Saturday, January 31, 2015

*Through His Blood*

There are certain critical phrases in the New Testament that clearly explain how a sinner obtains God's so great Salvation, Redemption and Forgiveness of Sins. "Through His Blood" is one of those critical phrases. But in many of the new swiss cheese Bibles, they have omitted "Through His Blood" from Colossians 1:14.  Now, why is that?  This omission clearly reveals that something evil is at work whenever someone is led to omit "Through His Blood" from the Scriptures.

Sin always results in guilt, misery and death.  We cannot shift the blame and guilt of our sins on someone else.  At Calvary God the Father shifted the blame of our sinful thoughts, words and acts to His dear Son.  Jesus bore our sins in His body; He literally became Sin for us, and became a Curse for us, so we could be rescued from Sin's tyranny. Us sinners have to go through the Lamb of God's Precious Blood to obtain anything from God Almighty.  None of our merits or religiousness can ever do anything to help us spiritually.  Without Jesus' Blood you can do nothing.

In Whom we have Redemption, through His Blood, even the Forgiveness of sins.  *Colossians 1:14*

Redemption - to be freed from slavery to our sinful nature and particular sinful thoughts and habits through faith in the shed Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, God manifest in the flesh.  Our Redemption was costly; it cost the only begotten Son of God His very life.  The Lord Jesus Christ left the glory of Heaven, and entered into human life by being incarnated as a Jewish baby, He lived a sinless life, and then at the end, He died a bloody death on Calvary's Cross to pay the consequences due to our transgressions against God's Law.  He suffered ridicule, rejection, persecution, betrayal, abandonment, shame, being made Sin, divine wrath, and death itself in order to save our souls from the penalty our sins deserved.

Forgiveness of sins - to be freely pardoned of our guilt, to have our sin debt cancelled and forgotten for Jesus' sake.  Who can forgive sins but God only?  God has put away our sins in the Blood of Jesus Christ where they will never be found again.

Jesus of Nazareth was God manifest in the flesh; Deity in humanity. The Blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin.  The wrath of God has been poured out on Jesus, because of our sins.  The judgment is over, vengeance has been exhausted, justice has been satisfied, the atonement is finished.  Christ Jesus' bloody death paid the infinite price that was on our heads.  Through Jesus' Blood, God the Father freely forgives our sins, grants us an eternal inheritance, delivers us from the power of darkness, translates us into His kingdom, and adopt and accepts us into His family.

Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink *His Blood*, ye have no life in you (John 6:53). Being justified freely by God's grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in *His Blood*, to declare His Righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time His Righteousness: that God might be just, and the Justifier of the sinner which believeth in Jesus (Romans 3:24-26). Much more then, being now justified by *His Blood*, we shall be saved from wrath through Him (Romans 5:9). Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son: In whom we have redemption through *His Blood*, even the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:13-14).

Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which He hath purchased with *His Own Blood* (Acts 20:28). Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by *His Own Blood* Christ entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the Blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Hebrews 9:12-14)

Wherefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with *His Own Blood*, suffered without the gate (Hebrews 13:12). And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in *His Own Blood*, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father; to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen (Revelation 1:5-6).

Every sinner must be saved freely by Blood, God Incarnate's Precious Blood, Romans 3:23-25.  It is Finished, Through His Blood, Worthy is the Lamb, That is All!

God Confounds the Wise

For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the Gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the Cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For the preaching of the Cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.  For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.  Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made FOOLISH the wisdom of this world?  For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it PLEASED God by the FOOLISHNESS of preaching to save them that believe. Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.  You have an immense, unpayable sin-debt, but Jesus paid it for you when He offered up Himself on the Cross as your Substitute.  Salvation is free because of Jesus' finished work on the Cross.  Why do sinners reject the Gospel?  Because of human pride, the love of sin, and men want to be their own master and god.  Smart alecks reject Christ and wind up in Hell where we all belong.  Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.  But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.  For the wisdom of this world is FOOLISHNESS with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

God hath put down the mighty from their seat, and He hath exalted them of low degree:  He hath filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He hath sent empty away.  Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!  Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight.  Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches.  For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:  But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are.

