The Path of the Wise

Proverbs 4:13 "Take fast hold of instruction;let her not go:Keep her;for she is thy life".

The bible says "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord",but how are they ordered?We must seek His instructions in His word and be lead by His spirit.It is when we are obedient to God's word that we are the good man whose steps are ordered by God,for he ordered all steps, but not all obey His orders.Daily wisdom is available in God's word through meditating and memorizing.But most of all, we have to take it seriously,placing it deep inside our hearts and believing this is the only way to conduct our lives.Those who study and practice God's word experience contentment and his peace.

If God's word is deep within the heart,the lips will pour out truth.No speaking against God,no use of profane expressions, foolishness,slandering,arguing,nor bragging.Your eyes will be fixed on Jesus,with no time for looking to the left or the right.Those who name God as Father should have their feet firmly on God's path,not making rash decision or falling off the path into various temptations.But how do we keep to the path when there are so many stumbling block?Well the perfect path is always the one that follows God's instruction.If we stray onto another path,His instructions can lead us to where we need to be.As the psalmist said,"your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path".When we get out of His light, we stumble hopelessly in darkness.In light of His instructions,we can pay attention to and examine our steps.

Solomon was led astray by keeping close company with those who worshiped idols.This moved his heart away from God, so he advised,keep your distance from those who do cause evil and from evil doers,stay away from those who oppose God's agenda.When people you are around don't want to walk on God's path, pray for them and continue on alone if need be,don't be led astray.Do you find yourself stumbling in some area of life?Do you need to regain your footing? Take hold to God's instruction,and don't let her Go, for she is your life.

Jesus: Our Strength in the Lord

Zechariah 10:12 "And I will strengthen them in the Lord;and they shall walk up and down in his name, saith the Lord".

Every man needs strength.We ask for daily bread:and we ask for it as a means for renewing our strength.We need strength to deliever us from evil,and for the forgiveness of our trespasses.On this Christian journey there are certain things to be done,certain things to be endured,things to be resisted, which can only be performed,borne,and stood against,by the power of God.Lack of strength is more serious than lack of any outward possession.A weak rich man is far worse position than a strong poor man.Every man needs strength;but no man has within him strength equal to the demands that are made upon him.

The Christian is no exception to this rule.He needs strength.His conversion was not translated to inactivity,he has to now be a doer.Our work is not the ceaseless singing of psalms, while we kick back in green pastures,and lounge by the still waters.When we lie in green pasture it is because we are wearied and we lie down that we may rise again a stronger man,to enter upon a more fierce fight,and to do harder work.We rest not for the sake of resting ,but that we might do more work.But our strength can only come from our being strengthen.Jesus is our strength,and when we are weak he is strong.He makes us to lie down in green pastures.God through Jesus gives us that which we need at the time when we need it, a never ending supply of strength,to overcome, to endure, to perserver,to conquor,to withstand, to stand, to walk upright, to love, to give and forgive.The born again true blood washed believer is never left without the strenght he needs to accomplish the work set before him.Our strength lies within our faith in Jesus.

Our text tells us that God will strengthen us through Jesus Christ,that we will walk worthy of His name. We will walk in the obedience of His word, the righteousness of His commands,and in accordance to His will,for Jesus has power over all flesh,so by His spirit our flesh will behave...

Endless Love

Matthew 5:44 "But I say unto you,Love your enemies,bless them that curse you,do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you,and persecute you;"

The people of Jesus' day understood loving their neighbors,but they did not understand loving their enemies.To them it was alright to hate the enemies,but Jesus taught just the opposite.If someone is being mistreated,how can the hurting party show love?First of all,the love spoken of here is not ordinary fleshly love,but agape love,the unconditional love that defines who God is.Once a person receives and understands that kind of Love,it over flows into a endless love for others.

