Just sharing.

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We are God's Children The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. Romans 8:16-18 NIV __________________ For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:17,18 KJV __________________ But at that time your people shall be delivered, every one whose name shall be found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. Daniel 12:1b-3 NASB __________________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

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“His head is as the most fine gold, his locks are bushy, and black as a raven.”

Song of Solomon 5:11

Comparisons all fail to set forth the Lord Jesus, but the spouse uses the best within her reach. By the head of Jesus we may understand his deity, “for the head of Christ is God” and then the ingot of purest gold is the best conceivable metaphor, but all too poor to describe one so precious, so pure, so dear, so glorious. Jesus is not a grain of gold, but a vast globe of it, a priceless mass of treasure such as earth and heaven cannot excel. The creatures are mere iron and clay, they all shall perish like wood, hay, and stubble, but the ever living Head of the creation of God shall shine on for ever and ever. In him is no mixture, nor smallest taint of alloy. He is for ever infinitely holy and altogether divine.

The bushy locks depict his manly vigour. There is nothing effeminate in our Beloved. He is the manliest of men. Bold as a lion, laborious as an ox, swift as an eagle. Every conceivable and inconceivable beauty is to be found in him, though once he was despised and rejected of men.

“His head the finest gold;
With secret sweet perfume,
His curled locks hang all as black
As any raven's plume.”


The glory of his head is not shorn away, he is eternally crowned with peerless majesty. The black hair indicates youthful freshness, for Jesus has the dew of his youth upon him. Others grow languid with age, but he is for ever a Priest as was Melchizedek; others come and go, but he abides as God upon his throne, world without end. We will behold him to-night and adore him. Angels are gazing upon him—his redeemed must not turn away their eyes from him. Where else is there such a Beloved? O for an hour's fellowship with him! Away, ye intruding cares! Jesus draws me, and I run after him.

 

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Turn Your Security System ON!
==============================

A horrible thing happened to me today...

A thief broke into my house. It happened shortly after I awoke
this morning. I got up and began rushing about. I had a
thousand things on my list and was already running behind.

Quickly, I gulped down breakfast, took a shower and got ready
for work.

In my rush, I forgot to turn the security system on at my
house. It was just about a half an hour later that the thief
broke in. Of course, he didn't make a sound. Just kind of snuck
inside, not drawing any attention to himself. In fact, none of
the neighbors ever saw him.

But, I did.

You see, I WAS HOME when the thief broke in.

He naturally startled me, as I was unprepared for his visit.
He, of course, didn't announce that he was coming and I
certainly had not invited him over.

And yet, I found myself face to face with danger and I felt so
powerless. I also felt so very stupid, because this whole
incident could have been avoided if I had just taken the time
to turn the security system on.

You better believe I'll be turning it on tomorrow morning! I
thought I'd warn you about this guy, because he's still on the
loose. Chances are, he's in your area. Possibly even headed for
your house.

His name? His name is Satan. You see, this morning when I
jumped up in my haste to get started on my busy day, I skipped
my prayer time - opting to "pray later today." In other words,
I DIDN'T TURN ON THE SECURITY SYSTEM. My defense wasn't on, my
guard was dropped... and when the thief came into my home to
attack me,

I was unprepared to do battle.

He tempted me and I felt powerless. Like I said, I also felt so
very stupid, because I could have avoided the incident if I had
just taken the time to pray.

My friend, the thief has come to "steal, kill and destroy."
And, as a Child of God, you are on his "hit list." He'll
probably pop over to your house today. He may be lurking
outside your door right now, just waiting to catch you off
guard.

Take time to pray this morning. Ask God to bind Satan from your
very presence, to protect you and empower you to do battle. In
short... don't forget to turn your security system on.

 

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Follow the leader I am not writing this to shame you, but to warn you, as my dear children. Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. Therefore I urge you to imitate me. 1 Corinthians 4:14-16 NIV ________________ Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; Ephesians 5:1 NASB ________________ And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Hebrews 6:11,12 KJV ________________ Thanks be unto God for his amazing gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

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“Whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting”

Micah 5:2

The Lord Jesus had goings forth for his people as their representative before the throne, long before they appeared upon the stage of time. It was “from everlasting” that he signed the compact with his Father, that he would pay blood for blood, suffering for suffering, agony for agony, and death for death, in the behalf of his people; it was “from everlasting” that he gave himself up without a murmuring word. That from the crown of his head to the sole of his foot he might sweat great drops of blood, that he might be spit upon, pierced, mocked, rent asunder, and crushed beneath the pains of death.