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Down At The Cross

Now understand - God Almighty will only accept your guilty soul at the Cross for Jesus' sake.   You see, God Almighty is looking for the blood of an innocent Victim to atone for your sins, transgressions and iniquities.  The Precious Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, God manifest in the flesh, is the only thing that can reverse the Curse of sin on your soul.  Be wise, time's a wastin', prepare for the inevitable, go now to the Cross and find eternal Safety for your guilty soul.  Safety is of the Lord Jesus Christ; only His atoning blood can give you true Safety from the divine justice and vengeance that your sins deserve.  If you want the Truth, you can find Him at the Cross. Jesus came into this world to bear witness unto the truth and every one that is of the Truth heareth His voice. *John 14:6; John 18:37*

Then Pilate delivered Jesus unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led Him away.  And He bearing His cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha:  Where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.  For the preaching of the Cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. But God forbid that I should glory, save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Christ Jesus, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross.  For it pleased the Father that in Jesus should all fulness dwell; and, having made peace through the Blood of His Cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the Cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Only trust to the Atoning Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, and your soul shall live now! Believe that Jesus Christ has made a full Atonement for all your sins, and rest yourself wholly on Him, just as rest wholly upon your bed at night; likewise, with the whole weight of your being rest on Christ.  Whosoever believeth on God manifest in the flesh is not condemned."

The LORD has said, "The soul that sinneth it shall die;" "Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the law to do them." The Son of God stood in Pilate's judgment hall. He had not sinned Himself, but He has the sins of all the world imputed to Him. He has never
broken the law all of His earthly life, but all our crimes against the divine Law were laid on Him.

God the Father meets Jesus as He once met Adam in the garden of Eden, but Jesus did not hide Himself as Adam did.  Christ Jesus met stern Divine Justice face to face. Jesus of Nazareth was nailed to the Cross as the sinner's Substitute.  The infinitely Righteous Creator God must punish our sins.  The Law says Jesus is accursed, for He has our sins upon Him.  God the Father allowed His own Beloved Son be made a curse for us.  In the Garden of Gethsemane, the streaming sweat of blood started from every pore of Jesus' body, and fell in great drops upon the frosty ground that night.  The terror of the Law made Christ Jesus cry, "I am exceeding sorrowful, even unto death." Jesus stood in Gabbatha before Pilate mocked, despised, rejected; at the Roman column, torn with a scourge, and then crowned with thorns.  The Law said, "A sinner is to be despised and rejected, for the sinner is a shameful thing, worthy to be spit upon, a sinner deserves to be crowned with thorns;" Then God allowed His own dear Son to stand in the sinner's place fully met the demands of divine justice. Jesus was led away to Calvary's Cross, leaving a trail of blood up to top of Golgotha; and there His hands and feet were pierced, His soul was pierced with something worse than nails, and His heart drank the bitter cup of God's wrath toward sin.  Jesus' soul was the object of God's punishment.  There Jesus' soul died within Him because God the Father forsook Him in those dark hours.  Then Jesus cried, "Eloi! Eloi!
lama sabachthani?" God executed the stern and dreadful eternal death sentence on Jesus' soul on account of our sins. "Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree." The Cross show to the fullest degree how much God hates Sin, for there He with Vengeance pursued iniquity where He found Sin laid on His Son.  It was never His sins, but our sins were laid upon Him, yet God spared not his own Son. Look to the Cross and see that Christ Jesus was smitten of God and afflicted, because the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed, and you will see clearly see that JEHOVAH does not take sin lightly.

Instantaneous free forgiveness of sins and irreversible Eternal Life is now available at the Cross to the poor in spirit who place childlike faith in the Blood and Righteousness of the Lamb of God.  Down at the Cross where my Savior bled and died, down where for cleansing from Sin I cried, there to my guilty heart was the Precious Blood applied, Glory to the Lord Jesus Christ's holy name. Jesus loved me, only because He loved me; there is nothing good in me that could ever merit His forgiveness and mercy.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the Name which is above every name. My tongue will speak of His Righteousness and of His Praise all the day long.  Christ Jesus is all my Righteousness and Praise.  In Jesus I will boast all the day long and praise His dear name for ever.  I will speak well of His name, and sound out His glory while I have my being.  The Crucified Creator has been so merciful and preserved me all my life long until this day.  I will testify of my Redeemer, and His bleeding love to me, for on the cruel Cross He suffered, from the curse of Sin to see me free.  I am so wondrously saved from Sin, because there at the Cross, Jesus took me in.  O Precious Blood that saves from sin, I am so thankful you have cleansed me within.  I will tell out the Gospel story, how my lost estate to save, in Jesus' boundless love and mercy, He the Ransom freely gave.

Christ Jesus laid down His sinless life to save my guilty soul from Sin.  Once I was lost in sin's degradation, Jesus came down to bring me His free and full Salvation, He lifted me up from my sorrow and shame, and now I belong to Him, not for the years of time alone, but for all Eternity.  My heart is sometimes heavy, but Jesus comes with sweet relief, He holds to His bosom when I droop with blighting grief; I love the Lord Jesus Christ who all my sins in His body bore; each day He grows still sweeter than He was the day before.

