Twelfth Sunday After Pentecost

Bottom Line Spirituality: Worldly and Godly Thinking

Click here to go to the Bottom Line Meditations for Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost

Godly Abiding Spiritually in Jesus Changes the Meaning of What we See Worldly When Not Abiding in Jesus.

Spirituality is our innate ability to feel the difference worldly or godly thinking makes to the way scripture translates to our daily life and relationships.

Remember: The DISCIPLE-SHIFT

(see Pentecost Sunday Meditation by Clicking Here)

The Virtual Small Group

Members share once a week with their group through the internet when a shift from being out to being in the Presence made a difference.

All Scripture is a testimony to Jesus Christ, who is the Word of God. He is the complete revelation of God’s will of grace for salvation. Grace is the only unfailing rule of faith and practice for the Christian life.

The Gospel of grace is: rather than doing it right to become right with God, to be right with God to do what is right.

The War on Legalism

God declared War on Legalism when He sent His Word into the World. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us … full of grace and truth. John 1:14 Legalism fought back against grace believing the Bible, not Jesus, is the word of God. Grace is based on the Two Great Love Commandments. All the Law and the Prophets have now been changed into “do the loving thing.” Matthew 22:37-40 The New Command is to be in His Presence in order to Love one another. John 13:34 “Apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

Galatians 3:21 “If a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law.”

Legalists don't do grace. They get the same kick in life just blaming others.

Luke 12:32-40 "Do not be afraid for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.” “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

How to be unforgiving

In today’s Scripture, Jesus tells us not to “be afraid for God has given us His Kingdom”, which is His Presence within us.  We are told to sell all our possessions. Literally, we think of selling the material things we possess. Let us get beyond the literal thinking of material things to the things we possess spiritually. They are much more significant.

The things we possess spiritually fall into two categories. There is the Treasure of the Kingdom with its abundant Life.  It is filled with the fruit of the Spirit, Love, Joy, Peace, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-control. These come with being in the Spirit of Jesus which God has poured into our hearts. The second category is the spiritual things we are given by others to possess. They destroy the gifts of the Spirit. They are acts of the “Law and Judgment” such as anger, hurt, discord, jealousy, and fits of rage. (see Galatians 5:20ff ) The basis for these Law and Judgment feelings can be summed up by the word, “unforgiveness”. For many it is too simple to tell them just to forgive their enemies and they will be fine. They find forgiving one of the most difficult things they can do.

The main reason people cannot forgive others is because they do not know how to be unforgiving. There is the Law of Unforgiveness. Think of someone you cannot and will not forgive. The reason we will not forgive is because we blame them for giving us the feelings of hurt, bitterness and anger. 

Maybe it will help to think of our life as a business. The business, our life, is all ours to own. We decide to make our business grow by selling stock. When we do this, other people buy into our life. They begin to have an interest by owning a part of us. To own part of our life they bring to us bitterness, anger and hurt. The price we must pay for them to stay in our life is our Peace, Love and Joy. As long as we pay them for what they give to us, they will own us. We have to pay them because they are giving to us what they possess. We owe it to them. The more we pay them the less we own our life.

When we believe the truth of unforgiveness we want to be sure we do it right and pay them for what they have given us. What they give us is not free. We have to remember how much they have done for us. Without accepting the Grace of God and getting in His Presence, we can never pay them off. We will always be paying interest on our debt by giving up our Life of Peace, Joy and Love.

The one and only way we can keep them from eating us up alive is to choose to stop paying them. The choice is between two truths. One truth is that of unforgiveness and the other is of forgiveness. The truth of unforgiveness is we must pay them from our life savings every time they show up. It is the right thing to do. We owe them for what they give to us. They own a part of us.  

The other fact is the truth of forgiveness. We do not owe them anything. We do not have to pay them with our life any more. When they show up in our mind we need to say to them. “I do not have to feel bitter, angry and hurt every time you come into my mind.” They will argue with us, telling us we owe them for what they give to us; that they own part of us and are not going anywhere.

We need to know which truth to choose if we are to be set free of giving our life to them. We can choose to believe the truth of grace. It is not about doing it right. It is about doing the right thing.

We must be strong in the Presence of Lord. Stop giving them our life. Tell them the Truth of Forgiveness. “It is possible for me to be at Peace any time you come to my mind.” Discover the truth how being in God’s Peace drives them away. This truth is called forgiveness.

THE DISCIPLE-SHIFT: The Virtual Small Group:  Members share once a week with their group through the internet when a shift from being out to being in the Presence made a difference.