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Genesis 6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
The above verse describes the state of mankind when God decided to destroy the earth with a flood. Only Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Notice the correlation between heart and thoughts. David said thy word I have hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee (Psalm 119:11). God’s word as revealed in the bible, when we study it, will become a part of us and the Holy Spirit will bring it to mind, as needed, to keep us from sinning.
Ephesians 5:26 “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,” This scripture deals with how Christ cleanses the church. Again, we see the importance of the word of God as a part of the cleansing process. There used to be a very popular saying “what would Jesus do”. It was then shortened to WWJD. Looking at things from Jesus’ perspective is always a good idea. However, in order to know Jesus’ perspective, we have to study the bible. Read the words of Jesus in the bible. In my bible, it is written in red. It will help you to get an understanding of how Jesus viewed the world.
One of the most important things the bible tells us, is to have love. Love for God and love for others. The measure of whether we are loving others as ourselves is to ask the question, “how would I feel if someone did to me what I am about to do to this person”. The bible also tells us what love looks like. 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs”. How many of us have dealt with someone who keeps a record of wrongs: 2 years later, you are having a disagreement and they will bring up something you have already apologized for, or you thought was already dealt with…something that should have been forgiven and filed away. This is not something we should practice; it only leads to more strife.
I recall when I first got born-again, I noticed that I was very suspicious of everyone. I felt that almost everyone was out to get me. I had to pray and spend time in the word to have the Holy Spirit deliver me from this mindset.
If we truly love Jesus, we will want to please Him. We will have the desire to be the people that He wants us to be. He wants to return for a church without spot or wrinkle. Our hearts desire should be to grow spiritually and become more like Him.
https://joyfoster.substack.com/