"What Does God Want?"

"For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead." (James 2:26) The spirit that James is referring to here is life, as in breath of life. If we look at what Paul says in Ephesians 2:1, "And you hath He quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins", the word quickened means brought to life. Again, thinking about the words that I wrote between verses 10 and 11 of Colossians chapter 2, I have to think they mean more than just waiting on God for direction; something more like, every breath I take, would best explain it. Okay; I am sorry if I have lost you in between the lines, but words do mean things; and I know that these words that I am talking about have been added by me, but it was at God's prompting that they were added. To look at this from another perspective, let's say that our body actually became dead when we accepted Christ into our heart; I know that it might seem a little drastic, but bare with me. Now then, if this body was dead, then what gave it life? The Spirit of God did when He quickened me, or brought me to life; therefore, the life that I now live, I live by the power of God's Spirit who is now the source of my breathing, breath being the source of life. This is what James is referring to as he speaks about our faith needing to come alive, because the life that we now have is based upon God's Spirit abiding within us; meaning that the Holy Spirit should be what moves us, or that which makes us move; gives us life is more like it! But of course this body did not die at the time of my accepting Christ into my heart; however, what did die was the cursed creature that was buried with Christ; making way for the new creature to rise up through faith. It is this faith that has risen, which gets it's life by the Spirit of the Living God, and it cannot move, or have it's ability to function as a life, without Him... "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:10)

"Complete In Christ" -2

Not to beat a dead horse, nor to seem as though I am spiritulizing a text, but I feel lead to share on something from a post that I did at the first of May, 2010; and it has to do with a rather odd story in 2 Kings 6:1-7. In this story we see Elisha use a piece of wood to cause an axe head to float to the surface of a river. The young man's axe head that flew off was from an axe that he had borrowed in order to help with the work that they were doing. With this story I hope to relate two very popular Scriptures to the righteousness that we have been given in Christ. The two Scriptures are Ephesians 2:8 & 9 and James 2:26; one speaks about being saved by grace, and not of works; while the other speaks that faith without works is dead. Okay; let's just say that this axe head was to represent man's righteousness, which has been broken off the handle because of sin. And then, let's say that the river that it flew into represented the holiness of God; indicating that the axe head stood no chance to float in that environment, and consequently sunk to the bottom. Now let's say that the piece of wood which was used to bring the axe head to the surface was to represent Jesus Christ, and the death that He suffered on the cross for our sins; giving His righteousness as a sacrifice for the righteousness which we did not have, that we might attain righteousness. By this we can see, that it is His righteousness that makes that axe head float to the surface in the holiness of God. Now the second part of this equation involves that which we must do; which we can see, as did that young man, is just to put forth our hand to retrieve that which was lost; which was proclaimed to that young man by Elisha saying, "Take it up to thee. And he put out his hand, and took it." This is what I believe illustrates the righteousness that we have in Christ; and it is only by His righteousness that we are able to reclaim, obtain, and proclaim any righteousness that was lost... "In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: buried with Him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised Him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses; blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross; and having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it." (Colossians 2:11-15)

"Complete In Christ"

Do we suffer from falling short of what we think is required of us? I have always wondered what it was that God has called me to do; and yet, my bewilderment always leaves me feeling unfulfilled. The first step in fulfilling our calling is to rest in Christ; but given my need to do something, resting is so hard to do; at least that is how it is for me, because I have always been someone who likes to stay busy; and sometimes busy things are not always good things. I have something written between verses 10 and 11 in Colossians chapter 2, and it says, What does God want? Again, I am really not quite sure when I wrote it, but it has to do with waiting upon the Lord, that much I am sure of. This same principle is placed between our labour to be righteous and the righteousness that we have been given in Christ. How so, you may be wondering? Jesus Christ is our righteousness, yet when we set out in our own busy way to try and be righteous on our own, only to fall short and wonder what went wrong, we set ourselves up to be beat up by the enemy. Satan loves it when we are bewildered by our weaknesses; he loves to push that in our face, as if to convince us that either we are unworthy of God, or that God is not with us. I believe this might be the point of being settled in our faith, besides just being grounded, we should also not move out further than that which the Lord would have us to go. For me, that is hard to do, because I am so hard headed in doing things my way; setting goals that are always beyond my reach; refusing to look at the instruction manual before I start assembling some new piece of equipment; not asking for directions and getting lost and upset. In order to rest in Christ, we must stop what we are doing, and do what He wants us to do; which requires us to ask Him what He wants us to do. How often do we do this? I will eventually ask for directions, but at what cost? Is frustration an expense to me? I think that it is; it sure can turn me into someone that I would rather not be. For me, I find myself being a fool over and over again, by doing what I think that the Lord would have me to do, and then wondering why it did not work out. The Lord would have me to pray first before moving forward; so I pray, Lord bless this move that I am making. How about study His Word for the direction that I should go; which sometimes involves flipping through the pages until I find the Scripture that meets my plans; or opening to a random Book and pointing to the page, and letting the revealed words guide my way (very foolish, don't try this at home!!!). We that are called into the Body of Christ are complete already in Him, and there is nothing, absolutely nothing that we can do that will make us more complete in Him; this is because it is His doing that has completed us. Having said that, I must add, that anything to be done through us, must be done in Christ working through us to continue that which He has already completed; and it is only by His leading that this will be done...

