July 4, 2011
Life Lesson ~
Matthew 7:24-27 - Two Kinds of People
"Everyone who hears my words and obeys them is like a wise person who built his house on rock. It rained hard, the floods came, and the winds blew and hit that house. But it did not fall, because it was built on rock. Everyone who hears my words and does not obey them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. It rained hard, the floods came, and the winds blew and hit that house, and it fell with a big crash."
I Corinthians 2:14-16 - God's Wisdom
"A person who does not have the Spirit does not accept the truths that come from the Spirit of God. That person is foolish and cannot understand them because they can only be judged to be true by the Spirit. The spiritual person is able to judge all things, but no one can judge him. The scripture says: "Who has known the mind of the LORD? Who has been able to teach him?" (Isaiah 40:13) But we have the mind of Christ."
James 1:22-25 - Listening and Obeying
"Do what God's teaching says; when you only listen and do nothing, you are fooling yourselves. Those who hear God's teaching and do nothing are like people who look at themselves in a mirror. They see their faces and then go quickly away and quickly forget what they looked like. But the truly happy people are those who carefully study God's perfect law that makes people free, and they continue to study it. They do not forget what they heard, but they obey what God's teaching says. Those who do this will be made happy."
I Peter 1:13-16 - A Call to Holy Living
"So prepare your minds for service and have self-control. All your hope should be for the gift of grace that will be yours when Jesus Christ is shown to you. Now that you are obedient children of God do not live as you did in the past. You did not understand, so you did the evil things you wanted. But be holy in all you do, just as God, the One who called you, is holy. It is written in the scriptures: You must be holy, because I am holy."
God's principles: what we need to live by. I've heard and read these scriptures many times, but they struck me in a clearer way as I was reading them this time. The wise man and the foolish man, a story I've heard and song I've sung since childhood. Wise—because he heard God's Word and obeyed. Foolish—because he heard God's Word and chose not to obey. Once again, it is our choice. And once again there are predictable consequences. Protection—verses—Destruction.
And then the verses in I Corinthians. When you carefully read these verses it is very sobering when you begin to understand them. Again, it is our choice. IF—we accept the truths that come from the LORD, THEN—we have understanding, we are again protected, and we have discernment, the mind of Christ. IF—we refuse to accept the truths of the LORD, THEN—we do not have the Spirit and we cannot have understanding because it is the Spirit who explains the truths to us. We are then foolish and without understanding or discernment because we have chosen to not accept the truths of God.
Then in James—DO! You can't just hear the Word, you must choose to do it! When you listen and do nothing you are fooling yourself. It really isn't yours. It is like an image that fades away. You don't own it. You have nothing. Those who listen accept the truth and continually study what it is God is saying and what he wants them to do. They do not forget; they obey what they've been told; and they have freedom and happiness.
And lastly, the verses found in I Peter. Prepare. Have self-control. Serve. Be obedient. Be holy. You aren't what you were. Christ has been shown to you—SO LIVE IT!
Addendum: 4/19/15 ~ Notice that obeying God's word does not make you exempt from the rain, floods and wind. But obeying God's words DOES provide you with complete protection from whatever comes your way. It really is like a peaceful and secure island in the middle of a raging sea.
Life Lesson ~
"Doing to others what we want others to do to us is simply a matter of kindness. It involves being thoughtful and considerate. But it is more than politeness. It is doing what is right. It is doing what pleases God. Righteousness means right living. It means treating people right. It means living with personal integrity. A righteous person is one whom we can trust. His integrity is consistent. It is not for sale. A righteous person is moral without being moralistic. He is pious with be pietistic. He has a sense of concern for other peoples' feelings. He wants to treat other people right because he has the over-arching desire to please a loving God." ~ From Pleasing God by R.C. SproutObeying God's Principles
Matthew 7:24-27 - Two Kinds of People
"Everyone who hears my words and obeys them is like a wise person who built his house on rock. It rained hard, the floods came, and the winds blew and hit that house. But it did not fall, because it was built on rock. Everyone who hears my words and does not obey them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. It rained hard, the floods came, and the winds blew and hit that house, and it fell with a big crash."
I Corinthians 2:14-16 - God's Wisdom
"A person who does not have the Spirit does not accept the truths that come from the Spirit of God. That person is foolish and cannot understand them because they can only be judged to be true by the Spirit. The spiritual person is able to judge all things, but no one can judge him. The scripture says: "Who has known the mind of the LORD? Who has been able to teach him?" (Isaiah 40:13) But we have the mind of Christ."
James 1:22-25 - Listening and Obeying
"Do what God's teaching says; when you only listen and do nothing, you are fooling yourselves. Those who hear God's teaching and do nothing are like people who look at themselves in a mirror. They see their faces and then go quickly away and quickly forget what they looked like. But the truly happy people are those who carefully study God's perfect law that makes people free, and they continue to study it. They do not forget what they heard, but they obey what God's teaching says. Those who do this will be made happy."
I Peter 1:13-16 - A Call to Holy Living
"So prepare your minds for service and have self-control. All your hope should be for the gift of grace that will be yours when Jesus Christ is shown to you. Now that you are obedient children of God do not live as you did in the past. You did not understand, so you did the evil things you wanted. But be holy in all you do, just as God, the One who called you, is holy. It is written in the scriptures: You must be holy, because I am holy."
God's principles: what we need to live by. I've heard and read these scriptures many times, but they struck me in a clearer way as I was reading them this time. The wise man and the foolish man, a story I've heard and song I've sung since childhood. Wise—because he heard God's Word and obeyed. Foolish—because he heard God's Word and chose not to obey. Once again, it is our choice. And once again there are predictable consequences. Protection—verses—Destruction.
And then the verses in I Corinthians. When you carefully read these verses it is very sobering when you begin to understand them. Again, it is our choice. IF—we accept the truths that come from the LORD, THEN—we have understanding, we are again protected, and we have discernment, the mind of Christ. IF—we refuse to accept the truths of the LORD, THEN—we do not have the Spirit and we cannot have understanding because it is the Spirit who explains the truths to us. We are then foolish and without understanding or discernment because we have chosen to not accept the truths of God.
Then in James—DO! You can't just hear the Word, you must choose to do it! When you listen and do nothing you are fooling yourself. It really isn't yours. It is like an image that fades away. You don't own it. You have nothing. Those who listen accept the truth and continually study what it is God is saying and what he wants them to do. They do not forget; they obey what they've been told; and they have freedom and happiness.
And lastly, the verses found in I Peter. Prepare. Have self-control. Serve. Be obedient. Be holy. You aren't what you were. Christ has been shown to you—SO LIVE IT!
Addendum: 4/19/15 ~ Notice that obeying God's word does not make you exempt from the rain, floods and wind. But obeying God's words DOES provide you with complete protection from whatever comes your way. It really is like a peaceful and secure island in the middle of a raging sea.
Next Entry: Proverbs 20
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