New ways
To praise
The God of all
Abound with
Each new day
So lift
A gift,
A glorious call,
And let Him
Hear you say...
God is glorious
And victorious,
And keeps His good from none
Who call on Him;
He'll not let dim
The ones who love the One
Jesus, He died,
The Spirit outcried,
To punish One so loved
But love, that love,
It was the same
Why Christ needs be crucified
And descend
Where I should be,
He gave His high throne up
For me
Oh glory this!
How silently
The King goes forth so brave...
His ones to save.
And can it be,
That I through He,
Be chosen -- what makes me great?
Naught, but the glory of
His gracious love,
Despite my cruel hate.
They would not see,
He saw them blind,
And ope'd their eyes to see.
They would not hear,
Would not give ear:
But deaf, He heard them to be
And that Word,
His people heard,
That truth was plain to see;
Now they saw,
And attentive in awe,
And there lies the mystery.
What mercy there!
Pow'r beyond compare!
To use my sin
For such grace;
The very things,
Those condemnings,
Become the way
I at last hold His face
He turns all poor
to be the best,
A noble change He does make:
Sweet mystery,
For only He
Can nature's nature so overtake
God is glorious
And victorious,
And keeps His good from none
Who call on Him;
He'll ne'er let dim
The ones who love the One
Jessica Moore (c) 2013
In the last days the mountain of the LORD’s house will be established at the top of the mountains and will be raised above the hills. All nations will stream to it, and many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us about His ways so that we may walk in His paths.” For instruction will go out of Zion and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. Isaiah 2:2-3
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
"Jesus Wept" (republished)
Don't get caught in the death cycle: overwhelming grief and unrighteous anger vs. repentance and righteous living
Hi there! Actually using my blog for my thoughts -- amazing, I know. But good habits are made, not brought on by osmosis. :) It's probably better that way. More memorable.
Grief~
*(parable of the wedding banquet, Matthew 22:1-14)
- Judges 10:16
- Isaiah 7:13
- Isaiah 43:24
- Isaiah 63:10
- Psalm 78:40
- Mark 3:5
- John 11:35
- Acts 13:18
- Romans 8:11
- 1 Thessalonians 5:19
- Ephesians 4:30
- Hebrews 10:29
Think about this.
I think the direct consequence for sin is righteous indignation and discipline and vengeance, but the truly lasting knife in the back is grief over our sin: although, unrighteous anger and lasting grief go hand in hand as well. Jesus bore both our grief and God's wrath; God bore grief for Jesus, and all the chastisement really for us for being the cause of Jesus' death was also borne by Jesus. Incredible mystery. Our sins grieve God because each one was ultimately another piece of wrath inflicted on His guiltless Son; and remember too, that now we are part of that same Son's body. Therefore to grieve the Spirit is to anger God is to inflict the Christ in whose body we share is to hurt our own flesh, our own Head, and commit spiritual suicide in spite to One who loves us and sustains us. Thus any sin is not only against God, but against those who belong to God: ourselves and those around us.
But we just keep on sinning. So what's to be done? Well, we need to look at why to anger God is to inflict suffering on Christ. So... Why?
Love. Mercy. Compassion. Forbearance.
It seems contradictory, to punish one in order to save others the punishment, but if we know the full depth and seriousness of our sin, we can be sure it most certainly isn't. And if we realize that Jesus was completely in tune with God's purpose: righteousness, blamelessness, uprightness. And if we realize that Jesus is bigger than our sin. Proverbs 3:27. If the Father and Christ decide we miserable beings are due mercy according to the law of His love, and it is in Their power to give it, than He will not withhold His goodness from us. He hasn't held it from us! Amen!