"Back to the Basics"

"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ." (Colossians 2:8) There is an element to the joy which we have in our hearts that can not be measured by the world, or by the standards of this world; that element is Jesus Christ! Okay, let me try and relate this to something that we can all understand. My joy that I have in my heart is not based upon happiness, as in that which I might get from the things of this world; it is based upon the relationship that I have with the Creator of the universe, Jesus Christ. There is a very distinct difference between joy and happiness, just as there is a very distinct difference between sadness and misery. When Paul is talking about our heart being spoiled, it is the difference between what is seen and that which is unseen; because the rudiments of the world are those things by which man will naturally draw his attention to, as in an attempt to try and place a human perspective to that which cannot be explained. For example: the Law that was given by God, was not given so that man would strive to complete it; but was given that man would be lead to Christ, who is the One who fulfilled it. But man, in an attempt to place his own righteousness in the way, has placed the rudiments of this world upon himself in an effort to be justified in his own eyes in the relationship with the Law. Maybe that did not make much sense to you, but we have to understand something about what we have been given in Christ; something that can only be understood by actually resting in Christ: our righteousness was taken out of the way, because it was never there in the first place. Jesus gave us many examples of this in His teachings by saying things like, "If we have hated our brother, then we have committed murder"; because the rudiments of the Law take place in our hearts, not by the actions that are lived out in our lives. Once we can understand that it is not by our righteousness, or by man's righteousness based upon the Law, that we are made to be the righteousness of God, we can have the joy in our hearts that surpasses all understanding. If we place our focus back onto our own righteousness, then we will be doomed for failure and our joy will be lost. "For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, and ye are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and power:" (Colossians 2:9 & 10) It is man's attempt to complete himself that spoils the joy that he has been given...

"The Joyful Heart"

I can only try to be unhappy for so long, and then I have to get back to joy. Really, it is very true; I will allow myself to be unhappy, for an allotted time only, and then it's back to joy. Some might wonder, why even bother being unhappy in the first place? Well, I guess that it is because I should have some way to express my pain; therefore, I will push any pain aside for so long, and when I feel the time is right, I let it out; why? Because in everything that I am facing, I choose joy; however, there comes a time when I am able, and dare I say, permitted to pour my heart out to God in a state of sadness. Do you think that is odd? Like, who does something like that? Well, I do it almost twice a year; but it is not something that I show to the world, nor do I ever intend to show it to my wife; but every once in awhile I forget and find myself crying over her. You might ask, how can you say that God is in control and yet have sadness? I guess I am just a man; and even though I feel the joy of the Lord in my heart day in and day out, there are still the harsh realities of this life that must be mourned over, at one point or another. Having said all of that, I must continue what I was saying about God being in control. If we know that God is in control of all that happens to us, then why shouldn't we count it all joy? What stops us from the ability to count it all joy is having our focus on the world instead of on God. If I wanted a time that I could go back to, then that time would be what ruled my heart; and we know how unlikely it is to go back in time; so then, why bother trying to get there? If I wished for something else to be happening in my life, then that something else, and the fact that it is not mine, would steal my joy; so then, why not be joyful in what I have been given? It really does come down to our belief in God; not just that there is a God, but that He loves us and wants only the very best for us. Your very best may not be my very best, and so on; but everyone of us have our own cross to bare; and if it was alright for Jesus to weep for a half hour or so, then I think it is okay for me to do it also; once in awhile... "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2)

"The Thankful Heart" -2

"Count your blessings; name them one by one..." I don't remember all the words, but I do remember the melody; we just don't sing this song much anymore. However, there is so much truth to what it says, because we always focus so much on the bad stuff in our lives, forgetting or not paying that much attention to the good. Yes, but the bad stuff we must pray for God to fix; right? Maybe that's true, but what if that is not His plan? Will you continue to focus upon it, as if doing so will make it happen? As I have said before, I pray for God to heal my wife several times every day, but I am not focused upon her being healed; instead I am focused upon her being alive, and whatever forms of affection will stimulate her mind. Knowing that God is in control of our lives helps to make even the worst situations something that good can be taken out of; if we truly believe that He is in control. Have you ever thanked God for a flat tire? That might seem silly, but something as inconvenient as getting a flat tire can be something to thank Him for; that is, if you believe that He is in control; if not, then you curse the tire, the car, the road, the day, etc, etc. I have no patience with electronic devices, especially computers and everything attached to them. If you could hear my rants every time I get in a battle with my computer or my printer, you would wonder if I was even a Christian; however, this type of emotional fit is maybe brought on by something else; something that has roots in unthankfulness. Maybe, if we take a really deep look at why there is no thankfulness, we will find out there is also no forgiveness too. Stop and think about it for a moment; asking yourself what the most important thing about your relationship with Jesus Christ is; would it be that you have been forgiven of your sins? Is that not what Jesus came for? Yet, we tend to forget about the forgiveness of our sins if we are walking with unconfessed sin in our lives; and especially if we have unforgiveness within our own hearts. To be truly thankful for something that has been given, something as important as the forgiveness of our sins, should also make us thankful for so much more; more than anything that this world can throw at us, that is for sure. Besides, if God is in control, then everything that might seem to come against us is really for our good, even if we cannot see what that good might be. For example: sometimes we are seconds away from being taken from this world and from the ones that we love, and a flat tire may be all that was needed to avoid that which was to take us out...

"The Thankful Heart"

"Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:3) This morning was a little strange, seeing that I slept in till 7:00, and that I had not thought anything about my post this morning; quite the opposite from the night before. Then, as I was giving Marianne her first med of the day, it came to me, "The Thankful Heart", that was the title of today's post; which I thought would work fine, seeing that the last Scripture I wrote from Colossians was 2:6 & 7, wherein Paul speaks about "abounding therein with thanksgiving". And then I read the day 20 of our year long study of Matthew, and have something all together new to share about! The whole point of Paul's meaning to what he said in verses 2:6 & 7, was how we must realize our inability to measure up to God's expectations and holiness; therefore, we walk in Christ, and in His ability; being thankful for the grace that we have been given; and holding unto that as the salvation of our souls. Much said in a few sentences, but so was Jesus' first teaching words in 'The Sermon on the Mount'. 'Blessed' is a word that indicates someone possessing the favor of God, that state of being marked by fullness from God. This is someone who's satisfaction comes from God and not from favorable circumstances. 'The poor in spirit' indicates someone who has realized their utter helplessness in keeping or doing what is required spiritually for God's approval. I think a good example of this might be 'The rich young ruler', who came to Jesus with the confidence of having all that was required to inherit the kingdom of God, yet walked away lacking what was required to obtain it. If you remember those many postings about this young man, it was thought that he was Mark, who later did what the Lord instructed him in; selling all of his wealth, giving it to the poor, and following Jesus. This I believe he did by realizing how short he came from keeping all that God commanded, even though he had initially thought that he had kept it all from his youth; until he realized that spiritually he was bankrupt and in need of a Saviour. This again would explain this young man's effort to hold onto Jesus as they were taking Jesus away in the garden the night of His arrest; the young man having nothing left but a garment to cover his naked body, was desperate to not let go One who made his spirit rich... (Mark 14:50-52)

