behavior
SCRIPT FOR TODAY: PDCP- 12/18- “Live Just—Live Right, Live Just Right!” (Proverbs 21:3)
SCRIPT FOR TODAY: Double Entendre (meaning)…(1) A prescription (script) prescribed, by The Great Physician, for us to take each day, for our benefit and (2) A script written, for the purpose of giving direction and guidance to us, for our everyday life, in the way and manner we ought to be conducting our daily lives, given to us, by the Great playwright, in the sky, The Author of all that is good, right, just and holy. Blessings…
SCRIPT FOR TODAY: 12/18- “Live Just—Live Right, Live Just Right!” (Proverbs 21:3)
Premise Question: How is it even a remote possibility for someone or anyone to live right and be pleasing in The LORD’s sight?
“The LORD is more pleased when we do what is right and just than when we offer him sacrifices.” (Proverbs 21:3 NLT)
To be virtuous and to walk blameless before The LORD and humankind, ends up being the most important principles we can follow in this life. It’s also what is most pleasing to Him; therefore, it is the most appropriate, honorable and acceptable thing that we could ever offer up to The LORD GOD Almighty, for it is not in the degree or amount of what we may give up, walk away from, avoid, abstain from, abandon, forgo or eschew, that counts for anything, but it’s all in the way we live and comport our lives. (Proverbs 21:3 PDCP)
Bottom Line: In our own strength, talents, abilities and wherewithal, we can never buy, earn, work for or ever give enough, whereby, it would ever suffice; have the ability or even begin to have the capacity, to qualify, satisfy, please or be acceptable to The LORD! But, we can do all things and more, with The LORD’s divine help, and we will and can be filled with His justice and righteousness, when we choose to be in agreement with Him; by walking in complete obedience and in accordance with His Word, and His greatest desire and divine plan and purpose for our lives.
It is then and only then, thereby, that we can and will have the capacity to live, Just Right! Blessings…
http://www.theshipministry.com papadoncox.wordpress.com #liverightlivejustlivejustright
SCRIPT FOR TODAY: PDCP- 12/04- “As Long As I Have Breath—I Will Praise The LORD!” (Psalms 63:4-5)
SCRIPT FOR TODAY: Double Entendre (meaning)…(1) A prescription (script) prescribed, by The Great Physician, for us to take each day, for our benefit and (2) A script written, for the purpose of giving direction and guidance to us, for our everyday life, in the way and manner we ought to be conducting our daily lives, given to us, by the Great playwright, in the sky, The Author of all that is good, right, just and holy. Blessings…
SCRIPT FOR TODAY: 12/04- “As Long As I Have Breath—I Will Praise The LORD!” (Psalms 63:4-5)
Premise Question: For what duration and in what way and manner, should we, as members of The Company of The Redeemed, honor The Name of The LORD GOD Almighty?
“I will praise you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer. You satisfy me more than the richest feast. I will praise you with songs of joy.” (Psalms 63:4-5 NLT)
It is of my own volition, that I deliberately, with great diligence, devotion and determination, each and everyday of my life, for as long as I shall have breath, choose to honor You, O LORD, wholeheartedly, with every fiber and all the strength of my being, by offering up to You, my highest and most extravagant praise and worship, unto Your magnificent, incomparable and splendidly glorious Name. In so doing, I shall be filled with the glory of Your presence, being completely content, absolutely gratified and supplied abundantly, with every kind of the most delectable of fare. Therefore, I shall not ever stop lifting my hands, my heart and my voice, with expressions of great and exuberant joyful praise unto You, LORD GOD Almighty. I will utter these ecstatic expressions, with my mouth and lips, and with singing, that shall come from the very depths of my most grateful and satisfied heart and soul, even within the within of the innermost part of my being. (Psalms 63:4-5 PDCP)
Bottom Line: We, as fully accepted and sealed members of The Company of The Redeemed, should always be joyfully ready and willing to, at all times, on all occasions and in every circumstance and situation, without exception, offer up unto The LORD GOD Almighty, by invoking, bestowing upon and honoring His Name, with constant expressions of extravagant praise and worship; in songs, that are filled with exuberant joyful singing, which should ultimately come from deep within the within of our innermost beings, being forever grateful, full of joy, extremely thankful, hearts and souls.
