Looking Beyond the Material, the Earthly, the Petty and the Proud
. . . the Lord Jesus . . . has sent me that you may receive your sight . . . —Acts 9:17
When Paul received his sight, he also received spiritual insight into the Person of Jesus Christ. His entire life and preaching from that point on were totally consumed with nothing but Jesus Christ— “For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). Paul never again allowed anything to attract and hold the attention of his mind and soul except the face of Jesus Christ.
We must learn to maintain a strong degree of character in our lives, even to the level that has been revealed in our vision of Jesus Christ.
The lasting characteristic of a spiritual man is the ability to understand correctly the meaning of the Lord Jesus Christ in his life, and the ability to explain the purposes of God to others. The overruling passion of his life is Jesus Christ. Whenever you see this quality in a person, you get the feeling that he is truly a man after God’s own heart (see Acts 13:22).
Never allow anything to divert you from your insight into Jesus Christ. It is the true test of whether you are spiritual or not. To be unspiritual means that other things have a growing fascination for you. Since mine eyes have looked on Jesus, I’ve lost sight of all beside, So enchained my spirit’s vision, Gazing on the Crucified.
~ Oswald Chambers - Reading for April 2 - My Utmost for His Highest
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UNSOLICITED ADVICE:
Indulging a passion for denigration and the attempt to "destroy" an opponent in argument is as destructive and demoralizing as it is unkind. It's always wise to resist the temptation to get someone else's goat.
Peace be with you.
~ FreeThinke
a passion for denigration and the attempt to "destroy" an opponent in argument
ReplyDeleteThe desire to to so is part of human quest for power and domination.
Speaking of "civil discourse". Sheesh.
ReplyDeleteGood advice, and I plead guilty to the last paragraph.
ReplyDeletePeace be with you, FT.
ReplyDeleteHey! Those pictures you found of Jesus are way cool, man! Good show.
ReplyDeleteAl Terego
UNSOLICITED ADVICE:
ReplyDeleteGet back to political posts, these religious post are getting to be BORING! And you are losing me.
When Saul of Tarsus experienced his road to Damascus moment, a moment of great spiritual insight, received by an individual with a mind acute and strong enough to perceive and understand it, he turned from being a persecutor of early Christians to becoming an avid follower of Jesus Christ.
ReplyDeleteDoes this sort of inspiring moment occur in the life of ordinary mortals? Very possibly it does, as every life lived at some time experiences a profound instant at which a turning point may occur, if the individual is perceptive enough and introspective enough to realize it. Does this mean that individual at that instant becomes a fire-eyed bible thumping evangelical intent on converting as many others as possible to the straight and narrow path of righteousness? Perhaps it could, but I believe there are are other ways to live the great life-transforming experience, perhaps by something so simple as being a good example to others. And that would not necessarily mean a transformation into a sanctimonious condescending attitude of lording it over others perceived to be lacking in their depth of belief. IOW, being a pain-in-the-ass-bible thumper intent on quoting scripture to one and all having the misfortune to cross paths with such an individual.
Good to see character mentioned in the quotation in the above post, since that raises a huge question in itself. Does character develop from a rigid following of biblical scripture? It's possible it could. But a better indicator of an individual's character could well be found in how that individual has dealt with life's ups and downs over time, with or without the assistance of biblical scripture.
Thanks for visiting me. I always get excited when I see your name pop up in my email!
ReplyDeleteI don't write too much about personal experiences after some vulgar liberals posted my daughter's face (and mine) on pornographic photos, posted images of dead babies after they read my blog and discovered I had a miscarriage and posted photos of dead animals when they saw the posts about my beloved pets passing away...and so much more.
The brunch was lovely and the Easter egg hunt went beyond my expectations! The neighbor kids (Section 8 home) didn't get a visit from the Easter Bunny because their single mother spent the night at her boyfriend's house. The look on their faces when they saw what we had planned for them makes me cry just thinking about it.
When I started the large boxwood parterre I hired those kids to go through the empty lots in the neighborhood and bring me stones to place under the soil for drainage. They made a MINT that day! How PERFECT that the egg hunt was held in the gardens they helped create. I reminded them of their hard work and they looked so proud!
I am always inspired here, my friend. Even if I do not have the time to post, I do read them!
xo
Andie
One of my devotionals is Chambers, too. Excellent stuff.
ReplyDeletexxx
AOW, she's referring to a satiric video that lampoons Charlton Heston and his cold dead hands quote.
ReplyDeleteWasn't directed at Hannity -, though that would probably have been accurate.
Pitch till you win.
The idea of rabies media complaining about a satiric video is rich.
Duck,
ReplyDeleteDidn't she mention "a small gland"?
Charlton Heston is dead, so it seems rather pointless to me to satirize his famous statement about guns.
"Get back to political posts, these religious post are getting to be BORING! And you are losing me."
ReplyDeleteI'm sure FT couldn't care less what you do.
---------> Katharine Heartburn