"The Prepared Heart" -2

As we look to the Scriptures to be a guide for our lives, then I believe that it is also fitting that they should also be a guide for our death. We know for example that Jesus spoke more about hell then He did about heaven; to which we are to notice that it was for our benefit that He did. It was not to point us to what we were headed into, but to point us to the only way to be saved from that which we were going to face. It is this direction of our turning that I am trying to point out in my explanation of our obedience to the law. For example; Jesus said that by love we would fulfill all of the Commandments; in so doing, He did not disregard the Commandments, but rather established the way in which they are to be kept. It is this level of preparation to our hearts that I am talking about; and that by His removing the actual burden of the law, that it is no longer our fear of not keeping them, but rather our new obligation to love, that freely we are able to keep them. This is the point which John makes in 1 John 4:7, "He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love", because of the change that takes place in the heart of a Believer, in that we have a new heart that has been prepared to love. It is this prepared heart that we have been given that makes the law no longer grievous to us anymore, but rather, makes us free from the law because love will fulfill all that the law required of us. Consequently, it is our lack of love for God and each other that will cause us to trespass the law. Therefore, it is the law by which the nonbelievers shall be judged, but it is by love that we that are in Christ shall be judged. Furthermore, it will be by our misdirection in our turning that we shall realize what the real meaning of sin shall be: Missing the mark!!!

"The Prepared Heart"

"Then shall I not be ashamed when I have respect unto all Thy commandments." (Psalm 119:6) There is a way that a man should be prepared for his death, just as a man might prepare for any special event in life. Do you know what I am talking about? The commandments of God are to be respected and treated as though they are set in stone; oh, wait a minute, I think they actually have been. Seriously, I feel that we have been given a liberty that has been taken too far. Looking at the rate of divorce, suicide, rebellious youth, addictions and many others darkened issues that are among those within the church, I have to wonder where God's law has been hidden in all this stuff. If we are a people that have respect unto all of God's commandments, then where is the proof of that? Or have we been liberated so far from the law that is does not matter anymore? I have been thinking about this quite awhile, and I still don't know if I have the right answer; but this much I do know: God is going to judge sin, and when He does, many that have disregarded the seriousness of sin, are going to be in for a big surprise. We must be holy, not for the sake of keeping the law, but out of respect for the law; knowing that it is God's law that has been established in our hearts! Okay, maybe we should look at this another way, and say that God does not change; and because God does not change, for a man to become a vessel that is worthy enough to be in His presence, then the man must change. "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him: rooted and built up in Him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving." (Colossians 2:6 & 7) It is obvious by the Scriptures I have just quoted that we are to live our life in Jesus Christ, to which many profess that they do; however, looking at our churches today, there seems to be something missing from the faith that we are to be stablished in; something that should cause us to be abundantly thankful for what we have been given. Do you think that it might have something to do with respect for God's law???

"Men of Faith" -2

Did you like that little powder puff post yesterday? I thought you might need a break; but did you try at all to envision yourself in the shoes of Joseph? "O that my ways were directed to keep Thy statutes!" (Psalm 119:5) Whether or not you envisioned yourself walking in the shoes of Joseph, you must realize something that is spoken in the Psalm I just wrote, God's statutes are not dead; they were not dead to Joseph, even though he was taken from his land and treated as dead himself. As a matter of fact, Joseph had only one thing left of his people to hold unto, his God. Let me ask you something: Have you seen Jesus on the cross? If not, why not? Have you seen Jesus resurrected from the tomb? If not, why not? Have you seen Jesus glorified? If you have, were you standing with Him? Men of faith are men of vision; they place themselves in the place where they belong, and then they set out to get there. Joseph was a man of vision who was taken from the place which he belonged, yet his heart was still governed by his God, and the promises of that God. We that are in Jesus Christ are new creatures that have been created by the washing of the blood of Christ, and outside the law, does not mean that we are above the law; nor does it mean that the law no longer matters. Even as Joseph was no longer under the roof of his father or under his command, he choose to remain under his influence, and the commands of the God that he served. Likewise, even though we have been placed in a glorified position, at the side of Jesus in heaven, we are still subject to obey the commands of the Father, just as Jesus obeyed the Father's commands. Herein is the difference between those that are in Christ and those that are not: in us, the law has been made complete; in those that are not washed by the blood us Jesus Christ, the law will be completed by judgement. Now then; let me ask you again, Have you seen yourself standing beside Jesus in glory? If not, why not???

"Men of Faith"

If you want to see what a man of faith looks like, try to picture yourself living in the shoes of Joseph the son of Israel. Why Joseph? you might wonder. Understanding what is required to be a man of faith requires the vision into the future and the hope to see that vision come to life. This is something which takes a man beyond his circumstances, or the present place that he might find himself living in. Our lives do not always go the way that we envision or plan them to go; nor do we always understand the circumstances that we might be placed within. But with a vision for the future and the hope to get there, we live to face another day, no matter what circumstance we might find ourselves in. Joseph was a man that was destined to be a ruler, and he knew that from his youth. Although he may not have fully understood what those visions meant, he lived his life as someone who was prepared to be placed in the position that he was destined to become. There are two types of rulers: those that rule over other people because they want to rule over them, and those that rule over the affairs of others without wanting to rule over them, but rather wanting to serve them; Joseph was the later by circumstances. By the visions that he had as a child, many would have been pulled toward the first, and so his brothers had interpreted it so; maybe even Joseph himself had done that also, at least for a while. But it was the circumstances that he later found himself placed within, that generated the heart of a servant; and not just a servant, but a servant of all. Second in line to the most powerful man on the earth, yet even that man was subject to his words. This is something which went way beyond what he imagined as a child, which involved his brothers and even his father bowing down to him. Circumstances are just what they are: only moments in time that require our presence for the purpose of shaping our future... "O that my ways were directed to keep Thy statutes!" (Psalm 119:5)

