Love the Body!!!

The children of the most High God has been afforded the privilege of being united into one family through adoption which is known as the body of Christ. This is a wonderful experience for each Christian, to belong to something greater than oneself and to find people that are like minded in their pursuits in life. This also is the arena that God uses the Holy Spirit to buffet our flesh through learning how to love our brothers and sisters in Christ. The world once again plays a heavy part and invades the body of Christ with its definition of love and how “Christians” are to interact. Once again “if you are a part of the church you should never feel an offense caused by another brother or sister and Heaven forbid by leadership” according to the world. We are all human and come from many different upbringings and cultural back grounds. We come from different religious upbringings and we bring totally different educations and experiences with us. All the mingling and mixing at some point will cause an offense. The beauty of being in the body is what is done once the offense takes place. There should be two vessels working towards resolution and restoration of the relationship. We also cannot correct one another according to the standard set for us because that will bring offense. In love we should correct one another and restore our brothers, sisters, and leadership onto God’s path and His standard. To many brothers and sisters are looked down upon because they wish to see the body healthy and operating wholly, they are lead to admonish the body and these actions are looked upon as negative when they come from the Holy Spirit. We must read our word and understand that a Loving Father wants His family to operate in Love one to another in spirit and truth!!! A great tool used is admonishment to mature the saints in the body of Christ to the standard we should present to the world. Today let us put off conforming to the world’s standard of Love and let us transform to the standard laid out in God’s inerrant Word!!! Have a wonderful life of love on purpose!!!!!


Nehemiah 9 (The Isrealites)

19 "Because of your great compassion you did not abandon them in the desert. By day the pillar of cloud did not cease to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take. 20 You gave your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and you gave them water for their thirst. 21 For forty years you sustained them in the desert; they lacked nothing, their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen.
22 "You gave them kingdoms and nations, allotting to them even the remotest frontiers. They took over the country of Sihon [c] king of Heshbon and the country of Og king of Bashan. 23 You made their sons as numerous as the stars in the sky, and you brought them into the land that you told their fathers to enter and possess. 24 Their sons went in and took possession of the land. You subdued before them the Canaanites, who lived in the land; you handed the Canaanites over to them, along with their kings and the peoples of the land, to deal with them as they pleased. 25 They captured fortified cities and fertile land; they took possession of houses filled with all kinds of good things, wells already dug, vineyards, olive groves and fruit trees in abundance. They ate to the full and were well-nourished; they reveled in your great goodness.
26 "But they were disobedient and rebelled against you; they put your law behind their backs. They killed your prophets, who had admonished them in order to turn them back to you; they committed awful blasphemies. 27 So you handed them over to their enemies, who oppressed them. But when they were oppressed they cried out to you. From heaven you heard them, and in your great compassion you gave them deliverers, who rescued them from the hand of their enemies.

Colossians 1 (The Body of Christ)

Paul's Labor for the Church
24Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. 25I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— 26the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. 27To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
28We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. 29To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.

Colossians 3 (The Body of Christ)

Rules for Holy Living
1Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is your[a] life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
5Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.[b] 7You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
12Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Unnatural Love

The sin nature that entered into man as a result of Adam’s choice to eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge will be forever tied to a believer until they pass on into the next life and receive their new bodies. This resulted in our natural nature becoming an enemy to God’s nature. It lead to our pursuit of self righteousness and aspirations to be like the most high God. The nature that we were born into does not want to love. The sin nature is a nature that knows not the sacrifice it takes to love someone as it ought to. The sin nature wants to take from others to benefit self. This leads us to believe that the word love that the world uses cannot be the same love out from God. Apart from God we cannot love. Only the Holy Spirit can teach us how to love one another and our Heavenly Father. The words that the world should use in the place of love is “I lust you” or “I seduce you”. The world either just wants what their eyes see or they want to give, in order to get what they want. The reason we become so peculiar is that the motives we use for our actions are no longer based on the world’s system and so they do not know how to receive a love that is free from self and pure in the hopes to bless others from the sacrifice of the giver. That’s why the world cannot accept Christ’s love, they believe they have to earn it, “Nothing in Life is Free”!!! Love today the way it was intended as Christ Loved us, freely give what you have freely been given!!! Have a wonderful life of love on purpose!!!!!

