Is it Really for Him?

[Christsfreeservant]

Sunday, April 9, 2017, 9:20 p.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “Oh, To Be Like Thee.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Zechariah 7 (NASB).

Or, For Ourselves? (vv. 1-7)

In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, which is Chislev. Now the town of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regemmelech and their men to seek the favor of the Lord, speaking to the priests who belong to the house of the Lord of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, “Shall I weep in the fifth month and abstain, as I have done these many years?” Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, “Say to all the people of the land and to the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months these seventy years, was it actually for Me that you fasted? When you eat and drink, do you not eat for yourselves and do you not drink for yourselves? Are not these the words which the Lord proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and prosperous along with its cities around it, and the Negev and the foothills were inhabited?’”​

So, when you think of sacrifice for or service to the Lord, what comes to mind? Do you think of sacrifice as giving up something that you really like, for a period of time, perhaps as part of a religious practice or tradition? Do you think of sacrifice as you choosing what you will forgo, as a means of earning favor with God? - Hoping that he will be pleased by your sacrifice? When you contemplate service for God, do you consider only what you think you would be good at? Or, what would fit in with your lifestyle? Or, what would make you happy, or what would gain you attention and popularity? Do you pick and choose your sacrifice and service on the basis of what works best for you and your personality and your schedule? Many people do.

So, what is God’s view of our sacrifices and our service to him, if it is like what I mentioned above? And, what does he require of us, instead?

Jesus Christ, when he walked the face of this earth, had numerous conversations with or about the Pharisees and the teachers of the law. They were really good at following all the religious practices passed down to them from their elders. They were good at following all the externals of the law, and ceremonial washings, etc., but they were very short on love, mercy and compassion for those they called “sinners,” and for the hurting and afflicted.

They were good at following religious practices, but short on obedience to God, too. Jesus said they cleaned the cup on the outside but inside they were full of wickedness. They had the appearance of being religious, but their hearts were far from God. What they did was not really for God but for themselves. And, what God required of them, they refused to do, mainly which was to believe in Jesus Christ as their promised Messiah and Lord.

When God speaks of sacrifice, he gives us Jesus as our example. Jesus gave his life up for us so that we could go free from slavery to sin, and so we could be free to walk in his righteousness. Jesus willingly laid down his life for you and for me so that we could have new lives in Christ Jesus and walk in victory over sin. He redeemed us – bought us back for God with his blood – so that we could be in fellowship with God and live holy lives pleasing to him. He knew what is best for us, i.e. what we really need, and so he gave up the possibility of popularity, his reputation, and his life for us, to meet our needs. And, he told us the truth, because that is kind and loving.

So, what kind of sacrifice does Jesus require of us? His idea of sacrifice is that we offer our bodies (our lives) as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is our spiritual worship of him (See: Ro. 12:1-2). This is what it means to believe in Jesus, to be crucified with Christ in death to sin, and to be resurrected with Christ to newness of life, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Jesus said that if we hold on to our old lives (of living for sin and self), we will lose them for eternity, but if we lose our lives (die to sin and self), we will gain eternal life (Lu. 9:23-25; cf. Ro. 8:1-14). Jesus doesn’t want or need what we will give up for him of our own decision making. What he wants is us fully surrendered to him, with him as our Lord (owner-master), and with us as his bond-servants (slaves).

The same goes for our service to him, too. He is not interested in us deciding what we will do or not do for him. He has a plan for each one of our lives, which is to follow him wherever HE leads us, not where we want to go. He has gifted each one of his followers with spiritual gifts, which the Spirit of God chooses for us, and he has given each one of us assignments (parts) within the body of Christ which we are to fulfill, which he also determined (See: Ro. 12; 1 Co. 12; Eph. 4).

And, these may not be at all what we would choose for ourselves, and, in fact, many times they are ministries we would never have dreamed of in our wildest imaginations. Yet, many people like to pick and choose their own so as to avoid getting asked to do what is uncomfortable for them, or what might get them rejected by others. I have even heard Christians say that they would not do certain ministries or they would not want certain gifts, and it is because they know they would be hated and rejected.

