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Natural, Normal, Worldly -- Supernatural, Spiritual, Biblical

 

Ø      Get All You Can, Stealing - Give Beyond Ability Luke 6.20-21, 24-25, 30, 34-35, 38 And turning His gaze toward His disciples, He began to say, "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. "Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. "But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full. "Woe to you who are well fed now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. "Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back. "If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount. "But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. "Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure--pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return." 2 Cor. 8.1-3 Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia, that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality. For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord, Eph. 4.28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. (Stealing involves time and little things, not just something you can be arrested for! It’s not I owe, I owe, it’s off to work I go. I go in order to give to see God’s kingdom expand!)

 

Ø      Look out for #1 – Serve Others Mt. 20.25-28 But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. "It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." Mt. 23.8-12 "But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. "Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. "Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. "But the greatest among you shall be your servant. "Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted. Phil. 2.3-4 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

Ø      Pride, Boasting – Humility Eph. 2.8-9 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. Jam. 4.6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble."

 

Ø      Praise and Honor Yourself – Praise and Honor God - Jn. 7.18 He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him. Jn. 8.50, 58 And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges. Jesus answered, "If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God.

 

Ø      Put Others Down - Build Others Up – Eph. 4.29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.  Heb. 3.13 but encourage one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

 

Death – Life Dt. 30.15, 19 See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live. Prov. 18.21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit. Prov. 26.18 Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death,is the man who deceives his neighbor,

     And says, “I was only joking!”. Mt. 5.21-22 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ (Empty head) shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire. We choose life not only by our actions, but by the words we speak as well.

 

Ø      Save Life – Lose Life Mt. 16.24-25 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. Phil. 3.7-8 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ. Taking up our cross has little to do with mother-in-laws or illnesses. When my will crosses God’s and I have a decision which will I’m going to follow, that’s my cross for the moment. That’s why I have to pick it up daily. It helps if the decision is already made….

 

Ø      Temporal, Focus On Here & Now. Things Visible – Eternal, Focus On Forever & Future Promise, Things Not Seen Ps. 73.2 But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling, my steps had almost slipped. 3 For I was envious of the arrogant as I saw the prosperity of the wicked. 9 They have set their mouth against the heavens, And their tongue parades through the earth. 11 They say, "How does God know? And is there knowledge with the Most High?" 13 Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure and washed my hands in innocence; 14 For I have been stricken all day long and chastened every morning. 15 If I had said, "I will speak thus," behold, I would have betrayed the generation of Your children. 16When I pondered to understand this, it was troublesome in my sight 17 until I came into the sanctuary of God; then I perceived their end. 18 Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction. 19 How they are destroyed in a moment! They are utterly swept away by sudden terrors! Mt. 6.19-21 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  2 Cor. 4.17-18 For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. 5.1 For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. hil. 3.13, 18-20 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead. For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Tim. 6.17-19 Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.

 

Ø      Love the World – Hate the World Mt. 6.24 "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Heb. 11.14-16 For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them. 24-26 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward. Jam. 4.4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 1 Jn. 2.15-17 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever. (God created the world for us to enjoy. Otherwise we’d never see in color and God wouldn’t have created so many different tones and shades of the same color. However, if our appreciation of nature draws us away from God and other things of God and doesn’t make us appreciate Him more, it can boarder on idolatry.)

 

Ø      Condemnation – Conviction – Jn. 16.8-10 8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more. Rom. 8.1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. Rev. 12.10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, "Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. (Condemnation is general, with the purpose of beating down, making one feel worthless. The source is the enemy. Conviction is very specific, with the purpose of getting right with God and forgiveness. The source is Holy Spirit.)

Ø      Resentment, Bitterness – Forgiveness Eph. 4.31-32 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. Col. 3.8, 12-13 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. Heb. 12.15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled. (Some things that have helped me in this area are: forgiveness doesn’t necessarily mean reconciliation and spending lots of time with the other person nor declaring the other person right and I’m wrong. I try to put my hand on my heart when I get even the least bit hurt and ask God to heal my hurt and take any resentment away. I also try to decide to forgive, no matter who or what - in advance. The decision is made, I just have to put it into action. Lastly, Holy Spirit is to gush from us like rivers of living water (Jn. 7.38). Resentment and hurts are one of the main blockages to that. So if the flow is blocked, check out the forgiveness.)

 

Ø      Division – Unity Jn. 17.21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. Gal. 3.28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Eph 4.3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. (The world loves to divide. It divides by age, sex, race, religion, nationality, economics, social standing, marital status, etc., etc. Unfortunately, the church has bought into some of this. Things should not be this way!)

 

Fear, Unbelief, Distrust, Worry, Anxiety, Doubt, Heart Troubled, Fretting, Intimidation, Timidity, Sense Knowledge, Confusion  – Faith, Belief, Trust, Prayer, Power, Love, Sound Mind, Peace Mk. 5.36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not be afraid; only believe." Jn. 14.1 "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. Rom. 14.23 23 But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin. 1 Cor. 14.33 For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints. 2 Cor. 5.7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. Phil. 4.6-7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 2 Tim. 1.7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.  Jam. 1.6-8 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

 

Ø      Despair, Depression, Discouragement – Hope, Encouragement, Comfort 2 Cor. 1.3-5, 8-10 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ. For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead. Who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us. 4.8-12 we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death works in us, but life in you. 2 Thes. 2.16-17 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work. All of us deal with this, as did Paul. The key is to recognize it and not to set up our tent in the slough of despair. We need to recognize that with God there is always victory!

