The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequalled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle, or the ship; the axe had enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years, with large increase of freedom.No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.Done at the city of Washington, this third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the independence of the United States the eighty-eighth.
A. Lincoln
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
True Praise Comes From A Crucified Life...
True Praise Comes From A Crucified Life - Zac Poonen
God is a great King, but the throne He sits on is not made of silver or gold. Such a throne would be too cheap for Him. "Thou art enthroned upon the praises of Thy people", says the psalmist (Psa. 22:3). Praise forms the throne on which God sits as a King. This is why heaven is a place of perpetual praise. The angels are constantly praising God. This is the throne on which God sits in heaven. When the Holy Spirit comes into our hearts, He brings heaven down into our hearts and we too can prepare a throne of praise for our God to be enthroned upon - in our hearts, in our homes and in the church.
This is why it is so important to work out our salvation from all grumbling and complaining, with fear and trembling, for God (the Holy Spirit) is working in our hearts to prepare a throne for the Father (See Phil. 2:12-14 together). God is also working outside of us in all our circumstances to make them work together for our good. So there is really nothing to grumble or complain about - if we have faith in Rom.8:28.
It is not possible to praise God effectively in the church, if we are grumbling and complaining at other times at home or in the office. True praise can only come from a crucified life. It is significant that the only verse in the Bible that tells us that God sits on the throne of the praises of His people is found in the midst of a psalm that vividly portrays the crucifixion (Psa. 22:3). The psalm begins with the cry of Jesus on the cross and it refers to His hands and feet being pierced (Psa 22: 16); and then in the midst of this very psalm, Jesus refers to us as His younger brothers and invites us to join Him in preparing a throne of praise for the Father (Psa 22: 22,23). We too are crucified with Him on the same cross - and there, while crucified with Him to the world, and to our lusts, we sing the praise of the Father. Herein lies the hollowness of a lot of praise and worship that is found in many churches, where the word of the cross does not have the central place. Some who have seen this hollowness have reacted against praise and worship altogether and decided that it has no place in the new covenant worship. But this is to fall over the cliff on the opposite side!
On the cross, crucified with Christ, we prepare a throne of praise for the Father. Psa. 118 is another psalm of the cross and of Christ (Psa 118: 11-14, 22). We lay ourselves on the altar and bind ourselves with cords to the cross (Psa 118:27), and lying there we "give thanks to the Lord" (Psa 118:28,29) and say, "This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it" (Psa 118: 24).
Jesus has been anointed as our Head to give us "the oil of gladness and the garment of praise" (Isa. 61:1-3), instead of the spirit of heaviness and depression. If you are living under the spirit of depression, you can be sure that it is the work of Satan. Jesus has come to cast out that spirit from your life permanently, and to clothe and cover you with the garment of praise. It is never God's will for us to be depressed or discouraged or in a bad mood - for Jesus was never depressed, discouraged or in a bad mood at any time; and we are called to walk even as He walked (1 Jn. 2:6). But this is only possible if we take up the cross each day, as Jesus did.
In Psa. 8:2 we read that from the mouths of infants and nursing babes, God establishes strength to defeat the enemies. Jesus quoted this verse at the time when the chief priests criticised the children for shouting and praising God (Matt. 21:15,16). The chief priests, like many today, felt that in the house of God no one should shout or raise their voice in praise and worship. They thought that people should be long-faced and quiet in God's presence. But Jesus was thrilled to hear the noise of praise, for it reminded Him of His heavenly home where the angels praise God in voices that sound like loud thunders! This is one reason why Satan and his hosts cannot dwell in heaven - for they cannot stand the shouts of sincere praise to God. Neither can they stand it when such praise is found in any church here on earth. And so they will try one of two methods - either to rob the sincerity out of the praise or to stop the shouts of praise altogether. As one looks around at the various Christian denominations, one finds that Satan has succeeded almost everywhere with one of these two methods.
