HEAVENLY INCLINED...: MONDAY'S MEETING OF THE MINDS: THE SANCTIFIED: PEACEABLE & QUIET...

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 MEETING OF THE MINDS: THE SANCTIFIED: PEACEABLE & QUIET...

1 THESSALONIANS 4: 10-12...
10---;But we urge you, brethren, to excel still more,
11---and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you,
12---so that you will behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need.

It is very desirable to have a calm and quiet temper, and to be of a peaceable and quiet behaviour. Satan is busy to trouble us; and we have in our hearts what disposes us to be unquiet; therefore let us study to be quiet.

Those who are busy-bodies, meddling in other men's matters, have little quiet in their own minds, and cause great disturbances among their neighbours. They seldom mind the other exhortation, to be diligent in their own calling, to work with their own hands.

Christianity does not take us from the work and duty of our particular callings, but teaches us to be diligent therein. People often by slothfulness reduce themselves to great straits, and are liable to many wants; while such as are diligent in their own business, earn their own bread, and have great pleasure in so doing.

Challenges arise by the moment in this life; challenges to our thoughtful PEACE, to our confident standing, to our overall dedication to serving THE LORD, and others, for evil resides ever nearby, and is bent on causing us to act out of character, if only for a brief moment, which has the potential to fill us with matters that would not otherwise affect us, and then, takes us from our steady stance, placing us at risk to be tempted, and to trip...

When we step out of character, even slightly, it delights the enemy, for now they have something to work with, something to taunt us with, something to make into something greater than it is, and YES, at times, it is going to be easy for us to be tripped up, because resident evil is present everywhere, and appears even in our optimized circumstances, in ways such as using someone, or something close to us to cause us to stumble, or using any of many means to create in us, a change of behaviour. But, as tough as it gets at times, we PRAY, and we struggle to REMAIN IN CHRIST, and to reiterate HIM in thought, action, and reaction, though we might have just went off mark, we get right back into our TRUTH...

Quietly, we should always be busy in HIS name, whether that is PRAYING, or learning, or doing, and we should strive to always make our own way, in which case, there are billions of people out of work throughout the world, and things aren't getting any better, or easier, yet, there ARE ways to make our own way, within the boundaries of righteousness, of course. We mustn't be tempted to step outside those boundaries, for then we are slaves to sin, not to CHRIST. If we are honest, and PRAY with all our hearts, and remain in HIM, HE IS FAITHFUL to us, and will provide for us, according to HIS WILL...

As we exist in allegiance to HIS WILL, the stumbling blocks of the hours of the day are more visible to us, and we are more empowered to avoid them; that doesn't mean we will never trip over them, it means we are more prepared to deal with doing so, as we RELY ON HIM, PRAY TO HIM, and TRUST HIM to lend, THROUGH THE SPIRIT, that which would get us back on THE PATH, and keep us there...

Through CHRIST JESUS we find great examples of the quiet life, and composure *GOD'S* WILL COMMANDS: HE was scoffed, ridiculed, dissed, and much more BEFORE HE was beaten, spit on, and put to death, and at all times, HE REMAINED IN THE WILL OF *GOD*, NOT giving power where it didn't belong, and responding, though rarely, quietly, with words such as "you say so"! HE REMAINED PURELY DIVINE, and PEACEABLE, regardless of what the messed up world attempted to thrash HIM with! HOW WISE IS HIS example, and how SOUND it is, so as to guide us through what the day will bring! REMAIN IN HIM, PRAISE HIM, WORSHIP HIS HOLINESS, REJOICE IN HIS LOVING CARE for us, and HONOUR HIM by FOLLOWING HIS LEAD! PRAY, and GIVE THANKS!!