All glory and praise to the Lamb that was slain, who has borne all my sins and cleansed every sin stain. The Holy Spirit gently pointed me to Jesus' nailprints, and patiently showed me that especially for me Jesus' blood was shed; a mocking crown so thorny was placed upon His innocent head; I wondered what Jesus saw in sinful me, to suffer such deep agony.  But then Jesus said to me, "I've found thee, now thou art Mine."  I've never heard a sweeter Voice; it made my aching heart rejoice.  When I was poor and needy and all alone, in Love Jesus said to me, "Come unto Me, and I'll lead you Home, to live with Me eternally."

I've found a Friend who is all to me, His love is ever true; I love to tell how He rescued me, and what His saving grace can do for you.  I've found a Friend, O such a Friend!  He bled, He died to save me; and not alone the free gift of eternal life, but His own self He gave me.  I don't know about you, but I will go to my grave trusting only to the Precious Blood of God manifest in the flesh. You are a sinner, and you can't shake Sin without Christ. The cure for sin is Free of charge. Salvation is not for sale, because it has already been purchased by the Blood of Christ Jesus.  Neglect Christ at your own peril.  Now remember - God Almighty will only accept your guilty soul at the Cross for Jesus' sake.

P.S. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain!

Monday, January 19, 2015

The Crucified Creator

A real sinner's hope is only found in the Incarnate, Crucified, and Risen Creator. This is the Gospel, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, for if you do not believe this Good News, you will incur the wrath of God, and prove that you are lost, and under the influence of the devil himself. You have run headlong off into everything that is evil. You are without strength to do anything that is good and right. It is a little hell on earth to live on rebelliously in your sin and misery. This is the Gospel of Christ: if you believe it, your soul shall be saved; if you reject Christ, you shall be eternally damned. By sinning, you have written out your own death warrant. Flee from the wrath to come!

Sin is the root of all your problems. You reject Christ to your own destruction. Make no bones about it - if you try to untie all the knots of the skeptics, they will only tie you some more. Stick to publishing the Crucified Creator. The fallacy of mortal reasoning will only land you in hell. You are certainly lost and have an awful future without Christ as your Savior. Christ died for the ungodly; you are ungodly, so that means He definitely died for you. Come along to the Savior who freely justified the guilty through His Righteousness. If what did for sinners on the Cross will not save a sinner, I am damned for sure; for I have nothing else to depend upon; but if Christ's blood will save, and I am sure it does, I am saved as surely as Christ has risen from the dead. This is the root of the matter - Christ Jesus saves sinners, and we trust Him. Your sins can only be forgiven by the grace of God in Christ. Look now to the Bleeding Lamb, and your guilty conscience will be pacified. Humble yourself. Do not try to make out that you are good. Miserable sinners are simply bidden to trust in the Living Savior. The Gospel Message is all of Mercy, and is only directed toward those sinners whose only claim is their need of the Savior.

The Gospel is plain and simple. The Glorious Gospel reveals the perfect and finished work of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is God manifest in the flesh (I Timothy 3:16), the eternal Son of the Father, by whom all things were made, for whom all things were created, and through whom they continue to exist. When we were His enemies, He came to us with His salvation, and reconciled us to God by His blood. The Son of the Highest came down to earth in infinite Pity, He took on our nature, and was virgin born as a Jewish baby in Bethlehem, He was truly man as He was assuredly God. God became a man to reconcile God to sinful men. The Creator put on flesh so that He could have mercy on guilty sinners. The offended One died for the offender; Who His own self bare our sin in His own body on the tree. The Lord God became Immanuel - God with us. Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given, and His name shall be called Wonderful.

All things were made by Jesus Christ; and without Him was not any thing made that was made. He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. He came unto His own, and His own received him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name. For by Christ were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him: And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist. Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created. WORTHY IS THE LAMB that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing!

