When We Fast

Some Christians fast only during Lent, the forty-day period before Easter.

Scripture does not demand that Christians fast. But it does say enough about fasting that makes it a good practice for all believers to do often and not just for Lent. 

Why do we fast?

The goal of the Christian fast is to renew and deepen our relationship with our Father. It is not to punish or deny our flesh.

GOD the Father must be the center of our attention as we fast and not the thing we give up. To think most of the act of denial and sacrifice we make is useless to a fast.

JESUS tells His disciples exactly what their demeanor and state of mind must be during a fast:

“Whenever you fast, don’t be sad-faced like the hypocrites. For they make their faces unattractive so their fasting is obvious to people. I assure you: They’ve got their reward! But when you fast, put oil on your head, and wash your face, so that you don’t show your fasting to people but to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Matthew 6:16-18

We do not fast to be more spiritual than our friends, nor as an act of penance. We fast with a spirit of humility and joy.

In Isaiah 58 GOD chastises Israel for fasts that are just showy rituals. He says these fasts are empty acts and a sham form of obedience done only to pacify Him. GOD knew the people were breaking all of His laws during their fasts.

This type of fasting has little to do with holiness because it shows no honor or reverence for GOD

GOD tells Israel exactly what He thinks about this behavior – “Look, you do as you please on the day of your fast, and oppress all your workers. You fast with contention and strife to strike viciously with your fist. You cannot fast as you do today, hoping to make your voice heard on high. Will the fast I choose be like this: A day for a person to deny himself, to bow his head like a reed, and to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast and a day acceptable to the Lord?” Isaiah 58:3-5

Our fasts ought to be sincere, acts born out of the love we say we have for GOD. We are showing Him that we want to be more obedient, grow closer and strengthen our relationship with Him.

We want His will to be our will.

 “Isn’t the fast I choose: To break the chains of wickedness, to untie the ropes of the yoke, to set the oppressed free, and to tear off every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your house, to clothe the naked when you see him, and not to ignore your own flesh and blood?” Isaiah 58:6-7

How do we fast?

A true fast is to put aside something we enjoy to pay more attention to GOD.

Most people choose to fast from food but for some not eating may not be possible for health or other legitimate reasons.

Other types of fasts please GOD just as well, if our motive and focus are godly. If we look sincerely at our daily lives we will all find plenty we could give up briefly for more fellowship with God.

Social media sites, television shows, smart phones, etc. are as necessary to life for some as is food. So much so that not eating for a week may be easier to do than giving up any of these. There’s an idea, if you need one, and no more need to be said!

The apostle Paul discusses godly marriages to the Corinthian church and he approves a fast from sexual intimacy, if both spouses agree. Do not deprive one another sexually—except when you agree for a time, to devote yourselves to prayer. 1 Corinthians 7:1-5

Fasting should be for a set period of time, especially fasting from food. Going without food for extended periods can be harmful to our bodies. We do not use fasting as a “dieting method” either. The purpose of a biblical fast is not to lose weight.  

Why combine fasting and prayer?

One of the spiritual benefits of being totally GOD-focused is that we hear the Holy Spirit speak to us more clearly.  Through the Spirit, GOD shows us our true needs and He purifies our motives.

We are given open door of great grace from our Father and we use the gift to bombard heaven. As we talk to Him about things that trouble and concern us, for ourselves and/or people we love, our prayers go deeper and our hearts are more yielding and ready to obey.

We have many examples in Scripture that link fasting with prayer. Several are in the New Testament, for example:

The Book of Acts tell a story of disciples “ministering to the Lord and fasting” for the Holy Spirit’s help to make the best missionary choices to send into a new region: “Then after they had fasted, prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them off.” Acts 13:1-3. Also Acts 14:23

Mark 9:14-29 tells of some of JESUS’ disciples who wanted to know the reason why they were unable to heal a demon-possessed child but He did. His answer shows them what they were not prepared to heal in this case: “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.” (verse 29)

It bears repeating that our goal in fasting – to give up food or other worldly pleasures temporarily, is deeper fellowship with GOD.

