Harder and More Impossible Than Before

Bible Ethics---Oswald Chambers

If the "Oughts" of the Old Testament were difficult to obey, Our Lord's teaching is unfathomably more difficult...Jesus Christ does not simply say "Thou shalt not do certain things," He demands that we have such a condition of heart that we never even think of doing them, every thought and imagination of heart is to be unblamable in the sight of God....The purity God demands is impossible unless we are re-made from within.

I was stunned and thrilled to find this in my book. I had always thought that His statement of fulfilling the law did not, as He said, abolish the law. I have often heard that verse half used and out of context...to state that we do not have to do anything. We are merely forgiven; our only task is to love one another and God. And, I do agree that that is a summation of the Law, I do not think that it thus negates the Law to non-existence. What He said, He meant. 

While I do not think that anyone could ever (besides Christ Himself) manage to achieve half of the laws, I do think that this more stringent look is true. We cannot control our thoughts. We misjudge someone at the grocery checkout, and think badly of them---it could be considered sinful that I was unsure of the doctor's office receptionist.

If we are not merely supposed to control our actions, but our very thoughts and imagination, what a mess we truly are in the silent recesses of our minds. Among the dirtiest and nastiest things, I imagine, if all of our cross thoughts were lined up from our normal to "bad" days. I would hate to have to read my own list...
The Spirit is indeed a Counselor---with His help, if we listen, we can been turned away from some thoughts, and have the assistance needed to attempt to not think things we should not. It is, however, extraordinarily easy to ignore the nudgings of the Spirit and continue onward in our spiral of sinful thinking. The more we ignore and tell God we know what we are doing, that what we are doing is not "hurting" anyone----but ourselves and God---the easier it is to continue to do so, and with more frequency. I always have loved the Shakespearean line: Oh, what fools these Mortals be. We ever continue to tell ourselves that we are rightful in our actions and thought...
Let us therefore strive with God's help to be silently holier; to think and imagine less evil and to dwell more on His being.

RA Post: Oh, sure, why not?

Apparently I decided that over the holiday was a good time to get a bladder infection. I tried the whole cranberry juice (extract in pill form, as I had some) and Vitamin C to the hilt. No go. 
So this AM I decided to stop waiting to see my primary, and go to the local walk-in. 
Oh, my aching shod feet. Two hours sitting just in the waiting room. Ironically, more than half the people in there were there for the same reason I was. Still not really sure what took so long...

Now I get to argue with somebody, as well. The receptionist was DEAD SURE I still have three hundred and some cents to go before my deductible. Maybe as a group, but my individual was met months ago---haven't paid a single dime for any dr appointments nor medication. Even today's antibiotics did not cost me. I did not want to stand and argue with the receptionist...because quite frankly I was concerned she would put me further down the list to be seen. I don't usually think that of people, but she was a bit hot about that topic. I imagine she gets "yelled" at a lot; so I will deal from it from my end. 

So here's to antibiotics. Here's to having to stop all my RA treatments until infection free. Hope that it stay amiably quiet for the next holiday run.

RA Post: Thanksgiving

Pretty good Thanksgiving---actually was well enough (praise God!) to go to my MIL's house for a lovely time of food, talk and laughter. 
Oh, I was so pleased to have gone. I am quite tired today, and have sore feet. I should have kicked my shoes off. Apparently. 
Still had a marvelous time. I can't believe that I actually made it. I have not made it that far to visit in a year and some.

Puppy Post: Day One

Well, we have schnauzers in the house---mini schnauzers. Have for about two years. We had bred Mom's dog, Gracie, and last night was spent in doggie obstetrics. We have one live puppy; the litter was two, with one being dead. It is quite common to have one or more deceased in a litter of pups.

Gracie did not appreciate this activity in the least, and told us so.

The puppy is a dark brown female with white markings. Stronger and eating well.

What I Believe vs What I Think...And How That Changes

God: as He longs for you.   Ingrim

What you think about God shapes your whole relationship with Him. What you believe God thinks about you determines how close you will grow toward Him.

