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The whole of our Christian life is the life of Christ in us. Love, prayer, ministry, everything is the overflow of the life and love of Jesus Christ being lived out in us and through us. The question is, how is Jesus life lived out in me and through me? And the Bible's answer to that is by faith. By receptive faith we receive His activity, His life and His love for us, which necessarily will flow through us to God and out to others.
Being sincerely thankful to the One who provides for you will increase your love. Be thankful for everything you have. From each heartbeat to the very air you breathe. Thank God for each new morning, your family, friends, meals, protection, the bed you sleep in, and yes, be thankful for trials and tribulations, because it is during the toughest times in life when we become more Christlike.
This^
Keep yourself focused on all the good He does for you, all that He has done for you, and the love that He has for you. Keep His words in your heart and focus on them, and really think about what He says to you. And spend time praising Him, and your heart will fill with more love, affection and trust in Him.
I do it most often while I work, I have an hour walk to work and back, and I think about Him and praise Him while I work, too. And there are times where I am overcome with emotion for Him, far beyond anything like getting emotional over a scene from a movie you like, or anything meaningless like that. A real outburst of joy over the love He has for us, that He has given us everything, despite the fact that we have all rebelled against Him, many of us even scoffing and insulting Him at one point.
Keep yourself focused on all the good He does for you, all that He has done for you, and the love that He has for you. Keep His words in your heart and focus on them, and really think about what He says to you. And spend time praising Him, and your heart will fill with more love, affection and trust in Him.
I do it most often while I work, I have an hour walk to work and back, and I think about Him and praise Him while I work, too. And there are times where I am overcome with emotion for Him, far beyond anything like getting emotional over a scene from a movie you like, or anything meaningless like that. A real outburst of joy over the love He has for us, that He has given us everything, despite the fact that we have all rebelled against Him, many of us even scoffing and insulting Him at one point.
How we can love our God if we don't love our brother, Next few verses say about it, KJV.1John4;20-21,20.If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar; for he that loveth not his brother whom he has seen, how can love God whom he hath not seen? 21.And this commandment have we from Him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.
T
Luke 10:27 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind
HEART (NEW SPIRIT IN CHRIST)
From the heart comes the overflows of words and deeds. From a good heart flows good things - from a bad heart flows bad things.
LUKE 6:45
45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
EZE 36:26
"And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart."
We received a new, "good" heart when we were reborn in Jesus. The heart is the seat of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. If we walk in the spirit (our new spirit) and not in the flesh, then our hearts will naturally overflow with good words and good deeds.
SOUL (OUR NEW IDENTITY-LIFE-SELF- IS FOREMOST "CHRISTIAN")
Our soul I guess could be coined our "life". Before we came to Christ we defined our life as our Job, our occupations, our possessions ...EG) I am a lawyer, I am a mother, I am a scholar, I am a homeowner, I am a golfer etc. As Christians we offer our lives, our selves to God's service. We love Him with our soul.
LUKE 17:33
"Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it."
First and formost if we seek to love God with all our soul ... we put Him at the top of our list of priorities. We usually continue in our jobs etc ... however ... we would give them up in a heartbeat if God asked us to drop it and go out and preach the gospel in Afrika.
STRENGTH (OUR BODY IS JOINED TO CHRIST)
Our bodies are instruments for God's service ... they are also the temple for the Holy Spirit. We preserve our bodies as Holy as we can. We do not give them over easily or willingly to Sin.
1 COR 6:15
" Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid."
1COR 6:19-20
"19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."
MIND (ON THINGS ABOVE- EYES ON JESUS)
Again ... how do we love God with all our mind? We let it rest in Him ... we meditate on His word ...we surrender it to Him ... we give it to Him. We put our thoughts on things above not on earthly things.
COL 3:2-3
"Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. "
We don't allow our minds to be consumed by fears or worries ... we surrender these by trusting in Him.
Peter walked on water successfully until he took his eyes off Jesus, saw the waves, became fearful and worried ... then he began to sink. He cried out and Jesus saved him.