John 15

The Vine and the Branches
1"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
9"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command. 15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17This is my command: Love each other.
The World Hates the Disciples
18"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.'[b] If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me. 22If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. 23He who hates me hates my Father as well. 24If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. 25But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: 'They hated me without reason.'[c]
26"When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. 27And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.

Love for the Father, Neighbor, and Yourself!!!

Good Morning,

Welcome to another Terrific Tuesday. The great fall of Man which sadly came through Adam was a result of Adam not loving his God, Wife, or himself as he ought to. Adam was given a command by God in the Garden of Eden not to eat from the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. When Eve came to him with the fruit if Adam stopped and thought for a second, my God said not to eat this fruit and I love Him too much to disobey, his response would have been different. If Adam would have stopped and thought for a second, my wife didn’t get this commandment but I did and I should cover her as being her husband, maybe I should in love correct this matter and lead her back on the path of God (which is admonishment), his response would have been different. If Adam would have stopped and thought for a second, my life will be taken if I eat from this fruit and I love my life, so I will sacrifice my urge to have this wisdom and please my wife, in order to keep the eternal life I have, his response would have been different. As a result of Adam eating the fruit, he forever changed the relationship of God and Man, Husband and Wife, and Soul and Body. Our loving Father restored us to relationship through His precious Son Jesus Christ, who then loved us enough to give His own life as a sacrifice so that we would receive a loving counselor the Holy Spirit, who always intercedes on our behalf for what we ought to be praying for from the Heavenly Father. Today, are you loving your Heavenly Father and your neighbors and yourself as you ought to??? Have a wonderful life of love on purpose!!!!!

Genesis 2

15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."
18 The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."
19 Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field. But for Adam [h] no suitable helper was found. 21 So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs [i] and closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib [j] he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.

23 The man said,
"This is now bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman, [k] '
for she was taken out of man."

24 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.
25 The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

Genesis 3

The Fall of Man
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"
2 The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.' "
4 "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. 5 "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?"
10 He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid."
11 And he said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?"
12 The man said, "The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it."
13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."
14 So the LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this,
"Cursed are you above all the livestock
and all the wild animals!
You will crawl on your belly
and you will eat dust
all the days of your life.
15 And I will put enmity
between you and the woman,
and between your offspring [a] and hers;
he will crush [b] your head,
and you will strike his heel."
16 To the woman he said,
"I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing;
with pain you will give birth to children.
Your desire will be for your husband,
and he will rule over you."
17 To Adam he said,
"Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,'
"Cursed is the ground because of you;
through painful toil you will eat of it
all the days of your life.
18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
and you will eat the plants of the field.
19 By the sweat of your brow
you will eat your food
until you return to the ground,
since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
and to dust you will return."
20 Adam [c] named his wife Eve, [d] because she would become the mother of all the living.
21 The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. 22 And the LORD God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever." 23 So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. 24 After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side [e] of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

God is Love!!!

God is Love. This scripture taken from 1 John 4:16 has been referenced many times in our society for good and for evil. Men use this scripture to conform men and women around them to be subdued and dull to the word of God. They use this to say that we as the children of God we must be loving one to another which is very true and is a great command from Jesus Christ to us in the gospel of John, yet they want us to love one another from the definition or standard of the world’s love. The world says if someone love’s you they will not hurt your feelings and they will do everything that makes you happy. This love is based off emotions and feelings. The love of God (which means the Love out from God) that we are called to have for one another is Agape. This is the Love that the Father has for us and that we should have for Him and one another. This love is one of choice, not based off any emotions and it flows from pure motives. The enemy wishes to keep men bound by his standards and lies and when the body of Christ acts as we ought to with love and correction one to another the enemy uses the scripture of love because someone’s feelings was hurt. The word of God was also made to bring the offense, the two-edged sword with is Jesus Christ that brings division was in God’s perfect will also!!! The Word of God along with the work of the Holy Spirit brings saints to full maturity so that their vessels can be used to re-present Christ into this fallen world. Choose to love today in purity and truth and allow the Light of Christ to shine through!!! Have a wonderful life of love on purpose!!!!!

