Blessings in Christ Jesus! When one comes to the end of themselves, that is when The Lord begins. That is when we are able to do all that He has asked of us. It is He that loves through us as One. It is His design and it is perfect, for He is perfect. You are not alone in this, there are many. And for these He patiently awaits. "Come to me and I shall give you rest".
In an odd dither this morning
- Thread starter stunnedbygrace
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Hello,
My understanding of God's redemptive plan is for people to walk the length and breadth of God's intended earth. Now my understanding of what God had said to Abraham in Genesis !2:1 is paraphrased this way: -
Then in Genesis 13:14-17, God said the following to Abraham: -
Now in this passage there are two parts: -
And yes that means that we, as Abraham's descendants, whether we are natural or grafted, living our lives in both holiness and righteousness to the best of our abilities with a willingness to repent of our not meeting the mark of both holiness and righteousness as we walk within God's earth during our individual lifetimes.
When we consider Abraham's life we can see where he failed to meet God's standards in holiness and righteous, but because he "believed" God's promises to him, God countered it as righteous towards Abraham future inheritance of the earth.
We to can receive the same promises from God as a natural or grafted descendant of Abraham if we believe God's promises to us and live to the best of our ability within His requirements for the fulfilment of the promised future inheritance of the whole earth in communion with God, walking and talking with Him face to face.
What does this mean? We are to walk with God as we live out our lives during this present time.
That does not mean that we are to beat ourselves up when we fall short of the mark, i.e. sin, but when we recognise that we have fallen short of the mark, that we go with a repentant heart back to God and repent of our "sins" to Him asking for forgiveness. And to ask for His help to accept the Holy Spirit within our lives to guide us as we communion with the Holy Spirit as we start the walk once more within God's "earth."
If our hearts are towards serving God in all that we do, even when we fail to do so, God's Grace will abound towards us as we reach out to grab His hand once more to walk with Him.
Shalom
My understanding of God's redemptive plan is for people to walk the length and breadth of God's intended earth. Now my understanding of what God had said to Abraham in Genesis !2:1 is paraphrased this way: -
12:1 Now the Lord had said to Abram:
"Get out/Walk away from of your country,
From your family
And from your father's house,
To/And go walk towards a land/an earth that I will show you.
From your family
And from your father's house,
To/And go walk towards a land/an earth that I will show you.
Then in Genesis 13:14-17, God said the following to Abraham: -
Genesis 13:14-17: – 14 And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: "Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are — northward, southward, eastward, and westward; 15 for all the land/earth, which you see, {that} I will give to you and to your descendants forever/for a long period of time {which is at the vanishing point in the future}. 16 And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered. 17 Arise, walk in the land/about the{/my} earth, through its length and its width, for I give it to you/for Me to give it."
Now in this passage there are two parts: -
The first is the promise of giving the land which Abraham had seen during his lifetime to his descendants after him some time in the future which is called the Promised Land for a finite period of time.
The second is about the inheritance of the earth for Abraham and his descendants if they will walk the length and breadth of God's Earth, within the constraints of God's "statutes," so that, at some future time, the descendants of Abraham who walk within the constraints of God "statutes," will receive as an inheritance, the Earth as God intended it to be.
The second is about the inheritance of the earth for Abraham and his descendants if they will walk the length and breadth of God's Earth, within the constraints of God's "statutes," so that, at some future time, the descendants of Abraham who walk within the constraints of God "statutes," will receive as an inheritance, the Earth as God intended it to be.
And yes that means that we, as Abraham's descendants, whether we are natural or grafted, living our lives in both holiness and righteousness to the best of our abilities with a willingness to repent of our not meeting the mark of both holiness and righteousness as we walk within God's earth during our individual lifetimes.
When we consider Abraham's life we can see where he failed to meet God's standards in holiness and righteous, but because he "believed" God's promises to him, God countered it as righteous towards Abraham future inheritance of the earth.
