Sunday, June 6, 2010
Sunday Refelections
This morning we had Teen Challenge with us in our service. The testimonies were a reminder of God's power to change lives. It is powerful the way God can take people at there worst and make them us new creatures. As I fellowshiped with the ladies who came to minister I was reminded that we are all a work in process and progress. The key to steady discipleship is staying focused day to day.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
recent people of encouragement
On July 10th, 2010 my daughter Sandra Juanita Ramirez Halbeisen will receive her college degree as she walks the stage at Cowboy Stadium in Arlington, Texas. WOW! Sandra finished her last courses while 9 months pregnant, raising a 3 year old, helping her husband start a church, having the baby and all that goes with a newborn.
To say that I am impressed is an understatement. I am extremely proud of my little girl because it proves what I have always known, Sandra has a big heart and big dreams for her life. Her drive has encouraged me on a lot of different levels and I thank her for that.
On June 2nd Ted Haggard told the world that he and his wife were starting a new church and getting back into the ministry. Just as Ted Haggard admitted 3 1/2 years ago that he had fallen into sin he was now getting back to what God had called him to do. Before Ted's fall I attended his church conferences and followed his church. I am encouraged to see pastor Ted in ministry again. I am encourage that leaders who are casualties of spiritual attack and downfall can rise again to be used of God. I believe pastor Ted will minister in a different vein because of his experience. I totally understand where pastor ted is coming from.
To say that I am impressed is an understatement. I am extremely proud of my little girl because it proves what I have always known, Sandra has a big heart and big dreams for her life. Her drive has encouraged me on a lot of different levels and I thank her for that.
On June 2nd Ted Haggard told the world that he and his wife were starting a new church and getting back into the ministry. Just as Ted Haggard admitted 3 1/2 years ago that he had fallen into sin he was now getting back to what God had called him to do. Before Ted's fall I attended his church conferences and followed his church. I am encouraged to see pastor Ted in ministry again. I am encourage that leaders who are casualties of spiritual attack and downfall can rise again to be used of God. I believe pastor Ted will minister in a different vein because of his experience. I totally understand where pastor ted is coming from.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Sunday night reflection
Starting all this summer of 2010 I am going to do a Sunday night Reflection mainly just to have a record of things that are happening and for those who follow my ministry blog. Here goes.....
We had 2 people give there hearts to Jesus this morning. We also had several rededicate their lives to the Lord.
We now have 4 churches that meet at Living Springs Church. Southwest Community Church now meets at 11am in the fellowship hall. The exchange Church meets at 10am. Dominion Christian meets at 3pm and Living Springs meets at 11am in the sanctuary.
It is possible to have 6 churches meeting at our facility by the end of the year. We still have Saturday night and Sunday night as possibilities.
Kicked off "Taking the Church on the Road". We had 5 families open up there homes for a Bible Study and fellowship. I am hoping to have at least 10 by the end of the summer tour.
We are going to have the women of Teen Challenge with us Sunday, June 6th. I have always liked to have Teen Challenge in our church because they represent a ministry that really demonstrates life change.
Have a great week!
We had 2 people give there hearts to Jesus this morning. We also had several rededicate their lives to the Lord.
We now have 4 churches that meet at Living Springs Church. Southwest Community Church now meets at 11am in the fellowship hall. The exchange Church meets at 10am. Dominion Christian meets at 3pm and Living Springs meets at 11am in the sanctuary.
It is possible to have 6 churches meeting at our facility by the end of the year. We still have Saturday night and Sunday night as possibilities.
Kicked off "Taking the Church on the Road". We had 5 families open up there homes for a Bible Study and fellowship. I am hoping to have at least 10 by the end of the summer tour.
We are going to have the women of Teen Challenge with us Sunday, June 6th. I have always liked to have Teen Challenge in our church because they represent a ministry that really demonstrates life change.
Have a great week!
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Confession
We have stated that the biblical formula for salvation is conviction plus confession plus conversion equals salvation. Simply put the design of true salvation consists of conviction leading to confession followed by conversion. When the Holy Spirit begins to deal with us He starts with convicting us of our sinfulness. He causes us to see our sin for what it is and how it separates us from God. When we are convicted we must then deal with that conviction through confession. Without conviction, confession would be meaningless. Without conviction without confession is useless. The two primary passages in the word of God that deal with confession are Romans 10:9-10 and 1 John 1:9. One primarily deals with confession in relation to salvation, that is becoming a Christian, a child of God, and the other primarily in relation to sanctification, living as a child of God. Both, however, have application to every single one of us. Remember, as I have said, the pattern conviction plus confession plus conversion is for both salvation and sanctification.
