I Am Christian - The Weight of A Good Name - Part Two

    

  My name is Christian. My name is my reputation. My name is bound in Christ's Name for it is Christ I am named for. I am a person of honor and integrity. My word is my bond. When I say I will do this or that, I mean it. When I make a promise, I keep it. I am not perfect. I will fail. I will fall. But I will persevere through it all. 

    Though I contend with they who come against me to destroy me, I will not hate them. For I am filled with the Love of God: Jesus Christ. God loves. God loves all people everywhere. It is this great Love of God for a dying world that caused Him to send His only begotten Son Jesus Christ into the dying world. And this great Love of God LIVES IN ME, CHRISTIAN! So, I love with the Love of God. 

    I am a troubleshooter, a peacekeeper. I walk in the Wisdom of The LORD, for I am filled with His precious Holy Spirit, Who leads me through The Word of God and reveals God's intentions for me. In this Wisdom, I am compelled to share Christ with everyone I meet, wherever I am. My name is Christian and I will accomplish the tasks which God has prepared for me. 

    Though at times it may seem to myself or those watching me that I get very little to nothing done, it is God Who determines what has been accomplished in me and through me. Only God knows where His Word will go through my actions. Only God knows who will receive it and who will dismiss it. It is my privilege and my honor to serve Him in this capacity. It is also my job. I am a laborer in His field. My name is Christian, my name is Worker. 

    In my walk with Christ, I am a fellow laborer. I do not work alone. I do not study alone. I do not pray alone. I do not speak alone. I do not cry alone. I do not walk alone. I do live my life on my own terms but on Christ's terms. I do not rest alone. I do not read alone. And when I leave this world, I will not leave alone. My name is Christian. One way or another when I leave here, I'm going with Him. Whether I leave in death or leave at His return, I'm going with my Fellow Laborer. 

    My name is Christian. It is not a name I bear lightly. Heavy is this weight upon my shoulder. There is responsibility in being Christian. I must find out what it means to be Christian and live that life. I read my Bible out loud for my "faith comes by hearing and hearing by The Word of God". I delve into my Bible and study out what God wants me to know on a regular basis. For I must have The Word built up in me for such a time as when I cannot get my hands on a Bible, that The Holy Spirit may draw from within me the Strength of The Word, the Power of The Word, and pour it out upon the ears of they who will hear it, whether they receive It or not, I must have The Word in me. My name is Christian and I am Student, I am Studier. 

    I am the well, the cistern, in which The Water of Life dwells and flows through. I am Christian and I have set my face like flint. I feel it every time I study and remain focused on what The Spirit tells me to say. I hear what my King wants me to hear and I choose to obey. I am Christian and my name is Obedient. I neither grumble nor complain. Though the work in His field is hard, it is not impossible. The whip of self-righteousness and ignorance falls across my back and I forgive.  For I am Christ's servant: it is for Him I will suffer, for His glory is only increased. 

    My life is not my own. Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in The Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for me." 

ABBA - John Mark Pantana

INTO THE DEEP - Citipointe Worship

WAYMAKER - Leeland

THE MEASURE OF A MAN - 4Him 

BELONG TO YOU - Here Be Lions

I Am Christian-The Weight of A Good Name

 

A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, 

and loving favour rather than silver and gold.
Proverbs 22:1

I AM CHRISTIAN

    I've been blessed with so many studies over these past few years I wasn't sure what I would be doing or where I would be going in The Word at the end of this year and into the beginning of the next. After pondering this for some time now ( it is why the studies have been few lately), The Spirit brought to mind an old Reader's Digest story line called I Am Joe's Body and it talked about how Joe's anatomy worked. Was really well written by J.D. Ratcliff and became one of their most popular series. I still remember reading it even now. 

    This series is about the body of Christ. And to day I'm talking about her name. For the body of Christ is the church, the bride. A bride is always a her. When the bride joins with the Bridegroom the two become one and none can tear them apart or break asunder their bonds of love. 

    I am Christian. A name once spoken in mockery to the first followers of Christ: His disciples and those who believed the gospel message they spoke. The early Greeks and Romans labeled the believers as such and the name has stuck through a couple thousand years now. We are still held in contempt by the unbelieving person. But as long as we remain faithful to the full gospel message of the cross and the resurrection, our witness will remain strong and our name will be bound in Christ's name. 

