HEAVENLY INCLINED...: WHAT I DISCARD OF THIS WORLD, I GAIN GREATLY IN THE LORD...

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...

WHAT I DISCARD OF THIS WORLD, I GAIN GREATLY IN THE LORD...

In THE LORD, I remain myself, only ever improved BY HIS PRESENCE, and works in my life...

I take ON HIS WORD, HIS SPIRIT, HIS WILL, and HIS very nature accordingly, in the best of my abilities and capacities, WHILE always leaving something of my egocentric, carnal being behind, for the sake of gaining more of HIM, and greater freedom to exist AS HE CREATED me for eternal LIFE...

I no longer NEED the weight of the rubbish which comprised my life before HE put me in HIS LIGHT! I don't even WANT all that weight! It is to me, like having been a hoarder who got tired of the excess, and since that decisive moment, has been getting rid of it! In ridding of it, there is LOTS of cleared space, and breathing room; there is COMFORT, and opportunities! It is discovering that so much of this time, and world is NOT necessary to the spirit, and instead, hinders it!!!

I LIKE the overall experience of being cleansed, of being brought HIGHER than I was! I LIKE the feeling of being free from that which hindered me, and worse, misrepresented the real me! I LIKE the way my conscience is lighter! I LIKE the fact that I LEARNED to manage self-control, and to deny the world's tainted presents, such as approval for being wrong, and so forth! Yes, I LIKE the improvements, and I GIVE THANKS, and GLORY TO *GOD* for bringing me this far: HE could have left me in the mire, but HE didn't, and since it HAS been a GREATLY refreshing, and enlightening journey!!!

As with anything in our lives, a price exists, but the price is nothing in comparison to the GOODNESS of the changes, and what I KNOW is to come. I learned to endure, and persevere LONG before, so it is not too much strain on the being. Nothing, nor anyone can take me off this cloud; it came to me BY THE CREATOR of all clouds, and I am enjoying it!!!

To BE IN CHRIST, IS TO GROW! It is natural to the relationship between HIM, and HIS own! Not only do we grow, we THRIVE, we FLOURISH, we ADVANCE, we ELEVATE! It has NOTHING to do with guilt, or show, instead it IS intrinsic to the process of Sanctification, Consecration, and Salvation! WE aren't doing this on our own, it is intricately part of our TRUTH!!!

Lifelong is the need to discard of that which serves no purpose to HIM, or to our REAL beings, the spirit, as in this world, there is a strange, almost mystical way of attaching to things, people, places, and so forth, and so, we learn along the way to discard what will prove to weigh us down, as we KEEP our sights, minds, and spirits ON THE LORD, and our HOME in HIS KINGDOM! It is SO much easier to do when the controls of the world have been replaced by controls of THE SPIRIT!!!

Yep, I LIKE the works THE LORD is doing in me, even when my humanness doesn't understand; it is AWESOME to KNOW that I am being created into another of HIS MASTERPIECES, FOR HIS GLORY! What a special feeling it is to KNOW that I AM OF THE LORD, and that, despite once having been lost in the world, I AM FOUND, I AM BLESSED, and I AM heading towards my rightful HOME! It is SO encouraging to see my own growth on the vine, having been grafted in, and to see HIS handiwork unfold in me! I PRAISE HIM, and GLORIFY HIM in ANY way I can, because the KNOWLEDGE of understanding what might have been my lot, has been OVERTURNED BY THE SOVEREIGN LORD! HE HAS CHOSEN ME, THEREFORE I HONOUR HIM in the BEST I have, body, mind, heart, and spirit! I HAVE to THANK HIM, give HIM my appreciation, and gratitude, FOR I AM EVER INDEBTED, thus, REJOICING IS a DAILY, even hourly part of my life!!!

REV. LWINSOR © 2014