Therefore, as long as I have breath—l will praise The LORD! Blessings…
http://www.theshipministry.com papadoncox.wordpress.com #aslongasihavebreath #iwillpraiseTheLORD
SCRIPT FOR TODAY: PDCP- 11/13- “The Infuriation Of Temptation!” (James 1:13-14)
SCRIPT FOR TODAY: Double Entendre (meaning)…(1) A prescription (script) prescribed, by The Great Physician, for us to take each day, for our benefit and (2) A script written, for the purpose of giving direction and guidance to us, for our everyday life, in the way and manner we ought to be conducting our daily lives, given to us, by the Great playwright, in the sky, The Author of all that is good, right, just and holy. Blessings…
SCRIPT FOR TODAY: 11/13- “The Infuriation Of Temptation!” (James 1:13-14)
Premise Question: Where do we assign blame, when we succumb and give into temptation; and, are we ever tempted, given an opportunity to do good, and, if we don’t do it, is that a sin?
“And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away.”
(James 1:13-14 NLT)
When, not if, for everyone will encounter temptation, having occasions, whereby, they will have the opportunity to either surrender and submit to The LORD GOD or surrender and succumb to the carnal desires of their flesh. Therefore, when temptation ensues, no one should ever attribute it, by laying or assigning blame to anyone or anything other than themselves, and especially do not ever say, “it is The LORD GOD that has brought this temptation to me!” For The LORD GOD is completely impervious too, and doesn’t even have the capacity to be induced or in any way influenced by carnality and evilness, nor does He or would He ever attempt to put any wicked stumbling blocks in the path of someone, with the expressed purpose of causing them to yield and succumb to temptation; because each individual person is prone to be carried away by their own proclivities and propensities, being allured into captivity and bondage by their own evilness and sinful desires. (James 1:13-14 PDCP)
Bottom Line: Perhaps, when we are tempted by something, it gives us an indicative signal of an area in our walk that we may need to spiritually mature and grow up in.
Thank The LORD GOD Almighty that He helps us in our weaknesses when we cry out to Him for assistance! And, even when we do succumb, when tempted, He is faithful to restore us, when we humbly confess and make ourselves accountable to Him and others.
The issue of deflecting and assigning blame to another, other than ourselves, goes all the back, to the Garden of Eden, where we find Eve deflecting blame upon the enticement of the Serpent and Adam following suit, by deflecting and assigning blame to Papa God and Eve, the woman that God gave him as a helpmate!
As Adam and Eve were prone to deflect and assign blame, so too, are we still today, it is therefore, obviously, an inherited humankind trait.
No matter what the allurement, inducement, provocation, snare or tantalizing trap, we should not ever deflect or assign blame to Papa God, or anyone else, save ourselves. For neither Papa God nor the Devil are the one’s who made us do it!
And, remember, if ever tempted, given an opportunity to do good, just do it and be mightily blest! Blessings…
http://www.theshipministry.com papadoncox.wordpress.com #temptationsdonotcomefromPapaGod #temptation omesfromourownevildesires
SCRIPT FOR TODAY: PDCP- 11/10- “Choose To Live An Honorable And Circumspect Life And Thereby, Silence The Accusations Of The Mis-And Uninformed!” (1 Peter 2:15-16)
SCRIPT FOR TODAY: Double Entendre (meaning)…(1) A prescription (script) prescribed, by The Great Physician, for us to take each day, for our benefit and (2) A script written, for the purpose of giving direction and guidance to us, for our everyday life, in the way and manner we ought to be conducting our daily lives, given to us, by the Great playwright, in the sky, The Author of all that is good, right, just and holy. Blessings…
SCRIPT FOR TODAY: 11/10- “Choose To Live An Honorable And Circumspect Life And Thereby, Silence The Accusations Of The Mis-And Uninformed!” (1 Peter 2:15-16)
Premise Question: How and what must we do, The Company of The Redeemed, in order to effectively silence the roar of those who would cast dispersions, utter or make foolish and unwarranted mis- or uninformed evaluations of us, by spreading false and foolish accusations/recriminations, thus, leading others and themselves to come to outrageous conclusions and faulty perceptions?