What we choose to give up is not half as important if we make our fast an act that pleases GOD. And to do it GOD’s way will work out for our good in the end:

 “Your righteousness will go before you, and the Lord’s glory will be your rear guard. At that time, when you call, the Lord will answer; when you cry out, He will say, ‘Here I am.’” Isaiah 58:8-9:

Prayer and Thanksgiving: Almighty GOD and Father, all praise, honor and glory belong only to YOU! Thank you for the privilege of fasting to draw us into intimate fellowship with YOU while YOUR grace causes us to grow in righteousness. Thank YOU for YOUR WORD that teaches do everything as unto YOU and not to our flesh or to appease humans. May we seek the right attitude according to YOUR WORD so that we may stand mature and fully assured in YOUR will whenever we fast. Give us hearts and eyes that look always toward YOU, or Father, our Protector, our Creator and our Sovereign LORD. YOU delight in us when we delight in and adore YOU; let delight for YOU be the one true desire of our hearts. We pray and ask all things in JESUS’ NAME. Amen.

Always by God’s Word and prayer,

Cecile

A Portrait of the Godly – Psalm 15

At one point in the Old Testament Book of Micah we see Israel complaining to the prophet that GOD is asking too much of them and ask with exasperation, it seems, “What does He want from us?” And the prophet tells them:

Mankind, He has told you what is good and what it is the LORD requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your GOD. Micah 6:8 

To paraphrase, GOD wants them to love and respect Him as the Supreme authority in their lives and treating others fairly as they would expect for themselves.

Christians today still ask that same question: What does GOD want from me? What can I do to please Him?

GOD’s requirements of us today remain unchanged, as spoken by JESUS in this New Testament account where JESUS responds to a Pharisee’s question about which is the greatest commandment of the law:

(JESUS) said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. Matthew 22:27-39

Some of us still has some uncertainty about what this commandment would look like in our daily lives.

A look at Psalm 15* provides some answers.

This short Psalm was written by King David and opens with two questions, verses 1&2:
Who may worship in your sanctuary, Lord?
Who may enter your presence on your holy hill?

Biblical scholars agree that the “who” in both questions refer not to names of particular persons but to personality type – what qualities, lifestyle must an individual have to give him/her intimate access to GOD and eventually to heaven? Biblical scholars also state that the words “sanctuary” and “Holy Hill” are used figuratively for GOD’s presence.

Barnes’ Notes on the Bible says: “The question is equivalent to asking, who is qualified to dwell with God? who may properly be regarded as his friend? who has a title to his favor? who is truly pious? By us the same question would be put in another form, though implying the same thing: Who is qualified to become a member of the church; who has evidence of true conversion and real piety? who is he who is prepared for heaven?”

The answer to these two questions appear to come directly from the person of whom it is asked, GOD Himself, and says the following (verses 2-5a):  

Those who—

1. lead blameless lives and do what is right, speaking the truth from sincere hearts;
2. refuse to gossip or harm their neighbors or speak evil of their friends;
3. despise flagrant sinners, and honor the faithful followers of the Lord;
4. keep their promises even when it hurts;
5. lend money without charging interest;
6. cannot be bribed to lie about the innocent.

Since these are presented as spoken by GOD, we can safely accept them as GOD’s answer to how we can live to please Him. What we have in Psalm 15 are some essentials for godly living which we can even group into categories: 

• Integrity: doing what is right, speaking the truth, keeping one's word;
• Love of others: no slander, no evil deeds to friends, no discrediting neighbors;
• Holiness/fearing GOD: rejecting the wicked but honoring those who fear God; and
• Use Money Wisely/Stewardship: no risky investments and no loving money and allowing it to cloud our judgment.

 Scripture has plenty to say and teach about these essentials for godly living making them real and believable, doable and certainly relevant to daily living for all confessing believers. 