    I am Christian. I live my life in the Way of Holiness, sometimes stumbling but always getting back up to continue moving forward, not looking back with regret but learning from past experiences that my faith may grow. I don't need to see the whole picture: I just need to hold The Artist's hand and believe The Maker's Voice. If I ever see the whole picture, it will be from the realms of glory. But if I never see the whole picture which God is putting together, I'm good with that, too. That takes faith; faith in the goodness of God and trusting that God knows best. 

    This faith journey is at times difficult and treacherous: leaping from one ledge to another requires great faith if I only concentrate on the gap beneath my feet. But if I am following The Shepherd, then I don't even see the gap. I am not graceful. I am Grace-Filled. I am Christian and I follow Christ. 

    

By Your Spirit - Kim Walker-Smith

Nothing Else - Cody Carnes

A Crucified Life - - Speaks For Itself

 

2 Corinthians 6:8

By honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No.

Evil Report: defamation, reproach, ill-repute

From the Greek word 'dusphemia' (pronounced doos-fay-mee'-ah).

Good Report: commendation, praise

From the Greek word 'euphémia' (pronounced yoo-fay-mee'-ah).

    Slandered. Spoken ill of for speaking the Truth. To share the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ is to expect people to come against you. As they came against Christ who not only speaks Truth but is Himself Truth, how can we expect any less to happen to us as His faithful followers? 

Jesus Himself warned His disciples that as many came against Him for the Truth of the Word which He spake, people would also come against them, against us. 

>John 16:1-3

>John 15:18-20

>Proverbs 29:27

>Matthew 10:22

>Matthew 24:9

    Knowing that even the very mention of the Name of Christ could get a person killed, how does the kingdom of God keep growing? Grace.Joy. Peace. Rest. Forgiveness. Wisdom. Love. Hope. Mercy. Of God. In Christ. Through the Holy Spirit of God. 

>GRACE: Ephesians 2:8

>JOY: John 15:11

>PEACE: John 16:33

>REST: Matthew 11:28

>FORGIVENESS: Ephesians 1:7

>WISDOM: Proverbs 11:30

>LOVE: 1 John 4:16

>HOPE: Psalm 39:7

>MERCY: Titus 3:5

    All of these things Christ is to us who believe. All of these are in us and need to be displayed to everyone else by our words and our actions. The name is the reputation. Whose name are you defined by? The faithful follower of Christ is defined by Christ's Name and carries His reputation with them wherever they go. 

    Philippians 2:7, 8

But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

     As such He did, so, too, do we, His followers. We make ourselves of no reputation, and yet, we are known by many for who we are. As Christ is known, both loved and hated, we who love Him and follow in His steps, are both loved  and hated. Though we desire no reputation of our own, we are given two. We are only slightly known to this world. But in God's kingdom we are fully known.

REPUTATION

Clean Hands - Lauren Alexandria

Better Than Life - Phil Wickham

Here's My Heart - I Am They

No One Ever Cared For Me Like Jesus - Steffany Gretzinger

Nothing Without You - United Pursuit

I Belong To Jesus - Paul, Hannah McClure

Give Us Clean Hands - Caedmon's Call

I Speak Jesus - Here Be Lions

Hands and Feet - Audio Adrenaline

Build Your Kingdom Here - Rend Collective

Known - Tauren Wells

    

Guard Your Heart - - Guard Your Seed

 

Genesis 18:19

"For I have chosen him so that he will command his children and his house after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just. This is how the LORD will fulfill to Abraham what He promised him.”

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 6680

Command: to lay charge (upon), give charge (to), command, order

From the Hebrew word 'tsavah' (pronounced tsaw-vaw'). 

    To command one's children and household is to set in order and make known what is required and what will be accepted according to the Word which God has given us. There is a right way to do this and a wrong way, as many of us are aware. 

    The right way is to command in the love of the Lord, to lead by example a godly lifestyle in the eyes of the Lord and the eyes of our children and extended family. It is to be obedient to the Word of God in every aspect of our lives, setting our children up for their success and progress in living godly lives. 

    When we live in the fear of the Lord faithfully, our children, we hope, will also live in the fear of the Lord. But, and if, we have raised them to love God then even if they take the long way to God, we know that they will return to the Lord as long as we keep praying for them to return. 

    There is a sequence of command in our households. First, we recognize God as Lord. Second, we love the Lord our God with all our hearts, and our minds, and our souls. Thirdly, we honor Him with all that we have and are. Fourthly, we submit to His will for us, for God knows what is best for us, as He is our Heavenly Father, the One who meets the needs of His household, His people. 