Are We Listening? (vv. 8-14)

Then the word of the Lord came to Zechariah saying, “Thus has the Lord of hosts said, ‘Dispense true justice and practice kindness and compassion each to his brother; and do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the stranger or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another.’ But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears from hearing. They made their hearts like flint so that they could not hear the law and the words which the Lord of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets; therefore great wrath came from the Lord of hosts. And just as He called and they would not listen, so they called and I would not listen,” says the Lord of hosts; “but I scattered them with a storm wind among all the nations whom they have not known. Thus the land is desolated behind them so that no one went back and forth, for they made the pleasant land desolate.”​

Instead of adhering to religious practice and rituals, and following traditions handed down to us by the generations before us, we need to learn what Jesus requires of his followers, and then we need to do what he says. We also need to pray and ask the Lord to direct us to the ministries he has for us, and to make us sensitive to people’s needs, and then to show us how he would have us meet those needs. We need to not have our minds so fixed on what we think would please God, just because our parents or pastors or elders told us this was the way we should “do church” or worship God. But, we need to have ears and minds that are open to hear God’s voice speaking to us through his Word and through the witness of the Spirit, and then we need to do what his Word teaches us and go where our Lord leads us.

As I alluded to earlier, telling people the truth, if done in love, is kind, it is compassionate, and it is caring for people’s true needs. Too many people today are lying to people in order to make them feel good about themselves, even while they may be steeped in sin’s deceitfulness. No one wants to be the “bad guy.” And, many people don’t want to offend anyone or hurt anyone’s feelings, so they lie to them, or they just don’t say anything.

They often ignore sin in people’s lives because they don’t want to get involved; because they don’t want people to not like them. And, this is true of church leaders, too. Yet, Jesus always told the truth, even if it made people uncomfortable, and even if it did offend them, and even if they hated, rejected and killed him in return. So, speaking the truth in love is one of the ways in which we dispense justice, and practice kindness and compassion to others. It is necessary! And, it is loving and kind!

Other ways we can dispense justice, and practice kindness and compassion for others is through ministering to their physical or emotional needs. Sometimes just a kind word or a hug (proper and pure) is all someone needs at a particular moment. We can bring meals into people, or spend time with them listening to them, though never entertaining what is sinful. We can help with financial needs, or help someone move, or take someone to the hospital, or babysit for married couples so they can have a date every now and then. We can send a card or an email to encourage downtrodden hearts. And, we can keep from doing what is harmful or evil to others, always forgiving, and never trading insult for insult, but returning hate with love.

So, the question here is, “Are we listening?” Not just to what God said in this last section, but in the first part of this passage too, and to what Jesus taught and his NT apostles taught? Or, are we stopping up our ears and refusing to hear the parts we don’t like, because they make us uncomfortable, or because they confront us with our sins and call for us to repent? If God called us to a ministry which we knew would get us hated and rejected, would we tell him no? Are we looking out for our own comfort, or are we looking to serve our Lord fully in whatever he has called us to do?

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer
Thomas O. Chisholm / W. J. Kirkpatrick

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking the wandering sinner to find.

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer others to save.

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,
Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

 

[Neogaia777]

Sunday, April 9, 2017, 9:20 p.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “Oh, To Be Like Thee.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Zechariah 7 (NASB).

Or, For Ourselves? (vv. 1-7)

In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, which is Chislev. Now the town of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regemmelech and their men to seek the favor of the Lord, speaking to the priests who belong to the house of the Lord of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, “Shall I weep in the fifth month and abstain, as I have done these many years?” Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, “Say to all the people of the land and to the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months these seventy years, was it actually for Me that you fasted? When you eat and drink, do you not eat for yourselves and do you not drink for yourselves? Are not these the words which the Lord proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and prosperous along with its cities around it, and the Negev and the foothills were inhabited?’”​

So, when you think of sacrifice for or service to the Lord, what comes to mind? Do you think of sacrifice as giving up something that you really like, for a period of time, perhaps as part of a religious practice or tradition? Do you think of sacrifice as you choosing what you will forgo, as a means of earning favor with God? - Hoping that he will be pleased by your sacrifice? When you contemplate service for God, do you consider only what you think you would be good at? Or, what would fit in with your lifestyle? Or, what would make you happy, or what would gain you attention and popularity? Do you pick and choose your sacrifice and service on the basis of what works best for you and your personality and your schedule? Many people do.