What does it mean confession of sin?
1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." If we Confess – if we acknowledge and assent to our sins - denial of sin protects, preserves, perpetuates that sin!
Confession is not merely a mental understanding of the fact that a sin has been committed that is being asked for - even the demons understand on some level that they have violated God’s commands (they just don’t really care). Confession is not just a mental assent to having sinned or acknowledgement of your sin. Confession does not mean rendering lip service, or mouthing deeds with vain repetition. It means calling sin for what it is – sin. Likewise confession is not an announcement. It is easy to say "I have sinned but…" and then seek to justify or whitewash our sins. Consider Adam and Eve in the garden after disobeying God. God confronts Adam who basically states. "I sinned. I disobeyed. But it’s not MY fault; it’s THAT WOMAN YOU gave me." God turns to Eve who says, "Yes I sinned and dragged Adam into it; but it’s not MY fault. It was THAT SNAKE in the grass." Confession of sin means owning up to it and seeing it as God sees it. A true confession is a complete admission of guilt. No rationalizing, no blaming. It should be further noted that in 1 John 1:9 the plural "sins" indicates that the confession is to be specific as well as general. Confession is necessary for fellowship. Sin builds a barrier between us and God. Confession puts us on the same page with God about our sins. Proverbs 28:13 (MKJV) "He who covers his sins shall not be blessed; but whoever confesses and leaves them shall have mercy."
What does it mean confession of sin?
1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." If we Confess – if we acknowledge and assent to our sins - denial of sin protects, preserves, perpetuates that sin!
Confession is not merely a mental understanding of the fact that a sin has been committed that is being asked for - even the demons understand on some level that they have violated God’s commands (they just don’t really care). Confession is not just a mental assent to having sinned or acknowledgement of your sin. Confession does not mean rendering lip service, or mouthing deeds with vain repetition. It means calling sin for what it is – sin. Likewise confession is not an announcement. It is easy to say "I have sinned but…" and then seek to justify or whitewash our sins. Consider Adam and Eve in the garden after disobeying God. God confronts Adam who basically states. "I sinned. I disobeyed. But it’s not MY fault; it’s THAT WOMAN YOU gave me." God turns to Eve who says, "Yes I sinned and dragged Adam into it; but it’s not MY fault. It was THAT SNAKE in the grass." Confession of sin means owning up to it and seeing it as God sees it. A true confession is a complete admission of guilt. No rationalizing, no blaming. It should be further noted that in 1 John 1:9 the plural "sins" indicates that the confession is to be specific as well as general. Confession is necessary for fellowship. Sin builds a barrier between us and God. Confession puts us on the same page with God about our sins. Proverbs 28:13 (MKJV) "He who covers his sins shall not be blessed; but whoever confesses and leaves them shall have mercy."
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Conviction
A Look @ Salvation Again
1.BEFORE A PERSON CAN BE SAVED THERE MUST BE AN AWARENESS OF SIN.
A. Before a person can come to Christ he must have an awareness of his sinfulness and his lost condition.
b. The natural response when someone confronts us is to deny the sin and to be angry at the accuser. As long as we are ignorant of our sin, excuse our sin, call our sin a disorder, weakness, or syndrome we will never find resolution or deliverance.
c. Do we recognize sin as sin in our lives? We need to recognize our sin. But mere consciousness of one’s sin is not conviction.
2 Corinthians 7:10 "For godly sorrow works repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world works death."
Two biblical examples are Judas and Peter –
• In Matthew 27:3 when Judas saw Christ taken, bound, tried, and condemned, he was overwhelmed with disappointment, sorrow, and remorse. He felt guilt and sorrow but not godly conviction. Overwhelmed with remorse and the vast guilt, he commits suicide.
• In Matthew 26:74-75 when Peter denies the Lord for the third time great guilt overwhelmed him with the remembrance of Christ’s words, and it pierced his heart through with many sorrows. Peter’s remorse brought bitter tears of sorrow and repentance leading to restoration.
2.WHAT IS CONVICTION?
