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Concentric Circles
Blog:  11.13.20

Hark! the Herald Angels Sing
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the new-born King!
Peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled."

Hark! the Herald Angels Sing
Hail! the heaven-born
Prince of peace!
Hail! the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings,
Risen with healing in his wings

“Prince of Peace”
This is Jesus Christ’s title (one of several). It tells of the nature of His rule, that peace is fruit of it. This makes total sense given peace is specifically identified as fruit of His Spirit (Gal 5:22).

1Th 5:23-24
Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

“The God of peace”
To abide in the sphere of God is to abide in peace.

Heb 4:16 [Amplified Classic]
Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God’s unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it].

Finding Grace
When you “find grace” you find peace. Your life becomes a testimony to God’s grace, even to unbelievers. “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord” (Heb 12:14).

Grace, Works, and Indifference

Blog:  8/9/19

Humility is aggressive.

Aggressive Humility
If you’re hungry, you don’t break into the bakery (wrong aggressiveness); rather, you ensure you’re among the first in line to receive your daily bread (right aggressiveness). You are aggressive to receive God’s grace; you don’t seize for self without regard for God’s administrative will.

“Clothe yourselves”
from egkomboomai - means “to put on oneself (as a garment)”; refers to the white scarf or apron of slaves, which was fastened to the girdle of the vest (e.g., gird yourselves with humility as your servile garb i. e. by putting on humility show your subjection one to another).

Getting “Dressed”
To reject God’s grace is to choose to “clothe yourself” in self-righteousness. The result is striving OUTSIDE of God’s economy (to your own exhaustion).

False Humility
The guest in Mt 22:11 was a phony. He professed a desire to be a member of the kingdom, but refused to accept the grace of the king. This is the root of self-righteousness (clothing oneself instead of humbly receiving God’s grace).

Ro 6:13 [Amplified Classic]
Do not continue offering or yielding your bodily members [and faculties] to sin as instruments (tools) of wickedness. But offer and yield yourselves to God as though you have been raised from the dead to [perpetual] life, and your bodily members [and faculties] to God, presenting them as implements of righteousness.

Humility is aggressive.

Fruit
The Bible tells us that fruit is the evidence of our faith. (Ref: Jas 2:14-20)

Ro 10:17
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Jas 1:21-22
Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save [sozo - means “to cure, heal, restore to health”] your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

Divine Institutions
God is the one who created the institutions of marriage and family. He also chose to make us in His own image. So, it makes sense that since family is a big deal to God, then it’s a big deal to us, as well.

God loves godly families.