Christianity Oasis Forum

[saint701]

Hi JCSM, Mac, All,


Blessings!

I love and appreciate you all so very, very much!

Our adventure into the mystery of the gospel of our Lord as revealed by Paul wouldn't be complete without taking a look at godliness. Webster's Dictionary defines godliness as displaying the attributes of God, something along the lines of righteousness and true holiness. I will certainly agree in part with their definition..but not completely.

In our study of the various aspect of the mystery of the gospel, one characteristic of a spiritual life that stands out more than any other is that of love. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. No man has greater love than this, that he should lay down his life for a friend. Jesus laid down His life for us. (He calls us His friends if we keep his commandments, (love one another). By definition, the Apostle John called our Heavenly Dad..love. God is love.

I Timothy 3:16...And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached to the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

I Timothy 4:8...but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. I Corinthians 13:8...love never fails.

One of my favorite Christian authors is Kenneth E. Hagin. One of the last books he wrote before passing on to glory was called, Love, the Way to Victory. In that book he substituted love for godliness in I Timothy 48...The love way is profitable for all things. And I like that, because love fulfills the law. Love separates (makes holy), us from the world. Who can find fault with you if your every action is a love action. Walking in love keeps you connected with the Holy Spirit, the Lord Jesus, our Heavenly Dad, and each other. (I John).


Blessings!
L,ICJ, Dennis.

[Mackenaw]

Hello Saint and Everyone

God bless you this day.

Woooohooooo! Thank you, Saint. Thank You Holy Spirit.

For quite a few days, now, The Holy Spirit and I have been spending a great deal of time in I Timothy and II Timothy. Awesome teachings in these 2 books, and ones The Holy Spirit seems to lead me to often.

II Timothy 3: 1-7
This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2) For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3) Without natural affection, trucebrakers, false accusoers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4) Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5) Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
6) For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
7) Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Verse 5 always stands out to me. Having a form of godliness...

I remember being so good at pleasing man, that some would have mistaken it as godliness. Shoot, at times I even fooled myself.

God still spends a lot of time pointing out my stinking thinking. But that is His process. He points out where we are wrong, so we are aware of it, then He changes us from the inside out. It's not an overnight process, but it can be a meaningful and blessed process if we are open to Him.

He changes our "want to". You know, sometimes we do what is expected of us, yet deep down inside, we don't really want to? I love it when He changes things inside me. When all of a sudden I realize, Praise God, that didn't hurt a bit. Those times when I realize cool, He changed that in me and I didn't have to choose to do or say what was right, right seemed more natural -- the only choice. Woooohooooo!

It reminds me of what Jesus said to Peter -- and when you are converted,
Luke 22:32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

I say all that to say this...not everything good comes naturally to me though. Yes both sides are presented to me, and I usually choose the good; however, doesn't mean my carnal mind wanted to. It's still "let your conscious be your guide" type thing in most cases.

I think that is one of the hardest concepts to convey to people. So often they think because their mind desired something that is not "good" that they themselves must be a lost cause and not saved. Then there is the other extreme where some, because they are so good at performance -- people pleasing, that they pretend as opposed to truly getting to know The Lord and being an active participant in what He is changing and doing in them.

His process is so active -- lots of conversations. Even if what we talk about most is how I failed, in thought or even in action. I savor conversation with Him, even the correction. He is so gentle and loving.

Remember when the woman at the well was talking to Jesus, and she ran home to tell everyone, and she in her excited state said (paraphrase) ...I met a man and he knew everything about me, and, and, and.... She was elated.

(read the full story in John 4:6-30)

John 4:28-29 The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?

This is the woman who had had 5 husband and was now living with a man that she was not married to.

Christ Jesus is so loving. He told her that He knew of her situation yet, there was no condemnation what so ever. She was thrilled, she was in the presence of Love and she knew it. That Love is the power that transforms and converts us.

God the Father thinks it, God the Son speaks it, and The Holy Spirit moves -- the power manifest whatsoever The Father thinks and Jesus speaks.

Philippians 2:9-13
9) Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name:
10) That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11) And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
12) Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
13) For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.


Thank You Lord for working in us.

God bless you all.
Love,
Mack

[saint701]

Greetings this morning to you all, JCSM, Mac,


Blessings!

Wonderful breakdown of our struggle with the mind, Mac. Two days ago I felt the love, fire, and drive I have for the Lord and His Word diminish. Needless to say, I wasn't happy about it. But everything seemed ok with my spirit, so I knew my soul was in need of a bump.

As you say, Mac, it is so easy for the mind to want to wander back over to the flesh side of things. Of course then we are at enmity with God if we go there, because we can't receive from Him. The natural man receiveth not..., because they are foolishness...., but to be spiritually minded is life, health, peace,..so..., I set my mind and heart to take more time in praying the love prayers. And, it has taken me a couple of days to get my mind into the right spiritual perspective, but that is just how things work. It is our decision. Love acts. And love is the fastest way to get back into fellowship with our Heavenly Dad, the Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and each other, as in our spirit, that is what we have been made, love.

Last night the Holy Spirit directed me back to the book of Matthew. He wanted me to take another look at what Jesus taught, and how He walked. ( Mac, the woman at the well is a great illustration of His life and is itself representative of His love treatment of the Father toward humanity, i.e., grace; not imputing trespasses and sins, all worked out in I Corinthians chapter 13 of what love is and does). The love of our Heavenly Dad will make us perfect over time by driving out all fear.

My perspective about working out our salvation with fear and trembling is this, that I am afraid to walk out of my Heavenly Dad's love because His presence completes me. His love makes me a whole person. I can't live without the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Without Him I can do nothing.

Matthew chapter 5 verse 44-48, "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully us you, and persecute you; That you may be the children of your Father which is in heaven; for he makes the sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and unjust..., (48), Be perfect as your Father in Heaven is perfect.

Then, of course, Jesus lived what He taught so setting the example for us, by dying for our sins, and praying that those that killed Him be forgiven.

Love is the way.


Blessings!
L,ICJ, Dennis.