Goin the way of the wise: life Psalm 19; Prov 7; PS 1; Gal 5

Psalm 19:1-6 God’s revealed glory in what has been made

Psalm 19:7-11The heart of God toward His children in their instruction and guidance

19:7a the instruction, the direction of the Lord - is perfect - renewing or redirecting or setting aright as to turn us back to what is right - that we might return to righteousness

The Lord’s instruction, the words of His loving heart are given to us in statues, a testimony of what is good (James)

19:8b the statutes, or testimony of the Lord are trustworthy - your God’s commands are the story of God, and make wise the simple and inexperienced (Proverbs 1)

19:8a the precepts, commandments of the Lord - God’s mandates - are right, making the heart glad, bringing joy to the heart

19:8b  and these decrees, commands are clear, radiant, pure, and clean; choice - sincere without muddiness of shadow - guiding rightly - giving insight for living, making the eyes light up “ah-ha!!

19:9a fear of the Lord and His commands - reverent awe, respect - is pure - that are intermingled, not swayed by others, resisting the enticements of, or not prone to being enticed by others - their effect lasting forever. 

19:9b The laws of the Lord - that which governs, by which God governs - are true (right, just, and fair; Prov 2) 

And because of these truths regarding God’s truth…

10They are more desirable, more precious, than gold,

even the finest, the purest gold.

They are sweeter than honey,

even honey dripping from the comb.

All of this is God’s provision for us, who, prone to sin, need God’s good and wise leading in life.  What do they do?  Why are they so important?

Psalm 19:11-13

11By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward. 

12But who can discern their own errors?  Forgive my hidden faults.

13Keep your servant also from willful sins;

may they not rule over me.

Then I will be blameless,

innocent of great transgression.

With all of this, how am I to live?  According to your word in light of your glory, to live in such a way that reveres - honors and respects -  You and your way and ways and not go according to what I/we/feel think is right or the desires of my flesh and the feelings of my flesh…

Being reminded that my heart - its feelings and desires, what it wants and thinks is right - is deceitful and cannot be trusted...

That - The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? It is beyond understanding.  Jeremiah 17:9

That - There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end,  it leads to death.  Proverbs 14:12

· Pr 12:15 The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice.

· Pr 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.

· Pr 16:2 All a man's ways are pure in his own eyes, but his motives are weighed out by the LORD.

· Pr 16:25 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.

· Pr 19:20 Listen to counsel and accept discipline, that you may be wise the rest of your days.

· Pr 21:2 All a man's ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs the heart

· Pr 14:8 The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way: but the folly of fools is deceit.

· Ecclesiastes 10:2 The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left.

· Luke 12 you of little faith! 29And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well

That, in all of this, i can trust God, and His word, His Spirit

That - God - His word and Spirit - searches my heart 

· Jer 17:10. “I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.

· Ps 139:1, 23 O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts

· Rom 8:27 “…And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit”

· Hebrews 12 12For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

That - My flesh naturally desires what is contrary to God and is in conflict with Him, therefore I cannot do just anything I want

Galatians 5:13-17

That - I must then be careful how I live, not as unwise but as wise - Eph 5:5

That - Therefore, I must guard my way – (Proverbs 4:23; 1John 5:21; Matt 16:6; 24:42)

1Cor 16:13 Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.

Psalm 1

Proverbs 7

That - I am not just avoid the way of sin, but in fact, go in the way of the Spirit and righteousness

·  So I say, walk in the Spirit and you will not gratify the flesh - Galatians 5

·  Having put off the old way “clothe yourselves with…”

Colossians 3:12 12Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

·  Flee and/or shun the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. - 2Tim 2:22

Psalm 19:14 having been loved by God, receiving that love, having experienced that love, and being guided by that love to live a life of love, this is our heart’s renewed, redeemed plea

14May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

That – this might be so - that this, would be the cry of my heart, our hearts, according to your word, O Lord, would be the expression of your heart, O Lord – in me – and my heart in response to yours and your truth, according to your word

Matthew 4:4; Deut 8:3 ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

As Jesus said “what comes out of one’s mouth is stored up in the heart”

Matthew 12:34-35 “For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. 35A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him”

Therefore, if God is love, then His words are love

1John 4  take time to read all of it…

6God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 18There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

Jesus: our merciful high priest loves us with a love we do not deserve.

