HEAVENLY INCLINED...: 4TH SUNDAY ADVENT: LOVE...

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...

4TH SUNDAY ADVENT: LOVE...

LOVE is the pulse of CREATION, the heart of LIFE, the TRUTH of *GOD*, the reason for the season, the rhythm and rhyme of time! *GOD* IS LOVE; LOVE IS *GOD*, and IS ALL THERE IS, beginning to the end---

LOVE is what is NECESSARY TO LIFE, and so, *GOD* IN HIS LOVE, came to Earth as Man to bring LIFE to those who LOVE HIM, and so desire to spend eternity in HIS PRESENCE! Despite our being flawed, faulty, fickle, frivolous, finicky, and worse, HIS LOVE HAS endured towards us, and SHALL forevermore! We humans do NOT LOVE as we COULD, nor as we SHOULD, though HE TEACHES us perfectly HOW to LOVE through HIS own LOVE...

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.” JOHN 3: 16-19...

In this world, at this time, LOVE is FAR from the HOLY LOVE of THE LORD *GOD*, though HIS LOVE IS TO BE OUR LOVE! We ARE lost, and we ARE in NEED OF HIM, our SAVIOUR, our LORD, CHRIST JESUS! We gather an inkling of what LOVE IS THROUGH HIM, yet we forget it, or ignore it often, for we are wrapped up in the matters of the world. We also, have learned more about LOVE from human perception, and disappointment than we have of HIS LOVE, due to our lack of it being embodied in our upbringing, albeit there, just not embraced, or stressed as significant enough to help it meld into our beings...

1 JOHN 4: 7-14...

7+++Beloved, let us love one another, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

8+++Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

9+++This is how God’s love was revealed among us: God sent His one and only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him.

10+++And love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as the atoning sacrificed for our sins.

11+++Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

12+++No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God remains in us, and His love is perfected in us.

13+++By this we know that we remain in Him, and He in us: He has given us of His Spirit.

14+++And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world.

The Spirit of God is the Spirit of love. He that does not love the image of God in his people, has no saving knowledge of God. For it is God's nature to be kind, and to give happiness.

The law of God is love; and all would have been perfectly happy, had all obeyed it. The provision of the gospel, for the forgiveness of sin, and the salvation of sinners, consistently with God's glory and justice, shows that God is love. Mystery and darkness rest upon many things yet. God has so shown himself to be love, that we cannot come short of eternal happiness, unless through unbelief and impenitence, although strict justice would condemn us to hopeless misery, because we break our Creator's laws.

None of our words or thoughts can do justice to the free, astonishing love of a holy God towards sinners, who could not profit or harm him, whom he might justly crush in a moment, and whose deserving of his vengeance was shown in the method by which they were saved, though he could by his almighty Word have created other worlds, with more perfect beings, if he had seen fit. Search we the whole universe for love in its most glorious displays? It is to be found in the person and the cross of Christ.

Does love exist between God and sinners? Here was the origin, not that we loved God, but that he freely loved us. His love could not be designed to be fruitless upon us, and when its proper end and issue are gained and produced, it may be said to be perfected. So faith is perfected by its works. Thus it will appear that God dwells in us by his new-creating Spirit. A loving Christian is a perfect Christian; set him to any good duty, and he is perfect to it, he is expert at it. Love oils the wheels of his affections, and sets him on that which is helpful to his brethren. A man that goes about a business with ill will, always does it badly.

That God dwells in us and we in him, were words too high for mortals to use, had not God put them before us. But how may it be known whether the testimony to this does proceed from the Holy Ghost? Those who are truly persuaded that they are the sons of God, cannot but call him Abba, Father. From love to him, they hate sin, and whatever disagrees with his will, and they have a sound and hearty desire to do his will. Such testimony is the testimony of the Holy Ghost.

THE LAW OF *GOD* IS LOVE! We should LOVE HIM, and EVERYONE, and EVERYTHING IN CREATION, regardless of our personal emotions, passions, or thoughts! It IS THE most difficult growth to develop, yet it IS COMMANDED of us, and as we PRACTICE it, we LEARN from it, and SEE HOW grand it TRULY IS!!!

CHRISTmas IS about LOVE! It IS about LOVE TO LOVE TO LOVE! Thus, we have reason to turn inward and probe ourselves, and to dig deeper into HIM, HIS WILL, and HIS WORD, IF we SO LOVE HIM!!!

This is an unprecedented HOLYday season; we have a deadly virus, and on top of that, hatred, ill will, violence, arrogance, immorality, and well, it goes on, and on, in which case, it AIN'T going to get better as long as we refute, and refuse THE LORD *GOD* ALMIGHTY, HIS LOVE, HIS WILL, and HIS WAYS!!!

We have tried the wrong ways, WHY can't we find the gumption to DO what is RIGHT? WHY can't we begin to LOVE, and exist in what is just, and good???

IT IS ALL ABOUT LOVE, I cannot say this enough! LOVE SAVES us from ourselves, grief, suffering, and much more, and GIVES US TRUE LIFE FOREVER, and EVER! Let us CONSIDER just how CRUCIAL, and VIABLE LOVE IS, AS we celebrate CHRISTmas, and move forward!!!

BIBLICAL, and/or other references marked BOLDLY IN COLOURS