THE SWORD OF THE LORD UNRECOGNIZED
Wednesday, June 28, 2017
Philippians
chapter 3 … I once thought these things were valuable, but now I
consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else
is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my
Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as
garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count
on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous
through faith in Christ. For
God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. I
want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the
dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or
another I will experience the resurrection from the dead! I
don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have
already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which
Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not
achieved it, but I focus on
this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I
press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which
God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. Let all who are
spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I
believe God will make it plain to you. But we must hold on to the progress we
have already made. Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your
lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example …
Hebrews chapter 4 … For the word of God is alive
and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between
soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts
and desires. Nothing in
all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his
eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable. …
One of the
interesting, for me entertaining, is hearing individuals speak what they
consider on their own part an original or learned bit of life wisdom. This is
particularly humorous when psychologists discover what God said without knowing
or crediting that He said it first. I was aware of this again last evening when
I heard someone say that after much stressful trial and error they have
concluded “The past is where people without purpose live.” This definitely is a
platitude to take note of and keep in mind. But it is not new revelation.
Reading,
studying, and pondering God’s Word we recognize such wisdom as of and from
Omniscient Jehovah God presented in His story (history) thematically and/or
overtly spelled out. The apostle Paul exemplifies both aspects.
Whether glorious
or gloomy, living in the past is naught but weighty baggage that hinders the
present and future. And regardless of which human discovered authentic truth, in the beginning it is of and from God.
(Eccl.1:9-10)
EBB4
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