Random Thoughts

  • Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app. You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music.

    If you are a Christian and need encouragement and fellowship, we're here for you! If you are not a Christian but interested in knowing more about Jesus our Lord, you're also welcome! Want to know what the Bible says, and how you can apply it to your life? Join us!

    To make new Christian friends now around the world, click here to join Christian Chat.
S

SilentScript

Guest
#1
There are so many things that distract us from realizing our Father’s loving presence. Practical life and “responsibilities” constantly compete for our affection. “You shall have no other gods before Me.” What does this mean? What does it mean to have a “god” before the One true God? Could it be that the things we prioritize our affections in are the very things we have elevated to this status?

What does it mean to give God His proper place? Is it not that He alone should consume our thought processes and be placed first above any other responsibility? “Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness…” I ponder the words written to the Colossians, “Set not your affections upon the things of earth…” (Col. 3:1-2). Yet so many of us remain in the realm of unstable alternative reality, captivated by the illusion of practical life and a collage of responsibilities that society has allowed to be conjured up on behalf of the kingdom of man.

Who are we taught by and where do we learn a reality that differs from God’s? Is it not those who represent life to us as we grow? We learn from parents, teachers, bosses, fellow peers, and even social media. We spend our lives trying to measure up to that which is deemed to be acceptable. What do we offer this world? Many of us are only called upon because of functionality. We are “good” at doing something. The world around us is based upon performance. No wonder why so many of us believe that salvation depends upon a particular set of scripture fulfillment. So many of us believe that the teaching of Christ are guidelines for us to aspire to live out and fail to realize that His teachings are nothing more than a description of the Life His birth in us will bring. The teaching of Christ is for the Life that God put into each of us, not for each of us to try and stack up to and be. Godliness is a culture, not aspirations sought by human effort.

While reflecting upon my conduct over the last week, I questioned what had happened to my reckless abandonment to Christ. In the place where God’s Love should have been found was nothing but my own formulations and opinions about those around me. Just as Peter had entered into hypocrisy with the Jews of his time (as described by Paul), so I found myself not being far off from the same. Now I understand what Jesus meant when He said, “Anyone who would come after me and does not hate his father, mother, wife, children, yes, even his own life he cannot be my disciple.”

I never want to be counted among those of whom the prophet Isaiah wrote, “These people honour Me with their lips but their hearts are far from Me. Their teachings are but the doctrine of men…” Where is our affection? Can Christ Love those around us as He so longs to by way of His temple? I wonder how much longer it will be before we realize that we not really loving people around us, rather it is Christ alone. But what about “Love your enemies…” where does this fit in? When we realize that the person we consider an “enemy” is nothing more than an alternative version of someone created in Christ, it becomes easy to love. “…Christ is all and is in all…” (Col. 3:11). So now we should no longer regard anyone from a “worldly” perspective, rather, from Christ’s perspective (2 Co. 5:16). “…Be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” who loves them. Likewise, loving from the heart means that God allows us to see the image of God within those whom we love. We are to love

May we abandon everything for the sake of Christ and may His life in us be our only reality as we witness what He does with the hands we once thought to be our own. To Him be the glory forever… Amen.
 

grace

Senior Member
Sep 8, 2006
1,064
11
0
51
#2
I LOVE your post! I hope it is a real challenge to people, myself included. Thanks so much for sharing it.
 
A

amorelife

Guest
#3
Thanks for posting this. It has put somethings I myself was pondering and going through into perspective. As words from one persons lips sink into another's heart. God bless.
 
A

Aliciaforjesus

Guest
#4
There are so many things that distract us from realizing our Father’s loving presence. Practical life and “responsibilities” constantly compete for our affection. “You shall have no other gods before Me.” What does this mean? What does it mean to have a “god” before the One true God? Could it be that the things we prioritize our affections in are the very things we have elevated to this status?

What does it mean to give God His proper place? Is it not that He alone should consume our thought processes and be placed first above any other responsibility? “Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness…” I ponder the words written to the Colossians, “Set not your affections upon the things of earth…” (Col. 3:1-2). Yet so many of us remain in the realm of unstable alternative reality, captivated by the illusion of practical life and a collage of responsibilities that society has allowed to be conjured up on behalf of the kingdom of man.

Who are we taught by and where do we learn a reality that differs from God’s? Is it not those who represent life to us as we grow? We learn from parents, teachers, bosses, fellow peers, and even social media. We spend our lives trying to measure up to that which is deemed to be acceptable. What do we offer this world? Many of us are only called upon because of functionality. We are “good” at doing something. The world around us is based upon performance. No wonder why so many of us believe that salvation depends upon a particular set of scripture fulfillment. So many of us believe that the teaching of Christ are guidelines for us to aspire to live out and fail to realize that His teachings are nothing more than a description of the Life His birth in us will bring. The teaching of Christ is for the Life that God put into each of us, not for each of us to try and stack up to and be. Godliness is a culture, not aspirations sought by human effort.

While reflecting upon my conduct over the last week, I questioned what had happened to my reckless abandonment to Christ. In the place where God’s Love should have been found was nothing but my own formulations and opinions about those around me. Just as Peter had entered into hypocrisy with the Jews of his time (as described by Paul), so I found myself not being far off from the same. Now I understand what Jesus meant when He said, “Anyone who would come after me and does not hate his father, mother, wife, children, yes, even his own life he cannot be my disciple.”

I never want to be counted among those of whom the prophet Isaiah wrote, “These people honour Me with their lips but their hearts are far from Me. Their teachings are but the doctrine of men…” Where is our affection? Can Christ Love those around us as He so longs to by way of His temple? I wonder how much longer it will be before we realize that we not really loving people around us, rather it is Christ alone. But what about “Love your enemies…” where does this fit in? When we realize that the person we consider an “enemy” is nothing more than an alternative version of someone created in Christ, it becomes easy to love. “…Christ is all and is in all…” (Col. 3:11). So now we should no longer regard anyone from a “worldly” perspective, rather, from Christ’s perspective (2 Co. 5:16). “…Be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” who loves them. Likewise, loving from the heart means that God allows us to see the image of God within those whom we love. We are to love

May we abandon everything for the sake of Christ and may His life in us be our only reality as we witness what He does with the hands we once thought to be our own. To Him be the glory forever… Amen.
This word is true, the Lord has taught me this!
This did not come from going to church.
This came from the Lord being revealed.

Faith and love.

Love fulfills the whole law, and is obeying God, and is the true fruit of knowing and obeying Him.

This is what the church and the body of Christ has lost focus on. Not very many obey God, and Love!

So how many of them really know Him?

I tell you, it's the ones who Love!

God is Love and those that are of God Love everyone,
Not just the ones who love us!
We love even our enemies,
We do as Jesus did, show people LOVE!
I pray that God blesses you even more, and uses you to win souls for His Kingdom with the truth He has revealed to You.
Let it multiply!

I see God using you to put meaning back into a body that has become a clanging symbol, for they lack Love!

they do not know the truth, they think they are doing God a service but they lack the understanding of what salvation is, and what we are to do, Love!

I just pray for a double blessing in your life, be filled with the Joy and peace of God so that it can over flow, and spill like a rageing river to others.

The Lord is coming back soon!

We are to Love, nothing will do!

Jesus and Love, Father and love!

LOVE LOVE LOVE any thing else is not of God.

Thank you for your words.
 
S

sweetie36

Guest
#5
This is a good Post. I want to say I LOVE JESUS!!!!!! WIth All my Heart.
Jesus Is alwys with us........