God helps us to Grow
©right Wulf Berg 2010
"Mercy, Peace and Love be Yours in Abundance through the Knowledge of God
and of Jesus our Lord."
(2 Peter 1:2)
"God's divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that we may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires."
(2 Peter 1:3-4)
The Lord is our Shepherd.
He leads us to green pastures!
"Make every effort to add
to your faith,
goodness;
and to goodness, knowledge;
and to knowledge, self-control;
and to self-control, perseverance;
and to perseverance, godliness;
and to godliness, brotherly kindness;
and to brotherly kindness, love."
"If we possess these qualities in increasing measure,
they will keep us from being ineffective and unproductive."
(2 Peter 1:8)
"If we do these things, we will never fall, and we
will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ."
(2 Peter 1:10-11)
Let us explore and dwell on these qualities and what they mean.
What is Faith: "Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1) We can find additional examples of faith from The Old Testament in Hebrews Chapter 11.
This is my Faith:
I will have eternal life.
"... believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life." (1 John 5:13)
Jesus Christ, the Son of my God,
died for me
and His blood washed away my sins."
"In Jesus Christ we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace ..." (Ephesians 1:7)
"What is your Faith?" Take a moment and
explore this very important question. Write your answer on the front page of
your bible and refer to it when Satan questions your faith.
... add to your faith, goodness ...
Preface Comments
The element of goodness is of such importance in my spiritual pilgrimage, that I have done a lot of reading and praying for wisdom. You can follow along with me by reading John Calvin's sermons available through the referenced Internet links. May God give you understanding of His goodness that He has made available to you. From my research I learned a lot and gained an even greater appreciation for God's grace and wisdom. This has built a deeper foundation of my faith. The element of goodness is now part of me. This is not an easy subject. May God show you His goodness.
How can I add goodness to my faith?
Having struggled with this question, I asked our Heavenly Father to clarify His Word to me. A computer search on the word goodness gave me nineteen references in the New International Version of the Bible; four in The Old Testament, nine Psalms, and six in the New Testament. All scripture references told me that "goodness comes from God" or "God delivers goodness to His people". I was back to the same question: How can I add goodness to my faith?
The Apostle Paul wrote this letter from his prison in Rome to the churches at Ephesus. I am sure that Paul had time in his cell to meditate and converse with God on the question of goodness.
Doing more research, God led me to a number of sermons given in 1558-59 in Geneva, Switzerland, by John Calvin, an early Reformer of the church.
I want to share with you portions from sermons on Ephesians Chapter One by John Calvin that have been made available to the public by "The Highway" website:
"3. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ."
Our faith must not waver one way or another. It must have a sure and immovable foundation to rest on, namely, God’s truth, as it is contained in the gospel. Receive it without questioning it, unless we make willfully war against God and lift up ourselves above him. Let us assure ourselves that we hold all things of God and His pure grace, and that we cannot attribute anything to ourselves, unless we intend to rob Him of His right. And furthermore we stand in God’s favor, so that we may be bold to call upon Him as our Father and be sure that He also accounts us His children.
( http://www.the-highway.com/Calvin_Eph1.html )
"4. For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight."
All comes from God’s pure goodness and grace. He has blessed us according to His election of us beforehand. We are God’s children; He governs us by His Holy Spirit; He comforts us in our miseries; and He strengthens us through patience. We should not conceive any of all these things unless we were enlightened by His Holy Spirit. How then shall we understand that which is much higher, namely, that God elected us before the creation of the world? Since the matter stands thus, let us learn to put away all that we conceive in our own brain and put it under foot, and let us be ready to receive whatever God says to us, casting away our own judgment and assuring ourselves that we cannot bring anything from our side but utter stupidity. Furthermore, we must understand that faith comes not of ourselves, for if it did, there would be some merit in our works. It is true that by faith we confess that there is nothing but wretchedness in us, that we are damned and accursed, and that we do not bring anything with us but only an acknowledgement of our sins.
( http://www.the-highway.com/Calvin_Eph2.html )
"5.-6. In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves."