John 16:8 "When He has come, He will convince the world of sin, and of righteousness and of judgment."
The word "convince" is used seven times in NT. This word (convince) is key to understanding conviction. One who is convicted is convinced of sin or error. In its simplest meaning, a conviction is something about which we are convinced. In most of the cases where convince is used in the Bible, it is used as synonym of the word convict and deals with those who are convinced of sin.
Oswald Chambers: "Conviction of sin is one of the rarest things that ever strikes a man. It is the threshold of an understanding of God. Jesus Christ said that when the Holy Spirit came He would convict of sin, and when the Holy Spirit rouses the conscience and brings him into the presence of God, it is not his relationship with men that bothers him, but his relationship with God."
Conviction is a work of the Holy Spirit & comes only through the power of the Holy Spirit. Conviction comes through the proclamation of God’s Word. The Holy Spirit uses God’s Word to reveal sin in a person’s life, which will bring conviction. When Peter preached on the day of Pentecost, they that heard God’s Word were pricked (convicted) in their heart: (Acts 2:37)
Hebrews 4:12 "For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."
The Holy Spirit shows us in our mind and hearts, that we lack true righteousness, the quality and condition of life necessary to live in God’s presence. God convicts us we have nothing inherently within, to commend ourselves to the holy God of eternity. This conviction comes upon us in the form of a sense of guilt, remorse, uncleanness, unworthiness, and ungodliness. Conviction is not sorrow for personal hardship brought on by sin, but rather remorse over the hurt he has caused a loving, forgiving God.
2 Corinthians 7:9-10 "Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow works repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world works death."
Too often we try to do the work of the Holy Spirit. Conviction is not the persuasive work of an eloquent preacher or personal worker.
1 Corinthians 2:4-5 "And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: [5] That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God." (An prime example is the preaching of Jonah – emotionless and matter-of-factual – yet God’s spirit brought conviction and repentance.)
III. CONVICTION PRECEDES SALVATION AND/OR REVIVAL.
It is conviction that causes one to realize that he or she is separated from being in a right relationship with God.
Unless a sinner repents, he will stand condemned before God and lost forever. Luke 13:5 "I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish."
Before there can be true repentance, a sinner must have an understanding and acknowledgement that he is guilty of sin accompanied by a godly sorrow.
Conviction of sin brings a man to an awareness of this hopeless, helpless condition.
There are two types of biblical conviction. The (1)conviction of the lost and the (2)conviction of the redeemed. In the conviction of the lost the Lord draws them to the foot of Calvary.
The difference is that the lost benefits, when he responds, by receiving salvation, while the believer regains fellowship with the Lord.
The Conviction of the Redeemed draws the believer back to Calvary.
Revival always includes conviction of sin. In a true revival, Christians are always brought under conviction seeing their sinfulness and separation from God.
Isaiah 6:5 "Then said I, Woe [is] me! I am undone; because I [am] a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts."
CONCLUSION: Conviction is an awareness of your sinfulness, of God’s righteousness and the great gulf that spans between the two. Conviction cries out as those who listening to Peter on the day of Pentecost were pierced through to the heart with conviction, "What shall we do?" implying an apprehension of one’s peril and a sense of guilt but also a readiness to yield completely to the claims of God. To which Peter’s reply is repent and come to Christ! Respond to God working in your heart today!
1.BEFORE A PERSON CAN BE SAVED THERE MUST BE AN AWARENESS OF SIN.
A. Before a person can come to Christ he must have an awareness of his sinfulness and his lost condition.
b. The natural response when someone confronts us is to deny the sin and to be angry at the accuser. As long as we are ignorant of our sin, excuse our sin, call our sin a disorder, weakness, or syndrome we will never find resolution or deliverance.
c. Do we recognize sin as sin in our lives? We need to recognize our sin. But mere consciousness of one’s sin is not conviction.
2 Corinthians 7:10 "For godly sorrow works repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world works death."
Two biblical examples are Judas and Peter –
• In Matthew 27:3 when Judas saw Christ taken, bound, tried, and condemned, he was overwhelmed with disappointment, sorrow, and remorse. He felt guilt and sorrow but not godly conviction. Overwhelmed with remorse and the vast guilt, he commits suicide.
• In Matthew 26:74-75 when Peter denies the Lord for the third time great guilt overwhelmed him with the remembrance of Christ’s words, and it pierced his heart through with many sorrows. Peter’s remorse brought bitter tears of sorrow and repentance leading to restoration.