"My Perfect Wife" -3

I have something else to say, and then I will move on. First and foremost on my mind is the fact that God is in control! I had a rather strange discussion with a gentleman that came to my house on Saturday, where he tried to convince me that Satan was the ruler of this world, as if he was the one in control of everything. This I do not believe, nor do I think God has given this world over to Satan for him to thrash it about any way that he pleases. At one point in our conversation, the elderly man talked about the question that many people ask, Then why is there so much death and destruction in the world? At which point Job was mentioned, and how God allowed Satan to destroy Job's life. I really did not think this man knew in his heart what it means to be free from the curse of sin, nor did he understand the mercy of God; however, he did say something that was correct, God does allow Satan to do certain things; God even allows man to do certain things; but, God is in control! He is on the throne, not Satan! Therefore, as a child of the King, I must believe that God has my very best interest in mind when He let's things in my life happen. I must never believe that something allowed for my life is of the devil: "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28) Thus the title of these last three days, "My Perfect Wife", because He is in control, and if He is in control, then my life is perfect, and so is my wife. Does that mean I do not want her to be healed? absolutely not; as a matter of fact, I pray for her healing several times every day. But something that I have learned over the last eight years, is that God uses her to minister to me and to others, over and over again. Just when I think He is done, a fresh waive of ministry comes though. Sometimes the current is like that of a river, where it might appear still or barely moving on the surface, but down below it is raging through. I must tell you something that I have witnessed from experience, go to any Care Facility in your area, and view the occupants that are there with mental disorders; you will find that most of them are women. Tell me why this is! I will tell you what I think: men have a real problem loving there wives, and sacrificing for them; yet the women, they are all about love and giving care to those that they love, and most of them will do it till they are no longer able!!!

"My Perfect Wife" -2

"...he should divorce her and start over,..." No, that does not sound cruel at all; it sounds like the opposite of love! 'In sickness and in heath' does not stop at, well how sick are we talking about? I have some advice for someone who claims to be a Christian and claims to love his wife: care for your wife, and let God show you what love really means!!! I know that it sounds weird and might even sound crazy; sometimes it can make me feel a little crazy; but, I love my wife more now than I ever did in the past. There is something created in our hearts when we give ourselves to the care of someone; especially someone that you love. Call it compassion, or whatever you want, but there is nothing more precious to me than her frailness and her dependence upon me for the care that she needs. There are times when I feel weary, I won't lie; but there are times when I feel that I have been given the greatest gift that God could give me: to know Love! This might seem odd to some of you, maybe even all of you, but God has given me a chance to see what it is like to love as He loves. When we were still sinners, God loved us; when we are still sinners, God still loves us; He never stops loving us, yet we do not always love Him. Taken as a whole, the world does not have love for God, yet He loved us enough to place Himself upon a cross and to die for the sin which separated us from fellowship with Him. I do know that I love my wife very very much, but I can not prove her love to me; at least not by showing what her love for me looks like. Most people that see her just think that she is a vegetable and how horrible it must be to live like that; but they do not understand what I know. I know that she is still alive inside of that shell; I know that see still knows me at certain times when I hold her hand, read to her, pray for her, or sing to her; just as God knows that the world has love for Him when we pray to Him, sing to Him, worship Him, and sacrifice for Him. Do you understand what I am saying? To know love, you must live love; and if we abandon love, then we are going to be killing a part of us that we will most likely never regain... "Husbands, love you wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it;" (Ephesians 5:25)

"My Perfect Wife"

"Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them." (Colossians 3:19) Not to change the subject, but after hearing the comments of someone yesterday, who I will not name, my heart broke for those that are married to someone who is suffering with a mental disorder. I thought it was very odd that the timing of the news story was right when I was tending to my wife and I was kissing her, telling her what a blessing that she was; almost instantly, here is the man of God, speaking about it being okay to divorce your spouse if they are suffering with a mental disorder, for the sake of companionship. Of all things to put forth as the reason for divorce: companionship! What ever happen to compassion? Let alone love! In the verse above, which is simply put, there is a word which has been translated 'bitter'; for some, this might mean that we should not be angry with our wife, which is what this word means; however, I would prefer to look at the opposite meanings: to rejoice, to rejoice greatly, exult; to make merry, gladden; to make cheerful, cheer; to give courage or be of good courage. All of these emotions are the properties of love; giving love, and being loved; and are to be the foundation of our marriage. Add to that the promise made before man and God, "To have and to hold, till death do us part", and you have the makings of a commitment of love; something which is based upon your ability to love, not the ability to be loved; besides, the school is still out on that, because we do not know what is actually going on inside the human mind, or the heart; but God knows, and when it comes to companionship, His is the one that matters most of all. So, go ahead and divorce your spouse to satisfy your own personal needs; let God be the judge of your actions, whether or not be they grounded in love; but let me warn you about something that is very important: God will not be mocked! You that want His mercy and grace to be freely given by Him with no strings attached, and yet hold out the ability to provide companionship as the reason for divorce; search your heart and see what companionship you have to provide to a Holy God!!!