His goings forth as our Surety were from everlasting. Pause, my soul, and wonder! Thou hast goings forth in the person of Jesus “from everlasting.” Not only when thou wast born into the world did Christ love thee, but his delights were with the sons of men before there were any sons of men. Often did he think of them; from everlasting to everlasting he had set his affection upon them.

What! my soul, has he been so long about thy salvation, and will not he accomplish it? Has he from everlasting been going forth to save me, and will he lose me now? What! Has he carried me in his hand, as his precious jewel, and will he now let me slip from between his fingers? Did he choose me before the mountains were brought forth, or the channels of the deep were digged, and will he reject me now? Impossible!

I am sure he would not have loved me so long if he had not been a changeless Lover. If he could grow weary of me, he would have been tired of me long before now. If he had not loved me with a love as deep as hell, and as strong as death, he would have turned from me long ago. Oh, joy above all joys, to know that I am his everlasting and inalienable inheritance, given to him by his Father or ever the earth was! Everlasting love shall be the pillow for my head this night.

 

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Four Biblical Questions to Help You Better Study the Bible

The Bible has long fascinated (and rightfully so) Christians for 2000 years. But how can you study it better? How do you get the most out of what God has revealed about Himself, creation, sin, the human condition, and so many other things in Scripture? While there are a number of helpful ways to dig into and get the most out of Scripture, there are four biblical questions you can ask that come from Scripture itself.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 3:6-17
Let’s key in on those four words that Paul used: teaching, rebuking, correcting and training. Paul says Scripture is incredibly useful and profitable in these four areas. What do those words mean in the original language?
Teaching – to impart knowledge or skill
Rebuking – an act or expression of criticism or censure
Correcting – the act of offering an improvement (according to a standard) to replace a mistake

Training – the whole education and instruction of a disciple (both the cultivation of mind and morals); understood as the rearing and education of children
So with those incredible benefits offered to us every time we open the Scriptures, here are four questions that can help us not only study Scripture but walk away with the full experience God wants us to have. Think of it like this: let’s say you’re going to a concert with your favorite band. It’s one thing to go and sit in the back row where you can barely see the stage. Sure you hear the music and experience the atmosphere, but there’s a huge difference between that and getting front row seats along with a backstage VIP pass where you can interact with the band directly. Every time you open Scripture, don’t settle for the back row. Get the VIP experience! These four questions are your ticket in every time you study Scripture:


1. What does it mean? (teaching)
What is the meaning behind what you read? What is God communicating to us? How does it all fit together? Where else in Scripture does God say the same thing? This is where most Bible studies start and stop. They do a great job understanding the bits and pieces of a Bible verse, without moving onto the next three questions.

2. Where am I failing? (rebuking)
When we study Scripture, the Holy Spirit (if we’re listening) will always bring rebuke and conviction. Not to punish us, but to heal us. If we truly gaze into Scripture with open eyes, we’ll see our own sins and imperfections reflected back to us. We can’t fix a problem until we know it’s there. Scripture can expose even the hidden sins of our hearts, and that’s a good thing because it leads to the third question.
3. What’s the Bible way? (correcting)
Scripture doesn’t expose our sin to shame us but to show us the better way. According to God’s way and His righteousness, we see the straight and narrow road paved out before us in Scripture. If you want to be better, live more freely and walk in the steps of Jesus, allow Scripture to show you the better way.
4. How do I live this out? (training)
Similar to the third question, being trained by Scripture has an element of time attached to it. Scripture is not something you can go to in an instant, find a quick answer, and be on your way. There’s an aspect of the transformation and training of Scripture that can only come in terms of months and years, not minutes or even hours. When you study Scripture, ask how this should impact your daily life at home, at work, at school. Don’t walk away from Scripture until you’ve walked away with a couple of practical things you can do to make your life look more like Jesus.

 

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Seek His Kingdom But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Luke 12:31,32 NIV __________________ Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world... Matthew 25:34 KJV __________________ You are those who have stood by Me in My trials; and just as My Father has granted Me a kingdom, I grant you that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Luke 22:28-30 NASB __________________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

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“But their eyes were holden that they should not know him.”

