for thought and meditation

[Markopolo]

morning guys... its another cloudy but nice day in SE Alaska....

The Inevitable Penalty
By Oswald Chambers

You will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny. —Matthew 5:26
There is no heaven that has a little corner of hell in it. God is determined to make you pure, holy, and right, and He will not allow you to escape from the scrutiny of the Holy Spirit for even one moment. He urged you to come to judgment immediately when He convicted you, but you did not obey. Then the inevitable process began to work, bringing its inevitable penalty.

Now you have been “thrown into prison, [and]…you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny” (Matthew 5:25-26). Yet you ask, “Is this a God of mercy and love?” When seen from God’s perspective, it is a glorious ministry of love. God is going to bring you out pure, spotless, and undefiled, but He wants you to recognize the nature you were exhibiting— the nature of demanding your right to yourself. The moment you are willing for God to change your nature, His recreating forces will begin to work. And the moment you realize that God’s purpose is to get you into the right relationship with Himself and then with others, He will reach to the very limits of the universe to help you take the right road. Decide to do it right now, saying, “Yes, Lord, I will write that letter,” or, “I will be reconciled to that person now.”

These sermons of Jesus Christ are meant for your will and your conscience, not for your head. If you dispute these verses from the Sermon on the Mount with your head, you will dull the appeal to your heart.

If you find yourself asking, “I wonder why I’m not growing spiritually with God?”— then ask yourself if you are paying your debts from God’s standpoint. Do now what you will have to do someday. Every moral question or call comes with an “ought” behind it— the knowledge of knowing what we ought to do.

Go Fishing!!!!

[Pine Baron]

Great message Marko and I like your suggested activity. The blues are running!

[Boaz]

Thanks for today's thoughts .

[Blackwater]

Wow! This is really strong meat! God loved us so much that he created us, and Heaven if we'll just recognize Him and what He is and what He deserves. The only thing He cannot do is allow evil into Heaven. One dose of evil would collapse Heaven for all, and He is steadfast in preventing that. If it seems like something less than forgiving and loving to turn away some who continue to harbor their own wills in any matter, then that is a view of those who cannot understand or appreciate God's job, which is to keep spiritual things spiritual, and to keep all worldly things out. He's given us simple things to do and uphold during our tenure here, and they're really not all that difficult - except when OUR wills are more loved than His is. Yielding to Christ's will isn't easy, and doesn't usually happen overnight. But it's very possible, and don't those who keep His will deserve something special, beyond what those along the wayside get? Think about it. God is imminentely fair at all times. ALL times, and His wisdom extends far beyond ours ever could. He is always right, and He's always our Lord, whether we honor that or not.

[USMC87]

Amen!