“It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you. For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil.” (1 Peter 2:15-16 NLT)
The Sovereign LORD GOD Almighty fully intended that you have the capacity, with His enabling, to live your lives honorably and circumspectly, and that your lives should be accompanied by generous acts of kindness and doing good to everyone. Therefore, living this way will have the wonderful effect of being completely successful in squelching and utterly dismantling the prattle of the misinformed, as well as the uninformed—those who happen to lack sense, who are shortsighted, without any prudence or discretion. Choose to live your lives as those who’ve been liberated, set free, released from bondage, being a full fledged member in good standing, with all rights and privileges, of The Company of The Redeemed; but refuse to use your privilege of liberty to disguise, conceal, mask or camouflage an indulgent licentious lifestyle. For you are Papa God’s holy and uniquely chosen people—His bond servants; therefore, live, being wholly subject to Him and Him alone. (1 Peter 2:15-16 PDCP)
Bottom Line: In order for us, The Company of The Redeemed, to fulfill Papa God’s desire, will and purpose for us, of successfully combating, refuting, overcoming and silencing the roar of the mis- and uninformed people, who are wont and quick to be foolishly accusatory, in spreading false and misleading information, which cast unwarranted dispersions and recriminations against us; leading others and themselves to come to faulty, wrongful and outrageous conclusions and perceptions of us, we must choose to live our lives in an honorable and circumspect manner and way. Meaning: being truthful, conscientious, upright and forthright, ethically honest, principled, led by principles that are of good repute and are completely trustworthy, watchful, attentive, vigilant, careful, considerate, deliberately prudent, scrupulous, influenced by sage wisdom, always “above board,” open and transparent in all our dealings with those who would be subject to being accusatory and who are perhaps mis- or uninformed.
We must also come into the wonderful understanding and insight of just how blessed and free we are, having been delivered and liberated by Papa God, through His Son—Jesus Christ, who is our Redeemer, LORD and Savior!
But, we must never ever use our freedom, as permission, a reason, excuse or justification or a license to enter into or participate in any evil behaviors or activities that would be dis-pleasing to Papa God!
Remember, we are Papa God’s very own, redeemed, greatly beloved and most cherished bond servants, and it should be our greatest aim and desire to always be pleasing to Him, in all that we do and say! Blessings…
http://www.theshipministry.com papadoncox.wordpress.com #choosetoliveanhonorableandcircumspectlife #silencethemisanduninformedbylivinganhonorablelife
SCRIPT FOR TODAY: PDCP- 11/09- “Generosity, Humility, Thinking About Others And Their Interests, Is The Way We Ought To Go And Be!” (Philippians 2:3-4)
SCRIPT FOR TODAY: Double Entendre (meaning)…(1) A prescription (script) prescribed, by The Great Physician, for us to take each day, for our benefit and (2) A script written, for the purpose of giving direction and guidance to us, for our everyday life, in the way and manner we ought to be conducting our daily lives, given to us, by the Great playwright, in the sky, The Author of all that is good, right, just and holy. Blessings…
SCRIPT FOR TODAY: 11/09- “Generosity, Humility, Thinking About Others And Their Interests, Is The Way We Ought To Go And Be!” (Philippians 2:3-4)
Premise Question: How are we to comport ourselves, and what specific attitudes, behaviors and perspectives are we exhorted and strongly encouraged to have and exhibit towards others, in this life?
“Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.” (Philippians 2:3-4 NLT)
Anything and anytime you choose to involve yourself in, or find yourself doing something in life, it’s extremely important that you make sure it’s not ever done with the attitudes of, “it’s all about me” and “how is this going to make me look and appear to others.” Nor should you ever display haughtiness or arrogance, by exhibiting a pompous, ostentatious attitude of superiority. Conversely, though, the most appropriate, and thereby, acceptable approach, perspective and attitudes to have and exhibit is to, with great humility and self-abnegation, choose to always significantly value others above yourself. You should do this, by making what is important and necessary to others, in their lives, a priority in your life, before addressing your own personal needs and interests. Each of us would greatly benefit by having these attitudes, with this most wise and prudent perspective and approach. For it’s not “about me,” it’s about others! (Philippians 2:3-4 PDCP)
Bottom Line: We are, as individual members of The Company of The Redeemed, exhorted and strongly encouraged to comport ourselves, in such a determined manner and fashion, that we exhibit attitudes, perspective and behaviors towards others, those we come in contact with in our daily sojourn, a selflessness, characterized by devotion to the care, concern welfare and interest of others, and that, without displaying any pretense or trying to impress and influence how or what they may perceive or think of us personally, but with true humility and grace, always being courteous, civil and generous, while showing great respect towards them, by never acting or exuding an air of superiority nor a sense of entitlement or conceit.
We should ever be looking to be involved and invested in others lives, in a positive and helpful way, by being fully engaged, with a willingness to participate in any way and on any level that shows sincere compassion, empathy and genuine concern, and which effectively meets, satisfies and assists them, while addressing the real needs of those we are deliberately making a significant valued sacrificial investment in, for the specific goal and purpose of truly helping and making an impactful life-changing difference in their lives, giving all the glory, honor and praise to The LORD.
So, being generous, walking in humility, while thinking about others and their unique and specific interests, by looking out for them, rather than only looking out for our own interests and needs, is truly the way we ought to choose to comport ourselves and the way we ought to go and be! Blessings…
http://www.theshipministry.com papadoncox.wordpress.com #generosityhumilitylookingoutfortheinterestsofothers
SCRIPT FOR TODAY: PDCP- 11/06- “A Healthy Dose Of Constructive Correction Is Good For Anyone And Everyone!” (Proverbs 15:31-32)
SCRIPT FOR TODAY: Double Entendre (meaning)…(1) A prescription (script) prescribed, by The Great Physician, for us to take each day, for our benefit and (2) A script written, for the purpose of giving direction and guidance to us, for our everyday life, in the way and manner we ought to be conducting our daily lives, given to us, by the Great playwright, in the sky, The Author of all that is good, right, just and holy. Blessings…
SCRIPT FOR TODAY: 11/06- “A Healthy Dose Of Constructive Correction Is Good For Anyone And Everyone!” (Proverbs 15:31-32)
Premise Question: Why do so many of us have a difficult time receiving appropriately administered discipline, and why is it such an intense fight and colossal personal challenge for many to relent and submit to the process of allowing oneself to first, be open to intently listening and then, to be earnestly diligent, in becoming completely compliant and submissive to constructive, appropriate correction, when the resulting positive benefits always far outweigh the culminating negative consequences?
“If you listen to constructive criticism, you will be at home among the wise. If you reject discipline, you only harm yourself; but if you listen to correction, you grow in understanding.” (Proverbs 15:31-32 NLT)
Anyone and everyone, no matter who they are or from whence they’ve come, if they will give careful and thoughtful attention, being deliberate, as well as diligent in the application and action, in their lives, to The LORD’s life-giving, redeeming reproof, will always have a place at the table of the enlightened—those that are truly wise. Those though, who persist in their rebellious ways, by rejecting or ignoring completely The LORD’s perfect instruction, administered through His loving correcting discipline, hate themselves and are self-destructive; but those who choose to surrender fully to The LORD’s loving discipline, gains insight that sustains and retains their life, which causes them to forever remain in His glorious eternal presence—our tranquil and joyous eternal home. (Proverbs 15:31-32 PDCP)
Bottom Line: Everyone of us who are born into this world are members of the same family and species known as Homo sapiens—humankind, or as multiplied millions of individuals believe, the progeny of Adam and Eve; as we are the direct descendants and blessed offspring of the first of our kind, who having been divinely designed and uniquely created with perfection and for a great purpose, by Papa God Himself, but then succumbed to temptation and sinned, thereby, falling from perfection and into a sinful state, with a sinful nature, that they have naturally passed on down to everyone who has come after them.
