Monday, September 28, 2009 "First Great Duties"

Monday, September 28, 2009

"First Great Duties"

First From Julie's Keyboard:

When We Just Can’t Seem to Get It Right….
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“O.K. I’ll forgive them, but I sure won’t ever forget it! I’ll not be caught in a situation where they’ll have an opportunity to do that again either!”

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Or, “I know God says He’ll forgive if I ask Him, but I still carry the weight of these things that have happened in my past.”

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Most of us can identify with these categories of disposition at some time in our lives. Hopefully we aren’t there at the moment, but if so, there’s Good News. We needn’t stay there.

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We’re certainly no match for the “wiles of this world” of our own strength and ability. Even if we begin to attempt to face this world based on such notions as education, social status, political correctness, etc.; our best efforts would only lead to depressive disappointment. The life of the “emotional roller coaster” is detrimental to one’s well being.

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The “Good News” is that we have an Advocate. Webster defines an advocate as; one that pleads the cause of another: counselor. This “One” as pertaining to the believer, is “Jesus Christ.” He’s the infallible Advocate.

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Our best efforts at this life pale so in comparison to all that He is on our behalves. We simply cannot forgive or receive forgiveness on our own accord without His provision. Our weak human and fleshy ways mar any approach to His righteousness.

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Therefore, when we accept Him into our lives, we take His righteousness. We should no longer attempt to operate our way of living according to our own thinking. We must renew our minds to become wise in the ways of the spiritual version of life. Again, we must have an Advocate to do this task.

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Our personal failures are no problem for the Master. Only through Him are we released from the weight of them. Only through His power can the vilest of acts be forgiven that man has endured. This too is one of the many mysteries of the Gospel.

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This mind renewal we make reference to is the only way to begin to receive into our understanding a portion of this mystery.
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We mustn’t spend our days fretting over those who have wronged us, nor wrongs we have been forgiven for ourselves. To do so dishonors the very Sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for us in Redemption. Often we may make a conscious act to forgive a wrong that has come our way, yet seem to struggle with the ability to forget the transgression. Though it seem impossible, He will through this great mystery enable us to forget.

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He tells us to have “the mind of Christ.” His mind promises to remove transgressions and iniquities as far as the east is from the west and remember them no more.
We must leave these issues to His mind within us. Here we find our great release from all that holds us captive.

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The message today is simply, release your cares and transgressions to our great Advocate, Jesus Christ. This is His present day ministry to us.

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The enemy, Satan, gets great pleasure from watching folks torment themselves by not letting go of past wrongs. Why must we consistently permit this? We mustn’t let him ruin our lives with fears and anxieties that we should be free from due to the perfect love of Christ.
Go to Him. He patiently waits.
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Helpful Scripture References:

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I John 2:1-2 “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
And He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”
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I John 4:16-`18 “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us, God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as He is , so are we in this world.
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.”

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Romans 12:1-2 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

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Mark 11:25-26 “And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.”
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II Corinthians 10:3-5 “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
For
(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but might through God to the pulling down of strong holds)
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;”

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Philippians 2:5 “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:”
　
Have a blessed week,
Julie
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"First Great Duties"

“Your first great duties, you are sensible, are those you owe to Heaven, to your Creator and Redeemer. Let these be ever present to your minds and exemplified in your lives and conduct.” - - - - William Samuel Johnson. (Signer of the Constitution; President of Columbia College)

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Duty as defined by Webster is:
Duty
DUTY, n.
1. (That which a person owes to another; that which a person is bound, by any natural, moral or legal obligation, to pay, do or perform. Obedience to princes, magistrates and the laws is the duty of every citizen and subject; obedience, respect and kindness to parents are duties of children; fidelity to friends is a duty; reverence, obedience and prayer to God are indispensable duties; the government and religious instruction of children are duties of parents which they cannot neglect without guilt.)
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Have often do we consider our duties? We wake each day with them calling to us to perform, if we neglect them, have we considered the consequences? If I neglect my duty to my wonderful wife, my wife and marriage will suffer. If I neglect my duty to my children, my family and children will suffer. If I neglect my duty to my career, the one’s I serve as well as my character will suffer. We cannot escape our Duties, they are not items we shop for and pick out the ones we like. They are assigned to life and as long a life resides in our bodies the debt of duty resides to be paid.

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One of our Founders William Samuel Johnson draws our attention to the first great duties of which are assigned to us. If Great duties are neglected then the consequences of that neglect must also be great! He is speaking of course of the Christian faith, he speaks of heaven, of our Creator, of which many religions afford. But as he speaks of our Redeemer, there is but one, the man Jesus Christ. He separates all the religions of the world, He is prescribed as the beginning and end, no one comes to the Father but by Him. No other religion offers to us a Redeemer.

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Mr. Johnson implores us to let these duties be ever present to our minds, ever conscience of this duty as we use our minds to overcome the challenges we face. This duty is to be exemplified in our lives and conduct, in other words, as we pay this debt it will be reflected in the way we live our lives and conduct ourselves in business.

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Would it not seem strange to you for a man to have such a conviction of these great duties, then sign a document of such great importance as our United States Constitution, and by doing so, separate this duty from the actions of his government? But that is what we as American are being asked to believe by many, that Separation of Church and State is a principle idea rooted in the minds of our Founders.

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Their argument sounds of reason, until you read for yourselves the words of our Founders. It is then this foolishness is brought to light. But what of the consequences of such foolishness? If our nation neglects its first great duties, of what shall we suffer? Could one say the minds of our youth would be corrupted? Could one ascribe a moral decay of society perhaps? Maybe even a breakdown of responsibility to personal character in our financial institutions? Perhaps a departure from the very duties that produced and maintained our freedoms?

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Something for us to consider, I would simply encourage one to take a very close look at the writings of our Founders, let them speak for themselves. I am concerned to many have put to many words in the mouth of our Founders. It is time for us to look to their own words and read them for what they are.

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May God bless each of you,
David