Month: April 2017

Pitiful Pride


Romans 14:11

“It is written: “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’””.

Sometimes personal opinions get in the way and cause problems within the body of believers, within our churches don’t they? We tend to have this ‘I’m right, your wrong’ attitude when it comes to how we should live our lives and put our faith into action. In our verse today, Paul addresses some of these issues because Jewish custom and culture was very different than Gentile culture and it showed in their manner of eating, and in other areas as well. Some were looking down their noses with contempt at others of the faith, who saw things very differently. Paul’s point here, is that these things do not matter in the big picture, because faith isn’t grounded on these issues. True Faith is grounded on the pure and simple gospel message of the cross , the Lord and the Christ who died to make atonement for our sins possible and bring salvation to the lost. It is God, who is the true and righteous Judge, who will deal with the flaws and shortcoming of His people, when every knee bows before Him and every tongue confesses Him as Lord. God will deal with it as He sees fit. Paul reminds the believers that each brother and sister in the Lord, is responsible for themselves personally, before God and judgment from others is unnecessary and uncalled for. In other words, we are not to judge! Plain and simple!

However, because of pride, we get caught up in this haughty mindset and take judgmental authority upon ourselves in order to straighten every one out. We begin to rebuke, criticize, condemn and slander, even cry ‘hypocrite’ to new or even seasoned believers, for not adhering to our self – made ‘laws’ that we govern our own lives by. Such non – graced action quickly leads to dissension, quarreling and divisive behavior, when it’s really no concern of ours, how others, who profess their faith in Christ, live their lives. Paul makes it clear that we are not too look with scorn on those weaker in faith or on those who live out their faith in the Lord differently than we do.


Have you been judged, criticized and ridiculed for something? Has it hurt you or made you leave the unity of the body of believers? It’s the enemy’s tactic for causing strife and bitterness. It’s sad and it shouldn’t happen! Or maybe you’ve been the judge and held the gavel over someone’s head while pronouncing them guilty as charged. That’s pride and is also the enemy’s tactic for causing division. It’s wrong and Paul says we have no business doing that! Instead, we need to take account of ourselves before God and make sure that our own hearts are right!

Now it can get really personal and this is where our true colors of the faith show. It’s where our mature, strong faith in Christ will show up or not! If our behavior causes others to question and doubt, then, we, who are strong in the faith, need to put the questionable behavior behind us and act in such a way that it will glorify Christ and speak lovingly to others. Why? Because as mature Christians, we need to take responsibility for our actions. Forgive and receive forgiveness if need be and put our self-righteousness behind us. Our main goal as a Christ One is to win the lost and be excellent representatives for the Lord and His work. If something we do, hurts someone, then we have a responsibility to own up to it and stop it! It’s our responsibility to maintain peace and share joy, compassion and love within our circles of influence. No, we don’t look at someone else but let’s look into the mirror and yeah, everyone let’s heed Paul’s words of wisdom and quit passing judgment on our brothers and sisters because according to us, they don’t measure up, and let’s make sure we don’t give others any reason to question our own testimony for the Lord. Friends, if we could all live in such a way, our world would be wonderful and our churches? Well…they would not be divided, for each one would settle their accounts before God, give grace where needed and maintain peace and unity within the body of believers.
#soulFire

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Under Wings of Love

So thankful today for God’s brilliant plan of protection for His own on a daily basis and for His appointed, yet unseen, divine angels that walk among us! So thankful for the guardian angels He provides to care for us in this earthly journey! So thankful that He has given His angels charge over us to keep us in all our ways and to give us divine protection as we face the unknown, trudge through the trenches of battle, scour the valleys of despair and temptation, and yeah, even when we climb the mountain of success these guardian angels appointed by a sovereign God keep us from spiralling to ruin. Thankful for the angels round about that keep our kids in safe keeping and cover their backs from newborn to parenthood and then repeat the cycle for the next generation. How many mishaps has He spared them from? Spared us from? We can never know for sure but with a thankful heart we know, without doubt that He has! What grace! What mercy and what compassion our God has for us! He does have such a brilliant way of keeping us from trouble doesn’t He? That’s what He does! I love how He does it. ~k
❤