Luke 24:16

The disciples ought to have known Jesus, they had heard his voice so often, and gazed upon that marred face so frequently, that it is wonderful they did not discover him. Yet is it not so with you also? You have not seen Jesus lately. You have been to his table, and you have not met him there. You are in a dark trouble this evening, and though he plainly says, “It is I, be not afraid,” yet you cannot discern him. Alas! our eyes are holden. We know his voice; we have looked into his face; we have leaned our head upon his bosom, and yet, though Christ is very near us, we are saying “O that I knew where I might find him!”

We should know Jesus, for we have the Scriptures to reflect his image, and yet how possible it is for us to open that precious book and have no glimpse of the Wellbeloved! Dear child of God, are you in that state? Jesus feedeth among the lilies of the word, and you walk among those lilies, and yet you behold him not. He is accustomed to walk through the glades of Scripture, and to commune with his people, as the Father did with Adam in the cool of the day, and yet you are in the garden of Scripture, but cannot see him, though he is always there.

And why do we not see him? It must be ascribed in our case, as in the disciples’, to unbelief. They evidently did not expect to see Jesus, and therefore they did not know him. To a great extent in spiritual things we get what we expect of the Lord. Faith alone can bring us to see Jesus. Make it your prayer, “Lord, open thou mine eyes, that I may see my Saviour present with me.” It is a blessed thing to want to see him; but oh! it is better far to gaze upon him. To those who seek him he is kind; but to those who find him, beyond expression is he dear!

 

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Four Pounds
=====================================

"There's only four pounds of pressure in the tires," Steve said.

It was our first full day in Alaska, and we were leaving for an
all-day ATV trip through the Alaskan backwoods to a glacier.

Steve explained that having only four pounds of pressure in the
tires helped the tires to bounce over rocks, logs and hills
without the tire being damaged. Since the ATV sat on the tires
and we sat on the ATV, the four pounds helped keep us from
being damaged.

For six hours we bounced over rocks, drove through rivers and
streams, and bounced over hills. I understood the four-pound
principle the rough way.

As people, we need four pounds.

Life comes at you hard. Rocky stuff, hilly stuff, stuff that
nearly drowns you and takes your breath away often faces you on
this journey. We need four pounds.

We are often overinflated.

We are puffed up, stiff necked and stuck up. When a rock or
hard experience gets in our path, instead of giving and easily
rolling over it, we hit it like we have iron instead of four
pound tires.

The resulting impact shatters us.

Much of our psychological pain is due to wounds to our ego.

It was one of the greatest and most thrilling adventures that
I'd ever experienced. I would not have made it overinflated.

Perhaps to rise higher, we need to let some of the air out.

 

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I am the bread of life "Then they (the wicked) will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." Matthew 25:46 NIV __________________ And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life. 1 John 2:25 KJV __________________ Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. John 6:46,47,51,54 NASB __________________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

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“Thou that dwellest in the gardens, the companions hearken to thy voice: cause me to hear it.”

Song of Solomon 8:13

My sweet Lord Jesus remembers well the garden of Gethsemane, and although he has left that garden, he now dwells in the garden of his church: there he unbosoms himself to those who keep his blessed company. That voice of love with which he speaks to his beloved is more musical than the harps of heaven. There is a depth of melodious love within it which leaves all human music far behind. Ten of thousands on earth, and millions above, are indulged with its harmonious accents. Some whom I well know, and whom I greatly envy, are at this moment hearkening to the beloved voice. O that I were a partaker of their joys!

It is true some of these are poor, others bedridden, and some near the gates of death, but O my Lord, I would cheerfully starve with them, pine with them, or die with them, if I might but hear thy voice. Once I did hear it often, but I have grieved thy Spirit. Return unto me in compassion, and once again say unto me, “I am thy salvation.” No other voice can content me; I know thy voice, and cannot be deceived by another, let me hear it, I pray thee. I know not what thou wilt say, neither do I make any condition, O my Beloved, do but let me hear thee speak, and if it be a rebuke I will bless thee for it.

