HEAVENLY INCLINED...: WITHOUT EXCEPTION, THE LORD *GOD* FIRST...

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...

WITHOUT EXCEPTION, THE LORD GOD FIRST...

THE LORD *GOD* IS SO GOOD, thus why wouldn't I be as good to HIM as is possible???

I give my all to my own people, as well as to others, so I should be all the more willing to give even more to THE LORD, NONE is more worthy...

THE LORD IS NUMERO UNO, HE IS FIRST, and FOREMOST in my life, for HE GAVE me life in the here, and now, as well as LIFE eternal, along with all I have had, do have; accommodating my entire existence, and being, THEREFORE, it is the least I can do to, in whatever ways I can, give to HIM, the best I can bring forth...

One shouldn't put Family, Friends, things, and happiness before THE LORD, and then, EXPECT much of HIM! HE, being the LOVING LORD HE IS, takes care of HIS own, and overlooks some of our errs, but HE EXPECTS to be put FIRST in our lives, with our lives BUILT UPON HIM, and HIS WILL. "Seek ye first THE KINGDOM of *GOD* and righteousness, and all these shall be added to you" (MATTHEW 6: 33), is no empty statement, or ideal! Let's take a deeper look into this:

There is scarcely any sin against which our Lord Jesus more warns his disciples, than disquieting, distracting, distrustful cares about the things of this life. This often ensnares the poor as much as the love of wealth does the rich.

But there is a carefulness about temporal things which is a duty, though we must not carry these lawful cares too far. Take no thought for your life. Not about the length of it; but refer it to God to lengthen or shorten it as he pleases; our times are in his hand, and they are in a good hand. Not about the comforts of this life; but leave it to God to make it bitter or sweet as he pleases.

Food and raiment God has promised, therefore we may expect them. Take no thought for the morrow, for the time to come. Be not anxious for the future, how you shall live next year, or when you are old, or what you shall leave behind you. As we must not boast of tomorrow, so we must not care for to-morrow, or the events of it.

God has given us life, and has given us the body. And what can he not do for us, who did that? If we take care about our souls and for eternity, which are more than the body and its life, we may leave it to God to provide for us food and raiment, which are less.

Improve this as an encouragement to trust in God. We must reconcile ourselves to our worldly estate, as we do to our stature. We cannot alter the disposals of Providence, therefore we must submit and resign ourselves to them.

Thoughtfulness for our souls is the best cure of thoughtfulness for the world. Seek first the kingdom of God, and make religion your business: say not that this is the way to starve; no, it is the way to be well provided for, even in this world.

The conclusion of the whole matter is, that it is the will and command of the Lord Jesus, that by daily prayers we may get strength to bear us up under our daily troubles, and to arm us against the temptations that attend them, and then let none of these things move us. Happy are those who take the Lord for their God, and make full proof of it by trusting themselves wholly to his wise disposal. Let thy Spirit convince us of sin in the want of this disposition, and take away the worldliness of our hearts.

CHRIST JESUS CALLS us to LEAVE EVERYTHING behind, including Family, Friends, things, as well as ideals of happiness, BECAUSE our TRUTH is NOT of this world, and what HE HAS in store for us IS far greater than the greatest of this world! HE tells us that we are to DENY ourselves, and take up our cross, and FOLLOW HIM! MATTHEW 4: 19; MATTHEW 16: 24; THEN, in MATTHEW 10: 37, HE says,
"He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.

UNDERSTAND, some passages are not entirely literal, instead denoting the state in which our hearts should exist in: HE IS NOT lessening Family ties, instead HE is calling us to set our priorities straight, in which case HE IS NUMBER ONE! Let's look into this:

He that loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me; and he that loveth son or daughter more than me, is not worthy of me—(Compare De 33:9). As the preference of the one would, in the case supposed, necessitate the abandonment of the other, our Lord here, with a sublime, yet awful self-respect, asserts His own claims to supreme affection.

There is more concerning this, but this said it effectively enough, yes?!!!

The world, and ALL in it, ARE passing away, but *GOD* IS WITHOUT BEGINNING OR END, and it IS PRACTICALLY OPTIMAL for the soul to spend time in ETERNITY WITH HIM, as opposed to the eternal torment of the soul that did NOT seek HIM OVER all else!!!

Not only this, but REALLY, IS there ANYONE, or ANY THING more worthy of our best, of our attention, of our regard, of our respect, of our HONOURING???

Our MENTALITY, then our ACTIONS SPEAK of our HEART, as it IS THE HEART which THE LORD peers into, because where the heart is, there is the TRUTH of our existence!!!

GIVE THE LORD your heart, GIVE to HIM THE PREEMINENCE of HIS TRUTH, GIVE HIM THE GLORY; HE WILL SURELY, add to you, and all will be well with you, no matter what the world throws your way...

BLESS THE LORD, PRAISE HIM ALWAYS, WORSHIP HIS HOLINESS, THANK HIM FOR ALL HE IS, and DOES, REJOICE IN HIS LOVE, and CARE for us, EXALT HIM ABOVE ALL forevermore, and HONOUR HIM BY GLORIFYING HIM WITH THE BEST within, to without! BE humbled before HIM, LOVE HIM and others, and WORSHIP HIM in more than word, instead with ALL you have!!!

REV. LWINSOR © 2014
BIBLICAL, and/or other references marked BOLDLY IN COLOURS