Have you been elevated in your life, loved, praised and pampered as a child OR has your early life experience been one of misery, hate and emotional trauma?
Luke 14:26 "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple."
We have a tendency to think that when a child is excessively praised they will turn out to be better people, and there are those that think a child will grow to be a better person if they are beaten down or ignored, so as not to become arrogant.
Ephesians 6:4 "And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord."
We exasperate our children in two ways, either by not enough discipline or discipline that is too harsh. Both ways lack the love of God in our hearts as we seek to train them properly.
Proverbs 13:24 "He who spares his rod hates his son,
But he who loves him disciplines him promptly"
Sadly many parents don't understand the principles of discipline according to God's standard. They either pamper or condemn their children, both could not be farther from the truth.
I have known many people in my life in various conditions. I find that it is much harder to reach a pampered adult, than it is to reach those who have lived in misery. Those who have been pampered, tend to have such a high view of their importance that they have no need of instruction, they tend to know it all, they disdain any form of correction from anyone.
Proverbs12:1 "Whosoever loves instruction loves knowledge: but he that hates reproof is senseless."
The person who has been beaten down, has a low view of their self importance, they tend to wallow in self-pity, cogitating over and over their trials, using them for an excuse for evil behavior.
Both the pampered and the beaten down suffer from pride, using their own devices to get them where they want to be.
Both examples of people are what comes when someone relies on their own devices to elevate themselves. The pampered person is in love with themselves thinking that they have more to offer than anyone else. The denigrated person wallows because it affords him the excuses he needs to live as he pleases, blaming everyone else for their own sin.
Proverbs 15:32 "He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul: but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding."
Why would the beaten down soul be easier to reach? Perhaps because he is looking for validation, granted, in the wrong places, having a deep need for the love that only Christ can give.
The pampered person already feels the worldly love that was continually extended throughout their life and feels no need of Christ's love.
Today as I pondered the scar that is on my husband's leg from a childhood accident from an ax, I was reminded that scars, whether they are physical or emotional never go away. They are reminders of a life once lived, we can focus on them, or we can choose to focus on Christ.
The scar on the pampered person is the deep wound of self exaltation and the scar of the beaten down is one of complete lack of value.
When we find our value in Christ, we have no need of personal value, He is enough!
Emotional scars never go away but just like physical scars they can diminish in size and lighten in color, to the point that they are nearly invisible. They do not have any impact on our life, they just are there, if we keep Christ as our focus.
Often I tell people that our emotions do not have to be connected to who we are as a human being. They are like diminished physical scars, we can choose to ignore them. They do not have to control us. As time goes on the emotional scars diminish just like the physical scar. Neither one has to control our lives.
God allowed situations in our lives to bring us to Himself and to prune us. When we realize what God has done in us, using this life to train and teach us, then we can openly, honestly and confidently speak of the things we have been through without trepidation or embarrassment.
When we "lean into" our emotions we give them reign over us, they will always lead us away from Christ and victory, unless they are Christ centered.
Our world teaches us to focus on our emotion, Christ tells us the opposite.
Christ has scars in His hands and feet that show the great misery He incurred on our behalf and He will never lose those scars. He took our sin on the cross that we might not have to die for our own sin. When this happened, His Father in heaven could not look upon Him, it was so emotionally painful at the loss of His Father's gaze upon Him that He cried out in agony and grief at the temporary loss of His Father's attentions. He cried out "Father why have You forsaken Me."
After Christ had risen from the dead, He showed himself to the people and guess what He said:
Luke 24:38-41 "38 And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?
39 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.
40 And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet.
41 And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat?"
John 20:24-28 24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.
25 The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.
26 And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.
27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.
28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.
Christ had a bigger reason to hate mankind than we think we have to hate Him or others. The very people He created, giving life to, while providing everything else for their existence and well being, hated and killed Him. If anyone had reason to harbor bitterness and hate for us, it would have been Christ. But He didn't do that, He gave up His life that we might live forever with Him.
Next time we feel self pity over our circumstances or are tempted to execute hate and revenge for perceived wrongs, we might want to remember that we were the ones who put Christ on that cross of torment, with our own sin.
Whether you were a pampered child or a broken child, you have need for Christ to change your heart and rule in it for eternity.
The best thing a new believer can learn is that "self awareness" needs to go. All our attentions must be on Christ alone. We love people, but they do not dictate our course, it is Christ in us that must determine our life.
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Fools Like To Fight
It is best not to engage in conversation with a manipulative arguer, he will only frustrate and possibly cause us to sin by igniting a flame in us.
He is very cleaver, he will bait us with nonsense and watch us squirm. At which point he thinks he has won the argument. Making us angry is his goal, it makes him feel superior.
Proverbs 26:4 "Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him."