Add to your faith goodness, and add to goodness, knowledge - God - His person and attributes, His manner and way, His commands and instructions, discipline and correction.  Loved well, loving well, loving one and doing good to another.

The first thing I want to do is bring our focus to Jesus and Jesus’ heart for the suffering and sinful

• John 3:16-18 - He, God, so loved the world, the sinful, rebellious, broken world… that He sent His Son, not to condemn, but to save (Romans 5:6-11)

• John 4:4-30, 39-42 - Jesus’ love compels Him to graciously engage the woman, shrewdly alluding to her life’s choices and predicament, graciously and patiently walks her through her attempts to evade the subject of her life’s choices, squirm out from under the mounting pressure, justify or at least deflect - with religion - her person, only to succumb to His grace - when she runs back to the village to tell the people who knew, the very people she had tried to avoid, and tell them about this gracious and kind man who, in His kindness, told her everything about her.

• John 8:2-11 - Jesus protects the life and dignity of the woman, confronts (lovingly and kindly) her accusers, and grants mercy to her in spite of her sin, and then speaks a loving truth to her in regard to her sin.

• John 21:15-19 - Jesus, having suffered an offense at the hand of one He loved, sinned against, in due time, at the right time, Jesus isolates Peter and walks him through the process of reconciliation and restoration.

Then I want to turn our attention to ourselves …

In each one of these encounters, the person Jesus is with has committed a sin and has had it known - in each case, the person with whom Jesus is - is us - we are each of these broken pieces.

How, how do we love in the midst of sin and hurt, what do we do to walk with someone into repentance and restoration, how would we hope to be treated ourselves - when we stumble, and fall, walk wobbly this road, or even choose to rebel?

Jesus’ merciful and gracious restorative process - His to us, His commands to us for others:

• Matthew 18:30-32 Forget not where you come from - the wicked servant - or we place ourselves in peril 

As we see another’s sin and look to intervene

• Luke 6:36-42 Examine one’s self - plank and speck

• Matthew 5:3-4 This self-examination ought to lead us to God’s mercy seat, the remembrance of our own desperate need for mercy and grace

  • Mercy; merciful: visceral feelings; compassionate, experiencing deep pity (lamentation) as God has for people who look to Him for help in their difficult situations; to help or assist the afflicted, to bring help to the wretched

Which in turn should condition our heart, my heart, to a knowing humility, born from the humiliation of being so greatly loved, when I so obviously did not and do not deserve to be loved so and this realization should produce in us, in me, a desire to express, to extend that same mercy and grace to others - not judging them (Luke 6:36-38), but seeing me in them, and knowing, at least imagining, how I would want someone to treat me if this were me - and, if I’m honest, it is, and will be, me. (Lev 19:18; Mat 7:12; 22:39; Mk 12:31; Luke 6:31; Ja 2:8)

Then, and only then, do I turn my attention to them… and when I do so, I do so in the manner that God has approached and treated me, and that is, mercifully. (Mat 5:5-9, 44-45, 48; Luke 6:35-36; James 3:17)

• Love deeply and sincerely - Proverbs 10:12; 1Peter 4:7-8; Romans 12:3, 9-13

• Bring truth with great care and affection - Galatians 6:1a

  • Brother - a fellow-believer, united to another by the bond of affection; so most frequently of Christians, constituting as it were but a single family

  • Someone - with the added notion of weakness, by which man is led into a mistake or prompted to sin

  • Spiritual - one who is filled with and governed by the Spirit of God

• Restore gently - Galatians 6:1b

  • Restore -  ethically, to strengthen, perfect, complete, make one what he ought to be - according to truth and righteousness, not one’s own feelings, desires, or opinion

  • Gently, or with a gentle spirit - meekness ("gentle strength") which expresses power with reserve and gentleness; "gentle-force") begins with the Lord's inspiration and finishes by His direction and empowerment. It is a divinely-balanced virtue that can only operate through faith - humility 

• Approach humbly - Galatians 6:1c-2

Feelings and truth - God, through the prophet, warns that “the heart is…” our hearts (the seat of our feelings) are  “...deceitful above all things” (Jer 17:5-10) and therefore, we must be very careful regarding the feelings of our heart and how we respond to them, we allow them to rule and guide us.  