 

Ø      Temptation – Overcoming, Joy Jam. 1.2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. 1 Jn. 5.4-5 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world— our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

 

Ø      Fear of Man – Fear of God Ps. 118.6-8 The LORD is for me; I will not fear; What can man do to me? The LORD is for me among those who help me; therefore I will look with satisfaction on those who hate me. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. Pr. 8.13 The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate. 14.27 The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to turn one away from the snares of death. Is. 51.10-13 Was it not You who dried up the sea, The waters of the great deep; Who made the depths of the sea a pathway For the redeemed to cross over? So the ransomed of the LORD will return and come with joyful shouting to Zion, And everlasting joy will be on their heads. They will obtain gladness and joy, And sorrow and sighing will flee away. "I, even I, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you are afraid of man who dies and of the son of man who is made like grass, that you have forgotten the LORD your Maker, Who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth, that you fear continually all day long because of the fury of the oppressor, as he makes ready to destroy? But where is the fury of the oppressor? Lk. 12.4-5 “And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!

 

Ø      Judging – Mercy Mt. 7.1-5 "Do not judge so that you will not be judged. "For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. "Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? "Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' and behold, the log is in your own eye? "You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. Luke 6.36-37 36 Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. “Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Rom. 2.1 Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. Jam. 2.13 For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. 4.10-12 Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you. Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge of it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbor?

 

Ø      Complaining, Grumbling – Thanksgiving, Gratefulness Phil 2.14 Do all things without complaining and disputing, 1 Thes. 5.18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

 

Ø      Lust – Love Lk 6.32-35 “But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. 1 Cor. 13.1-8 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.  And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  Love never fails. Gal.5.16-23 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissension, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 1 Pet. 2.11 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul. (Lust has to do with me getting my needs met. You have  something  that I need/want. Love has to do with giving to meet another's needs.)

 

Ø      Lie, Deception, Falsehood, Darkness, Craftiness – Truth, Light 2 Cor. 4.2-4 but we have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. Eph. 4.15, 25 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ. Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another. 1 Thes. 5.5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. 1 Jn. 1.5-10 This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.

 

Ø      Too Heavenly Minded To Do Any Earthly Good - Keep Thoughts On Things Above And On The Spirit Rom 8.5-8 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. Col. 3.1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

 

God helps those who help themselves - God Helps the Helpless Rom 5.6-8, 10 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. Rom. 8.26-27 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. (We can’t even pray by ourselves!) 1 Jn. 2.27 But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him. (We can’t even teach ourselves from the word, we need Holy Spirit to do it.)(This saying is quoted by many in and outside of the church as though it was scripture or biblical.)

 

Ø      Religion – Relationship Mk. 7.6 He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: 'This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. Mk. 12.28-31 Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?” Jesus answered him,  “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Lk. 3.7-9 So he began saying to the crowds who were going out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? "Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our father,' for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. "Indeed the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; so every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." 13.13-16 And He laid His hands on her; and immediately she was made erect again and began glorifying God. But the synagogue official, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, {began} saying to the crowd in response, "There are six days in which work should be done; so come during them and get healed, and not on the Sabbath day." But the Lord answered him and said, "You hypocrites, does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the stall and lead him away to water him? "And this woman, a daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years, should she not have been released from this bond on the Sabbath day?" Jn. 5.39-40 You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life. (You may be surprised to find religion on the natural side, but just look around the world. There are 1000’s of religions, each trying to reach god in their own way. Our enemy delights in religion!)

 

The first is what the world expects and teaches. This is what the title describes – natural and normal. The world, the flesh and the devil are the sources. Negative and self-serving typifies this side. If you do these things, you will be seen as smart, right. However, you will displease the only one who matters. Living on this sidse requires little effort or discernment. You can go with the flow, be like your neighbors and the media, fit in with the crowd.

 

The second is what God expects and the Bible teaches. It isn’t natural, it’s supernatural. It requires the new birth and Holy Spirit filling and controlling us. This side is positive and giving. If you act like this side, you will be thought foolish by many, but you will please the one who really counts! To think, talk, act like this side requires effort, warfare really, because everything around us tells us not to be this way. It is definitely swimming upstream, going against the flow. It requires real discernment at times to figure out what is right.

 

Many might consider worship to be a spiritual rather than a normal thing. However, all of mankind worships, it is only Christians who worship the one true God and His only Son, Jesus Christ.

 

Unfortunately, the church does not always exhibit the spiritual side, but quite often displays the opposite! This does not make the spiritual side less spiritual, it simply means that the church doesn’t always live up to what God wants from her. Just because something seems to be normal and natural we need to not assume it’s necessarily right. Let’s follow God’s plan because only with it is there fulfillment and fullness of joy!

 

The references given are certainly not extensive or exhaustive. This, like many studies that I do, could springboard into many studies, covering much more time.