He is very cleaver, he will bait us with nonsense and watch us squirm. At which point he thinks he has won the argument. Making us angry is his goal, it makes him feel superior.
Proverbs 26:4 "Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him."
The Haters Will Come....Ignore Them!!!
There are many people who hate believers and wish to make them look silly even when there is not reason to do so.
Those who hate God also hate His messengers.
John 15:18 ""If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you."
Have you ever felt silly after telling the truth, simply because those in the room laughed, yelled or snapped at you? This is a common response of ungodly people who have one mission, that is to intimidate believers into believing they have done something wrong by simply voicing what they know to be the truth. When the believer backs down embarrassed, slinking away in shame, the perpetrator feels a sense of victory in the presence of others in the room. Often the onlookers side with the perpetrator because he seems powerful and even right because he won. Sadly even those who would normally agree with you begin to act like the perp.
These people use ridicule, mocking and elevated voices in an attempt to cause the believer to think they have done something wrong, when there is no wrong.
Unsaved family members become jealous of our walk with the Lord when they can no longer control us. The Lord is our strength and it shows. These weak minded people will attempt to trap us every way they can. The purpose is to frustrate and intimidate us into silence. When they are not successful in unnerving us, they exclude us from their life and influence others to do the same.
I would like to encourage all those people who have had encounters with these simple minded antagonists. It happens to everyone who loves the Lord and it was used on Christ too. The tactic only works if we buy into their manipulation. When we remain calm and simply repeat the truth, the perp has no power. The Holy Spirit is not intimidated by them, and neither should we be. After all, this is a spiritual battle, our perp is being controlled by the devil, his mouth and attitude is not his own, but merely a vehicle through which satan can work.
When we know the tactics of the father of lies, we can be confident and unmoved by the meanness of those who are controlled by evil. We can pray for them while remaining calm and tranquil in the face of senseless illogical banter.
Psalm 91:1-16
91 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”
3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler
And from the perilous pestilence.
4 He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it shall not come near you.
8 Only with your eyes shall you look,
And see the reward of the wicked.
9 Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
10 No evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
11 For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.
12 In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.
14 “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him,
And show him My salvation.”
Those who hate God also hate His messengers.
John 15:18 ""If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you."
Have you ever felt silly after telling the truth, simply because those in the room laughed, yelled or snapped at you? This is a common response of ungodly people who have one mission, that is to intimidate believers into believing they have done something wrong by simply voicing what they know to be the truth. When the believer backs down embarrassed, slinking away in shame, the perpetrator feels a sense of victory in the presence of others in the room. Often the onlookers side with the perpetrator because he seems powerful and even right because he won. Sadly even those who would normally agree with you begin to act like the perp.
These people use ridicule, mocking and elevated voices in an attempt to cause the believer to think they have done something wrong, when there is no wrong.
Unsaved family members become jealous of our walk with the Lord when they can no longer control us. The Lord is our strength and it shows. These weak minded people will attempt to trap us every way they can. The purpose is to frustrate and intimidate us into silence. When they are not successful in unnerving us, they exclude us from their life and influence others to do the same.
I would like to encourage all those people who have had encounters with these simple minded antagonists. It happens to everyone who loves the Lord and it was used on Christ too. The tactic only works if we buy into their manipulation. When we remain calm and simply repeat the truth, the perp has no power. The Holy Spirit is not intimidated by them, and neither should we be. After all, this is a spiritual battle, our perp is being controlled by the devil, his mouth and attitude is not his own, but merely a vehicle through which satan can work.
When we know the tactics of the father of lies, we can be confident and unmoved by the meanness of those who are controlled by evil. We can pray for them while remaining calm and tranquil in the face of senseless illogical banter.
Psalm 91:1-16
91 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”
3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler
And from the perilous pestilence.
4 He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it shall not come near you.
8 Only with your eyes shall you look,
And see the reward of the wicked.
9 Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
10 No evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
11 For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.
12 In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.
14 “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him,
And show him My salvation.”
Have You Turn From Your Life of Sin?
Anyone who has trusted Christ will hate sin and will have a strong desire to live righteously. As a born again believer, our sins are mostly in the head before they become actions. We confess thoughts so that they do not turn into actions.
Those who refuse to turn from sin, justifying it, defending it and refusing to admit that they are sinning, cannot be born again, because we can only become born again by confessing that we are sinner and have become broken hearted over our sin. Those who have never been broken over their sin, even saying they weren't so bad, cannot be born again. There are many in the church today, who like their sin, defend it and fight to justify themselves. These people have never been changed into a new creation, they are still the old mess, that is on their way to hell.
If someone claims to be a Christian, but refuses to forsake his sin, then he is not born again. God changes the heart, what we used to love when we were unsaved, we now hate and desire to be cleansed.
If a homosexual comes to Christ he will begin to be disgusted by the sin of homosexuality and run from it. Even if he is tempted a few more times, he will hate it and eventually and even quickly get out of it.
