What's It To You?

credit to astrobob.areavoices.com 

Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren, every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of Lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.  of His own will He brought us forth by word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of His creatures. ~James 1:16-18

As we all live, learn and grow in what we know, God uses everything to deconstruct our thoughts and past experiences in order to enable us to not give up and quit.  It is His will, in time we truly can stop being tempted any longer by evil, because He does not tempt us and He cannot even be tempted.  He is trying to help us comprehend this fact: the only way we can be tempted is due to self interest which entice us to do what "we want".


Before, during and after I am being lead to study a topic, God gives me all sorts of experiences to maneuver throughout.  These raise up my knowledge, emotions, memories and God's truth, all together.  When they intersect I have choices to make; this is true for all of us.  I have been praying, for months, for Christ to subdue me unto Himself.  I started this when nothing was going on; it was simply and an honest request out of obedience, willingly.  I do not desire to wait till I have no other options or it is by force.  I'm not that strong - most humans could break me like a pencil ;)

Thus far, this is what I have learned on the topic.  I share it just in case someone else is being lead through this same journey.  If you have something to add, please contact me or comment and share it with everyone else:

We all are asked to help out with things from time to time, which are not our job or on our agenda.  We also just want to help without being asked sometimes.  What ever we know about their processes, personality or desired outcome should be taken into consideration; we should attempt to apply, at minimum the same standard they do.  If we are not willing to do that, we should be forth coming.  If we are doing it unprovoked, we should think it through and chose another task which we"are" willing to fulfill the task as they do.

Not everyone, but most people have a charitable side; they want to help when they have done all they want to do, in their spare time.  Our conscience tell us there are needs going unmet.  When we serve due to guilt, we cut corners.  The reason is simple, we are attempting to quiet our guilt.  Bonus is that next time our conscience pricks us we will have ample ammunition to retaliate and silence it.

God's truth is what brings the condemnation upon us.  He tells us the universe is aware; the words have gone out since the beginning of time and they will not be silenced.  We are to serve others as though we are serving Christ.  This means we are to do it with the same conviction, pretense and countenance which He had.  His heart longed to express and exemplify whom He was serving: God, our creator, as if He was the one doing it. God does not cut corners, duck out on the yuck work, or withhold any good thing from those who: walk upright, ask without doubt, fear Him. But not just those, He also does good to everyone without being asked to do it.

We must always remember, however, many times people truly ARE simply doing the best they can and it IS a gift!  We should accept those gifts with humility and express our gratitude with encouragement toward the giver. However, when a person knows what to do and chooses to carry out a different action, as if no one will know the difference- to that person it is sin.  And that sin is toward the other person and against God.  After all it is God alone we serve.  This verse in James 4 has been weaving in and out all things for months with me:

Therefore, to the one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.  

What we know to be truth and do not do, whether we are sick, tired or sick & tired, God knows and it does not matter what the rest of the universe knows, thinks, see or what ever.  Will we be humble enough to request that He multiply and be fruitful regarding His image and likeness, and to constantly subdue our human nature, that we might have a hope of becoming what He Divinely created us to be?

My prayer for our Body is of course to be One; of One Faith.  Specifically I desire for us to be kind, tender-hearted toward each other and to just do what we know is right in His eyes ~ for He tenderly loves and cares for each of us with out fail.  

In Christ - Kisses,
Candace

He is able even to subdue all things to Himself ~ Philippians 3:10

  © 2015 by Candace Huffmaster

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