The Lively Blog of Thoughts

Romans 8:6 says, “So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.” (NLT) 

Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through any the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live.”(Romans 8:12-13 NLT)

Through God‘s continual grace, e have access to “The Fruits of the Holy Spirit” which are mentioned several times in the Bible. In the book of Galatians, there are nine different fruits of the Spirit that are outlined to the believers in Christ. In Galatians 5:22-23, these fruits are described as the outward display, the results of the Holy Spirit’s impact within a Christian’s life once they have chosen to put on Christ and accept God’s Spirit to actually dwell within your body and soul. They are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and gentleness and self-control. The fruits of the Spirit demonstrate the character of a life submitted to God. Let us choose Christ, accept him through his salvation for us through baptism and accept God’s spirit to give us these gifts to live with.

Add thoughts on “The Tree of Life.” God, thank you for your real grace of giving your son, your sons willingness to give his life and your spirit that all formed and left from your sons seed to many seeds the form this one big tree of life-The tree that I am a limb on and that I get my life through the sap that comes up all the way from the roots into this tree and even flows through to my family and to those yet to come.

Made my lamb not whether away and die but yet continually get life through your forgiveness of my sins, my confession of my feelings, but my receptivity to your grace that makes me whole and gives Milam my branch life.

Make my lamb not weather and die and fall back to the earth and turn into dirt just like our physical bodies die I am right back into dirt but let my life live on to those that follow me in my footsteps and that life continues through the lamb into the new branches.

May I accept your grace continually and realize that only through your grace can my branch continue to receive the life and nutrients that I need that comes all the way from those deep rooted roots. May I realize that only through your life, your son, your spirit can I receive that grace in through that Greece I can exhibit the fruits of your spirit including love, joy, peace, Faithfulness, goodness, patience, self-control.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–

We can ‘t gain salvation on our own, no matter how noble our works are. Salvation is a gift from Jehovah God given to those who put faith in the sin-atoning value of the sacrifice of his Son.

What is that value? Where did that value come from? Anything that’s worth something in value cost something! What was that cost? It was the death on the cross of our loving Savior for the love of all of us but it was also God who was willing to give his son for all of us. That is a huge cost

There is not a righteous man on earth
who does what is right and never sins.”
Ecclesiastes 7:20

“All of us have become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags.”
Isaiah 64:6

“No one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Romans 3:20,23

We have a friend in Jesus that paid for our sins so that we could be with him and our father in heaven. Oh, what a friend. Here are lyrics that describe our friend:

There’s not a Friend like the lowly Jesus: No, not one! no, not one!
None else could heal all our souls’ diseases: No, not one! no, not one! Jesus knows all about our struggles; He will guide ’til the day is done; There’s not a Friend like the lowly Jesus: No, not one! no, not one!

No friend like Him is so high and holy, No, not one! no, not one!
And yet no friend is so meek and lowly, No, not one! no, not one!

There’s not an hour that He is not near us, No, not one! no, not one!
No night so dark, but His love can cheer us, No, not one! no, not one!

Did ever saint find this Friend forsake him? No, not one! no, not one! Or sinner find that He would not take him? No, not one! no, not one

Was e’er a gift like the Savior given. No, not one! no, not one! Will He refuse us the bliss of heaven? No, not one! no, not one!

If then,, we are saved by the grace of God, what are we to do while we live our life on this earth? That he is the question we all must live with. We must choose to we follow our loving Savior or do we not?

By Kristin Abrahams

Philippians 4:6
“The Lord is Near! Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation with prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God. And the peace that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

Do not be anxious about anything? Tell your requests to God with thanksgiving? The Lord is near? Peace that surpasses ALL understanding?   In the height of my anxiety, these words felt hollow and fruitless. I once told a dear friend, “I understand the ANXIETY that surpasses all understanding….surpassing peace is harder to feel or even understand.” My anxiety used to be crippling- panic attacks, sleepless nights, a mind run amuck with worse case scenarios of harm or danger to my family and children.  Anxiety was an ugly three headed monster that I could not escape from. No matter how I tried to fight it off, it would wash over me and leave me powerless in its wake.  My anxiety hasn’t completely gone away. In fact, with all of our current uncertainty due to Coronavirus, it has reared its ugly head a few times.   However, what was once a terrifying monster that controlled my thoughts and emotions is now more of a distraction- an annoying gnat.