For only a righteous man can bear a punishment for crimes and still be considered righteous when he comes out of the time of punishment. But if an unrighteous man commits a crime, and is punished for it, he will always have been guilty of that crime, and bearing guilt for it, if not legally than in his heart: even if he doesn't realize it. But if the righteous man takes on the guilt and punishment, then he has hidden the ungodly man's crimes in the sight of the Father and the Spirit. And they will not condemn Him either though, once the punishment is borne, because they know of His valiant, compassionate deeds; and They are all in Unity; and what's really wonderful? After all this, Jesus takes us. He TAKES us. We are now His. We belong to the most awesome person ever, the One who saves us. A holy life-debt of blessing. So are we going to spit in His face and refuse His salvation by continuing in sin and the wallowing in sin that is technically done away with by His grace; and commit that spiteful spiritual suicide in further wrathful grief? Will we hang ourselves after we betrayed him, like Judas? Or will we humble ourselves before Him, listen to His rebuke, three-fold restoration and redemption, and follow Him after we betrayed Him, having faith in our salvation despite ongoing sin, like Peter???
You need only be still. The Lord will fight your battles for you. In fact, you will feel His Spirit doing that increasingly so in a lot of areas of your life. Does this mean you are condemned, because you are being molded? Certainly not! Inward spiritual battles, and their -- albeit, it seems to us, only occasional -- outward after-effects, the fruits of the Spirit, are proof of God's salvation and grace and inheritance bestowed to us! A part of Him! Amazing love, how can it be.
More Concerning Human Grief and the Condemnation Arises Forth-whence;
A Case for our Guilt thereof; :P
1. Because we are children of unrighteous wrath, we anger a God of righteous wrath: because this is blatant hypocrisy, even mockery, on our part. Playing God, and making Him out to be something He isn't, all the while complaining about Him, and doing the same thing we insist He does that we supposedly hate so much.
2. Because of our wrath, we cause grief to many we meet, and so, not only is God grieved for them: but also for us. For those who hurt others for pleasure are the most to be pitied, for as I said above, God does not pounce on wrongdoings with joy, and so nor should we, and those who do are guilty.
3. When we cause other's undue grief (whether they are truly grieved or using it "grief" as an excuse for their own wrath), not only are we guilty of being wrathful, but we are guilty of giving opportunity and temptation for other's to begin a path of unrighteous anger. We are building a brick road for them to do this as well, though they are not obliged to take it: but many will. (Matthew 18:7)
4. And we know everything we do to even the least of these, is literally as if we had done it to God Almighty Himself. (Matthew 25:31-46)
Some answers?
1. Don't get angry about wrong, selfish, badly rooted, evil-motived things of any kind, even and quite possibly especially regarding spiritual matters and religious conflicts. (Galatians 6:1; Matthew 18:15; Leviticus 19:17)
2. Don't take pleasure in rejection of God or others. ("My delight is in the Lord and in His Holy law" -- including His law regarding others.)
3. Forgive, resist and love those who present you with opportunities to become wrathful at them by their wrath towards you. ("Love your enemies")
4. Respect, love and do not harm your own body, Christ's body, and all who were created in the image of God. For we are members of one another. For you are God's temple, and your sins there are also against you.
Yet we know we will break these rules. Continually. A good deal of the time without realizing till too late.
So again... what is to be done?
Same as before. To quote an auspicious one-eyed pirate most scandalously: "It's the Bible. You get credit for trying."
*ANH!*
Nope. Not quite so, Raghetti. More like: "It's the Spirit, and if you're aligned with the Spirit by the power and will of the Spirit, and if there is a war going on, then God gets the credit and you get blessings in spite of yourself. How does that sound? You just will learn love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control on the side. That's not so bad, is it?"
While such a way to put it is actually rather repellent (I'm only fallen, people!)... you still get the idea. He sustains us and carries us: He will give you wings of eagles to fly. Of course, it's not always 'ups', but then again neither was Christ's life here. Remember, the world hated Him, and it will hate you because of Him. Everyone hates that salvation which reminds them of their need for it. We'd rather commit more of that profitable spiritual suicide, wouldn't we? :P But God doesn't allow that for His sheep. He prods them away from cliffs on high bluffs, but leads us to lush valleys instead. And He will spread a table for us in the sight of our enemies and those who hate us, while their bellies growl until with any hope they can't stand it any longer and are drawn to the food for their own good. And that food before us is the salvation of Christ, and the tantalizing aroma is the power of the Spirit.
ANYWAYS>>>
Back to point 4. We do and for awhile will continue to inflict because of our sins. We'll inflict ourselves, inflict others and ultimately, inflict Christ.