Perhaps to cleanse my dull ear may need an operation very grievous to the flesh, but let it cost what it may I turn not from the one consuming desire, cause me to hear thy voice. Bore my ear afresh; pierce my ear with thy harshest notes, only do not permit me to continue deaf to thy calls. To-night, Lord, grant thine unworthy one his desire, for I am thine, and thou hast bought me with thy blood. Thou hast opened mine eye to see thee, and the sight has saved me. Lord, open thou mine ear. I have read thy heart, now let me hear thy lips.

 

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Don't
======

There is something that you are about to do that you know you
shouldn't do. It will cause you trouble, regret and pain.

If you do it, you will soon realize that it was nowhere near
worth it; and you will wonder what in the world made you do it.

You know that you shouldn't.

Don't!

 

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Set free from sin Now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:22,23 NIV __________________ Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. Galatians 6:7-9 KJV __________________ Those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; for they cannot even die anymore, because they are like angels, and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. Luke 20:35,36 NASB __________________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

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“I did know thee in the wilderness, in the land of great drought.”

Hosea 13:5

Yes, Lord, thou didst indeed know me in my fallen state, and thou didst even then choose me for thyself. When I was loathsome and self-abhorred, thou didst receive me as thy child, and thou didst satisfy my craving wants. Blessed for ever be thy name for this free, rich, abounding mercy. Since then, my inward experience has often been a wilderness; but thou hast owned me still as thy beloved, and poured streams of love and grace into me to gladden me, and make me fruitful. Yea, when my outward circumstances have been at the worst, and I have wandered in a land of drought, thy sweet presence has solaced me. Men have not known me when scorn has awaited me, but thou hast known my soul in adversities, for no affliction dims the lustre of thy love. Most gracious Lord, I magnify thee for all thy faithfulness to me in trying circumstances, and I deplore that I should at any time have forgotten thee and been exalted in heart, when I have owed all to thy gentleness and love. Have mercy upon thy servant in this thing!

My soul, if Jesus thus acknowledged thee in thy low estate, be sure that thou own both himself and his cause now that thou art in thy prosperity. Be not lifted up by thy worldly successes so as to be ashamed of the truth or of the poor church with which thou hast been associated. Follow Jesus into the wilderness: bear the cross with him when the heat of persecution grows hot. He owned thee, O my soul, in thy poverty and shame—never be so treacherous as to be ashamed of him. O for more shame at the thought of being ashamed of my best Beloved! Jesus, my soul cleaveth to thee.

“I'll turn to thee in days of light,
As well as nights of care,
Thou brightest amid all that's bright!
Thou fairest of the fair!”

 

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until the flowers
========================

I am a runner.

I have several circular routes measured from my home.
If I decide to run 3, 4, 5 or 7 miles, each run always ends at
one particular spot.

A few houses down from mine is a home with a beautiful flower
arrangement near the mailbox. The arrangement is as ornate and
as cultured as if a master gardener extended his hand and
delicately shaped each flower, bush, stem, and blade of grass.

I have never seen any flower arrangement as pretty in a yard.

That's the point.

That's the point that marks the end of my run.

. . . until the flowers.

No matter how long or short the run, I have one goal in mind.

Keep running until I get to the flowers.

Life should be like that.

Keep running until you get to the flowers.

We typically receive the largest number of flowers when our
lives are over.

We get the most flowers in our lives at our funeral.

Those flowers don't do you any good.

As far as I know, you can neither see nor smell them.

My neighbors' flowers help give me encouragement and strength to
run through this life.

On a recent run, I was thinking about those beautiful bundles of
encouragement and had decided to write a MountainWings issue
about them. Oddly enough, for the first time, the couple was in
the yard working on the flowers as I ended my run.

I ran by their yard, I had almost reached the flowers.
It was a hot sunny day and they could tell by the swelter and
sweat that I had been on a grueling run.

The wife spoke, "Could I get you a glass of water or something?"
she asked.

"No thanks, " I answered.

She didn't realize what they had given me already.

They had given me the flowers.

People who give you flowers for no reason show their giving
natures in many ways.

Most people in the neighborhood probably couldn't tell you about
my neighbors' flowers. They are probably too busy to see them.
They probably see all of the other stuff.

There is much disarray along the run.
There are many weeds and bare branches.
There is trash thrown from cars reflecting people's disregard
for others,

. . . and then, there's the flowers.

So it is in life.

Keep your mind on the flowers even when you can't see them.

You can plant flowers.

Not only the physical kind, but also flowers of the spirit.

You need to picture the beautiful flowers that await you at the
end of your run.

