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Recycled NOTE in Facebook from May 2, 2011

Non-Christians seem to hang up on the “Thou shalt nots” in the Bible.  As Christians, we need to focus on the Dos.
Throughout the gospel, Jesus consistently uses imperatives to tell us how we should lead our lives and what we should do:

FORGIVE EVERYBODY OF ALL THEIR OFFENSES AGAINST YOU.
                     Forgive, and be forgiven.
YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN.
ABIDE IN ME, AND LET ME ABIDE IN YOU.
LET PEOPLE SEE YOUR GOOD WORKS.
                     Do not hide your light under a basket.
END DISPUTES QUICKLY.
WHATEVER CAUSES YOU TO SIN, GET RID OF IT.
DO NOT SWEAR OATHS AT ALL.
DO NOT RETURN OFFENSE FOR OFFENSE.
                    Turn the other cheek.
GIVE WHAT PEOPLE ASK OF YOU, AND GIVE MORE THAN IS REQUIRED.
                    Go the extra mile.
LOVE YOUR ENEMIES AND THOSE WHO WORK AGAINST YOU.
GIVE TO THE POOR TO PLEASE GOD, NOT TO GAIN APPROVAL FROM OTHER PEOPLE.
PRAY PRIVATELY AND SIMPLY, NOT TO IMPRESS OTHER PEOPLE.
MAKE YOUR PRAYERS BE LIKE THE LORD'S PRAYER.
WHEN YOU FAST, DO IT SECRETLY, NOT FOR SHOW.
STORE UP YOUR TREASURES IN HEAVEN, NOT ON EARTH.
DO NOT WORRY ABOUT YOUR MATERIAL NEEDS.
DO NOT WORRY ABOUT THE FUTURE.
MAKE GOD YOUR HIGHEST PRIORITY, AND HE WILL TAKE CARE OFALL YOUR NEEDS.
DO NOT JUDGE OTHER PEOPLE.
                    Judge not, lest ye be judged.
DO NOT GIVE HOLY THINGS TO DOGS OR CAST YOUR PEARLS BEFORE SWINE.
ASK GOD FOR WHATEVER YOU WANT TO HAVE.
                    Seek, and ye shall find.
FEED THE HUNGRY, CLOTHE THE NAKED, SHELTER THE HOMELESS, COMFORT THOSE IN DISTRESS.
FOLLOW THE NARROW PATH TO LIFE.
                    Enter by the narrow gate.
BEWARE OF FALSE PROPHETS.
EXERCISE POWER OVER UNCLEAN SPIRITS.
LOVE LITTLE CHILDREN, DO NOT DESPISE THEM.
DO NOT TAKE THE TITLES 'MASTER' OR 'FATHER' FOR YOURSELF.
DO NOT OPPOSE OTHER BELIEVERS IN CHRIST WHO ARE NOT IN YOUR GROUP.
HAVE TOTAL FAITH IN GOD FOR EVERYTHING.
BE LIKE THE GOOD SAMARITAN.
                     Go, and do likewise.
LOVE OTHER PEOPLE AS I HAVE LOVED YOU
EAT BREAD AND DRINK WINE IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME.
WASH ONE ANOTHER'S FEET.
BE MERCIFUL.
GO AND TEACH ALL NATIONS, BAPTIZING THEM.
KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS.
BE PREPARED FOR YOUR MASTER TO RETURN.

Grammatically speaking, imperatives are commands.  Active Faith is summed up by the words of Jesus in John 14:15, “If you love Me, keep my commandments.”

They seem like simple words.  “Just do what I told you to do.”  But how do we do what He has told us?

 Again, based on a command of Jesus in Matthew 26:41 “Watch and pray that ye fall not into temptation: the spirit is indeed willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Watch (γρηγορέω-grégoreó-be vigilant). To be vigilant is to maintain alertness.  We should pay attention to
what is going on around us, be aware of our surroundings.  Mostly, we should self-inspect our motives and intentions to be sure they are pure. 2 Peter 3:1-2 puts it this way:

"This is now, beloved, the second letter that I have written to you; and in both of them I stir up your sincere mind by reminding you that you should remember the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and the commandments of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior."

Sincere, in this instance (εἰλικρινής- eilikrinés-lit. judged by sunlight), refers to holding an item up to a brighter source of light to judge for defects.  We should be alert to judge our actions by the bright light of the Son.

If we judge ourselves, we will find that we must actively pursue holiness.  We must strive for that goal.

Make Every Effort

2 Peter 1:5-11 (NIV)

"For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.  For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins."

"Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®


First and foremost, I must apologize to Francis Chan from whom this is brutally plagiarized, though with my twist on things added. (His Youtube version in two parts can be found here and here)

So now, into what I wish to say.

1. For this very reason:  Just like when the word "THEREFORE" is used in the Bible, this phrase should cause us to look in the earlier verses for context. (When you see "therefore" read earlier passages to see what it is "there for.")  Here, we see in verses 3 and 4 (NIV) the following:

"His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires."

So now we know the "very reason" which Peter is speaking: we have everything we need to live a godly life through our knowledge of Him (Jesus Christ), thereby we can experience the promises He has for us and we can be like Him (participate in the divine nature) because when we grow in our knowledge of Him, we shed our evil desires (sin less and less). This in and of itself is a wonderful message and should motivate to "taste and see that the Lord is good," (Psalm 34:8-KJV) and "study to shew thyself approved, a workman who needeth not be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth" (2 Timothy 2:15-KJV).

2. make every effort: the basis of all we do should be towards this goal. Our very being should cry out for this purpose. As EP (Exalted Patriarch-my father) states there is an equation for this:

Focused Intensity (fi) over Time (t) plus God (G) equals Unstoppable Momentum (UM).  Make every effort (focused intensity) consistently (over Time) prayerfully (plus God) and the result will be forward progress that is unstoppable!

3. add to your faith goodness:  Faith is the building block of everything.  Without faith, we cannot believe; without belief, we are lost. Once we have established our faith, the next step towards Christian maturity is goodness.  "A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things." (Matthew 12:35) We have been given a good treasure through Christ, we should be working on being good and not evil.  If we call ourselves Christians, should our goal be anything other than being mistaken for Jesus?!

4. and to goodness, knowledge: Once we have started working towards being good (at least avoiding evil) the accumulation of knowledge is needed.  How do we acquire knowledge? The Word of God: daily reading and study, sitting under a Bible-teaching pastor, disciplining under a mature Christian, and prayer.

5. and to knowledge, self-control: Self-control defined by thefreedictionary.com , "Control of one's emotions, desires, or actions by one's own will." I have a problem with this definition, simply because by MY own will I cannot control myself.  Following MY will leads to succumbing to temptations.  Prayer to God for strength when confronted with life's little moments of weakness is the only thing that can accomplish "self-control."  Staying in the Word and practicing the previous mentioned disciplines will assist, but it can never be through our own will that we control ourselves effectively and in a Godly manner.

6. and to self-control, perseverance: Perseverance, stick-to-it-ness.  Keep with it. It is said by behavioral scientists that doing something consistently for 2-4 weeks, and it becomes a habit. Don't quit! Keep moving forward.

7. and to perseverance, godliness: By this point, we should be striving to be like God in all areas of our lives.  Our character should be similar to the Father.  We should be displaying the Fruit of the Spirit .

8. and to godliness, mutual affection: A general concern and care for others.  ("A man who has friends must show himself friendly" Proverbs 18:24-NKJV) I cannot demonstrate mutual affection by sequestering myself in my cave and hiding behind my books/technology for company. (See yesterday's post!! )

9. and to mutual affection, love: Love is a verb.  Love requires action.  There is no such thing as passive love (trust me, that will cost you everything if you try it).

10. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure: As we persevere in the establishing of these qualities, they will grow in us.

11. they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ: As these characteristics grow in us, our ability to accomplish Kingdom building tasks improves.  We have greater testimony and display the nature of our Creator.

12. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind: Without these qualities in our life, we cannot see the "Big Picture" we only see that which is right in front of us, or worse we cannot see at all.  Remember, blindness is an analogy for lost/unsaved/in sin in the Bible.  Opening of eyes/restoring sight is salvation.

13. forgetting that they have been cleansed from past sins: We should never forget the price that Jesus paid to cleanse us of our sins.  Do not keep living in the past and reliving our sinful nature.  We are a new creation, we have put off the sinful old man and put on the new man.

A paraphrase of 2 Peter 1:5-9 from the Message:

"So don't lose a minute in building on what you've been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus. Without these qualities you can't see what's right before you, oblivious that your old sinful life has been wiped off the books."

The Message Bible Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

I am not normally a fan of paraphrased editions, but I like the way the spiritual foundations are stated here.  For comparison:
1. faith = basic faith
2. goodness = good character
3. knowledge = spiritual understanding
4. self-control = alert discipline (I REALLY like this one)
5. perseverance = passionate patience (Again well stated!!!)
6. godliness = reverent wonder
7. mutual affection = warm friendliness
8. love = generous love

SELFISH PRAYER REQUESTS OF THE DAY:
Standing order:
Healing from the colon cancer and metastasized liver.
Complete reconciliation with my wife (that I can communicate effectively and love her as she deserves).
Health and safety of my children.