The difference, between us all and Him however, is key here. The difference is, when we inflict God, directly or indirectly with grief by our rebellious actions, He, unlike us, responds with righteous anger. Oh, terrible awesome wrath of perfect justice: who can stand, O Lord?
The difference is also that, when we are wrathful, instead of responding with unrighteous grief, which really just leads to more unrighteous anger, He grieves for us. Grieves for us because of His righteous anger headed in our direction, and because of our own pathetic spiritual suicide. Mercifully, tenderly, He cares.
So back to the Cross.
Because God was righteously grieved and righteously angered at all our antics and the grief it caused (leading to more wrath leading to more grief leading to more wrath, etc., etc....), He sent His son to die... hold on back-up, back-up. Because curses were in full cycle, and thorns and weeds reproducing like rabbits, God changed the pattern and sent a Blessing. And the Blessing seed died in the earth. But after a little while, it popped up out of the ground and grew and grew into a big, healthy vine. It was not choked out by thorns of curse, but will eventually overwhelm them all. And some of the Blessing seed landed on the path, and some landed in the weeds, and some on the fertile ground, and some one the stony ground, and... You know the rest of the story.*
*(Matthew chapter 13:1-23)
But where were we? Oh yes. He sent His Son to die -- surely enough to cause any good Father grief! -- and to bear His Father's anger. But because the Father was grieved and angry, and the Son was so in tune with the Father's wishes and the Father's deeply troubled heart, that the Son in love to the Father, was faced with betrayals and tortures that would cause anyone grief. But not just this. Someone also had to face the punishment for the big betrayals, for all sins committed: my Lord, He was paying and praying for sins as they were happening to Him. So you know what else? In the face of grief to Himself, Jesus still had infinitely more grief for others: for those who caused His own grief. And in this incredible way conquered the griefs of the ages: and so it is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He canceled them out by the joy, love and purity of His own willing heart. And there's more! Jesus conquered DEATH, we know! So in addition to comforting the mourners, He turned the whole funeral around. His propitiation of all God's huge perfect wrath. For only infinity can consume what may as well be infinity, it's so big. In this way, Christ my God is bigger than Sin. Literally. There wasn't just an equal exchange of vile for blameless, so that there was left a void in the wake of great battle -- no! Victory, my friends! There was more innocence in Christ than guilt in us, and so there is such thing as fulfillment: left overs; spoil; there is a cup running over instead of a cup of woe. The cup of woe was all drunk up by Christ -- a deep, sour, bitter cup, who can drink it? It is Marah to us as it was to the Israelites in wilderness days gone by -- that is until God does something miraculous. In the same way, this cup was drunk by Christ, but the cup that He gives never runs dry, we will never thirst again: it continually runneth over. Endlessly, like the Zarephath widow's oil and flour.
But the point of my post was not so much focused on the conquering of death, as with another facet of it: of conquering what death produces. And this fills my heart immensely.
Guilt. That dreadful feeling.
Hear me out, I'm almost done wind-bagging! ...not only does God our Father throned above no longer condemn to death, but nor does the Holy Spirit dwelling within you. ***See bottom note please*** You DO have peace through Christ. So, not only are we legally pardoned for sin, but we are freed from the feeling it gives us: the feeling it incurs, that it lays on us like a shroud of death: of grief. Of guilt. Of shame. Of despair. Of fear. Of worry. Of exposure and nudity. Of a bad taste. Of everything that feels like a twisting knife in the back. But beloved ones, He not only swallowed up death but also the pain it brings.
"O Death, where is thy sting?"
It is GONE. It is DONE. Instead of grief we rejoice. Instead of guilt, we boast in our God. Instead of shame, we give -- and receive -- new honors. Instead of endless despair, we have infinite hope. Instead of the tyranny of fear, we are given a Master of love to lead us and care for us. Instead of worry, we are given perfect peace. Instead of exposure, we are given rich royal robes. Instead of a sour existence, we are given the fatted calf and wine and bread. And instead of a knife in the back, we are given a sword in the hand. Etc. Etc. You think up the rest. :)
Here's some inspiration.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2061&version=ESV
Thursday, January 17, 2013
A View from the Window... (republished)
...my first and only attempt at free verse... a little too avant garde for my taste, really, but there it is.