The flowers that never whither or die.

Flowers of the spirit.

You need to understand that they are beautiful and they smell
nice.

You also need to tell those that have planted flowers along your
path that you appreciate them.

I will print this issue of MountainWings and put it in my
neighbors' mailbox. I doubt that they have ever heard of
MountainWings, but their flowers influence MountainWings, and,
in turn, you, on each run.

I am a runner.

So are you.

We run through life, just different paths, different shoes, and
different running styles.

In all of your daily running, be sure to stop and smell the
roses but

Keep running.

. . . until the flowers.

 

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And I give unto them eternal life Faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time Titus 1:2 NIV __________________ Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand." John 10:27-29 KJV __________________ To those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation. There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God. Romans 2:7-11 NASB __________________ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16 KJV __________________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

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“And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away: so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”

Matthew 24:39

Universal was the doom, neither rich nor poor escaped: the learned and the illiterate, the admired and the abhorred, the religious and the profane, the old and the young, all sank in one common ruin. Some had doubtless ridiculed the patriarch—where now their merry jests? Others had threatened him for his zeal which they counted madness—where now their boastings and hard speeches? The critic who judged the old man's work is drowned in the same sea which covers his sneering companions. Those who spoke patronizingly of the good man's fidelity to his convictions, but shared not in them, have sunk to rise no more, and the workers who for pay helped to build the wondrous ark, are all lost also. The flood swept them all away, and made no single exception. Even so, out of Christ, final destruction is sure to every man of woman born; no rank, possession, or character, shall suffice to save a single soul who has not believed in the Lord Jesus. My soul, behold this wide-spread judgment and tremble at it.

How marvellous the general apathy! they were all eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, till the awful morning dawned. There was not one wise man upon earth out of the ark. Folly duped the whole race, folly as to self-preservation—the most foolish of all follies. Folly in doubting the most true God—the most malignant of fooleries. Strange, my soul, is it not? All men are negligent of their souls till grace gives them reason, then they leave their madness and act like rational beings, but not till then.

All, blessed be God, were safe in the ark, no ruin entered there. From the huge elephant down to the tiny mouse all were safe. The timid hare was equally secure with the courageous lion, the helpless cony as safe as the laborious ox. All are safe in Jesus. My soul, art thou in him?

 

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What Is A New Creation In Christ?



The Bible says we are to be new creations of Christ, and we put on the new self, so how’s that possible?

The Old Self
Years ago, when I came to repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, I was sick and tired of my old life, my old sins, and my old self. It was obviously the conviction of the Holy Spirit that brought me to a recognition that I was abiding in the wrath of God since I had yet not trusted in Christ (John 3:36b). I realized I would not be able to stand on my own on the Day of Judgment (Rev 20:12-15), but I also understood that “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom10:9), and I did confess that; publically at baptism and publically among my friends and family. By the way, this new birth was not my own idea (John3:3-7; Eph 1). It was the Spirit of God Who taught me; the Son of God Who bought me; and the Father God Who sought me (John 6:44). All Three Persons of the Trinity were all actively involved in my conversion, so I thought, “Now what?”

The New Self
The Apostle Paul had a lot to say about the new and old, as in the new man and woman, and the old man and woman. He wrote, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Col 3:1-2). Some of this came naturally. For example, I no longer desired to participate or watch sinful activities and I began to think about what Christ taught in His Word. I was drawn to the Gospel of John. My mind slowly began to shift from the things below to the things on high, but even this is to His glory, for none seeks after God (Rom 3:10-12) without the Spirit of God, so “those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit” (Rom 8:5b) and not the things of the flesh…at least not as much as I did before regeneration. Only by the Spirit of God can we “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry” (Col 3:5).

A new creation in Christ “must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth” (Col 3:8). As we put those things away, we “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive” (Col 3:12-13). Those were all new to me, just as the others were now all old to me (Col 3:5). I still fall. We all do, but we get back up, repent of it, and confess it to God, and move on. The old self never even gave things like that a second thought. The new self now has disgust when those things come to the surface.

