Let God's Word Richly Dwell Within

Colossians 3:16

companion Scripture Eph 5:18-20

Richly dwell. Let the Word of Christ richly dwell. Let what Christ has said live in your heart richly. To be rich is to have way more than enough.

Have the Word of Christ be so abundant that you have way more than enough Scripture for your need and your life.

To richly have the Scriptures is to learn wisdom from what it says. To learn wisdom is not only know what it says. It is also to do what it says. And not only to do what it says but to have what you do become effective in the purpose that you set out to accomplish.

With this acquired wisdom, comes teaching others. To tell them how you got it done by the direction of the Holy Spirit working with you. And teaching them how to get it done directing them how to hear the Holy Spirit and how you got it done.

Admonish is to challenge them to go beyond the comfort area they are currently in and branch out to further outreach.

Also if there is sluggishness or sin to get them to see the advantage of a life lived in obedience to the Holy Spirit.

Now the singing and thankfulness should come as a means of fellowship. To jam together and enjoy life together.

This is not intellectual ideas. This comes from the heart of believers as they have learned it from the Heart of God. This heart life comes from devotion to God and others.

v17 Do all in the name of Jesus. Wow what a statement. We are representatives of Christ. Ambassadors so to speak 2 Cor 5:20 As ambassadors we represent our King to others. So we are doing service to God and others in the glorious name of Jesus.

Now if we do things in the name of Jesus we have prayed for God to bless our work before hand in the name of Jesus. If we pray in the name of Jesus we have the requests we have asked. John 14:14; 1 John 5:14,15

Acting in prayer in Jesus name is to then do it with success. The key is for Scripture to richly dwell within. It is the starting point and the life giving point. And from the life of Jesus teaching, wisdom, singing to God, thanksgiving from our hearts springs forth and this will result in our speaking and acting in accordance to the life God is giving us. And give that out to others.

Prosperity and Peace

Prosperity and peace go together. If you don't have enough, there is tension because you are striving to get the basic needs for your life. Peace is hard to come by without having what you need.

Jesus said in John 16:33 "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” 

This verse presents a different dynamic to peace and prosperity. God's word will bring peace to us as we live by faith, not by sight. The world has problems, but Jesus has overcome the world. How has He overcome the world for us? "And this is the victory that has overcome the world our faith." 1 Jn 5:4b

In the spiritual, we overcome by faith. The natural will present problems, but faith in the word of God will overcome the problems in the natural.

Ps 122:7 seems to be talking of peace and prosperity in the natural. Yes, the two go together. It is hard to have one without the other. In the spirit there is a different dynamic. Life can be superseded by the word of God.

At times spiritual peace and natural peace look the same. You can tell the difference when trials, tribulations and troubles come our way. Spiritual peace will shine during the trial, but natural peace will crash.

There is no strength with natural peace. It is just enjoyed as it happens. Spiritual peace, on the other hand, is not reliant on circumstances or others. There is a joy and peace given by God to those who walk with Him by faith. They are not looking at what is seen but what is not seen. Their life is hid in God. Life circumstances don't shake them. Why? Because they are living according to the promises of God. Their concerns are given to God and they receive peace according to the promise given in Phil 4:6-9

Yes, God offers prosperity, but we are not to focus on prosperity or seek it as a primary object.  1 Tim 6:9 gives a warning. "But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction." In fact, we are to flee riches and seek the things of the spirit. 1 Tim 6:11

That is not to say that blessings aren't a by-product following God. Yes, blessing will come, but the example and lessons of Job show that we are not to judge others who have not entered into the life of prosperity.

(What are the quick lessons of Job?
1 Things aren't always as they look.
2 Don't be quick to judge.
3 Job came closer to God through trials.
4 Job was healed when he prayed for his friends.
5 The good generic counsel of Job's friends didn't apply to him.)

We are to use the blessings and prosperity we have received to minister to others for the Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Cor 9:8  "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed."

What do you do if your basic needs aren't met? Go to God in prayer, receive peace from Him, walk in faith and joy, not in your circumstances but in your relationship with God.

Phil 4:11 Paul learned to be content in whatever circumstance he found himself. "Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am." When he wrote that he was sitting in a jail cell. 

We can be content wherever we are as we have a close relationship with Christ. Only our walk with Christ fulfills, not the abundance of stuff. 

Desire contentment; seek for contentment. It is a rare jewel. With contentment comes peace, allowing us to advance in the kingdome of God.

Psalm 33:17 "A horse is a false hope for victory nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength."

People look at having things and investments for security, yet it is not our ability in the natural that will give us victory. Victory comes through the Lord. We should not reject the natural means as led by God but use it to serve the Lord. Keep in mind the natural is only a tool the Lord uses. 

Serve God, walk in peace and prosperity, minister to others and live in a peace that is not reliant upon circumstances but on Jesus, the Prince of Peace.

Go in peace,

Scott

Kingdom Principles

The natural kingdoms of this world are based on:
Military might.
Economics to pay for the military.
A basic phalosaphy of life permeates from their
influence.

In the natural authority with guns allows people to
opporate in the natural kingdom they are in.

God's kingdom also has foundations but they are not
the same as in the natural.