Some days
We find ourselves
Shut up in
A room, alone.
Our room,
Where Emotions and
Thoughts
Swell by the
Locked door, just
Daring to eye
Through the keyhole;
There's no escaping.
They knock and
Bang the door:
No one opens
Or answers.
Just when
The lights
Are about to
Die, we make
One more
Try at the door, just
Crying.
His Voice
Answers, saying
Take a View from the Window
Suddenly, we
Feel a cool
Breeze, a little uninvited
Exposure.
At first it's
Too chill, but
Then we realize it
Is coming from
An open window,
Shedding warm light
That we
Only now notice
Because our
Own lights have
Burnt out.
Drawing a heavy
Curtain,
I open the window
All the way--
A thousand foolish
Thoughts escaping, hand
In hand with some
Emotions, all jumping
To their deaths.
"Oh well,
They were poor
Company anyway," said
A remaining Thought
To me.
He and I leant
Out, and beheld
Far below, a golden
Fair city, flooded with
Light and joy.
Voices,
They sang
Of holiness, they
Rang of it!
Yet join them,
I could not,
For were I
To jump
From the window, I
Too would surely
Die.
Yes, patiently
Must I remain in
My room, hosting better
Company till my
Door is suddenly,
Or perhaps
Expectantly opened, that
I might
Simply
Use the stairs.
Sometimes, the
Lights do come
Back on, but we
Hardly notice; our
Light we
Take with
A view from the Window.
~ Poem by Jessica Moore, (c) 2010
John 8:12
Then Jesus spoke to them again: "I am the Light of the world. Anyone who follows Me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life."
Matthew 27:50-53
And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook; the rocks split and the tombs were broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs after Jesus' resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.
Colossians 3:1-4
So if you have been raised with the Messiah, seek what is above, where the Messiah is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on what is above, not on what is on the earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with the Messiah in God. When the Messiah, who is your life, is revealed, so also will you be revealed with Him in glory.
Galatians 2:19-20
For through the law I have died to the law, so that I might live for Christ. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Oh, Forgiveness' Sake! (republished)
It caught my eye, and so I once read the following words on Pinterest:
*In my opinion, "forget" does not necessarily imply total lack of physical remembrance, but of forsaking your anger, hurt and grudges.
THE PROBLEM
Isn't that rather a lame excuse?
No worries, my friend, for if we keep the Lord's commands, He will bless us with a right spirit; and if we don't "feel it", know that God has fulfilled it where you lack it! His Spirit covers yours if you are covered by Christ!
From 1 John 3:15-24...
Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
This is how we know we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in His presence:
If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything. Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from Him anything we ask, because we keep His commands and do what pleases Him. And this command: to believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as He commanded us. The one who keeps God's commands lives in Him, and He in them. And this is how we know that He lives in us: We know it by the Spirit He gave us.
If God is in you, you should, you can, you will obey His commands for your relationships regardless of how you in all your mortal flesh feel about it. For it is not for you to fulfill all things but for Him!
http://bible.cc/john/14-16.htm < Here are a few really good verses about the Counselor, the Holy Spirit as regarding us, that I came across. JUST FOR FUN!
CHRIST AS THE EXAMPLE
And in such view, may we together set our eyes upon Christ! That Son of Man and Son of God, whose act of giving up His WHOLE BODY AND SOUL TO UTTER DAMNATION was an act of ULTIMATE HUMILITY. That Christ Who therefore points to us that we likewise should be willing to give up all that which is of us and not of God, in all humility for obedience and fellowship's sake. That Christ, who:
1), had no need apologize for Himself, as He never sinned. But look at the verse below! He apologized on our behalf, as a priest and mediator! And I might add, while we meanwhile were (are!) heartlessly claiming and clamoring for our own rights over filthy rags, arguing among ourselves: "You did that, so..." or "I deserve this because..." and "You owe me since..." Gambling on worldly reasons no better than chance.
