THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT OVER THE TEMPTATION OF SIN
Greetings in the name of Jesus:
As I start this writing I have no idea what God wants to say here, but I am led to the book of Matthew 5:19-48 ; which is a part of His Sermon on the Mount. In this Jesus deals with relationships; first of all in teaching truth to others, and then further in how we act out relationships. As people it is easy for us to tell someone how to do something without having any real experience in doing it personally, and I think there lays the problem with many Christians when it comes to their personal witness for Christ in life. I don't believe that our lives should ever be a situation where we live a semi good life, and then speak to others on how to live a perfected life. I believe our real witness is in showing others how our own life is lived, and then allowing them to be drawn into the process of living it with us. We can never be successful by telling others how to live yet never putting those principals into practice for ourselves.
I think we have a great deal of anger in today's society toward one another at least outwardly; but I think we have much within us that causes anger toward ourselves as well in knowing that it is our apathy toward changing our own lives that has cause much of the attitude toward others. I heard once that no one can either love or hate something in another person that they don't first of all love or hate about themselves...and I think that may very well be true. Moses said "You shall not Murder" Exodus 20:13 but Jesus said we should not even allow ourselves to get angry enough to murder. Those of Jesus time in the Sanhedrin felt they were righteous because they had kept the letter of the law by not physically murdering anyone much in the same ways we feel good about keeping the laws of our land, but at the same time they had gotten so angry with Jesus that they were willing to plot His death. When we think about it the sin is just as real as if we had done it already. Killing is a terrible thing, but having a raging anger within us that burns and destroys all love and forgiveness can be even worse because it destroys all hope. It becomes a very dangerous emotion that can leap out of control at any time to destroy.
We have spoken from time to time about the fragile relationships we all have with one another. These relationships are like emotional contracts that we make which are mostly built upon the health of emotions toward each other in life. When it comes to emotions we are all indeed very fragile...much more than we think we are. This comes out in it's worst form when we try to say that we love God while at the same time harboring hate toward another person 1 John 4:20. Many of the emotions we have can be turned into slings and arrows that are used against our fellow man, and those who are closest to us...it even happens in the families and in the Church body. This is a matter of prayer between us in the Bride of Christ, and one which must have constant attention. May you richly bless God through your life in Him.
THE UNWORTHY SERVANT
As I start this writing I have no idea what God wants to say here, but I am led to the book of Matthew 5:19-48 ; which is a part of His Sermon on the Mount. In this Jesus deals with relationships; first of all in teaching truth to others, and then further in how we act out relationships. As people it is easy for us to tell someone how to do something without having any real experience in doing it personally, and I think there lays the problem with many Christians when it comes to their personal witness for Christ in life. I don't believe that our lives should ever be a situation where we live a semi good life, and then speak to others on how to live a perfected life. I believe our real witness is in showing others how our own life is lived, and then allowing them to be drawn into the process of living it with us. We can never be successful by telling others how to live yet never putting those principals into practice for ourselves.
I think we have a great deal of anger in today's society toward one another at least outwardly; but I think we have much within us that causes anger toward ourselves as well in knowing that it is our apathy toward changing our own lives that has cause much of the attitude toward others. I heard once that no one can either love or hate something in another person that they don't first of all love or hate about themselves...and I think that may very well be true. Moses said "You shall not Murder" Exodus 20:13 but Jesus said we should not even allow ourselves to get angry enough to murder. Those of Jesus time in the Sanhedrin felt they were righteous because they had kept the letter of the law by not physically murdering anyone much in the same ways we feel good about keeping the laws of our land, but at the same time they had gotten so angry with Jesus that they were willing to plot His death. When we think about it the sin is just as real as if we had done it already. Killing is a terrible thing, but having a raging anger within us that burns and destroys all love and forgiveness can be even worse because it destroys all hope. It becomes a very dangerous emotion that can leap out of control at any time to destroy.
We have spoken from time to time about the fragile relationships we all have with one another. These relationships are like emotional contracts that we make which are mostly built upon the health of emotions toward each other in life. When it comes to emotions we are all indeed very fragile...much more than we think we are. This comes out in it's worst form when we try to say that we love God while at the same time harboring hate toward another person 1 John 4:20. Many of the emotions we have can be turned into slings and arrows that are used against our fellow man, and those who are closest to us...it even happens in the families and in the Church body. This is a matter of prayer between us in the Bride of Christ, and one which must have constant attention. May you richly bless God through your life in Him.
THE UNWORTHY SERVANT
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