here, I learn of my sins.

But

Here, I learn of Your mercy.

It was here that I found precious things;

The things that belong to You.

It was here that Your beauty shown in the darkness;

I came to understand lovely things.

Here, I find Grace.

Here, I find Mercy.

Here, my mind is become filled with the Hope that belongs to You.

And leaving Here, that hope becomes mine.

Thanks will roll from my lips forever

Because You were Here.

 

Thank You Lord, because You are Here.

By His Grace.  Amen.

Reinventing God

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payitforward

 

“Pay it forward.”  It’s a great idea isn’t it.  The Lord thinks selfless giving is a great thing too.  Let’s get sneaky, wise and stealthy.   It does only a temporary good to announce our good deeds.  But deeds done in secret last forever.

If you’re worried that others won’t pick up the lesson of “pay it forward”, teach them privately and without the use of personal examples.  Every good deed you do that has an announcement after it becomes owned by you.  Every good deed you do without being detected is owned by The Father in Heaven who is undetectable.

“Loose lips sink ships.”

2  “So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 3  “But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4  so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”  (Matthew 6)

I take note that “Pay it forward” is used by secularists now.   It seems to have become popular lately as people try to “reinvent the wheel” of righteousness.  Trying to escape Christianity, people are busy building a man based “religion” without Jesus.  The problem is, all the really good ideas belong to Jesus.  They have to get a bit crafty when they present their own rendition.

This “Pay it Forward” seems to have come from a play in Athens Greece around 317 BC.  Here’s the script that has been passed to us as having come from that play.

“I do not pretend to give such a deed; I only lend it to you. When you […] meet with another honest Man in similar Distress, you must pay me by lending this Sum to him; enjoining him to discharge the Debt by a like operation, when he shall be able, and shall meet with another opportunity. I hope it may thus go thro’ many hands, before it meets with a Knave that will stop its Progress. This is a trick of mine for doing a deal of good with a little money.”

Jesus said it better by doing it with His body.  And look how many have been granted access to heaven.  It is this granting that spawns all Christian giving.

Think about it.

Great news!!!

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Hey there studly guy!  Howdy gorgeous woman!  Have you heard the news lately?  Scientists are saying with a slight tweak to the genetic material they can cause us to live for 500 years!  Whooo hoooo!!!!!!

You might think that’s good news, but its not.  Even if they invent that tweak  tomorrow morning and you happen to have enough money to purchase a dose of whatever they make, you’re still gonna die.

Yep.  You’re going to get old and wrinkly.   Your bones are going to give out on yah.  Your eyes won’t work too well.  And you’re going to turn up your TV really loud.

Then the day will come. The Sun will shine.  The birds are going to chuirp.  People will laugh, cry, eat, and dance.  But you won’t be here.  Nope you just won’t be here.

I’m not going to bother to tell you where you will find yourself on that day.  You wouldn’t listen to me if I told you.  And you wouldn’t change your life if you let me talk to you.

I just wrote this little piece for you,  in case the Lord happens to be merciful and cause you to drop by here.

There’s no need to tell you to have a good day.  That’s the entire focus of your life isn’t  it.

By the way, my hope’s name is Jesus.