So, what is God’s view of our sacrifices and our service to him, if it is like what I mentioned above? And, what does he require of us, instead?

Jesus Christ, when he walked the face of this earth, had numerous conversations with or about the Pharisees and the teachers of the law. They were really good at following all the religious practices passed down to them from their elders. They were good at following all the externals of the law, and ceremonial washings, etc., but they were very short on love, mercy and compassion for those they called “sinners,” and for the hurting and afflicted.

They were good at following religious practices, but short on obedience to God, too. Jesus said they cleaned the cup on the outside but inside they were full of wickedness. They had the appearance of being religious, but their hearts were far from God. What they did was not really for God but for themselves. And, what God required of them, they refused to do, mainly which was to believe in Jesus Christ as their promised Messiah and Lord.

When God speaks of sacrifice, he gives us Jesus as our example. Jesus gave his life up for us so that we could go free from slavery to sin, and so we could be free to walk in his righteousness. Jesus willingly laid down his life for you and for me so that we could have new lives in Christ Jesus and walk in victory over sin. He redeemed us – bought us back for God with his blood – so that we could be in fellowship with God and live holy lives pleasing to him. He knew what is best for us, i.e. what we really need, and so he gave up the possibility of popularity, his reputation, and his life for us, to meet our needs. And, he told us the truth, because that is kind and loving.

So, what kind of sacrifice does Jesus require of us? His idea of sacrifice is that we offer our bodies (our lives) as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is our spiritual worship of him (See: Ro. 12:1-2). This is what it means to believe in Jesus, to be crucified with Christ in death to sin, and to be resurrected with Christ to newness of life, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Jesus said that if we hold on to our old lives (of living for sin and self), we will lose them for eternity, but if we lose our lives (die to sin and self), we will gain eternal life (Lu. 9:23-25; cf. Ro. 8:1-14). Jesus doesn’t want or need what we will give up for him of our own decision making. What he wants is us fully surrendered to him, with him as our Lord (owner-master), and with us as his bond-servants (slaves).

The same goes for our service to him, too. He is not interested in us deciding what we will do or not do for him. He has a plan for each one of our lives, which is to follow him wherever HE leads us, not where we want to go. He has gifted each one of his followers with spiritual gifts, which the Spirit of God chooses for us, and he has given each one of us assignments (parts) within the body of Christ which we are to fulfill, which he also determined (See: Ro. 12; 1 Co. 12; Eph. 4).

And, these may not be at all what we would choose for ourselves, and, in fact, many times they are ministries we would never have dreamed of in our wildest imaginations. Yet, many people like to pick and choose their own so as to avoid getting asked to do what is uncomfortable for them, or what might get them rejected by others. I have even heard Christians say that they would not do certain ministries or they would not want certain gifts, and it is because they know they would be hated and rejected.

Are We Listening? (vv. 8-14)

Then the word of the Lord came to Zechariah saying, “Thus has the Lord of hosts said, ‘Dispense true justice and practice kindness and compassion each to his brother; and do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the stranger or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another.’ But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears from hearing. They made their hearts like flint so that they could not hear the law and the words which the Lord of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets; therefore great wrath came from the Lord of hosts. And just as He called and they would not listen, so they called and I would not listen,” says the Lord of hosts; “but I scattered them with a storm wind among all the nations whom they have not known. Thus the land is desolated behind them so that no one went back and forth, for they made the pleasant land desolate.”​

Instead of adhering to religious practice and rituals, and following traditions handed down to us by the generations before us, we need to learn what Jesus requires of his followers, and then we need to do what he says. We also need to pray and ask the Lord to direct us to the ministries he has for us, and to make us sensitive to people’s needs, and then to show us how he would have us meet those needs. We need to not have our minds so fixed on what we think would please God, just because our parents or pastors or elders told us this was the way we should “do church” or worship God. But, we need to have ears and minds that are open to hear God’s voice speaking to us through his Word and through the witness of the Spirit, and then we need to do what his Word teaches us and go where our Lord leads us.

As I alluded to earlier, telling people the truth, if done in love, is kind, it is compassionate, and it is caring for people’s true needs. Too many people today are lying to people in order to make them feel good about themselves, even while they may be steeped in sin’s deceitfulness. No one wants to be the “bad guy.” And, many people don’t want to offend anyone or hurt anyone’s feelings, so they lie to them, or they just don’t say anything.