The truth is, our feelings though real, can say things to us that can actually lead us astray as they often do not well-represent the truth of God.  With that in mind, we need to understand the importance of subjecting our feelings to truth, God’s lasting and enduring, never-changing truth, that we might examine the source of those feelings and discern the nature of our feelings as to not be deceived and potentially led astray.

With this, ironically, God also calls us to guard our hearts, that “above all else,” we are to “…guard our hearts for it is the wellspring of life”.  (Proverbs 4:23)

What? Why? How so, if it is so deceitful?  

Because, our heart, that seat of our feelings, is where we are called to store truth, so that, that deceiving and easily deceived heart, might be well governed, informed of what is true, anchored when swayed, made true when assailed, rightly and goodly guided and led according to God’s truth - Jesus, His teachings and commands, His manner and way, His character and nature - which is life and freedom.

...and God, through the pen of Paul, implores us to come to God - the God of truth - with all that makes our minds and hearts feel anxious, that doubts God’s presence, caring, or understanding, that feels for whatever that its feeling is true and right reflecting or telling us the truth - and He promises, His descending “...transcendent peace will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:4-8) - who is the Truth and the wisdom of God.

And we are commended, even commanded, to do this by recognizing that we have weapons of destruction to use in the face of anything that stands up against the knowledge, or truth, of God, to take these thoughts and feelings captive and make them obedient to Christ - or - truth. (2Cor 10:3-5) 

You see, we all have feelings, feelings that lead us from here to there, into and out of places, feelings that drive us, move us, stop us in our tracks - feelings are real, they might be true, but that does not make them the truth, neither do they, if followed, guarantee our safety or righteousness - in fact, it is usually, and unfortunately the opposite. 

If fact feelings are very often misleading, or at least incomplete in their ability to lead and guide - they are subjective, they are a creature born in the moment, they are our reaction to what is seen, heard, and/or experienced, they too often lack insight, discernment, wisdom, or prudence.

The truth is real, it is true, and it speaks to us the truth.  It gives us guidance and leads us a path of righteousness, it illumines our way.  Truth is what we subject our circumstances, thoughts, and feelings to, to make sense of them, to inform of their meaning, to rein them, that the truth may reign in our lives. 

Adding knowledge - wisdom, insight, and discernment - the goodness of God in me

Adding knowledge - wisdom, insight, and discernment - to the goodness of God in me (2Peter 1:1-5). That goodness, which is the nature of Jesus in me (Rom 3:22; 2Cor 5:21), through faith in Jesus, and God’s continued and continual gracious working in me/us (Luke 12:32; Ro 9:11,16; Eph 1:5,9,11; Phil 2:13).

Since God has given us EVERYTHING we need… It is ours now to make every effort to engage with God, daily, in a consistent, persistent ongoing set of encounters that lead to greater and deeper engagement - knowing (gnosis) more of and about God, to know (epignosis) and understand Him and our experiences with Him, better.  

These ongoing and repeated encournters add bits of knowledge (gnosis) of God that strengthen our faith, add to our understanding, affirm our position with God, and instruct us to live our lives with and for God, as we sojourn here with God (epignosis).

To gain this (added) knowledge, we must not just read to read (James 1:19-27), but earnestly seek Him in and by His provided word to give understanding and to our experience – even our first experience (epignosis). 

To do this, we must add knowledge, that of knowing more about Him through His Self-revelation - as to gain more from Him that we might know Him better, love and trust Him more, and be more and more transformed in mind, and conformed in our likeness, to His Son - to Jesus and His life in us - that we might love as Jesus loves, as we have been loved. 

