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Be Profitable

​DO NOT WASTE TIME, STAY TRUE

Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives’ tales. Instead, train yourself to be godly. “Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it. This is why we work hard and continue to struggle, for our hope is in the living God, who is the Savior of all people and particularly of all believers. Teach these things and insist that everyone learn them. Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity. Until I get there, focus on reading the Scriptures to the church, encouraging the believers, and teaching them. Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received through the prophecy spoken over you when the elders of the church laid their hands on you. Give your complete attention to these matters. Throw yourself into your tasks so that everyone will see your progress. Keep a close watch on how you live and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salvation of those who hear you. – 1 Timothy 4:7‭-‬16 NLT

SHARE THE FAITH OF THOSE WHO LISTEN TO GOD

God’s promise of entering his rest still stands, so we ought to tremble with fear that some of you might fail to experience it. For this good news—that God has prepared this rest—has been announced to us just as it was to them. But it did them no good because they didn’t share the faith of those who listened to God.  For only we who believe can enter his rest. As for the others, God said, “In my anger I took an oath: ‘They will never enter my place of rest,’” even though this rest has been ready since he made the world. We know it is ready because of the place in the Scriptures where it mentions the seventh day: “On the seventh day God rested from all his work.”  But in the other passage God said, “They will never enter my place of rest.” So God’s rest is there for people to enter, but those who first heard this good news failed to enter because they disobeyed God. So God set another time for entering his rest, and that time is today. God announced this through David much later in the words already quoted: “Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts.” Now if Joshua had succeeded in giving them this rest, God would not have spoken about another day of rest still to come. So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. So let us do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God, as the people of Israel did, we will fall. For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable. So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. – Hebrews 4:1‭-‬16 NLT

FAITH COMES BY HEARING THE WORD OF GOD, BELIEVE IT AND SPEAK IT

If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.”  Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!” But not everyone welcomes the Good News, for Isaiah the prophet said, “ Lord , who has believed our message?”  So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ. – Romans 10:9‭-‬17 NLT

YOU OUGHT TO BE TEACHING

There is much more we would like to say about this, but it is difficult to explain, especially since you are spiritually dull and don’t seem to listen. You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong. – Hebrews 5:11‭-‬14 NLT

WILL YOU GO? WILL YOU OBEY?

Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.  Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” – Matthew 28:18‭-‬20 NLT

Many will say (out of fear or complacency), “I am not equipped, I cannot go.” And if you are not born again in the Spirit, you are quite right — so repent, believe, confess and be saved! Receive the Holy Spirit, you vessel of Christ, you temple of the Holy Spirit,  you who commune and abide with Almighty God. Do not hinder by your doubt, the rest that He has prepared for you, and that He will testify to in the good and amazing work that He will do through you. 

Go, tell of the many blessings you have received, if you have indeed been blessed by the Lord! Or if you have no joys to sing about, if He doesn’t inhabit your life and lead you into life abundant, but your sin masters you and leads you in death – repent, believe, confess, and be saved!

The work is finished and complete on the cross for those who believe. The blessings and glories of God are revealed, they are made manifest in the new creation that comes when a dead body goes into water and is awaken to new life in Christ Jesus. 

Are you awake?

Wipe the sleep from your eyes and be profitable, be used, be effective for the Kingdom of God, beloved saint!

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you. – Philippians 4:8‭-‬9 NLT

Free from Guilt and Shame?

Even the wicked wish to be free from guilt and shame. Even the enemies of God wish wicked men to be free from guilt and shame with their consciences seared  — so they are free to be twice the child of hell that they were before encountering that false prophet who says,  “Eat your fill of sinfulness, pride, and wickedness. It will not kill you.”
But the true Savior and Lord doesn’t just save from shame and guilt, but transforms lives through His mastery and lordship over the life laid down to follow in His footsteps. Salvation coupled with Redemption and Sanctification. Not a man striving to be good enough, but Christ demonstrating through a man that He has won the victory and that sin and death are overcome and have no place in the temple were the spirit of the Lord dwells. 
I say this,  because if all you are seeking is escape from shame and guilt, there are two very different masters you can run to for comfort on that issue, so be very careful. 
But if you are seeing to escape your own wickedness, and to live with God and walk in His way — draw close to the one whose salvation turns you away from death and leads you to life.  
Pray for the Lord to forgive you for your sins, to pour out His spirit and divine nature upon you, to give you a new heart that desires the things He desires, to guide you in wisdom and understanding, to heal your unbelief, and to guard the Word that He has planted in your heart FOR HIS NAME’S SAKE. Because you are trusting in His promises, your hope is growing up into faith, and your faith is producing love — all by the power of the Holy Spirit of Christ who lives in the heart of the believer. Rise up and walk in life. Death is overcome. Amen.