The doctrine of predestination shows that God has such free power, privilege and sovereign dominion over us that He may condemn as unworthy whom He pleases and elect whom He pleases. We should glorify God and acknowledge that it is in Jesus Christ He has elected us. We should show faith of His Gospel. For if we are His members and hold Him for our Head—for He has allied Himself with us in a holy union which can never be broken so long as we believe His Gospel—we must come to Him to be assured of our salvation. We see and feel by experience that God has adopted and elected us. He now calls us and tells us daily that the assurance He has given us by His Gospel is the truth. He will be our Father; especially His engraving will be in our heart by His Holy Spirit. We can accept freely God's goodness by faith.
( http://www.the-highway.com/Calvin_Eph3.html )
God's goodness
"7.-8. In Him we have redemption through His Blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding."
In Jesus Christ we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our sins, according to the riches of God’s grace. God blotted out our sins of His own free goodness and shows Himself gracious to us. Our sins are wiped out and the remembrance of them completely erased. The full remission of our sins is not given without the ransom that was paid by our Lord Jesus Christ. Whenever we seek God’s mercy, let us be thankful for the death and passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us learn to find all our righteousness in God’s showing of himself merciful towards us of His own free goodness, and let us not presume to put before Him any virtue of our own to put Him in our debt, but let it be sufficient for us that He receives us freely into His love without any worthiness on our part, but only because the remembrance of our sins is buried out of his sight.
God’s goodness, as it is shown us in Jesus Christ, is so great a treasure that all other things must give place and be thrust under foot. Faith is essential or Christ will profit us nothing [Gal. 5:4]. If we acknowledge His goodness and generosity should we not value His grace to draw us to himself by means of His gospel, and also enter into possession of the benefits purchased for us by our Lord Jesus Christ, as he offers them to us by His Word and will have us also to receive them by faith.
"9.-10. And He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment--to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ."
If we do not have Jesus Christ, we still remain enemies of God [Luke 1:77], we have no atonement, neither have we rest in ourselves, and God’s judgment must trouble us; but Jesus Christ is our peace. It is necessary that we be kept under the protection of our Lord Jesus Christ who is our Head. May we so conform to this doctrine that we may all the time of our life acknowledge that seeing He has purchased us at such a price, we ought to give ourselves wholly to His service; and since He has shown himself so good a Redeemer towards us, we may not doubt that He will continue His goodness from day to day to the final completion of the thing He has begun, and strengthen us in all assaults till He has delivered us from the cruelty of Satan and of all his supporters, yes and clean taken us out of the world to make us partakers of the happy blessedness unto which he calls us.
( http://www.the-highway.com/Calvin_Eph4.html )
You are Included!
"13.-14. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of His glory."
According to the scripture, there is no other ground for our salvation than God’s free goodness, and that we must not look anywhere else for the reason why He chooses the one person and forsakes the other. Let us learn to attribute it altogether to God.
My friends, you have known God’s grace and you have had experience of it, and He has drawn you to obey His gospel. For you would never have come to it, if He had not shown Himself merciful to you. Be sure of this, that God increases His grace in that He gives you power to persevere in it. God helped you or you would have been tossed about like poor wretches at your wits’ end. God had promised to take care of you and to guide you continually till you have come to the end of your way and have finished your course. The reason is you have a seal.
( http://www.the-highway.com/Calvin_Eph5.html )
How great must God's goodness be
that He sent His one and only Son
into this world to die for our sins?
The blood of our Lord Jesus Christ assured us salvation and made us Children of God, Heirs to His Kingdom, and gave us a Heavenly Father who will care for us by His sole goodness.
Our own doing could never gain His mercy or grace.
It is by our Heavenly Father's Goodness
that we receive mercy, grace and everlasting love.
Let us always thank Him and praise His goodness.
Let us pray with John Calvin:
Let us bless God for showing Himself so kindhearted and liberal towards us as even to adopt us as His children, and to show us that the heritage which has been purchased for us by the blood of His only Son is ready for us, and that we cannot miss it, seeing that we go to it with true and invincible constancy of faith.
May it please Him to grant this grace not only to us but also to all peoples
.Let us cast ourselves down before the majesty of our good God with acknowledgement of our faults, finding that there is nothing in us but all kinds of iniquity.