Integrity —

• The integrity of the upright guides them, Proverbs 11:3
• Lying lips are detestable to the Lord, but faithful people are His delight. Proverbs 12:22
• Doing what is righteous and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice. Proverbs 21:3
• By this I know that You delight in me: my enemy does not shout in triumph over me. You supported me because of my integrity and set me in Your presence forever. Psalm 41:11-12

Love of others —

• (JESUS) “Just as you want others to do for you, do the same for them.” Luke 6:31
• Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Philippians 2:3-4
• Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13
• Does anyone want to live a life that is long and prosperous? Then keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies! Turn away from evil and do good.  Search for peace, and work to maintain it. Psalm 34:12-14
• All bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander must be removed from you, along with all malice. And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you[q] in Christ. Ephesians 4:32

Holiness/fearing GOD —

• The path of the righteous is level; You clear a straight path for the righteous. Isaiah 26:7
• Although a sinner commits crime a hundred times and prolongs his life, yet I also know that it will go well with God-fearing people, for they are reverent before Him. However, it will not go well with the wicked, and they will not lengthen their days like a shadow, for they are not reverent before God. Ecclesiastics 8:12-13
• Fear the Lord, you his godly people, for those who fear him will have all they need. Psalm 34:9
• Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people….Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. Ephesians 5:3,6

Use Money Wisely/Stewardship —

• Wealth obtained by fraud will dwindle, but whoever earns it through labor will multiply it. Proverbs 13:11
• (JESUS) then told them, “Watch out and be on guard against all greed because one’s life is not in the abundance of his possessions.” Luke 12:15
• (GOD) “You must not oppress your neighbor or rob him.” Leviticus 19:13
• Wisdom is as good as an inheritance…., because wisdom is protection as money is protection. Ecclesiastes 7:11-12
• You will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow. The Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you will only move upward and never downward if you listen to the Lord your God’s commands…Deuteronomy 28:12-13

Psalm 15 ends with a promise for those who own the characteristics and qualities of the blameless, true believers in CHRIST who are also the children of GOD: “Such people will stand firm forever.” Verse 5b

Renowned Victorian Preacher/Teacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892) has this to say about what the promise given to “such people” implies: “No storm shall tear him from his foundations, drag him from his anchorage, or uproot him from his place. Like the Lord Jesus, whose dominion is everlasting, the true Christian shall never lose his crown….He shall dwell in the tabernacle of the Most High, and neither death nor judgment shall remove him from his place of privilege and blessedness.”

The expected end and eternal reward of the godly – those who live to please GOD, is a place of privilege and blessedness from which neither death nor judgment can remove you.

‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’ Matthew 25:34-36

….please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. For our God is a devouring fire. Hebrews 12:28-29

*New Living Translation (NLT)

Prayer and Thanksgiving: Holy Father, YOU are our Creator and our GOD, deserving of all our love and reverence. Father we worship and adore YOU! Thank you for giving us your WORD which is alive and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, to penetrate as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and is able to judge the ideas and thoughts of our hearts – thank YOU for every WORD YOU have breathed out to teach, rebuke, correct and train us in righteousness. Thank YOU for giving us everything we need for life in the now and the hereafter. Thank YOU for loving us perfectly through YOUR SON, and for YOUR grace and mercy that follows us all the days of our lives. To you Father belong all dominion, all power and all glory, for ever and ever. We pray all things in the precious Name of YOUR SON, JESUS CHRIST, whom YOU have made LORD over all, the NAME above all names. Amen!

Always by God’s Word and prayer,

Cecile

Valentine’s Day Thoughts on LOVE

Scripture does not tell believers whether we should or shouldn't celebrate Valentine’s Day. It’s between us and GOD if we choose to give gifts, candy, flowers, dinners, etc. to our loved ones this February 14.

However, Valentine’s Day is a celebration of love and Scripture does tell us in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 what that ought to look like for believers:

               

Love is patient

Love is kind.