Where do we get this knowledge? 

1. Creation - first and most general Psalm 19:1-6 (Job 38-40; Ps 138; Isa 40; Romans 1:19-20,22)

2. God’s word. (...and Spirit - the Spirit of Truth 1John ) Ps 19:7-13;

2Timothy 3:16  “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness” NIV 

Romans 1 the transition… from creation to word, general to specific

Adding knowledge to our faith

2Peter 1:5 Adding knowledge to our faith: There is a general knowledge of God, that which “has been made” - creation itself - as we will see in Psalm 19 and Romans 1, then there is the very expression of the truth of God in the word of God, the very specific revelation of God, God-breathed by His Spirit through men - the scriptures.  Then there is the Word of God - that is Jesus John 1 and Hebrews 1, along with Colossians 1.

Adding knowledge - wisdom, and discernment - to my experience with God, that up-close and personal experiential encounter with God, is my knowing God by God’s own touching, calling, forgiving and saving, wrestling with and changing, transforming my heart - meeting me where I am - revealing Himself to me.  That is one kind of knowledge - and it is, for most of us, our first encounter with God.  But, it cannot be the only encounter we have with God.  

There is another encounter to be had, a consistent, persistent ongoing encounter - bits of knowledge we must seek coming to know God by experience, we now add another knowledge, that of knowing more about Him through His Self-revelation - as to gain more from Him that we might know Him better, love and trust Him more, and be more and more transformed in mind, and conformed in our likeness of His Son - to Jesus and His life in us - that we might love as Jesus loves, as we have been loved. 

But not just love, but learn and practice a wise love - that is to love wisely, goodly, that the ongoing adding of this more precise knowledge would inform our good love and service that we are (already) adding to our faith.

How, you might ask?  By adding knowledge to my faith’s the expression of Jesus’ goodness - service, adding to that virtuous service, knowledge - continually growing in wisdom and discernment of God and God’s will and applying that to life’s encounters.

Where do we get this knowledge? 

1. Creation - first and most general Psalm 19:1-6 (Job 38-40; Ps 138; Isa 40; Romans 1:19-20,22)

Romans 1:19-20,22

2. God’s word. (...and Spirit - the Spirit of Truth 1John ) Ps 19:7-13;

 2Timothy 3:16  “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness” NIV 

• All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, NIV 

• All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. NLT

• All Scripture is God-breathed [given by divine inspiration] and is profitable for instruction, for conviction [of sin], for correction [of error and restoration to obedience], for training in righteousness [learning to live in conformity to God’s will, both publicly and privately—behaving honorably with personal integrity and moral courage] AMP

Deuteronomy 29:29 The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, so that we may follow all the words of this law.

2Peter 1:21 For no such prophecy was ever brought forth by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit

2Timothy 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

Proverbs 6:23 For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:

3. Jesus - the one of whom creation speaks, the one to whom the Word points (Isaiah 53)

John 1:1-4, 9-14

John 5:39 “You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me...”

Colossians 1:15-20

Hebrews 1:1-4

Luke 24:25-27,44

4. God’s testimony of His work, that leads to our testimony concerning Him, God, and His transforming power in our lives by His grace 

Ephesians 2:6-10

1Peter 3:14-17

“Haven’t you read?" The word of God: adding goodness and knowledge bring out the good (that is, Jesus) in us. | October 3rd

Luke 6 “haven’t you read?”  The word of God: adding goodness and knowledge brings out the good (Jesus) in us. Our proper worship - hearts that are true and devoted to God will bear fruit of goodness and hearts not, won’t. (Isaiah 58) 

Luke 6 “haven’t you read?” (Deut 23:25; Lev 24:5-9; 1Sam 21:1-6) 

Matt 15:7-11 You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: 8“ ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.  9They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’ ” 10Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand.   11What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”  (Isaiah 29:13; Mark 7:6)

Isaiah 58:1-5, 6-12

Rabbinic statement: “Sabbath made for man, not man for the Sabbath” - that we might enjoy God’s presence and daily provision of everything we need and human need rose above the regulations of the law.