May we learn to resort to His righteousness, to seek it and to acknowledge that He has shown Himself a merciful Father towards us.
May we not doubt that He had adopted us before the beginning of the world, in order that we should continue to call upon Him with true steadfastness and never cease so to do.
Almighty God, Heavenly Father.
Amen!
***********************************
Calvin's Ephesian Sermons were preached on Sundays at Geneva in 1558-59, when he was 49 years of age, were first printed in French in 1562, then in English in 1577. They have long been one of the rarest of all the Reformer's works and merited the comment of C. H. Spurgeon, a century ago, "Not the same as the exposition. The sermons are priceless."
***********************************
... add to your goodness, knowledge ...
What does it mean, add to goodness, knowledge? After searching for many days, God's Holy Spirit showed me Luke 1:77. "Knowledge of Salvation." I felt great joy after struggling for wisdom and having accepted God's goodness. Knowing that we have been saved from our sins not by our own efforts, but by the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Not only did God chose us, the blood of His Son cleansed us from our sins. We are God's Children!
"It is by
grace we have been saved, through faith
-and this is not from ourselves, it is a gift of God-
not by work, so that we can boast."
(Ephesians 2:8-9)
"… if you confess, 'Jesus is
Lord,'
and believe in your heart
that God raised Him from the dead,
You will be Saved."
(Romans 10:9)
Always remember
"We are God's workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus to do good works,
which God prepared in advance for us to do."
(Ephesians 2:10)
The LORD is my light and my
salvation--
Whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life--
Of whom shall I be afraid?
One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to seek Him in His temple.
Hear my voice when I call, O LORD;
be merciful to me and answer me.
My heart says of you, "Seek his face!"
Your face, LORD, I will seek.
Teach me your way, O LORD;
lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors.
Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
for false witnesses rise up against me,
breathing out violence.
I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.
(Psalms 27)
... and to knowledge,
add self-control ...
With God's help, we have grown spiritually by adding to our faith, goodness; and to goodness, knowledge. We will now explore what it means to add to knowledge, self-control.
King Solomon made this comparison "Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control." (Proverbs 25:28)
A city with broken walls has no defense. The enemy can come and go. A lack of self-control allows Satan to enter and leave our life at his free will. Satan can enter our body, destroy us and leave us at his will. Self-control is our first line of defense.
"Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers and sisters throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. The God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast."
(1 Peter 5:8-10)The Apostle Paul, a servant of God, lectured Titus on
Christian doctrine. "The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared
to all men. It teaches us to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and
to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we
wait for ... Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all
wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do
what is good." (Titus 2:11-14)
From "Peter,
an Apostle of Jesus Christ,
To God's
elect, strangers in the world, …"
"Grace and peace be yours in abundance."
Be Holy: "… prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance."
(1 Peter 1:1-14)Living for God: "… since Christ suffered in His body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. … Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms." (1 Peter 4:1-10)
Peace to all of you who are in Christ.
... and to self-control,
add perseverance ...
Perseverance means to persist in spite of counter influence, opposition or discouragement. It means to be steadfast. We have been told by the Apostle Peter to "Be Holy" and about "Living for God" through self-control. Now let us add to self-control perseverance or steadfastness.
We can find no better encouragement than the one given to the early Christians in the books of Hebrews, Chapter 12, Verses 1&2.
"Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."
"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
Did you know "… that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance builds character; and character gives hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God pours out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit." (Romans 5:3-5)
"You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised." (Hebrews 10:36)
In His final days, Jesus told the disciples: "By standing firm you will gain life." (Luke 21:19)
Perseverance & Steadfastness
Under this heading we can group the following three "Ps"
Peer Pressure "They forsook the Lord, ... They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them. They provoked the Lord to anger." (Judges 2:12) Today's gods have taken a new face: more ..., bigger ..., fancier ..., faster ..., longer life, and greater beauty are just a few of the examples. The list is endless. Let us serve the Lord and not this world. 1 John 2:17 tells us that worldliness can vanish; Godliness is Everlasting.