1 John 4

Test the Spirits
1Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
4You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. 6We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit[a] of truth and the spirit of falsehood.
God's Love and Ours
7Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son[b] into the world that we might live through him. 10This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for[c] our sins. 11Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
13We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. 16And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 17In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. 18There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
19We love because he first loved us. 20If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.

Attitude of Servitude!!!

God the Father has established us as ambassadors to petition men through the gospel of Jesus Christ. In our relationship with the Father, He uses His Holy Spirit to mold and shape us into the image of His Son Jesus so that men will continue to see His Son operating in the earth. This leads us to the God moments that happen day by day. We have to have an attitude of servitude. We wish to serve the Father and each other simply by allowing the Lord to use us. We have to be full of the word of God and sensitive to the movement of God so that we will be available to be used by the Holy Spirit to do the work of the Kingdom. There are many times we disqualify ourselves because we want to work when God is saying rest and we want to rest when God is saying work. Our attitude must be that of a servant of all as our champion Jesus Christ showed us. We must be ready to wash feet when God presses it upon our heart. The greatest in the Kingdom is the one who will serve all, and that is our mark. Press towards the mark today with an attitude to serve all in the name of Christ!!! Be sure to do it in His Power, Will, and Timing!!! Have a wonderful life of attitude on purpose!!!!!

2 Corinthians 6

1As God's fellow workers we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain. 2For he says, "In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you."[a] I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation.
Paul's Hardships
3We put no stumbling block in anyone's path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. 4Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; 5in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; 6in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; 7in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; 8through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; 9known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; 10sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

Attitude of Gratitude!!!

We as the children of the most High God must be salt and light in the earth. We know that the main reason for our creation was to bring God glory and give Him praise. In order for us to show the world the greatness of our Father we must have an attitude of gratitude. One of the biggest downfalls of the children of Israel before the age of grace was their murmuring and complaining. There was no separation in their attitudes compared to the world. We see in God’s word over and over to be thankful for our salvation and the many blessing and promises of the Lord. We many times allow our flesh to control our attitudes in troubled seasons and become complainers of the ways of this world and what we do not have. This attitude has to be just like everything else in our Christian walk grounded in the foundation of our salvation which is in Christ Jesus. Gifts will come and go, blessings are here one day and gone the next, but the promises of God’s love and salvation are eternal. Is the world seeing your gratitude for an awesome Father, do they want what you have??? Have a wonderful life of attitude on purpose!!!!!

Psalm 100

A psalm. For giving thanks.
1 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.

2 Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.

3 Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his [a] ;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.

5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Attitude of Peace

There are many times in God’s Word were we His children are charged to seek peace. Christ’s sacrifice on the cross was to bring peace between God and man, and we are His ambassadors to continue to be vessels of peace. We know that God is our source for everything in this world and in the next and His promises allows us the benefit of hope. Having an attitude of peace not only allows you to fight the stimuli of the world with the scriptures but also allows to infect others with this attitude. When people around you see how you react to certain stimuli that would drive most crazy, they seek to find out what keeps you in this place and attitude of peace. We are then afforded a great opportunity by Dad to testify of the peace of the gospel of Christ. It first starts with our attitudes and allowing the world to see a difference not only in word or on Sunday but in the market place every day of the week. An attitude of peace may be all you need to lead the next soul to our Father!!! Have a wonderful life of attitude on purpose!!!!!

James 3

Two Kinds of Wisdom
13Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. 16For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
17But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.

Freedom of Attitude!!!

