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James 1:17-18 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. (18) Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. (KJV)
When God sends something our way it’s not only good but it is perfect, complete, supplying all our need, spirit, soul, and body. When God so loved the world seeing how mankind had fallen, He sent His Son on our behalf so that the fellowship with Him could be restored and we could be a kind of firstfruits or one of His offspring, adopted into the heavenly family in Christ. Psalms 107:20-21 He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. (21) Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! (KJV) When you pray to your Father in heaven do you expect a complete answer and manifestation of that request you made, or do you expect bits and pieces, a partial answer to your request? In other words, with all that God has sent our way for our benefit, how much is being sent back His way in the form of praise and thanksgiving, presenting yourself to Him as a living sacrifice, thanking Him for what He has done on our behalf and not a what have you done for me lately attitude? Someday when you return to Sender and have to stand before your heavenly Father will you be able to give a complete answer to what you did with His plan of salvation, or will you be speechless and unable to give a full account of the gift of life that was given on our behalf? Ephesians 4:11-15 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; (12) For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: (13) Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: (14) That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; (15) But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: (KJV) Williams New Testament translation for Ephesians 4:11-15 11. And He has given some men to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, some to be pastors and teachers, 12. for the immediate equipment of God's people for the work of service, for the ultimate building up of the body of Christ, 13. until we all attain to unity in faith and to perfect knowledge of the Son of God, namely, to a mature manhood and to a perfect measure of Christ's moral stature; 14. so that we may not be babies any longer, or like sailors tossed about and driven around by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men through their cunning in inventing new methods of error. 15. But, on the other hand, we shall go on holding to the truth and in love growing up into perfect union with Him, that is, Christ Himself who is the Head. You know, with all that God has done and provided for us is there any excuse why there are so many that rather than grow and mature in the Lord, which is what perfecting is referring to, we still see many babies who are being spoon fed and still on the milk of the Word. Know this also, that as long as there is still a body of Christ then there are still apostles and prophets, they didn’t die out with the early Church; people, that is just childish doctrine. If you truly love the Lord and made pleasing Him a priority in your life then you would take the time to read His word and rightly divide the doctrine of Christ and not be so caught up in a bunch of man’s fairy tales and childish lies and deceptions. If you truly desire to grow up and mature in the Lord then quit emulating man and go right to the source. You know, by following some man or imitating some preacher you think is a godly man you limit and stunt your own growth because this man you are following is human and limited, whereas going to God through Christ you are able to tap into an unlimited treasure of wisdom and knowledge, having the mind of Christ yourself. Romans 6:20-23 For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. (21) What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. (22) But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. (23) For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (KJV) What have you done with the gift of God, and what is the first fruit you plan on bringing to His throne someday; will it be one that is spiritual, or will it be rotten fruit that you are ashamed of? If someone in your family or anyone else that was close to you saw that you were starving and your family was in need of food, only to find out later that the gift they provided to feed your family was never used but rather discarded and rotten, how would that make them feel? Or what if you gave someone close to you a gift, something that was vital, even lifesaving, only to find out it was not put to use but discarded, you probably would not be jumping for joy either. So today, have you done all to stand, standing on the foundation God has provided for you, Jesus Christ being the only foundation one can build firmly on, or have you forsaken the gift of life and exchanged it for a cheap knockoff imitation? Luke 8:14-15 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. (15) But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience. (KJV) With all that our heavenly Father has sent our way and desires to send for our benefit, what are you sending in return? You wouldn’t offer someone rotten fruit, or fruit that hasn’t ripened yet, but rather something that was fit and ready. The question today is, when you return to Sender will you be able to bring something to His table that is good and perfect; you know, like the same measure that was measured your way? God bless and have a prosperous day in Christ Jesus our Lord. 1 Peter 4:8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. (KJV)