They often ignore sin in people’s lives because they don’t want to get involved; because they don’t want people to not like them. And, this is true of church leaders, too. Yet, Jesus always told the truth, even if it made people uncomfortable, and even if it did offend them, and even if they hated, rejected and killed him in return. So, speaking the truth in love is one of the ways in which we dispense justice, and practice kindness and compassion to others. It is necessary! And, it is loving and kind!

Other ways we can dispense justice, and practice kindness and compassion for others is through ministering to their physical or emotional needs. Sometimes just a kind word or a hug (proper and pure) is all someone needs at a particular moment. We can bring meals into people, or spend time with them listening to them, though never entertaining what is sinful. We can help with financial needs, or help someone move, or take someone to the hospital, or babysit for married couples so they can have a date every now and then. We can send a card or an email to encourage downtrodden hearts. And, we can keep from doing what is harmful or evil to others, always forgiving, and never trading insult for insult, but returning hate with love.

So, the question here is, “Are we listening?” Not just to what God said in this last section, but in the first part of this passage too, and to what Jesus taught and his NT apostles taught? Or, are we stopping up our ears and refusing to hear the parts we don’t like, because they make us uncomfortable, or because they confront us with our sins and call for us to repent? If God called us to a ministry which we knew would get us hated and rejected, would we tell him no? Are we looking out for our own comfort, or are we looking to serve our Lord fully in whatever he has called us to do?

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer
Thomas O. Chisholm / W. J. Kirkpatrick

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking the wandering sinner to find.

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer others to save.

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,
Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

Well, what can "we" do for God really...?

Is not all that he commanded or instructed us to do really for "us" and not him so much...?

But is what is best for us and in our best interests, many people do not see how satisfying and fulfilling and freeing it really is to be doing his will in your life...

But, it really is, the key to true lasting happiness for us, though many of us just do not see it that way...

Sad...

God Bless!

 

[Monna]

Romans 12:2
Do not be conformed to this world (or age) but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Thank you Christsfreeservant for your meditation.

Sometimes I think that whatever I do consciously for God is actually my own "works" and that it is only the good (usually only seen in retrospect) that I do unconsciously or 'automatically' that is him working through me.

I recall leading a team of seminary students in a two week evangelism effort. I was young, probably younger than any of them. And I wanted to impress them with my spiritual maturity. I wanted them to take back to their school wonderful stories of their time with us, and the high quality of spiritual leadership provided. I was on my best behaviour the whole time.

At the end of the period we held a wrap-up and evaluation session. This was my chance to hear a few of their accolades, of their experiences on the streets and going door to door, of their impressions of how the work was organised and led. Somehow they got onto the subject of me.

They didn't say a word about my leadership, about the level of discussions we had around the dinner table, about the devotions we held together. Then one participant said "you know, one thing that really impressed me was the day we were visited by the evangelist from out of town. She needed help with her car battery and she didn't have enough money for buying a new one. And you just gave it to her, apparently without thinking - though you had never met her before and couldn't be sure you would ever see her again. That really impressed me."

That act had been entirely automatic, without thought one way or another, and definitely without knowing that anyone was observing me. Batteries then and in that country we expensive. And we didn't have much money - we lived entirely on freewill offerings which we did nothing to elicit. This was one thing I usually had to think a lot about.

I came away wondering deeply over this thought: was this an example of being transformed in the mind? It seemed that none of the things I had tried so hard to do to emulate my Lord had had the least impression on the team. Only what I had done unconsiously ... automatically. So any time I think "now I will do something for the Lord" an alarm goes off in my mind - "really? you think so?"

Yes, I know I have to listen for God's voice, but Hudson Taylor, after 40 years of work as a missionary told young people "I hear God's voice less and less directing my decisions the more I get to know him. It seems that he expects me to know his will automatically now that he has been working on transforming my mind for so long. And he gives me the responsibility to take decisions, knowing that they will be in line with his thoughts." (This didn't mean that he didn't spend as much time in prayer and bible reading as always - his communication (the constant renewal of his mind) with his Lord continued unabated, but he apparently needed fewer and fewer direct instructions 'do this,' 'don't do that.')