I remember being a child, one who grew up in church and Sunday school, who saw her parents and sisters doing God-related lifestyle choices. God was real, God was important. I was puzzled immensely by the order to fear God, as many verses say...and I was ridden with guilt because I didn't know if I loved God. I believed in Him, most certainly....but those other things bothered and confused me. 
The more time passed, I came to think that fear was a fear of respect. Surely the Creator was deserving of respect, a reverence, honor. I began to realize that my trying to be afraid of God was not perhaps what was wanted, but the similar fear I might have for a parent, or some other adult authority figure---a much more higher being. 
Since my attempted reverent fear was gone, I was able to then see more and more how God loved me, how He was there for me, even in the littlest of things. I realized one day that I did indeed love God, and how vastly different my relationship was. It is again different, and again many other ways and times. Ever growing. 
The more time we spend with God, the Word, the more we find and learning about Him. This further changes how we think and believe some things, and continues to change in us.  It is wonderful for us to grow in God, to have a deeper relationship with Him. 

Live, and These Things You Will Do

Diamonds in the Dust. J.E. Tada

The law says do these things and live, but the Gospel says live, and these things you will do. The law demands holiness, but the Gospel gives holiness. The law makes blessings the result of obedience, but the Gospel makes obedience the result of blessing. 

Overall a nice sentiment---although I differ on the last sentence. Our commandment is to love God and love others, so thus we must have some obedience at least; we are blessed with eternal life by accepting and believing in the One He sent, and following His command that we should love and believe in Him. 
While I certainly am not at all perfect, fail in numerous respects to follow loving all, etc., I do not think that obedience is the result of blessing. Perhaps in some instances, yes, such as times when one unbeliever makes a desperate plea, is indeed blessed, and begins in earnest to follow Him.
I think that obedience is the result of love. Loving our King and wanting to please Him as we can. I am blessed in many, many ways, and I am extraordinarily grateful for that...but my obedience to God has not come because I have seen my blessings and feel I must obey God.
Few people obey whole-heartedly to the commands of someone that they dislike, or even do not trust. People listen to people that they trust, or at least respect enough to warrant obedience. 

Now, we can also look at this statement as through the blessing is that of salvation, and then we obey---and that I would consider likely. This thought would more fully explain obedience to God as one grows in Christ. I think that many of us do not exactly "love" God when we first believe...our knowledge and experience of God is naive; we do not know Who this Person is, nor what is expected of us. 
As our knowledge and personal experience with God grows, so does our love. We see His great love for us, and begin to develop a deeper relationship with Him.  As the Spirit fills us, teaches us and we follow, we will likely follow commandments because we are with Him and know that what we do is right or wrong. We honestly have a rather terrible sense of right and wrong, and without the Spirit's guidance, we fail miserably at obeying any of God's wishes.

Life to the Fullest

For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. Jn 6.33

I read this verse just last night---tried to get on and blog my thoughts then and there, but being Sunday the internet was completely used up by others as I could not go to even Google. 
I do not remember a time, except for the one time of crisis, when I was not firmly convinced that there was and is a God, and that there was and is a Son to believe in. It was just the way things were. Therefore, I cannot express the massive change in life that many converts express---the change of life being that life is fully alive, and not half dead doldrums of mere existence. 

Yet I can express the change in my life thusly: when at my sickest, and all the effort in the world allows me to hold my Bible, I feel alive because of the Word. When I am at a better point in my life, and I am busy with the twaddle of day-to-day life---laundry, cleaning, etc., my life appears to be more lively. It would seem that it is more lively; after all, I am doing normal things that we all do, surely I am more alive.
I would disagree. I feel the most alive when I remember (and even force myself) to pick up and study the Word. Not a "pious book", as O. Chambers would say---I agree when he writes that reading a pious [Bible study] book is not enough, nor the same. It is indeed not. The Word gives life, is alive, sheds light on our lives, shows us more of God. 
The well-written and solid words of others is worthwhile, and may help expand one's knowledge base on things which help expand the Word...but there is a Counselor sent to do the same (and a better job than any pious author0, and we are so very blessed to have Him and the Word. 
The Word does make one be more alive---much more than any relationship, career or other "life" duty. We were to be with God, so without great focus on God, we naturally feel a large whole we attempt to fill with things of the world. Many of those things are not sinful--families, etc., but still do not fill that gaping hole. 
Speak with God, read one verse, worship in whatever way...for He does indeed make life alive.