Popularity "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." Popularity comes from friendship with the world. There is no popularity contest with God. "Come near to God and He will come near to you." (James 4:6&8)
Persistence "Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage -with great patience and careful instructions." (2 Timothy 4:2)
"Let us not become weary in doing good." (Galatians 6:9)
"Forget what is behind and strain toward what is ahead, press on toward the goal." (Philippians 3:13-14)
Dear
GOD, let my heart be steadfast,
O GOD; I will sing
and make music with all my soul.
I will praise You, O LORD, among the nations;
I will sing of You among the peoples.
For great is Your love, higher than the heavens;
Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
Be exalted, O GOD, above the heavens,
and let Your glory be over all the earth.
Save us and help us with Your right hand,
that those You love may be delivered.
Give us aid against the enemy,
for the help of man is worthless.
With GOD we will gain the victory,
and He will trample down our enemies.
Amen!
(Taken from Psalm 108)
... and to perseverance,
add godliness ...
Our perseverance (steadfastness) should exercise godliness.
"Don't let anyone look down on you ... set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity."
"Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you." (1 Timothy 4:12-14)
In this scripture the Holy Spirit speaks to me very clearly. I must use my gifts given to me by the goodness and grace of our Heavenly Father.
"Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers." (1 Timothy 4:15-16)
Don't be shy, afraid or handicapped. God the Father will stand by you and guide you along the way. "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness ..." (2 Peter 1:3) (You may want to read 1Timothy 5 where the Apostle Paul advises on the conduct of Widows and Elders.)
In recent times our society has made many concessions to moral principles and values. We make modifications and allow exceptions to make them acceptable to a new society. Let me not lecture you but quote God's Word as we find it in 2 Timothy, Chapter 3:
"There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God."
"They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed men and women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth."
"Blessed
is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.
But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on His law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers."
(Psalm 1)
Let us give
Praise to God for a Living Hope
Praise
be to the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ!
In Your great mercy
You have given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus
Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or
fade.
May our faith be
proven genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor
when Jesus Christ
is revealed.
Though
we have not seen Him, we love Him; and even though we do not see Him now, we
believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for we are
receiving the goal of our faith, the salvation of our souls.
Amen!
(Inspired by 1 Peter 1:3-9)
... and to godliness,
brotherly kindness ...
I see kindness as a form of compassion. Add this to your godliness when you perform your God given gifts. The Apostle Paul encouraged the Christian brothers at Colosse with these words: "As God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." (Colossians 3:12)
Let the peace of Christ rule in your heart. Amen!
"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interest, but also to the interest of others."
(Philippians 2:3-4)This leads us directly to Matthew 16:24 where "Jesus said to His disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself' ..."
Brotherly kindness leaves little room for individualism. The world today glorifies individualists. Let me tell you, individualism shoves others aside, separating and isolating people. We must yield individualism to God and bring our spiritual life into fellowship with Him.
Independence and self-will are two elements of individualism. Will I surrender or not surrender myself to God? To enter God's kingdom we must leave individualism behind. Our Lord Jesus Christ showed us the way: "... let him deny himself ..." and "... be reconciled to your brother ..." (Matthew 16:24 & 5:24) Once we have adopted this new doctrine, our spiritual life is ready to grow and prosper to the glory of our Heavenly Father.
Brotherly kindness will enhance and intensify the specific gift that God has given to you and me.
"Our ability to be kind is based in
remembering
that God hasn't dealt us the punishment
that we deserve.
We can share the kindness God has shown
us
with others we meet.
Being gentle and understanding,
even compassionate,
will bring us the results we want in life."
... and to brotherly kindness,
add love ...
Love your brother and sister! This will come naturally. Once we have given up our selfish ambitions driven by our individuality, love will fill our hearts.
The word love is one of the most frequently used words in the bible. We use the phrase "... love one another ..." so often that it has lost its importance. We forget to quote the entire command that Jesus gave to us. He said: "Love each other as I have loved you." (John 15:12) Their is no greater love than to give your life for another person. I like to share with you what the Apostle Paul wrote to the Christians in Corinth.
"Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking,
it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always
perseveres."
(1 Corinthians 13:4-7)
Add this kind of love to your brotherly kindness
and surely your life will be filled with joy.