Love does not envy.

Love is not boastful.

Love is not conceited.

Love does not act improperly.

Love is not selfish.

Love is not provoked.

Love does not keep a record of wrongs.

Love finds no joy in unrighteousness.

Love rejoices in the truth.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.

Love never ends.

Quite a lot to think about here.

So as we smile over the cards, eat the dinners and the candy, and admire the gifts and roses, we may well pause and consider.

Based on GOD’s WORD, how are we doing in the love department, really?

Prayer and Thanksgiving: Holy GOD, YOU are love and the source of love and YOU teach us how to love by loving us first. We thank you for the inexpressible gift of YOUR love, YOUR own SON, JESUS who tells us we ought to love one another as He loved us. Selflessly. We adore YOU as we adore YOUR SON in whose NAME we pray. Amen.

Always by God’s Word and prayer,

Cecile

“Little” Sins: The Foxes That Destroy Our Fruit – Conclusion

It is possible to be in CHRIST and not bear fruit.

A child of GOD who habitually behaves unkindly and thoughtlessly, or treat others harshly or carelessly is acting out of an unclean heart and a wrong spirit – conditions that cannot nurture fruit that will last.” (John 15:16)

Sin does not get us thrown out of the family of GOD but it will prevent us from experiencing all the benefits that comes with our salvation. Our souls are not lost but a meaningful life in CHRIST is – the extent of our loss will only be revealed when we stand before GOD in eternity to receive our reward.

The LORD's plans will go forward, with or without us.

Every branch in Me that does not produce fruit He removes, and He prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit. John 15:2

The Divine Gardener removes fruitless branches but prunes fruitful branches so they are divinely helped to produce more fruit. GOD will ensure that His Kingdom is fully supplied with what He needs to carry out His divine plan.

Even so, the Father’s desire for every one of His children to thrive in our salvation remains fixed.

The Lord does not delay His promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance…make every effort to be found at peace with Him without spot or blemish. 2 Peter 3:9, 14

JESUS’s words are clear regarding a believer’s ability to bear fruit – “Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me.” John 15:4. 

A fruitless branch can become productive and bear good fruit, simply by obeying this command. We do so by choosing to put away the “little foxes,” the “little sins,” that we allow to control us.

Old habits die hard and change is never easy but we do not have to do this in our own strength.

We must go back to the thing we discarded that got us to a position of fruitlessness – begin yielding to the Spirit of CHRIST that is living in us. His is the power that will take us from being branches that displease the Father and are cut-off from the Vine to branches that delight Him and He prunes for a richer harvest. It is impossible to change direction without the Holy Spirit. (Romans 8:9-11)

“…for if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” Romans 8:13

I say then, walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want. Galatians 5:16-17

It is also a given that we will fall short of the will of GOD when we give little attention to His WORD. Daily reading and meditation of the Scriptures will cleanse and purify our hearts. GOD’s WORD is able to judge the ideas and thoughts of the heart. Hebrews 4:12.

GOD has made available all that we need for a godly and fruit-bearing life – the Holy Spirit and the WORD working together to teach (John 14:26) and sanctify us (John 17:17); and in His infinite wisdom, He has also given us free will to choose:

We may gratify the desires of our sinful nature with sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar (Ephesians 5:19-21) and be separated from the best life our Father has planned for us.

Or we may yield to the Holy Spirit, trust Him and rely upon Him to give us victory over our flesh and an abundance of Spiritual fruit in our lives – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control. (Ephesians 5:22-23).

Which will it be?