    We recognize God as Lord when we believe that His only begotten Son Jesus Christ the Messiah is Lord of All. 

     We recognize God as Lord when we believe not only that He Is but that He Is God above all gods and that He is the only God. 

    We love the Lord our God with all our hearts, when we put Him first in our lives, seeking His will for us, instead of doing whatever we want to do.

     We love the Lord our God with all our minds, when we think on His Word, meditate on His Word. 

    We love the Lord our God with all our souls, when we live for Him: when we live according to His Word: our actions and our words must align with His Word. In love. 

    We honor God with all that we have when we tithe of our finances and give offerings to build His kingdom. 

     We honor God with all that we are when we submit to His Word, His Will and His Way willingly and with a joyful heart. 

    We submit to His will in love, with peace in our hearts and not confusion or doubt; with great expectations of the many blessings He has in store for those who submit to Him. 

    We are not stingy in giving our time to Him. Time spent not only in study of His Word, but time spent in prayer. This, too, is a part of the command. It is 'communing with God as friend to Friend'. We spend that prayer time with Him not just alone in our special places of prayer, but together as a family, seeking God's face and His presence.

    Failure in any aspect of the sequence of the command is to fail on all. Not obeying any part of God's leadership command for our children and our households results in chaos: chaotic lives, chaotic hearts. But when we repent of our failures, our faults, God restores us. And He will restore our children, too. For the promise is not just to us but to our children and our households. 

    To do what is right and just is to do what is right according to God's Word and live justly before Him in His Way. It's not enough to be a good person. It's not enough to live a peaceful way of life. We must make the decision to do what is right and just that our children and our household may also do what is right and just. Not just living by the example which we have set before them, but living a right and just lifestyle according to the Word which God has laid out before them. 

    This day and age in which we live is becoming increasingly more difficult in which to maintain a godly lifestyle without having someone come against us for it. Now more than ever, God's people need to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might: we need to be filled with His Word, filled with His Spirit and filled with His Love. 

    For the day is at hand when the decision to live a God-filled life will cause us to be killed for that decision. Joshua told the Israelites, "Choose you this day whom you will serve. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:15). 

    

    

Guard Your Heart - - Build Your Faith

 

Jude 1:20, 21

20. But you, beloved, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, 

21. keep yourselves in the love of God as you await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you eternal life.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 2026

Building: to build upon

From the Greek word 'epoikodomeó' (pronounced ep-oy-kod-om-eh'-o): to build up, to edify; to follow a plan with pre-designed specifications; to make progress in building up (from one level to another).

UNWAVERING FAITH

~PRAYING IN THE SPIRIT~

Hebrews 10:23

Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for He is faithful that promised;)

James 1:6

But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

    If we have our doubts when we pray, then we are praying in doubt, not in faith; our prayers will neither be received nor heard. We must pray expecting to receive, with confidence and absolute trust in God's perfect will. But only if we pray according to His will. 

    Praying in The Holy Spirit, The Holy Ghost, is praying according to God's Word: the Word we are being led to and through when we listen to The Spirit of God. If we pray our desires, then it is doubtful we will receive the answer we want. But when we pray God's Word over every situation, then God's Will will prevail. 

    Praying in The Spirit does not mean we have to pray in tongues (although that will happen sometimes with the person who is filled with The Holy Spirit), but that we need to be working with The Spirit of God throughout our daily lives: fervently (urgently), consistently (constantly) and in faith (believing that it will be so). James 5:16; Ephesians 6:18; James 1:6; 1 Timothy 2:1.

    Unwavering faith sees its sins forgiven, its bodies healed, its minds delivered, prisoners freed. Not just then, but even today. Unwavering faith desires to please God: doing what makes God happy. 

BUILDING ON THE FOUNDATION

~HONOR~

    Knowing that our Foundation is Jesus Christ, we need to be careful how we are building on that Foundation. For God built His Foundation with Justice and Righteousness (Isaiah 28:16, 17). 

    Reading 1 Corinthians 3:10 "We must be careful how we build on that Foundation". Throughout this past year we have been learning what it means to be born again. We are still learning. Each monthly series this year I have still listed under the main heading of Being Born Again. (if you don't see some of it on this site, check Facebook).