So, we all have come by it honestly and quite naturally, so to speak, as we all are born with the same fallen sinful nature, and therefore, even at birth, already have a pre-disposed inclination, dispositional nature of resistance, rebellion, stubbornness, being obstinate and absolutely incorrigible, when it comes to appropriate discipline, training and beneficially good, constructive correction being administered into our lives.
Unfortunately for many, if when young, they do not have a correction in the direction their life is heading, by first, learning to listen, then to relent, submit and comply, (I refer to this as “corrected direction”) and then, by allowing themselves to be trained, developed, equipped and thereby, enabling them to grow to full maturity, (I call this “directed correction”) it becomes a much greater challenge later in life, and is most likely the very reason one would become so reticent, hesitant and stay downright obstinately stubborn, while having a adverse and negative reaction to discipline and correction when confronted and held accountable for any of their behaviors, actions or attitudes.
It is our embracing of and appropriate response to constructive correction and discipline, that determines the outcome of our life; who we may be living with, under what conditions we will be living, whether or not we will be living in harms way or growing in wisdom and understanding and enjoying a peaceful and flourishing life.
So remember, a healthy dose of constructive correction and appropriate disciple never really hurt anyone, although, at the time, while it is being administered, it may not feel good, be pleasant or very agreeable, but in the end, it will do its good work and divine purpose and shall therefore, produce a wonderful and bountiful harvest of righteousness! Blessings…
http://www.theshipministry.com papadoncox.wordpress.com #disciplineandcorrectionisagoodthing
SCRIPT FOR TODAY: PDCP- 10/26- “The LORD Hears My Voice, When I Call Upon His Name For Mercy!” (Psalms 116:1-2)
SCRIPT FOR TODAY: Double Entendre (meaning)…(1) A prescription (script) prescribed, by The Great Physician, for us to take each day, for our benefit and (2) A script written, for the purpose of giving direction and guidance to us, for our everyday life, in the way and manner we ought to be conducting our daily lives, given to us, by the Great playwright, in the sky, The Author of all that is good, right, just and holy. Blessings..
SCRIPT FOR TODAY: 10/26- “The LORD Hears My Voice, When I Call Upon His Name For Mercy!” (Psalms 116:1-2)
Premise Question: In what ways can and should we, The Company of The Redeemed, respond to The LORD’s wonderful expressions of His acts of mercy, gracious favor and His loving kindness shown towards us?
“I love the LORD because he hears my voice and my prayer for mercy. Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!”
(Psalms 116:1-2 NLT)
I profoundly, with all of my affections, strongest desires and certain sure intentions, love The LORD GOD Almighty, with my whole heart, body and soul! For He, The LORD GOD Almighty Himself, inclines His ear towards the direction and sound of my desperate cry and plea for His kind, considerate and compassionate, divine favor of forbearance, to be shown towards me, which He, without fail, definitely always does! Because He, The LORD GOD Almighty, pays close rapt attention, carefully listening to my entreaty every time I call upon Him; I will therefore, continually offer up my supplications, requests and prayers to Him, when I’m in need of assistance, for as long as I have breath and continue to live! (Psalms 116:1-2 PDCP)
Bottom Line: Here are just some of the ways, expressions and actions we can take and do, in response to The LORD’s expressions of acts of mercy, gracious favor and His loving kindness shown towards us:
We can and should be praying to Him, not only for ourselves and our own interests, but interceding and praying on behalf of others and their specific needs and interests!
We ought to be singing songs about His magnificent mercies shown towards us and all of humankind!
We can prepare and make declarative proclamations about His loving kindness!
We should abandon ourselves in exultation, high praise and worship to Him; glorifying and magnifying His Name, by testifying about His marvelous acts and wonderful deeds, together with others!