2.WHAT IS CONVICTION?
John 16:8 "When He has come, He will convince the world of sin, and of righteousness and of judgment."
The word "convince" is used seven times in NT. This word (convince) is key to understanding conviction. One who is convicted is convinced of sin or error. In its simplest meaning, a conviction is something about which we are convinced. In most of the cases where convince is used in the Bible, it is used as synonym of the word convict and deals with those who are convinced of sin.
Oswald Chambers: "Conviction of sin is one of the rarest things that ever strikes a man. It is the threshold of an understanding of God. Jesus Christ said that when the Holy Spirit came He would convict of sin, and when the Holy Spirit rouses the conscience and brings him into the presence of God, it is not his relationship with men that bothers him, but his relationship with God."
Conviction is a work of the Holy Spirit & comes only through the power of the Holy Spirit. Conviction comes through the proclamation of God’s Word. The Holy Spirit uses God’s Word to reveal sin in a person’s life, which will bring conviction. When Peter preached on the day of Pentecost, they that heard God’s Word were pricked (convicted) in their heart: (Acts 2:37)
Hebrews 4:12 "For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."
The Holy Spirit shows us in our mind and hearts, that we lack true righteousness, the quality and condition of life necessary to live in God’s presence. God convicts us we have nothing inherently within, to commend ourselves to the holy God of eternity. This conviction comes upon us in the form of a sense of guilt, remorse, uncleanness, unworthiness, and ungodliness. Conviction is not sorrow for personal hardship brought on by sin, but rather remorse over the hurt he has caused a loving, forgiving God.
2 Corinthians 7:9-10 "Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow works repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world works death."
Too often we try to do the work of the Holy Spirit. Conviction is not the persuasive work of an eloquent preacher or personal worker.
1 Corinthians 2:4-5 "And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: [5] That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God." (An prime example is the preaching of Jonah – emotionless and matter-of-factual – yet God’s spirit brought conviction and repentance.)
III. CONVICTION PRECEDES SALVATION AND/OR REVIVAL.
It is conviction that causes one to realize that he or she is separated from being in a right relationship with God.
Unless a sinner repents, he will stand condemned before God and lost forever. Luke 13:5 "I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish."
Before there can be true repentance, a sinner must have an understanding and acknowledgement that he is guilty of sin accompanied by a godly sorrow.
Conviction of sin brings a man to an awareness of this hopeless, helpless condition.
There are two types of biblical conviction. The (1)conviction of the lost and the (2)conviction of the redeemed. In the conviction of the lost the Lord draws them to the foot of Calvary.
The difference is that the lost benefits, when he responds, by receiving salvation, while the believer regains fellowship with the Lord.
The Conviction of the Redeemed draws the believer back to Calvary.
Revival always includes conviction of sin. In a true revival, Christians are always brought under conviction seeing their sinfulness and separation from God.
Isaiah 6:5 "Then said I, Woe [is] me! I am undone; because I [am] a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts."
CONCLUSION: Conviction is an awareness of your sinfulness, of God’s righteousness and the great gulf that spans between the two. Conviction cries out as those who listening to Peter on the day of Pentecost were pierced through to the heart with conviction, "What shall we do?" implying an apprehension of one’s peril and a sense of guilt but also a readiness to yield completely to the claims of God. To which Peter’s reply is repent and come to Christ! Respond to God working in your heart today!
Thursday, April 29, 2010
the Fruit of love
As you will see in the Scripture – there is one very special incredible verse that will tell you that God the Father wants to transmit and impart 9 specific fruits of the Spirit. God wants all of us to enter into a sanctification process with Him so that He can begin the process of molding, shaping and transforming us into the express image of His Son Jesus Christ. He wants to make us into a better and more holy people. He wants to transform us by the renewing of our minds. He wants to put right thinking into our thought process.
It is by the power of the Holy Spirit that this sanctification process is done with you in this life. However, you will not be a passive robot in all of this. You have to be willing to work in cooperation with the Holy Spirit once He begins to start this process within you.
Your job will be to get into the Word to find out exactly what it is God is going to want to change about you. You will need to find out exactly what qualities God will want you to try and “put on” into your personality and what qualities He will want you to try and “put away.”
