HEAVENLY INCLINED...: THE WHOLE WORLD HAS OPINIONS OF YOU...

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...

THE WHOLE WORLD HAS OPINIONS OF YOU...

Life is a strange spiral of endless conditions, circumstances, instances, with all sorts of things hidden from our attention. It is what it is, and this is what we have been given to work with, to work through, and to make into THE GLORY OF *GOD*, even if it might not seem that what improvements we have succeeded in, are worthy, they are!!!

Those hidden things include other people's opinions of us, their perceptions of us, and other formed interpretations of us, and our lives, EVEN when they DON'T know us, or know a thing about us! This is part of our reputation, which unfortunately, becomes WHAT other people think of us, WHETHER they know us, or not! Interesting, and VERY far reaching, think???

Yep, these kind of assumptions, are what keep the world, and individuals facing diverse afflictions, ranging from prejudice, bias, contempt, hatred, all the way down to being judged before being met! More than not, the formed opinions of someone who doesn't KNOW another is totally wrong, and is not fair, but it IS age old, and while it is a shame, it is likely to never change, UNLESS people BEGIN to LIVE IN LOVE...

MOST of us go through life pretty assured that we are likable, and on course to righteousness, then bam!, a total stranger upsets our assurance with one statement, with one opinion, with one presumption! We are unsettled, even dismayed when we learn that either that someone, or a whole group, including a whole nation thinks this, or that of us! We feel many emotions, and most likely, feel hurt, as we TRY to figure out HOW this happened, and this happens all the time, even in everyday contact with others, as they base their opinions on various slants, and so on!!!

When someone I have never met before tells me something that they THINK they know about me, I feel consternation as I wonder WHY they might have formed such a thought about me, and WHERE they might have gotten the criteria for forming such thoughts, especially when it is unfavourable! Frustrating isn't a strong enough descriptor for the effects of such!!!

It DOESN'T matter how good you might be, it doesn't matter how much you have grown, when opinions have been formed about you, all there that remains is HOPE that we MIGHT have the opportunity to change them upon contact! We CAN'T take such things personally, especially from people who DON'T know us, while we open the door to ourselves as much as is feasible in the time available, THAT their opinion might change! Of course, there are those whom have opinions of us that we will never have the opportunity to meet, and those unlikely to change, but we mustn't attach to the negatives derived from this, instead, we CONSTANTLY improve upon the being, especially those of THE LORD...

This is one reason we are URGED to REFLECT THE TRUTH OF THE LORD, that anyone whom has formed an adverse opinion of us will find THE TRUTH reflecting from us (1 PETER 2, in which case, there are nearly 60 cross references to reiterate this)! NO matter what was before we became one in CHRIST JESUS, the opinions of others are bound to be nullified, disqualified, and proven wrong as we SHINE of HIM, in thought, action, and reaction; as the WHOLE of our being SPEAKS LOUDLY of HIS TRUTH in us, and LEAVES HIM in our footsteps...

Then, there is the fact that we do NOT live to please people, instead to please THE LORD (GALATIANS 1: 10), which IS SOUND instruction, and SO useful as the world attempts to bind us, condemn us, and shake us...

We are to exist in good conscience, keep our behaviours excellent, busy in good deeds, taking pains to what is right in the sight of THE LORD, and others, full of integrity, full of what is right, just, and good, and on it goes, FOR HIS GLORY, for the good of others, and to QUIET the would be opposition!!!

Yes, it IS unsettling to learn that we are not perceived correctly, but our LOVE, and COMMITMENT TO CHRIST, IF TRUE, HOLDS the power to diminish, alter, and negate what is against us, though some will ALWAYS be against us, because we are of THE LORD...

Our FOCUS should be upon ALL which is OF *GOD*, and then, no matter what, we are standing IN GRACE, SHARING HIS GRACE, and SECURE IN that GRACE...

PRAISE THE LORD, BLESS HIM, WORSHIP HIS HOLINESS, RELY ON HIM, REJOICE IN HIS LOVE, and ENDLESS CARE for us, be THANKFUL, and HONOUR HIM WITH THE REFLECTION of HIM within, and PRAY for ALL! MUCH LOVE, take care, and LET the world SEE HIM through you, even when they are blinded, and deafened to HIM in you!!!

REV. LWINSOR © 2014
BIBLICAL, and/or other references marked BOLDLY IN COLOURS