HEAVENLY INCLINED...: MONDAY'S MEDITATIONS: CHARITY OF SPIRIT...

Thanksgiving for the LORD's Favor

Psalms 138 (A Psalm of David)
1/ I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.
2/ I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy loving-kindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.
3/ In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.
4/ All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O LORD, when they hear the words of thy mouth.
5/ Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the LORD: for great is the glory of the LORD.
6/ Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off.
7/ Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me.
8/ The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me:
thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands... AMEN!!!

One CANNOT earn GRACE, it is HIS own ESSENCE; a gift, still, IF one claims to be IN HIS GRACE, we ARE to, or, OUGHT to, be reflections of that GRACE! 2 CORINTHIANS 6:1, tells us not to take HIS GRACE in vain! This means, living in LOVE, morality, ethics, virtue, righteousness, and, spiritual improvement, TOWARDS, spiritual maturity, WHILE, visibly BEING as LIGHTS, beaming OF *GOD*, beckoning the world, TO THE LIGHT! Righteousness MEANS, conduct in conformity with *GOD'S* WILL, and, "Be HOLY because I AM HOLY!", therefore, indicating that knowledge, wisdom, and, effort, DO, apply TO the righteous!!! NEVER forget, we were grafted in, and, if we do not bear fruit, as a dead branch, we will be pruned out, just as were, the natural branches!!!

We are not saved by works, instead, works PROVE HIM in us: they identify HIS own...

IF I claim ONENESS with *GOD*, through CHRIST JESUS, I am DEAD TO THE WORLD, THUS, LIVING as HIM, which is, hopefully, witnessed IN, and, THROUGH, my every thought, action, and, reaction; MEANING, I am, THROUGH CONSCIOUS application OF THE WORD, HIS COMMANDS, HIS WILL, REFLECTING righteousness, not, merely, FAITH! I become, the TRULY FRUITFUL branch, of THE VINE, the TRUE member of THE BODY/THE CHURCH, CHRIST JESUS, and, TESTIFY, then, GLORIFY, BOLDLY, BY my thoughts, actions, and, reactions, HIS name, because, HE IS WORTHY, and, IN HIS LOVE, has SHOWN me, how I OUGHT to exist, to which, I eagerly, adapt, and, comply!!!

MATTHEW 5:48...
So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect

1 PETER 1:14-16...
14/ Like obedient children, do not act in compliance with the desires of your former ignorance
15/ but, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in every aspect of your conduct,
16/ for it is written, "Be holy because I (am) holy."

ROMANS 12:2...
Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.

Conduct, in conformity to *GOD'S* WILL, marks the righteous; it is NOT because of guilt, or, ancient Laws, but, because of LOVE; LOVE for *GOD*, self, then, others! CHRIST JESUS gave us Commandments to live by, of which, the first is to LOVE *GOD*, with all of your mind, heart, and, soul; the second is, to LOVE one another!

LOVE COMPELS us to LIVE IN HIM, through conduct which conforms to *GOD*; in other words, morality, ethics, doing good, and, being good, and, ever striving to improve the spirit! It is about REFLECTING THE TRUTH, for ALL to bear witness to, FOR, and, TO HIS GLORY, RADIANTLY SHINING OF HIS POWER, GRACE, and, MERCIES!!!

It IS ALL ABOUT LOVE, baby, all about LOVE!!!

MATTHEW 4: 17...From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

JOHN 14:15..."If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

NOTE: I do not intend to preach, rather to reach; to stir up, awaken, to inspire, and, bring forth, in discussion, that which is, perhaps, dormantly existing in the heart of hearts, thus, little, or, no, sugar coatings, just THE WORD of *GOD*, the TRUTH, along with some of my thoughts. And truth is, I am reminding myself always, as I practice these reminders, in the best of my abilities, and capacities, while RELYING on THE LORD to lead me on that narrow PATH---> MATTHEW 7: 14: "For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it... TO *GOD* BE ALL GLORY...

