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Monday, August 24, 2009

Ephesians 4:20-24
20 But you did not learn Christ in this way,
21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus,
22 that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit,
23 and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
24 and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

This is a recap to what we did in cell on Sunday morning.

We have established that you are the one to actively lay aside your old self. The word clearly states that it is our part to lay aside all that you were, and also goes on to say that you put on the new self. It is your responsibility to do that.

We'll look on later in the verse, bit by bit, to see how Paul instructs the Ephesians to lay aside their old self.

25 Therefore, laying aside falsehood, SPEAK TRUTH EACH ONE of you WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, for we are members of one another.

This is the first part that we will look at; speak truth to each other.

Lying is basically saying anything that is aside from the truth.

In the context of laying aside your old self, this means that you have to purpose yourself to avoid lying.

That also means that when you've told a lie, no matter how small, you do not push it aside and ignore it.

But you acknowledge it, and you repent. And you purpose yourself not to walk that manner of speech again.

Let us purpose ourselves to speak truth to the people around us.

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@ 9:40 PM

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Matthew 6:21-23
for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
"The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light.
"But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

We've been talking about issues of the heart; and storing the Word in your heart.

The Word tells us that "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
What does your heart call out to?
How do you know what your heart calls out to?
The Word explains that further in a later verse..

The bible then continues in telling us that the eye is the lamp of the body.
And whatever you set your eyes on will determine if your body is full of light or darkness.

Hence, we can see that what we look at, affects what we are storing inside of us.
If all you are looking at, are videos on Youtube, or updates on facebook, that is what you store within yourself.

Hence, seek after the things of God.
If you do not feel that you have found delight in the things of God, such that you can recognise it as "treasure"...
Pray that God will give you the wisdom and understanding to do so.

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@ 3:47 PM

Monday, August 10, 2009

John 15:7
“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”

This is a verse which I referred to when in the entry, “Thy Will Be Done”.

Is there a way, at the end of the day, where you are able to reflect and come to a definite conclusion if you have abided in God? The Word has the answer to that.

As I was reading the Word, this verse stood out to me.

1 John 4:16
We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

This verse tells us, that we abide in God when we abide in love.

By understanding the context of these verses that John wrote, we can use certain words interchangeably, that might even help us grasp the heart behind these verses.

John 15:7
“If you abide in Me [love], and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”

1 John 4:16
We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God [the Word], and God [the Word] abides in him.

Do take time to meditate on these verses. This will not only help in your prayer life, but it better helps us to understand how we can be certain of how to abide in God.

Behind every thought, action or spoken word, ask yourself, was it done out of love? If you can say yes, you have abided in God. Let us purpose ourselves to abide in God every moment of our lives.

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@ 10:14 PM

Monday, August 3, 2009

We often talk about love; what love is, and we often refer to 1 Cor 13.

But besides knowing what love is, how can we be certain that we are growing in love?

1 John 2:4-6
The one who says, "I have come to know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.

Lets focus on verse 5:
"but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected."

Knowing the love of God, being able to love like He did and understanding the God kind of love, as the Word tells us, requires us to 'keep His word'.

God and His Word are one.
God is love.
His Word, therefore, reveals His love.

By keeping God's Word in us, will have a deeper revelation of His love as 'in him the love of God has truly been perfected'.

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@ 10:10 PM