What Is Your Will In Christ?

I've struggled with the term "religion" for a long time because it has come to carry a connotation for me of something orchestrated, institutional - a perfunctory exercise. My preference instead has been to highlight my belief that what our God desires from us is instead "relationship". Then I ran across this and I had to pause... "Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you." James 1:27 (NLT) " Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world ." James 1:27 (KJ) It doesn't matter the translation, it appears the same. And in it I denote a familiar spirit. I recognize it from scripture after scripture dealing with the care of, and justice for, the widows and the fatherless... "Sing to God, sing praises to His name;

"He that cannot forgive others, breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass if he would ever reach heaven; for everyone has need to be forgiven." - George Herbert, British Poet 1593 - 1633 The above is a true statement and one could give credit to George Herbert for his wisdom in that saying, but the truth and wisdom found in those words did not originate with him. They originated with The Author of truth and wisdom - The Judge of the universe... “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." Matthew 6:14-15 (NKJ) ...Christ Jesus. With deception being a tool of the enemy   and being spread  widely with the help of mankind these days, it's a struggle for some to recognize what the truth really is. It's good for us who follow Christ to remember that whatever we might think or reason with ourselves to be true, our opinion c

(To any who read this, know that I am exhorted myself to greater attention in this writing.) "Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting."   Psalm 139:23-24 (NKJ) Our own spiritual introspection along with King David's earnest request of The Lord, taken as our own, might prove fruitful in our own busy lives at times - not because we intend any evil or offense, but because the fog of this weary life may hide things from our consciousness . For example, without even realizing it, it's entirely possible that our arrogance before the Lord is far greater than we imagine...  "Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought

"And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:... " Matthew 5:1&2 (NKJ) In the 5th chapter of the book of Matthew, we find Jesus teaching His disciples. What He taught them there is often referred to as the Sermon on the mount. And within that teaching are a number statements that are commonly referred to as The Beatitudes. I humbly suggest that whoever it was that coined that term might have been more accurate and to the point if they had called them  The " BE-  Attitudes" since Jesus was in fact telling His disciples both then and now, about the spirit of how to "be". “Blessed are the poor in spirit,  For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn,  For they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek,  For they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,  For they shall be filled. Blessed a

"You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!" 2 Timothy 3:1-5 (NLT)  For many years I've observed what I tend to think of as the spiritual pulse of our nation and of the world - always searching for some glimmer of hope that a true reawakening to the truth of the God who established all of creation and the rules for life, might be coming alive somewhere ... anywhere.  At the same time, I'm awar

I think there's an unintended disconnect sometimes between some of the words we might say these days and reality  - especially if we don't understand the full weight of those words and what they mean. I think this is particularly true at times when new "Christians" are taught to say a few words in order to gain the title "Christian". I view some of the alter call processing of new believers a little like the process of branding cattle. The cows get a new brand ... but they have no idea what it really means or why they have it ...   “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the LORD your God, and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and serve him with all your heart and soul. And you must always obey the LORD’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good." Deuteronomy 10:12-13 (NLT) The Apostle Paul pointed out  in the book of Romans that we gentile believers are grafted in

Have you ever heard the old saying "Can't see the forest for the trees"? That's what comes to my mind every time I hear about people arguing over the details of scripture. I'm not an establishment trained bible scholar, so perhaps I lack the ability to appreciate the savor of their arguments, but I know the sweet savor of the Spirit of our God in His word and that to me is the point of the gift of it ...  that we come to know HIM. The rest to me - their arguments, tends to reek of intellectual pride and focuses away from the  sweet  spirit of the overall message.  Again, keep in mind that I lack officious institutional training so I speak from my own understanding, but my heart and search for more of Him are true and longstanding. Both lead me to appreciate the terror of His unimaginable power, the depth of His love, the perfection of His righteousness and justice, and the mercy and kindness of His offer of grace to far lessor, fallible and failing creatures. Comp