Mark 3:23-28 23One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. 24The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”  25He answered, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? 26In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.”  27Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

Even animals and enemies were to be treated with dignity and the grace of compassion, comfort, and provision on the Sabbath. 

Luke 14:1-6  1One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched. 2There in front of him was a man suffering from abnormal swelling of his body. 3Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?” 4But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him on his way.

5Then he asked them, “If one of you has a child or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull it out?” 6And they had nothing to say.

Free to Serve Like Jesus Matt 20; Luke 14

Free to serve like Jesus!  Yes, I have rights and liberties, Yes I am free. In fact, it is for freedom that I have been set free - but I am to careful to not use my freedom to indulge my own flesh and its desires - to do just anything I want. (Gal 5-6)

Instead, in view of God’s mercy, and all that He has done, and the freedom that comes with being His child (Rom 2;5;8;12;17; Phil 2), I am now utterly free from any and everything that we can restrain me from loving and serving you - for just as Jesus (who is my righteousness) knew from Whom He’d come and to Whom He was returning, I can be humbly confident in my own relationship to and with God to do the same as Jesus did and take on the nature of a servant, the servant’s towels, and humbly serve the “one another” in love. (John 13; Gal 5:13-14)

Instead, I now have the right, the liberty, the freedom to rightly… love and serve (Isa 60:21; Jer 23:6; Hab 3:19; Rom 3:24; 7:24-25; 8:1; 1Cor 1:30; 2Cor 5:21), having (had) taken off our old way, attitude - that of the world - and (had) put on what Jesus has provided for us - the righteousness and goodness of Jesus reflected in the attitude and posture of Jesus, I cooperate with and participate in this truth, and take off the old way and put on the new  (Ez 36:26; Isa 65:17; John 1:14; 3:3; Rom 6:4; 2Cor 5:16-21; Phil 2:1-11; Col 3:1-17; 2Pet 1:1-4)

• The privilege and responsibility of being a dearly loved child (Rom 8; Eph 5)

• To perform the duties, the good works, prepared in advance for me to do  (Isa 43:1-13; 58:6-14; Eph 2:1-10)

Taking on Jesus’ attitude, posture, rights, and liberties, and how is this so.   Just as Jesus did not come to be served but to serve, so we, having the same attitude as Jesus, who Himself a servant, now empowered, get to do the same. Seeing others as better than ourselves, we humbly serve.  1Pet 5:1-7 - humble ourselves talk to God and one another.

Matthew 20 Looking at leadership, authority, and success from a worldly point of you, is the desire to have power, prestige, position, worldly prosperity. The economy of the kingdom, on the contrary, is an upside-down economy - where the first is last and the last is first.  And the heart of the one who has been saved has in it the ability to see and gladly learn and practice this truth.  And for the one who would lead anyone or anything - it is to actually be the chief servant, and the one who seems greatest be the one who takes the lowest.

Luke 14:1-14 So, what is it, to intentionally, exercise the attitude and posture of Jesus?  What does it look like to adopt and express His attitude of humility? Is it not, the same as the parable of the banquet, where are the invited jockey for a position, but we, also having been invited, look to take the lowest seat and in doing so, we are not seeking around glory, recognition, neither do we desire to have the eyes of the crowd upon us, we come in with lowly spirit without any expectation except to be glad that we were invited.

Duty: we speak a lot of our rights and liberties, but little about our duty.

Philippians 2; Romans 12: Adding goodness to our faith is a humble and modest endeavor of servitude.  It seems we speak so much of rights and liberties, but very little of responsibility and duty, humility and servitude.  

Loving, living, serving like Jesus…

Though Jesus was a public figure, His notoriety had nothing to do with His seeking attention or seeking fame for Himself, an attempt to bring attention to Himself, it seems as though he never did He say “look at me”. But he humbly defered to His Father: His Father’s will, work, and this, for His Father’s glory.   