Psalm 91: 10 , 11, 12
“No evil will befall you, Nor will any plague come near your tent. For He will give His angels charge concerning you, To guard you in all your ways. They will bear you up in their hands, That you do not strike your foot against a stone.…”

Luke 4: 10
“For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee.”
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Frayed, Frazzled And Victorious


So there’s a whole heap of us weary pilgrims, tired and frayed from the battles of the journey. It’s mind boggling isn’t it how simplicity becomes so complex and small becomes so monstrous and way over the top? Yeah, don’t we know it well? Those times when problems surpass any kind of peace, big time and issues drain us and take our focus from the Truth? So, we’re frayed, frazzled and undone, dumped up on the shoreline like a rotten pile of debris mixed with broken shells, dead fish and seaweed. No, it’s not a pretty sight nor is it a great day when trouble comes knocking and keeps knocking it’s nitty-gritty way, well into the days, weeks, and months of life. Where’s God when you need Him most? Why so silent God? Why no answers God? No confirmations and sometimes not even a promise to ease that tired, restless mind into some sort of peaceful ambiance?

Oh beautiful soul, you can know, He’s there, walkin’ it with you, feelin’ it for you, experiencing it just like you and He’s interceding to His Father just for you and I and we and us. Oh yeah, you can know it. All that brokenness, that shell of brokenness that lies on the shoreline! He’s got that and He’s keeping it in His care as He orchestrates the next perfect step, the next best move, the next wise thought, and the next beautiful repair. Your brokenness is in His care. Your fear is kept in His Trust and your worries? Yeah, they’re carried on His shoulders. So let them go!

The One Sovereign God, gave up His credentials to become like us. To walk among us. To feel the pain of sin and excruciating brokenness. Christ gave up His heavenly crown of royalty, to replace it with one of thorns. It is He who stretched His arms wide across the cross of death for a lost world and you and I and it is He who knows our pain from the inside out. He’s got this, whatever it is that’s got you completely undone. Search Him, Seek Him out! See Him in your broken spaces and broken places and heaps of washed out debris. He makes all things new and He fashions them from broken and nothing, and disappointment. That’s what he does. I love how He does it.

Say with the Psalmist in Psalm 63: 1 – 3, 7
“O God, You are my God; I earnestly search for you. My whole body longs for You in this parched and weary land where there is no water. I have seen You in Your sanctuary and gazed upon Your power and glory. Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise You….Because You are my helper, I will sing for joy in the shadow of Your wings.”

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What Kind Of Love?


Hebrews 12: 2.

“Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Hebrews 12: 1, 2.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge cloud of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down. Especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us.” We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting Him, He endured the cross, disregarding it’s shame. Now He is seated in the place of honour beside God’s throne….

Jesus is our supreme example of faithful endurance and all the brutal, lonely way to the cross He proved it. Not that He had to prove it, but rather it gave Him joy to die for the sinner’s hope of forgiveness, salvation and eternal life.

What kind of love is that? What kind of love endures the hard, lonely, struggle and scorns the shame of it? Only one who has his eyes fixed on His heavenly Father and His will. Christ did it for us, let’s run our own personal race for Him. Let’s face our brutal, lonely challenges for His glory. Life gets tough and quickly weighs us down. If we focus on the problem, we’ll quickly lose heart, fall from the race and succumb to the struggle, but if we focus on the Lord, we’ll find renewed strength. He blesses the life of faith in the believer, so let faith arise! Throw off the doubt, fear, worry, failures, discouragement and strongholds so that you can run freely and smoothly, without entanglement, with your eyes focused clearly on Christ, who runs beside you or carries you but also sits today at the right hand of the throne of God, interceding for you and praying for your endurance to make it to the finish line. You can do it with Him! Focus, focus, focus!

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