Jesus gave practical ways  to love the enemy,He said to bless them,pray for them and do them good.The Gospel in a word is Love.Unbelievers may turn their backs on what we say about Christ,but it's hard to resist the love of Christ.This Love is why Christ was willing to die to save us.His motive had nothing to do with the character of the people he died for.Isreal's worthless shepherds,her religious leaders,had successfully bargined with the Roman authorities for Christ death.A mob rejected Him,asking that they release to them a murder in Barabas.He was betrayed by His own for money,abandoned by others and even denied by one close to Him.Jesus was sworn at, spit upon,and made fun of.He was so badly beaten before He was finally nailed to the cross that he was almost unrecognizable.Yet he said "forgive them Father for they know not what they do".Paul explained the endless love of God this way;"When we were still powerless,Christ died for the ungodly."But God demonstarted his love for us in this:That While we were yet sinners,Christ died for Us."

Let us who profess to be like Christ display the same endless love to other that Christ shared with us. Let us now show the world what Christ looks like ,by allowing the world to see Christ through our lives.Got Jesus? Prove it , let me see him in your life...

The Heart of The new Man

Colossians 3:15 "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts,to the which also ye are called in one body;and be ye thankful".(read 15-17)

When a new life enters the world,a new heart enters the world.There is no life apart from a heart,a new life necessitates a new heart.When we become a new,born another, along with that new birth come a new heart.See the new man, must have a new heart ruled by the peace of God.He is to let Christ,the peace of God rule in all things and differences.The word "peace", means to be bound,joined,and weaved together.It means to be assured,confident and secure in th elove and care of God.It is to know that God will take care of us no matter what the problem or circumstance,to know that God will not allow anything to swamp or defeat us.But we must realize this peace lies in Christ and Christ alone,and we cannot know this peace unless and until we know and accept Christ in our new heart.It says "let the peace of God rule",this is a command and we must be obedient to experience this peace.

The believer heart must also be rich with the word of Christ,he is to let the word of Christ dwell in his heart.The choice is up to the believer,the word of Christ does not naturally dwell in our hearts.Here the word  "dwell", means to make a home,to abide or live within.We must make room within our heart for the word of Christ.We must let the word enter our hearts and be at home and make a home there.His word must dwell and abide in our heart.We must clean out all the old furnishings of our heart and let the word of Christ settle down as a permanent resident within the heart.The word must abide richly in our hearts,we cannot be satisfied with a quick visit of the word, but it must richly dwell in our hearts. Christ word must furnish our hearts with all the wealth of its commandments, and promises, instructions and warnings.

Thsi will give us a heart of service unto the Lord.As the new man is a servant,he now will have the heart of a servant, he will become a cheerful giver,a willing worker,and a faithful servant unto the Lord.All that is done is done for the glory of the Lord,the spreading of the gospel and the building of His kingdom.This is the new heart that goes with our new life in Christ..

Dressed to be like Christ

Colossians 3:12 "Put on therefore,as the elect of God,holy and beloved,bowels of mercies,kndness, humbleness of mind,meekness,longsuffering";

Once we accept Christ we have  a new life.As seen in the previous passage(read 1-14), the believer is to strip off the clothing of his old life,for they are unbecoming to his new life.Now, there are some clothes that the believer is to put on,clothes that will dress him to be like Christ.

The clothing of the elect; As believers we are the "elect of God".We are those God has chosen  to be His holy and beloved people.We were elected to be holy,to be separated, set apart for God's will.God called us out of the world and away from the old life it offered, the life of sin and death,in to a life of righteousness and eternity,so we must change clothes.We are elected to be the beloved of God,to turn away from a life of hatred of God,the old life that rejected, rebelled,ignored, denied,and was constantly cursing in the face of God.We have been called to recieve the love of God,Jesus Christ.The point is this the elect and beloved of God are those who really trust and believe Jesus Christ is their savior.It is these who live in a newness of life and have taken off the ways of the old man and have put on the clothes of the new life.