Luke 12:27-31
“Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! 29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well."
HEART (NEW SPIRIT IN CHRIST)
From the heart comes the overflows of words and deeds. From a good heart flows good things - from a bad heart flows bad things.
LUKE 6:45
45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
EZE 36:26
"And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart."
We received a new, "good" heart when we were reborn in Jesus. The heart is the seat of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. If we walk in the spirit (our new spirit) and not in the flesh, then our hearts will naturally overflow with good words and good deeds.
SOUL (OUR NEW IDENTITY-LIFE-SELF- IS FOREMOST "CHRISTIAN")
Our soul I guess could be coined our "life". Before we came to Christ we defined our life as our Job, our occupations, our possessions ...EG) I am a lawyer, I am a mother, I am a scholar, I am a homeowner, I am a golfer etc. As Christians we offer our lives, our selves to God's service. We love Him with our soul.
LUKE 17:33
"Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it."
First and formost if we seek to love God with all our soul ... we put Him at the top of our list of priorities. We usually continue in our jobs etc ... however ... we would give them up in a heartbeat if God asked us to drop it and go out and preach the gospel in Afrika.
STRENGTH (OUR BODY IS JOINED TO CHRIST)
Our bodies are instruments for God's service ... they are also the temple for the Holy Spirit. We preserve our bodies as Holy as we can. We do not give them over easily or willingly to Sin.
1 COR 6:15
" Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid."
1COR 6:19-20
"19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."
MIND (ON THINGS ABOVE- EYES ON JESUS)
Again ... how do we love God with all our mind? We let it rest in Him ... we meditate on His word ...we surrender it to Him ... we give it to Him. We put our thoughts on things above not on earthly things.
COL 3:2-3
"Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. "
We don't allow our minds to be consumed by fears or worries ... we surrender these by trusting in Him.
Peter walked on water successfully until he took his eyes off Jesus, saw the waves, became fearful and worried ... then he began to sink. He cried out and Jesus saved him.
Luke 12:27-31
“Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! 29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well."
T
1 John 3:23-24
"And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us."
The simpler answer to this posts question would be "believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ"
"And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us."
The simpler answer to this posts question would be "believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ"
G
1 John 3:23-24
"And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us."
The simpler answer to this posts question would be "believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ"
"And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us."
The simpler answer to this posts question would be "believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ"
C
Admit if necessary that you're lukewarm. Put on worship music, ask Him for a hug and experience His Love for you and then the Love of Christ draws you to pray for the lost, to give your life.
His kindness leads to repentance. Or get a fire and brimstone preaching and read Steve Hill if that doesn't wake you up:
https://onecanhappen.wordpress.com/...ith-his-sins-he-doesnt-make-excuses-for-them/
His kindness leads to repentance. Or get a fire and brimstone preaching and read Steve Hill if that doesn't wake you up:
https://onecanhappen.wordpress.com/...ith-his-sins-he-doesnt-make-excuses-for-them/
A very big factor in looking at scripture is the "lens" you use to view the scripture. Is it Old Covenant or New Covenant thinking based on the finished work of Jesus?
In the Old Covenant " you had to do or else"..If you do this..then I God will do that.." = conditional on the person performing
New Covenant = Jesus has done it for you which empowers you to "do"
Let's take a look at a common scripture with these 2 mindsets.
Jesus said.." If you love Me, you will keep My commandments"
Old Covenant mindset = conditional on the person "doing"..so they would read it this way.."IF you love Me you will keep My commandments"..in their mind it's saying.."Keep My commandment and you will prove you love Me."
New Covenant mindset = it's a description of who you are in Christ . they would see this as "Jesus' love is in me so I keep His commandments"..it stems out of relationship and it is not conditional but descriptive of the believer.
1 John 4:18-19 (NASB)
[SUP]18 [/SUP] There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.
[SUP]19 [/SUP] We love, because He first loved us.