A New Creation
Once again, the Apostle Paul writes about the new man or woman, so to speak, although we recognize we can do nothing without Christ’s help (John 15:5), and anything of consequence that we do, is because Christ’s strengthening us (Phil 4:13). We can do all things, but only through Christ. Those things we do for Christ will obviously be God’s will, but we must also see that we can do absolutely nothing without Christ. Having understood this, Paul says that “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Cor 5:17). The old things (Col 3:5) are slowly replaced by the new things (Col 3:12-13). There will never be a point of sinless-ness this side of the kingdom, but we should be sinning less over time.

This “new creation” is not of human origin, but has its origin outside of ourselves. After we trust in Christ, the wrath of God has been lifted, and we are no longer condemned and can be at peace with God (Rom 5:1, 8:1), however, it was not by our works or effort, or for our sakes that God cleansed us (Eph 2:8-9), but rather, it was “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor 5:21). Without the righteousness of Christ, we cannot stand before God, even with the best of good works.

Without Christ, our works are nothing more than filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). Those who are boasting about their works may be those that Christ rejects on the Day of Judgment, and it won’t be just a few; it will be many! The many verses the few (Matt 7:21-23). Naturally, a new creation in Christ will do works for Christ’s glory, but they will do them with the understanding that their works don’t save them. They are saved to do works (Eph 2:10), but not saved by works, however, if there are no works, then that presents a problem. The person might have a dead faith, which is no faith at all (James 2:14-26).

Works and Rewards
Jesus said that we should not let the left hand know what the right hand is doing (Matt 6:3), meaning we shouldn’t keep track of all we do for Christ. If we remember our good works, and don’t let others forget about them, then God may forget them, but if we forget them, God will remember them. We see this indicated in Matthew 25 where believers were so Christ-centered and mission-oriented, that they didn’t even realize all that they had done for Him (Matt 25:25-39), but Christ told them “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me” (Matt 25:40). And that is in radical contrast for those who do nothing for Him (Matt 25:31-46). Will you hear, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matt 25:34), or “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt 25:41).

Conclusion
If we are a new creation in Christ, we will do new things for Christ. We will do new things by the power of the Holy Spirit and the strengthening of Christ, but we will also stop the old things we used to do and stop feeding the flesh. Of course we’ll still sin, but we will sin less in our Christian life over time than when we were without Christ. We get a call from Copernicus, telling us we’re not the center of the universe. The Son is the center…the Son of God. As John the Baptist put is so well: “He must increase; I must decrease” (John 3:30). I fine with that.

 

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You have laid your hand upon me O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD. You hem me in--behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? Psalm 139:1-7 NIV __________________ God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: For in him we live, and move, and have our being. Acts 17:24-28 KJV __________________ All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as an expiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins; it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies him who has faith in Jesus. Romans 3:23-26 RSV __________________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

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“Horror hath taken hold upon me because of the wicked that forsake thy law.”

Psalm 119:53

My soul, feelest thou this holy shuddering at the sins of others? for otherwise thou lackest inward holiness. David's cheeks were wet with rivers of waters because of prevailing unholiness; Jeremiah desired eyes like fountains that he might lament the iniquities of Israel, and Lot was vexed with the conversation of the men of Sodom. Those upon whom the mark was set in Ezekiel's vision, were those who sighed and cried for the abominations of Jerusalem.

It cannot but grieve gracious souls to see what pains men take to go to hell. They know the evil of sin experimentally, and they are alarmed to see others flying like moths into its blaze. Sin makes the righteous shudder, because it violates a holy law, which it is to every man's highest interest to keep; it pulls down the pillars of the commonwealth. Sin in others horrifies a believer, because it puts him in mind of the baseness of his own heart: when he sees a transgressor he cries with the saint mentioned by Bernard, “He fell to-day, and I may fall to-morrow.”

Sin to a believer is horrible, because it crucified the Saviour; he sees in every iniquity the nails and spear. How can a saved soul behold that cursed kill-Christ sin without abhorrence? Say, my heart, dost thou sensibly join in all this? It is an awful thing to insult God to his face. The good God deserves better treatment, the great God claims it, the just God will have it, or repay his adversary to his face.

An awakened heart trembles at the audacity of sin, and stands alarmed at the contemplation of its punishment. How monstrous a thing is rebellion! How direful a doom is prepared for the ungodly! My soul, never laugh at sin's fooleries, lest thou come to smile at sin itself. It is thine enemy, and thy Lord's enemy—view it with detestation, for so only canst thou evidence the possession of holiness, without which no man can see the Lord.