    1 Peter 2:1 tells us to "Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander." These items do not make good building blocks. Malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander fall under the commandments of what not to do, how not to behave with one another: Thou shall not bear false witness (malice, deceit, hypocrisy, slander). Thou shall not covet (envy).   They are hindrances to the building. Our natural desires war against our spiritual desires (1 Peter 2:11) but conducting ourselves with honor is a desirable building block of faith (1 Peter 2:12).

~MERCY~

    In Matthew 25:35-40 Jesus is speaking on the faithful servant, the one who will enter into the joy of the Lord. "For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in, I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you visited Me.’

    Not everyone is called to be a missionary, but we are all called to pray for one another. In prayer I pray that needs are met. That the hungry are fed, the thirsty receive clean water, the sick are ministered to: their wounds bound, their diseases healed, their dead raised to life. 

I pray for the captives, in prison and out of prison, to be delivered and set free. I pray that their needs also are met. When I pray for those who serve on the front lines of ministry, I pray for each of these things on them as well. This is mercy.

~GRACE~FORGIVENESS~

    Saving grace is what God extended through Jesus Christ to us. (Acts 15:11). It is only by grace we are saved at all (Ephesians 2:5, 8). Grace is an extension of God's love. It is having and showing compassion; it is forgiveness multiplied beyond number (Matthew 18:21,22). Because if we are counting how many times you have "forgiven" a person or persons, then we are not really forgiving them at all: we're tallying up offenses and holding grudges. Not ideal building blocks at all to lay on the Foundation of our faith.

    The grace, the forgiveness, we offer to each other must be sincere and offered in love, the true love of God which lives in the born again believer. If we keep coming back to the original offense we received from the one we think we forgave, then we never offered them love and grace in the first place. Our hearts need to be right with God, aligned in His Justice and Righteousness, that we may freely give grace to one another.

KEEP IN THE LOVE OF GOD & HIS MERCY

 1 Thessalonians 5:9-11

9. For God has not appointed us to suffer wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

10. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him.

11. Therefore encourage and build one another up, just as you are already doing.

Romans 14:8

If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

2 Timothy 2:11

This is a trustworthy saying: If we died with Him, we will also live with Him.

    The only way to Keep in the Love of God and His Mercy is to remain in God's love, in God's testimony, in God's Son Jesus Christ. To remain in God's love is to live (dwell, take up residence) in God's love. 

    How do we conduct ourselves in our everyday living when we interact with family, when we are working with colleagues, when we sit in waiting rooms? Are we living in the love of God when we get angry, frustrated, upset? Are we living to the Lord by our actions and our words? These are questions only we can ask ourselves and only we can answer. If our answers are not in keeping with God's definition of Christian conduct, then we need to take the matter before Him in prayer and ask that He keep changing us, molding us into the people He wants us to be. 

    Have you ever thought about how the clay might feel on the potter's wheel? Being poked here, prodded there; smoothed away in some areas, broken off in others. Yet there the lump of clay sat, waiting for the potter to create in them what the potter had in mind to create. 

    We are lumps of clay being perfected on the Potter's wheel. Perhaps we, too, should wait without argument while our Potter finishes working on us; while He builds us into Himself. 

    We know we are saved. We both know and hope for our resurrection into eternal life. For it is in Christ that we have the Resurrection and the Life. Let us therefore live in God as He lives in us: with grace, with integrity, with mercy. 

2 Peter 3:13, 14

13. But in keeping with God’s promise, we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.

14. Therefore, beloved, as you anticipate these things, make every effort to be found at peace—spotless and blameless in His sight.

I BUILT MY HOUSE ON A STONE by Jason Upton

HOUSE OF PRAYER by Eddie James, Jayna Cullens

POUR ME OUT by Brandon Lake

FILL MY WAY by Iris DeMent

TREMBLE by I AM THEY

I WON'T LEAVE YOU HERE by Southern Raised Bluegrass

    

    

    

    

    

Guard Your Heart - - Guard Your Meditation

 

Psalm 1:1, 2

Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in His law does he meditate day and night. 

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 

Meditate: ponder, muse

From the Hebrew word ' hagah' (pronounced daw-gaw'). A word with many meanings- to moan, growl, utter, speak, muse- but which in verse is defined as 'muse, ponder'. 

    In this crazy world we live in we are being told, even in some churches, to 'empty our minds' to reduce stress and the unhealthy consequences of stress. That's not what the Bible says to do. The Word of God tells us here to meditate on The Word of God. That's not emptying our minds, that's filling our minds and our hearts. 

