Whom we give credit for our "worth-ship" is not us but God. Give Him all allegience and glory.
The Lord's humbled . . . John A. Reeves
"Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, 'You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.' For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy" (Revelation 19:10).
Whom we give credit for our "worth-ship" is not us but God. Give Him all allegience and glory. The Lord's humbled . . . John A. Reeves
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"I [Jesus] do not ask for these [apostles] only, but also for those who will believe in me [Jesus] through their [apostles] word, that they [followers of Christ] may all be one [unified], just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they [Christians] also may be in us [Godhead], so that the world may believe that you [Father] have sent me [Jesus]" (John 17:20-21).
What does it mean to "listen" to the apostles and prophets in Scripture? It means unity with the Godhead. It means love for Jesus. It means a showing of respect. It means devotion, heart, intelligence, servanthood, and common sense. Common sense teaches people that heat will burn, cold will freeze, and not doing your homework will cause you to fail. All Jesus is asking you to do is your homework. The Lord's humbled . . . John A. Reeves "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you" (Ephesians 4:30-32).
You may have heard this phrase, "You can lead a donkey to water but you can't force him to drink." The same is true about those who choose not to follow Christ. Thank God even though someone may reject Him, during a phase in their life, they may turn back even after - blasphemy. Check out my full article on "Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit". The Lord's humbled . . . John A. Reeves "And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith" (Acts 6:7).
What is the noun in the phrase obedient faith? It is faith. What is the noun in the phrase faithful obedience? It is obedience. What is the difference between the two phrases? The first shows that a person is obedient to the faith found in Jesus Christ: His mission, His teachings, His direction, His __________ anything. The second shows that a person is determined to be obedient for obedience sake. Now, the difficult thing with this is that the obedience that these people might be faithful in may not be anything close to the understanding that Christ had intended. In fact, the trust found coming from the second phrase focuses on how good a person is at keeping "the law" (or their tradition). Their trust then is in law keeping itself; rather, than Jesus Himself - this is damnable (cf. Galatians 1:8; cf. Romans 1:5; 16:26). Jesus does want His people to be obedient to Him; however, He nowhere teaches that anyone is saved by faithful law keeping; i.e., trusting in their own ability to keep the law. Rather, Jesus wants His people to be obedient to Him, trust Him for salvation, while at the same time living a Christian life. Show your respect to God and be obedient to the faith of Jesus Christ. The Lord's humbled . . . John A. Reeves Please read my article "Polar Opposite" for more detailed understanding. "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish" (Psalm 1).
Sometimes, we as Christians, are around people who don't have much of a "clean" mouth. For example, I used to play pick-up soccor with guys who you would think didn't know any other words besides cuss words. I, also, used to work around tradesmen; like, electricians, carpenters, and plumbers, who talked extrememly nasty about women - as if they were all pinups or prostitutes. Now, a Christian has a few choices in these situations: 1) walk away, 2) be around but not accept the lifestyle, or 3) partake in the cussing and nasty talk. The reality is it is not always permissable to walk away from a situation; especially, if it is work oriented. So, I found that eventaully worldly people pick-up something different in my demeanor. Either, they question my lifestyle which opens up why I live the way I do - in Christ. Or, they show defiant attitude and eventually choose not to be around me anyway. Unfortunately, some Christians decide to partake in a wordly lifestyle with their so-called "friends" - whether it is getting drunk, swearing like a "sailor", or whatever. How does GOD wish people to live? Well, it is not the lifestyle of the wicked - that's for sure. Remember, the "way of the righteous [will last], but the way of the wicked will perish" (Psalm 1:6). Who do you want to resemble? Resemble Jesus in all your ways and He will bless you. The Lord's humbled . . . John A. Reeves God said this to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job" (Job 1:8)?
According to the account, Satan has the ability to speak with God. And, keeping with the treachery of Satan, he continually attempts to test God's wherewithall by basically saying that certain people only like Him because He protects them. (Cheep shot). Ouch. What a slap in the face. What a challenge to God. But God is not detered. He shows Satan and all the witnesses of Heaven that an imperfect man; like Job, will love Him (God) regarless of what happens to him in this life. Have you ever asked God why something "negative" is happening in your life? I have. Job's friends did. But the reality is we, like Job, don't know for sure whether something "negative" is happening to us because of the corrupt world we live in or because Satan is challeging God. Like Job, not only are we loved by God, we are also His servants. And as servants we serve the needs of our Lord and Master - God. So, as a Kingdom servant, if you've ever gone throught challenging times remember God may be saying to Satan, "Have you consider my servant __________?" (fill in the blank with your name) May you see the love of the Lord toward you daily. The Lord's humbled . . . John A. Reeves "Train up your child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6).
A proverb is a statement that generally works out. It would be nice to believe that we as parents have a lot of perfect and godly children running around. However, the reality is that all people, even our kids, have the mind to make their own choices even if we, as godly parents, did the best possible job we could do. Yet, what never leaves the child is the teachings of Christ that always remains in the back of their brain. How many people do you know that "fell away" from God and lived a worldly lifestyle. If you talk with them, it is evident that they still know where to find the truth. They have been impacted by truth. And the truth continually reminds them of their inappropriate lifestyle (whatever it is). I believe that this is the idea behind this proverb. If you train your children in the way that they should go, the training will always be in their mind to guide them - even if they choose not to follow it. So, with every opportunity you have with your children, train them in the godly way that they should go so if they do fall away they will know how to get back on the godly path to eternal life. The Lord's humbled . . . John A. Reeves |
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