HEAVENLY INCLINED...: WE 'OUGHT' TO BE MATURE BY NOW...

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...

WE 'OUGHT' TO BE MATURE BY NOW...

The longer I exist, the more confounded I am by human nature---

For instance, in watching the '16 Presidential debates, I remain bewildered by WHY grown people have to belittle one another, slander one another, and otherwise play bully, or better than thee, especially when they are of the same Party!!!

This trend runs deeply through human behaviour, and character, and I just DON'T understand WHY Adult people insist on behaving this way?!!

*GOD* bids that we become Childlike in our relationship to HIM, which we find VERY difficult to do, from thought to action, and yet, we act like Children ill-raised, much of the time! Interesting area of the human condition, indeed!!!

WHO cares if someone is better, stronger, smarter, richer, better-looking, or what have you? ALWAYS someone is going to come along to put us a peg or two down, it is just the way it is, and so, we ought to be more mature in our dealings with others, and even our own selves! There is NO such thing as the best, because something greater is on the horizon! ALL glory seeking is in vain, for ALL GLORY IS THE LORDS; TRUTH IS, ONLY *GOD* IS THE BEST, now, and forever!!!

Arrogance, rudeness, snobbery,bullying, and more ARE big problems in the world today, and guess what?, it starts with Adults, who then, through their unaligned, and incorrect behaviours, pass this along to the young ones! Grown people spend way too much time finding fault with others, and TOTALLY ignoring their own! It is boring, and it is wrong!!!

At parties, in the workplace, even in Churches, there is an UNCONTROLLED tendency to gossip, judge, and otherwise determine the worth of others! It IS disgusting, and is tiring! I mean, really, the energies we have COULD be spent in SO many GOOD ways, instead of wasting them on silly matters!!!

IF we LOVED as THE LORD, CHRIST JESUS HAS COMMANDED us, and EXEMPLIFIED FOR us, there would be none of this bad Childish behaviour, and most people would be FAR more content! YES, it DOES boil down to LOVING as HE has INSTRUCTED us, and SHOWN us! LOVE IS the solution to every problem!!!

Words cut deeply, and actions create harm; all of which is NOT to be coming forth of Christian people, but alas, we are challenged by! Words reveal character, and along with actions reveal the heart!!!

MATTHEW 12: 33-37...
33+++“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit.
34+++“You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.
35+++“The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil.
36+++“But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment.
37+++“For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Men's language discovers what country they are of, likewise what manner of spirit they are of. The heart is the fountain, words are the streams. A troubled fountain, and a corrupt spring, must send forth muddy and unpleasant streams. Nothing but the salt of grace, cast into the spring, will heal the waters, season the speech, and purify the corrupt communication.

An evil man has an evil treasure in his heart, and out of it brings forth evil things. Lusts and corruptions, dwelling and reigning in the heart, are an evil treasure, out of which the sinner brings forth bad words and actions, to dishonour God, and hurt others.

Let us keep constant watch over ourselves, that we may speak words agreeable to the Christian character.

As Apostle Paul once said, we OUGHT to be mature by now! After all, we HAVE had the advantage of THE MASTER TEACHER, and HIS TRUE WISDOM on which to model ourselves! Let us THINK on these matters, and GROW INTO our TRUTH, which is CHRIST JESUS, our LORD *GOD*!!!

REV. LWINSOR © 2015
BIBLICAL, and/or other references marked BOLDLY IN COLOURS