Psalm 33: 13-22
“From heaven, the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth— he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.”
I like to think of myself as wise, not foolish, but this thought came into my mind and its source is Jesus Christ. It's found in John 14:15-17, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”
As I ponder on this thought that the Father who sent His only Son to become sin and paid for all my sins, considers everything I do, that is sobering. What are a few of the things Jesus has commanded me to do, I believe first and if I drop the ball on this I'm not going to be much of a follower of Christ, and love the Lord with all my heart, mind, and personality, or soul. Then Jesus tells us to love our neighbor as ourself, and thanks to the Lord for having the Lawyer ask “who is my neighbor,” and Jesus replied; everyone you encounter. Now let’s not even go to "love your enemy," that may be someone in your family that harmed you or someone at work, but what about those who are in the opposite party, the ones you hold contempt for, that does not even cover those who want to kill you for not believing as they do. Well, I believe the Spirit that lives in me wants us to go there, for He is not the Spirit of hate and fear, but peace, love, joy, and hope.
If you want to hate a person, hate the one Jesus called the thief, for he came only to kill, steal, and destroy, and is the source of all that is evil in the world. The apostle Paul made this very clear to us in Ephesians 6:11-13, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.”
After the examination, what was the result, I came up short, in that I was reminded that Jesus told me, also, as I went to make disciples. And yes, that was not the only area where I came up short.
If you are a follower of Christ, remember God desires us to examine ourselves, you will find that in 2 Corinthians 13:5, “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!”
From the Back Porch,
Bob Rice
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