"The Perfect Bride"

Hope is the most distinctive mark of the Christian life in the opposition to the hopelessness of the lost; with out that hope, we are merely surviving day to day, as do those that are hopeless. You do know that hope will no longer be needed in heaven; right? Nor will faith, for that matter. But for now, hope is the reason that we rise above that which others fail to; for the hope that we have in Christ is not based upon something to come, but is based upon something that lives in us; not that we do not look for that which is to come, because we do, and we must! But the point is more about being found doing what you have been made to be doing, not because you are aware of His soon return, but because of the hope that is in you, and the love that has birthed in your heart. As I was getting ready to get out of bed this morning, I took a moment to say a quick prayer about getting up to start my day; something that I rarely do; instead, I usually just head off into the kitchen to turn on the coffee maker. In taking a moment to do this prayer, the Lord spoke to my heart about preparation of our hearts prior to His coming. It is not just about being busy doing His work at the time of His coming, but more about a preparation of His perfect bride; a bride that is looking towards the wedding day as the day of consummation, and being found pure upon that day. Think of what hope looks like to a bride that is about to be married, and then add to that the fact that the bride is a virgin looking towards her wedding night; you can see the point which I am trying to make, and how it is about a heart being prepared for love; looking towards that which is to be complete... "And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He is pure." (1 John 3:3)

"Still a Creature of Hope"

"To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory;" (Colossians 1:27) Just when you thought it was safe to not care about anything again, hope must live on! This is altogether a different hope than what the world would like us to settle for, because the world will let us down, time and time again. The hope we are talking about here is hope that is settled, period! This is hope that is based upon the desire of some good with the expectation of obtaining it. Abraham was a creature of this kind of hope, and for him, it was counted as righteousness because his hope was placed in the promises of his God. Likewise, we that have tasted the glory of the risen King Jesus, have a living hope; not based in fables or stories, but in the very Christ who lives in us; which makes our hope a present hope! You have no doubt seen a bumper sticker that says, "No Christ, no hope; Know Christ, Know Hope"; it is this type of hope that we have been given, which is altogether complete, yet still looking towards being completed. It was also the same for Abraham, who walked as one who believed in the promises, and yet he lived his life as if those promises had already been fulfilled. I would relate this hope to that of climbing a mountain, in which the climb is only circumstantial, because you are already at the top... (Think about it!)

"The Eternal Creature" -2

"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:32) Free from what? This is a very popular verse that is quoted all the time, in many different settings; yet the meaning of being set free can be hard to define. Is it free from sin? Yes, that could fit nicely, and is the first choice for many; however, it is the blood of Jesus that removes all sin, not what we know. Is it free from damnation, which is the punishment for sin? Possibly, this could qualify for a nice thing to be set free from; and yes, it seems to go with the sin that has been removed; but it goes far beyond just that. There are two things that we must remember about what we are born into on this earth: one is the fact that we have an eternal soul; second, we were born into sin, which means that we are born into an eternal death, separated from God, which means that we are dead already. In the Garden when God told Adam not to eat of a certain tree, He said, "In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die". This tree that God spoke about was 'the tree of knowledge of good and evil', which was placed in the center of the Garden. The death that took place that day was the separation of man from the God that created him; although man's soul was eternal, that eternity was meant to be with the eternal God, because that is from which the soul's eternal life had come: "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul" (Genesis 2:7). There are several different ways to look at this, all of which point to One thing: that we are given Life Eternal, which was lost in the Garden; and because we are given this Life, we have been set free from death, the death that was created by one man's disobedience to God. It is this Life that we have been given that drives us to the place of obedience, which comes from the perspective of being eternal, verses only a temporary creature. It gets complicated, I know; but the easiest way to look at what it means to be set free, is to look at verse 36 in John chapter 8: "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed". Both words that Jesus uses here for 'free' in this one verse are not the same word: the first free is the same as the free from verse 32, which has to do with being set free from the punishment of sin, and it is freedom based upon the actions of another more than just being free; which would be saying that by knowing the truth, the truth being what Christ has done, then we can be set free. The second free that is used is one of ownership, or independence; someone who is not dependent upon another; which is closely associated with someone who is freeborn, and when speaking of sin, means that we are set free from the slavery of sin, being the curse that was established by one man's disobedience in the Garden. Therefore, what we are talking about now is the act of adoption, wherein we are adopted into the inheritance that was lost; but better, because now there is no obligation or law... (This was harder than I thought it was going to be.)

"The Eternal Creature"

What is that little sin compared to eternity? If you stop and think about it, what is anything of this earth compared to eternity? Not much! Then why would anyone who is to be focused upon the eternal life that we have been given, be pulled aside by something which means so little? I have tried to figure that out for too long, and the only thing that I can come up with, is unbelief. No, really; unbelief is the product of not understanding the Truth; whereby, understanding is gained by knowledge of the Truth, not understanding comes from not knowing the Truth; and we Know the Truth by walking in it! If you do not understand what was just said, then maybe a quick study on John 8:31 & 32 is in order; in which Jesus clearly says, "If you continue in My word, then you are My disciples indeed". The word for 'word' that Jesus uses is 'Logos' and is so much different than merely a word that is spoken, but actually means words that are understood; understanding which comes from making room in our hearts for His truth. This is better clarified in John 8:43, where Jesus explains to them why they cannot hear Him, "Why do ye not understand My speech? even because ye cannot hear My word." It is this word 'hear' that is what governs our ability to listen, because it is a word that belongs the phrase, "He who hath ears, let him hear", or "He who hath a mind", or "He who hath wisdom"; all of which require that the person listening has the desire to obey, or act upon, what he is being told. When there is no desire to obey, then there is no understanding of what is being said; which is what is required to be a disciple, which means a learner that accepts the instruction that is given to him, and makes it his rule of conduct! Basically, what this comes down to is belief; if we truly believe in His word, then we will live by it, as if it were instruction to our souls... "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." (Psalm 119:105)

