Sue J Love
Loyal
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2015
- Messages
- 3,278
“Rejoice, young man, during your childhood, and let your heart be pleasant during the days of young manhood. And follow the impulses of your heart and the desires of your eyes. Yet know that God will bring you to judgment for all these things. So, remove grief and anger from your heart and put away pain from your body, because childhood and the prime of life are fleeting.” (Ecclesiastes 11:9-10 NASB1995)
This passage of Scripture begins sounding like someone is advising and encouraging another in what to do and in how to behave in his life, but it is not that at all. In truth, this is not an encouragement, but it is a warning. And this does not apply just to youth or just to males (men), but to all people, really. And the message intended is basically this which follows.
If we live to please ourselves, and if we follow the impulses (urges, desires) of our human hearts, and the desires of our eyes, i.e. the lusts of our flesh, instead of following our Lord in obedience to his commands, then we need to know the result. God will bring us to judgment for all these things. And the New Testament Scriptures teach the same exact truth over again.
So, what are we, thus, counseled to do? We are to remove worldly and fleshly lusts from our lives which, if we don’t, will result in the judgment of God against us if we do not repent and change our ways and now obey our Lord in practice. We are to leave childish and self-indulgent practices behind us which glorify the flesh and which separate us from the grace of God. And we are now to honor God with our lives in holy and righteous living.
We are also to remove worldly sorrow from our lives which does not result in genuine repentance and changed lives. For just saying that you are sorry, or just confessing with your lips that you sinned against the Lord, but then while you keep going back to the same exact sins deliberately and habitually, does not result in genuine salvation and forgiveness of sins. For Jesus said that not everyone who confesses him as Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING the will of God the Father (Matthew 7:21-23).
He also taught that if anyone would come after him he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin) and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and follow our Lord in walks of obedience to his commands, in surrender to his will and purpose for our lives, in the power of God living within us, then we have eternal life with God. For if we deny Jesus by how we live, he will deny us when he returns (Luke 9:23-26).
So, we cannot live our lives to please our flesh for our own entertainment, and to gratify the lusts of the flesh, and for it to have no impact on our lives for eternity. We are not saved from our sins and on our way to heaven by lip service only. Genuine faith in Christ results in us dying with Christ to sin and us now walking in obedience to his commands, in practice. And God’s grace instructs us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we await our Lord’s return.
[Matt 7:13-14,21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 10:27-30; Ac 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Tit 2:11-14; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,15-17; 1 Jn 3:4-10]
As the Deer
By Martin J. Nystrom
Based off Psalm 42:1
As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after You
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
You alone are my strength, my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
Caution: This link may contain ads
Yet Know That God Will..
An Original Work / March 2, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
This passage of Scripture begins sounding like someone is advising and encouraging another in what to do and in how to behave in his life, but it is not that at all. In truth, this is not an encouragement, but it is a warning. And this does not apply just to youth or just to males (men), but to all people, really. And the message intended is basically this which follows.
If we live to please ourselves, and if we follow the impulses (urges, desires) of our human hearts, and the desires of our eyes, i.e. the lusts of our flesh, instead of following our Lord in obedience to his commands, then we need to know the result. God will bring us to judgment for all these things. And the New Testament Scriptures teach the same exact truth over again.
So, what are we, thus, counseled to do? We are to remove worldly and fleshly lusts from our lives which, if we don’t, will result in the judgment of God against us if we do not repent and change our ways and now obey our Lord in practice. We are to leave childish and self-indulgent practices behind us which glorify the flesh and which separate us from the grace of God. And we are now to honor God with our lives in holy and righteous living.
We are also to remove worldly sorrow from our lives which does not result in genuine repentance and changed lives. For just saying that you are sorry, or just confessing with your lips that you sinned against the Lord, but then while you keep going back to the same exact sins deliberately and habitually, does not result in genuine salvation and forgiveness of sins. For Jesus said that not everyone who confesses him as Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING the will of God the Father (Matthew 7:21-23).
He also taught that if anyone would come after him he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin) and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and follow our Lord in walks of obedience to his commands, in surrender to his will and purpose for our lives, in the power of God living within us, then we have eternal life with God. For if we deny Jesus by how we live, he will deny us when he returns (Luke 9:23-26).
So, we cannot live our lives to please our flesh for our own entertainment, and to gratify the lusts of the flesh, and for it to have no impact on our lives for eternity. We are not saved from our sins and on our way to heaven by lip service only. Genuine faith in Christ results in us dying with Christ to sin and us now walking in obedience to his commands, in practice. And God’s grace instructs us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we await our Lord’s return.
[Matt 7:13-14,21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 10:27-30; Ac 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Tit 2:11-14; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,15-17; 1 Jn 3:4-10]
As the Deer
By Martin J. Nystrom
Based off Psalm 42:1
As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after You
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
You alone are my strength, my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
Caution: This link may contain ads
Yet Know That God Will..
An Original Work / March 2, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