JESUS laid aside His divine glory. The mighty God dwelt here on earth among common men, preaching and teaching, working miracles of mercy, showing Himself compassionate and gentle. He humbly received to Himself the lowest and basest and least of the people. His whole life was Good News. It was a miracle that God Himself should dwell among men, and was found in fashion as a man.  The God that hates sin came down to earth to die in the sinner's place. Amazing love, how can it be, that thou My God shouldst die for me. He was patient, gentle, self-sacrificing, just and true. He was without sin, and He never knew sin. And in due time He gave Himself for our sins, making an offering of His soul, flesh, and blood as a Propitiation for the guilt of every man. Jesus bled out His life for His enemies. By the grace of God Jesus tasted death for every man. Look to the Cross, see there God in human flesh - bleeding, suffering, dying. The wrath of God is only appeased by the death and blood of Jesus. Come on to the Cross as a guilty sinner, ask for free pardon through Christ's precious blood. Rest upon the Substitution of the Son of God, repose in the completeness of His Atonement.

Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane and was oppressed with our load of guilt till a bloody sweat came from Him. He bore our enormous load of SIN up to the Cross all alone, and was nailed and hung there in agonies of death, deserted by His Father, dying the Just for the unjust to bring us to God. He was obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross. This is the Gospel of Substitution, that Jesus was judged in the sinner's place and bore in the sinner's stead what was due to the divine justice and law of God on account of human sin. A real sinner's hope is only found in the Incarnate, Crucified, and Risen God. No better news ever came to a sinner than that the Incarnate God bore man's sins and died in the sinner's place. He that died for sinners was buried and is now risen from the dead, and ascended up into glory and sits at His Father's right hand. Jesus is now able to save sinners to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them. Christ is All. This is the Gospel of the glory of Christ. Christ is the Great Mediator between the holy God and sinful man. God's love, mercy, and blood can wash the vilest sinner clean. If you are burdened with your sin, look now to the Sin-Bearer, and your deadly burden will be gone. The Great Sufferer died for you. Jesus came to save lost sinners just like you. You reject Christ at your own peril.

The Gospel is most plain and clear. The fact of the Savior's Atonement is plain enough for a child to understand. Jesus suffering in my place is a simple matter of truth. All the merits of Christ's finished work comes to you simply by believing in HIM. What is believing? Well, it is trusting, depending, leaning hard upon, and relying completely upon Christ's Person and Blood - that is all. There is nothing hard about that. The fact that the true and living God was made flesh and died to save sinners. Be still, and Simply trust Jesus. Simple trust in the Great Atonement. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, and whosoever believeth in HIM shall not perish, but have everlasting life. Jesus only! Become altogether dependent upon JESUS. A man who trusts Christ will not remain a lover of sin. The religious world constantly tries to hide and bury the Gospel beneath human performances and ceremonies. Satan blinds the minds of men today, so that they cannot see the crystal clear Gospel. The devil hoodwinks the sinner with fear of ridicule. Sinful pride and the love of sin perverts the discernment and judgment of your heart. Unbelief slowly hardens the human heart. The mercy of God is only for sinners full of demerit, unworthiness, worthlessness. The Gospel is only for the guilty, the unrighteous, the underserving. Salvation is not of human merit, but of divine Grace.

If you neglect Christ, the devil is your father and master, and you will soon be condemned with him to the lake of fire. The man that believes not on Jesus Christ is a lost man under the wrath of God. While you remain among the unbelieving world, you are perishing, and the devil has you blindfolded. Only the Holy Spirit can reach your conscience and truly convict you of your Christ rejection. Jesus is the only One that a sinner can trust to, and yet you still reject Him. It is the simplest thing in all the world to trust in Christ, but you still refuse to do that simple thing. Insane pride damns every Christ rejector. The devil throws his dust into your eyes, so you can't see the beauty of the Savior, of sins forgiven, of adoption into God's family, and the certainty of eternal life. He that believes in JESUS is saved on the spot, and saved eternally. Yield yourself up to Jesus. Trust the Savior, rely on the Incarnate, Crucified and Risen God - trust HIM at once. All your sins will disappear the instant you look to the wounded and bleeding God on Calvary's Cross. Jesus takes care of every soul who puts their trust in HIM.

Friday, January 9, 2015

The Glorious Gospel of Christ

Every man is in a very precarious predicament called Sin.  Sin can never go without punishment.  Come now to the Cross by simple Faith, look up to the Savior, rely only upon His precious blood.  Fix your trust on the Lamb of God's finished work, obedience, perfection, sufferings and bloody death.  Trust in Emmanuel's great Atonement for human sin.  Divine justice was satisfied and the grace of God was magnified at Calvary's Cross.  Come now to the one Blood Sacrifice which God Himself in the person of Jesus of Nazareth has provided for helpless sinners.  Christ Jesus is the one Propitiation for human sin, and by His bloody death on the Cross, He has made full Atonement for my guilt.  The dreadful storm of divine judgment is coming, but you can be safe beneath the Shelter of the Atonement that Jesus offered upon Calvary.  Whosoever believeth in Jesus is saved freely forever.  Look away from yourself to Christ's great substitutionary sacrifice, to the full Atonement He made, to the utmost Ransom He paid.