My take on this? spend time getting to know the Lord out in the real world, it is a process that will transform your mind to be like his. Other people, whether or not they ever mention it, will probably see the similarity to him more than you.

 

[Another Lazarus]

Jesus said they cleaned the cup on the outside but inside they were full of wickedness. They had the appearance of being religious, but their hearts were far from God.

The Jewish teachers understood only those who were of their own country, nation, and religion, whom they were pleased to look upon as their friends. Others salute their brethren, and embrace those of their own party, and way, and opinion,
but we must study to conform ourselves to the example of our heavenly Father,

Matt 5:44 but I -- I say to you, Love your enemies, bless those cursing you, do good to those hating you, and pray for those accusing you falsely, and persecuting you,

46. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?


May Jesus bless you all HalleluYah

 

[Christsfreeservant]

Romans 12:2
Do not be conformed to this world (or age) but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Thank you Christsfreeservant for your meditation.

Sometimes I think that whatever I do consciously for God is actually my own "works" and that it is only the good (usually only seen in retrospect) that I do unconsciously or 'automatically' that is him working through me.

I recall leading a team of seminary students in a two week evangelism effort. I was young, probably younger than any of them. And I wanted to impress them with my spiritual maturity. I wanted them to take back to their school wonderful stories of their time with us, and the high quality of spiritual leadership provided. I was on my best behaviour the whole time.

At the end of the period we held a wrap-up and evaluation session. This was my chance to hear a few of their accolades, of their experiences on the streets and going door to door, of their impressions of how the work was organised and led. Somehow they got onto the subject of me.

They didn't say a word about my leadership, about the level of discussions we had around the dinner table, about the devotions we held together. Then one participant said "you know, one thing that really impressed me was the day we were visited by the evangelist from out of town. She needed help with her car battery and she didn't have enough money for buying a new one. And you just gave it to her, apparently without thinking - though you had never met her before and couldn't be sure you would ever see her again. That really impressed me."

That act had been entirely automatic, without thought one way or another, and definitely without knowing that anyone was observing me. Batteries then and in that country we expensive. And we didn't have much money - we lived entirely on freewill offerings which we did nothing to elicit. This was one thing I usually had to think a lot about.

I came away wondering deeply over this thought: was this an example of being transformed in the mind? It seemed that none of the things I had tried so hard to do to emulate my Lord had had the least impression on the team. Only what I had done unconsiously ... automatically. So any time I think "now I will do something for the Lord" an alarm goes off in my mind - "really? you think so?"

Yes, I know I have to listen for God's voice, but Hudson Taylor, after 40 years of work as a missionary told young people "I hear God's voice less and less directing my decisions the more I get to know him. It seems that he expects me to know his will automatically now that he has been working on transforming my mind for so long. And he gives me the responsibility to take decisions, knowing that they will be in line with his thoughts." (This didn't mean that he didn't spend as much time in prayer and bible reading as always - his communication (the constant renewal of his mind) with his Lord continued unabated, but he apparently needed fewer and fewer direct instructions 'do this,' 'don't do that.')

My take on this? spend time getting to know the Lord out in the real world, it is a process that will transform your mind to be like his. Other people, whether or not they ever mention it, will probably see the similarity to him more than you.

Monna, Thank you for your response and for sharing your story with me. It is true that the closer we get to the Lord, and the more that we know him, the more automatic it should be to do what he says without even thinking about it. His heart should become our heart and his passion our passion, and walking in his steps should just be a matter of the course for our lives. His thoughts are now in our heads and so we know what to do, in many cases, without anyone having to remind us or instruct us. This is true.

Yet, we must be careful not to assume the will of God in all circumstances, or that he has freed us to make our own decisions based on what knowledge we already have, for, although he will never contradict his Word to us, he may have us go to a different place or to do something different than what we were doing, and so we always need to be listening for his voice speaking gently to our hearts, and then we need to respond to that voice and go with God wherever he leads us.

As far as what one does consciously necessarily being of his or her own works, I don't think we should draw that conclusion, because that is not based in scripture. Yes, some things should be automatic, and more so the closer our walk with him. But, when God gives us an assignment to do, and we do it, it is not something we do without giving it any thought. We must be very conscious of what we are doing and why we are doing it, and we must continually be in the presence of the Lord, listening to his voice speaking his directions to our hearts, giving us words to speak, etc.

