LIFE-QUOTES: SHORT MEANDERINGS #1

* We are at our greatest in failure, when humility and weakness prevail, and we gladly yield control to our Lord. Would that we could live there…
* To a godly man, a birthday is a mile marker on the pathway home to be with Daddy, a celebration because we are closer home than before.
* God creates out of nothing. When we see ourselves as nothing, God’s creative spark is ignited and His power flows.
* Thought precipitates action: Watch what you think and your words will not need guarding.
* God does not dwell in manmade buildings, be they mansions or hovels. God’s temple is the flesh of our bodies, His Holy of Holies our broken heart.
* God said what He meant and meant what He said. It is only He who can move me to tears.
* Jesus betrothed us to Himself with a wedding band of Blood. Our wedding certificate is the New Covenant in His Blood, the Blood of His Love…
* The beauty of our commitment to our Lord rises from the ashes of the despair He found us in. He gives us “Beauty for Ashes.”
* “Remember Lot’s wife… No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the Kingdom of God."
* God’s presence fans the flames of intense desire, bringing commitment to His purposes. “If Your presence does not go with us…
* The saint’s cry in the midst of adversity is “Lord use me.” No need to cry anything else, for He is sovereign, and has already saved us.
* Born enslaved, wrought in sin. Only wise choice is to begin again.
* As we repose in the arms of our Beloved, we become like a breath of air consumed by the fire of God, bring purity of heart and motives.
* If Jesus isn't our Lord someone else will be. We are all slaves: We are either slaves to our past, slaves to our habits or slaves to God.  Either Self or God will rule…
* Half-grown thoughts flood my mind, the whispering winds of the Divine.
* We are called to dwell in Christ, where God in His Kingdom becomes our abiding habitation.

THE GRACE GOSPEL

The Grace Gospel is a label for an assortment of fringe groups that hold as a common basic tenet the belief all human-kind will receive eternal salvation as a product of grace, and grace alone – i.e., Universalism through Grace. Such a belief hinders a multitude of scriptures dealing with the whole council of God, easily a book size refutation, but the purpose here is to focus on three verses penned by the Apostle Paul who, by the way, wrote the book on grace.

Paul dealt directly with the abuse of Grace in Romans 5:21-6:2 (JESV): “Just as our sin nature has ruled us and will cause our physical death and eternal separation from God in Hell, so also our right standing with God will allow God’s enabling power to rule us, providing heavenly life of endless duration through Jesus Christ our Lord. What shall we say to this?  Shall we continue to allow our sin nature to rule us that God’s saving grace and mercy may increase more and more? God forbid, may it never be!  How can we who have died to our sin nature continue any longer to spend our life under its control”? We are all slaves: We are born enslaved to sin and graced with the opportunity to become slaves of righteousness, a choice of our free will. (Rom. 6: 12-13) Either our sin nature will rule us or God will rule us. Grace does give diplomatic immunity; “But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more” (Rom. 5:20B NKJV).  The grace of God has been given in greater measure than needed and will always be “more than enough” for any sinner with a repentant heart.  But this in no way implies we should flagrantly sin and presume upon God’s grace.  The phrase “God forbid” used in Rom. 6:2 is the strongest Greek idiom for repudiating a statement, and does not indicate when or how He forbids.  We don’t know when we have gone too far, when we have crossed the line where God’s merciful grace is no longer available. 

God’s grace is not automatically applied to those who sin willfully; the existence of grace and mercy do not guarantee application if one does not turn away from sin and turn to God. If a born again believer willingly and deliberately commits sin, with full knowledge that it is sin, God’s grace is withdrawn.  Such a believer spurns and tramples underfoot Christ’s atoning work, treating as common, unholy and profane the precious blood of Jesus, and insulting and outraging the Holy Spirit, the one who imparts Grace (Heb. 10:26-31). Ditto the once born sinner who chooses to ignore God.

