Where there is lust there is sin. But as much as a man has love sin is taken down.
To love is best. But if a man lacks the fullness of love, let him at least employ a restraint for the sake of love.
By His Grace
Tag Archives: Sin
The Common Cold
The appropriate stench of man,
The nose cannot detect.
But let a man smell the stench of another,
And his neck will go erect.
The stench he should be smelling,
Should be his very own.
But breezes blowing perfectly,
He leaps to his righteous throne:
“How dare you air your filthiness
To all the rest of us?
Go bathe yourself in righteousness,
Prevent your putrid gust!”
It’s coldness of the heart, you see,
That causes the nose to stuff up.
Ah, if man would only warm himself
With a serving from Christ’s own cup.
By His Grace
From My Point of View
From my point of view, God is indescribably great.
Some may call my point of view theology. But in saying that, I think they would have a hard time nailing down what I believe. Even I would have a hard time finding supporting scriptures. But then I’m not a scholar. And my knowledge of Scripture is usually pointed in the direction of application, not theology.
What I believe has come to me by Bible reading, faith, prayer and diligent observation of God moving in my life.
In the way of Bible reading, I am relatively fluent. But there are certainly masters of the art. I may well remember what it says, but I likely can’t tell you chapter and verse.
I say faith. I’m afraid you need a microscope to find mine. If faith the size of a mustard seed can move a mountain, how much can I hope to brag. The Rockies are still where I found them. The Appalachians are still filled with trails to hike. And there are still enough hills in America to hide gigantic wheat fields.
As far as prayer is concerned, I am no prayer warrior. I am more the man who will pray as he knows, and ask to be taught. It is here that God has revealed enough to make me able to walk as a Christian.
I am no prophet as some define Prophets. And I am no teacher, but for the fact that we all teach by the way we act.
And as far as diligent observation goes, I see with what bleak eyes God has chosen to give me. I watch the wind blow. I listen to the words men speak. I take note of the way of men as opposed to the way of God. And I even listen to the birds.
All of this was written to admit I know nothing. All of this was written to avoid a war of words and ideas.
With all that said let’s get back to the idea of how great God is.
We are a product of an answer to an accusation. The accusation is that God demands too much and does not provide sufficiently. (this is the specific belief that may draw conflict)
How great is God? God is so great that he allowed an enemy to amass, in a place that he willingly created.
God is so great that he entered this mass of enemy. He assumed their form and there was nothing beautiful about him that he should be desired.
God is so great that he willingly taught this enemy about a way to live instead of die. All this he has done knowing what would happen.
God is so great that he allowed his enemy to take him by force.
God is so great that he did not complain while they mocked and beat him.
God is so great that he allowed them to strip him of all his glory. He let them flogg him to the point that he was no longer recognizable as a man. And in this he made no complaint or accusation.
And here is the crowning achievement of the greatness of God: that when the Word of God assumed his place as the rightful King of kings, he reached down to his mass of enemy, and continually offers salvation for those who hate him.
Yes God is great! Men may dispute his existence. But for those who believe, he is the supreme power of salvation.
Oh how my soul wants to continue. There are so very many reasons why God is great. But I’ll leave this to stand.
May the spirit of God strengthen, convict and convert as the will of God dictates.
Amen!
By His Grace
Legitimate Complaints?
7 days of creation. And on the seventh day God rested from his work.
7 plagues of God’s vengeance. And on the seventh plague God will establish peace for eternity.
We are told in Revelation, that men will curse God for the plagues that are sent upon them. Their cursing will reflect a very curious attitude.
“This is our place how dare you disturb it! These are our children! These are our things! What right do you have to take away our lives?”
What a very curious look into the heart of rebellion.
If this is your place, produce the one who made it. If these are truly your children produce your ability to make a soul. If you want to question God’s rights, produce your proof of sovereignty.
If you want freedom, submit to God in Christ Jesus His Holy and Righteous Son. If you want slavery to eternal loss, continue as you are.
By His Grace
Broken and Naked
From Psalm 119:
122 “Ensure your servant’s well-being;
do not let the arrogant oppress me.
123 My eyes fail, looking for your salvation,
looking for your righteous promise.
124 Deal with your servant according to your love
and teach me your decrees.
125 I am your servant; give me discernment
that I may understand your statutes.
126 It is time for you to act, Lord;
your law is being broken.”
I sat and pondered Church. Perplexed at her ailments, I searched to see if there was something that could be done.
It is not as though she is void of the word. She is rather, void of understanding. For the word is preached in her, everyday and in every corner. What she lacks, is a firm, wise hand of leadership.
“For lack of vision the people perish”, it is written. And the vision of God’s shepherds has been obscured by the world’s proclamation of peace. How then can the church stand with holy strength?
I remembered a passage as I looked into these things. “It is time for you to act, Lord; your law is being broken.” I thought this was an appropriate prayer.
But when I view it in this context, it is not talking about reparation for sins; that is to say a heavy hand from God. Instead it speaks of Glory.
The words are the end of an appeal to the Holy Father to glorify His holy Son. Because the holy laws of the Living God are being broken, it is time to present the sacrifice on behalf of those who need it.
It is a difficult thing to look at the beauty of the Living God, and see the hatred for his commands that thrives in his church. Even a passing glance will provoke some measure of pain.
But as we are told, “mercy outweighs judgement”. We must allow the Holy Lord to reserve his right to judge.
