God’s 4-Dimensional Love

~ Compare Two Passages of Scripture ~

“For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height — to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:14-19).

“For God so loved the world [the width of God’s love]

that He gave His only begotten Son [the length of God’s love],

that whoever believes in Him [the depth of God’s love]

should not perish but have everlasting life [the height of God’s love]” (John 3:16). 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

NOTES:

(1)     The current TOP 10 ALN posts are listed at the very bottom of this home page.

(2)     There is an INDEX of all ALN posts accessed by scrolling down the left column.

(3)     You may LINK to any ALN posts on your own blog or website. 

(4)     You may COPY any ALN post, but please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight at http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/ .

4 Christian Cs

~ Christian Calling, Competence, Confidence, and Character ~

Those God calls He equips!  Notice the progressive sequence in the four Christian C-words listed below. 

Calling  ~  First, God calls.  “For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.  But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.  But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—that, as it is written, ‘He who glories, let him glory in the Lord’” (1 Corinthians 1:26-31).

Competence  ~  Second, God instills competence for the job He has called you to do.  “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24).  “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:2-4).

Confidence  ~  Then God gives you the confidence (not pride) that through His strength you can accomplish the mission He has given you.  “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). 

Character  ~  Finally, the result of all this is a Godly character.  “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24).  “Meanwhile, God’s firm foundation is as firm as ever, these sentences engraved on the stones: ‘God Knows Who Belongs To Him.  Spurn Evil, All You Who Name God As God’” (2 Timothy 2:19, The Message).

Comment  ~  Where are you in this progression?  Are you doing what God has called you to do?  Are you doing it competently through His strength?  Are you confident of His ability to work effectively through you?  Are you growing in character—becoming more Christ-like? 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

NOTES:

(1)     The current TOP 10 ALN posts are listed at the very bottom of this home page.

(2)     There is an INDEX of all ALN posts accessed by scrolling down the left column.

(3)     You may LINK to any ALN posts on your own blog or website. 

(4)     You may COPY any ALN post, but please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight at http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/ .

Spiritual War, 1of20

~ Spiritual War: The True WWI ~

Introduction  ~  We find war initiated early in the first book in the Bible.  It is a very real spiritual war which continues in our day and throughout the Bible. 

War Initiated  ~  The first ever declaration of war was made by God in Genesis 3:15 when He declared war on Satan.  “I’m declaring war between you [Satan] and the Woman [Eve], between your offspring [Satan’s, c.f. John 8:44] and hers [Jesus Christ—the Messiah].  He’ll [Jesus Christ] wound your [Satan’s] head [a fatal blow], you’ll [Satan] wound His [Jesus Christ’s] heel [a non-fatal blow]” (Genesis 3:15).

The Combatants  ~  This great war is named the “War between the Seeds” and it pits the seed of Mary (Jesus Christ), against the seed of the serpent, the antichrist.  The declaration of war was spoken to the serpent, the evil one, soon after Adam and Eve fell into sin—it was not spoken to Adam or Eve.

The War Today  ~  Many skirmishes and battles are reported throughout the Scripture—some are lost and others are won.  The final victory of this spiritual war, and all wars, is found late in the last book of the Bible. 

Consider This  ~  In His love God did not declare war on fallen man—but rather on behalf of fallen man!

The Prediction  ~  This verse is full of content including the first promise of a coming Savior for sinful mankind.

Consider This  ~  This is truly World War!  It is by far the longest war in history.  It has the largest casualty count by far.  The casualty count is truly staggering!  This war consists of two major battles within the larger battle.  Daily skirmishes, fighting, local battles including hand to hand fighting, continue today on front lines around the world.  
Because it includes the first suggestion of a coming Savior and the opportunity for redemption, it is often referred to as the proto-evangelism.  

The End Result  ~  Fortunately, the verse not only declares war but also states the ultimate victory will go to Jesus Christ.

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

NOTES:

(1)     The current TOP 10 ALN posts are listed at the very bottom of this home page.

(2)     There is an INDEX of all ALN posts accessed by scrolling down the left column.

(3)     You may LINK to any ALN posts on your own blog or website. 

(4)     You may COPY any ALN post, but please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight at http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/ .