GREENE STREET LETTERS: GROWING OR DYING---SIMPLE AS THAT

Wednesday, August 31, 2022

GROWING OR DYING---SIMPLE AS THAT

II Peter 3:18 - But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever, amen.

Simple.....grow. Do not remain in the same state spiritually. Do not stop seeking Jesus in your daily life. There are only two states of existence in this world...

#1 - Growing

#2 - Dying

You are either doing one or the other. You cannot remain static in your relationship with Christ. What's more, why would someone want to. Why would someone come for salvation and then believe that it was all over. Nothing left to do. Sit back and enjoy life because you had your golden ticket punched. Next stop...heaven.

To me, when the verse says we are to grow in grace and knowledge, such a thing takes place because I have a desire to grow. I have an inner urging to not be satisfied with my understanding of who God is. I don't read Scripture because I have to........I do it because I want to. I want to take verses and turn them over...turn them inside and out, all the while asking the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth that God intends me to see. What's more, I want to take what I have been shown and taught, and apply it to my daily life.

So the call we read about in II Peter 3 is for us to grow in THE grace. Grace that can only come from the Father. James Ryles defined grace as being "The empowering presence of God in my life, that enables me to be who He created me to be, and to do what He has called me to do."

Grace is a force...

Grace is a power that can only be found in God, given to us by the indwelling of His Holy Spirit. But this grace is given for a purpose. Give to all who believe that we may GROW into the people God created us to be. The devil's primary aim is to keep us from becoming the people of God, moving and living under the "Empowering Presence" of God in our lives.

Keep mindful of God today as you go out to your job, to the market, to school. That you have given yourself to someone far greater than yourself to be used for His purpose.

Find His rest...

Rest in His peace....

In that peace, be filled with His Joy

God on you...

michael b.

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Looking At The World Through Cracked Lens

As ol' Paul wrote in his Corinthian letters.."We see in part and we know in part." Now what piece of this bit of wisdom do we not get? I wish to not run around acting and trying to be some sort of Biblical G00-Ru (I meant to spell it wrong). Or a sage of sages.

I simply want to be able to communicate some of what God has given to me. Why? Do I think what I get is better than what you may have received from Him? Nope. But I do think encouragement comes when we share our daily story of struggle and victory in an effort to encourage each other.

Thanks for letting me share.

Time to soldier on..

mbb

Our Statement of Faith

We believe that God is the eternal king. He is an infinite, unchangeable Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, goodness, justice, power and love. From all eternity He exists as the One Living and True God in three persons of one substance, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit equal in power and glory. we believe that God created mankind in His image, male and female, for relationship with Himself and to govern the earth. Under the temptation of Satan, our original parents fell from grace, bringing sin, sickness and God's judgment of death to the earth. Through the fall, Satan and his demonic hosts gained access to God's good creation. Creation now experiences the consequences and effects of Adam's original sin. Human beings are born into sin, subject to God's judgment of death and captive to Satan's kingdom of darkness. We believe that Jesus, God's Son, was sent to this world, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, Mary, fully God and fully man in one person. He is humanity as God intended us to be. Jesus was anointed as God's Messiah and empowered by the Holy Spirit, ushering in God's kingdom reign on earth, overpowering the reign of Satan by resisting temptation, preaching the good news of salvation, healing the sick, casting out demons and raising the dead. Jesus' atoning death on the cross took God's judgment for sin which we deserved as law-breakers. Jesus' resurrection and ascent back to heaven opened the door for those who received salvation to begin a relationship with God.

Little Nets Into Deep Waters

Fishing nets were designed for one purpose only. To catch fish. Nets are no good if they stay on the boat. Nets serve no purpose if they are never used. I think maybe God sees us this way. We are all created for a purpose (by the way, the creator gets to define what our purpose is). Any other use besides the one we were created for does us no good. But when the creator places His hands upon us, casting us out into those scary, dark places with deep waters, it is then we can see the reality of our purpose. He knew there would be a catch waiting for us. I think I will be the net God has called me to be.

The Twelve Steps

As a community of people in recovery, we affirm that our higher power is Jesus Christ. He did for us what we could not do for ourselves. Just as God told the children of Israel He was going to give them a promised land, He has revealed to us that He desires to give us a "Promised Life." When Israel got to the promised land, God instructed them to go and in a possess it, fight for it and claim it. In recovery, the 12 Steps are the directions given to us on how to fight, possess and claim this promised life.

Wednesday, August 31, 2022

GROWING OR DYING---SIMPLE AS THAT

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THE REALITY OF THE NAME OF GOD