All day long, a lament is sent to the throne of the Living God. “Please O’ Sovereign God, purify your church.” Hearts bent toword the Lord, like sunflowers in summer. The Lord’s faithful people make intercession for the sins of their brothers and sisters.
But they do not call for the heavy hand of God. They call for the water of sacrifice to be poured out afresh on the hearts of His people. They call for a renewal of understanding. They call for eyes to see, ears to hear, and souls full of vision to lead.
Therefore teach them. Show them the severity of their sin. Show them the incomparable suffering necessary to secure their release. Teach them about his glorious hopeful promises. Gain vision!
Holy Father: I thank you for cutting short my folly. I thank you for showing me these things. The church belongs to your Holy Son. And he will never abandon what is his.
Still, we lament, O’ Holy God! Your covenant is being broken. Shame covers your people, where it should be a glorious and radiant hope. We are ashamed and do not realize it. We are sick and wax near death.
Instead of shame there is praise, “You do well to condone all sin. For God has commanded us to love all men”. Was it for this that your precious blood was spilled in such great agony? Were you glorified as first above all, that your people may remain in squalor?
Please rise up Sovereign Father, in Christ Jesus Your Holy and Righteous Son, and purify your people.
This prayer simply finds its place among your holy things. You will act according to your great and eternal wisdom.
Let it be known that we did not cower in fear. Let it be known that we stood apart to proclaim a wrong. All of this we have done because you have loved us. All of this we have done because you taught us this was true.
The glory is not ours. The glory belongs to the one whose blood has written the covenant of the living God.
Purify your church, Holy Lord Jesus. Set us in right standing, that we may proclaim for your glory.
Amen
P.S.
A related article, of considerable value, can be found here: http://theagetocome.wordpress.com/2014/10/27/the-kairos-moment/ The title is, The Kairos Moment.
By His Grace
Losing the War
I have made complaint, over and over, as to how the world is plummeting to destruction. I have said, over and over, it is because they denied the truth of the living God among them. But this morning, understanding comes, as to the mechanics of this plummeting to destruction.
No doubt this subject requires a rather lengthy book. But I am forced by the willing restraint of the reader to keep it short. Keeping it short however, will mean a loss of important trains of thought. So I will leave it to the reader to fill in the blanks.
______________
I do as my daddy taught me. His teaching is like a shadow lurking in my mind. I listened to him speak. I watched him act. I gathered the trains of thought in his mind and made them my own. So also, was the influence of my mother.
To some extent, their example remains within me. No matter how I try to shake it with the truth of God, I cannot completely undo their influence.
This is true of every man and woman. The better the example of truth, the more readily truth is received when we mature.
But let us now look to the larger scale of things. Adam and Eve could have told us what perfection was like. Not so our parents. And if the destruction of truth was made apparent in Cain, their son, how much more so is it today?
On and on, through the generations to now, the truth has been obscured and forsaken. If perfection was squandered within one generation how much more so now?
The miracle of change is not the destruction of society. (The constant pulling away from what is real) The miracle is that truth even remains at all. The miracle is that the human race is not destroyed already.
What has prevented complete and catastrophic failure in humanity? The power of God has restrained destruction among us. As it is written, “Unless the LORD Almighty had left us some survivors, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been like Gomorrah.” (Isaiah 1:9)
The world speaks of truth as it applies to society at the moment. But God has raised up men and women who know the truth according to Eternity. They have lived among us and taught what they knew. Those whom God inspired, listened to them and did likewise.
If we want to know why we continue to fail, it is because of the unseen shadow of lies we were taught as children. Add to that, our natural proclivity toward rebelion, and destruction will run rampant in our streets.
To whatever degree we find ourselves willing to obey the Living God in Christ Jesus, we will become shining examples of what is true and faultless. But to whatever extent we agree with man, that truth is relative, we will remain filthy examples of rebellion. (Of which, by the way, are vastly more than those who teach the truth.)
A man’s response to these things, is determined by his desire to love the living God. Will he allow himself to be used as an agent of truth; helping to sustain life? Or will he continue in his fellowship with the agents of destruction?
The Lord Jesus is able to change a man’s perception. Many things we were taught as children remain. But they are subdued by His holy words that live within us.
The choice belongs to every man to accept or reject this message.
I will add this final note.
The world will be destroyed.
The moment will come when God will send His Holy Son take all of his people from this place. Along with the absence of these people will be the absence of His Holy Spirit among men; that Great Spirit of influence that saves humanity from utter, and catastrophic failure.
Consider this, if you are willing. When the Lord returns, this place will plummet to destruction. Violence, chaos, illicit and immoral behavior, will become the norm, within a day.
Within 24 hours blood will fill every street. Hatred and violence will rise as the preeminent behavior of all men. Add to that, the horrors God has promised to unveil in that time.
We live as a people under duress. By compulsion we are forced to grapple with these things. We want to live. But by ourselves there is no eternal life in us. We are only wicked animals waiting to devour one another.
You, like I am, are forced to make a choice. Receive the Lord Jesus, and obey Him, or die a most hideous death for eternity. The wicked nature of man has no place in heaven. And without the restraint of God’s Holy Spirit we are nothing more than wicked animals. Those who think otherwise are convinced of the lie they were taught as children.
The Lord Jesus will return without notice. It could be today. It could be a hundred years from now. It will certainly be when you die and leave this place.
We are under duress let’s make a choice.
By His Grace
Words From There 