1st Salvation allows a person to see into the kingdom.
John 3:3 Believing gives us the right to be the son of
God John 1:12

2nd Salvation changes our heart therefore we love. Love
is the proof that we are flowing in the kingdom of God.
John 13:34,35

3rd reconizing the love that is there and then by faith
flowing in the Spirit of God. To opporate in the Kingdom
of God is to oporate in faith.

There are 2 stories brought to my attention by church
this morning. Jonah and the Prodigal son. Both were
uncooperative people that went against the Lord. Jonah was
bitter or unwilling to follow God. Later when he did
follow the Lord his heart was not in it.

The older brother of the Prodigal son also was obedient
son but his heart was not right. He was bitter or
resentful of his younger brother getting a
party/celebration when he returned.

The question I have is how can a person guard against
this bad attitude. When they see others that should be
punished but get rewarded instead.

The kingdom of God does not opperate on self
righteousness. It works when people have a broken and yielded heart towards God.
If we aren't rejoicing when a sinner repents there is
something drasticly wrong.

Pray for a soft heart by praying for the repentant sinner to have a blessed life. If we don't get this right our ability to have faith is cut off. Mark 11:25,26

There was a guy I planted trees with in the Oregon woods. I remember him saying, "problems (speaking of slash which was logging debris that got in our way of planting trees) what problems? I don't see any problems." And he was the fastest tree planter on the crew.

The lesson being our work is hindered if we focus on problems instead of solutions.

Of course there is problems or there wouldn't be any work to do. But Jesus is the solution and He gives us stratagy on what we can do to overcome the problems.

God Offers Healing for All

Ex 15:26 Speaks of God not letting the Israelites have any of the diseases that Egypt had. I am looking for promises in the Bible that show that we are free from disease and sickness according to the promises of the Bible.

God promises are for our benefit. He will do His part when we do our part.

Deut 7:15 God promises to remove from us all sickness. This is a great promise that we have that what ever we come down with we can go to God and He will remove them. Some will say you are taking Scripture from the Old Testament. That is true but the New Covenant is better than the old and so what is in the old will also be in the new. And God will add to the new.

It says that all Scripture is for our instruction. We are healed at the cross and and so the Old Testament is still valid for our instruction.

Proverbs 4:20-22 is one of the most interesting healing Scriptures I have come across. It says:

“My son, give attention to my words;
Incline your ear to my sayings.
Do not let them depart from your sight;
Keep them in the midst of your heart.
For they are life to those who find them
And health to all their body. “

God's words and sayings are like medicine, except they don't have any side effects!

As we meditate on the Scripture promises we receive the benefits of what they say. Keep your mind on them and don't let doubt come in and destroy the idea you are contemplating.

The more I meditate on them the more I get out of them.

The Word of God changes things. God's word is not just ideas. The Scriptures are alive and can affect life in the here and now. Heb 4:12

Psalm 105:37 not one stumbled. This verse is talking about the people leaving Egypt and not one of them stumbled or to say it another way no one was sick or weak. NOT ONE. What a record! This God who kept all Israel strong can do the same for us.

God is not a respecter of persons. What he did for one person He will do for another. We can trust Him in all we do.

Jesus Lives - Live the Word

Jesus Lives. We celebrate the resurrection each year and go to church to worship Jesus and live for Him. That is half of the equation. The other half is to do what we say. That is to live for Jesus.

How do we live for Him? He wrote us a letter explaining life and purpose to live for God. In this letter this Bible we have many directions and promises that God said He would do. To live for Him is to start by folowing the directions of the Bible. As we grow in Him we will pray and get more spacific direction. This direction will not go against the Bible but will show us more spacificly the things we are to do.

Live for Jesus. This is not so easy in a world that is full of material temtations. Yet it is easy as we draw close to Him in prayer for strength and direction.

John 6:21 one of the basic verses in the bible for me. When Jesus gets in our boat of life we are at the destination God has for us. The point is not so much prep but is relationship. Relationship with God and relationship with others. The prep will come. Our life with Jesus in our boat of life will cause us to read and study the Bible to learn more about and from Jesus.

Verses of the Bible are much deeper than appear on the surface. Pick a verse or a few to meditate on. Don't be afraid of this word meditate. Use the word ponder instead. Ponder the meaning of a passage of Scripture. As we learn from Jesus the ideas of the verse will become real in our life and we will teach, share and live this idea.

The power of the resurrection will change us as we take the words of Jesus as meaningful and not just religious and nice.

To believe is to live. Let us apply our heart to believe and live. Within ourselves we are nothing. With Jesus we are spiritual and the Spirit of God will give life to us.

Praise God for His resurrection. Praise You Jesus. You are Lord and You are Powerful. You come to the lowly of heart and meet us here on this dirty Earth. Give us Your life. Give us Your direction. Thank you Jesus.

Misunderstanding Faith

You can't have faith 2nd hand. In other words, if a man has faith and doesn't need doctors and walks in victory. You can't just say, "ok he did it so I'll do it."

One must have faith for himself. And faith comes by hearing God, not man. Romans 10:17 Though God might speak through man.

 And faith is not learned when taught. It is learned when lived. Eph 4:15 For faith is NOW. Heb. 11:1 Faith is not fully learned when taught but learned with love Gal. 5:6 and love needs action.

 Many people hear faith teaching with their physical ears but not with the ears/eyes of their heart Eph 1:18 and so have hope but not faith. So there will always be misunderstanding. But if we have Jesus we have what we need. John 6:21