We to can receive the same promises from God as a natural or grafted descendant of Abraham if we believe God's promises to us and live to the best of our ability within His requirements for the fulfilment of the promised future inheritance of the whole earth in communion with God, walking and talking with Him face to face.
What does this mean? We are to walk with God as we live out our lives during this present time.
That does not mean that we are to beat ourselves up when we fall short of the mark, i.e. sin, but when we recognise that we have fallen short of the mark, that we go with a repentant heart back to God and repent of our "sins" to Him asking for forgiveness. And to ask for His help to accept the Holy Spirit within our lives to guide us as we communion with the Holy Spirit as we start the walk once more within God's "earth."
If our hearts are towards serving God in all that we do, even when we fail to do so, God's Grace will abound towards us as we reach out to grab His hand once more to walk with Him.
Shalom
Righteousness is doing and thinking rightly. Doing no harm, but going beyond that to positively doing good -- in words and actions. When you take your focus off yourself, this is not as difficult as it may appear. Here is what the Lord presented as righteousness IN PRACTICE (Luke 4:18,19):
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
This would not just be words but also actions.
quietthinker
Well-Known Member
I have realised if I were to see God's love in its entirety I would be a blithering mess of tears. I also have seen if I were to see the extent and real nature of my shortcomings I would also be a blithering mess.
God in his mercy reveals both in packages as I am able to process and my ability to process is contingent on my willingness to obey him, for example, I have learned that my focus on me and my interest shoots my ability to love others in the foot and not only that, it blinds me to what love actually is; it leaves me with a fantasy all the while mouthing religious stuff and compounding the deception.
The story of the Pharisee and the publican tells me that empty vessels can take filling while full ones have their reward already.
What you have stated above is worthy of much reflection.
Hidden In Him
Well-Known Member
Wonderfully put, Quiet. And absolutely. This is why I mentioned that STG appears to be in a good place right now, because He appears to be convicting her of some things.
This implies that she is able to handle it, and come away from it having grown stronger in some things she was once weaker in.
Waiting on him
Well-Known Member
This is the fast God approves of. We deal our bread to the poor. It seems to be common in this current age people are only interested in serving self.
JohnPaul
Soldier of Jehovah and Christ
This is what I need to do, I am 49 and am miserable at my current job I left my last one for, thinking I was making a right choice, I'm not talking about the job that was making me sick due to working with chemicals without protective gear, because the owner was too cheap to supply us with proper PPE, but the job I got after that one, which I left for my current one I'm at for 3 months now, biggest mistake I made.
I pray everyday.
@stunnedbygrace, you seem like a good person, just by reading your posts, I wouldn't worry too much about it, God knows you.
Waiting on him
Well-Known Member
Helen
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What a wonderful open and transparent Opening Post...I found very honest and refreshing!
So often I find Threads here all all 'heady' and very willing to talk about the bible and around God things. But walking/relational threads are far and few between.
At one time I was tied up in knots knowing the love verses ...yet there were two people ( husband and wife) which had ridden rough shod over others , they were controlling and legalistic.
I just couldn't "love" them as Jesus commanded.
Sometimes I believe we lock the Lord into our own thinking patterns.
I'd get on my knees , and I'd feel blocked from praying for others because this couple were 'on my back' and in my way when I tried.
One day I just said to God ( similar to what you have said) -
"I CANNOT do this, I can't love them, they should be judged for the hurt they have caused so many people. "
He said (what I believe someone already said above..) - "No Helen, you can't but I can ."
For days it felt no different ( there is that "feel " word again which dogs our steps!! )
I'd kneel down and through gritted teeth, I would bless them and pray for them , and for a change of heart for them etc
Then one day...it became real.
It seems that if we take by faith that God will do what we can't do , (if we only allow Him. ) And He did.
That is actually the definition of Grace in Strong's concordance :-
"God's ability in you, to do what you can't do."