“….consider yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” Romans 6:11

Prayer and Thanksgiving: Holy Father, how do we say thank YOU for all YOU have done, all that YOU have given, and all that YOU continue to give in our lives unto eternity! Help us not to forget that with YOU one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day so YOUR promises apply as much today if we care to walk and live in them. Thank YOU for being patient with us, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance. Forgive us for despising YOUR good, pleasing, and perfect will and choosing our own. Help us to choose to be mature Christians who walk in the high calling for which YOU called us in YOUR SON, CHRIST JESUS. We thank YOU and are grateful that YOU never give up on us. All glory, honor and praise belong to YOU. We pray and ask all things in the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Always by God’s Word and prayer,

Cecile

Little” Sins: The Foxes That Destroy Our Fruit – Part 2

We pay a heavy price spiritually for our “little” sins.

“All those led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons.” Romans 8:14

A child of GOD knows perfectly well when our behavior grieves the Holy Spirit.  We feel the uneasiness within ourselves, a separation, a lack of peace. We also know the appropriate response when this happens should be to confess and repent, sooner rather than later.

Sometimes we can have feelings of distance from GOD and not know the exact cause. In such cases, we ought to pray and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the source of our inner discontent because often there is something there.

The one who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy. Proverbs 28:13

What we should never do is continually ignore the warning from the Holy Spirit and make no repentance for our sinful behavior. This is unwise and puts us on a downward spiral spiritually so that: 

• Over time our hearts harden against GOD. (Hebrews 3:13)
• Our testimony as children of GOD is weakened so that non-believers see us as no different from the rest of the world. (1 Peter 2:11-12)
• We cease to make a positive impact on the Kingdom of GOD and the body of CHRIST. (Matthew 5:13-16)
• We live beneath our privilege and the Father’s expectations.
• We don’t bear good fruit.

“When we Christians behave badly, or fail to behave well, we are making Christianity unbelievable to the outside world.” C.S. Lewis

GOD’s desire for all His children is that we bear fruit.

Once we make confessions of faith in the atoning work of JESUS CHRIST on the cross, we become the children of GOD and followers of JESUS.  We belong to the Father as well as to His SON (1 John 2:23) and we obey the SON as we do the Father. “This is My Son, the Chosen One; listen to Him!” Luke 9:35.

JESUS’ instructions to believers come directly from the Father: “For I have not spoken on My own, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a command as to what I should say and what I should speak.” John 12:49; “I and the Father are one.” John 10:30.

In His own words JESUS tells His followers how and why we bear fruit:

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener…. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine…if you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing… you did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last.” John 15:1-16

We have the two main ingredients necessary for the production of Spiritual fruit.

1. The Father, GOD, the Divine Gardener.
2. JESUS, the Vine.

…and the specific formula by which the fruit is produced:

1. Branches are selected and divinely appointed for the job – “I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit.”
2. The chosen branches must remain attached to the Vine – “No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine…if you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing…”

The Father and the SON are Divine, Holy and immutable, they do not change and can never be less than they are in the fruit-bearing process. The Divine Gardener who has purchased the field and the Vine who is the source of life that feeds the fruit. That being the case, any lack of spiritual fruit production must be a lack on our part - we, the branches, are failing to do our part.

If we want to please GOD, we must make some major life-style adjustments.

Whatever interferes with our ability to fulfill our divine purpose of fruit-bearing must be removed from our lives and replaced with that which moves us forward to having the life the Father plans for us. We must remain in the vine, which is the Spirit of JESUS, the Holy Spirit that He sent to live in us after He returned to the Father in Heaven.

Believers who live apart from the Spirit are living in the flesh and this displeases GOD since we cannot fulfill our divine purpose in the flesh. The fruit that we are to bear is of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control. Galatians 5: 22-23.

For those who live according to the flesh think about the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, about the things of the Spirit. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. Romans 8:5-8

There’s but one way to deal with the little foxes, those little sins that trip us up. We have to kill them to prevent them from spoiling our fruit. They rob our lives of healthy fruit that the Holy Spirit is waiting and wanting to produce in and through us.

Most importantly, if the little foxes are not put to death they will grow into big foxes!