"The Creature Empowered" -2

As I was trying to sleep last, I was thinking about the thought about truth fleeing; it was a lot like my sleep fleeing me last night. What does it mean to have the truth flee us? It is not as though the Truth has gotten up and left, but more about our ability to find it, as if it has been darkened within our own mind. Tossing and turning all night long, I thought about a catchy way to explain grey, and how it is related to the grey matter within our skulls; thinking about the color grey being things which do not matter; or some such nonsense. He is either God, or He is not! That statement has no room for grey! I have heard it used for situations that involve trusting God for His promises; and it has been used accordingly so; but, what I was seeing last night dealt with empowerment, which requires knowledge of the Truth. "And Jesus said to those Jews which believed on Him, If ye continue in My word, then are ye My disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:31 & 32) There is no half-truth, just as there is no half-way, or half-life; and in order to know the truth we must accept the truth in it's entirety. To relate this to something that is easier to understand, I will try and illustrate what it is like to walk in such a way: picture if you will, trying to drive your car while standing outside of it; it is very difficult, to say the least, and going very fast, is definitely out of the question; God forbid that something should dart out in front of you, or that you would need to make a sudden turn to the left. If Jesus Christ as the Truth were that car, you would need to be seated inside, where you could have access to all of the controls that are available, and where you could be seated securely within the vehicle. In the effort to illustrate something as complex as Truth, I may have over simplified it a little; but my point has to do with how the Truth is either truth, or it is not; there is not half truth when it comes to our victory in Christ: He either has defeated sin, or He has not! You might say, Yes, but this sin that I am dealing with is not that big of a deal, why should I need to focus upon it? Well let me see (I wish I could draw something right now, because I am thinking of a little cartoon character the binoculars and big eyes pointed at you), if you are holding onto sin, no matter how small, then you are already focused upon it!!! No I am not! you might reply? Okay, let's just say for the sake of argument that you are not focused upon that little sin, and, as a matter of fact, you have hidden it somewhere deep within your mind; does it become a basis for victory or defeat? If you are wanting to try and hold onto sin, and still try and have Jesus be Lord of you life, then it is victory for the flesh; which will result in defeat. But, if you are holding onto that sin because you are not ready to let it go, then you are already defeated by that sin; which, as a child of the King, should not be so!!! Our power over sin, is because Jesus Christ was victorious over sin; all of our sins; each and every one! For us to walk in the empowerment of our adoption, we must walk as one who has been adopted into something that is powerful and mighty; not weak and lowly, as that we are. I am a son of the King!!! and as such, I must live as though I am...

"The Creature Empowered"

"If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the Gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister." (Colossians 1:23) Let's get this straight: sin is real, and it robs us of more than just fellowship with God; it takes away the strength that we have been given! It is so vitally important that we confess our sins daily, at the very least; more preferably, as soon as they are revealed to us, and we have had a chance to realize our trespass. The "If" that Paul is talking about here has to do with us being 'reconciled in Christ'; that we are to be presented holy, unblamable and unreprovable in His sight. Now what do you suppose that this has to do with confessing our sins? First off; we must realize how that we have been saved, from what that we have been saved, and to what end that we have been established; this is what Paul means by us to "continue in the faith grounded and settled". It must be settled in our hearts once and for all that we are His: I am a son of the King!!! Being grounded in what I believe goes beyond just being persuaded, it is belief that has a foundation, which cannot be moved; it can also mean that what I have my faith in, has been confirmed. Rightly so, the confirmation of what we believe has been established in the Word of God and within us, by the Holy Spirit. It is the Knowledge of the Truth that is our confirmation; not just what we have heard, or that which we have placed our faith in because we were told; but that upon believing, there was confirmation of what we have believed, in the form of Light and Truth (not a burning in our bosom). Secondly; having established these facts, we must continue in that which has been confirmed, by not being "moved away from the hope of the Gospel", which is the Salvation that we have in Christ, and is based upon the confession of our sins. Sin that is not confessed will weaken that which has been grounded and settled; not that that which has been grounded and settled becomes weak, but that our faith in it will be, because we, in our own minds continue in darkness. That is what sin that is revealed in us is: darkness that has been revealed by the Light; and if we continue to hold onto the darkness which has been revealed, then the Truth which was established within us will flee; thus, making us weak in our faith...

"The Creature Parted!!!"

Let me tell you what I woke to this morning, loud and clear: "Unconfessed sin must be judged!" Yes, that was what I heard; and it was not an infomercial; it was God making a statement of fact! As a matter of fact, there was even an illustration of what this meant; thus the reason for title of today's blog. The illustration was quite simple, and was easy to understand: either we separate from our sins, or we are separated from the Bride of Christ! There is now, and always has been only one way to separate from our sins: confess them!!! My most favorite verse: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9) If we do not confess our sins, then we are not fit for the Kingdom of God: Period!!! Continuing on in the Book of Colossians, I noticed that there was a caption above verse 1:15 which simply says, Christ. Starting this subject of "The Creature", I began with the verses 1:15-18, which was the description of Jesus Christ; therefore, it is only fitting to go on in the description of Him, by also showing what His body is made of: "For it pleased the Father that in Him should all the fulness dwell; and having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and unblamable and unreprovable in His sight: if ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the Gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister." (Colossians 1:19-23)

"The Creature" part 7

Now about this New Creature in Christ, which is that which has been created by God; being the result of the combination of several events and items being brought together; crafted into a glorious creature, still yet to be complete. The effort that was put into the creation of what we would commonly call a Christian goes far beyond what is contained in books; it goes far beyond what can be expressed with words or even that which can be taken in by mortal thought. So then, wouldn't it seem right and just, that the Creator of such a complex and costly creature would have the full control of judgement, and dare I say, separating that which is not worthy? Here we have what I believe is the exception to God's rule of nothing to undo; for there is one thing which God will not have fellowship with, and that is sin. But this sin that we are talking about here is part of the body of Christ, how can that be tolerated? God does not change; He does not make mistakes; He does not undo anything; and He hates divorce; yet, when it comes to the Bride of Christ, she shall be pure. This I believe is what the Judgement Seat of Christ is all about! It is the purification of His bride! Jesus spoke many parables, some He explained and some He did not; however, when it came to the things which were to happen in heaven, those were left alone; things which were explained were things which dealt with the manners of a man's heart; for example, the parable of 'the sower'. A good example of a parable of heaven would be the parable of 'the wheat and the tares' which is found in Matthew 13:24-30. If you really think about this one exception, it really is not an exception at all; but more of a taking away of that which does not belong...

