Baptism at Singles Retreat - 147 Baptized!!!

*******************Baptism at Singles Retreat 147 Baptized!!! ***********************

* Sharing times in the Word and looking for growth. Let's Commune Together!

Monday, April 6, 2015

The "Circle of Life" may be a nice song...But the spiritual "Circle of Life" is very important!

Probing Proverbs 11:30–31 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who is wise wins souls. If the righteous will be rewarded in the earth, How much more the
                                                           wicked and the sinner!

A little coffee plant was growing in the Edinburgh Botanical Gardens. It was sent across the ocean to Nyassaland. In sixteen years the one plant produced five million plants, and the coffee culture became the chief source of prosperity.[1]

If we plant the right seed and nurture it, the fruit it bears can be unbelievable!

As a follower of Jesus Christ, we know that we are to seek to live righteously, just because we love Him. God states clearly that we are to live holy because He is holy. Yet, it is important to take note that the Scriptures give quite a few other practical reasons why that life style is beneficial. I do not have space to share all just look at a small section taken from the book of Psalms.

* Psalm 5:12 For it is You who blesses the righteous man, O Lord, You surround him with favor as with a shield.
* Psalm 34:15 The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous And His ears are open to their cry.
* Psalm 34:17 The righteous cry, and the Lord hears And delivers them out of all their troubles.
* Psalm 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all.
* Psalm 37:16 Better is the little of the righteous Than the abundance of many wicked.
* Psalm 37:29 The righteous will inherit the land And dwell in it forever.
* Psalm 37:39 But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in time of trouble.
* Psalm 55:22 Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.
* Psalm 64:10 The righteous man will be glad in the Lord and will take refuge in Him; And all the upright in heart will glory.
* Psalm 92:12 The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree, He will grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

This Proverb also gives some very positive input on why it is worth living righteous. The word fruit also means offspring. That really helps us see the positive outcome from a life that seeks to live righteously. This life style leads to a tree of life! What could be better than experiencing all that God intends our life to be? Whenever Gods Word speaks of life not only does it reflect quantity, (eternal) but it also includes quality! (Life in Full)

Part of that wisdom mentioned here, points out that a righteous person understands what really makes life full, i.e. impacting other human beings! The word wins also means, Captures! A righteous person understands that the only thing that is really eternal are others and so the most important and fulfilling thing we can do in our life is to help others in their walk. 
What could be more important than help someone understand that their Creator loves them and desires a relationship with them?

Remember, we are not selling something, or trying to get others to agree  with us; we are simply allowing them to see the impact a relationship with God has had on our life!

This is what Peter admonished:

1 Peter 3:15 Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it.

Notice, your life is so different, that they are led to ask you why it is so! This is not manipulation, or pushy.

Lastly, we are left with a very stark reality, if God rewards the righteous, how much more (surely) the wicked will reap what they sowed.

It must be noted here, that when Scripture speaks of us living righteously, it is addressing our practical life style. None of us are righteous on our own in Gods eyes. We are all sinners! However, when we enter into a relationship with Christ we are declared righteous and God expects us to seek to live that way. The great truth is that God still knows we cannot do that on our own, which is why He sent the Holy Spirit to live in us and enable us to seek to live a righteous life!

It is an interesting circle that God has created and if we just allow the Spirit to lead us, we will see that this circle just continues. When we enter into a relationship with Christ, God views us through the Blood of His Son, so we are declared righteous. At that moment the Holy Spirit enters us and gives us a thirst to live in a way that pleases God (righteous) so if we just continue to pursue that thirst, it will lead us to godly living, which produces more practical righteousness. The more practical righteousness we experience, the greater our disdain for sin. The greater our disdain for sin, the greater for our thirst to live righteously! It is an unending circle, unless we choose to rebel and follow the flesh again! 

Remember, no matter the mistakes or sins you do, you are one prayer away from restoration and the Holy Spirit will fill you again with a thirst for righteousness, which will begin that circle again!


Meditation: There are two "circles of life." One is where we allow the flesh to feast on sin, which never is satisfied, so that just leads to more sin! The other is the one we just described, where living righteously leads to a greater desire to live righteously. Which circle are you in? Why? If in sin, do you desire to get out? Why? What can you do to get out? Do you know this verse: 1 John 1:9? Will you act on it right now? 


[1] Tan, P. L. (1996). Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times (p. 1501). Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc.

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