Why does Satan hate sincere praise to God? Jesus quoted Psa. 8:2 and said the 'strength' spoken of in that psalm was actually 'praise' (Matt. 21:16). Praise is the strength by which the enemy is driven out (Psa. 8:2).
Empty shouts of praise that do not come from a holy life, however, do not have any power. In Ex. 32, we read that the Israelites made a golden calf and even called it 'Jehovah' (v. 5) and danced and shouted to their 'Jehovah' with such a loud voice that Moses and Joshua heard it miles away (v. 17-19). But Satan was right in the midst of all that charismatic praise! There was immorality in their midst just as there is in the midst of many today who shout and dance in the name of 'Jesus'.
Our praise becomes powerful only when it comes from a crucified, holy life.
www.cfcindia.com
God is a great King, but the throne He sits on is not made of silver or gold. Such a throne would be too cheap for Him. "Thou art enthroned upon the praises of Thy people", says the psalmist (Psa. 22:3). Praise forms the throne on which God sits as a King. This is why heaven is a place of perpetual praise. The angels are constantly praising God. This is the throne on which God sits in heaven. When the Holy Spirit comes into our hearts, He brings heaven down into our hearts and we too can prepare a throne of praise for our God to be enthroned upon - in our hearts, in our homes and in the church.
This is why it is so important to work out our salvation from all grumbling and complaining, with fear and trembling, for God (the Holy Spirit) is working in our hearts to prepare a throne for the Father (See Phil. 2:12-14 together). God is also working outside of us in all our circumstances to make them work together for our good. So there is really nothing to grumble or complain about - if we have faith in Rom.8:28.
It is not possible to praise God effectively in the church, if we are grumbling and complaining at other times at home or in the office. True praise can only come from a crucified life. It is significant that the only verse in the Bible that tells us that God sits on the throne of the praises of His people is found in the midst of a psalm that vividly portrays the crucifixion (Psa. 22:3). The psalm begins with the cry of Jesus on the cross and it refers to His hands and feet being pierced (Psa 22: 16); and then in the midst of this very psalm, Jesus refers to us as His younger brothers and invites us to join Him in preparing a throne of praise for the Father (Psa 22: 22,23). We too are crucified with Him on the same cross - and there, while crucified with Him to the world, and to our lusts, we sing the praise of the Father. Herein lies the hollowness of a lot of praise and worship that is found in many churches, where the word of the cross does not have the central place. Some who have seen this hollowness have reacted against praise and worship altogether and decided that it has no place in the new covenant worship. But this is to fall over the cliff on the opposite side!
On the cross, crucified with Christ, we prepare a throne of praise for the Father. Psa. 118 is another psalm of the cross and of Christ (Psa 118: 11-14, 22). We lay ourselves on the altar and bind ourselves with cords to the cross (Psa 118:27), and lying there we "give thanks to the Lord" (Psa 118:28,29) and say, "This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it" (Psa 118: 24).
Jesus has been anointed as our Head to give us "the oil of gladness and the garment of praise" (Isa. 61:1-3), instead of the spirit of heaviness and depression. If you are living under the spirit of depression, you can be sure that it is the work of Satan. Jesus has come to cast out that spirit from your life permanently, and to clothe and cover you with the garment of praise. It is never God's will for us to be depressed or discouraged or in a bad mood - for Jesus was never depressed, discouraged or in a bad mood at any time; and we are called to walk even as He walked (1 Jn. 2:6). But this is only possible if we take up the cross each day, as Jesus did.
In Psa. 8:2 we read that from the mouths of infants and nursing babes, God establishes strength to defeat the enemies. Jesus quoted this verse at the time when the chief priests criticised the children for shouting and praising God (Matt. 21:15,16). The chief priests, like many today, felt that in the house of God no one should shout or raise their voice in praise and worship. They thought that people should be long-faced and quiet in God's presence. But Jesus was thrilled to hear the noise of praise, for it reminded Him of His heavenly home where the angels praise God in voices that sound like loud thunders! This is one reason why Satan and his hosts cannot dwell in heaven - for they cannot stand the shouts of sincere praise to God. Neither can they stand it when such praise is found in any church here on earth. And so they will try one of two methods - either to rob the sincerity out of the praise or to stop the shouts of praise altogether. As one looks around at the various Christian denominations, one finds that Satan has succeeded almost everywhere with one of these two methods.