With Covid-19, economic uncertainty, fearfulness over our family and friends contracting this virus, anxiety has once again resurfaced for many of my friends, my clients and family.  People are Facebooking for helpful tips and tricks to reclaim sleep. What are we all asking for?  A PEACE That SURPASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING…. How can we respond to our feelings of anxiety and walk confidently aligned with this verse seared in our minds and hearts?

Over several years of trying to get a grip on this, I begged God to help me understand why I struggled so heavily with this… Over time, God has revealed some helpful responses to me:

TRUST THAT ANXIETY IS NOT YOUR ENEMY: We live in a world that runs from pain. But like any good doctor will tell you, pain is trying to communicate to you that something in your body is broken or sick.  Anxiety is similar, it is trying to communicate something powerful to you about you, your family, or this world. It becomes the ugly three headed monster when we try to silence its call. What we resist will persist…… Instead of resisting your anxiety, what would it look like to walk alongside it and listen to what it has to say. Like anyone trying to get a word in edgewise- they only get louder when it feels it is being silenced… anxiety does the same- when you listen to it, its impact softens.  

ABIDE IN GOD’S WORD: I go back to Paul’s letter to the Philippians about the peace that surpasses all understanding (while suffering with great physical pain), about giving thanks (while he was in prison), about Christ guarding his heart and mind (as he was isolated and alone)… Paul abided daily with the Lord.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18,24

[16] Rejoice always, [17] pray continually, [18] give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. [24] The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24:

[23] May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. [24] The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.

Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you xthat you are standing firm in one spirit, with yone mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, 28 and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but bof your salvation, and that from God. 29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, 30 engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

A Time for Everything 

3 For everything there is a season, and la time for every matter under heaven: 

 2  a time to be born, and a time to mdie; 

a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; 

 3  a time to kill, and a time to heal; 

a time to break down, and a time to build up; 

 4  a time to nweep, and a time to laugh; 

a time to mourn, and a time to odance; 

 5  a time to pcast away stones, and a time to qgather stones together; 

a time to embrace, and a time to rrefrain from embracing; 

 6  a time to seek, and a time to slose; 

a time to keep, and a time to tcast away; 

 7  a time to utear, and a time to sew; 

a time to vkeep silence, and a time to speak; 

 8  a time to love, and a time to whate; 

a time for war, and a time for peace. 

The God-Given Task 

9 What xgain has the worker from his toil? 10 I have seen ythe business that zGod has given to the children of man to be busy with. 11 He has amade everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot bfind out what God has done from the beginning to the end. 12 I perceived that there is cnothing better for them than to be joyful and to ddo good as long as they live; 13 also ethat everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is fGod’s gift to man. 

14 I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; gnothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him. 15 That which is, halready has been; that which is to be, already has been; and God iseeks what has been driven away.1

From Dust to Dust 

16 Moreover, jI saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even kthere was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness. 17 I said in my heart, lGod will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is ma time for every matter and for every work. 18 I said in my heart with regardto the children of man that God is testing them that they may see that they themselves are but nbeasts. 19 oFor what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity.2 20 All go to one place. All are from pthe dust, and to dust all return. 21 Who knows whether qthe spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth? 22 So I saw that there is rnothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work, for sthat is his lot. Who can bring him to see twhat will be after him?

From the Bible version called The Message

In James, the writer says, post this at all the intersection, dear friends: lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. God‘s righteousness doesn’t grow from human anger. So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage. In simple humility, let your gardener, God, landscape you with the word, Making a salvation-garden of your life.

Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don’t act or like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like.

Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the father, is this: reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight, and guard against corruption from the godless world.

Thoughts of encouragement by trusting God.

Proverbs 3:5-10
[5] Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; [6] in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. [7] Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. [8] This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. [9] Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; [10] then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.

Freedom of life’s burdens in trusting God:

John 8:36 NIV
[36] So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. Yes, Jesus is our hope and anchor who will keep us in the midst of storms. … Hebrews 6:19 declares: “Hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast…” A time will come when He will call all believers to that blessed place He has prepared for us. Hope. It’s the one thing you and I cannot live without as quoted from Charles Swindoll.