    It's more than mere words: The Word of God has power. Power to change the heart, change the mind. Power to strengthen the weak. Power to fill the heart with a desire to overflow with the Word of God, the Love of God, the Power of God. Power to change first, the individual, then the multitude of individuals who meditate on God's Word. 

    In Joshua 1:7, 8 Joshua is being commissioned by God to lead God's people into the promised land.

7. Above all, be strong and very courageous. Be careful to observe all the law that My servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may prosper wherever you go.

8. This Book of the Law must not depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in all you do.

    In Sunday School we learned a song that is still with me today "O Be Careful Little Eyes". A song warning each part of our bodies how to serve God best. 

Be careful little eyes What You See
Be careful little ears What You Hear

Be careful little mouth What You Speak

Be careful little hands What You Do

Be careful little feet Where You Go

    I would add one more: Be careful little soul How You Meditate. If we let our minds wander away from what is good and righteous to think on, then we are not thinking on The Word of God. We need to rein our thinking in. Paul wrote in Philippians 4:8 to Think On: lovely things, true things, honorable things, pure things, right things, admirable things, excellent things and praiseworthy things. 

    Think On here means to meditate on these things, take into account and consider these things. What is more true, more honorable, more right, more pure, more lovely, more admirable, more excellent or more praiseworthy than the Word of God, the Law of the Lord?  

    It is more than memorizing Scripture. A person can memorize Scripture and neither know, nor apply the Word to themselves and their way of life. Memorizing mere words is not meditating on The Word. Just knowing the words within The Word does not change a person or a person's heart.  

    Praying over the Scriptures before we begin to read or study them or meditate on them opens our hearts to God's instruction, teaching, law. Allow the Holy Spirit to lead you to passages of Scripture to pray over and into your lives. 

    Proverbs 29:18 tells us that "Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keeps the law, happy is he." In other words, where the Word, the law of God, is not kept, people perish. They are alone, empty, vacant; unrestrained, out of control. But he that keeps (heeds, observes) the law, is blessed (happy).

    There's a lot of unhappy people out there today. They do not keep God's law near, to dwell on it, meditate on it. They see God as a last resort and not as a Priority, if they see Him at all. God wants to be first in our lives, especially in our hearts. He even tells us in His commandments to put Him first, to give Him our attention, our worship. 

    When I can't sleep at night, I open my Bible and begin to read and pray over what I am reading. I ask the Author to make plain what He wants me to know and He does. Though there are times when He wakes me to pray for specific people, most of the time when I am awake, I meditate on God's Word. Then sleep finds me and I rest. 

    Let us go now and meditate on The Word of God, on His law. Let us rest in His Word, gain strength in His Word, be blessed by His Word. Let us glorify God with a desire to be in His Word, live in His Word and allow His Word to live in us.  If you're happy and you know it, praise the Lord! If you're not happy, what are you going to do about it?

    

     

MEDITATE THE WORD MEDLEY

Intelligent Worship -- Honor God -- Part 6

 Intelligent Worship Brings Us Into The Presence of God. We Honor God. 

How do we Honor God? 

Proverbs 3:9

Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your harvest. 

In the Berean Study Bible the word 'wealth' is used. In the King James Version, the word 'substance' is used. In the New King James Version it says 'possessions'. They all mean the same thing. 

The word 'harvest' can also mean 'crops, income, revenue.' What do we learn from this? God requires us to willingly and obediently give Him the first portion of our income. We call this tithing. 

Leviticus 27:30, 32 “One-tenth of the produce of the land, whether grain from the fields or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD and must be set apart to him as holy. --- Every tenth animal from the herd or flock that passes under the shepherd’s rod will be holy to the LORD." 

This is where we get that ten percent that we give to our church. A mere fraction of what God has given us. But we don't have to stop at just one tenth of our income. When the Spirit moves over the heart, we become more generous with our wealth, our possessions, our income. This is called a "Love Offering" and can be given to one's church and/or given as a donation into another's ministry: such as Missionary Support, or a nonprofit that also honors God with their works. 

How else do we Honor God? 

Malachi 3:16

At that time those who feared the LORD spoke with one another, and the LORD listened and heard them. So a scroll of remembrance was written before Him regarding those who feared the LORD and honored His name.

We Honor God's Name when we think about Him. Philippians 4:8 tells us how to think about God:

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Psalm 10:4

The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.