They have dressed in the clothes of Jesus Christ,taking of the ways of the old man.Putting on mercy, humility, meekness, kindness, forbearance, longsuffering and love.We must remember it is not enough just to take off the ways of the old man,we must now put on the clothes of the new man and thus walk in a newness of life, dressed to be like Christ.

Man's Concepts vs.God's Work

Colossians 2:13 "And you,being dead in your sins and uncircumcision of your flesh,hath he quickened together with him,having forgiven you all trespasses".

This scriptures discusses the concept or ideas about man and his world.It shows man's concepts against God's work in Christ.It shows how weak man's ideas are in comparison to what God has done for man in Christ.Man's concept of sin and death is far different from what the bible teaches.When man thinks of sin, he does not see it as a violation of God's law or rebellion against God.To him he thinks it is just human error,or a personal or moral flaw or a character defect.What a person calls sin depends on where he is standing,his environment,training,or beliefs.Few are willing to submit to God and confess that sin is the disobediance of God's law,a rebillion against Him, and how he intends for man to live.

Christ stands opposed to man's idea of sin and death.Jesus Christ would have never come into the world if sin and eternal death were not realities.If sin and death were not keeping men out of life here after,Jesus would have never come to earth.God would have never let His Son hang on a cross if men were not sinners and doomed to eternal damnation.The verse says "you, being dead in your sins and uncircumcision of your flesh."Man is said to be already dead, a living dead, because of sin and because he is uncircumcised; that is ,sin has not been cut out of his flesh by God. Man thinks he is living but he is fact already dead in sin,from his conception he is dying, aging, every moment.He is living in a world of death.

God quickens the believer with Christ,the word "quicken" means to make alive,to bring to life.The believer is brought to life from the dead.How? By being together with Christ.When we trust Christ ,I mean really trust him,God takes our trust and identifies us with Him.God places us together with Christ This means a most wonderful thing; it means that we were with Christ in His death and resurrection. Therefore when Christ died for our sins,we died with Him.God identifies us with Him therefore we never have to die for our sins.The penealty for sins has already been paid,Christ paid for them,thus we are forgiven our trespasses.Look at the work God did for man through Jesus Christ.

Pray For Not Against One Another

James 5:16 " Confess your faults one to another,and pray one for another that ye may be healed.The effectual fervant prayers of a righteous man availeth much".

Ultimately,the goal of prayer is to cleanse us and bring us closer to our Father as we seek to do His will in earth as a mirror of His being done in heaven.When Jesus instructed us to go into our closet to pray,He wasn't telling us to go and sic God on our enemies like we would sic our dog on an intruder,or to beg for the material things of this world,for we are not of this world. Our prayers are a holy and sacred communication between us and our Father, and it should be for the betterment of ourselves,and the world inwhich we live.

Stories have circulated on this social media and other media of people asking that Christians pray against someone or something.Some on this sight have asked that we pray against the President of the United States. Prayer is not to be used to covet what belongs to another nor to invoke vengence on others.We are commanded to bless and not to curse, to do good and not evil.Prayer is a gift, it is our opportunity to commune with our heavenly Father.Through prayer,we've been empowered to speak life and blessings,to change the course of an individual's life, to invite God's wisdom and presence into any situation, and to worship the creator.Paul instructs us to submit to and pray for those who have authority over us.We should pray for their wisdom to lead "that we might live a peaceful and quiet lives in godlessness and holiness". Paul's prayers included prayers for Nero, the cruel Roman emperor who later ordered Pauls execution.That was the same kind of prayer Jesus prayed for His enemies when he was on the cross.

Sadly, some people are misguided in their understanding of prayer.They act as though they are going into the closet to ask God to bring a curse on all whom they don't like or agree with.Those kind of prayers show we don't have a close relationship with the Lord.We must remember that prayer for our enemies dissolves our anger and builds compassion and helps our own prayers be un hindered.We must pray according to the scripture and in a spirit of love when we enter our closet.