Tag: Poor

20.x. “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think”

 

 

 

Romans 12:3   For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

 Proverbs 16:18-19    Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.  It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud.

 James 4:6    But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

 Proverbs 26:12    Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

 Titus 2:2    Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness.

 1 Peter 4:7    The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded 

 1 Peter 5:8    Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

We don’t have to listen to much on social media outlets to witness those who think very highly of themselves.  We see those with money who think their prosperity is because of their individual talents and thereby elevate themselves to the mental status of someone who ought to be heard and listened to for their “rich” opinion is worthy of everyone to listen to.  Because they have become rich they think highly of their status and their wisdom.  We also see those who have some form of power to govern or rule, who have also taken high self-worthy praise of themselves.  They seem to speak down to people who are not in their circle of influence makers.  They speak as though, only they have wisdom and understanding and anyone who does not agree or blindly follow is lacking understanding and knowledge.  If we listen and weigh what they are saying we can easily see their pride, folly, and self-worthiness being expressed.  

It is easy to read our Scripture today and think it was written specifically for these types of people, but this is not true.  Paul was talking to Christians in the Roman Church.  He is telling them, “do not think more highly of themselves than they ought to” and to give serious and sensible thought, and to judge these thoughts in light of the faith that has been given to them by God.  It is in humbleness that we seek and desire that which honors and glorifies Jesus Christ.  In this humbleness we give serious and sensible thought to our heart and, as best we can, to the intents and purposes that come from it.  We humbly seek and desire to place Jesus Christ first and give no place for self, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th place do not exist, only Jesus.   Wherever God has led you in life, whatever position He has placed you, whatever knowledge and wisdom He has given you, these are not for our honor or glory, but for His alone.  We can take no credit for them but we can be thankful for them.  We can take no self-worth from them but we can give honor and glory to God because of them.  When is the last time you have given serious and sensible thought (in light of Scripture) to the intents and purposes of your heart?  

20.r. “Let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it.”

 

Romans 11:20   They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness.

 James 2:19     You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!

 Hebrews 3:12     Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.

 Revelation 3:17     For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.

 Hebrews 3:19   So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

 Hebrews 4:6     Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience,

 Hebrews 4:11   Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.

 Isaiah 66:2    All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.

 Hebrews 4:1     Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it.

Paul said, “note the severity and kindness of God”.  We have a natural thought that clings to God’s kindness but sidelines and thoughts to His severity of judgment, wrath, and anger.  We cling to “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” but we give little thought of His wrath and anger against unbelief, trust, faith, and obedience in/on Jesus Christ.  Paul saw how easy it was for believers to fall into disobedience.  He saw how they became complacent and neglectful of things of God.  They became lukewarm towards seeking and desiring to honor and glorify Him.  Over and over again Paul urged people to remain steadfast and to not forget the grace, mercy, kindness, and love of God.  Paul had to be dismayed when he would return to towns he had once been and had seen great numbers of people believe in Jesus Christ, only to find they had become neglectful and complacent in their devotion to God.  Paul so how easy it was for the heart of man to fall away from being fully committed and living for God every moment of every day.  God’s kindness and severity remain true and steadfast.  We do well to our hearts, minds, soul, and our daily lives in line with the Word of God at all times lest we become disobedient through neglect and complacency.

20.i. “We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.”

Romans 10:3 For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

 Leviticus 26:41   so that I walked contrary to them and brought them into the land of their enemies—if then their uncircumcised heart is humbled and they make amends for their iniquity,

 Daniel 9:6-9     We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.  To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you.  To us, O LORD, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you.  To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him

 Revelation 3:17-18  For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.  I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.

 Isaiah 64:6   We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

Has mankind changed over time?  Have they gotten smarter, wiser, more ingenious? Have they been able to do greater and greater advances in science, industrial, technology, physics, chemistry, medicine, social and cultural understanding?  And yet, a man finds, at the end of all of their efforts, they are not closer to God or closer to understanding and knowing Him.  For all of the advances, man has made they seem to think it was because of their great self-knowledge, understanding, and wisdom.  Do they ever wonder who it was that gave them this understanding, wisdom, and knowledge?  Was it not from God?  I think some, over the history of mankind, have sought God for His help to accomplish an advance in science, industrial, technology, physics, chemistry, medicine, social and cultural understanding, and they were blessed by God to accomplish it and they gave God the honor and glory for the accomplishment.  I fear far too many others sought it out for their own glory and honor. Because they did not seek God’s help for God’s honor and glory, they end up thinking that they are capable of accomplishing major advances on their own, without God.  Credit is given over and over again to men and what they have accomplished – The Nobel Peace Prize.  Over time a man thinks God is not real and not needed.  Some may even use what they have accomplished to prove God does not exist.  