Why does Satan hate sincere praise to God? Jesus quoted Psa. 8:2 and said the 'strength' spoken of in that psalm was actually 'praise' (Matt. 21:16). Praise is the strength by which the enemy is driven out (Psa. 8:2).
Empty shouts of praise that do not come from a holy life, however, do not have any power. In Ex. 32, we read that the Israelites made a golden calf and even called it 'Jehovah' (v. 5) and danced and shouted to their 'Jehovah' with such a loud voice that Moses and Joshua heard it miles away (v. 17-19). But Satan was right in the midst of all that charismatic praise! There was immorality in their midst just as there is in the midst of many today who shout and dance in the name of 'Jesus'.
Our praise becomes powerful only when it comes from a crucified, holy life.
www.cfcindia.com
Saturday, November 7, 2009
A 5yr old dying with cancer has this request...
A friend of a friend has a 5yr old son Noah who is in the last stages of a 2 1/2yr battle with Neuroblastoma Cancer. The family is celebrating Christmas NEXT WEEK and Noahs request is to get lots of Christmas cards. Please send cards to:
Noah Biorkman
1141 Fountain Viewcircle
South Lyon MI 48178
Lets see how many cards we can get to this little guy.
Noah Biorkman
1141 Fountain Viewcircle
South Lyon MI 48178
Lets see how many cards we can get to this little guy.
Monday, October 19, 2009
The Pharisee's
I know it has been awhile since I have posted anything. I have been posting mainly on God's Living Word Network. I get a lot more feedback there.
I wanted to post this, but I could only add it as a gadget. So, on the right hand side of my blog, please click on the upper right corner and view full screen the teaching of the Pharisee's in the modern day church. It is very interesting reading.
I wanted to post this, but I could only add it as a gadget. So, on the right hand side of my blog, please click on the upper right corner and view full screen the teaching of the Pharisee's in the modern day church. It is very interesting reading.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
The Cost of Discipleship
While a cadet at The United States Military Academy, my class was shown a unique geographical site. A ‘point’ on the west side of the campus jutted out into the Hudson River. In fact, this west point is what gave the US Military Academy its colloquial name of West Point.
Across the river on the far bank and inland a way, a rich man started building a castle on par with the great European castles or estates. Unfortunately, he ran out of money before he could complete his construction. The remains of what could have been is now a reminder of what happens when you fail to count the costs of completing a project.
This story is actually used to teach the costs of military operations to West Point cadets.
There is a cost of being a Christian too — a cost that isn’t spoken of very often; a cost that if taught would build stronger disciples of Jesus; a cost that would separate Christians from the rest of the world; a cost that would make a difference.
In Luke 24:25-35, Jesus spoke of such a cost. Anyone who does not love Jesus and is not committed to him over all others, even family and job, isn’t worthy of being called a disciple of Jesus.
In fact, Jesus says that such a person cannot be his disciple. He expects us to deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow him without any hesitation or equivocation. The meaning of the word translated as “deny,” as in deny ourselves, means to “break fellowship with.” To be a disciple of Jesus, we must break fellowship with our self; we must stop doing what gives us our pleasure when it conflicts with God’s time and Godly living; we must not even fellowship with our self, care for our own desires and even needs when they conflict with the call of discipleship to Jesus.
This is a portion of an article in our local paper from a Pastor at a local church. His name is William Thrasher.
I love how he defined the word deny, to break fellowship with. That brings a whole new meaning to the verse for me.
