HEAVENLY INCLINED...: HAPPY FAT TUESDAY: LET LENT BEGIN!!!

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...

HAPPY FAT TUESDAY: LET LENT BEGIN!!!

HAPPY Fat Tuesday, HAPPY Shrove Tuesday, HAPPY Paczki Day, or whatever you cal it, or however you celebrate it, HAPPY day before Lent---

We have LOTS of traditions, and rites don't we? We have LOTS of Holidays, LOTS of reasons to make seasons a bit more bright, endurable, and so forth! We are creative, aren't we???

The purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer through prayer, doing penance, repentance of sins, almsgiving, atonement, and self-denial.

It is going to be an interesting season with the events, and issues we are facing in these times! What we are experiencing in this country, and in other countries as well, is disheartening, especially when groups of people are loudly decrying CHRIST JESUS, our LORD *GOD*, Christianity, and well, all sorts of things are being said, and done which cause concern, BUT which should make us all the more diligent, and determined as Christians. It is really sad, and disturbing that politics have gone beyond the boundaries, and aim to weaken our religious roots, and existence...

GREATER HUMILITY is what we should acquire in this season; with greater understanding of our LORD, HIS WILL, HIS WAYS, and HIS WORD, along with HOW we are ONE with HIM, and HIS PLAN of RECONCILIATION! BEING HUMBLE is NOT viewed favourably in these times, and I don't know if it ever has been, but TRUTH IS, *GOD* IS HUMBLE, and since we ARE to BE as much LIKE HIM as is feasible, THROUGH our acknowledgement, and FOLLOWING OF CHRIST JESUS, humility IS at the top of the list of Christian character, behaviours, and dutiful manifestation OF our TRUTH AS HIS own!!!

The world teaches us in prideful ways; to be self-confident, self-reliant, self-assured, and so forth, but we are NOT OF the world, instead we ARE OF *GOD*; CITIZENS OF THE KINGDOM, that HEAVENLY PARADISE of our FAITHFUL HOPE, thus we RETHINK, and RELEARN FROM HIM, and HIS WILL THAT we take on more of our REALITY AS ELEVATED beings journeying through a most troubled, and endangered realm! We LOOSEN the binds of worldly thinking AS we GRAB ONTO, and GRASP *GODLY* RIGHT-MINDEDNESS!!!

Lent is a time to PREPARE FOR THE LORD, which means we open UP more, more, and more TO HIM, and our BLESSED future, LEAVING as much of the taint of the world behind as is possible, while ALLOWING HIM, and RELYING ON HIM TO LEAD us PAST the human condition, and the snares of this world! We READY our beings for THE SACRED DAY OF HIS ARRIVAL TO PERMANENTLY ESTABLISH HIS WORLD!!!

We PRAY because we are challenged, and because SO many are SO lost; we REPENT because sin is just a word, thought, act, or reaction away, as we AIM to remove ourselves farther, and farther from sin THROUGH HIM, HIS WILL, HIS WAYS, HIS WORD, acknowledging, and understanding HOW, and WHY we are prone to be snared; we GIVE to others, be that in kindness, mercy, money, or whatever they might need, as we REALIZE our role as PARTNERS, and SERVANTS TO THE LORD; virtue IS part and parcel to our new being; our LORD TEACHES us HOW HE cares for those who are orphaned, widowed, lonely, downcast, and otherwise suffering; we ATONE because we RECOGNIZE our errs, and having taken CHRIST JESUS as our LORD, we STRIVE to make amends, to correct, to improve upon our overall existence; we DENY the self because the self IS THE lure by which we are snared, and IS that which is prideful, and IS the point of infiltration for the evil influence of this world, AND because, again, we ARE TO BECOME LIKE OUR LORD, CHRIST JESUS WHOM DENIED HIMSELF FOR us! ALL this we DO FOR HIS GLORY, for the greater good of others, that they are brought unto HIM, and for the ultimate security, reward, and rest of our souls!!!

It is MORE than reading THE BIBLE; it IS EXISTING IN THE WILL OF *GOD* which HE depicts FOR our BEING enabled to! Reading THE BIBLE IS as that which OPENS us TO RECEIVING the knowledge, understanding and tools TO EXEMPLIFY HIM, HIS WILL, HIS WAYS, HIS WORD! AS we MATURE VIA THE WORD, we begin to TAKE ON HIS LIKENESS, and thus SHINE in this increasingly darkening world! We HAVE work to do AS HIS OWN, FOR HIS GLORY, which means FOR the increased likelihood of others being snatched from a dreadful fate of spending eternity where their ignorance has NOT prepared them for! Let us then, in this season, get down with it, and turn on our GLOW, FOR REAL, WITH the knowledge of the MANY souls at risk! Let us BE whom we ARE; a CHOSEN people, THANKS TO HIS MERCY, and GRACE, which NOW sees us full of the same! Let us GLORIFY THE LORD *GOD* ALMIGHTY IN ALL we think, say, or do, AWAKE, ALERT, and ASSURED OF our part in HIS PLAN!!!

LWINSOR © 2017
BIBLICAL, and/or other references marked BOLDLY IN COLOURS