Infused in the Word--March
We are continuing in our weekly scripture discipline to encourage you to read and study God's Word more and also meditate on the key thoughts of our recent articles. We pray this will encourage and assist you as you grow in the Kingdom.
March--Week Twelve
Article: God's Gift of Choices
- God loves His creation, mankind, and wants us to love him freely as He has loved us. He gives us freewill and the gift of choices to ensure we love and obey Him freely. The evil, death and misery of this world is the result of choices. “…Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying Him, and committing yourself firmly to Him. This is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the Lord, you will live long in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
- Religious controlling spirits try to control the world and force them into living by God’s laws and standards. We should not take away the freewill of the lost in this world. If that is what God wanted, He would have done it. It is so important that people choose to come to Him freely, take the path we accepted, through King Jesus Christ. Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. John 14:6 For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up. John 6:44
- The hard truth is that not all will be saved. People don’t always make good choices and that is the negative side of freewill. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit. Proverbs 18:21 NKJV
- God is a loving and patient God. He shows grace and mercy and gives us every opportunity to choose His Son Jesus. The Lord isn’t really being slow about His promise, as some people think. No, He is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief…
Scriptures are all NLT except where noted.
Moving into Romans:
As you read your Bible (God's Constitution for the Kingdom) highlight key scriptures and phrases as the Holy Spirit guides you. What scriptures touch you and minister to you? We have also included links to Bible Gateway in case you don't have a Bible with you at the moment.
This week read and meditate on Romans 9-10. Israel's rejection of Jesus Christ and God's purpose. Salvation is for all who will receive Him.
Keep seeking the Kingdom!
March--Week Eleven
Article: Your Philosophy Determines Your Thoughts
- Thinking positive will not keep you obedient to the Lord God's Word. There is a battle going on in all of mankind. Ambassador Paul had this same battle. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. Romans 7:22-25
- It is the Spirit of God that gives you the power to overcome disobedience, which is sin. So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. Romans 8:1-2
- Keeping the law and the Lord's principles is impossible without the Spirit of Christ in your mortal body. You can't have the Spirit of God and live according to your fleshly desires. The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.
Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God. Romans 8:3-8
Moving into Romans:
As you read your Bible (God's Constitution for the Kingdom) highlight key scriptures and phrases as the Holy Spirit guides you. What scriptures touch you and minister to you? We have also included links to Bible Gateway in case you don't have a Bible with you at the moment.
This week read and meditate on Romans 7-8. Our battle with the sin in our lives and victory through the Holy Spirit; the love of God for us.
Keep seeking the Kingdom!
March--Week Ten
Article: What is Your Status and Reward?
- Our work for the Kingdom is to be acknowledged by the King. Therein is our reward. Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. Matthew 6:1
- When we give our time and effort, we should never make it our business to be recognized for it. When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. Matthew 6:2-4
- When you pray, give to the poor or even fast, don’t go around making it sound like a big deal. Do it without letting others know about it. But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you…“And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get… Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. Matthew 6:6, 16 & 18
Moving into Romans:
As you read your Bible (God's Constitution for the Kingdom) highlight key scriptures and phrases as the Holy Spirit guides you. What scriptures touch you and minister to you? We have also included links to Bible Gateway in case you don't have a Bible with you at the moment.
This week read and meditate on Romans 5-6. Continuing on faith; Adam and Jesus Christ contrasted and we are dead to sin and alive in Jesus Christ.
Keep seeking the Kingdom!
March--Week Nine
Article: What Character Do You Reflect?
- Our conduct should always reflect the characteristics of your King and Kingdom government. Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law. For the commandments say, “You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet.” These—and other such commandments—are summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law. Romans 13:8-10
- Every day, we should constantly be aware of who we are in the Kingdom of the living God. “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” Matthew 5:13-16
- Remember the words of ambassador Paul while at Corinth, concerning character: And what value was there in fighting wild beasts—those people of Ephesus—if there will be no resurrection from the dead? And if there is no resurrection, “Let’s feast and drink, for tomorrow we die!” Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for “bad company corrupts good character”. Think carefully about what is right and stop sinning. For to your shame I say that some of you don’t know God at all. 1 Corinthians 15:32-34
Moving into Romans:
As you read your Bible (God's Constitution for the Kingdom) highlight key scriptures and phrases as the Holy Spirit guides you. What scriptures touch you and minister to you? We have also included links to Bible Gateway in case you don't have a Bible with you at the moment.
This week read and meditate on Romans 3-4. We have all sinned and are sinners but Jesus Christ took our punishment; the faith of Abraham.
Keep seeking the Kingdom!
As you read your Bible (God's Constitution for the Kingdom) highlight key scriptures and phrases as the Holy Spirit guides you. What scriptures touch you and minister to you? We have also included links to Bible Gateway in case you don't have a Bible with you at the moment.
This week read and meditate on Romans 3-4. We have all sinned and are sinners but Jesus Christ took our punishment; the faith of Abraham.
Keep seeking the Kingdom!
