[Biblemat] Article - Serving God Through Mature Actions

[GLClair at aol.com]

SERVING GOD   
THROUGH MATURE  ACTIONS 
Indeed, the exercise of brotherly love is always an urgent activity for  the 
true Christian. Too often we neglect to exercise our mental faculties that  
aid us in spiritual growth in forgiveness. Patience, kindness, and love toward  
all. The problem underlies much misunderstandings among Christians and within  
congregations can be caused because a lack of these qualities.   
The greatest degree of brotherly love is possessed by those of maturity  
[i.e. Christians who have exercised their senses to  include patience, kindness, 
forgiveness, and love toward all]. The  individuals that are constantly 
pursuing gossip and such things cannot grow  spiritually as they ought. For the 
individual to mature correctly they must  possess certain inmate qualities and 
develop them over a period of time.   
The beginning of this development begins when the person becomes a  Christian 
through faith and obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ --- Romans 6:1-5, 
1 What shall we say then? Shall  we continue in sin, that grace may  abound? 
2 God forbid. We who died to sin, how shall we any longer  live therein? 
3 Or are ye ignorant that all we who were baptized into  Christ Jesus were 
baptized into his death? 
4 We were buried therefore with him through baptism unto  death: that like as 
Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the  Father, so we also 
might walk in newness of  life. 
5 For if we have become  united with (him) in the likeness of his death, we 
shall be also (in the  likeness) of his resurrection;  ASV 
Secondly, the newly converted Christian must develop love for God for  
brethren, and for his/her fellow man ---  
Mark 12:30-33, 30 and thou salt  love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, 
and with all thy soul, and with thy  entire mind, and with all thy  strength. 
31 The second is this, Thou salt  love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none 
other commandment greater than  these. 
32 And the scribe said unto him, of a truth, Teacher,  thou hast well said 
that he is one; and there is none other but  him: 
33 and to love him with all the heart, and with all the  understanding, and 
with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself,  is much more than 
all whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices.  ASV 
1 John  3:11-18, 
11 for this is the message which ye heard from the  beginning, that we should 
love one another: 
12 not as Cain were of the evil  one, and slew his brother. And wherefore 
slew he him? Because his works were  evil, and his brother's righteous. 
13 Marvel not, brethren, if the world hateth  you. 
14 We know that we have passed out of death into life,  because we love the 
brethren. He that loveth not  abideth in death. 
15  Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know  that no murderer 
hath eternal life abiding in  him. 
16 Hereby know we love, because  he laid down his life for us: and we ought 
to lay down our lives for the  brethren. 
17 But whoso hath the world's  goods, and beholdeth his brother in need, and 
shutteth up his compassion from  him, how doth the love of God abide in  him? 
18(My) Little children, let  us not love in word, neither with the tongue; 
but in deed and truth.  ASV 
The good qualities that are discussed in our study today are all  available 
to the Christian but the Christian must seek to excel in these good  qualities. 
The Christian that develops these good qualities and continues in  them 
toward maturity are the strength and backbone of each congregation in our  vast 
brotherhood. There can be no development of these qualities if one harbors  evil 
thoughts, desires, or intentions toward anyone [i.e. those in the church or  
those in the world]. The successful acquisition of these good qualities are  
required of Christians as stated by Peter in 2 Peter  1:1-11, 1 Simon Peter, a 
servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to them  that have obtained a like 
precious faith with us in the righteousness of our God  and (the) Savior Jesus 
Christ: 
2 Grace to you and peace be multiplied in the knowledge  of God and of Jesus 
our Lord; 
3 seeing that his divine power hath granted unto us all  things that pertain 
unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that  called us by his 
own glory and virtue; 
4 whereby he hath granted unto us his precious and  exceeding great promises; 
that through these ye may become partakers of the  divine nature, having 
escaped from the corruption that is in the world by  lust. 
5 Yea, and for this very cause  adding on your part all diligence, in your 
faith supply virtue; and in  (your) virtue knowledge; 
6 and in (your)  knowledge self-control; and in (your) self-control patience; 
and  in (your) patience godliness; 
7 and in (your)  godliness brotherly kindness; and in (your) brotherly 
kindness  love. 
8 For if these things are yours and abound, they make  you to be not idle nor 
unfruitful unto the knowledge of our Lord Jesus  Christ. 
9 For he that lacketh these things is blind, seeing  only what is near, 
having forgotten the cleansing from his old  sins. 
10 Wherefore, brethren, give  the more diligence to make your calling and 
election sure: for if ye do these  things, ye shall never stumble: 
11 for thus shall be richly  supplied unto you the entrance into the eternal 
kingdom of our Lord and Saviour  Jesus Christ. ASV 

_glclair at aol.com_ (mailto:glclair at aol.com)  
April 12,  2008



**************It's Tax Time! Get tips, forms and advice on AOL Money & 
Finance.      (http://money.aol.com/tax?NCID=aolcmp00300000002850)
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20080412/7f41d77d/attachment.html