March 18, 2013
-
How to please God
Over time I have learnt that my definition of legalism is obedience done to please God. Have you ever wondered how could our stealing lying anger affect God? It doesn’t directly, like when the store down the street gets something stolen, it has no affect upon us. Not directly, but it does indirectly, through taxes as more police officers are needed from increase of crime, insurance prices go up as insurance companies have to cover the loss also price increases. Even now there is a Wal-mart not to far from me that might be closing because their location has placed them in an area in which their loss is severe.
When we are disobedient it affects God indirectly, our disobedience usually affects another person directly or indirectly, which does affect God. God’s love for man means that when we in a negative way affect another person God is affected. Just like a parent suffers when their child suffers, God’s great love for his children allows him to care about his children’s suffering.
Joh_14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
1Jn_4:20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
Job 35:5 Look unto the heavens, and see; and behold the clouds which are higher than thou. 6 If thou sinnest, what doest thou against him? or if thy transgressions be multiplied, what doest thou unto him? 7 If thou be righteous, what givest thou him? or what receiveth he of thine hand? 8 Thy wickedness may hurt a man as thou art; and thy righteousness may profit the son of man.
Comments (16)
Amen Lewis!! It may not affect directly, but it does, over time, because once you do it and get away with it, well, whats to stop you from doing it again?
That’s why the Holy Spirit lets you know, if it’s a sin or not…..Heed to the Holy Spirit, and know….know that God loves you, and is hurt by your actions….He wants you to repent, and step back onto the path He has placed before you……
@ellie1945 - Thats right, the more we break the rules the more others shall suffer, including our self. What kind of parent would not suffer when they see their own child hurting their self. Thanks Ellie
Whatever we do Bro. Lewis, might not ever effect us here on earth. But when we get to His Kingdom, if we have never repented of the wrong it will effect us then. Bro. Doc
I believe Bro Doc disobedeince affects us here and there, but for most they never see the relationship between their disobedeince and their suffering, and or their children suffering.
Again, it seems that I understand things differently. God is not of this world.
NOTE: I say again because I loaded your blogs backwards today — 3 of them).
Your brother in Christ,
Hunt
I would say that you have a great sense of legality.
@ImNotUglyIJustNeedLove - Thank you!
@eshunt@revelife - I understand what your saying Bro Hunt, thank you for the visit and the comments.
Thanks Lewis. I see that really I didn’t post comments that are easy to follow. The more important thing to me is not that we disobeyed but that we now follow. In my own recovery from life as an independant thinker and intellectual academic, I discover still that only folowing matters (in my growth) as a path the way of Jesus’ command to lve God with all my heart and to love others as I would love myself. Only God knows what is. We cannot see Him as He is and we cannot know anything about Him from our fallen minds and hearts except that we can notice like the thief that hung next to Jesus, that He is only goodness and never wrong, when in that moment, we focus only on Him.
“No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.” 1 John 4:12
“So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.” John 13:34
I do not disagree with your post. Not at all. I choose to see only where I must go.
@eshunt@revelife - Amen bro Hunt! That is the way to truly be blessed by following his ways. At one time my wife and I owed quite a bit of money, but once we started appling the word of God to our life things improved. We started by understanding the word is against debt, that got our way of thinking changed. Then we started trying to apply being faithful in the least, that made it much easier to prosper. Now we are out of debt and life is much easier, all because we try to follow the word.
Have you ever placed trust in someone you knew nothing about? That to me is the purpose of the word and the Holy Spirit to teach us about God and his ways so we can trust him. As the Spirit shows us God (through knowledge of him) we have proof by his creation.
It is all about love, as we feel God’s love through his forgivness at the sacrifice of his own Son, then we can show that love to others. We cannot give what we do not have, it is God who gives us the light and the love so we as Christ can express it to the fallen world.
What a blessing to have come upon your page! I am always delighted to find blogs like yours, that apply the Scriptures to our own lives. Thank you for writing and sharing with us.
This is a good post and I would like to show the definition of legalism: the doctrine that salvation is gained through good works. I am not so sure that legalism is the right word.
@BroDoc - If others don’t repeat from their wrong doing before they die, Luke 13:1-5 gives a very clear picture of it.
@fruit_snacks_galore - Thank you, your visit and comment are appreciated.
@TexasWoman59 - Thank you Liz!
@Lewis1122 - Also, we are to walk by faith, not the laaw.