1Peter 1:13-16 “Prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."
We started a Summer Bible Study series that brought up a central point of the regenerated heart and renewed mind of the Believer and Follower of Jesus Christ. The Christian life is not “the most important part of life”; it is life itself. Christianity is not a slice of the pie that represents our daily living or a line item on our list of things to do today, that has equal value to the others and can be passed by or missed if not gotten to. We need to see all of life as a sacred affair, lived around the presence of Jesus Christ. 1Peter1:3-5 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power.” Our desire is to live an obedient life that is pleasing in the eyes of the Lord and reflect Jesus in all that we do. Christ is at the center of everything we think and do. A Pastor once explained to me that we look at all of life through Jesus; therefore we see nothing without Christ, our Lord. God has plans & purposes for this world and they may not be the same as our plans or our perceived purposes that are based upon our hopes and dreams. We want God to want what we want in life, but we have it backwards. We need to flip our world and our way of thinking to be aligned with God’s (Father, Son & Holy Spirit) and walk in His way.
Deuteronomy 10:12-13 “What does the Lord your God ask of you but to (in reverence) fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord's commands and decrees.”
Revelation 15:3 "Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the ages.”
My priceless cousin Laura, who went to be with the Lord this past December, opened my eyes more to the godly “flip side” of viewing life from God’s perspective. When she was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer at age 32 and people asked “why you?” She flipped it and said “why not me?” Laura explained that if there was anyone that had to contract this disease, out of love, she would want it to be her. Not that she wanted cancer, but knew that God had equipped her for this journey and was filled with joy that her loved ones didn’t suffer. http://loloplunkett.blogspot.com/ - She unselfishly focused on the health, faith and well-being of others. We know that when we accepted Jesus Christ, we are “born again (from above)”, redeemed by Christ to eternal life, forgiven of our sins and given a regenerated heart that sees that which is spiritually discerned. It flips the way that we see and think in this life and culture, as we now walk in His way free from the world - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life; seeking how we can glory God and love our neighbor (Matthew 22:36-40).
Psalm 25:4-5 “Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.” Our viewpoint changes from “having to” against our true heart’s will, to sincerely “desiring to” as our true heart’s will. It is written on our heart. Proverbs 7: 1-3 ”My son, keep my words, And treasure my commands within you. Keep my commands and live, And my law as the apple of your eye. Bind them on your fingers; Write them on the tablet of your heart.” The perspective changes from God commanding me to “Do not hate/murder” (Exodus 20:13 & Matthew 5:21-22) to, with Christ in my heart, “Why would I hate or murder another?” But it goes even beyond that, to flip it and ask: “What can I give of myself and what can I do to enrich and help make my neighbor’s life better and joyful?” Not just “I shall not lust in my heart/commit adultery (Exodus 20:14 & Matthew 5:27-28) because it is sinfully wrong, hurtful and harmful – why would I do that?”, but “How can I promote, augment and protect the purity and honor marriage as God intended and improve the marriages of those couples around me?” Not just from God’s commandment “Do not covet – which is desiring enviously that which belongs to another”, to a heart that can say: ”I am content with and thankful for the blessings that the Lord has given me and I don’t need to keep up with the Jones, but also asks: “How can I bless others and meet the needs of others, no matter what they may possess, and help them keep and enjoy what they do have.” Not only stop lying and giving false testimony against your neighbor, but also “How can I build up my fellow man and help them to a good reputation? If someone is angry, ask “I wonder what caused them to feel that anger and have love and compassion to see beyond the emotion to the need. Love God & love people. That’s God’s way of thinking! Psalm 77:13 “Your ways, O God, are holy. What god is so great as our God?”
Life is not easy and there is no guarantee of reciprocation from mankind for living the Christian life and you may even be attacked at times, but it’s not about us when the focus is properly on “loving & glorifying God and our neighbor as ourselves”. It is for Christ's sake. We are to look beyond the sin in people, to the person that God loves and Jesus died for. This, of course, does not mean ever calling what God calls sin anything but wrong and needs repenting. We are to hunger and thirst for righteousness with God. Life is a learning experience that, by walking in the Spirit, produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, that the world doesn’t know or understand, because it is the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). That is what people really need and desire in relationship with God & their fellow man. Let’s flip our world, looking at life from God’s way and, with His help, get our life, our relationships and our culture in-line with God’s plans and purposes.
Matthew 5:6-9 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.”
God changes our "want to", that we no longer "want to" sin, and now we "want to" glorify God and bless people. We have been blessed to be a blessing to God and those around us.