Across the river on the far bank and inland a way, a rich man started building a castle on par with the great European castles or estates. Unfortunately, he ran out of money before he could complete his construction. The remains of what could have been is now a reminder of what happens when you fail to count the costs of completing a project.
This story is actually used to teach the costs of military operations to West Point cadets.
There is a cost of being a Christian too — a cost that isn’t spoken of very often; a cost that if taught would build stronger disciples of Jesus; a cost that would separate Christians from the rest of the world; a cost that would make a difference.
In Luke 24:25-35, Jesus spoke of such a cost. Anyone who does not love Jesus and is not committed to him over all others, even family and job, isn’t worthy of being called a disciple of Jesus.
In fact, Jesus says that such a person cannot be his disciple. He expects us to deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow him without any hesitation or equivocation. The meaning of the word translated as “deny,” as in deny ourselves, means to “break fellowship with.” To be a disciple of Jesus, we must break fellowship with our self; we must stop doing what gives us our pleasure when it conflicts with God’s time and Godly living; we must not even fellowship with our self, care for our own desires and even needs when they conflict with the call of discipleship to Jesus.
This is a portion of an article in our local paper from a Pastor at a local church. His name is William Thrasher.
I love how he defined the word deny, to break fellowship with. That brings a whole new meaning to the verse for me.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Sin Not...By Connie Giordano
"Still a saint he must be, one whose vocation it is to be holy, and who strives daily to obey the Divine voice within him saying 'Sin not, sin not, sin not,' or he can have no interest in the Saviour's righteousness." - Biblical Illustrator - New Testament
"Let that be your aim, to 'sin not.' Let it be your fixed purpose, not merely that you are to sin as little as you can, but that you are not to sin at all.""But not only would I have you to make this your aim, I WOULD HAVE YOUR AIM ACCOMPLISHED AND REALIZED; and therefore 'I write these things unto you, that ye sin not.'
We are to proceed upon the anticipation not of failure but of success in all holy walking and in every duty. Believe these things, realize them, act them out. For they are such things as, if thus apprehended, change the character of the whole struggle. They transfer it to a new and higher platform. We are brought into a position in relation to God in which holiness is no longer a desperate, negative strife, but a blessed, positive achievement. Evil is overcome with good."- both quotes are from the Biblical Illustrator - New Testament
In 1 John 2:1, the Apostle John wrote - "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not..."Most people - when quoting this Scripture - emphasize the latter part of the verse - "...And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." It is as if they simply cannot accept the words that say - "that ye sin not."It is almost as though there is an epidemic in the Church today called the "Christian Sin" epidemic. This epidemic plainly and clearly advocates that all believers in Jesus cannot help but sin a little each day in thought, word, and deed.
Yet, to think that someone is "abiding in the Vine" (John 15:7) or walking hand in hand with Jesus and looking at a woman to lust or is lying, railing, or bitter of spirit is totally absurd. How can one have his one hand in the hand of Jesus and the other in the hand of the devil and still believe that he is in right standing with God? According to the truths of the Bible, it is heretical to imagine "a loose liver" as a Child of God.
Let's look again at 1 John 2:1 and see what John was saying here - "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not..."The Apostle was stating that his main objective in writing this entire epistle was one - namely, "that ye sin not." In other words - it was written to keep you from sin...that you wouldn't sin...that you may not sin...that you will not sin...to guide you out of sin... and to induce you to live a holy life.
It can't get any plainer than that!A writer may have many objectives in writing his message. But "watch out" when he specifically mentions his goal or aim. It is crucial that you don't miss it.In this case, John stressed his major design in writing this epistle as - "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not..."Sin not...sin not...sin not!
In looking through the Bible, we can easily realize that John was simply emphasizing a Biblical principle - as seen from cover to cover.
Psalm 4:4 says - "Stand in awe, and sin not..."
Isaiah 1:16 says - "Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before Mine eyes; cease to do evil."
Ezekiel 3:21 says - "Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin..."