We should and can share His love, compassion, mercy, loving kindness and gracious favor, by clearly saying, then displaying and showing it towards others!
We should, with heartfelt thanksgiving and gratitude, be completely thankful to The LORD for all that He has done, is doing and shall yet do!
We can follow Him and then lead others to Him. We can do this by helping others as He, The LORD, has, is and will continue to help us!
We need to be faithful, reliable, dependable and totally trustworthy, towards and with others, as He, The LORD, is towards and with us!
Finally, we need to be patient and long suffering, inclining and bending ourselves towards others, with great compassion, by being willing to listen to them, and then following through, by doing all that we can, with The LORD’s help and aid, to help them in their plight!
Thank The LORD, that He indeed does hear our cries for mercy!
We should and must remember this: Mercy is always shown to the merciful! Blessings…
http://www.theshipministry.com papadoncox.wordpress.com #themercifulreceivemercy #TheLORDhearsourcriesformercy
SCRIPT FOR TODAY: PDCP- 10/24- “Its A Brand New Day, Therefore, It’s A Great Time To Sing About You, O LORD!” (Psalms 59:16)
SCRIPT FOR TODAY: Double Entendre (meaning)…(1) A prescription (script) prescribed, by The Great Physician, for us to take each day, for our benefit and (2) A script written, for the purpose of giving direction and guidance to us, for our everyday life, in the way and manner we ought to be conducting our daily lives, given to us, by the Great playwright, in the sky, The Author of all that is good, right, just and holy. Blessings…
SCRIPT FOR TODAY: 10/24- “Its A Brand New Day, Therefore, It’s A Great Time To Sing About You, O LORD!” (Psalms 59:16)
Premise Question: What day is it, what time is it, what are we to do about it and where are we to go?
“But as for me, I will sing about your power. Each morning I will sing with joy about your unfailing love. For you have been my refuge, a place of safety when I am in distress.” (Psalms 59:16 NLT)
But as for me, I will choose to begin each new day by rising up and singing a song, about Your marvelously strong and all powerful matchless strength. I will choose to rejoice, with celebratory worship and praise, by singing out, at the top of my lungs, using all of my breath, letting everyone, within earshot, know of Your incomparable, always constant, never failing, immeasurable love. For You, O LORD GOD Almighty, are my place of refuge, the tower of strength, that I run into for shelter and cover, my place of safety and aid, and my escape from all that is troubling, harmful, harassing and dangerous. You, O LORD, are my sanctuary of peace, my eternal resting place and my all sufficient provision for all of my needs. (Psalms 59:16 PDCP)
Bottom Line: I don’t know about anyone else, and therefore, I won’t speak for anyone else. But, this one thing I do absolutely know for sure! Each and everyday of my existence, I know what day and time it is, and I do know what I’ve decided to do about it and where and what direction I’m headed and going towards!
I accept and rejoice that each and every day is a brand new day, given to me by The LORD, that I have the privilege, honor and blessed opportunity to say: This is the day that The LORD has made! Therefore, I will rejoice and be very glad in it! I will choose to sing of the mercies of The LORD everyday! I will sing about His marvelous works and how His unfailing love endures forever and is extended to all generations everyday! I will sing everyday about how He is my safe hiding place, the place that I always run into when I’m in trouble or distressed, in desperate need of His comfort and peace, His protection, aid and relief and my strong shelter during life’s tumult and storms.