As believers we understand our freedoms we have in Christ Jesus. One of the greatest freedoms we have is the freedom of choice. We have been set free from the bondage of a world filled with the “I have no choice” attitude, into a world where we know that even our love for God had to come from a pure and simple choice. Therefore being no longer conformed to this world we are transformed by the renewing of our minds daily with the word of God, which allows us to choose which attitude we will have in any given trial or tribulation. If something negative happens to us we do not have to choose to have a negative attitude. One of our great champions of the faith who exemplified having the proper attitude in many situations was David. His attitude towards Goliath, Saul, God, were all based in a wholeness and trusting in God’s character. David continued to have an attitude of praise in the midst of his lowest lows and his highest highs. God did abundantly above all David could have hoped or dreamed through him because of David’s heart and his attitude towards his Father. Today, choose to have an attitude like David in all life situations, let it be grounded in trust, praise, and thanksgiving for our Holy and Righteous Savior and God!!! Have a wonderful life of attitude on purpose!!!!!

Psalm 23

A psalm of David.
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death, [a]
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.

Hope as a Child

In God’s word when the disciples asked Jesus who would be the greatest in Heaven, Jesus replied; “unless you humble yourself like unto a child you will not enter the kingdom of heaven and whomever humbles himself as such will be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven”. I believe this is a powerful saying that we sometimes over look in His word. There is much to be said about the life of a child that is raised in a healthy and loving environment. They are fearless because they know not the danger that lays ahead, nor is it of great concern. Children are hopeful because they have not yet run into a cold world of critics who’s only wish is to crush their dreams because they were too afraid to follow their own. Children’s love is free from alternative motives and they are able to forgive with a simple apology. Their bruises heal easily and they like to look on the bright side. They are able to play well with any gender, race, creed, or color. Children can rest easy at night and have dreams filled with happy thoughts. There has not been many people in the child’s life to disappoint them, so it is easy for them to trust their mother and father without having baggage. If we could just take a couple of these simple lessons from a child’s life how much greater would our lives be?? Imagine your life with hope not only in dreams but in a God that is never changing, that has Kept His promises since the beginning of time, and that says you are to call Him Abba, Father!!!. We know we cannot revert back to a state of innocence such as this without the help of the Holy Spirit because of all the life lessons we have received and because of our sin nature, but there is always hope!!! Have a wonderful life of hope on purpose!!!!!

Matthew 18

The Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven
1At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"
2He called a little child and had him stand among them. 3And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
5"And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. 6But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.
7"Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to sin! Such things must come, but woe to the man through whom they come! 8If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. 9And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.

The Parable of the Lost Sheep
10"See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.[a]
12"What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? 13And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. 14In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.

A Well of Hope

We as the body of Christ should always be a light and well spring of hope for all those around us. We know that our lives will not end when we die but it will actually be the new beginning of our eternal life in Christ Jesus. At that moment we will receive our new bodies and will have all the promises fulfilled given to us by a loving Father in the event that we ran our race and did not faint. The suffering we have in this life is but a short time compared to the life to come and for that we have an eternal hope that should not be moved or shaken. We know that this earth is fading away everyday and that it growths darker and darker except for where we are as we have been called to occupy and preserve by being the slat and light in the earth. The light of hope should radiate all around us as we continue our race and be the bridge for so many to come to Christ and to develop a full relationship with the one true God. Today, look into the scriptures and fill up on hope and then turn and strengthen all around you with the light of hope and the gospel of Jesus Christ!!! Have a wonderful life of hope on purpose!!!!!

Romans 5

Peace and Joy
1Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a]have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we[b] rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3Not only so, but we[c] also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Romans 8

Future Glory
18I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. 20For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21that[i] the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.
22We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? 25But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
26In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.