There are others who see and hear about the accomplishments of various people and over history apply the same approach to being right with God.  “Being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.”  We need to be very careful of what social and cultural influences we use to view God and His plans and purposes for salvation, redemption, forgiveness, heaven, hell, and eternity.

19.z. “Will God hear his cry when distress comes upon him? “

Romans 8:26   Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 

James 4:3    You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

Job 27:8-10   For what is the hope of the godless when God cuts him off, when God takes away his life?  Will God hear his cry when distress comes upon him?  Will he take delight in the Almighty? Will he call upon God at all times? 

Psalms 18:41  They cried for help, but there was none to save; they cried to the LORD, but he did not answer them.

Proverbs 1:28  Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me.

Zechariah 7:13   “As I called, and they would not hear, so they called, and I would not hear,” says the LORD of hosts,

Proverbs 21:13     Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered.

For those who believe and rely on, cling to, and trust in Jesus Christ alone, the Holy Spirit’s help in intercession is perfect because He searches the hearts of those whom He helps, and He is able to guide our prayers according to the will of God.  The aching soul of those who humbly surrenders, trust, and has faithful confidence in God will be heard by God even though words fail to come to them to appropriately express their ache, want, hurt, and need. There is comfort in laying this before God.  However, this is not so for those who deny any reliance or need of God and His ways.  God will not answer them.  He closes His ear to them.  He will cut them off.  They will be left to their own resources, none of which will satisfy their need.  Their heartache will not be satisfied.  I have to think their heart will become hard and their stance against God more firm.  They will avail themselves to be the agent of Satan and do his bidding without giving it a second thought.  God does not negotiate His love or His wrath.  For those who do not fully surrender to His Holiness, Love, Grace, and Mercy through Jesus Christ, they will receive in full all of God’s wrath.  Those who do surrender will receive in full all of God’s love.

17.p. “Give more than all the others combined”

John 12:7  “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.” Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him.

 Matthew 26:10    But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me.

Deuteronomy 15:11  For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.

Mark 14:7   For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me.

Mark 12:41  As Jesus was sitting opposite the treasury, He watched the crowd putting money into it. And many rich people put in large amounts. Then one poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amounted to a small fraction of a denarius. Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more than all the others into the treasury

If we are extreme in our love for Jesus, He will not criticize us; like what Judas did. It is much better to be like Mary (extreme in our love for Jesus) than to be like Judas (criticizing others who show such great love for Jesus).

If we are generous in our giving, with an extreme love for Jesus, our giving is non in vain.  What Jesus approves and whatever honors and glorifies Him will never be in vain or worthless.  

We are bombarded with endless enticements to satisfy ourselves. We are told lies, deep within our hearts, that we will be happier.  The truth is that we will never find the satisfaction and happiness our soul seeks when we seek only that which satisfies our fleshly desires.  Satan offers us this lie tied up in a neat bow.  He even makes it seem right. 

Our purpose this side of eternity is to live to honor and glorify the Lord of Lords, King of Kings, Jesus Christ.  When our love for Him is great than self and what this world has to offer we will do and say things that others find foolish, lacking, and worthless. We will act out of our devotion and love for Jesus Christ.

16.q. “But that the works of God might be displayed in him”

John 9:1  As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.

Matthew 11:5    the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.

John 11:40     Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?”

John 11:4    But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

Jesus will soon show a different way. He won’t dwell on the theological puzzle, but on actually helping the man. “It is ours, not to speculate, but to perform acts of mercy and love, according to the tenor of the gospel. Let us then be less inquisitive and more practical, less for cracking doctrinal nuts, and more for bringing forth the bread of life to the starving multitudes.” (Spurgeon)

 We often suspect that where there is a more than ordinary sufferer, there is a more than ordinary sinner. The disciples believed this so much so that they wondered if this man had actually sinned before he was born, causing his blind condition. “In their thinking about divine retribution they had not advanced far beyond the position of Job’s friends.” (Bruce)

 Dods suggested five possible reasons behind their question.

· Some of the Jews of that time believed in the pre-existence of souls, and the possibility that those pre-existent souls could sin.

· Some of the Jews at that time believed in some kind of reincarnation, and perhaps the man sinned in a previous existence.

· Some of the Jews at that time believed that a baby might sin in the womb.

· They thought the punishment was for a sin the man would later commit.

