I love all of you guys with heart-felt appreciation, and I love to banter as well in the Lord with you, but I see a trend developing here that my spirit is troubled by, and also in my behavior, for I have participated as well in the same way I must confess..
Avoiding the important for the less important, and even the wrong dubbed in humor. We are free indeed, but not to do as we please, but to do as is real in the economy of God, otherwise we are living in a false truth, or lie. This phrase and the idea of "'I' win" fun has begun to encompass this threads motivation in posting and it has no saltiness in the Lord for me. I am not saying I cannot separate the difference from fun and seriousness, what I am saying is that I cannot separate myself from what is more important to God and what isn't. Its just that simple as to where He is carrying me.
I love you all here dearly, and I love my Lord more, but we need to see what practicing something does in our character...for practice does not make perfect; practice simply makes permanent. God's principle in reality is that the first shall be last and the last first in His economy of self, even in Him, for we are to seek first the Kingdom of God and in it the power of His love and life. That he who finds his life will lose it, and that to yield to the authority of Christ is our life.
I cannot escape this principle even for a moment without a burden to my inner most self. I just look at many of these posts and I begin to see a theme developing .... playful disguising of self-awareness with a theme of fellowship. And I want not to hand the enemy any ground here. I felt the need to speak in sober judgement according to what His Word and the Holy Spirit speaks to my heart. It would have been easy to think these thoughts and move on ... but He would have me speak in love.
I hope we continue to have a blast here, but I pray we are not distracted in our walk with Him in any way is all. May God be blessed in everything we do.
I'm reminded of the premise we stand on in Him - that God’s glory and kingdom are His, so He is free to lavish goodness on anyone He pleases. If someone feels jealous because her friend’s husband seems nicer than her husband, or because another’s brother works no harder than he does but somehow earns far more money, or because another’s classmate who has the intelligence of a sponge always seems to get better grades, then God’s generosity will indeed undo all we have come to know and expect. This seems unrelated almost to my point doesn't it? But it isn't, for when we seek to even play in taking over for self, we can see how it begins to become permanent in our lives thru our thinking.
I know some will say this is not our intent, and I believe this is true; that it is not our original intent. But we must practice reality in God's economy and in His relationship thru righteousness always or we will be subtly slid aside from His finishing work in us, for practice makes permanent.
There was a study done that the most important thing about a relationship that binds it is time spent together. This supports the premise that practicing purity produces a keen relationship to it; whereas practicing false realities, even when it is unknown to be so in us, bonds us closer to it as well. Satan is aware of this, and loves to paint a pretty picture of almost godliness in many ways. But I desire Satan to not have any part of this thread in Jesus Name. And this is my prayer - Amen!
Let it be so, as we Fellowship away! .. To God be the glory!