When God the Father purposely isolates and spells out 9 specific qualities that will be coming direct from His Holy Spirit – then He is really letting you know the extreme importance of these 9 specific fruits.
These 9 fruits are major fruits and qualities that are coming direct from God Himself – and every Christian should do the best they can to work with the Holy Spirit in getting all 9 of these fruits worked into their personality.
Here are the 9 fruits of the Holy Spirit listed one right after the other in a bullet point format:
• Love
• Joy
• Peace
• Longsuffering
• Kindness
• Goodness
• Faithfulness
• Gentleness
• Self-control
Now here is the specific verse from Scripture where these 9 fruits are being given to us by the Lord:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” (Galatians 5:22)
Before I get into the appropriate commentary on each of these nine fruits, note the following:
1. The word “Spirit” is with a capital “S” – which means these 9 fruits are coming directly from the Holy Spirit – not from us.
2. What this means is that God’s love, God’s peace, God’s joy and God’s goodness can start to be transmitted up into our personality. These are His attributes and personality qualities that will start to flow and mesh into the core of our personality. Think about the ramifications of this – that God the Father Himself is allowing us to share in a part of His divine nature by allowing His Holy Spirit to transmit and impart these nine divine qualities right up into our soul and personality!
This is why God the Father is specifically telling us in this verse that these 9 fruits are coming directly from His Holy Spirit – so that we can all fully appreciate the magnitude of such an experience.
Jesus has already told us that He is the vine and we are the branches. The branches draw their life from the vine – not vice versa. Just as the branch draws its life from the vine, so too must we draw our life directly from Jesus. Jesus will release His life into us through the Holy Spirit in the exact same way that the vine will release the life of the tree into the branches.
In one short, but incredible powerful Scripture verse, God the Father is giving all of us an incredible revelation on what can go on behind the scenes in the spiritual realm for those who are willing to work with Him in this sanctification process.
Now I will go on to describe what each one of these nine fruits are all about and give you definitions from some of the different Bible dictionaries and commentaries, thereby making it easier for you to work with the Holy Spirit once He starts to move in on you to try and impart some of these divine qualities and attributes into the core of your personality.
1. Love
If I had to rank all of the above fruits in their order of possible importance, the quality of love would have to be #1. And this is why it may have been listed as #1 fruit in the above Scripture verse.
Here are some of the different definitions on what love is from the different Bible dictionaries and commentaries:
• Unselfish, benevolent concern for another; brotherly concern; the object of brotherly concern or affection
• The self-denying, self-sacrificing, Christ-like love which is the foundation of all other graces
• Unselfish, loyal and benevolent concern for the well being of another
• The high esteem which God has for His human children and the high regard which they, in turn, should have for Him and other people
• To love, to have affection for someone; to like; to be a friend; the love of brothers for each other
One of the main messages that comes through loud and clear from studying our Bible is the extreme importance that God the Father is placing on that everyone learn how to love Him, love ourselves, love one another, and to even go as far as to be able to love our enemies and those who will try and hurt us.
However, our abilities as fallen humans to love one another is very limited. This is why it is so important for each and every Christian to work very closely with the Holy Spirit to get this fruit worked up into the core of our personalities. It is only when the love of the Holy Spirit starts to flow and enter into our personalities can we even begin to love God, love ourselves, and love one another to the degree and to the intensity that God would like to see from each one of us.
To those of you who will be entering into this sanctification process with the Lord – this quality should be listed as the #1 quality you should really attempt to put on into the core of your soul and personality. The Holy Spirit will be moving on you very early and very quickly to get this quality imparted into your mind, soul and emotions due to the extreme importance of it in your walk with the Lord.
You can be the greatest man of God and have some of the greatest gifts of God flowing through you – but if you are not walking with all of this in the spirit of love and humility, it will have all been for naught.
It is by the power of the Holy Spirit that this sanctification process is done with you in this life. However, you will not be a passive robot in all of this. You have to be willing to work in cooperation with the Holy Spirit once He begins to start this process within you.
Your job will be to get into the Word to find out exactly what it is God is going to want to change about you. You will need to find out exactly what qualities God will want you to try and “put on” into your personality and what qualities He will want you to try and “put away.”
When God the Father purposely isolates and spells out 9 specific qualities that will be coming direct from His Holy Spirit – then He is really letting you know the extreme importance of these 9 specific fruits.