Grace is amazing and awesome, but it is not ours to flagrantly abuse and wastefully expend. One could rightly ask what about God’s command to Obedience and Holiness, His demand for Justice, or His promise of Judgment, declaring wrathful consequences on those who choose to live outside His blood covenant, if one was basing their beliefs on the whole council of God. But, if one’s Bible was translated by Edward Scissorhands…

SALVATION IS A GIFT

ACCESSED BY GRACE

APPREHENDED BY FAITH

(Eph.2:8)

BECOMING WHAT WE BEHOLD

Morality which does not connect behavior to a relational exchange with Jesus, where disobedience is viewed as a violation against our Savior, is not really morality at all but simply a concoction of man - cheap grace, “the kind of grace we bestow on ourselves” - as Dietrich Bonhoeffer so eloquently put it.  David fully understood this when He said, “You and only you have I sinned against Oh Lord” (Ps. 51:4).  He understood the beauty of morality for love’s sake, for the sake of Jesus, for the sake of God and for the sake of other people - morality forever embedded in the commandment to love God and love other people, and defined in the eternal absolutes of God’s word.  It is so easy to get into a cultural war about rules of conduct, fighting for dominance within the fallen system Christ redeemed us out of, and failing to point to Christ, the only way of rescue for those whose “conduct” falls short of God’s glory. The biblical idea of morality is embedded in our relationship with Jesus, a direct ramification of our spiritual union with Him.  We love Him BECAUSE He first loved us. We become what we behold: This is the classical “first cause” of the divine transformation process. He loved us and demonstrated His love through the ultimate sacrifice, and as we comprehend God’s love for us the Holy Spirit begins to grow reciprocal love for God in our heart - a process of renewing our heart and mind - and this Love is the first fruits of a new being as the Holy Spirit begins the life long process of conforming our nature into the nature and likeness of Christ.  Out of this Love springs the capacity to love ourselves, then to love others, then Joy, Peace, Longsuffering, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-control. Little by little, bit by bit we change as God’s love produces obedience to His word, and the willingness to allow the Holy Spirit “both to will and to do for His good pleasure” in us. We become what we behold, a spiritual principle fueled by God’s word that declares the “beholdable” God. When we behold God’s mercy toward us and we become merciful, we behold God’s goodness toward us and we become good, we behold God’s kindness toward us and we become kind, we behold God’s forgiveness toward us and we forgive others, and the process goes on - becoming Christlike, becoming what we behold.  Biblical morality, godly moral conduct -- godliness -- is simply the product of our Christlikeness, when we act and react as Christ would.

“WE LOVE HIM BECAUSE

HE FIRST LOVED US”

MORAL FAILURES: THE FRUIT OF PRESUMPTIOUS GRACE

A prevalent theme, a lack of spiritual balance in the church world today, is a strong contributing factor in the moral failures of saints. We simply do not fear God! The revelation of God's great grace and love has permeated the church, and rightly so, but without the counterbalance of fear, reflecting His holiness and justice as the Righteous Judge of All, we are like a kite without a tail, flirting with the updrafts of love and grace while doomed to a presumptuous noise-dive sooner or later. Without a healthy dose of fear of the one who "holds our breath in His hands" our carnal nature predisposes us to a presumption of cheap grace. Grace does give diplomatic immunity; “But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more.” The grace of God has been given in greater measure than needed and will always be “more than enough” for sinner’s with a repentant heart.  This in no way implies we should flagrantly sin and presume upon God’s grace. The phrase “God forbid” used in Rom. 6:2 is the strongest Greek idiom for repudiating a statement, and does not indicate when or how He forbids.  We don’t know when we have gone too far, when we have crossed the line where God’s grace and mercy no longer is available.  Many, no doubt, view the moral failures in God's body as a lack of love or true commitment to God, which may be true in some cases, but we shouldn't be simplistic or blinded by the oblivious; many saints who dearly love God have yielded to moral failure. What else, but deep seated presumption, would allow a saint to yield to moral temptation before the all seeing all knowing eye of an ever present God? Jim Baker, from his prison cell, stated he never quit loving or believing in God, but he attributed his moral failures to a lack of the fear God. Our view of God is the single most influential and important thing driving our Christian life. Holy fear of God is essential to a balanced view of God's true nature in His relationship with man. To fear God is to believe God, and to believe God is to obey Him. The progression of Heb. 6:1-8 and the associated passages in Heb. 10:26-31, and the word choices in Heb.12:5, "chastens", "scourges" and "rebukes", are indicative of a side of God's nature we need to recognize and respect. There are approximately 134 scriptures dealing with the fear of God. Fear of the Lord is a way of escape, a divine provisioning, enabling us to overcome temptation. When we don't fear God we are a tailless kite, floating on the winds of presumption.

THE FEAR OF THE LORD IS…

IT IS A FEARFUL THING…