From what I read of what you said it sounds as though your conscious effort was in your flesh since you were looking for human approval and you hoped to impress people. But, what you did automatically you did impulsively just because it was the right thing to do, and obviously this had been ingrained in you, so you didn't have to give thought to it. But, this is not to say this is how God works all the time, i.e. that if we do something automatically it is of God but if we do something consciously it is of flesh. It could be the other way around. If you truly were trying to emulate the Lord in the things which you did, you would not have been trying to impress people with your spirituality.

 

[Neogaia777]

Monna, Thank you for your response and for sharing your story with me. It is true that the closer we get to the Lord, and the more that we know him, the more automatic it should be to do what he says without even thinking about it. His heart should become our heart and his passion our passion, and walking in his steps should just be a matter of the course for our lives. His thoughts are now in our heads and so we know what to do, in many cases, without anyone having to remind us or instruct us. This is true.

Yet, we must be careful not to assume the will of God in all circumstances, or that he has freed us to make our own decisions based on what knowledge we already have, for, although he will never contradict his Word to us, he may have us go to a different place or to do something different than what we were doing, and so we always need to be listening for his voice speaking gently to our hearts, and then we need to respond to that voice and go with God wherever he leads us.

As far as what one does consciously necessarily being of his or her own works, I don't think we should draw that conclusion, because that is not based in scripture. Yes, some things should be automatic, and more so the closer our walk with him. But, when God gives us an assignment to do, and we do it, it is not something we do without giving it any thought. We must be very conscious of what we are doing and why we are doing it, and we must continually be in the presence of the Lord, listening to his voice speaking his directions to our hearts, giving us words to speak, etc.

From what I read of what you said it sounds as though your conscious effort was in your flesh since you were looking for human approval and you hoped to impress people. But, what you did automatically you did impulsively just because it was the right thing to do, and obviously this had been ingrained in you, so you didn't have to give thought to it. But, this is not to say this is how God works all the time, i.e. that if we do something automatically it is of God but if we do something consciously it is of flesh. It could be the other way around. If you truly were trying to emulate the Lord in the things which you did, you would not have been trying to impress people with your spirituality.

Ask the H.S. for discernment... To clear up any confusion in the matter...

Peace,

God Bless!

 

[Christsfreeservant]

The Jewish teachers understood only those who were of their own country, nation, and religion, whom they were pleased to look upon as their friends. Others salute their brethren, and embrace those of their own party, and way, and opinion,
but we must study to conform ourselves to the example of our heavenly Father,

Matt 5:44 but I -- I say to you, Love your enemies, bless those cursing you, do good to those hating you, and pray for those accusing you falsely, and persecuting you,

46. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?


May Jesus bless you all HalleluYah

Thank you for sharing. Yet, the Jewish teachers did not understand Jesus, even though he was of their own country, nation and religion, and they were not pleased to look upon him as their friend. A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own people, and even in his own household (paraphrased) said Jesus. Jesus told his followers that they would be hated as he was hated. He was hated by his own people, of his own faith, and even of his own family. So, much of our persecution may come from the same - even from within the church, and from our church leaders, and even from our family members. Jesus said that our enemies may even be those of our own families. So, when we love our enemies, they may be fellow Christians, i.e. brothers and sisters in Christ, or they may be our flesh and blood brothers and sisters.

 

[Christsfreeservant]

Well, what can "we" do for God really...?

Is not all that he commanded or instructed us to do really for "us" and not him so much...?

NO. I think that it is taught much these days that everything is for us, but it is for God and for his glory. Yes, we benefit. Yes, Jesus died so that we might go free from sin. This is for us, but it is for him, too, for it is for his glory and it is that we might love him and worship him.

In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. Eph. 1:5-6

In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory. Eph. 1:13-14

Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. Heb. 13:20-21

John 14:23-24: “Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me.”

2 John 1:6: “And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.”

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. Tit. 2:11-14

 

[Monna]

Romans 11:36
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory for ever. Amen.

Colossians 1:16
for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.

Hebrews 2:10
For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through suffering.

 

[Christsfreeservant]

Romans 11:36
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory for ever. Amen.

Colossians 1:16
for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.

Hebrews 2:10
For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through suffering.

Thank you so much! I will add these to my list. Good! Good!