Not Guilty!

Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin”? Even small children are known by their actions, so is their conduct really pure and upright? Proverbs 20:9,11

No matter what we do or have done in the time we've been on the earth, none of us can say, we've never done anything wrong--unless we were physically incapable of acting on our own.

And that's the key. If we are able to make decisions about anything, chances are--we've made a few wrong ones. Even small children--learning to walk and discover--find out the hard way that not everything should be put in one's mouth or they shouldn't touch everything they see. How much children are harmed by their discovery activities depends upon the parents' detail to attention in keeping them safe and harmful events--limited.

So, if small children are known by their actions, how we can reasonably conclude that adults are not known by theirs?

When we promote hatred of other people simply because of their religious beliefs, skin color, or how they look--what does that say about us?

When we constantly promote the engagement of negative attacks upon others--what does that say about us?

When we think we are superior to others and totally discredit the thought processes of others--what does that say about us?

When we think we can chastise others and are never receptive to chastisement for what we do--what does that say about us?

We are known by what we do and say--and warrant greater judgment by God because we are adults--not children. The children--who do wrong--usually don't know what they're doing, but adults--especially those who claim to know Christ--have no excuse.

When we know The Lord and are cognizant of The Word and live it on a daily basis, we cannot say, "we're not guilty" when we do wrong. And if we claim we're not guilty of ever doing anything wrong--we lie and proclaim the devil is our father.

The one thing I will not be guilty of doing in this lifetime is saying, I've never done anything wrong. I hear Holy Spirit when He speaks and though I'm sometimes slow to obey, I do obey. I obey even I don't understand why He wants me to do certain things, but I know--if He says it--it can't be wrong.

Therefore, I will continue to live like the King's Kid that I am and hope to be known for being His--always willing to admit when I'm wrong and correct my behavior.

Unlike some--I cannot say, "Not Guilty" of ever being wrong, but I know that love--will make it right!

We Are His Treasured Possession!

"Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine," (Exodus 19:5 NIV)

To obey God "fully" is to acknowledge His authority in all things and to simply, just do it! There is no other way that we can see ourselves as His treasured possession, chosen specifically by Him, and given favor so all the nations shall see us as His.

Of course obeying God comes with a price tag that many of us already understand. It means we withstand the ridicule and derision of those who think they know than God--who are actually the Godless and we know them by their behavior. We are belittled by those who attempt to derail everything we say because of their own insecurities, guilt, and self-hatred. We stand up to their accusations of hate because we know it is not us who hate--when we are filled with the love of God--there is no room for hatred, but watch how they personalize attacks against those who dare to stand up for Truth and Righteousness according to God's Word and not our opinions.

Yes, there is a price to be paid for obeying God and some are paying with their lives when they refuse to recant their faith in God. These are the true heroes of faith in Christ Jesus. Those who will not turn back or turn away from serving an all-wise God, though physical death may be the end result, God's reward for obedience is greater than the hatred of those who will not hear Him and obey.

Yesterday, as I often do, I commented on an article in the New York Times regarding Ireland's referendum. Part of the caption to the article started, "love prevails..." and that is what caught my attention. My comment, "Too bad many cannot distinguish between love and lust," and it triggered so much vitriol that I was truly amazed. Hatred spewed from the fingers of many who replied and I just sat in wonderment watching them, thankful that I have so much of God's love within that I never went into attack mode as they did.

This is when we know we are His treasured possession--when we can respond to someone attacking us, without attacking in return. I am so thankful to God that He has chosen me to be His, curbs my tongue and my fingers when the godless attack and propels me to show them respect for their opinions, even when they won't respect mine.

When we are filled with His goodness, we recognize those who are hurting because their hatred directed at us, is without merit. They react out of guilt and self-hatred and when we dare to say anything that is remotely different from what they think--they attack. I truly feel sorry for them and I'm praying that they will eventually see the need to know God and be set free from the hatred that holds them so tightly. They fail to understand that it is not us--the Believers who obey God--who hate them, but them who hate us because we dare to believe God and obey Him.

This world is in need of much prayer for all--the saved and unsaved, but while we wait for the unsaved to get a revelation of God's love, we can rest in the knowledge that we are His treasured possession. Keep praying!

"If..."

"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (I John 1:8,9).

The tiny little word, "if" is mentioned in the bible 1595 times in 1420 verses. For most parents, if we say something more than once, it must be important. If we're in training--for anything--and we're told something more than once, it must be important. So, when God uses those who were inspired to write what He said and He says something 1595 times, shouldn't we pay attention?

Throughout the Word, we see these "if, then" premises--"if one thing happens, then it will lead to something else. Most of the "ifs" involve us doing something, then we see what God does or will do.

There are too many references for me to list them all, so I'll just address these two. If anyone says they have no sin or have not sinned, God says they have deceived themselves. That's right! All of those holier than Jesus folks need to really get a handle on this one. Paul reminds us in another passage of scripture that, "all have sinned and fallen short" at one time or another. None of us are perfect, which is why we need Jesus in our lives so we can continually per-fect what we do. For every person who dares to think they have never committed sin--no matter what the sin was or is--they lie--to themselves and others because, "the truth is not in them."

But there is a remedy! If we confess what we have done that goes against God's commandments, then God is faithful and just and He forgives us and cleanses us from all unrighteousness. But we have to confess the sin, first--not to men or women, but to God. When we confess what we have done to God, it is so much easier to be compassionate towards those who are just like us--imperfect, fallible human beings, in need of a Savior.

When He cleanses us-thoroughly purges all that stuff that keeps us feeling and looking guilty--we should not want to go back into the filth in which we once were. Picture this! How much sense does it make to get out of a muddy, filthy, slimy pool of misery--get showered, and perfumed and glamorous--only to jump back into the filth?

Let's confess and get it right--realizing we need the direction and guidance of Holy Spirit, every hour of our lives! Thank You, Lord for loving us so much, that we never without guidance!