The glorious Gospel of the blessed God is, that the Lord Jesus Christ, God manifest in the flesh, suffered in the place of all sinners, and that He endured what I personally ought to have endured for my sins which I committed against God.  Jesus the Son of God made an Atonement to God the Father for all my sins.  The simple act of relying upon Jesus as your Substitute and Savior puts away your guilt and sins forever.  The Lamb of God's Atonement puts away the vindictive justice of God forever.  This man Christ Jesus, after He had offered one Sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God.  Jesus really did die to pay for your sins' penalty.  Jesus really did die for me, I have trusted to Him alone, and now all my sins are gone, because He was punished for my sins as the perfect Substitute in my place.  My sins were imputed to Jesus, He died to put them all away, and now His Righteousness is reckoned as my Righteousness.  This is the wonderful transfer.

Jesus took all the consequences of my sins' guilt.  I have free eternal life through God's precious promises and blood.  Free justification is available to the ungodly and guilty who believe in Jesus' precious person and blood.  Full forgiveness is available right now through childlike faith in the Savior's Precious Blood.  Christ kept the Law for you, and He also suffered the extreme Penalty due to that Law too.  Christ is my Substitute - He fulfilled the Law's demands through His perfect obedience in His life, and He suffered the Law's utmost penalty by His bloody death upon the Cross, and now whosoever believeth in Jesus is justified freely forever, because of what He did for sinners.

Jesus placed Himself between the wrath of God and the sinner.  The inflexible divine Justice of God concentrated all of its fierce wrath on the Son of God; it all fell on Him and was absorbed by Him so I could be saved by His grace and mercy.  Jesus suffered that I may not suffer; He died that I may live forever; He was punished so I could be freely forgiven.  Jesus bore our sins in His own body on the tree, and His innocent soul was crushed under divine vengeance against human sin.

Be wise - seek Shelter beneath the shadow of the Rock from the fierce hot rays of God's wrath, and your defenseless soul can receive perfect protection in Jesus.  God punished Christ for my sins instead of me.  Christ my Substitute suffered especially and personally for me.  He took all of my guilt, and suffered all that I ought to have suffered on account of my sins.  Jesus stood in the sinner's place, and suffered what was due to the sinner (me), even the curse and wrath of God.

Jesus' sufferings and death fully satisfied divine justice and the Law of God for all my evil thoughts, words and deeds.  Fly to the Savior at once for Safety; seek ye the Lord Jesus Christ while He may be found, call upon His name while He is near.  Trust implicitly to the Cross of Jesus, and put all your reliance on His merits, sufferings, wounds and blood.  Jesus bore all the wrath of God on account of my sins.  Christ Jesus really did suffer in my place as my Substitute.  Only Jesus can save men from their sin's penalty, and redeem them from sin's awful slavery.  Look now to Christ Jesus, the glorious Incarnate God, the Surety, the Satisfaction, the Mediator.  Hold to the Crucified Incarnate God.

Saturday, January 3, 2015

Behave - A Bible Word

*Behave* is a Bible word - And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the Lord was with him. Wherefore when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he was afraid of him. *I Samuel 18:14-15* I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. *Psalm 101:2* I was also upright before the LORD, and I kept myself from mine iniquity. *Psalm 18:23* Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his mother: my soul is even as a weaned child. *Psalm 131:2* Charity doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil. *I Corinthians 13:5* Ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe. *I Thessalonians 2:10* For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you. II Thessalonians 3:7*
When I was a little boy, one of my babysitters was a Christian lady, Ms. Mary Lou Burke. She used to always tell us, "You boys better behave." If we didn't behave, she used to have a little leather belt that hung on a nail on the door facing as you entered her kitchen. If Ms. Mary Lou had to resort to the belt, you didn't forget it.
Well, I'm almost 50 years old now, and I'm still trying to "behave" from day to day. But now thank God, I'm born again, and I have the Holy Spirit living within me to "help" me think and behave as I should. But I still struggle with my thoughts and actions from day to day. One of the true indicators that you have been born again is that you have an inward conflict with your sin nature. Bottom line: Sin always complicates life. Yield to the Holy Spirit, sin less, behave more, and Joy will surely follow. Divine Joy visits those folks who *behave* for Jesus' sake.
P.S. Christ Jesus loves you more than you'll ever know.