Stop Wrestling

​Anyone who rebukes a mocker will get an insult in return. Anyone who corrects the wicked will get hurt. So don’t bother correcting mockers; they will only hate you. But correct the wise, and they will love you. Instruct the wise, and they will be even wiser. Teach the righteous, and they will learn even more. Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment. Wisdom will multiply your days and add years to your life. If you become wise, you will be the one to benefit. If you scorn wisdom, you will be the one to suffer. – Proverbs 9:7‭-‬12 NLT

I can now see that in some past situations, I have held on to and wrestled far too long and it has been to both my and to their disadvantage. Jesus didn’t pamper the proud and the mocking. He laid the truth for them that revealed their hardened hearts, and when it produced hatred instead of repentance, He didn’t keep at it, He moved on when the message was not received. He made it clear that not all would hear And receive Truth. 

“If you love me, obey my commandments.  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you.  He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. – John 14:15‭-‬17 NLT

 And He taught His disciples to move on.

“Wherever you go,” he said, “stay in the same house until you leave town.  But if any place refuses to welcome you or listen to you, shake its dust from your feet as you leave to show that you have abandoned those people to their fate.” – Mark 6:10‭-‬11 NLT

And they taught the same. 

Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching. For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths. But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you. – 2 Timothy 4:2‭-‬5 NLT

If someone refuses your help, if they are proud (whether lawless or self righteous) and can’t receive correction or guidance, don’t be surprised because it had been that way since the beginning with those in darkness sand in rebellion. You are best served by leaving them alone and focusing on your purpose and calling so they won’t be an unnecessary distraction.

I say this again:

Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching. For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths. But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you. – 2 Timothy 4:2‭-‬5 NLT

Pray for them, even if they hate you, but don’t let them deter you from the destination you have set your eyes upon. And even of they were close to you, family or friend,  remember that David was betrayed by someone close to him in Psalm 55, that Joseph was betrayed by his own brothers in Genesis 37, Abel was killed by his brother Cain in Genesis 4, and Jesus was betrayed by Judas in the gospel. 

“Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves.  But beware! For you will be handed over to the courts and will be flogged with whips in the synagogues.  You will stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers. But this will be your opportunity to tell the rulers and other unbelievers about me.  When you are arrested, don’t worry about how to respond or what to say. God will give you the right words at the right time.  For it is not you who will be speaking—it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. “A brother will betray his brother to death, a father will betray his own child, and children will rebel against their parents and cause them to be killed.  And all nations will hate you because you are my followers. But everyone who endures to the end will be saved.  When you are persecuted in one town, flee to the next. I tell you the truth, the Son of Man will return before you have reached all the towns of Israel. “Students are not greater than their teacher, and slaves are not greater than their master.  Students are to be like their teacher, and slaves are to be like their master. And since I, the master of the household, have been called the prince of demons, the members of my household will be called by even worse names! “But don’t be afraid of those who threaten you. For the time is coming when everything that is covered will be revealed, and all that is secret will be made known to all.  What I tell you now in the darkness, shout abroad when daybreak comes. What I whisper in your ear, shout from the housetops for all to hear! “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.  What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin ? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it.  And the very hairs on your head are all numbered.  So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows. “Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven.  But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven. “Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword. ‘I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. Your enemies will be right in your own household!’ “If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine.  If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine.  If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it. “Anyone who receives you receives me, and anyone who receives me receives the Father who sent me.  If you receive a prophet as one who speaks for God, you will be given the same reward as a prophet. And if you receive righteous people because of their righteousness, you will be given a reward like theirs.  And if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded.” – Matthew 10:16‭-‬42 NLT

We do not leave them to their fate — whether that be repentance or damnation — because we hope for damnation,  but because we see that they are not able to receive Truth from us and there is only opposition and wrestling. It is up to God to save, heal, and restore – we can only preach this gospel, this Word of God, and encourage those who do not oppose. 