Then there is more..lol..there seems to be more sometimes eh?..just what are His commandments anyway?..Be perfect as My Father in heaven is perfect?...can we possibly do that?..of course not..that is Moses 2.0
Ahhh..found His commandments
1 John 3:23-24 (NASB)
[SUP]23 [/SUP] This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.
[SUP]24 [/SUP] The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.
...the "lens" that we view scriptures greatly affects us. Religious traditions of men, philosophies of men, ..what we were told all our lives in church or in the world etc. ..all influence how we view scripture. Sometimes some of our "sacred cows" can get sacrificed and it's painful.
Colossians 2:8 (NASB)
[SUP]8 [/SUP] See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.
In the Old Covenant " you had to do or else"..If you do this..then I God will do that.." = conditional on the person performing
New Covenant = Jesus has done it for you which empowers you to "do"
Let's take a look at a common scripture with these 2 mindsets.
Jesus said.." If you love Me, you will keep My commandments"
Old Covenant mindset = conditional on the person "doing"..so they would read it this way.."IF you love Me you will keep My commandments"..in their mind it's saying.."Keep My commandment and you will prove you love Me."
New Covenant mindset = it's a description of who you are in Christ . they would see this as "Jesus' love is in me so I keep His commandments"..it stems out of relationship and it is not conditional but descriptive of the believer.
1 John 4:18-19 (NASB)
[SUP]18 [/SUP] There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.
[SUP]19 [/SUP] We love, because He first loved us.
Then there is more..lol..there seems to be more sometimes eh?..just what are His commandments anyway?..Be perfect as My Father in heaven is perfect?...can we possibly do that?..of course not..that is Moses 2.0
Ahhh..found His commandments
1 John 3:23-24 (NASB)
[SUP]23 [/SUP] This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.
[SUP]24 [/SUP] The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.
...the "lens" that we view scriptures greatly affects us. Religious traditions of men, philosophies of men, ..what we were told all our lives in church or in the world etc. ..all influence how we view scripture. Sometimes some of our "sacred cows" can get sacrificed and it's painful.
Colossians 2:8 (NASB)
[SUP]8 [/SUP] See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.
G
Its funny when you say "Be perfect as My Father in heaven is perfect?...can we possibly do that?..of course not..that is Moses 2.0"
because a long time ago I read 1Peter 1:16 because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy."
and I thought to myself how in the world am I going to do that, then I learnt that GODs spirit dwells in us and Php 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
because a long time ago I read 1Peter 1:16 because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy."
and I thought to myself how in the world am I going to do that, then I learnt that GODs spirit dwells in us and Php 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
You are right...only in Christ can we be perfect in the Father's eyes.
Jesus gave Moses 2.0 to show us our need for Him alone. He alone is the perfect One and we are in Him.
It is obvious from scripture that we are to walk out the holiness that is already in us in Christ..in our inner man..the new creation.
There is a difference between us as a person being "set apart" ( sanctified in our spirit ) and "setting apart " ( sanctifying ) our behavior outwardly to reflect our true self in the Lord now. It's definitely a process!.
1 Peter 1:15-16 (NASB)
[SUP]15 [/SUP] but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior;
[SUP]16 [/SUP] because it is written, "YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY."
The question remain..is it us doing it by our own self-effort?..or the life of Christ with His fruit bearing in and through our lives.
Jesus gave Moses 2.0 to show us our need for Him alone. He alone is the perfect One and we are in Him.
It is obvious from scripture that we are to walk out the holiness that is already in us in Christ..in our inner man..the new creation.
There is a difference between us as a person being "set apart" ( sanctified in our spirit ) and "setting apart " ( sanctifying ) our behavior outwardly to reflect our true self in the Lord now. It's definitely a process!.
1 Peter 1:15-16 (NASB)
[SUP]15 [/SUP] but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior;
[SUP]16 [/SUP] because it is written, "YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY."
The question remain..is it us doing it by our own self-effort?..or the life of Christ with His fruit bearing in and through our lives.