Luke 23:24
Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they were are doing." And they divided His clothes and cast lots.
2), God forgave us, of course! His endless abounding mercy through salvation is only possible by the righteous death of Christ, because that righteousness which is Christ is even more endless. "There is more mercy in Christ than sin in us." God really went above and beyond in His removal of our trespasses, didn't He?
Psalm 103:12
As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us."
Finally 3), God forgets our treachery against Him, praises be!
Hebrews 10:17
He adds: I will never again remember their sins and lawless acts.
God moves on, you see, when all is said and done. After all, in Christ's dying words: "It is finished!"
Jesus moved on, too, after He took on the extreme chastisement of brutal, shameful death on earth and a time in Hell: He moved on when He rose again in glory to reign at the Father's right hand. Let us be filled with the Holy Spirit in all we do as we follow the example of Father and Son, to Whom be all credit and glory, into the very day we join Them there in Heaven.
Be brave. Be strong. Be happy. Be humble. Be loving. God in you, and you covered in God.
Repent, forgive and forget,
Jessie ♥
(apology) (forgiveness) (70 x 70) (infinity) (wisdom) (moving on) = X
X = eternal joy and fellowship
The first to apologize is the bravest.
The first to forgive is the strongest.
The first to forget* is the happiest.
*In my opinion, "forget" does not necessarily imply total lack of physical remembrance, but of forsaking your anger, hurt and grudges.
THE PROBLEM
Let's examine that list. To begin, speaking quite personally, I find apologizing the most doable of the three. At times, I feel myself to be quite sincere as humanly possible; but there are more often times when I am probably not -- even decidedly not sorry (yet!) -- and yet still apologize. Is this indeed bravery? Or is it fearful, insincere, self-centered appeasement-making? Or even yet, am I apologizing on something trivial in order to fish out an apology I'd like to hear?
What about you? Do you find forgiving people easy? Is that possibly ever because we don't really mean it (though we may think we do); is it that we are simply taking a detour -- perhaps for convenience -- by bottling it up for later? Is that strength?
And how about forgetting? Is this action because of our deep love for our brethren which covers all their past faults from our eyes, or do we forget a misdeed only to avoid having to confront it, apologize for it, and/or forgive it? Is this happiness (or better yet, is this loving), to avoid addressing the problem at all costs?
INSEPARABLE
INSEPARABLE
Ideally, we want to be able and whole-heartedly willing in all three; I would even say one can't truly have one without all three.
For how can we sincerely apologize and seek forgiveness -- how could we dare to? -- unless at the same time we each in our own heart knew that we would be willing to accept with purity and grace the apology of another? How can we forgive whole-heartedly if we ourselves would be unwilling to bow and ask forgiveness in the same situation? How can we forget: forsaking all malice, condemning all grudges and move on again, except that we repent and forgive these things which we have malice over?
Apology + forgiveness + moving on (for both repenter and confronter, offender and defender) = recipe for reconciliation :)
But there's more.
But there's more.
WHAT DOES SCRIPTURE SAY?
[All Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, Holman Christian Standard Version (HCSB), unless otherwise specified.]
James 5:16 (NKJV)
Confess your faults one to another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
^We must acknowledge our faults and lift them up together to God.
Matthew 6:14-15
For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
^It doesn't get much clearer than that.
Ephesians 4:32
And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.
Colossians 3:12-17
Therefore, God's chosen ones, holy and loved, put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, accepting one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a complaint against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must forgive. Above all, put on love -- the perfect bond of unity. And let the peace of the Messiah, to which you were also called in one body, control your hearts. Be thankful. Let the message about the Messiah dwell richly among you, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, and singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word and in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
^Actions and attitude equally required, are they not?
Now here's the bomb... Gotta love that Jesus.
Matthew 18:21-35
Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how many times could my brother sin against me and I forgive him? As many as seven times?"
"I tell you, not as many as seven, "Jesus said to him, "but 70 times seven. For this reason, the kingdom of heaven can be compared to a king who wanted to settle accounts with his slaves. When he began to settle accounts, one who owed 10,000 talents was brought before him. Since he had no way to pay it back, his master commanded that he, his wife, his children, and everything he had be sold to pay the debt.