John 4:34 “Jesus explained, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work.”

John 5:19-29, 36 “‘Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. 20For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed.…The Father gave me these works to accomplish, and they prove that he sent me.”

John 10:37-38 “37Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. 38But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”

In fact, what Jesus did was let His work speak for Him, and His words were in sync with that work, and His words were supported by that work - His work giving weight and credibility to His words.

Remembering who we are, taking the privilege of responsibility given to us, and performing our duty as humble servants to God and one another, and (and thus, our good works, born from Jesus’ goodness) being a testimony of His mercy and grace to the lost.  And what are these good works?  What is this duty and responsibility that speaks of the privilege of being God’s children?  Remembering Whose and who we are, Who it is that works in us, we commit ourselves (for Jesus’ sake) to being…  

• A good citizen of the Kingdom of God

• A good alien resident of this place in which we reside and sojourn 

• A good neighbor to those around us

• A good offspring of the ones who bore us, a sibling, a spouse, parent, employer/employee 

• And most of all, a good friend to those in the Body of Christ. 

So that “Even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed…” (1Peter 1-3) because have been counted worthy to suffer with Christ Jesus, having been made His siblings:

As Jesus said when notified regarding his mother and sister and brothers Jesus said 

Mark 3:33-35 “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” 34Then he looked at those around him and said, “Look, these are my mother and brothers. 35Anyone who does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” and… 

John 15:14-17 14You are my friends if you do what I command. 15I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. 16You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. 17This is my command: Love each other.

How do we go about such a life? Is it not to be effective and productive in a relationship with Jesus? How do we make ourselves effective in that relationship? Well, after everything Jesus has done, to establish and sustain and keep the relationship, our’s is to “make every effort”, to treat Jesus as he deserves, to see Him for who He is, and to serve Him as He served us.  And that is, not to just speak well of Him, or desire to be like Him, but it is too, by…

“...setting apart Christ (alone) on the throne of your heart as Lord, and be prepared to give a reason for hope when you asked, and when we do so, to do so with gentleness and respect“. (1Peter 3:18)

In Jesus, it is my right and liberty to rest in God’s grace, and then take up my cross and follow Jesus, by imitating him, and laying down my life for the sake of my friends, my neighbor, as He has for His.

That is my right, and I have the liberty to do so, and I see it as a privilege, to be given the responsibility, to perform the duties, as one who will “humbly see others as better than myself, and look not only to my interests but also the interests of others.”

To live in a way that when the plane is going down, I put my oxygen mask on first, and then turn to help others with theirs. And when it is time to save a life, I do not run to save my own life, but I give mine for the saving of others - serving others in life and death. Just as Jesus said and did “knowing from where He came, from Whom He came, and to Whom He was going, He took off His cloak and grabbed a towel down, wrapped it around Himself, poured water in a basin, and showed his disciples the extent of his love - the full extent of his love - and washed His disciples’ feet. (even Judas’).

We must ask ourselves: If the righteous will not be righteous, where will righteousness be? If the good will not be good, where will goodness be?  It is us, we, who are in Christ, who have been made good, to do good, to reflect his goodness. And if we who know Jesus do not speak of Jesus, with both of our lives’ actions and our words, who will speak of Jesus?

How should we thus love here? Letting our works, the expression of Jesus' goodness in and through us, speak for themselves… and use words, words of life, when I asked…

As alien-residents in this place, that is the temporary dwelling that it is, are we not told by our parents, that when we are at another person’s house, we are to treat it even better than our own?  We are to leave it better than we found it? We are to honor and respect those with whom we trod?  That what we have been blessed with is not for keeping, but for a blessing - others?

Acts 20:25 “In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ “

Isiah 35:1-5 “1Even the wilderness and desert will be glad in those days.