John 5:14 says - "Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee."
John 8:11 says - "She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more."
Romans 6:2 says - "God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?"
Romans 6:12 says - "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof."
Romans 6:15 says - "What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid."
1 Corinthians 15:34 says - "Awake to righteousness, and sin not..."
Ephesians 4:26 says - "Be ye angry, and sin not..."
Titus 2:11-12 says - "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world."
1 Peter 4:1 says - "Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin."
Some would question - Was John referring to any specific sins?Although he was referring to sin as the general violation of God's commandments, he did go on to suggest several specific sins that we should guard against.
1 John 2:3 says - "And hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments."The first sin to watch out for is - disobedience - not keeping the commands of faith and love.1 John 2:4 says - "He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in Him."
1 John 2:6 says - "He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked."The second sin to watch out for is lying - making a false profession ...claiming to have a walk with Jesus while covering up personal unholiness...in words professing to know God yet in works denying Him...and pretending to have religious knowledge yet no truth of grace.
So many today are living a lie - saying that they - are abiding in Him... know Him...are communing with Him...are walking as He walked...are living and acting as He did...are imitating Him in all things...are walking after His pattern and example - yet on closer examination of their lives, the opposite is evident.
1 John 2:9 says - "He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now."
The third sin is hatred - hating one's brother or sister in the Lord so much so that you wish to do them evil.
1 John 2:15-16 says - "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world...For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world."
The fourth sin that John mentions is loving the world - seeking happiness in visible things...fixing your affection on worldly objects... and being influenced by worldly maxims and feelings.
He then breaks this "sin" down to three specific ones -"the lust of the flesh" - unchaste thoughts, words, and actions... sensual appetites...and impure desires"
the lust of the eyes" - lascivious looks...seeking mental pleasure using the imagination...and an inordinate desire for fineries
"the pride of life" - empty, braggart talk...vain assurance in one's resources or in the stability of earthly things...desire of praise... and hunting after honors and titles."My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not...""Let that be your aim, to 'sin not.' Let it be your fixed purpose, not merely that you are to sin as little as you can, but that you are not to sin at all."If you will listen closely, you will hear the Divine Voice within you saying -"Sin not...sin not...sin not!
"May God Bless His Word,Connie© COPYRIGHT Connie Giordano - All Rights ReservedSubscribe to Daily Bible Messages at - connie@walkingintruth.org.Walking In Truth Ministry P.O. Box 383016 Duncanville TX 75138
"Let that be your aim, to 'sin not.' Let it be your fixed purpose, not merely that you are to sin as little as you can, but that you are not to sin at all.""But not only would I have you to make this your aim, I WOULD HAVE YOUR AIM ACCOMPLISHED AND REALIZED; and therefore 'I write these things unto you, that ye sin not.'
We are to proceed upon the anticipation not of failure but of success in all holy walking and in every duty. Believe these things, realize them, act them out. For they are such things as, if thus apprehended, change the character of the whole struggle. They transfer it to a new and higher platform. We are brought into a position in relation to God in which holiness is no longer a desperate, negative strife, but a blessed, positive achievement. Evil is overcome with good."- both quotes are from the Biblical Illustrator - New Testament
In 1 John 2:1, the Apostle John wrote - "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not..."Most people - when quoting this Scripture - emphasize the latter part of the verse - "...And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." It is as if they simply cannot accept the words that say - "that ye sin not."It is almost as though there is an epidemic in the Church today called the "Christian Sin" epidemic. This epidemic plainly and clearly advocates that all believers in Jesus cannot help but sin a little each day in thought, word, and deed.
Yet, to think that someone is "abiding in the Vine" (John 15:7) or walking hand in hand with Jesus and looking at a woman to lust or is lying, railing, or bitter of spirit is totally absurd. How can one have his one hand in the hand of Jesus and the other in the hand of the devil and still believe that he is in right standing with God? According to the truths of the Bible, it is heretical to imagine "a loose liver" as a Child of God.
