Without Apology, I Have My Boxing Gloves On

Let's give the enemy a black eye or two by speaking Truth today, shall we? 

Cutting right to the chase: there are NO perfect marriages, there are NO perfect parents, there are NO perfect families, and there are NO perfect people. Let's drop all the pretense that life is "peachy."  It isn't.... it is far, FAR from it! 

BUT what God expects it to be for His Christ-followers is a schoolhouse, a place where we study Kingdom law and apply It daily while still in this broken world.

*IF* we take our enrollment in this School seriously, what we will have are marriages being perfected, parents being perfected, families being perfected, and people being perfected.

In other words, movement in the RIGHT direction, and we sure could use more than a tad of that right now in our day with our cultural climate!

We, as Christ followers, are to be preparing on the daily for Christ's physical coming rule that will last forevermore.  This means that our success in this present "school" depends on the extent of our study and our knowledge of the Word, our Textbook.

Are you getting failing marks, just barely passing marks, average marks, or excellent marks these days? 

(Each time through out this reading, when you see red letters, click on them to see the Bible reference.)

The fact of the matter is, be it that you are a Christian or not, every relationship in life is a challenge. But those of us who are Christians, experience an increase in difficulty with regards to our relationships for two parallel, set-apart reasons: 

1) We belong to God's Kingdom, and our King said, "But I say to you...." -- over and again in the Gospels - He didn't LOWER the standards of relationships.... He RAISED them!

2) Once we enter God's Kingdom, we have a known enemy who has a plan of destruction set for us and will use every opportunity to bait us to follow his path....right over the cliff.  

There is no hard and fast "earthy" formula for success. However, I have GREAT news to the Christ-follower!

The Word of God is  to be THE  "lamp unto (our) feet and a light unto (our) path"  (from one of my favorite passages I read often, Psalm 119).  

I have shared this in the past, but I was raised Baptist, who are known for their "Sword drills" and strong memory work.  As a result, to this day, the Lord faithfully brings a Scripture to light my path when evil has, once again, moved in to (unsuccessfully) eclipse the Son.  

Years ago, the Holy Spirit spoke, "Look at your shadow. It is as evil is. It always appears twice a big as what it is, but always remember from this day, it is cast down beneath your feet."   I have never forgotten those words... nor will I ever forget them.  It is a decree of placement.  It is a decree of power in the Spirit.  It is a decree of Kingdom citizenship.

Perhaps you have yet to open the Word.  Do you own a Bible?  Maybe that's your first step?  Buy one!  You can't pass your studies without the Textbook.  

Perhaps you have forsaken your studies, been held back a few years....or perhaps your entire life?  Being "held back" isn't punishment.... it's for your protection.  Just like in real life - it does the student a grave disservice to pass them on without mastering the work.  The deficit becomes all the more evident the longer it is overlooked. Perhaps you have lacked personal discipline, studying only when you "feel like it." But to be a successful student, you must master your will over your feelings....doing it even when you don't feel like it!

Accept where you are now. I remember watching a movie many years back where a grown man was found to be illiterate. He humbled himself, confessed he couldn't read, and got on to studying. In no time, he mastered what had previously kept him in defeat.  He could have stayed in pride, refusing to acknowledge he had a problem.... and he would have lived all his days defeated.... with Jesus grieving and the enemy smiling.

Which will it be for you?

Our King wants us to succeed, but we MUST do things His way!  To do things His way, we MUST know the Word.  We will NEVER walk successfully supposing God's ways.   "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways...."     

Much like a child who is just beginning school - they must lay aside what they thought they could do or what they thought they knew - and RENEW their minds with brand new, daily input, so too MUST we! 

We MUST come to God....laying aside our long-held presuppositions for the sake of inputting The Truth contained in His Word, thereby renewing our minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. 

There will always be the proud, those who resist acknowledging their ways don't cut it in God's Kingdom.

But to truly become a Kingdom citizen, you have to first know the King (the point most often and perhaps a bit too quickly taken to heart without fully understanding what follows), then study the "laws of the land" (often forsaken for long periods of time, if opened at all), and then the most challenging, rarely fully achieved due to lack of study ... obey them.

Yes, there is God's grace.  There is always God's grace.  But God's grace was never to nullify Kingdom living.... but to EMPOWER it!  Learn the difference (by study)! Know the difference (by renewing your mind)!  Walk the difference (by obedience)! 

"....seek FIRST the Kingdom of God and His righteousness..."

No exceptions. No exclusions.  No addenda.

No way around it!

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