The wasteland will rejoice and blossom with spring crocuses.  2Yes, there will be an abundance of flowers and singing and joy!  The deserts will become as green as the mountains of Lebanon, as lovely as Mount Carmel or the plain of Sharon.  There the LORD will display his glory, the splendor of our God.  3With this news, strengthen those who have tired hands, and encourage those who have weak knees.  4Say to those with fearful hearts, ‘Be strong, and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you.’”

Isaiah 52:7 “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns!”  (Is 40:9; Ro 10:15)

This is our responsibility and duty, our privilege as children of God - instruments of His righteous goodness - who have been given the right and liberty to be His representatives - we are those feet bearing good news, are our feet - effective and productive in their message - as we make Jesus Lord in our hearts, and serving Him by making every effort to add goodness, His imputed goodness, to our grace-given faith. 

Attitude and Posture: "you first. No, really"

Matt 20; Mark 8;9; Luke 9;48; 22

There is a posture that, once taken, sets the tone for how we see and treat God and others, and therefore, that posture itself, promotes the very attitude and actions Jesus demands of His disciples.  

Let us not underestimate the importance of posture and the attitude it both reflects (and further promotes) in establishing the foundation of our ability to do the good prescribed for us to do (Matt 5; Luke 6; Eph 2) - to EVEN be alerted to, aware of, acknowledge and then, to be able to make the most of the opportunity before us (Eph 5).  Just to be able to see and perceive the opportunity depends on the attitude and our posture, let alone take advantage of (it).

If we do not think in search terms as humility and servitude - that we are here to serve and bless God and others if we do not understand Jesus’ own attitude and resulting posture (Phil 2), we will not see, we cannot see, the opportunity for what it is and we will,  in essence, miss it.

Taking this posture is a reflection of an inward belief and subsequent attitude, and when one takes this posture they cannot think of themselves more highly than it should, but by the posture, shows their humble self -  this person recognizes humbly their own neediness and that this neediness is met by God as they recognize, acknowledge, understand and accept, that neediness of soul and by extension life - and therefore can not help but be humble - and take the attitude and then the posture of a servant (just like Jesus - Phil 2).

This attitude and posture are what lead to the edification of the body - and in the one who has this attitude, and takes this posture - the purposeful desire that grows into a compulsion, prompting, a wanting, a getting, to bless the body- that is to bring one’s gift for, for the purpose of blessing others for their sake and the sake of the body. (Rom 12; 1Cor 12-14)

This is very much, the “storage-Phileo” family love, Paul here coins, or mints, to describe the true heart condition of one who is truly a disciple of Jesus, one being conformed into his likeness by time and proximity.  It is the mark of one who has been truly affected, regenerated, born again, by the Spirit - a character in a consistent and persistent trajectory toward Christlikeness (Eph 5)

Students are not greater than their teacher. But the student who is fully trained will become like the teacher. Luke 6:40

And to be like Jesus, is the take on his attitude and posture. It is to recognize that their master, confident in his position (John 13; Phil 2; Heb 2), laid himself down, and that true strength and power in life, is, in the hands of the one, the heart of the one, who is secure in their position and their identity (as a child of God), and therefore, humbles themselves, even submitting themselves, to the honoring of the one before them as one worthy of being served and to meet their needs according to their needs - not one’s requirements or status.

25Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  

Matthew 20:25-28

And not depending on their own self’s esteeming, but having been esteemed by God, they instead, bend a knee in the service - of God and others. 

Realizing that all they have received is not merely for one’s and enjoyment, and certainly not for ones on hoarding, but instead to take those things received, and humbly and generously serve the brotherhood and to do so, with their welfare in mind. 

Realizing that their welfare has been taken care of by their heavenly Father, in Christ, so that they can be confident that in God and in the brotherhood, their humble servitude will be, eventually, reciprocated in the brotherhood by the brotherhood.

Romans 12:3-21

• Do not think more highly of yourself than you ought

  • Sober judgment

  • Do not lack humility 

  • Do not be overly proud; arrogant 

  • personal perspective regulating behavior

  • to act high-minded, lacking humility and a true sense of reality

  • to think more highly of oneself than is proper

• Sober or think - to feel, to think

  • to have understanding, be wise

  • to have an opinion of oneself, think of oneself - a proper understanding or feeling about oneself (1Cor 4:6-7)

Matt 20; Mark 8;9; Luke 9;48; 22

Proverbs 16:18-19 “18Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.  19Better to be lowly in spirit along with the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud.” 