"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God."
(1 John 4:7)"Let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." (1 John 3:18)
Let us go back to the Apostle Paul as he lectures the Corinthians:
"... if I have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing." (1 Corinthians 13:2-3)
Because all Christians, brothers and sisters, are one family in Jesus, the Apostle Paul reminded Christians that they should act with love toward each other: "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit-- just as you were called to one hope when you were called-- one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." (Ephesians 4:2-6)
Let us give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
His love endures forever. Amen.
SUMMARY
"God's
divine power has given us everything
we need for life
..."
(2 Peter 1:3)
"Therefore,
my brothers and sisters, be all the more eager to make your calling and election
sure. For if we do these things, we will never fall ..."
(2 Peter 1:10)
Preface Comments
I have shared with you God's Word as we find it in 2 Peter 1:5-7. The Holy Spirit showed me how God helps me to grow spiritually. It has been a very rewarding experience for me. I hope that sharing my pilgrimage with you will help you and bring blessings to your daily life. I will now try to summarize what I have learned from the scripture.
Hebrews Chapter 11 tells us that:
"Faith
is being sure of what we hope for"Make every effort to add to your
faith,
God chose us before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. We must come to our Lord Jesus Christ to be assured of our salvation. In Jesus Christ we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our sins, according to the riches of God’s grace. God's goodness sent His one and only Son into this world to die for our sins. The blood of our Lord Jesus Christ assured us salvation and made us children of God, heirs to His Kingdom, and gave us a Heavenly Father who will care for us by His sole goodness. It is by our Heavenly Father's goodness that we receive mercy, grace and everlasting love. (John Calvin's sermon on Ephesians Chapter One)
"... add to your goodness,
knowledge ..."Knowledge of Salvation. "… it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -and this is not from yourselves; it is a gift of God- not by work, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
I felt great joy knowing that we have been saved from our sins not by our own efforts, but by the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Not only did God choose us; the blood of His Son cleansed us from our sins. We are God's Children!
"... and to knowledge, add
self-control ..."Lack of self-control allows Satan to enter and leave our life at his free will. Satan can enter our body, destroy us and leave us at his will. Self-control is our first line of defense.
"Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, ... God will restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast." (1 Peter 5:8-10)
We are taught to "… say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, " (Titus 2:12)
"... and to self-control, add
perseverance ..."Perseverance means to persist in spite of counter influence, opposition or discouragement. It means to be steadfast. "... suffering produces perseverance; perseverance builds character; and character gives hope." (Romans 5:3) "By standing firm you will gain life." (Luke 21:19) Remember the three "Ps" of Perseverance & Steadfastness:
Peer Pressure Worldliness can vanish; Godliness is Everlasting.
Popularity There is no popularity contest with God. "Come near to God and He will come near to you." (James 4:8)
Persistence "Forget what is behind and strain toward what is ahead, press on toward the goal." (Philippians 3:13-14)
"... and to perseverance, add
godliness ...""... set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you." (1 Timothy 4:12-14)
"Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers." (1 Timothy 4:15-16)
"Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night." (Psalm 1)
"... and to godliness, add
brotherly kindness ...""As God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." (Colossians 3:12) Let the peace of Christ rule in your heart. Jesus said "... let him deny himself ..." and "... be reconciled to your brother ..." (Matthew 16:24 & 5:24) "We can share the kindness God has shown us with others we meet. Being gentle and understanding, even compassionate, will bring us the results we want in life." (Kathy Collard Miller)
"... and to brotherly kindness, add
love ..."Love your brother and sister! "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." (1 Corinthians 13:4-7) Add this kind of love to your brotherly kindness and surely your life will be filled with joy.
Let us pray togetherWe thank
our Heavenly Father
for the goodness He has bestowed upon us.
Dear GOD, your mercy is so great
that we cannot thank you enough.
You sent Your only Son into this world
to redeem us from our sins through His Blood.
You made us Your Children
and gave us Your Love.
We received all this not through our doing
but through Your goodness and love.
We thank You for all Your Fatherly blessings
and everlasting love.
Amen!
God Bless You my friends
Wulf
Scriptures were taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version® Copyright©
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