HEAVENLY INCLINED...: SUNDAY'S SACRED SCRIPTURES...

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...

SUNDAY'S SACRED SCRIPTURES...

MARK 12: 28-34..
28+++One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, “What commandment is the foremost of all?”
29+++Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD;
30+++AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.’
31+++“The second is this, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
32+++The scribe said to Him, “Right, Teacher; You have truly stated that HE IS ONE, AND THERE IS NO ONE ELSE BESIDES HIM;
33+++AND TO LOVE HIM WITH ALL THE HEART AND WITH ALL THE UNDERSTANDING AND WITH ALL THE STRENGTH, AND TO LOVE ONE’S NEIGHBOR AS HIMSELF, is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
34+++When Jesus saw that he had answered intelligently, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that, no one would venture to ask Him any more questions.

Those who sincerely desire to be taught their duty, Christ will guide in judgment, and teach his way. He tells the scribe that the great commandment, which indeed includes all, is, that of loving God with all our hearts.

Wherever this is the ruling principle in the soul, there is a disposition to every other duty. Loving God with all our heart, will engage us to every thing by which he will be pleased.

The sacrifices only represented the atonements for men's transgressions of the moral law; they were of no power except as they expressed repentance and faith in the promised Saviour, and as they led to moral obedience. And because we have not thus loved God and man, but the very reverse, therefore we are condemned sinners; we need repentance, and we need mercy.

Christ approved what the scribe said, and encouraged him. He stood fair for further advance; for this knowledge of the law leads to conviction of sin, to repentance, to discovery of our need of mercy, and understanding the way of justification by Christ.

LOVE IS THE SACRED, HOLY LAW for ALL times, BECAUSE LOVE finds those who exist in it, DOING so in allegiance with the good instruction THE LORD has set before us! ALL instruction is designed FOR our own good, our safety, and our journey through this time, as it grants us HOPE, PEACE enough to stay the course, and whatever else is necessary for the well-being of HIS people! LOVE SEES HIS people thinking, doing, and reacting according TO HIS WILL, and FOR HIS GLORY!!!

LOVE WORKS only for the GOOD of ALL in CREATION, and LOVE IS what holds it all together! LOVE inspires, motivates, secures, and causes growth! LOVE teaches, leads, and perfects the being, and IS the regenerator of health, vitality, comfort, and security! LOVE burns through what is not of LOVE, of *GOD*, and advantages those who cling to it, despite what enmity might arouse, and use to shake us from it! LOVE IS A STRONGHOLD, FULL OF POWER, and tools to ward off what intends to take us from it's warming, strengthening folds! LOVE enables, endows, enriches, empowers, and encourages, and CANNOT fail, though we can certainly fail LOVE!!!

THE LORD *GOD* ALMIGHTY; FATHER, SON, and HOLY SPIRIT, IS LOVE, and therefore, LOVE IS THE SINGLE MOST POWERFUL ADVANTAGE, and ARMAMENT there is! LOVE SAVES, not only the soul of a being, but in times of trouble during the journey of this present world! LOVE DETERS the enemy, even diminishing, and eradicating evil! LOVE ARISES OVER that darkness which aspires to blind, confound, disturb, distort, mislead, and shackle us! LOVE PROVES *GOD'S* people, and those who are not of HIM! LOVE CARRIES it's own through dire straits, and sets them UPRIGHT!!!

LOVE WORKS, but alas, unless it is understood, and utilized, it cannot be realized, though it IS ETERNAL, as IS THE LORD, for they are ONE! We CAN'T approach LOVE with the fleshy notions we have inherited from this world; it IS SO FAR ABOVE our inadequate imaginings, and understandings, albeit, we come to THE LORD, and HIS LOVE as is, and HE WILL teach us, and LEAD us, as HIS LOVE POURS into us!!!

IF the world COULD, as they SHOULD embrace, and exist IN LOVE, we would KNOW HEAVEN on Earth! NOTHING is MORE imperative than the LOVE *GOD*, CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD COMMANDS of us, and yet, it's CRUCIAL profit, largely, flies right on by us, as is witnessed in the condition of this world! Ah, what DOES it take for us to SEE, to HEAR, to KNOW without doubt, the endless LEVERAGE OF LOVE???

Do I LOVE as I should??? Well, I tell you what, with ALL my heart, I remind myself to act in LOVE, even when it seems impossible, because I KNOW IT IS RIGHT, and I understand what CHRIST meant when HE said, "FATHER, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing" (LUKE 23: 34), AND, I have SEEN, and FELT what lack of LOVE does, plus I really understand that NONE, NOT ONE is without err, sin, or fault! I am NOT perfect in LOVE, and yet, LOVE is perfecting in me, ESPECIALLY at times when my LOVE might be challenged: I HAVE learned my lessons well in this area, because they HAVE been with me since I was a Child, and to this very day, tests appear to teach me more! It is NOT I, but THE LORD who IS working in me, PRAISE HIM FOREVER!!!