"At this, the slave fell facedown before him and said, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you everything!' Then the master of that slave had compassion, released him and forgave him the loan.
"But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him 100 denarii. He grabbed him, started choking him and said, "Pay what you owe!"*
"At this, his fellow slave fell down and began begging him, 'Be patient with me and I will pay you back.' But he wasn't willing. On the contrary, he went and threw him into prison until he could pay what he owed. When the other slaves^ saw what had taken place, they were deeply distressed and went and reported to their master everything that had happened.
"Then, after he had summoned him, his master said, 'You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Shouldn't you also have mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?' And his master got angry and handed him over to the jailers to be tortured º until he could pay what was owed. So My heavenly Father will also do to you if each of you does not forgive his brother from his heart."
^Gulp!
How stingy are we! "As many as... seven times, Lord?" *pats self on shoulder*
"Oh no, not that many times," replies Christ...
"Infinitely more!" :D
Some notes on Matthew 18:21-35:
*I just want to point out the possible irony of this slave's actions, besides that which is already apparent; that perhaps the first slave was wanting the money from the second one in order to unnecessarily pay back the debt which he has already been forgiven! Reminds me of us trying to regain our salvation by worthless works when we already have salvation through Christ! But of course, I'm only supposing...
^Here's looking at you to require accountability, fellow Christians, when you see a brother wrong another brother! Run and tell if you love your brethren.
ºThis happened to Christ, by the way, instead of us who are hidden in Him; because He alone could pay what we owed, He was handed over to the Roman jailers and torturers and to the wrath of Almighty God.
REPENTANCE AS PROOF OF SINCERITY
[All Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, Holman Christian Standard Version (HCSB), unless otherwise specified.]
James 5:16 (NKJV)
Confess your faults one to another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
^We must acknowledge our faults and lift them up together to God.
Matthew 6:14-15
For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
^It doesn't get much clearer than that.
Ephesians 4:32
And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.
Colossians 3:12-17
Therefore, God's chosen ones, holy and loved, put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, accepting one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a complaint against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must forgive. Above all, put on love -- the perfect bond of unity. And let the peace of the Messiah, to which you were also called in one body, control your hearts. Be thankful. Let the message about the Messiah dwell richly among you, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, and singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word and in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
^Actions and attitude equally required, are they not?
Now here's the bomb... Gotta love that Jesus.
Matthew 18:21-35
Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how many times could my brother sin against me and I forgive him? As many as seven times?"
"I tell you, not as many as seven, "Jesus said to him, "but 70 times seven. For this reason, the kingdom of heaven can be compared to a king who wanted to settle accounts with his slaves. When he began to settle accounts, one who owed 10,000 talents was brought before him. Since he had no way to pay it back, his master commanded that he, his wife, his children, and everything he had be sold to pay the debt.
"At this, the slave fell facedown before him and said, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you everything!' Then the master of that slave had compassion, released him and forgave him the loan.
"But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him 100 denarii. He grabbed him, started choking him and said, "Pay what you owe!"*
"At this, his fellow slave fell down and began begging him, 'Be patient with me and I will pay you back.' But he wasn't willing. On the contrary, he went and threw him into prison until he could pay what he owed. When the other slaves^ saw what had taken place, they were deeply distressed and went and reported to their master everything that had happened.
"Then, after he had summoned him, his master said, 'You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Shouldn't you also have mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?' And his master got angry and handed him over to the jailers to be tortured º until he could pay what was owed. So My heavenly Father will also do to you if each of you does not forgive his brother from his heart."
^Gulp!
How stingy are we! "As many as... seven times, Lord?" *pats self on shoulder*
"Oh no, not that many times," replies Christ...
"Infinitely more!" :D
Some notes on Matthew 18:21-35:
*I just want to point out the possible irony of this slave's actions, besides that which is already apparent; that perhaps the first slave was wanting the money from the second one in order to unnecessarily pay back the debt which he has already been forgiven! Reminds me of us trying to regain our salvation by worthless works when we already have salvation through Christ! But of course, I'm only supposing...