Praise God for Grace!! :)
I believe it was just a good guess of your friend.
How can any many say what was written on the two tablets or how it was written...no one knows... All we know is that it was then ten commandments. There is nothing said about holiness and righteousness etc etc
It does NOT say what was on the one tablet and what was on the other.
Maybe there was also the laws of the Tabernacle on there too...we are not told. Only Moses knows, and he'd not telling
So often I find Threads here all all 'heady' and very willing to talk about the bible and around God things. But walking/relational threads are far and few between.
At one time I was tied up in knots knowing the love verses ...yet there were two people ( husband and wife) which had ridden rough shod over others , they were controlling and legalistic.
I just couldn't "love" them as Jesus commanded.
Sometimes I believe we lock the Lord into our own thinking patterns.
I'd get on my knees , and I'd feel blocked from praying for others because this couple were 'on my back' and in my way when I tried.
One day I just said to God ( similar to what you have said) -
"I CANNOT do this, I can't love them, they should be judged for the hurt they have caused so many people. "
He said (what I believe someone already said above..) - "No Helen, you can't but I can ."
For days it felt no different ( there is that "feel " word again which dogs our steps!! )
I'd kneel down and through gritted teeth, I would bless them and pray for them , and for a change of heart for them etc
Then one day...it became real.
It seems that if we take by faith that God will do what we can't do , (if we only allow Him. ) And He did.
That is actually the definition of Grace in Strong's concordance :-
"God's ability in you, to do what you can't do."
Praise God for Grace!! :)
I believe it was just a good guess of your friend.
How can any many say what was written on the two tablets or how it was written...no one knows... All we know is that it was then ten commandments. There is nothing said about holiness and righteousness etc etc
It does NOT say what was on the one tablet and what was on the other.
Maybe there was also the laws of the Tabernacle on there too...we are not told. Only Moses knows, and he'd not telling
101G
Well-Known Member
Romans 4:17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.
Waiting on him
Well-Known Member
Constant smooth seas don’t make skilled sailors.
Yes, it is like reading through those first few verses of Matthew 5 as for instance: "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth" Matt 5:5. Even if we already believe it, how does one become meek so as to inherit the earth? Go to these other words of Jesus for they show the way to meekness and the way to the love you say you are unable to "do":
"But seek ye first 1) the kingdom of God, and 2) his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Matt 6:33
So now put all of your efforts in putting those things first! When they really are, first that is, then the love and the meekness and all of the other ways to be blessed by God will all be added to you. How do you do that: How do you make them first? Different people may have different ideas on that point, but God has not made it impossible because He does want people to get there. He will help you!
Simply talk to God each day as you already do, and be certain to always emphasize your desire for His kingdom and His righteousness to be first in your seeking. Ask Him for that as per Matt 7:7-8. Don't do it one time on one day and then forget it. Do it every day and even every time, because as you continue to do it, He will continue to add to you.
I do see why I should love others. I'm not sure you're hearing me...
I went for years always rehearsing why I should be good and love and not hold grudges and forgive. And I would determine to try harder to be good. But eventually, I would fail again to be good, which would be followed by depression. At some point, I would come out of the depression with a resolve to try again. Then would come the failure at some point again and the depression.
At some point, you have to jump off that depressing and cyclical merrygoround. You have to admit that you give up and that you aren't good. The want to is there but the doing isn't. And I'd rather be honest than deceived.
I'm talking about myself, not making any statements about anyone else. I am not good and I'm certain that I will not jump on that useless merrygoround again. It's too much of a relief to just be honest. At least if I can't be good I can be truthful.
Hidden In Him
Well-Known Member
I'm not sure I'm expressing concern over the condition of my heart...I was greatly concerned about it during my many years on the merrygoround, but now, I just accept it's my heart and focus on practicing trust.
I'm thinking here...I don't think loving others is an obedience I can learn to do...i think the obedience He wants from me is the obedience of trust.
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