These 9 fruits are major fruits and qualities that are coming direct from God Himself – and every Christian should do the best they can to work with the Holy Spirit in getting all 9 of these fruits worked into their personality.
Here are the 9 fruits of the Holy Spirit listed one right after the other in a bullet point format:
• Love
• Joy
• Peace
• Longsuffering
• Kindness
• Goodness
• Faithfulness
• Gentleness
• Self-control
Now here is the specific verse from Scripture where these 9 fruits are being given to us by the Lord:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” (Galatians 5:22)
Before I get into the appropriate commentary on each of these nine fruits, note the following:
1. The word “Spirit” is with a capital “S” – which means these 9 fruits are coming directly from the Holy Spirit – not from us.
2. What this means is that God’s love, God’s peace, God’s joy and God’s goodness can start to be transmitted up into our personality. These are His attributes and personality qualities that will start to flow and mesh into the core of our personality. Think about the ramifications of this – that God the Father Himself is allowing us to share in a part of His divine nature by allowing His Holy Spirit to transmit and impart these nine divine qualities right up into our soul and personality!
This is why God the Father is specifically telling us in this verse that these 9 fruits are coming directly from His Holy Spirit – so that we can all fully appreciate the magnitude of such an experience.
Jesus has already told us that He is the vine and we are the branches. The branches draw their life from the vine – not vice versa. Just as the branch draws its life from the vine, so too must we draw our life directly from Jesus. Jesus will release His life into us through the Holy Spirit in the exact same way that the vine will release the life of the tree into the branches.
In one short, but incredible powerful Scripture verse, God the Father is giving all of us an incredible revelation on what can go on behind the scenes in the spiritual realm for those who are willing to work with Him in this sanctification process.
Now I will go on to describe what each one of these nine fruits are all about and give you definitions from some of the different Bible dictionaries and commentaries, thereby making it easier for you to work with the Holy Spirit once He starts to move in on you to try and impart some of these divine qualities and attributes into the core of your personality.
1. Love
If I had to rank all of the above fruits in their order of possible importance, the quality of love would have to be #1. And this is why it may have been listed as #1 fruit in the above Scripture verse.
Here are some of the different definitions on what love is from the different Bible dictionaries and commentaries:
• Unselfish, benevolent concern for another; brotherly concern; the object of brotherly concern or affection
• The self-denying, self-sacrificing, Christ-like love which is the foundation of all other graces
• Unselfish, loyal and benevolent concern for the well being of another
• The high esteem which God has for His human children and the high regard which they, in turn, should have for Him and other people
• To love, to have affection for someone; to like; to be a friend; the love of brothers for each other
One of the main messages that comes through loud and clear from studying our Bible is the extreme importance that God the Father is placing on that everyone learn how to love Him, love ourselves, love one another, and to even go as far as to be able to love our enemies and those who will try and hurt us.
However, our abilities as fallen humans to love one another is very limited. This is why it is so important for each and every Christian to work very closely with the Holy Spirit to get this fruit worked up into the core of our personalities. It is only when the love of the Holy Spirit starts to flow and enter into our personalities can we even begin to love God, love ourselves, and love one another to the degree and to the intensity that God would like to see from each one of us.
To those of you who will be entering into this sanctification process with the Lord – this quality should be listed as the #1 quality you should really attempt to put on into the core of your soul and personality. The Holy Spirit will be moving on you very early and very quickly to get this quality imparted into your mind, soul and emotions due to the extreme importance of it in your walk with the Lord.
You can be the greatest man of God and have some of the greatest gifts of God flowing through you – but if you are not walking with all of this in the spirit of love and humility, it will have all been for naught.
Monday, April 26, 2010
A Reminder
The only one who forgives and forgets our sin is Jesus. The power of the blood removes our sin as far as the east is from the west. Even when you move on in life and make changes people never forget and especially never forgive. Jesus is so faithful and loving. Jesus truly is the Lover of our soul.
3 things to remember
1. Walk in your forgiveness. Don't let your past mistakes hold you back.
2. Be a forgiver. Don't ever hold on to the past sins of others.
3. keep moving forward in the improvements you are making. don't live in the past
3 things to remember
1. Walk in your forgiveness. Don't let your past mistakes hold you back.
2. Be a forgiver. Don't ever hold on to the past sins of others.
3. keep moving forward in the improvements you are making. don't live in the past
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