HEAVENLY INCLINED...: TUESDAY'S THOUGHTS: POMP IS EARTHLY, *GOD* IS NOT!!!

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...

TUESDAY'S THOUGHTS: POMP IS EARTHLY, GOD IS NOT!!!

Our LORD *GOD* is mysterious, as are HIS ways, yet, HE HAS made HIMSELF known, and visible to us...

When CHRIST JESUS walked the Earth as fully *GOD*, and fully Man, HE was denied by a great many, just as HE is today, for the oddest reasons, one of which is, and continues to be, that HE came as a simple, humbled, and lowly Man, instead of in KINGLY fashion...

People have imaginations beyond their own understanding, and wish for drama, nearly all the time! People want THE LORD to flaunt HIS stuff, if you will; they want the Wizard of Oz, a Superhero, and a genie all wrapped into one flashy package! It ISN'T that HE couldn't fulfill these fantastic wishes, it is that HE doesn't feel the need to do so, and for SOUND reason! IF HE were to appear as many want HIM to, then numbers would WORSHIP HIM based upon appearances, and powers, and that is NOT the kind of WORSHIP HE desires, or requires! HE seeks the heart of each of us; a heart TRUE to accepting HIM without the snazzy showiness...

*GOD* IS GLORIOUS, HIS POWERS ARE UNPRECEDENTED, and INCOMPREHENSIBLE, HE IS ALL THAT, and MORE, but is NOT about appearance sake! HE teaches us to NOT judge appearances, and this lesson HE reiterated in HIS own journey in this troubled realm!!!

YES, HE HAS used HIS flash to drive some points home, such as when HIS WRATH flared up against Sodom, and Gomorrah, or when HE led HIS people through the desert, filled the mountain with HIS PRESENCE, as well as the Temple built for HIM, and on the list goes, HOWEVER, the TRUTH of HIS nature is refined, controlled, and practical! We expect the impractical from the MOST PRACTICAL entity in existence, silly ones we are...

You see, WHILE THE LORD IS AWE inspiring, and CAPABLE of wooing us with HIS infinite, and spectacular abilities, GLORY, and powers, HE doesn't feel it necessary to influence us with excessive dazzle, BECAUSE simply for the TRUTHFUL FACT THAT HE IS *GOD*, LORD OF LORDS, KING OF KINGS, and ETERNAL RULER OVER ALL, AUTHOR and CREATOR OF ALL IN EXISTENCE, whom LOVES us, we SHOULD be able to WORSHIP HIM based on knowledge of HIS MAJESTIC ELEVATION OVER ALL...

We SHOULD be able to reasonably determine that there is NO comparison between HIM, and what we find on Earth! We SHOULD be able to SEE HIM through HIS MERCIFUL GRACE, and HIS unending LOVE for us! We SHOULD be able to assess that the ruler of this world uses showiness to deceive us, even when it comes to us being TRULY accepting of THE LORD, despite HIS lack of grandiosity!!!

Pomp is Earthly, thus limited, and bound; *GOD* IS NOT! THE LORD'S MAGNIFICENCE IS OBVIOUS, though it is NOT fanfare, it is NOT slick, instead it IS THE TRUTH OF HIM, and is NOT used to sway, rather to BLESS, and so, we see that what we are taught in our faulty worldly ways, CAN'T HONOUR HIS RESPLENDENCE! HE COULD have come as THE MIGHTY KING HE IS, instead HE came humbled, and common to SHOW us that the least IS the greatest, and that appearances mean nothing, due to the TRUTH THAT HOLINESS IS THE EVIDENCE OF GREATNESS!!!

CHRIST THE LORD *GOD*, came to lay THE PATH to THE KINGDOM for those who seek HIM with all their hearts, not with their sights! HE came to EXEMPLIFY HIS WILL, that we might be more optimized to FOLLOW in HIS footsteps, and take on as much of HIS beautiful, gentle, and unassuming nature as is feasible! HE came to LEAD us, in person, instead of in a cloud of smoke! And if you can't SEE HIS BRILLIANCE in any of this, then you know HIM not!!!

Like a quiet storm, HIS IMPACT IS incontestable, undeniable, and leaves behind trails of glittering iridescence which nothing can disintegrate! Look for HIM with your heart, not with fancy, and you will SEE HIS GLORIOUS LIGHT RADIATING endlessly; it WILL be visible, tangibly, or not, and you WILL note that NOTHING imagined can touch this!!!

BLESS THE LORD *GOD*, PRAISE HIM ALWAYS, WORSHIP HIS HOLINESS, REJOICE IN HIS LOVING CARE for us, EXALT, and EXTOL HIM, GIVE THANKS, and BE CONTENT, HONOUR HIM in EVERY feasible way, LOVE HIM, and others, PRAY without stopping, and TESTIFY TO HIS INDESCRIBABLE MAJESTY!!!

REV. LWINSOR © 2014