1Corinthians 12:7,11  “7Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good… All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.”

Ephesians 4:7 7But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.

Humbly, but with confidence (as God’s child - chosen) - happy in our poverty 

Every Good and Perfect Gift is From Above: James 1; Rom 12

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.  (James 1:17)

Therefore all good things come from above because God is good, His nature is good therefore He is the father of goodness, so when we add goodness to our faith, we are adding the expression of the nature of God placed in us by Jesus - His righteousness - that is good, to do good, because we are good. (2Cor 5:21)

Therefore, we are to find joy in every circumstance - knowing the Father’s goodness and good intentions and will always, ultimately, mean good. 

We must realize that as we find ourselves, in any and every circumstance, we (Get to) bring joy into every circumstance.

In this context, when someone is suffering, we can bring joy to them, by mourning with them as they mourn, by suffering with them as they suffer, helping them see, with insight and discretion, that God is good, and has good intentions.  As He promises (and is able to) “working all things out for the good of those who love him and have been called according to his purposes” (Ro 8:28-39)

Therefore we (can) rejoice in our suffering (Ro 5; Ja 1; 1Pe 1) because we know that Jesus has overcome the world (John 16:33) and with that God does and will work all things for the good (Rom 8), we can now do everything without grumbling and complaining because we realize, we see, we know, that it is God who works in us to will and act according to his purpose is - and that is good. (Phil 2:13, Ro 12.)

“...for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” NIV

“…for God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” NLT

All of this should induce/produce goodness. As we look at them in the next few passages concerning our conduct, we are not only empowered to do such things, we are created in Jesus to do such things. We are created in Christ Jesus, with the seeds of faith, that bear the fruit of (Jesus’) righteousness, the character of Jesus as he has taken our sin and made us righteous. We are righteous and good, and therefore, are made, created, to do good works, and in that, we cannot.

Therefore as we look at these texts – Romans 12; Ephesians 4; Colossians3; Galatians 5; we can see what He is creating us (in Jesus) to be, we are what He is making us be (Eph 2), therefore we are not only empowered to do such things, but we are created to do such things, and then that empowerment enables us to live out what He is making us to be, what we are being created to be - that is, more and more like Jesus, more and more, righteous and good, to do good as Jesus did, as His goodness in us, is good and that good does good. 

This is for all of us who know Jesus, every one of us as we are being made and created - conformed to His likeness, and each one of us uniquely as He and His goodness wills and purposes (1Cor 12) 

Do we rejoice in the truth? Do we rejoice in righteousness? The righteousness of God?  Which IS righteous and good in EVERY circumstance?

If God is good, and he makes everything good for those who love him, is there a time and place, where His goodness is not good? At least it’s the ultimate accomplishment?

It is perpetual perseverance through our circumstances, small and smaller, that enable less than two allow God‘s peace to overcome the current larger or bigger more comprehensive circumstance to trust that God will do what God does. This is a piece of transcends understanding.

Romans 12:3-21

• Do not think more highly of yourself than you ought

  • Sober judgment

  • Do not lack humility 

  • Do not be overly proud; arrogant 

  • personal perspective regulating behavior

  • to act high-minded, lacking humility and a true sense of reality

  • to think more highly of oneself than is proper

• Sober or think - to feel, to think

  • to have understanding, be wise

  • to have an opinion of oneself, think of oneself - a proper understanding or feeling about oneself (1Cor 4:6-7)

Mark 8;9; Luke 9;48; 22

Proverbs 16:18-19 “18Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.

19Better to be lowly in spirit along with the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud.” 

1Corinthians 12:7,11  “7Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good… All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.”

Ephesians 4:7 7But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.

Humbly, but with confidence (as God’s child - chosen) - happy in our poverty