2019-10-04
Good Morning Dear Ones,
At the behest of the Holy Spirit, I continue to provide supporting Scriptures to the book of Colossians. Humbly providing forgiveness is essential to living the Christian [and Messianic Jewish] way of life. Receiving forgiveness is a hugely important blessing to others, who regret their wrongdoing. It also opens the way to spiritual maturation on the part of both parties involved. Sadly, there are many ways that people do wrong--adultery; fornication; passion that is strong enough to be uncontrolled; envy; evil motives; coveting; violence; acting outrageously. Any of these anger God. The results of these actions can be destructive, and if the behavior isn’t stopped with remorse and confession before God, it can lead to spiritual death. The latter is the worst negative judgment a person can experience. Such outrageous behavior leads to darkness, being a prisoner of sin, hate, insults, obscenity, unholy lust, animosity, violent outbursts, wickedness, harm, taking pleasure at another’s suffering, lewdness, lying, illness, and bitterness. These are dealt with in COL 3: 1-9 and are descriptions of the “old self.”
The “new self” is discussed in COL 3: 10-17 and is renewed in knowledge according to the image of our Creator. It is always growing toward the likeness of Jesus Christ. He is our Paradigm, and we will be judged by how like Him we are. Remember that GA 5: 17-18 tells us that human nature and the Sprit are opposites; when led by the Spirit, we are not subject to the Law. It is always better to be Spirit-led, as we will be assured of gaining eternal life. We will learn to count blessings, rather than spend time complaining about our trials. Our ability to perform certain tasks for the Lord is a blessing indeed. Some of us can paint pictures, knit and/or crochet, are talented in math and/or science, some can heal or do medical research, sell goods or services, do construction, serve as plumbers, electricians, or fit pipes/weld, some can cook for others, some are fabulous parents rearing children, some can teach, write poetry or prose, some can minister in the clergy, etc. There are so many ways that a person can serve God, while they serve others. God judges us all on the same standard in all fairness. The Holy Spirit guides us in the decisions we make and give us the strength to think first and then speak [COL 3: 15; JAS 3: 5-10]. Verses 11-17 of COL 3 describe the Lord’s expectations for a life lived in Christ. Such topics as our unity with Christ, compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, salvation, God’s divine sovereignty, sanctification, tender mercy, meekness, grace, forgiveness, love, wisdom, strength, peacefulness, thankfulness, God’s praiseworthiness, cheerful attitude, balanced personalities, and wise thoughts and behavior. Everything that we do and are should be done in the holy name of Jesus Christ with joyful/thankful hearts [1 THESS 5: 16-18].
Any sin(s) we commit can stunt our spiritual growth, delaying that precious day when God decides to glorify us, i.e. call us to heaven for an eternal life of sweet fellowship with Him and all who have gone before us. I’m reminded in my thoughts about the two kinds of living people do on earth. The first kind is greed-led; the second is God-led. They are opposites. Those people who lead greed-led lives try to grab all the attention, all the material wealth, and all the power they can get. These things are their idols. Everything is measured in one way or another by their greed. They are never truly exhibiting the things that the Holy Spirit shows us are of true value. They have no idea what real happiness is. Their words and actions are the sources of our challenges, and the evil one has a stranglehold on them. Those who believe in the Lord have totally opposite traits and lives. They are forgiving and never hold grudges. They are humble, honorable, and peaceful. They possess the strength mentally, emotionally, and physically to overcome the challenges placed before them, because the Lord is in leadership of their lives. They take responsibility for their own words and actions. Moreover, they know their place in their vertical relationship with the Lord. Selfishness and being self-serving are not a part of their lives.
PRAYER: O Lord, Your Spirit gives us the discernment to know the differences between a life led by greed and one that You lead [MT 6: 24]. At some point in a person’s life, You intervene to guide them to make decisions with either lead to faith in You or possessing greed as an idol. With some people, this decision is made at a specific time in an experience of their lives. These are the soldiers who decide in a foxhole amidst combat or the prisoners who read the Bible and come to faith. For others, it is a gradual awakening to Your presence and their desire to believe in You. These are the people like myself, when I thought at first that You didn’t exist and it dawned on me that I was too miserable living without You that I had to establish a close relationship with You. Sometimes, You instill other people to witness to their faith, either by word or example, to gradually bring a person to faith. Whatever way You call us to faith and service doesn’t matter; the result will be bringing people to salvation, justification, and eternal forgiveness. You and You alone teach us what love really is. We confess that we are still sinners who don’t deserve Your grace and express our utter praise and thanks that You love us enough to bring us to faith in Your Son, Jesus. We offer this prayer in His holy/mighty name. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: I’m commanded by the Holy Spirit to write on submission, love, and bitterness-how they impact our lives. This will be a continuation of presenting supporting Scriptures for the book of Colossians and will discuss our self-concept and relationships as believers. Some examples dealing with humility and forgiveness from my own life follow. I’ve written before that I was raised in a very emotionally and spiritually dysfunctional household. As a child, I was given messages like, “you are ugly;” “you are worthless;” “God doesn’t really exist; faith in Him is an emotional crutch;” “no one really loves you.” That led to me feeling all those things. Since I was the youngest family member at the time, I couldn’t properly compete with the intellectual debates at the dinner table. Believe me, they were strong competitions, to which I never looked forward! My mother felt the same way about them that I did, so she tried not to participate. My older brothers, led by my father, lent plenty of heat to them. I’m from a well-educated family but hadn’t had the benefit of that education yet. Oddly enough, I ended up earning the best grades of all of us, but at that time didn’t know this would happen. As an early teenager, I acted out, doing whatever I could to gain the limelight my brothers had. I was angry and miserable. Our loving Lord chose to make Himself known to me as I got older. He wasn’t satisfied with my life at the time and not only called me to faith, but He also called me to spend my life serving Him in ministry. Once this happened, my entire life changed in every way. Over the years, I gained skill in being a friend and recognizing people who were placed in my life to increase my faith and dependency on the Lord. The Lord has been richly generous in sending great friends to my life and a husband who is the soul of piety, wisdom, and goodness for my life. He also gave me the patience not to argue with or judge wrongdoers in my life. Instead, I waited patiently for them to recognize their acts and apologize for them. The Lord does these things for all of us. Please join me in thanking and praising the Lord for His generous blessings and Christ’s brave, unselfish Atonement!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2019. All Rights Reserved.
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