For thought and meditation

[rl69]

If these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful… 2 PETER 1:8
When we first begin to form a habit, we are fully aware of it. There are times when we are aware of becoming virtuous and godly, but this awareness should only be a stage we quickly pass through as we grow spiritually. If we stop at this stage, we will develop a sense of spiritual pride. The right thing to do with godly habits is to immerse them in the life of the Lord until they become such a spontaneous expression of our lives that we are no longer aware of them. Our spiritual life continually causes us to focus our attention inwardly for the determined purpose of self-examination, because each of us has some qualities we have not yet added to our lives.
Your god may be your little Christian habit— the habit of prayer or Bible reading at certain times of your day. Watch how your Father will upset your schedule if you begin to worship your habit instead of what the habit symbolizes. We say, “I can’t do that right now; this is my time alone with God.” No, this is your time alone with your habit. There is a quality that is still lacking in you. Identify your shortcoming and then look for opportunities to work into your life that missing quality.
Love means that there are no visible habits— that your habits are so immersed in the Lord that you practice them without realizing it. If you are consciously aware of your own holiness, you place limitations on yourself from doing certain things— things God is not restricting you from at all. This means there is a missing quality that needs to be added to your life. The only supernatural life is the life the Lord Jesus lived, and He was at home with God anywhere. Is there someplace where you are not at home with God? Then allow God to work through whatever that particular circumstance may be until you increase in Him, adding His qualities. Your life will then become the simple life of a child

[GhostHawk]

Very good lesson!

[USMC87]

A great well needed lesson, Amen.

[Blackwater]

Amen! Nothing can stunt our spiritual growth like spiritual pride, and there's way too much of it within Christianity today. It's "fashionable" these days to have "pride," but our English language has no gradient words for the different types of "pride." And pride of ANY kind CAN turn into hubris if we're not VERY careful! Pridefulness tends to stop our growth, and make us self-satisfied with where we're at at that point in life. Thus, what's the point of progressing in knowledge, if we're satisfied with ourselves??? This, I think, is one of the reasons I've come to conclude that only the truly and consistently humble CAN really be blessed with revelations and epiphanies? Just my take on it all, but I'm pretty certain of it. Seen too much of the other stuff, even in some churches.

If America falls, and eventually it will, I believe it won't be because of the non-believers, but because of the neglect and insincerity of those who profess belief, but take the paractice and morals and objectives of Christianity lightly. Again, just my take on it, but ... well, there it is. We owe Christ SO tremendously much! Truly we are willful creatures, because we seem to "forget" just what and how much we owe Him, so very easily and consistently and repeatedly! God help us! Keep our eyes focused on the prize, and not the trip along the way to it!

[GhostHawk]

Amen Blackwater.