Luke 10:25-28 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? (26) He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? (27) And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. (28) And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. (KJV) What do these two verses have in common? Well both verses deal with love, which is what the word charity means, and both deal with someone other than yourself. Now you are not going to go out and blab about all your shortcomings and sins to others, so the point being made here is why would you do it to someone else, especially those in the body of Christ? Most people, rather than deal with areas in their walk that can be a struggle or even something they know is sin, spend more time and effort covering it up rather than dealing with it truthfully. Those that do desire to deal with these issues and remove them from their lives do not wish to have them advertised or discussed in public, but are more apt to seek counsel from someone they can trust, someone who is not going to repeat everything they hear. Galatians 6:1-2 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. (2) Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. (KJV) How would you like your situation handled? Especially if you were struggling with an area that you knew was wrong but you weren’t sure how to make it right. Do you consider yourself when hearing things about others? In other words, how you would like a little compassion thrown your way and not as much finger pointing. You know, the one without sin gets to cast the first stone; so again consider yourself, because as long as you are in this temporal body you too are subject to temptation and would not want your faults broadcast on the evening news. The restoration is brought about by those that are spiritual, those that are less likely to react in the flesh but know how to respond in the Spirit because they don’t think of themselves more highly than they ought. Hey why do you think these tabloids do so good and sell out? Because they pounce and prey on the weak, and then air the dirty laundry in public which appeals to man’s lower nature, but is an abomination to the divine nature our Lord asked us to partake of. Proverbs 17:9 He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends. (KJV) You wonder why people don’t want much to do with others sometimes; because if they didn’t have other people to talk about they wouldn’t have anything to say. It’s not hard to figure out either, that if all these gossip groups which call themselves a church spend a good part of their time and effort pointing out the faults of others then you can be assured that they will be ripping you to shreds too once you are out of earshot. Not everything you hear folks’ needs to be repeated or passed on, but by knowing the love of God you will be able to rightly divide and keep it in prayer; you know, in the realm of the Spirit which is spiritual and so are the people that keep it there. Remember when you wound the brethren, which can be inflicted by words, you are in essence sinning personally against Christ Himself, which is not a good thing. Proverbs 29:11 A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards. (KJV) Well if they weren’t sure about you being a fool before, all it took was a few minutes of listening to what was coming out of your mouth to seal the deal. Not everything that passed through your heart and mind is always healthy or needs to be spoken. Knowing the difference of when to speak and when to keep silence can be the difference between wisdom and foolishness. Oh you may know something about someone, but is it really necessary to be bringing it up at this time? Or maybe there is a more appropriate time and place to deal with it when it is done in a spiritual manner and not some self righteous carnal one. 1 Peter 3:8-11 Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: (9) Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. (10) For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: (11) Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. (KJV) Oh but somebody said something about you so now it’s time to set the record straight? Well how about going straight to your prayer closet and hearing the correct response before you lash out in anger and make matters worse. Are you your own defense lawyer who thinks he has to justify himself every time something is said? Because remember he who is his own lawyer has a fool for a client. Do you truly love God and the new life He has given you access to? Then learn to keep that tongue in subjection to the Spirit so that the words you speak will be spiritual, bringing life, and not tearing down. Proverbs 11:12-13 He that is void of wisdom despiseth his neighbour: but a man of understanding holdeth his peace. (13) A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter. (KJV) So your neighbor said something about you, and rather than operate in the Spirit and being a man of understanding, understanding the love of God, you decided to dish the dirt on someone else and blow the cover off of your being a fool. If you were faithful, spiritual, and understanding of how the love of God operates, not just how it works on your behalf, but actually demonstrating it on behalf of others, you would have kept a lid on your mouth and not become some spineless talebearer. The restoration that could have been brought about by those that should be spiritual ends up in childish strivings and contentions by those that try and justify their fallen lower natures instead of operating in a mature divine nature. Proverbs 25:8-10 Go not forth hastily to strive, lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, when thy neighbour hath put thee to shame. (9) Debate thy cause with thy neighbour himself; and discover not a secret to another: (10) Lest he that heareth it put thee to shame, and thine infamy turn not away. (KJV) Brown-Diver-Brigg’s definition for ‘infamy’: 1681 dibbah- whispering, defamation, an evil report a) whispering b) defamation, defaming c) an evil report, an unfavorable saying Ever hear the term ‘tripping over your own words’? Well that’s what happens when you put all those negative words out there, they end up snaring you instead. Which category would you truly say your life patterns? Is it one of love, loving others as you would yourself, or do you have the mentality of the world, climbing over others to get to what you think is the top? Maybe it is time to put a lid on it. God bless and have a prosperous day in Christ Jesus our Lord. |
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