MONDAY'S MEDITATIONS: CHARITY OF SPIRIT...

CHARITY of spirit, is imperative to *GOD'S* WILL! Being charitable is imperative to LOVE, and, charity is a vital component to LOVE, NOT in description, or thought, but, IN ACTION, from the spirit outwardly! To be charitable goes FAR beyond giving to one another, it is the evidence of patience, tolerance, understanding, acceptance, and, respectful regard for one another! Agape, LOVE, and, Charity, are synonymous, according to the translations from Greek to English, although, each is unique, at the same time! *GOD* shows HIS people, GRACE, and favour, therefore, it is our place to treat one another in the same way! MERCY, also, is a part of Agape, LOVE, and, Charity...

KINDNESS is imperative to being charitable, as, without heartfelt kindness, charitable sharing is falsified!

True charity is done by those who have first experienced God's grace and favor, since it is motivated by God's deeds of salvation and forgiveness. Love for neighbor follows from love for God, which in turn follows from God's love for us" In this, we see CONNECTEDNESS TO *GOD*, HIS WILL, and, our chosen lifestyle, to LIVE as HE would have us to! Charity of spirit, is the evidence of the grasping of the necessity of LOVE, BECAUSE *GOD* first LOVED us, then we, BY HIS example, act accordingly...

I have to say this repeatedly, because, it is never fully embraced: IF we LIVED in LOVE, kindness, patience, tolerance, compassion, understanding, acceptance, and, respectful regard for one another, Charity of spirit, WOULD be the common flow of human interaction, PREMISED upon *GOD*, and, HIS WILL! There would be NO hunger, homelessness, nor, human suffering, because LOVE PROVIDES for ALL in it's path! It is the LACK of LOVE, for *GOD*, and, for others, that, human suffering exists, and, this lack IS USED by the evil deceiver, to take us even farther from the reality of THE TRUTH! LOVE IS ALL, and, EVERYTHING, but, the world has altered this perfect state, and, has taken us wayward from this FACT of *GODLINESS*! THUS, ONLY THROUGH *GOD*, and, HIS WORD, can one begin to grasp the fullness of LOVE, and, it's DIVINE optimization, not only for humanity, but, for ALL of CREATION! *GOD* IS LOVE, and, LOVE IS WHAT HOLDS it ALL together, eternally!!!

Developing a kind, caring, compassionate, steadfast, and, sincere disposition, leads one to being Charitable; it is simply, an intrinsic part of LOVE! Thus, we have lessons to learn, first of *GOD*, then, of LOVE, then, of righteousness, which, opens up to virtues, FAITHFULNESS, and, ALL things wholesomely good!!!

Yes, part of being Charitable is giving to those in need, but, it far exceeds this, because it is ONE of MANY indicators of a *GODLY* being; the evidence of the spiritual being, OVER the carnal being! The carnal being is NOT Charitable, to any real degree, as the carnal being is self-motivated, self-inclined, selfish!!!

Charitable people will not argue, fight, nor, defend! They, as CHRIST said, turn the other cheek, offer their second cloak, and, TAKE THE HIGH road, in ALL matters! They don't have time for what is NOT of *GOD*, for what is NOT of *GOD*, is, in actuality, NOTHING! So difficult to understand, but, is the way of THE LORD!!!

So, what we see here is this:

1 CORINTHIANS 13...

1/ If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal.
2/ And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing.
3/ If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.

4/ Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, (love) is not pompous, it is not inflated,
5/ it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury,
6/ it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth.
7/ It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8/ Love never fails. If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing; if tongues, they will cease; if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing.

9/ For we know partially and we prophesy partially,
10/ but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.
11/ When I was a child, I used to talk as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I put aside childish things.
12/ At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known.
13/ So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Again, it ALL begins, and, continues, throughout eternity, WITH LOVE!!!

REV. LWINSOR © 2012
BIBLICAL, and/or, other references marked BOLDLY IN COLOURS