The Shackles of our Deepest Fear

We know now that we have been freed from the world as we all from death and the shackles was broken through the completed work on the cross by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So what could be left for the enemy to battle with us on or to keep us bound. The last place that the enemy keeps us bound is in our minds through our past. Our experiences shape so much of our life and for so many of us the life we once lived comes in great contrast to the life we wish to live in Christ Jesus. Many of us, deal with skeletons in the closet of life were we feel that in order to do the things God is leading us to do we must be like Christ, without sin. The enemy continues to bombard our mind with the accusations of our sin nature and who we once was, then we become paralyzed and stuck in this cycle of doing what is comfortable in Christianity but never pressing towards the mark due to fear. The enemy is a liar and the voices we hear are his lies telling us what we are not and what we will never be. We must continue daily to renew our minds from this simple principal of continuing to fill ourselves of the truths of who we are in Christ Jesus. God who loves us will seek for us to always be free and will only have relationship out of a pure choice that was made for Him. Satan who fears God, can only use fear and hate to take away our freedoms and keep us bound. The bottom line is that Satan cannot take away your salvation but he can paralyze you from completing the mission you were created for. Look inside and locate that deep seated fear that has been keeping you captive for so long and then reckon (compare) that thought to what the scripture says, and allow the word of God to break that tremendous shackle and find your freedom and identity in Christ Jesus!!! Be Free, the work of being set completely free has already been done we just have to believe it to be so!!! Have a wonderful life of freedom on purpose!!!!!

2 Corinthians 5

Our Heavenly Dwelling
1Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, 3because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
6Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7We live by faith, not by sight. 8We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

The Ministry of Reconciliation
11Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. 12We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart. 13If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. 16So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21God made him who had no sin to be sin[a] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Shackles of Death!!!

We know that our enemy Satan is the author and father of lies and an agent of fear. One of the main ways he keeps the world shackled is by the fear of death. Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior took on the law of death and conquered it once and for all. We can see Christ’s act on the Cross through the scriptures, but I don’t think we give our Christ the credit that is due to Him which also means we don’t put the necessary weight of faith in this act as we ought to. There are many Christians today who still have a fear of death and therefore have not come close to experiencing the freedom that Christ set us free for. The wages of sin is death according to the Word of God, which means that because of our original nature due to the fall of man, we are owed death as a full payment for our sins. We have to understand it in the same light as when we go to work and labor a full day, we expect full compensation for that laboring. Well the full compensation for our sin is eternal death. Christ took on the sins of mankind and when the law came to find Him guilty and to compensate Him in full, the law found no sin committed by Him and therefore could not hold Him!!! We are in Christ and Christ is in us and therefore death cannot hold us!!! We walk in freedom because Christ broke the shackles of death and now we have a beautiful hope in eternal life with Christ Jesus!!! If you do not fear death and that is the enemies trump card, what can he stop you from doing in Christ Jesus now!!! Run your Race!!! Have a wonderful life of freedom on purpose!!!!!

Acts 2

22"Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men,[d] put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. 25David said about him: " 'I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 26Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will live in hope, 27because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. 28You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.'[e]

Romans 5

Peace and Joy
1Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a]have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we[b] rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3Not only so, but we[c] also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
6You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! 10For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Death Through Adam, Life Through Christ
12Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned— 13for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. 14Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come.
15But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man's sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. 17For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
18Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. 19For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
20The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, 21so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Shackles of the World

Today, we as Christians must understand the importance of our freedom in Christ. Once we have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as our one and only Savior we have the shackles broken from this world. We are sealed once and for all with the Holy Spirit that will keep us and guide us until the day we are transformed into our new bodies. In the meantime He is training us in righteousness and holiness. The day we became Christian was not the day you saw perfected patience or love for one’s enemy. The Holy Spirit has to take us through the process of breaking the shackles of what the world has taught us for so many years. The enemy teaches us through the world standard how we are to respond in every situation and because of this the Holy Spirit has to deprogram us through God’s Word how we ought to live and respond in this world. We learn that we have a hope and that if we let go of this world and everything which tries to bind us, we will become aliens meaning that we will look different from everyone else, we will talk different from everyone else, and we live differently than everyone else!!! If we placed you in a group of people could there be a distinct difference seen in the way you live from the rest??? The world is no longer the standard and setting ourselves a little above them is not the standard either, the only standard that will not burn up under the fire is that of Jesus Christ and the Word of God!!! The Shackles are broken, no more excuses, run for the finish line!!! Have a wonderful life of freedom on purpose!!!!!

