Consider

This morning I was thinking about the statement by Paul to 'consider' one another. I think he said to be 'kind and considerate to one another'. Now this most assuredly has a context that I am leaving out in my writing but, just the statement itself is what popped into my mind this morning.

What is it to be considerate? I mean most of us assume we know it's meaning right? No I am not talking the Greek or Hebrew original meaning here. Just talking about the everyday use of the word. I think we have learned to accept a meaning that though familiar does not reach the intended reality spoken of by Paul. To consider another is a miracle of God and NOT just another thing that we can easily do or not do according to human effort in the flesh. It comes from Love and that is not something we inherited in the flesh. Think about all of the 'consideration' we experience in this world. I mean is it not just a mask of outward 'politeness' that only goes so far as to restrain ourselves out of edicit once in a while? I submit that being considerate is much better than anything we ever imagined according to the flesh! This is good news to the believer and sour news to the pretender![for they will go away disappointed] Being considerate is simply an out cropping of Love and love comes from God. No not 'all' love comes from God, that's not what I am saying. What I am saying is that the miraculous love that we have because of God IN us shows forth in consideration for another. It is quite natural in fact. It is often passed right over by the blind and is quite often not noticed by the living. Yet it IS there.


To consider someone else is to be concerned with things relating to THEM. Not based in a sense of fear or anything like that, but rather to be mindful of another out of love. Love wants no harm to come to another. Love wants the prosperity of another's soul. Love wants to be truthful with another. Love looks out for another and is mindful of another's sensitivities and weaknesses. Love looks to build up. Love considers another.

The Culprit ..The Truth

I may write a bunch of things in the course of my life hear on earth but, If I could convey one thing to the Christian world and those seeking I would say something exactly like my friend Jim said here: 

 "Unfortunately, we've had so many centuries where the whole focus of the connection between "sin and law" has been changed into "sin and grace" that we totally misread any comments Paul makes about "sin"!!  If we followed the "gospel" as preached by Paul instead of the modern day "gospel" then we would immediately associate any "sin" comments with law.  Read through any of his letters (the whole thing) and you can't get away from his demand that LAW STIMULATES SIN and never that grace does!!"

Love

I recently got a hold of  some great music! I had a favorite song from the early 90's called 'Forever Love' by Eric Champion, I just loved[love] that song! It just reminds me of the wonder of God's love for us. I always get the sense through that song that God loves me more than I can ever understand through trying to seek fleshly knowledge!

Forsaken

You know, I am no longer surprised by being forsaken. It is just a reality in this life. Oh we can pretend it's not, and we almost have to just to survive but, ultimately we will be forsaken. The flesh forsakes. All that is in the world forsakes... eventually. I say that of course with a sense of emptiness referring to all of that. Gosh I can remember way back when-when I first heard His calling in my heart. [not that I know which event took place first or what order]I just remember the utter reality of the empty promise of the flesh. There it was, holding it's hands out to me even after I had seen clearly that it would chew me up and spit me out. But, hey if I was dumb enough to come for another ride..it was driving ya know? It takes a miracle to see that there is another reality all together that exists outside of the realm that is in the world. The world does an excellent job in tricking all who are in it. Gosh I remember just how much that end of the road hit me. It hit me SO HARD in those early days. God the depression of it all. I can remember trying to express this to others even and they seemingly not knowing what the heck I was talking about? [they said they were Christians] Hey I am not saying that the intensity has to be there that I experienced but, don't we know that the flesh is making moves constantly to pull the blinders over our eyes? I thank God that He seemingly used this to release me into a Life and awareness of Life I could not even contain nor produce. For the joy just flowed out of me. The peace oh so still. Oh and the love...oh the love. Man, the things we do not see have all the real meaning while the things we can see..well you know the testimony.