· They were so bewildered that they threw out a wild possibility without thinking it through.

Speaking to this man’s situation, Jesus told them that even his blindness was in the plan of God so that the works of God should be revealed in him. Think of all the times the little blind boy asked his mother, “Why am I blind?” Perhaps she never felt she had a good answer. Jesus explained, it is because God wants to work in and through even this. Jesus pointed the question away from why and on to the idea, what can God do in this? In this man’s case, the specific work of God would soon be revealed: to heal him of his blindness. God may reveal His works in other lives in other ways, such as joy and endurance in the midst of the difficulty. The question for us is not where suffering has come from, but what are we to do with it. “This does not mean that God deliberately caused the child to be born blind in order that, after many years, his glory should be displayed in the removal of the blindness; to think so would again be aspersion on the character of God. It does mean that God overruled the disaster of the child’s blindness so that, when the child grew to manhood, he might, by the recovering of his sight, see the glory of God in the face of Christ, and others, seeing the work of God, might turn to the true Light of the World.” (Bruce)  “Whenever you see a man in sorrow and trouble, the way to look at it is, not to blame him and inquire how he came there, but to say, ‘Here is an opening for God’s almighty love. Here is an occasion for the display of the grace and goodness of the Lord.’” (Spurgeon)

16.h. “And the truth will set you free.”

John 8:31  So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you.

Isaiah 61:1   The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

Romans 8:15     For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

Galatians 5:13    For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

2 Timothy 2:25-26     correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth  and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

James 1:25     But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

1 Peter 2:16    Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.

Jesus was speaking to those who believed Him.  There is a difference between believing Him and believing in Him.  Those who believe in Him will abide in His word.  Those who believe Him will not, or they may pick and choose what they want to abide in. Clearly, they were inclined to think what Jesus was saying was true.  But they were not prepared or willing to yield that belief into trust and reliance.  Abiding in His Word means “Welcoming it, being at home with it, and living with it so continuously that it becomes part of the believer’s life, a permanent influence and stimulus in every fresh advance in goodness and holiness.”

Abiding in His Word will open our hearts and minds to the truth.  It is this truth that sets us free.  There is nothing like the freedom we can have in Jesus. No money can buy it, no status can obtain it, no works can earn it, and nothing can match it. It is tragic that not every Christian experiences this freedom, which can never be found except by abiding in God’s word and being Jesus’ disciple.  There is freedom from worry, hate, anger, fear, greed, jealousy, envy, pride, self-reliance, and the want to sin.  But in order to experience this “Freedom”, there must be an intentional choice to die to self and its sinful nature and live for Christ.  In this complete surrender and yielding, we will find a mysterious freedom that seeks and desires to know, do, trust, and rejoice in the will of God.

16.a. “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”

John 7:21  Jesus answered them, “I did one work, and you all marvel at it. Moses gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. If on the Sabbath a man receives circumcision, so that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because on the Sabbath I made a man’s whole body well? Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”

Deuteronomy 1:16-17    And I charged your judges at that time, ‘Hear the cases between your brothers, and judge righteously between a man and his brother or the alien who is with him.  You shall not be partial in judgment. You shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall not be intimidated by anyone, for the judgment is God’s. And the case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.’

Proverbs 17:15    He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the LORD.

Isaiah 11:3-4    And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear,  but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.

James 2:9     But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

Jesus had healed a cripple who had been an invalid for 38 years.  He did this on the Sabbath and the Jewish leaders immediately told the healed man that it was unlawful for him to carry the mat he had been laying on.  Jesus brings this up when the Jewish leadership was wondering how Jesus had learning when He had never studied.  He tells them that they marvel at this act and then proceeds to tell them that they are not seeing scripture with understanding.  It was man-made laws and traditions that resulted in them thinking that healing a cripple on the Sabbath was breaking the law.  “Judge with right judgment.”  We are all guilty of wrongly judging some on or something.  We judge by the action and not the intent.  We judge the guy or gal in the car that is going to slow or cuts us off and have no idea what might have distracted that person.  Did they just get a phone call with very bad news?  Are they heading to the hospital to see someone who is dying?  We just don’t know but we judge them guilty of intentionally doing this to us.  There are thousands of other examples of how we judge others and much of the time we are judging without the love of God in our hearts and mind.  We need to be mindful of how critically we look at others.  Maybe it would be good for us to look into the mirror and ask ourselves if we would like to be judged by others the way we judge them.  I wonder if we ever take the time to ask God to reveal our true heart to us and seek the Holy Spirit’s to lead us into this insight.  We stand before God through Jesus Christ alone.  We did nothing to deserve this grace and mercy.  And yet, we go about judging others as if we were deserving of redemption, salvation, and forgiveness. When you are humble in thoughts and actions you will find the spirit of Judging will find no place in your heart, mind, and soul

15.p. “I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.”