Here is the scripture! Isaiah 55:7 "Let the wicked forsake his way And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the LORD, And He will have compassion on him, And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon."
1 Corinthians 6:9 "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals,"
Those who refuse to turn from sin, justifying it, defending it and refusing to admit that they are sinning, cannot be born again, because we can only become born again by confessing that we are sinner and have become broken hearted over our sin. Those who have never been broken over their sin, even saying they weren't so bad, cannot be born again. There are many in the church today, who like their sin, defend it and fight to justify themselves. These people have never been changed into a new creation, they are still the old mess, that is on their way to hell.
If someone claims to be a Christian, but refuses to forsake his sin, then he is not born again. God changes the heart, what we used to love when we were unsaved, we now hate and desire to be cleansed.
If a homosexual comes to Christ he will begin to be disgusted by the sin of homosexuality and run from it. Even if he is tempted a few more times, he will hate it and eventually and even quickly get out of it.
Here is the scripture! Isaiah 55:7 "Let the wicked forsake his way And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the LORD, And He will have compassion on him, And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon."
1 Corinthians 6:9 "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals,"
Monday, November 10, 2014
Are You Sure You Are Born Again?
There are those I have met who claim to be "Christian", who have mixed their form of Christianity with other cultic doctrines. I notice that these pretenders, who don't know themselves, that they are not born again, do not remain stable in their walk. They cannot maintain growth because the Holy Spirit does not live in them. Rather they regress, not realizing that those who are discerning can see the progression backward in their walk. When a persons walk is based on their own human effort, it can not be maintained. It is only the cleansing that Christ offers that makes permanent growth that never regresses.
The warning to these people is ominous, declaring that there will be those who think they are saved, but will find out their frightening fate when they get before God when He says to them, "I never knew you."
Matthew 7:21-23
"21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"
When we see someone veering off the path that God has set for us, returning to their old ways, losing all vigor for the Word of God and spiritual growth, we may be looking at an unsaved individual who only thinks they are on their way to heaven. I feel very bad for these people, they are living securely in their confidence when their end is a devastating trip into the lake of fire at the end of all the pretense.
May each one reading this examine themselves through the Scriptures, while asking God to show them if they have been changed into a new creation by Christ, and sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise.
The warning to these people is ominous, declaring that there will be those who think they are saved, but will find out their frightening fate when they get before God when He says to them, "I never knew you."
Matthew 7:21-23
"21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"
When we see someone veering off the path that God has set for us, returning to their old ways, losing all vigor for the Word of God and spiritual growth, we may be looking at an unsaved individual who only thinks they are on their way to heaven. I feel very bad for these people, they are living securely in their confidence when their end is a devastating trip into the lake of fire at the end of all the pretense.
May each one reading this examine themselves through the Scriptures, while asking God to show them if they have been changed into a new creation by Christ, and sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise.
Outer Beauty Counts For Nothing
Has anyone noticed that prosperity preachers look physically beautiful? They are all put together like well dressed china dolls.
I believe all this focus on physical beauty is another way of disarming people. Many people are manipulated by outer beauty and tend to believe those who "look good."
People are also easily manipulated by flattery and happy words. Every person I have met who go to seers, fortune tellers at fairs and in town, always get a wonderful report for their future. NO one ever gets a bad or frightening report and those reports are so general that anyone would fit them. After all, the seer wants them to come back.
2 Corinthians 11:14 "And no wonder! For Satan disguises himself as an angel of light."
Prosperity preachers are like this too, they want their listeners to come back and they want them to donate to their cause, which is always their own bank account.
2 Timothy 4:1-4 "1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables"
The prosperity glad happy preachers are this way. They always have only positive things to say, which brings them into question immediately.
Christ and the apostles spent more time warning and rebuking than anythings else, after all, they were dealing with unsaved wicked hearts, that needed cleansing.
Personal accomplishments for talents, job experience and outer beauty, can be a good thing, but in the vast scheme of God's plan they are nothing. It is the spiritual inner character that Christ looks at and whether or not there is a desire to be holy.
Many people excel in business, surrounding themselves with people who admire them, but have never been born again. They are headed for hell, while reveling in their earthly successes.
I know church goers who love to surround themselves with outwardly "beautiful people", and will have nothing to do with those who are not physically appealing. I think these people would not have liked John the Baptist. He spoke words of warning and looked and smelled like an animal.
Matthew 3:4 "Now John himself had a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey."
Mark 1:4 "John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins."
John 1:19-25 "And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”
1 Samuel 16:7 "7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
The more I walk with Christ, the less I notice outer appearance. I am fixated on the heart of the people I love. I love them because they love Christ, enjoy conversation about Him, never shrinking from learning more or accepting a challenge. Their heart is so completely enveloped with Christ, that they take no offense when challenged, but rather embrace it. They challenge and are challenged and their response it to seek the Lord, they do not fight or argue to appear superior, their focus is Christ. Whether they are elevated is of no consequence to them, their mission is spiritual growth and holiness.