^Here's looking at you to require accountability, fellow Christians, when you see a brother wrong another brother! Run and tell if you love your brethren.
ºThis happened to Christ, by the way, instead of us who are hidden in Him; because He alone could pay what we owed, He was handed over to the Roman jailers and torturers and to the wrath of Almighty God.
REPENTANCE AS PROOF OF SINCERITY
Another point I would like to make is this:
What quality do we grant to he who is first to change his future actions based on his past experiences (eg. the fruit of repentence)?????
The humblest? The most loving? Maybe both, as dying to self often promotes love; as humility's only true motive can be out of love.
Let's see how that looks on the list.
The first to change is the truest of heart.
Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self control. Against such things there is no law.
PURE MOTIVES IMPOSSIBLE TO HAVE OF OURSELVES, BUT ONLY OF GOD!
Also, maybe we find it hard to have pure motives in our hearts, and so that is why we refrain from apologizing, forgiving, reconciling...
Let's see how that looks on the list.
The first to apologize is the bravest.
The first to forgive is the strongest.
The first to forget is the happiest.
The first to change is the truest of heart.
Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self control. Against such things there is no law.
PURE MOTIVES IMPOSSIBLE TO HAVE OF OURSELVES, BUT ONLY OF GOD!
Also, maybe we find it hard to have pure motives in our hearts, and so that is why we refrain from apologizing, forgiving, reconciling...
Isn't that rather a lame excuse?
No worries, my friend, for if we keep the Lord's commands, He will bless us with a right spirit; and if we don't "feel it", know that God has fulfilled it where you lack it! His Spirit covers yours if you are covered by Christ!
From 1 John 3:15-24...
Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
This is how we know we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in His presence:
If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything. Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from Him anything we ask, because we keep His commands and do what pleases Him. And this command: to believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as He commanded us. The one who keeps God's commands lives in Him, and He in them. And this is how we know that He lives in us: We know it by the Spirit He gave us.
If God is in you, you should, you can, you will obey His commands for your relationships regardless of how you in all your mortal flesh feel about it. For it is not for you to fulfill all things but for Him!
http://bible.cc/john/14-16.htm < Here are a few really good verses about the Counselor, the Holy Spirit as regarding us, that I came across. JUST FOR FUN!
CHRIST AS THE EXAMPLE
And in such view, may we together set our eyes upon Christ! That Son of Man and Son of God, whose act of giving up His WHOLE BODY AND SOUL TO UTTER DAMNATION was an act of ULTIMATE HUMILITY. That Christ Who therefore points to us that we likewise should be willing to give up all that which is of us and not of God, in all humility for obedience and fellowship's sake. That Christ, who:
1), had no need apologize for Himself, as He never sinned. But look at the verse below! He apologized on our behalf, as a priest and mediator! And I might add, while we meanwhile were (are!) heartlessly claiming and clamoring for our own rights over filthy rags, arguing among ourselves: "You did that, so..." or "I deserve this because..." and "You owe me since..." Gambling on worldly reasons no better than chance.
Luke 23:24
Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they were are doing." And they divided His clothes and cast lots.
2), God forgave us, of course! His endless abounding mercy through salvation is only possible by the righteous death of Christ, because that righteousness which is Christ is even more endless. "There is more mercy in Christ than sin in us." God really went above and beyond in His removal of our trespasses, didn't He?
Psalm 103:12
As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us."
Finally 3), God forgets our treachery against Him, praises be!
Hebrews 10:17
He adds: I will never again remember their sins and lawless acts.
God moves on, you see, when all is said and done. After all, in Christ's dying words: "It is finished!"
Jesus moved on, too, after He took on the extreme chastisement of brutal, shameful death on earth and a time in Hell: He moved on when He rose again in glory to reign at the Father's right hand. Let us be filled with the Holy Spirit in all we do as we follow the example of Father and Son, to Whom be all credit and glory, into the very day we join Them there in Heaven.
Be brave. Be strong. Be happy. Be humble. Be loving. God in you, and you covered in God.
Repent, forgive and forget,
Jessie ♥
(apology) (forgiveness) (70 x 70) (infinity) (wisdom) (moving on) = X
X = eternal joy and fellowship
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