Right Scripture Wrong Motive

Ever had Bible for your bad attitude? Ever used scriptures to manipulate your own heart? I have, so did the Disciples when they asked Jesus...
Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them, as Elijah did?
I guess the disciples reasoning was that Elijah did it, we've read the scriptures and have a precedent, and besides all that we, want to kill people for Jesus sake. Holy Murder. According to the scriptures we are justified.

Jesus always measuring the motives of our hearts...
He turned and rebuked them, and said, "You do not know what kind of spirit you are of...

I love Jesus! He knows just exactly what to call us on doesnt he? Right scripture, wrong motive boys. Seems to me that Christs purpose particularly at that time was to teach mercy, love, grace and faith. I know that sounds ooey gooey charismatic but LOVE is the ongoing theme of our New Testament. The greatest commandment is still to Love God and the second to love others.

Love not vengeful fire.

Good Blog Post...

Powerful blog post....

Priorities

When I find myself uninterested in scripture and prayer, I can be sure the problem lies within myself, not Him and His Word. If my hunger is not for more of Him then my spiritual diet is messed up and in need of a revamp. We stuff ourselves with books, videos, Internet, conversations.... Our hearts become so consumed with life that that the good crowds out whats best.
Only one thing is needful....

Repentance Needs A Plan

When you go in to have a cancer cut out, you are sent home with antibiotics, diet change, care for the wound, a follow up with your Dr., orders for lab work to make sure all of the cancer has been removed. A maintenance plan.

I guess saying *sorry God* and walking away is not enough. Well, maybe with a passing thought or a silly word that was better left unsaid but with deep disgusting sins it may take more than a quick prayer. I have been repenting every single day for a while over the same stinking sins, Im tired of it. Tired of myself. Ive begged God to deliver me yet here I am in need of deliverance...again.

Someone pointed out to me that repentance needs a plan, so I looked it up and am amazed to find that every one of the below scriptures commands repentance, AND...repentance and something else. Repentance needs follow up, a maintenance plan. A couple of the scriptures talk about how repentace leads to something else....

John the Baptist told the Pharisees to Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. MAT 3:8.

Peter told the crowd at Pentecost to Repent *and* be Baptized ........then...receive the Holy Ghost. Repentance needed a follow up of Baptism before the Holy Ghost came.

Mark1:15 "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent *and* believe the good news!"

Acts3:19 Repent, then, *and* turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out,
that times of refreshing may come from the Lord..

Acts 8:22 Repent of this wickedness *and* pray to the Lord.

Acts 20:21 I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God
in repentance *and* have faith in our Lord Jesus.

Acts 26:20 I preached that they should repent *and* turn to God *and* prove their repentance by their deeds....

2co10:10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.

2TI 2:25 Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that
God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth,

REV 2:5 Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.

Repentance requires more than confession and sorrow, it takes a plan.

Hypocrisy Is The Best Policy

A very good friend and I have had a couple of conversations lately about immodesty in the church. My friend holds to the view that the immodesty being displayed is just a true manifestation of the heart. Its a nobel thing to honest, right? *Keep it Real* and *Be true to your self*. After all there are gossips in the church but we cant *see* that so they arent picked on, give the immodest crew a break, they are just showing themselves in a realistic light. Honesty is the best policy...

I say..........

Please keep your hypocrisy intact so we dont have to see your boobs. God made us with eyes, He knew we would judge one another by appearances and conduct. The greatest commandment is to love others, we do that by considering others, even in the seemingly small things like how we dress and conduct ourselves. Dont show your true colors so proudly, hide them.

The worlds way is to display all its evil internal vomit very proudly, but the world is wrong. Lady Gaga although popular, is wrong......."I want women -- and men -- to feel empowered by a deeper and more psychotic part of themselves. The part they're always trying desperately to hide. I want that to become something that they cherish." — Lady Gaga....Keep your psychosis to yourself Gaga.

I know I sounds crass and rude here but this is a rude subject, and quite frankly Im sick of seeing the insides of your heart, its ugly, you look much better as a hypocrite.

I have 5 little children, one dear daughter who is very sensitive to the styles of dress around her. My 4 sons will one day become young men who are instructed to flee *youthful lusts*. If they cant find refuge in Gods house where is it safe?

Great Quote

"One of the great uses of Twitter and Facebook will be to prove at the Last Day that prayerlessness was not from lack of time." — John Piper

1 Tim 5:13 Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not. .....

Galations

In Galations Paul spends alot time teaching, and even pleading with the legalist to put away the rules. Yet he knew that there would be many who took that as a licence to take the liberty of faith in Christ too far. To live a worldly life. To sin.


He predicts that not only will the conservatives be sceptical of this liberty, this Faith Preaching Paul is doing, but Paul also knows that our flesh may take this new found liberty a little too far. He warns against that.

5:13 only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh.


For in Christ neither our most conscientious religion nor disregard of religion amounts to anything. What matters is something far more interior: faith expressed in love.

Perspective on Children

Im naturally, selfish, lazy, undisciplined, and thats just my short list.

I appreciate (mostly) that my children are little agents from the Lord pressing this out of me. Gratefully, I am so much more selfless than I would be if I had just stuck with my husband and dog. God didnt give me children to make me happy, He gave me children to make me holy.

I think God is pleased when we lay down our own desires and serve others, so He conveniently implemented this thing called family so we could at least hang on the cross and die to self in the comforts of our own living rooms.

I think the sooner we realize God didnt give us children so we can *enjoy them*, rather He gave us children so He could *enjoy us*, the better.

My kids are Gods way of saying *You arent the center of the universe...look beyond the end of your own nose*.

Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven....

I like to think about how God knows whats best for me, and ironically when I accept my children as Gods best (albeit at times painful best) for me I *do* actually start to enjoy them more.

Plus, they are furry and cute.

Post Modern Legalism

Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Galations 3:3

I know that when Paul talks about *the law* he is talking about the OT laws adhered to by the Jews. No pork or shrimp, gotta wash your hands a certain way and keep the Sabbath, be circumcised on the 8th day yada yada yada. That's legalism, I know that, but I cant read about Pauls pleas to the Jews to ditch legalism without thinking about ...well... some of the circles I am affiliated with.

So many parallels between OT laws and our current religious standards, maybe not so much parallels in the actual rituals or ordinances but the spirit and pride behind them. Like a standard or rule can actually impress our Holy God. (roll eyes)

Colossians 2:23
These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person's evil desires.

Take out the word/idea law in the following scriptures and replace it with rules/standards. Replace this Jewish legalism with whatever it is you think makes you holy. Homeschooling? Long skirts? A plain face? A large family with matching jumpers? Even reading, fasting and prayer O my! Whatever you think makes you righteous. Read these scriptures and see if your efforts are enough?

Abraham believed God and it was counted unto him for righteousness, he had faith. Thats IT. Faith. Some things never change.....


“...by works of the law NO ONE will be justified” (Galations 2:16)

“...if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose” (Galations 2:21)

“...No one is justified before God by the law...” (Galations3:11)

"...Those who rely on standards are cursed!...(Galations 3:10)

“...if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law” (Galations3:21)

“...the law as our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith” (Galations 3:24).

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage” (Galations 5:1).