Romans 12

Living Sacrifices
1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual[a] act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
3For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. 4Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his[b]faith. 7If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
Love
9Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
14Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.[c] Do not be conceited.
17Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay,"[d]says the Lord. 20On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."[e] 21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Laboring in God's Yoke

When we walk in our Father’s Will and His ways we find this level of enjoyment in serving Him. We are aloud first of all to be used by Him in so many ways in our lives, that privileged along with the greater privilege of salvation is enough for a life of worship without the many other blessings He provides us. To be in season of what God Will’s for your life is in regards to laboring, you will have a peace and joy that surpasses all understanding. This is not to say that there will not be trials in the midst of the labor, because you will be entering into the enemy’s camp, but you know that the fight is not yours it is the Lords. We have to remember the word of God and remember that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. When we keep our eyes fixed on Him our fruit of labor is sweet and juicy unto the Father!!! Today, let us rest from our work and allow the Father to Labor through us!!! Be Encouraged!!! Have a wonderful life of Labor on purpose!!!!!

Matthew 11

Rest for the Weary
25At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. 26Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.
27"All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
28"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Good Vs. God!!!

When we first come to God and accept Jesus Christ we are truly like little children interacting with their Father for the first time. We have such a zeal and love for God that we just want to help where and when ever we can. It is like a father who has a young son and the son is finally old enough to work on the car with the father. As the Father is working on the car the son is excited to hand the father a screw driver and even though the father knows he doesn’t need it or that he may not need it at that time, he accepts it because he knows that the son is trying to please him and wants to do a good thing. God is truly rich in mercy as we start this journey with him. Then our Heavenly Father desires us to mature in His Word and in His Will. At some point God wishes for us to be in tune with the Holy Spirit to do the “God things” and not the “good things”. There are many acts we perform inside and outside the church which are good but they are not God. In order to have works that will not burn under the fire (as they will all be tested) they must be; in God’s Will (Desire), under God’s Unction (Motivation), with God’s Spirit (Execution), and in God’s Timing (Provision), so that whomever witnesses the work never see you but gives God the Glory. We should see our lives as cloths and we only have animation to do “works” when God desires to put us on and move!!! Are you laboring in a “Good Thing” or a “God Thing”??? Please Discern the Difference!!! Have a wonderful life of Labor on purpose!!!!!

John 12

44Then Jesus cried out, "When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. 45When he looks at me, he sees the one who sent me. 46I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.
47"As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it. 48There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day. 49For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it. 50I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say."

Acts 17

24"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. 25And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. 26From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. 27God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 28'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'
29"Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man's design and skill. 30In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead."

Laboring through the Spirit

Now that we know that laboring does not earn us salvation but it is only through faith in the Son of God, Jesus Christ and his perfect work on Calvary, are we not to do works? James states that faith without works is dead! So are we saying that the bible contradicts itself, by no means. The fact that works in no way earns your salvation has nothing to do with James’s statement. Faith in Christ means that you were sealed with the Holy Spirit once your heart first believed. That Spirit is the same Spirit that fell upon Christ in His Baptism which came from the Father who was in Heaven. James is simply stating to God’s children that out of a grateful heart that loves and appreciates God’s love there will be many works performed. Your works are a fruit of the Spirit that is now dwelling inside of you making you a new creation. A child who loves his Father will want to please his Father in many ways. This child will seek out opportunities to do the things he believes brings happiness and joy to the Father. All of this is done through the Spirit, not out of taught righteousness by man. James is stating that if you truly have faith in God then you should have an appreciation for God and His Son. One who calls themselves a believer and has not an attitude of service is dead, meaning that they still do not have the Life of Christ which is the Holy Spirit dwelling within them. Is your faith producing works??? Have a wonderful life of Labor on purpose!!!!!


“The Charge” at www.thecharge-dcoutourier.blogspot.com

Romans 9

Israel's Unbelief
30What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; 31but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. 32Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the "stumbling stone." 33As it is written: "See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame."[m]

James 2

Faith and Deeds
14What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
18But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.
19You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
20You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless[d]? 21Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,"[e] and he was called God's friend. 24You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.

Romans 12

Living Sacrifices
1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual[a] act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
3For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. 4Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his[b]faith. 7If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.