What day is it? What time is it and what should we do about it? It’s a brand new day, and therefore, it’s a great day to sing, shout and proclaim to everyone, including declaring it to ourselves, that The LORD is good and greatly to be praised and worshipped, with songs of thanksgiving and heartfelt gratitude! Blessings…
http://www.theshipministry.com papadoncox.wordpress.com #singeverysayaboutthegoodnessandunfailingloveofTheLORD
SCRIPT FOR TODAY: PDCP- 10/23- “We’ve Been Granted Freedom To Be Free And To Stay Free!” (Galatians 5:1)
SCRIPT FOR TODAY: Double Entendre (meaning)…(1) A prescription (script) prescribed, by The Great Physician, for us to take each day, for our benefit and (2) A script written, for the purpose of giving direction and guidance to us, for our everyday life, in the way and manner we ought to be conducting our daily lives, given to us, by the Great playwright, in the sky, The Author of all that is good, right, just and holy. Blessings…
SCRIPT FOR TODAY: 10/23- “We’ve Been Granted Freedom To Be Free And To Stay Free!” (Galatians 5:1)
Premise Question: Once any of us has been released from the bondage of sin, having been set free from the perilous darkness and certain death sentence, and are hereby, now a full fledged member of The Company of The Redeemed, having truly tasted and fully experienced the real freedom that only Jesus Christ can provide, with all of its blessings and benefits, why would any of us ever choose to return to our previous state of hopelessness, held in captivity, and in bondage to our sinful plight?
“So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.” (Galatians 5:1 NLT)
It is for our great benefit of individual personal liberty, that Christ has provided freedom to all who choose to become members of The Company of The Redeemed; granting them the ability to move freely, while enjoying all the rights and privileges afforded to them, because they’ve been released and set free from the penalty of sin, which is eternal death and destruction. Therefore, stay strong, firm and resolute in the wonderful knowledge and blessed assurance of your freedom; not allowing yourself to ever become entangled by the strangling cords and heavy weights of the onerous obligations of an agency of oppression, that’s restrictive and controlling, by putting you, once again, back into restraints of bondage and captivity. (Galatians 5:1 PDCP)
Bottom Line: What a great premise question for all of us to ponder, and to seriously, with grave sincerity, consider.
To expound upon the premise question even further; why would any of us, after having tasted and experienced The LORD’s goodness and gentleness, His mercy and kindness, His gracious favor, and real freedom, ever subject ourselves again to being under the influence and control of the brutal authorities, the powers of darkness and evil rulers of this world?
There are many reasons that can possibly be given, even some of them, could quite probably, fall under the heading of mitigating circumstances; but most, if not all of them, can be attributed to our own personal decisions and choices, our own actions, behaviors, thoughts, habits, practices and weaknesses, and especially, our own inappropriate personal desires!
Here are just a select few that we all need to be aware and extremely leery of, for our own benefit and well being, as well as, for the benefit and good of those around us: Isolation, insulation, arrogance and pride, being full of conceit, self confidence and pomposity, given to being slothful and lazy, lacking discipline and integrity, being anemic and weak, due to an insufficient prayer life, a lack of fellowship and intimacy with The LORD—through spending quality time in His Word and a significant and sufficient amount of time in worship and praise of Him, both personally and corporately, with other believers.
We are too prone to worry, self-doubt, self-hate, self-loathing, being fearful, full of anxiety, shame and remorse, allowing ourselves to be overwhelmed by all of this and more, and then, becoming completely exasperated, whereby we end up yielding and then finally succumbing to failure and defeat.
Other mitigating reasons, valid or invalid, perhaps may include sleep deprivation, deception, falling prey to some scheme, snare or trap, thus becoming entangled in an intricate plan and web of deceit and despair, taken advantage of in a moment of weakness and vulnerability, thus becoming entrapped and ensnared by the actions, will and desires of someone else.
Or there is always the established sage wisdom and obvious accepted fact, that a fool and his money, as well as his good reputation, will soon be separated! Added to that sage statement is the one from Solomon: “As a dog returns to his vomit, so too, a fool returns to his own folly!”
But, we are not without hope! Even if we have fallen prey to our own devices or the devices and schemes of others or even life itself and all of its vagaries and vicissitudes! We can be set free, we are set free, we can continue to stay free, if we will not allow ourselves to once again be enslaved by our own devices, and thus, become subject again to the laws of sin, death and the rulers, principalities and authorities of this world! Blessings…
http://www.theshipministry.com papadoncox.wordpress.com #freedomtobeandstayforeverfree
papadoncox 