"The Creature" part 6

So now that we might begin to see how God never changes, never makes mistakes, and never will undo anything that He has created, we must look at the man. God hates divorce, and as I have said in previous blogs, the reason that God hates divorce is because it is the separation of something which has been made into one. There is no way that you can separate something that is one without damaging what was created, which causes damage to the parts involved. However, there is another aspect of this equation that comes into play in the marriage of those that are His children, and that is the entanglement of Jesus Christ; when they divorce, who gets Jesus? That's a silly question, you might ask? But really, who goes away feeling justified and will continue in fellowship as if nothing is wrong in their life? Maybe neither one of them will ever be the same again; and rightly so, because they have taken something which was ordained before God and man, and discarded it as if it were something they made; when in reality, it was formed by God. Maybe that is a little piece of the equation that is so easily forgotten? "But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh: so they are no more twain, but one flesh." (Mark 10:6-8) Whom do you think caused the twain to be one, was it the couple, or was it God? It was God!!! Who made the wood to decompose back into the soil? God! Or the flesh of this body to return to the dust? God, again! Do you see now what is meant by "What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder"? Yes, or No??? That word asunder means to separate, or pull apart; and the word put, well, it actually means to place that which God has joined together into a category of something which can be separated; it is not to be considered! That my dear brothers and sisters is the problem we have been born into: that we have placed the consideration of divorce into the relationship of our marriage; always there, lurking in the back of our hearts and minds; waiting for a chance to be played, like an Ace in our pocket... God help us!!!

"The Creature" part 5

I can't resist myself: And by the way, a carpenter made the cross!!! Anyways, about this thing called 'New'; as I said before, God does not make mistakes, and God does not undo anything; but what He does do, is He makes things New! Something I think we sometimes don't really get, this thing called New. New beginnings; new morning; new Life in Christ; they all have one thing in common: they are fresh and not known before, which makes them better because they are different. As I was reading Pastor Gene's study guide through Matthew this morning, I could not help but think of some of the people that have left our church; people that were caught in the movement to do a New Work, yet had not accepted the fact that a New Work would more than likely mean a change would have to take place in them. When God calls us to something that is bigger then ourselves, He is calling us to surrender All to Him; sometimes All might include some of our religious beliefs and practices; or maybe even some preconceived notions about Who He Is!!! I think part of the problem that people had in accepting Jesus as the Messiah, was that they were looking for a King, meaning, someone other than a carpenter. Yet, at that time, the only one who really took notice was Herod; and he did so because he felt his kingship was threatened. Isn't it ironic, sometimes it is the simplest things that cause us to take notice of what God is doing around us, yet the big picture of what He wants to do in us gets overlooked. And as soon as we feel that God is changing us we run away, or set out to stop what we think is going to change us. In all this matter that continues to change, there is still One thing that remains the same: God...

"The Creature" part 4

And then we have Joseph, the man responsible for raising a Child; a child the was not born from his seed, but that, he by faith accepted as a child for him to raise. A carpenter, something of a different order for a King to be born into; yet to be born the son of a carpenter was really not all that bad, because carpenters make things; they build things; they restore things; they are crafty at taking something dead, and giving it life. If I wanted to think back to my happiest thing to do, it would have to be making things out of wood. At one time it was all I did in my spare time; and I would have made it my profession if I had not gotten roped into the Pest Control industry. I am always amazed at the abilities of Termites; they are so good at what they do. And yet, they do the very same thing that carpenters do, but on a different level: they take that which is dead and give it life, by eating the dead wood and putting it back into the organic system. Anyways, as I thought about building something all night while I was meant to be sleeping, I was reminded how God has built us, and how He has given us this flesh; which much like wood, is broken down after death, and worked back into that from which it came. And yet, our soul lives on after the death of this flesh, because the life of our soul was given by the breath of God. And there is one thing that I have discovered about our God: He does not undo anything! Because He does not make mistakes, He has no need of do-overs; but what He does, or makes men think that He is doing or has done, He does for His purposes. What about when God told Moses that He would kill all the children of Israel, and start over with Moses as the father of a nation? Do you think God was serious about that, or was He stating something for Moses to begin to care about the children of Israel? I am thinking God wanted Moses to consider the lives of all those people, and to place his love for them in the middle of a situation like that, was probably just what he needed to get his heart in the right place. Besides, God make a promise to Abraham, and God does not break His promises!!!

"The Creature" part 3

So, after yesterday, should I go on? If Knowledge is the quality that the Lord gives to the New Creature that He has made, then surely He should be allowed to judge what that creature has done with it: What have you done with what you Know? I asked someone yesterday, What do you think a talent stands for? Their answer at first was, Money, gifting that God gives us, and... I stopped them there, and said, No, spiritually, what are talents? Their answer, Faith and Love. To which I asked, But what are faith and love based upon? Are they not born of the Knowledge of Him? The Bible says, Not that we loved God, but that He loved us; and it is the Knowledge of His love for us that causes us to love Him. The woman at the well is a great example of faith; because until she had the Knowledge of who Jesus was, she could not see her own need for forgiveness, and know the power of putting her faith in Him. She is one that could not contain herself after receiving Knowledge from Jesus, and immediately ran to her countrymen to share what she knew. "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a New Creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17) God, being the Master of all creation, does not make mistakes! Everything that He does, or that He allows, is for a reason; His purposes, His ways, and His plans. As I was reading through the first 16 verses of Matthew this morning, I was struck by the list of names; four in particular caught my attention: Rachab, Ruth, Solomon, and Manasses; all four of which were expressed by more than their names in the list of The Family Record of Jesus. Rachab and Ruth are listed along with the malefactor in the line, because these were both from outside the family of Israel. Rachab, or Rahab, was the woman who took in the spies, as they spied out the Promised Land, and who let down the scarlet thread out her window at the time of the attack. Rachab was married to Salmon, who begat Booz, or Boaz; who married Ruth, another woman from outside the children of Israel; that was back to back mixing of blood with the Gentiles. And then we have the two mistakes, Solomon and Manasses; Solomon who was born of her that was the wife of Urias, and Manasses who was the child that should not have been, except for Hezekiah pleading for more years to live. God does not make mistakes, man might, but God does not!!!