“…for if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” Romans 8:13

To be continued…

Prayer and Thanksgiving: Holy Father, we thank YOU for being the Divine Gardner who has prepared a place for us to grow and thrive in YOUR Kingdom and for JESUS CHRIST our source of life. Thank YOU also for the Holy Spirit to guide us. Help us to be faithful to our calling and keep reminding us that our lives are not our own that have been bought with a price, the precious blood of your only SON. Thank you for never giving up on those who are chosen and that none that believe in the SON will be lost. We are grateful. All glory, honor and praise belong to YOU. We pray and ask all things in the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Always by God’s Word and prayer,

Cecile

“Little” Sins: The Foxes That Destroy Our Fruit – Part 1

Scripture warns us that sin is deceptive and hardens our hearts against God. (Hebrews 3:13)

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines sin as: (1) an offense against religious or moral law; an action that is or is felt to be highly reprehensible (it's a sin to waste food); an often serious shortcoming (fault); (2) transgression of the law of God.

For believers, definition No. 2 covers it all. Any thought or action that falls short of God’s will breaks GOD’s law and is sin (1 John 3:4.) Because GOD is perfect and we are not we are going to be guilty of some offense against GOD at some time. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23. We will sin because we are sinners.

However, too many believers are complacent in how we think of sin. If we are not involved in “gross” sin of the Ten Commandments – adultery, theft, murder, idol worship etc., we are content to go about our daily lives feeling pretty good about ourselves and our godliness.

But it is the little foxes that ruin the vineyards (Song of Solomon 2:15)…

Our comfort level with behaviors that break GOD’s law outright should concern us. It has become commonplace to dismiss them with excuses like, “Oh, that’s just the way I am/they are;” “It’s the way we/ they were raised;” “Don’t let it bother you, he/she is really a nice person;” “It really doesn’t mean anything.” We have all heard some variation, or said them.

We sweetly label these behaviors as “faults“,  “character flaws” or, as the late Christian author Jerry Bridges calls them in a work of the same title, respectable sins. But we deceive ourselves and support others in self-deception when we do not acknowledge as sin chronic negative behaviors like…

tardiness, impatience, irritability, short-temper, anxiety (PC term, “stress,”) selfishness, fault-finding, stinginess, overspending, resentment, religious arrogance, pride, “little white lies,” flirtatious with the opposite sex, talkativeness…

…to name a few.

Granted, there are no “Thou shalt not” commandments in Scripture associated with any of the “character flaws” listed here but it is safe to say that any action that hurts others or have a negative impact is not an act of love, and is contrary to JESUS’ new commandment to His followers,

 “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” John 13:34.

Since our GOD and Father is Himself LOVE, He does not leave us to figure it out on our own. He tells us explicitly in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 what true Christian love looks like:

Love is patient (not impatient), love is kind (not stingy). Love does not envy (not resentful, a spend-thrift), is not boastful (not talkative), is not conceited (not proud and self-righteous), does not act improperly (not flirtatious with someone else’s spouse), is not selfish, is not provoked (not irritable and short-tempered), and does not keep a record of wrongs (hold grudges). Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth (tell little white lies). It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things (not stressed and anxious).

Any child of GOD can admit to at least one, or two (I can) but we don't take them seriously enough  to do anything about it. But we must; since none of these actions are loving, all offend GOD and and all grieve the Holy Spirit. 

All are actions that fall short of God’s will for us.

We pay a high spiritual price for those little sins.

To be continued….

Prayer and Thanksgiving: Our Holy and Righteous Father, to YOU belong all honor and glory! We acknowledge YOU as the Creator and Designer of our lives. We confess our sinfulness that excuse our actions by our own standards instead of accepting totally YOUR Sovereignty and righteousness. We thank YOU for being faithful to forgive us and for showing us such amazing LOVE by sending YOUR only SON to redeem us. Strengthen us daily to lay aside every sin that so easily trips us up and cost us our peace in YOU. We pray and ask all things in JESUS NAME. Amen.

Always by God’s Word and prayer,

Cecile