Brian
We started a Summer Bible Study series that brought up a central point of the regenerated heart and renewed mind of the Believer and Follower of Jesus Christ. The Christian life is not “the most important part of life”; it is life itself. Christianity is not a slice of the pie that represents our daily living or a line item on our list of things to do today, that has equal value to the others and can be passed by or missed if not gotten to. We need to see all of life as a sacred affair, lived around the presence of Jesus Christ. 1Peter1:3-5 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power.” Our desire is to live an obedient life that is pleasing in the eyes of the Lord and reflect Jesus in all that we do. Christ is at the center of everything we think and do. A Pastor once explained to me that we look at all of life through Jesus; therefore we see nothing without Christ, our Lord. God has plans & purposes for this world and they may not be the same as our plans or our perceived purposes that are based upon our hopes and dreams. We want God to want what we want in life, but we have it backwards. We need to flip our world and our way of thinking to be aligned with God’s (Father, Son & Holy Spirit) and walk in His way.
Deuteronomy 10:12-13 “What does the Lord your God ask of you but to (in reverence) fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord's commands and decrees.”
Revelation 15:3 "Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the ages.”
My priceless cousin Laura, who went to be with the Lord this past December, opened my eyes more to the godly “flip side” of viewing life from God’s perspective. When she was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer at age 32 and people asked “why you?” She flipped it and said “why not me?” Laura explained that if there was anyone that had to contract this disease, out of love, she would want it to be her. Not that she wanted cancer, but knew that God had equipped her for this journey and was filled with joy that her loved ones didn’t suffer. http://loloplunkett.blogspot.com/ - She unselfishly focused on the health, faith and well-being of others. We know that when we accepted Jesus Christ, we are “born again (from above)”, redeemed by Christ to eternal life, forgiven of our sins and given a regenerated heart that sees that which is spiritually discerned. It flips the way that we see and think in this life and culture, as we now walk in His way free from the world - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life; seeking how we can glory God and love our neighbor (Matthew 22:36-40).
Psalm 25:4-5 “Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.” Our viewpoint changes from “having to” against our true heart’s will, to sincerely “desiring to” as our true heart’s will. It is written on our heart. Proverbs 7: 1-3 ”My son, keep my words, And treasure my commands within you. Keep my commands and live, And my law as the apple of your eye. Bind them on your fingers; Write them on the tablet of your heart.” The perspective changes from God commanding me to “Do not hate/murder” (Exodus 20:13 & Matthew 5:21-22) to, with Christ in my heart, “Why would I hate or murder another?” But it goes even beyond that, to flip it and ask: “What can I give of myself and what can I do to enrich and help make my neighbor’s life better and joyful?” Not just “I shall not lust in my heart/commit adultery (Exodus 20:14 & Matthew 5:27-28) because it is sinfully wrong, hurtful and harmful – why would I do that?”, but “How can I promote, augment and protect the purity and honor marriage as God intended and improve the marriages of those couples around me?” Not just from God’s commandment “Do not covet – which is desiring enviously that which belongs to another”, to a heart that can say: ”I am content with and thankful for the blessings that the Lord has given me and I don’t need to keep up with the Jones, but also asks: “How can I bless others and meet the needs of others, no matter what they may possess, and help them keep and enjoy what they do have.” Not only stop lying and giving false testimony against your neighbor, but also “How can I build up my fellow man and help them to a good reputation? If someone is angry, ask “I wonder what caused them to feel that anger and have love and compassion to see beyond the emotion to the need. Love God & love people. That’s God’s way of thinking! Psalm 77:13 “Your ways, O God, are holy. What god is so great as our God?”
Life is not easy and there is no guarantee of reciprocation from mankind for living the Christian life and you may even be attacked at times, but it’s not about us when the focus is properly on “loving & glorifying God and our neighbor as ourselves”. It is for Christ's sake. We are to look beyond the sin in people, to the person that God loves and Jesus died for. This, of course, does not mean ever calling what God calls sin anything but wrong and needs repenting. We are to hunger and thirst for righteousness with God. Life is a learning experience that, by walking in the Spirit, produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, that the world doesn’t know or understand, because it is the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). That is what people really need and desire in relationship with God & their fellow man. Let’s flip our world, looking at life from God’s way and, with His help, get our life, our relationships and our culture in-line with God’s plans and purposes.
Matthew 5:6-9 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.”
God changes our "want to", that we no longer "want to" sin, and now we "want to" glorify God and bless people. We have been blessed to be a blessing to God and those around us.
Brian
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