"The Creature" part 2

Whether or not you want to believe it, I am not totally convinced that a man can stop, quit, or even walk away from his Salvation. I know that might sound almost Calvinistic in nature, but this has to do with the creature that is made at the time of salvation, more than whether or not their is free will involved. What I am talking about here, is a new life form; something that has been created by the Spirit of God making His abode within a man. Let's just say that 'The Judgement Seat of Christ' is just that: His judgement upon that which He has created by His death on the cross. But wait a minute there Rich, are you saying that we shall be judged, even though we are saved? You know what you are!!! You that have accepted the Gift of God's mercy and grace, know exactly what you have been saved from; by Whom that you have been saved; and to what that you have been saved to become. There is no turning back from that!!! Okay, let me try and put it like this: Those that have not accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour, have not been transformed into this New Creature in Christ; therefore, they shall be judged at the Great White Throne Judgement, meant for all those that are not written in The Lamb's Book of Life; however, all those that are written in The Lamb's Book of Life shall be judged at The Judgement Seat of Christ, and they shall be judged by what they did with the Knowledge that they had been given... Ouch... I feel like I need to be busy doing something for Jesus; How About You? I am thinking that Knowledge has a lot to do with talents... You think???

"The Creature" part 1

"Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: for by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him: and He is before all things, and by Him all things consist: and He is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn of the dead; that in all things He might have the preeminence." (Colossians 1:15-18) Do you know what thought came to my mind after reading this? Casting Crowns! Yes, that might not make any sense now, but it will later!!! That is what we will do in heaven, as we stand before Him and marvel at all that He has done! Through Him; by Him; for Him; in Him; and then, finally, we shall be with Him; and there will be nothing else that we can do, but cast our crowns at His feet in awesome wonder and amazement. I know that I have spoken of this before, but I feel torn to the heart that I must open this up for discussion once again: "And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let no man put asunder." (Mark 10:8 & 9) I know that this portion of Scripture has to do with marriage, and it was Jesus answering the Pharisees on the bill of divorcement; but please bear with me as I ponder something about this New Creature in Christ. There are a couple of ways that God creates things: speaking them into existence is one; but forming them into something from something else is another; either way, God is still making something which was not preexisting. However, there might have been an exception: something that was created, which always was! It is this exception that has changed the shape of all that was before; therefore, when we are speaking about "and they twain shall be one flesh", we are speaking about something which cannot be separated...

"The Perfect Law" -3

"For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature." (Galatians 6:15) Once you see the Gift you can't turn back!!! What happens to something that is dead? Would you say that something dead is no longer relevant? How about that, if it's dead, then it no longer has the control that it once had? "Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed." (Romans 13:10 & 11) Understanding what took place, what is happening now, and what is to come, we must make a choice; for what took place when we had seen the Gift, was the creation of a new creature in Christ. What that means to our inability to turn back, is that we have nothing left to turn back to, because the old creature that was once there has been made no more! "From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus." (Galatians 6:17) Here we have a declaration of what this new creature in Christ is to be capable of; that is providing that we are awake and actually living for that which is to come. The word that is used for 'body' in Paul's description of "I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus", is a word that believe it or not is very similar to 'world', in that it denotes an organized whole made up of parts and members. It is something to drag around a dead corpse, but it is entirely something else to try and give life to that corpse! Okay, let me tell you what I am getting at: prior to the resurrection of Jesus, He was bound to the laws of nature, and that of what was holding the physical world in place; after His resurrection He was no longer bound by these laws: thus, He could manifest Himself as He pleased. The creature that was created by His resurrection, is very similar to the creature created by our new birth in Christ; we have been given a body that is between two worlds, much the same as His body was, in that He was still able to manifest His flesh at will, but had not yet been glorified. Okay; okay; I give up! Let me tell you what I see: I see Paul sitting by the fire after gathering sticks, on the isle after being shipwrecked; then out of the fire comes a poisonous snake, which bites Paul on his hand; yet Paul, not being concerned with what just happened, shakes off the snake as if swatting a fly away from his food; all the while knowing that he is going to Rome. This is very similar to when Jesus tells his disciples to get in the boat because they were going to the other side of the lake; Jesus meant that they were going to the other side! Likewise, we that are living as new creatures in Christ, given these new bodies, which are bound for glory, must believe that we are going to get to the other side!!! This is a new law that governs our bodies; no longer bound by the laws of nature; no longer subject to the whims of man; but bound only to Jesus Christ and what is awaiting us in heaven...

"The Perfect Law" -2

I am sorry for being so strange and short yesterday, but that really got to me; I had literally heard the words, We are not alone, as I was reading the definition of the word 'kosmos'. That, and the combination of the writings between the lines in my Bible, and the final church seen in the movie The Grace Card; well, let's just say that I was done; undone would be a better word! Once you see the Gift you can't turn back! Have you seen the movie The Grace Card? If you haven't, you should! Here is the thing about this Gift of Grace that we have been given: it has to change us; period!!! If you are not changed, then I must say with all certainty, that you have not seen the Gift! What the Perfect Law comes down to, is that it is what runs through our veins as a child of God; there should be no denying that we are His children, and that we love one another. So what seems to be the problem? Have we lost sight of the Gift? Or have we built up fences, that are so high, we cannot see the Gift any longer? "For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For every man shall bear his own burden." (Galatians 6:3-5) I don't mean to split hairs, or to spiritualize the text; but right now I think I should do both. To think of yourself as something, is to put a value or merit to who you are that is above that of someone else; which is much like that word 'kosmos' was meant to portray in the place of 'world' which Paul uses in verse 14. It is not our righteousness that we are to be looking to, but the righteousness of Jesus Christ alone!!! However, where we get sideways in this matter of works, is by not proving our work, as Paul speaks about in verse 4, but we store up our works, as though they have value in what we are; thus, building up fences of our own righteousness around the Grace that we have been given. There is a difference between proving something, and that of taking something unto our self; something which was not ours for the taking, but is meant to be for others. We that are children of God, born of the Spirit, and washed in the blood of Jesus Christ, have something which we are to hold onto, and that is our burden; which is the burden of Christ's commandments verses the burden of our own responsibilities and failures... "Yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I might win Christ, and be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: that I might know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death; if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead." (Philippians 3:8-11)