Let's look again at 1 John 2:1 and see what John was saying here - "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not..."The Apostle was stating that his main objective in writing this entire epistle was one - namely, "that ye sin not." In other words - it was written to keep you from sin...that you wouldn't sin...that you may not sin...that you will not sin...to guide you out of sin... and to induce you to live a holy life.
It can't get any plainer than that!A writer may have many objectives in writing his message. But "watch out" when he specifically mentions his goal or aim. It is crucial that you don't miss it.In this case, John stressed his major design in writing this epistle as - "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not..."Sin not...sin not...sin not!
In looking through the Bible, we can easily realize that John was simply emphasizing a Biblical principle - as seen from cover to cover.
Psalm 4:4 says - "Stand in awe, and sin not..."
Isaiah 1:16 says - "Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before Mine eyes; cease to do evil."
Ezekiel 3:21 says - "Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin..."
John 5:14 says - "Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee."
John 8:11 says - "She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more."
Romans 6:2 says - "God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?"
Romans 6:12 says - "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof."
Romans 6:15 says - "What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid."
1 Corinthians 15:34 says - "Awake to righteousness, and sin not..."
Ephesians 4:26 says - "Be ye angry, and sin not..."
Titus 2:11-12 says - "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world."
1 Peter 4:1 says - "Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin."
Some would question - Was John referring to any specific sins?Although he was referring to sin as the general violation of God's commandments, he did go on to suggest several specific sins that we should guard against.
1 John 2:3 says - "And hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments."The first sin to watch out for is - disobedience - not keeping the commands of faith and love.1 John 2:4 says - "He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in Him."
1 John 2:6 says - "He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked."The second sin to watch out for is lying - making a false profession ...claiming to have a walk with Jesus while covering up personal unholiness...in words professing to know God yet in works denying Him...and pretending to have religious knowledge yet no truth of grace.
So many today are living a lie - saying that they - are abiding in Him... know Him...are communing with Him...are walking as He walked...are living and acting as He did...are imitating Him in all things...are walking after His pattern and example - yet on closer examination of their lives, the opposite is evident.
1 John 2:9 says - "He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now."
The third sin is hatred - hating one's brother or sister in the Lord so much so that you wish to do them evil.
1 John 2:15-16 says - "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world...For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world."
The fourth sin that John mentions is loving the world - seeking happiness in visible things...fixing your affection on worldly objects... and being influenced by worldly maxims and feelings.
He then breaks this "sin" down to three specific ones -"the lust of the flesh" - unchaste thoughts, words, and actions... sensual appetites...and impure desires"
the lust of the eyes" - lascivious looks...seeking mental pleasure using the imagination...and an inordinate desire for fineries
"the pride of life" - empty, braggart talk...vain assurance in one's resources or in the stability of earthly things...desire of praise... and hunting after honors and titles."My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not...""Let that be your aim, to 'sin not.' Let it be your fixed purpose, not merely that you are to sin as little as you can, but that you are not to sin at all."If you will listen closely, you will hear the Divine Voice within you saying -"Sin not...sin not...sin not!
"May God Bless His Word,Connie© COPYRIGHT Connie Giordano - All Rights ReservedSubscribe to Daily Bible Messages at - connie@walkingintruth.org.Walking In Truth Ministry P.O. Box 383016 Duncanville TX 75138
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Honesty...
Word For The Week - Zac Poonen CFC website address
Helping Others Through Honest Acknowledgement of Our Struggles - Zac Poonen
We can encourage our fellow-believers often by an honest admission to them of our humanness and of our struggles.
We are called to be witnesses of Christ. But if in our testimony, we give others a false impression of our lives, then we are actually false witnesses. The vast majority of believers fall into this category. They give others a glorious account of their triumphs but never say a word about their struggles or their failures. They testify to many prayers God has answered, but mention nothing about the prayers for which God's answer was No. They describe all their mountain-top experiences in detail, but never so much as mention a word concerning the many long valleys that lay between those mountain-tops. They are false witnesses, for they give an unreal picture of the Christian life.