John 5:30   “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.

John 14:10    Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works.

John 8:42     Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me.

John 8:28     So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me.

Psalms 40:7-8    Then I said, “Behold, I have come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me:  I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.”

John 4:34     Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.

Psalms 96:13    before the LORD, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness.

Isaiah 11:3-4    And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear,  but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.

Romans 2:5    But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.

Jesus explained that He is qualified as a completely righteous judge because His power is in submission too and to do the will of God the Father.  How much of our day(s) do we do our will without a single thought too doing the will of God?  I am certain there are those who believe there is God or a god but give no thought to having a personal relationship with Him.  There are fewer who believe Jesus Christ was the Son of God and even of these there are many who give no thought to having a personal relationship with Him.  If we are to come to the Father we must come through Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  Here is the difference between these and those who have had a personal relationship with the Son and the Father. Those who believe trust in, cling too and rely on Jesus Christ.  They are aware of sin, their sin, and the Holiness of the Son, Jesus Christ, and the Father, God.  In this awareness, they seek to have a relationship with Jesus Christ.  In this awareness, they have an understanding that has been given to them by and through Jesus Christ.  In this awareness, they have intentionally chosen to seek this relationship and believed the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  In this awareness, they have sought forgiveness, repented of their sin, and believed in salvation and redemption through Jesus Christ.  There is more than just head knowledge.  The difference is that they personally know Jesus Christ rather than knowledge of Him.  They have made an intentional choice to surrender, serve, listen, follow, yield, trust, obey, honor, and glorify Jesus Christ.  They do not seek their own will but continually seek to do the will of Jesus Christ every day.  They do not seek to honor themselves.

Judgment is coming and the wrath of God is being stored up against all who reject Jesus Christ.  Today we are closer to this coming judgment than before.  The warning has been given that this judgment is coming.  The warning has been given that all who reject Jesus Christ will go to hell and be tormented forever and ever in eternity.  It is out of love that God sends these warnings.  “For God so loved the world that He sent His only Son, that whosoever believe in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”  “not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” “But because of your hard and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.”

Knowing of Jesus Christ will never result in repentance or trust.  Knowing Jesus Christ will.  Behold, He stands at the door of your heart, knocking.  Open that door and allow Him in.

14.b. “Behold, the Judge is standing at the door.”

Malachi 3:5  “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.

Psalms 50:3-6   Our God comes; he does not keep silence; before him is a devouring fire, around him a mighty tempest.  He calls to the heavens above and to the earth, that he may judge his people:  “Gather to me my faithful ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!”  The heavens declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge!

James 5:8-9    You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.  Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.

Hebrews 10:30-31   For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.”  It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Proverbs 22:22-23    Do not rob the poor, because he is poor, or crush the afflicted at the gate,  for the LORD will plead their cause and rob of life those who rob them.

Proverbs 23:10-11     Do not move an ancient landmark or enter the fields of the fatherless,  for their Redeemer is strong; he will plead their cause against you.

I have never counted or looked into how many times there are warnings given to us about all of the sins that plague the world in sinful hearts.  These warnings are given to us so that we are very mindful of sinful nature temptations and worldly temptations.  These manifest sins themselves in ways that are both seen and unseen heard and unheard said and unsaid.  The temptation could be to disregard someone in need.  Be very careful on this one.  The warnings are very clear on this.  The temptation could be to think something prideful, lustful, hateful, demeaning, dishonest, etc…… and even though a word did not come out of your mouth or action from your body the thought, if not capture, recognized, and discarded, will be held in account against the day of our Lord’s coming.

Dr. David Jeremiah said it like this; “What about our spiritual life? Our world certainly seems to grow more spiritually toxic all the time, and it is impossible to avoid encountering snares and temptations. So how do we keep our spiritual “body” pure? The psalmist had a solution: Store up God’s Word in our heart so that we might not sin against Him and apply the wisdom and direction His Word offers into our life (Psalm 119:9, 11). Think about it: If we obey (apply) God’s Word, we won’t choose to sin. And if we memorize (store up) God’s Word, it will be within a thought’s reach when we are faced with temptation. The more we live “in” God’s Word, the purer our life will be in the midst of a toxic world”.

John Blanchard said this; “God requires an inward purity as well as an outward performance.”