LIFE-QUOTES: SHORT MEANDERINGS #3

* Sacrifice is slow as a funeral procession in rush-hour traffic. It’s the sort of word that other words pass while honking. (Jennie Walker)

* I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency: I am ready for anything and equal to everything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me.

* Offense is a choice, just as God's love is a choice. We choose who we serve by our choices.

* The Christian life is not an imitation of Christ; it is a participation in Christ, becoming “partakers of the divine nature.”                                                                       

* Deception is blinding... blinding Christians to their own hypocrisy, and blinding others from seeing their light, hidden under the basket of their hypocrisy.

* As Christians we are more concerned with God altering our earthly condition then recognizing our heavenly position in Him.

* It is never the trial that makes us stronger. It is what we choose to do with it that strengthens us, so choose wisely.

* The cross is the signature of God, endorsing His new and final covenant with mankind.

* Man’s capacity for justice makes mercy possible; but man’s inclination toward injustice makes mercy necessary.

* Passionate personal godliness is visual, truth on display, as the life of Christ – His nature in us – flows forth. Some call it light...

* We must be careful when sharing God’s truth not to square the circle of inherent offensiveness truth draws forth from a hard heart.

* God cannot be to us the life of God without being the death of Self. The fretful, greedy, fussy, self-centered, lustful, hateful “flesh-life” must die for the abundant life to live.

* We must drink deep of the word of God, for shallow draughts intoxicate the brain and drinking deep sobers one again.

* No one grows in the Lord or in their capacity to serve the Lord unless they are pressed beyond measure.

* Prayer is understanding what God wants to do, then asking Him to do it.

* God tugs us toward His kingdom with cords of adversity while captivating us with His chains of love.

 * Jesus never offered us freedom from slavery. He took the form of a slave to demo for us God’s divine slavery which is true freedom.

* All difficulties are within God’s purposes. All? Yes... All!                                  

HOLINESS: A BRIEF LOOK AT A HUGE TOPIC

A central theme throughout the New Testament, involving approximately 258 passages, is holiness.  The Bible says that God is holy, Jesus is holy, and His children are commanded to be holy.  Our physical body is called the temple of God and is the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit.  Hebrews 12:14 states, “without holiness no man shall see the Lord”, and the Holy Spirit, through the Apostle Peter, modifies and quotes Leviticus, “Be holy for I am holy”, in the Greek aorist imperative as a command. Five related Greek words were translated into the various tenses of the words holy, sanctify, and saint. Hagios, the primary root, is translated “Holy” 162 times, and “Saint” 62 times, God indicating His expectation even in the name He gave His children... Saints!

Hagios, holy, means: to be clean, pure, blameless in heart and life, without blemish. Fundamentally, the idea is separation, consecration and devotion to God, sharing in God’s purity and abstaining from earth’s defilement. Holiness is God’s innermost nature, and has a moral content, standing opposed to physical or spiritual impurity. Anything God commands, grace enables. The Holy Spirit indwells man to encourage and empower godly choices: Holiness is the product of our submission and right choices.

The word holy appears in 554 Bible passages, mostly in reference to the Godhead and the elect. The predominate description in the Bible of the character of Christ, and His Bride, His Body, His Church, the Church He is coming back for, is Holy.  The characteristic of God that stands above all else is “Holy” and in His Holiness we find love, faithfulness, power and all the other characteristics of God.  God is Holy! It is clear from a multitude of scriptures that God wants His children, born again believers, to be Holy as He is Holy.  This is not the external, clean the outside of the “cup” holiness of Matthew 23:25-28, but holiness that comes progressively from a transformed life. Transformation is the regenerating life process of “Crucify – Renew – Transform”, which completes the sanctification process of the Holy Spirit as the believer grows into Christlikeness... into holiness. In Transformation we willfully submit to the Lordship of Christ, recognizing our chains of enslavement to sin are broken, and we willfully die daily to Self and Self’s interests, while willfully setting our minds on things above... renewing our mind to reflect Christ’s mind. Notice these “willfuls” are all willful... purposeful acts. Holiness is not an imitation of Christ’s life; it is a participation in Christ.

Holiness is not that we don’t do things we think God disapproves of; it’s that we love Him so much that we like the same things He likes - we become like Him.  We allow the Holy Spirit to change us, forming and manifesting Christ in us, and we count the things we give up as “dung” in comparison to the love of Jesus.  We allow no habit, no desire, absolutely nothing of this life to have any hold on us, becoming people of one thing.

In Matthew 5:19-48 Jesus repeatedly evokes the higher moral standards Grace requires, part of the new covenant commandments of our lord, standards which address the heart thoughts that drive all our words and actions. Our obedience to our Lord’s commandments, to the extent of our understanding, not only demonstrates our love for Him, but paces our transformation into Christlikeness. “Therefore you shall be perfect”: “Perfect”, teleio, means spiritually mature, holy, Jesus wants us to be like Him. “Just like your Father in heaven is perfect”, and like our Daddy. And our response...

“NOT MY WILL BUT THY WILL BE DONE”

THE SECRET

I have learned in any and all circumstances the secret of facing every situation, whether well-fed or going hungry, having sufficiency and enough to spare or going without and being in want. I have learned how to be content, satisfied to the point where I am not disturbed or disquieted, in whatever state I am. I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me. I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me. I am self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency. Therefore saints: Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything... not even one single thing. In every circumstance and in everything continue to make your needs known to God, by prayer and petition with definite requests, and with thanksgiving. And God's peace shall be yours: That tranquil state of a soul assured of salvation through Christ and fearing nothing from God, being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort... that peace shall be yours. God’s peace which transcends all understanding, that is better than knowing why, shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.  In this rejoice in the Lord always, delight and gladden yourselves in Him.  Again I say, rejoice!

I AM SELF-SUFFICIENT IN CHRIST'S SUFFICIENCY

End Note: Phil. 4:4-14, Amplified Bible modified. Though this teaching, contextually, evolved out of Paul’s physical needs, the application is obliviously meant to be all inclusive: “all circumstances, every situation, all things, anything, everything, whatever sort, etc.” Paul lived the narrow gated “difficult” way, facing adversity at every turn, the same way we are called to, but he had a secret.