I remember, as a young Christian, struggling to live a life that was pleasing to God, hearing many such testimonies from other Christians. Not one of them told me, either from the pulpit or in personal conversation, that they too had fears and unresolved problems and unanswered prayers, or that there were things in the Bible that puzzled them too. I assumed therefore that such problems and queries were peculiar to me. The result was that all their testimonies only discouraged me; and discouragement in turn, led me further away from the Lord.
Then I read in the Bible of how the great Apostle Paul was often perplexed, how he despaired, how some of his prayers were not granted, how some of the sick people he prayed for were not healed, and how he even had fears, and was comforted in his depression by fellow-believers (2 Cor. 4:8; 1:8; 12:8,9; 2 Tim. 4:20; 2 Cor. 7:5,6). Paul's honesty lifted my spirit and I was encouraged to press on.
Paul never wanted others to have a false impression of him (2 Cor. 12:6). And so, he told them in plain words that he was a human being - not an angel. He lived in victory over all known sin, but he was still a human being who could make mistakes and in whom the flesh was still not eradicated. Paul's aim was always to help others, not to impress them. Through his honesty about his humanness, he became an instrument of encouragement to many.
It is the desire to impress others which makes many of us unwilling to be honest with them about our struggles and our anxieties. This shows that we are not really interested in helping them to a closer walk with God. We are not concerned that they are discouraged by the unrealistic standards that we have set before them. We seem to be quite content as long as we ourselves are held in high esteem.
There is a price to be paid if we are to be channels through which the Holy Spirit encourages others - the price of honesty.
Helping Others Through Honest Acknowledgement of Our Struggles - Zac Poonen
We can encourage our fellow-believers often by an honest admission to them of our humanness and of our struggles.
We are called to be witnesses of Christ. But if in our testimony, we give others a false impression of our lives, then we are actually false witnesses. The vast majority of believers fall into this category. They give others a glorious account of their triumphs but never say a word about their struggles or their failures. They testify to many prayers God has answered, but mention nothing about the prayers for which God's answer was No. They describe all their mountain-top experiences in detail, but never so much as mention a word concerning the many long valleys that lay between those mountain-tops. They are false witnesses, for they give an unreal picture of the Christian life.
I remember, as a young Christian, struggling to live a life that was pleasing to God, hearing many such testimonies from other Christians. Not one of them told me, either from the pulpit or in personal conversation, that they too had fears and unresolved problems and unanswered prayers, or that there were things in the Bible that puzzled them too. I assumed therefore that such problems and queries were peculiar to me. The result was that all their testimonies only discouraged me; and discouragement in turn, led me further away from the Lord.
Then I read in the Bible of how the great Apostle Paul was often perplexed, how he despaired, how some of his prayers were not granted, how some of the sick people he prayed for were not healed, and how he even had fears, and was comforted in his depression by fellow-believers (2 Cor. 4:8; 1:8; 12:8,9; 2 Tim. 4:20; 2 Cor. 7:5,6). Paul's honesty lifted my spirit and I was encouraged to press on.
Paul never wanted others to have a false impression of him (2 Cor. 12:6). And so, he told them in plain words that he was a human being - not an angel. He lived in victory over all known sin, but he was still a human being who could make mistakes and in whom the flesh was still not eradicated. Paul's aim was always to help others, not to impress them. Through his honesty about his humanness, he became an instrument of encouragement to many.
It is the desire to impress others which makes many of us unwilling to be honest with them about our struggles and our anxieties. This shows that we are not really interested in helping them to a closer walk with God. We are not concerned that they are discouraged by the unrealistic standards that we have set before them. We seem to be quite content as long as we ourselves are held in high esteem.
There is a price to be paid if we are to be channels through which the Holy Spirit encourages others - the price of honesty.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
