Newness In Christ, 3

~ A New Person ~

 

Scripture  ~  “But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:20-24).

 

Comment  ~  The new life we receive as a result of being born again (spiritual life) is the seed towards a whole new person including their personality, temperament, and so forth.  While with their physical life they received natural talents now with spiritual life they are graciously given spiritual gifts.

 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

 

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God Attribute, 82

~ A Patient God ~

 

This Series  ~  This series of posts looks at some of the many attributes of God.  Generally, we move in alphabetical order.

 

Scripture  ~ 

 

~ Old Testament ~

 

“Now the Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him [Moses] there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and the fourth generation” (Exodus 34:5-7).

 

“They refused to obey, and they were not mindful of Your wonders that You did among them. But they hardened their necks, and in their rebellion they appointed a leader to return to their bondage. But You are God, ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abundant in kindness, and did not forsake them” (Nehemiah 9:17).

 

“The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and great in mercy. The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works” (Psalm 145:8-9).

 

“The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked. The Lord has His way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet” (Nahum 1:3).

 

~ New Testament ~

 

“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

 

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Why Trust God? 61

~ God Provides Nuggets of Wisdom, 2 ~

 

Introduction  ~  “Abundant Life Now” previously provided a list of Biblical of examples of fearing / reverencing God (217 posts).  In this current series we look at Biblical accounts that demonstrate that we can fully trust God.  Initially we posted seven general reasons for trusting God.  We are currently looking at passages from all 66 books of Scripture which demonstrate a reason for trusting our Creator. 

 

Scripture  ~  “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).

 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

 

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Traits Of A Godly Person, 3

~ A Person Of God Is Alert ~

 

Series Note  ~  There are many qualities which God desires in His children.  In this series we will briefly cover a few of the major ones.

 

Scripture  ~  “If Timothy comes make him feel at home, for he is doing the Lord’s work just as I am.  Don’t let anyone despise or ignore him [because he is young], but send him back to me happy with his time among you; I am looking forward to seeing him soon, along with the others who are returning.

 

“I begged Apollos to visit you along with the others, but he thought that it was not at all God’s will for him to go now; he will be seeing you later on when he has the opportunity.

 

“Keep your eyes open for spiritual danger; stand true to the Lord; act like men; be strong; and whatever you do, do it with kindness and love” (1 Corinthians 16:10-14 tlb).   

 

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.  Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.  But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.  To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever.  Amen” (1 Peter 5:8-11).

 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

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In Jesus We Have… , 30

 ~ In Jesus We Have Forgiveness, 8 ~

 

Introduction  ~  In this series we look at a few of the verses which state what we have when we are “in Christ.”  Consider our series theme verse: 

 

“God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.  For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:4-10).

 

Scripture  ~  “Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses” (Acts 13:38-39). 

 

Comment  ~  I like to consider one-word descriptions of the Bible.  There are many but my favorite is “forgiveness.” 

 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

 

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Adornment, 34

~ Makeup, 4 ~

 

Series Note ~ In this series we look at some of the Scriptures which mention human physical adornment—pretty much without comment.  These posts will include clothing, head (including hair and wigs), jewelry (including accessories), makeup (including tattoos), and perfume (including incense).  It is important to note that some of these passages are culturally related to a specific culture and time period. 

 

Two Principles ~ (1) Focus on the long-term: “Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.  Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates” (Proverbs 31:30-31).

 

(2) Exercise modesty: “Women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works” (1 Timothy 2:9b-10).

 

Scripture For This Week ~ “And there a woman met him, with the attire of a harlot, and a crafty heart. She was loud and rebellious, her feet would not stay at home. At times she was outside, at times in the open square, lurking at every corner” (Proverbs 7:10-12).

 

Two Keys ~ (1) “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.  And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:1-2).

 

(2) “Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?  For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

 

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Fool Characteristics, 21

~ Fools Lack Wisdom ~

 

Series Note  ~  In this series we look at some of the passages in the Book of Proverbs – wise sayings that are generally true – that describe a fool from God’s perspective.  Some may surprise you. 

 

Scripture  ~  “Wisdom is in the sight of him who has understanding, but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth” (Proverbs 17:24).

 

Important Truth  ~  “The fool has said in his heart, ‘there is no God’” (Psalm 53:1a).

 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

 

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Newness In Christ

~ A New Creation In Christ ~

 

Scripture  ~  “Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh.  Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer.  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.  Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:16-19).

 

Comment  ~  It is important to realize that the Scripture is not talking about a fix, a remake, or redo, but an entirely new creation from the Creator!

 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

 

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God Attribute, 81

~ God Of Excruciating Pain ~

 

This Series  ~  This series of posts looks at some of the many attributes of God.  Generally, we move in alphabetical order.

 

Introduction  ~  God, the Father, sent His only Son to earth to pay the penalty of your sin and my sin. On the Cross He endured extreme pain for your sake.

 

Scripture  ~ “Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

 

“Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

 

“He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment, and who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of My people He was stricken. And they made His grave with the wicked — but with the rich at His death, because He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth.

 

“Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors” (Isaiah 53:1-12)

 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

 

* * * * *

Why Trust God? 60

~ God Provides Nuggets of Wisdom, 1 ~

 

Introduction  ~  “Abundant Life Now” previously provided a list of Biblical of examples of fearing / reverencing God (217 posts).  In this current series we look at Biblical accounts that demonstrate that we can fully trust God.  Initially we posted seven general reasons for trusting God.  We are currently looking at passages from all 66 books of Scripture which demonstrate a reason for trusting our Creator. 

 

Scripture  ~  “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, loving favor rather than silver and gold” (Proverbs 22:1).

 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

 

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