section 1
All too often, we have a misperception of God’s blessings, His glory that He shares with us. We tend to extremes ecclesiastes 7:18 in that we either take His blessings to be selfish gain according to selfish desires, the so-called prosperity-gospel i timothy 6:5 or a self-pitying, martyrdom view of future blessings to be hoped for ONLY in Heaven at the cost of a miserable life now malachi 3:13-15 . The Truth of Scripture reveals that God intends for us to have the fullness of His blessings, yes, when all is accomplished in times to come ii peter 3:13 . But He has given us an exceedingly great deposit ephesians 1:13-14 ii corinthians 1:20-22 in this life mark 10:29-30 so that we can live this life today to the full john 10:10 ii corinthians 9:8 . His Way holds promise for this life and the life to come i timothy 4:8 .
It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. Whoever fears God will avoid all extremes.
...constant friction between people of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.
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"Your words against Me are harsh," says the LORD. Yet you ask, "What have we spoken against You?" You have said, "It is useless to serve God. What have we gained by keeping His requirements and walking mournfully before the LORD of Armies? So now we consider the arrogant to be fortunate. Not only do those who commit wickedness prosper, they even test God and escape."
But in keeping with His promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.
In Him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the Word of Truth, the Gospel of your salvation, and when you believed. The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of His glory.
For every one of God’s promises is "Yes" in Him. Therefore, through Him we also say "Amen" to the glory of God. Now it is God Who strengthens us together with you in Christ, and Who has anointed us. He has also put His seal on us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a down payment.
my notes:
"Truly I tell you," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for Me and the Gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
...for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
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section 2
The catch, so to speak, is to learn to live the life you have today not for one’s own self mark 8:34-37 , but for the Lord romans 14:7-9 as you seek to bless others with the Lord ii timothy 2:10 hebrews 6:10 . For to learn to walk in His ways is to get to know the Lord Himself joshua 1:7-9 philippians 3:8-14 and find that knowing Him is truly the surpassing greatness of life philippians 3:8 jeremiah 22:16 genesis 15:1 psalm 16:2-3 psalm 73:25 . But this is not a typical, human ideal isaiah 55:8-9 ii corinthians 5:16 ; this wondrous glory is wholly different than what we would naturally expect jeremiah 17:6 luke 16:15 , and thus to experience the greatness of God takes a different mindset and expectation, a Heavenly one colossians 3:1-4 i john 4:5-6 john 3:31-34 .
Then He called the crowd to Him along with His disciples and said: "Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Me and for the Gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?
my notes:
For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them.
"Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law My servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."
my notes:
Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me His own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ
"He pled the cause of the afflicted and needy; Then it was well. Is not that what it means to know Me?" Declares the LORD.
my notes:
After this, the Word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward."
I say to the LORD, "You are my Lord; I have no good apart from You." As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.
"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.
From now on, then, we do not know anyone from a worldly perspective. Even if we have known Christ from a worldly perspective, yet now we no longer know Him in this way.
He will be like a juniper in the Arabah; he cannot see when good comes but dwells in the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land where no one lives.
my notes:
He said to them, "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, Who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of Truth and the spirit of falsehood.
The One Who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The One Who comes from Heaven is above all. He testifies to what He has seen and heard, but no one accepts His testimony. Whoever has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. For the one whom God has sent speaks the Words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.
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section 3
The exceedingly great glory of God in this life today is found in Heavenly principles that we are just not naturally familiar with jeremiah 13:23 hebrews 5:13 . Often, they fly fully in the face of everything we value and expect matthew 5:2-12 as we humans naturally look at the outside circumstances i samuel 16:7 but God knows it is the heart where life is truly experienced proverbs 4:23 . The true riches luke 16:11 , the life that is truly life i timothy 6:19 is spiritual, Heavenly ephesians 1:3 ; experienced inwardly by the heart’s godly response to His will ephesians 3:16 psalm 4:6-7 ii corinthians 4:16-18 . Christ’s lavish blessings are given to His children i john 3:1 who once having learned to live life from the right heart as He showed us ephesians 5:1-2 experience His glory ii corinthians 4:16-18 hebrews 12:11 .
Can an Ethiopian change his skin or a leopard its spots? Neither can you do good who are accustomed to doing evil.
For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the Word of Righteousness, for he is an infant.
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And He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on My account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or his stature because I have rejected him. Humans do not see what the LORD sees, for humans see what is visible, but the LORD sees the heart."
my notes:
So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?
In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being...
my notes:
Many are asking, "Who can show us anything good?" Let the light of Your face shine on us, LORD. You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and new wine abound.
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him.
my notes:
Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
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Scripture quotations taken from one or more of the following versions as noted:
ESV = The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®) Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved.
NIV = The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica, Inc. TM Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NLT = The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
NASB = NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE(R), Copyright (C) 1960,1962,1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
HCSB = Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Used by Permission HCSB ©1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 Holman Bible Publishers. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.
NKJV = New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.