So where there is opposition, we don’t have to continue wrestling it. Just set the Word of God loose and it will accomplish what it is sent for. Trust that God knows what He is doing better than you do. Let go of the distractions, move on, and be effective and purposeful in your calling. And remember yourself to not be the fool who resists correction.

HE > i

I’ve hurt people that loved me. I’ve disappointed, and I’ve broken hearts, and I’ve torn down dreams. I’ve taken advantage of, and I’ve used, and I’ve manipulated. 
If I took the rest of my life trying to make amends, there wouldn’t be enough time for all of it. If I tried to sit down and write all the names, there are so many that I would have even forgotten about. 
So who am I to stand and tell you about God, sin, death, heaven, hell, righteousness, etc? I’m a trustworthy witness who knows the temporary pleasure of all types of sin, along with their inevitable consequences — and a humble admirer and servant of the one who overcomes and empowers His people to walk in a new way of faith, truth, and love. 
You see, I’m not standing in front of you saying that I’m a good man. I could hand you a list of names who could rightfully testify against me and who wouldn’t have to speak a single lie to make me sound detestable, unforgivable, wretched, and pitiable. 

No, I don’t stand before you with excuses for my past, but I have Hope, and Faith, and Love in my present, and in my future, and for my eternity – because of Jesus Christ. That old man, he needed to die. The poison and sin and hurt and death he was sowing into this world had to be overcome by something greater, and it was, and it is, and it always will be – because of Jesus Christ. 
You see, I wasn’t a good man, and outside of Jesus Christ,  I am nothing but dust waiting to return to dust. But I’m NOT outside of Christ – He lives in me, and I in Him, and He in the Father. So I can be joyful about all of that in my past they was intended for evil, because He has turned it to good. I can look at the testimony of my new life and see the gift of this blessed assurance — not because I’ve worked harder for it, but because He has given me new desires and taught me to resist those things that once held me captive. I’m not saying that I’ll never stumble again, or that I will never hurt again, but I’m telling you that it is now contrary to the Spirit placed in me that I’m learning to trust and follow.
And I’m talking about it, because it really is such a better life. He truly is such a sweet, sweet Lord.
I pray that you know Him, friend. His grace is the best prize you’ll ever not have to try to win, because He offers Himself freely to all who will come and believe. Come see the change that fresh, cleansing waters and hot, refining fire will have for your life. 
Come and live.

Do not be afraid

Do not be afraid. Good News from the Lord!
If you are struggling, this message is for you. 

Hear it through, because if it cuts, it is only so that healing may take place. This Word, this sword coming out of the mouth of the messenger, is not raised to shed innocent blood, or to kill you, but it will do good and bring healing.

If you are struggling, honesty is a great place to start. And faith that bringing it into the light will help, not hurt, will bring healing to your situation. 
Sometimes we haven’t been completely honest with ourselves. Sometimes we haven’t been completely honest with others. Sometimes we haven’t been completely honest with and fully trusting in God to forgive us and empower us to walk in a new way. 
Bringing something hidden into the light can seem scary, if we are afraid of judgement and punishment. But if we have already decided in our own hearts to not just confess, but to make it right, to make amends on our own, the process becomes an act of love and reconciliation and an opportunity for mercy and forgiveness. So what was once meant for evil can be turned to good.
Don’t wait for it to be uncovered once “you’re caught”. Do not be deceived, God knows your heart,  your every  thought, word, and deed, and it will not remain hidden forever. Repent. Bring it into the light. Confess your sins to each other and to God. Make amends. 
And know the freedom that is found in Christ Jesus, in casting off the chains of sin and death, to walk alive in the Spirit and not dead in the flesh, the old having been put away because the new has come, seeing God’s will done on earth as it is in heaven. 

And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.”  So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.” Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham;  for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Luke 19:5‭-‬10 NKJV

Then the Lord sent Nathan to David. And he came to him, and said to him: “There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had exceedingly many flocks and herds. But the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb which he had bought and nourished; and it grew up together with him and with his children. It ate of his own food and drank from his own cup and lay in his bosom; and it was like a daughter to him. And a traveler came to the rich man, who refused to take from his own flock and from his own herd to prepare one for the wayfaring man who had come to him; but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.” So David’s anger was greatly aroused against the man, and he said to Nathan, “ As the Lord lives, the man who has done this shall surely die! And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity.” 

Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that  had  been too little, I also would have given you much more! Why have you despised the commandment of the Lord , to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to  be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon. Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ Thus says the Lord : ‘Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, before the sun.’ ” 

So David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord .” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord  to blaspheme, the child also who  is born to you shall surely die.” 

Then Nathan departed to his house. And the Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, and it became ill. David therefore pleaded with God for the child, and David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground. So the elders of his house arose and  went to him, to raise him up from the ground. But he would not, nor did he eat food with them. Then on the seventh day it came to pass that the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead. For they said, “Indeed, while the child was alive, we spoke to him, and he would not heed our voice. How can we tell him that the child is dead? He may do some harm!” 

When David saw that his servants were whispering, David perceived that the child was dead. Therefore David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” And they said, “He is dead.” So David arose from the ground, washed and anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. Then he went to his own house; and when he requested, they set food before him, and he ate. Then his servants said to him, “What is this that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while  he  was alive, but when the child died, you arose and ate food.” And he said, “While the child was alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, ‘Who can tell whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ But now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.” 

Then David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in to her and lay with her. So she bore a son, and he called his name Solomon. Now the Lord loved him, and He sent word by the hand of Nathan the prophet: So he called his name Jedidiah, because of the Lord .

II Samuel 12:1‭-‬25 NKJV

And my confession this morning is that I have at times not been fully trusting in God or in others to restore me when I fall. I have expected perfection out of myself by telling myself that He is worth my living a pure and holy and God fearing life — and while this is true, it is only half the story. It can be a type of “baptism of works” instead of a “baptism of the Holy Spirit” if out trust is in our own strength to accomplish this instead of trusting fully in Him to bring it to completion. 
You see, He is worthy of all praise and honor. And yes, He is worthy of us living lives restored to the path of righteousness by the power of the Blood of the Lamb, and by the power of the Holy Spirit that He sends to live in us. But we cannot accomplish this great calling and purpose under our own power, nor can we boast in our power to do so (because it is a gift from God), nor can we stand on high condemning others for not doing enough (because true worship rises up out of our joy in the Lord, yet another gift from God).
So my confession is that in my zeal for a Holy, righteous, and almighty God, sometimes I can bear the sword too heavy and clumsily in my own hands instead of trusting Him to use it as a scalpel, like a great surgeon, to cut out what is death, and to replace it with life. In learning to operate with Him in this manner, by shining light on the sin of the world,  and calling others to come into the light instead of shrinking back from it, sometimes I forget to start out with the reminder that is needed when a message is coming from perfect, Holy, almighty God, to a fearful, lost and dying world “Do not be afraid” that is followed by “Thus says the Lord”.

Imagine…

Imagine you’re given the world’s best Olympic trainer, training grounds, and even genetic surgery to make you better, faster, and stronger. Imagine that the odds were so stacked in your favor that there was nothing that could stand between you and victory that couldn’t be overcome. 
Now if you actually believed that was true, would you just sit on the couch, not interested at all in seeing what could be accomplished? Would you say, “Well, I have such a great trainer and advantage, that I can just take it easy and I’ll still do pretty well.”
What about the investment made by that great trainer? 
Or the resources set aside for your training and development?
Or the work put in to build you into a whole new person, with the capability of being so much better, faster, and stronger?
Would you feel fine still saying,  “Its my life to do with as I please?”

Can’t you see?

Eyes blind to see truth, 

eyes that divide and separate 

by the flesh and not by the Spirit —
They live alongside hardened hearts

that do not love as Christ loves, 

do not sacrifice as He sacrificed, 

do not see need as an opportunity to serve as He served,  

do not forgive as He forgives, 

do not fear God at all — 
but only use their twisted idea 

of religion and law and order 

as a means of controlling others 

and uplifting themselves 

to tread upon the backs of others 

Who they fear might be a threat 

to their established world order 

and comfortably fenced neighborhoods. 
Yes, the religious and the political 

have built great white washed tombs 

and grand slave ships 

that reach far higher and wider 

In the shadows they cast

than the pyramids 

Or the plantations

and wrapped them in names like 

“corporation”, 

“politics”, 

“legacy”, 

“heritage “, 

etc. 
And the cries of the oppressed,  

the needy, 

the murdered, 

the forgotten, 

the hopeless,  

cry out against these enemies of God 

who have been bold enough to pretend 

as if they were actually servants of God.

