Pride

IT ONLY TAKES ONE
prideful act to destroy you.
2 Chronicles 26
UZZIAH / ZACHARIAH
"Find someone who can
keep you grounded" (humble)

And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father Amaziah did. And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper.

And the Ammonites gave gifts to Uzziah: and his name spread abroad even to the entering in of Egypt; for he strengthened himself exceedingly. - 2 Chronicles‬ ‭26‬:‭4-5, 8‬

And he made in Jerusalem engines, invented by cunning men, to be on the towers and upon the bulwarks, to shoot arrows and great stones withal. And his name spread far abroad; for he was marvellously helped, till he was strong.
- 2 Chronicles‬ ‭26‬:‭15‬

For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. - Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭3‬

But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the Lord his God, and went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the altar of incense.

And Azariah the chief priest, and all the priests, looked upon him, and, behold, he was leprous in his forehead, and they thrust him out from thence; yea, himself hasted also to go out, because the Lord had smitten him. - 2 Chronicles‬ ‭26‬:‭16, 20‬

Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me. - Psalms‬ ‭131‬:‭1‬

lessons to those who have great spiritual ambitions; men who want to be great readers of Divine mysteries, of Providence, of the plans and purposes of God.

"those who say to the preacher, and the teacher, and the expositor — How so? Explain this; what about this mystery? What is the answer to this great question? The answer is — Wait: what thou knowest not now, thou shalt know hereafter."
- J. Parker, D. D.

Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, first and last, did Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, write.
- 2 Chronicles‬ ‭26‬:‭22‬

In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. - Isaiah‬ ‭6‬:‭1, 5, 8‬

WHO OBEYS

DISCIPLE - banned from this planet

Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. - John‬ ‭15‬:‭14‬

There is a lot to learn about mainstream evangelicalism from contemporary Christian music!

I remember hearing a song by a Christian band a year ago and the chorus of the song simply repeated over and over, "We are free to fail"
- Josh McClellan

Our problem here in the church in America is not that we aren't willing to acknowledge our failure.

In some ways, we have even exalted and glorified failure in this culture.

We speak of our sinful imperfections. We speak of our disappointments. We speak of not living up to the expectations that we should. We speak of failure. These ideas we are not afraid of. We admit them readily. We even find some degree of comfort in them.

Our problem is we are actually unwilling to call all of this "failure" what it truly is. The Bible presents us with a picture of two kinds of people. Obedient and disobedient. In reality, all of our imperfection is rebellious disobedience. This of course sounds far more offensive. It has no positive ring to it. Why do I have to go and make everything sound so negative? . . . the goal is actually to sound more biblical.

The reason we find disobedience so repulsive a thought is because of what it implies. Disobedience implies having been given commands. And we definitely don't like that in this culture. How dare anyone give commands or orders. We prefer a God who gives us some goals and some encouragement, but no commands.

Disobedience also implies accountability. We are responsible to someone for our actions. We definitely don't like that either in this culture. How dare anyone tell us what we should or shouldn't do.

Disobedience implies authority. It assumes that someone has the right and power to command us. At the risk of becoming monotonous, this idea simply won't do in our culture either. We exalt personal autonomy and freedom. Not submission or surrender. There are few things more revolting in this culture than the notion of authority, at least any external authority.

Finally, disobedience implies consequence. When we disobey, we receive a consequence, or punishment (or discipline for that matter). In a culture of victims, this simply isn't fair either. There is always someone else to blame for things. I shouldn't be held responsible, so I shouldn't have to face a consequence.

. . . few of us go through our days with even the slightest inclination that the way in which we are living out our lives is simply a question of whether we are living obediently or disobediently toward God and the commands He has given us to live by. We're certainly willing to admit to falling short and failing. Yet few of us wish to call it what it truly is: disobedience.

We would do well to maintain a biblical view of human sinfulness, even the sin that occurs after our conversion. And if we claim ignorance, when God's Word is readily available to us, we really only prove that our rebellion is of the lazy variety. Let us call our "failures" or "shortcomings" what they are. And let it challenge us to pursue obedience more passionately than we might otherwise.

TO THINK / TALK / WRITE LIKE THIS ONE MUST EXPECT TO BE ISOLATED, SHUNNED, SCORNED . . . banned from the planet !

http://bit.ly/1RoiLqu
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Wars

We feel the uneasiness as we listen to the evening news. Bad news from our communities; evil. "Everywhere is war" is not just a line in the lyrics of a Bob Marley song. The bible says there will be wars and rumors of wars.

If we switch from the local news to the international news, we still hear of wars. Proxy wars and cyber wars are recent additions to our history of world wars and civil wars. Then there is the ominous and ever looming threat of nuclear war.

We are told there are culture wars and wars on women, on poverty, on drugs and on and on and then there is the war within us.

The bible asks "from whence come wars and fighting among us?"

Where do the conflicts and where do the quarrels among you come from? Is it not from this, from your passions that battle inside you? James 4:1

Our passion is our purpose
To know Christ and to
make Him known !

JESUS IS GOD
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. - ‭Isaiah‬ ‭9‬:‭6‬

WORD !!

So . . . the wars we see around us all start in the minds and hearts of people who have not made peace with their creator . . . "But now in Christ Jesus you who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us" - Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭13-14‬

Once we have His peace in us, we find ourselves at war ! Not cold warriors like the Reagans, Rumsfelds and Cheneys or just culture warriors like Bill O'reiley.

The bible says "you therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. . . endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. - 2 Timothy‬ ‭2‬:‭1, 3-4‬

So it is as though the Christian now at peace with God finds he/she is engaged in another war, with weapons: the bible says "the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; - 2 Corinthians‬ ‭10‬:‭4-5‬

It is what people think and believe that drives their behavior. Our mission, motive and message as "soldiers of Christ" is to share and give what we have.

And he said unto them, Go you into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. - Mark‬ ‭16‬:‭15-16‬

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War

COMFORT ZONE

And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? - Luke‬ ‭6‬:‭46‬

IS THIS A REBUKE?

Why "endure" . . .
sound doctrine?

Rebuke and correction may
sometime cause 'discomfort'.

Exhortation and encouraging words - words to comfort

Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. - 2 Timothy‬ ‭4‬:‭2‬

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: - 2 Timothy‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬

Rebuke with all long-suffering

Why call ye me Lord

Rebuke not an elder

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. - 2 Timothy‬ ‭4‬:‭3-4‬

If one man sin against another, the judge shall judge him: but if a man sin against the Lord, who shall entreat for him? Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto the voice of their father, because the Lord would slay them. - ‭1 Samuel‬ ‭2‬:‭25‬

For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not. - 1 Samuel‬ ‭3‬:‭13‬

For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him. - Genesis‬ ‭18‬:‭19‬

Memory Lane Clips

COUSIN ALOMA - REFLECTIONS




ELDER BLYTHE PRESIDES

She Did It