New-ish:
Side effect free chemo round (even with new, more aggressive drugs).
Good report from pre-chemo blood test concerning tumor markers (reducing to reflect my healing and good blood cell counts to keep immune system strong).
Daughter's broken tooth and pending repair (pain and drama free appointment Friday at 1:50 EST and cost not too crazy).
Medical bills which are accumulating (that I can return to work to pay these).
My personal/spiritual growth.
My motivation to work-out. (1 Timothy 4:8-NIV "For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.")

Workout Report
New
Walked 1.74 miles last night in 31 minutes. Had to pause to take photos at GW Bush's childhood home which was on my route.

Repeated
Since June 3, have lost 22 pounds, don't know how since I have not been active and have eaten whatever.
Currently at 208 pounds, lowest weight since December 2003.
Wouldn't mind getting down to about 185, but slowly!!
Training for the "26.2 with Donna, The National Marathon to Fight Breast Cancer" February 17, 2013 in Jacksonville, FL.  Join me there!

I am...

I am complete in Him Who is the Head of all principality and power (Colossians 2:10)

I am alive with Christ (Ephesians 2:5)

I am free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2)

I am far from oppression, and fear does not come near me (Isaiah 54:14)

I am born of God, and the evil one does not touch me (1 John 5:18)

I am holy and without blame before Him in love (Ephesians 1:4; 1 Peter 1:16)

I have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16; Philippians 2:5)

I have the peace of God that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7)

I have the Greater One living in me; greater is He Who is in me than he who is in the  world (1 John 4:4)

I have received the gift of righteousness and reign as a king in life by Jesus Christ (Romans 5:17)

I have received the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Jesus, the eyes of my understanding being enlightened (Ephesians 1:17, 18)

I have the power over all the enemy, and nothing shall by any means harm me (Mark 16:17, 18; Luke 10:17, 19)

I have put off the old man and have put on the new man, which is renewed in the knowledge after the image of Him Who created me (Colossians 3:9, 10)

I have no lack, for my God supplies all of my need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19)

I can quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one with my shield of faith (Ephesians 6:16)

I can do all things through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:13)

I show forth the praises of God Who has called me out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9)

I am God's child-for I am born again of the incorruptible seed of the Word of God, which lives and abides forever (1 Peter 1:23)

I am God's workmanship, created in Christ unto good works (Ephesians 2:10)

I am a new creature in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17)

I am a spirit being-alive to God (Romans 6:11; 1 Thessalonians 5:23)

I am a believer, and the light of the Gospel shines in my mind (2 Corinthians 4:4)

I am a doer of the Word and blessed in my actions (James 1:22, 25)

I am a joint-heir with Christ (Romans 8:17)

I am more than a conqueror through Him Who loves me (Romans 8:37)

I am an overcomer by the blood of the Lamb and the word of my testimony (Revelation 12:11)

I am a partaker of His divine nature (2 Peter 1:3, 4)

I am an ambassador for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20)

I am part of a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a purchased people (1 Peter 2:9)

I am the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21)

I am the temple of the Holy Spirit, I am not my own (1 Corinthians 6:19)

I am the head and not the tail; I am above only and not beneath (Deuteronomy 28:13)

I am the light of the world (Matthew 5:14)

I am His elect, full of mercy, kindness, humility, and longsuffering (Romans 8:33; Colossians 3:12)

I am forgiven of all my sins and washed in the Blood (Ephesians 1:7)

I am delivered from the power of darkness and translated into God's kingdom (Colossians 1:13)

I am redeemed from the curse of sin, sickness, and poverty (Deuteronomy 28:15-68; Galatians 3:13)

I am firmly rooted, built up, established in my faith and overflowing with gratitude (Colossians 2:7)

I am called of God to be the voice of His praise (Psalm 66:8; 2 Timothy 1:9)

I am healed by the stripes of Jesus (Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24)

I am raised up with Christ and seated in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6; Colossians 2:12)

I am greatly loved by God (Romans 1:7; Ephesians 2:4; Colossians 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 1:4)

I am strengthened with all might according to His glorious power (Colossians 1:11)

I am submitted to God, and the devil flees from me because I resist him in the Name of Jesus (James 4:7)

I press on toward the goal to win the prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upward (Philippians 3:14)

For God has not given [me] a spirit of fear; but of power, love, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7)

It is not I who live, but Christ lives in me (Galatians 2:20)

Copyright © 2008 Joyce Meyer Ministries, Inc.

Pssst...and so are YOU (if you want to be).