SWEATING OUT THE IMPORTANT THINGS TO GOD
Greetings in the name of Jesus:
STRAINING AT A NAT AND SWALLOWING A CAMEL... It is that last phrase of this next "WOE" from Jesus to the leaders and teachers of the Synagogue that catches my attention. It is the very nature of what we feel is the most important things to us in this life that causes us the most grief.
The important things of God's mind have very little to do with this physical world, and yet we continue to try to make our spiritual life in some way connected deeply into this physical world. Frankly it is even the continued thoughts that are brought out in today's churches that tell us that we can some how cause God to do our bidding by praying for something we want like the prosperity gospels that are preached today. Even the concept of God healing at someones hand apart from it being something that draws that person closer to Him is fake according to the word. While we can ask anything we want (in Hiss will) and He will do it not only does the request we make need to be to glorify Him, but we ourselves need to be centered in Christ's Spirit before we make such a request; otherwise God simply will not listen to us.
Once again we need to answer that important question " What is thee most important things to God?" Once we have the answer to that clearly within our mind and heart we will start to realize just how much out of God's will many of us have been living. We have adapted the traditions of the churches we have grown up listening to instead of to the real message that has been accurately delivered by Jesus Christ. In the only amendment made by Christ in His ministry Jesus told us the greatest of all of these commandments was to love God with our whole heart, mind, and strength; and then to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. That simple commandment when taken seriously will change our attitude toward what we ask for in this life. Not only should this concentrated effort to love God first before all things change our prayer life; but also those things that we count on as being the most important things in this life to us.
This is really the most simple of relationships with God that we can have, and without any doubt it is this that Jesus refers to as being so simple that evena small child can understand it. If we take our ques from all of the details we see develop in the Christian life we will soon be overcome by the volume of changes that go into a mature Christian life we will soon give up. I always tell my art students that they should be looking at the basic shapes and colors first, and learn to build on each thing as we understand and get these basic shapes and colors right.. The same things becomes true in developing the Christian life. It is overwhelming if we are always looking at the details first. The simple truth is to love God with all of our heart, mind, and strength first. If we concentrate on that alone at first the Holy Spirit can begin to change attitudes and desires that we may never have been able to deal with on ourr own. Keeping that basic need in front of us at all times we can begin to see the things that Christ has created us to do and to say. Our love for others will stem from those directives in our life, and we will find that the good works and spiritual fruit will be automatic as we walk through our day. We often fail to realize that it is this behavior that it our true witness in Christ to the world around us. Our job is to be an example to this world of what it is like to live for Christ. The Holy Spirit then will begin to draw those to Him who are watching your life. You do not have to even go out of your way to witness for Christ in your life if you are seeking Him first. In a real artists hands many times the masterpiece is not finished until the last strokes of the brush to create that high-lite or feeling that no others can give. It is God's signature placed upon our life by the hand of the Master that makes all the difference. May you richly bless God through your life in Him.
THE UNWORTHY SERVANT
STRAINING AT A NAT AND SWALLOWING A CAMEL... It is that last phrase of this next "WOE" from Jesus to the leaders and teachers of the Synagogue that catches my attention. It is the very nature of what we feel is the most important things to us in this life that causes us the most grief.
The important things of God's mind have very little to do with this physical world, and yet we continue to try to make our spiritual life in some way connected deeply into this physical world. Frankly it is even the continued thoughts that are brought out in today's churches that tell us that we can some how cause God to do our bidding by praying for something we want like the prosperity gospels that are preached today. Even the concept of God healing at someones hand apart from it being something that draws that person closer to Him is fake according to the word. While we can ask anything we want (in Hiss will) and He will do it not only does the request we make need to be to glorify Him, but we ourselves need to be centered in Christ's Spirit before we make such a request; otherwise God simply will not listen to us.
Once again we need to answer that important question " What is thee most important things to God?" Once we have the answer to that clearly within our mind and heart we will start to realize just how much out of God's will many of us have been living. We have adapted the traditions of the churches we have grown up listening to instead of to the real message that has been accurately delivered by Jesus Christ. In the only amendment made by Christ in His ministry Jesus told us the greatest of all of these commandments was to love God with our whole heart, mind, and strength; and then to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. That simple commandment when taken seriously will change our attitude toward what we ask for in this life. Not only should this concentrated effort to love God first before all things change our prayer life; but also those things that we count on as being the most important things in this life to us.
This is really the most simple of relationships with God that we can have, and without any doubt it is this that Jesus refers to as being so simple that evena small child can understand it. If we take our ques from all of the details we see develop in the Christian life we will soon be overcome by the volume of changes that go into a mature Christian life we will soon give up. I always tell my art students that they should be looking at the basic shapes and colors first, and learn to build on each thing as we understand and get these basic shapes and colors right.. The same things becomes true in developing the Christian life. It is overwhelming if we are always looking at the details first. The simple truth is to love God with all of our heart, mind, and strength first. If we concentrate on that alone at first the Holy Spirit can begin to change attitudes and desires that we may never have been able to deal with on ourr own. Keeping that basic need in front of us at all times we can begin to see the things that Christ has created us to do and to say. Our love for others will stem from those directives in our life, and we will find that the good works and spiritual fruit will be automatic as we walk through our day. We often fail to realize that it is this behavior that it our true witness in Christ to the world around us. Our job is to be an example to this world of what it is like to live for Christ. The Holy Spirit then will begin to draw those to Him who are watching your life. You do not have to even go out of your way to witness for Christ in your life if you are seeking Him first. In a real artists hands many times the masterpiece is not finished until the last strokes of the brush to create that high-lite or feeling that no others can give. It is God's signature placed upon our life by the hand of the Master that makes all the difference. May you richly bless God through your life in Him.
THE UNWORTHY SERVANT
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