HEAVENLY INCLINED...: DEVOTION BRINGS THE GIFT OF JOY...

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...

DEVOTION BRINGS THE GIFT OF JOY...

It would be SO excellent to soar through life without a care, without heavy responsibilities, without weight of any kind, wouldn't it? To wake up, then go to sleep with nothing but a warm, fuzzy feeling, and nothing to worry about, nothing to regret, nothing but pure goodness. Ahhhhhhh, wouldn't it be nice???

Since we are in a world ruled by an oppressor, by falsehoods, lies, and evil, along with all the negatives that make for such, we are plagued, HOWEVER, that is NOT how it was intended to be, and NOT how one devoted to THE LORD has to exist!!!

While there are effects of the world, of course, the enlightened, and the knowledgeable have A WAY through, over, and around such; THE LORD *GOD*, and HIS UNRELENTING POWERS!!!

To STUDY, to LEARN, to EMBRACE, and have the KNOWLEDGE to UNDERSTAND the MANY gifts in THE WORD, IS FREEING for the spirit, and for our time in this life! When we begin to KNOW THE LORD, and HIS WILL, along with ALL of the pertinence HE has placed within our reach, we know HOW to SOAR ABOVE what brings us down, what chains us, what takes our JOY away!!!

We have advantages: we have PRAYER, we have FAITH, we have LOVE, we have patience, tolerance, understanding, and we have THE HOLY SPIRIT! We have SO much more favour than we are aware of, or allow for! *GOD* TOTALLY LOVES those who LOVE HIM, and HAS PROVIDED exceedingly for our safety, growth, development, and on it goes, all the way through to HAPPINESS!!!

Some think it is kind of insane to deny the world, but, the world, mostly, denies *GOD*, so, they cannot make a valid claim! We are NOT of the world, we are of *GOD*! WHEN we TRULY embrace this FACT of TRUTH, we begin to view things a bit differently, and JOY CAN BE found, in the midst of it all!!!

Of course, some things we have to go through to come even closer to HIM, but with the correct understanding, this doesn't weigh us down, it LIFTS us ever HIGHER, and we find LIGHT in the darkness, along with the ability to sing, and dance in the storms of time! AMEN...

Just sumthin' to think 'bout...

MUCH LOVE, *GOD* BLESS, and BE WITH US! PRAISE HIM, WORSHIP HIM, REJOICE IN HIM, HONOUR HIM, GIVE THANKS UNTO HIM, and LOVE as HE DOES!!!

REV. LWINSOR © 2013