Psalm 20:7

Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.

Psalm 94:19

In the multitude of my thoughts (anxieties) within me Thy comforts delight my soul.

First we see the results of not thinking, not honoring, God with our thoughts. Then we see that as a result of thinking about God, we remember His Name in our troubles and He comforts us with Himself. 

The Lord Is, indeed, My Shepherd. 

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself,  for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

How do we Honor God with our bodies? 

Romans 12:1, 2 is a good place to start.

Therefore I exhort you, brothers, through the compassions of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy to God, well-pleasing, which is your reasonable (logical) service. 

And do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind, for you to prove what is the good and well-pleasing and perfect will of God. 

Here we learn that we are to give more than mere possessions and the wealth of our bank accounts; we are to give God our bodies: willingly, obediently to His service. When we do this, and we may have to do it often for we fail Him at times, we give God all of what makes us who we are. 

We Honor God when we give Him our talents and abilities, the very things He has blessed us with and created within us. We Honor God when we give Him our desires, our self-will and our me attitude. These things get converted into His desires, His will and embrace His mercies into our thoughts that our attitudes submit obediently to His Word. 

His Word is Honest, Faithful, True. His Word is Alive. His Word fills our souls and overflows within us. His Word strengthens us in our weaknesses. His Word. We Honor God when we read His Word, study His Word, take His Word into our hearts and minds and souls. We Honor God when we believe His Word, trust His Word, embrace His Word. 

We Honor God with the works of our hands. We Honor God with our feet, choosing wise destinations. We Honor God with our eyes, endeavoring to see what He wants us to see. We Honor God with our ears, hearing and listening to only what glorifies Him. We Honor God with our every being, reaching out to Him and following close behind Him, that we not lose our way. 

We Honor God. And God is glorified with our honor. 

Integrity

Integrity: honor, strength of character, ethical, upright, honest.

Doing the right thing, when it seems as if everyone around you, thinks you are crazy. There is phrase in the Bible that sticks like glue to my thoughts "Be strong and of a good courage." Listen up: Deuteronomy 31:6 (&7) 'Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, He it is that goes with thee; He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.' Strong, good courage, fearless, remember. Joshua 1:6, 9, 18 'Be strong and of a good courage'. Of the verses referring to courage in the Scriptures, these five only mean (1) Be Alert (physically) (2) Steadfastly Minded (mentally) (3) Confirm, establish, fortify, harden, increase, prevail, strengthen yourself, make strong (obstinate, speed).

You are the Bride of Christ. Jesus does not have a ribbons and bows Bride, though she is adorned in white. He's coming back for a Warrior Bride. She is armed and dangerous. Armed with the whole Word of God, which is hidden in her heart. She uses God's Word for sustenance, for drink. Every Word that falls from the mouth of God she eats up. He strengthens her from the inside out. Where you go, God goes. That makes you a dangerous person.

The Word of God is available to you and I in three forms: the written Word of God, the Scriptures; the Living Word of God, Jesus Christ; the spoken Word of God, hearing the Word of God. Though there are some places where the written Word of God is forbidden, still the spoken Word of God can be heard and the Living Word of God cannot be displaced.

If you hear the Word of God, and do not apply it, you lack integrity. It takes courage to be a Christian, no matter what century or country you live in. You can hear about God, but not hear God. You can know about God, but not know God.

We apply God's Word to our hearts, our minds, our souls. Deuteronomy 6:5 And you shall love the Lord thy God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Mark 12:30 And you shall love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength: this is the first commandment. Like sunscreen. See, we apply sunscreen to prevent our skin from being burned by the UV rays coming off of the sun. And we apply this daily to our skin when we go outside the comfort of our homes, because UV rays are a deadly daily threat to us. You and I need to apply God's Word daily to our hearts, to our minds, to our souls, to our might (character/strength).

It is not a fat, lazy bride that Christ is looking for. He seeks His true Bride. Her strength comes from her Lord: the Joy of the Lord is my strength. Her beauty is her desire to please her Lord: Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. His Bride dines at His table (Psalms 23:5), runs through troops and leaps over walls (Psalms 18:29), is efficiently and effectively equipped for warfare (Psalms 18:30-38 and Ephesians 6:10-20). The Bride of Christ surrenders to His authority out of Love and Respect. She is not negligent (Matthew 25:3,8), she is wise (Proverbs 11:30).