The Giving of Grace vs. the Flesh

The' giving of grace' is a truly a miraculous thing between us humans. Allowing another to be oneself is not human in origin. It is a miracle from God. Now I realize in saying that -that there are evidences of 'tolerating' another but, that is not what I am referring to. Real life exists in the giving of grace to another not in just tolerance. Not that true love isn't tolerant, it just doesn't stop with that. I have had person after person time after time try to convince me that there is some sort of goodness in man. It's not that I don't see the appearances of it, it is just that I know what is really going on. You see when we make a big stink out of the appearance we are stuck in the justifying of ourselves. The world is always going to tell you that it is essentially 'good'. It may not be telling this to you RIGHT NOW but, if you spend any length of time listening you will hear it. Know that it is simply a waste of time to try to convince the world of this...for it will only attempt to isolate a certain 'bad' that it thinks it can make amends for and or already has.[by it's 'goodness']


The hate of the world is always lurking beneath the surface. You wont ever have to go looking for it, for it will find you eventually.[hence the Apostles encouragement not to be surprised I think] The same hatred that rared up against Jesus. Hmm, I used to think I kinda knew what this would look like. You know it is 'supposed' to look like it did when we saw it spelled out with the Pharisees right? I wonder though if we miss the fact that Jesus came to a certain culture at a certain time amongst a certain people. So we simply see it from that perspective. What if He were to visit US in the flesh? LOL How many of us wonder maybe if things would  be just fine and that we would all just accept Him openly! Nope! No way! I just don't believe it. I know it SEEMS like it is reality but, it's just not. The world hates Him and that statement of reality is coming from Him not me. Now if I have been joined to Him then guess what? I am hated on account of Him IN ME. It may take a while until someone is able to get down to the bottom of it all but, inevitably this thing that is true will come to be manifest in our experience. Yeah and that is why many of us have been tempted to conform to the world. I mean we sense that hatred. A good friend of mine has been so faithful in Christ to tell me and many others of the bottom line reality of what Paul meant in saying not to judge according to appearances or according to the flesh. For that IS what  is going on when the hate gun is firing.
Oh I know we can all have annoying traits and short sights and brokenness but, when it comes right down to it this is not the REAL issue with why others hate us. It isn't even the real reason the world hates and judges itself.[each other] The real reason is all wrapped up in the fleshly impulse to judge according to appearance. Which is yes,... true evil. It was in fact put to death in Christ. Punished. Taken away.


Something else I have found out about the flesh again and again. The flesh DEMANDS to be pleasing. Oh it acts like it could care less if you like, accept or embrace it but, bottom line it will kill to get this lust satisfied. You know what I have been led to? I have been led to the reality that only exists in Christ. See we have acceptance of each other in Christ DESPITE what does or does not happen in the flesh. We could have everything at war according to the flesh but, still have total peace between one another in Christ. Which peace do you see as the living solution to your wars in the flesh? More similarities? More likeness? More fleshly agreement? Nah, for these things can only cause you to do what flesh does and that tis compare. This only leads to the fruit of death.[pride,lust, dissensions etc..] I have been slapped in the face with this reality again and again.[through intense pain and heart brokenness I might add] I find it ironic that the one thing the flesh demands and never seems to get enough of, is the very thing it can never get anyway. There is no FINAL acceptance according to the flesh! It just isn't there! The world offers only an appearance of this acceptance..
I used to think the appearance was 'pretty much the same thing'-but, it's NOT. Total opposite in fact. It's a farse..false..empty..only worthy of removal.
When oh when will those of us in Christ wake up to this??! Are we not still thinking that the world and it's understanding is still good with God? It's not!

Cancelling Out the Good

You ever been listening or reading a teacher and hear some pretty good references to our reality in Him and then in the next moment have that same person cancel out everything he just stated ? This happens WAY more often than you suspect..I suspect.

Victorious

I was just thinking about the way things seemingly appear to us who are in Christ. To the mind of our former life, things seem unsurmountable and full of hopelessness. Yes, according to the flesh.....they are. That is, according to the flesh. But, the Christ has come to live in US! Through Him, we are more than conquerors.Why? Because HE is. The power of the resurrection of the dead lives in US. We do not drift away, nor we do we walk as deceived. Can our minds be led astray? Yes. Obviously. But Christ who lives in us, is the Life and we are One with Him. Though things appear torn down on the outward, inside Christ is flowing and will over come...I don't care what that is..He is able.