Those who love the Lord may notice our appearance, but they don't care about it, they desire to know the heart of a man rather than enjoy their outer appearance.
I don't know about you, but I have met people who were physically beautiful that took on an ugly appearance because of their arrogance and selfishness. They didn't seem outwardly beautiful after learning their heart.
I have also met people who would not be considered beautiful, but had hearts of gold when it comes to spiritual matters. After getting to know these people, they seemed outwardly beautiful too.
Those who interpret life in terms of Christ see the spirit of a man much more than the shell in which that spirit lives.
1 Peter 3:3-4 "3 Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel— 4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God."
Matthew 5:8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God."
2 Corinthians 4:16 "16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day."
Proverbs 31:25 "Strength and honor are her clothing; She shall rejoice in time to come."
Speaking of Wisdom God says:
Proverbs 3:15-18
"15 She is more precious than rubies,
And all the things you may desire cannot compare with her.
16 Length of days is in her right hand,
In her left hand riches and honor.
17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
And all her paths are peace.
18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her,
And happy are all who retain her"
Galatians 5:25 "25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit."
Romans 8:6 "6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace."
1 Timothy 2:99-10 "9 in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, 10 but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works."
John 13:35 "35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Matthew 22:36-40
36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”
37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’[a] 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’[b] 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
I believe all this focus on physical beauty is another way of disarming people. Many people are manipulated by outer beauty and tend to believe those who "look good."
People are also easily manipulated by flattery and happy words. Every person I have met who go to seers, fortune tellers at fairs and in town, always get a wonderful report for their future. NO one ever gets a bad or frightening report and those reports are so general that anyone would fit them. After all, the seer wants them to come back.
2 Corinthians 11:14 "And no wonder! For Satan disguises himself as an angel of light."
Prosperity preachers are like this too, they want their listeners to come back and they want them to donate to their cause, which is always their own bank account.
2 Timothy 4:1-4 "1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables"
The prosperity glad happy preachers are this way. They always have only positive things to say, which brings them into question immediately.
Christ and the apostles spent more time warning and rebuking than anythings else, after all, they were dealing with unsaved wicked hearts, that needed cleansing.
Personal accomplishments for talents, job experience and outer beauty, can be a good thing, but in the vast scheme of God's plan they are nothing. It is the spiritual inner character that Christ looks at and whether or not there is a desire to be holy.
Many people excel in business, surrounding themselves with people who admire them, but have never been born again. They are headed for hell, while reveling in their earthly successes.
I know church goers who love to surround themselves with outwardly "beautiful people", and will have nothing to do with those who are not physically appealing. I think these people would not have liked John the Baptist. He spoke words of warning and looked and smelled like an animal.
Matthew 3:4 "Now John himself had a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey."
Mark 1:4 "John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins."
John 1:19-25 "And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”
1 Samuel 16:7 "7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
The more I walk with Christ, the less I notice outer appearance. I am fixated on the heart of the people I love. I love them because they love Christ, enjoy conversation about Him, never shrinking from learning more or accepting a challenge. Their heart is so completely enveloped with Christ, that they take no offense when challenged, but rather embrace it. They challenge and are challenged and their response it to seek the Lord, they do not fight or argue to appear superior, their focus is Christ. Whether they are elevated is of no consequence to them, their mission is spiritual growth and holiness.
Those who love the Lord may notice our appearance, but they don't care about it, they desire to know the heart of a man rather than enjoy their outer appearance.
I don't know about you, but I have met people who were physically beautiful that took on an ugly appearance because of their arrogance and selfishness. They didn't seem outwardly beautiful after learning their heart.
I have also met people who would not be considered beautiful, but had hearts of gold when it comes to spiritual matters. After getting to know these people, they seemed outwardly beautiful too.
Those who interpret life in terms of Christ see the spirit of a man much more than the shell in which that spirit lives.
1 Peter 3:3-4 "3 Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel— 4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God."
Matthew 5:8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God."
2 Corinthians 4:16 "16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day."
Proverbs 31:25 "Strength and honor are her clothing; She shall rejoice in time to come."
Speaking of Wisdom God says:
Proverbs 3:15-18
"15 She is more precious than rubies,
And all the things you may desire cannot compare with her.
16 Length of days is in her right hand,
In her left hand riches and honor.
17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
And all her paths are peace.
18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her,
And happy are all who retain her"
Galatians 5:25 "25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit."
Romans 8:6 "6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace."
1 Timothy 2:99-10 "9 in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, 10 but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works."
John 13:35 "35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Matthew 22:36-40
36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”
37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’[a] 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’[b] 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
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