Sing a New Song

What sorrow awaits you who say, “If only the day of the Lord were here!” You have no idea what you are wishing for. That day will bring darkness, not light. In that day you will be like a man who runs from a lion— only to meet a bear. Escaping from the bear, he leans his hand against a wall in his house— and he’s bitten by a snake. Yes, the day of the Lord will be dark and hopeless, without a ray of joy or hope. “I hate all your show and pretense— the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies. I will not accept your burnt offerings and grain offerings. I won’t even notice all your choice peace offerings. Away with your noisy hymns of praise! I will not listen to the music of your harps. Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living. – Amos 5:18‭-‬24 NLT

“Therefore, give the people of Israel this message from the Sovereign Lord : I am bringing you back, but not because you deserve it. I am doing it to protect my holy name, on which you brought shame while you were scattered among the nations. I will show how holy my great name is—the name on which you brought shame among the nations. And when I reveal my holiness through you before their very eyes, says the Sovereign Lord , then the nations will know that I am the Lord . For I will gather you up from all the nations and bring you home again to your land. “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.  And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations. “And you will live in Israel, the land I gave your ancestors long ago. You will be my people, and I will be your God. I will cleanse you of your filthy behavior. I will give you good crops of grain, and I will send no more famines on the land. I will give you great harvests from your fruit trees and fields, and never again will the surrounding nations be able to scoff at your land for its famines. Then you will remember your past sins and despise yourselves for all the detestable things you did. But remember, says the Sovereign Lord , I am not doing this because you deserve it. O my people of Israel, you should be utterly ashamed of all you have done! “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: When I cleanse you from your sins, I will repopulate your cities, and the ruins will be rebuilt. The fields that used to lie empty and desolate in plain view of everyone will again be farmed. And when I bring you back, people will say, ‘This former wasteland is now like the Garden of Eden! The abandoned and ruined cities now have strong walls and are filled with people!’ Then the surrounding nations that survive will know that I, the Lord , have rebuilt the ruins and replanted the wasteland. For I, the Lord , have spoken, and I will do what I say. “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am ready to hear Israel’s prayers and to increase their numbers like a flock. They will be as numerous as the sacred flocks that fill Jerusalem’s streets at the time of her festivals. The ruined cities will be crowded with people once more, and everyone will know that I am the Lord .” – Ezekiel 36:22‭-‬38 NLT
Sing a new song to the Lord ! Let the whole earth sing to the Lord ! Sing to the Lord ; praise his name. Each day proclaim the good news that he saves. Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does. Great is the Lord ! He is most worthy of praise! He is to be feared above all gods. – Psalms 96:1‭-‬4 NLT

Legalism, Lawlessness, or Christ the Cornerstone?

Let’s clear something up, “Legalism” is not “someone obeying the Word of God” – it is adding to or subtracting from the actual Word of God so that someone can put forth an outward appearance of “holiness” when their hearts and minds do not love God or serve God but only serve their own pride.

And “lawlessness” is either completely denying the Word of God, or perverting it into believing that grace entitles us to sin freely and not love or serve or obey God.

Both of these are the broad way that leads to destruction. But there is another way where the cure is administered to our hearts,  and our desires are changed from sinful disobedience to grateful obedience,  when our love is shifted from self to a love and awe of God, when our lives are laid down so that we can live.

If you believe, if you love Him and know that He has called you to be His people,  than take your eyes off of your sin and look to the cross and the empty tomb to know that His grace is sufficient, not just to forgive but to deliver into new life! Turn away from sin, guilt, shame, and the foolish arrogance of “doing as you please” to learn what is best, to build upon this foundation what will not be burned away.

I say this because some would use the pointed finger of “legalism” as an excuse and justification for their continuing in sin,  as if Jesus came to gather up and celebrate sinners and sin, instead of the fact that: “He came for sinners, to bring them to repentance.” And others would use the pointed finger of “lawlessness” to overlook the grace and power of God that must be the engine and cure, alive and present inside a vessel, so that no man can boast about his own obedience but only give all the glory to God for what is taking place in his own heart by the power of the Holy Spirit.

So if you have the foundation of Jesus Christ,  if you are truly believing, in heartfelt surrender and love to God Almighty, if you are in fact a vessel for the Holy Spirit that convicts you against sin and leads you in the light, then build well for His Kingdom.

Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ. Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames. Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple. Stop deceiving yourselves. If you think you are wise by this world’s standards, you need to become a fool to be truly wise. – 1 Corinthians 3:10‭-‬18 NLT