1 Corinthians 1:18-25, New King James Version (NKJV) Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.” 20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. 22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
Colossians 1:18-25, (NKJV)
18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. 19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. 21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled 22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight— 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister. 24 I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church, 25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God,
Galatians 5:22-25, (NKJV)
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
My Comments: In my life I was blessed to have a wonderfully Christ centered Aunt and Uncle who lived their whole lives and raised their one son, and only child, to live his life to bring honor and praise to God and to believe in the saving grace of Jesus the Christ. I did not understand this completely when I was a young girl of eleven and stayed with them for a short period when my family was out of town. Then when I had my first two daughters they again were in my life.
They were great examples of a Christian family, and couple, and their walk with the Lord was evident in all they did. Again I did not understand what I was privileged to see. I knew they were loving and yet did not understand where that wisdom and love came from. I just thought they were good people.
They were more than good people though the Bible says none are good except the Father. I learned years later they were more than easy going yet honest people. They exemplified the fruit of the Spirit no matter what happened around them. They prayed for eleven years before they had their one and only child. He was a joy and though they had prayed so hard and so long for him they never spoiled him yet raised him in the love and joy of the Lord. He accepted Jesus' gift when he was very young. He and my Aunt prayed over my second oldest child when she nearly died. She lived and grew up and had her own family because they were faithful to the Lord and lived in the Spirit of Christ Jesus.
Looking back at them in my mind, I use them and have used them often since I accepted Jesus as my Savior. Christ is my first example and they are the examples I knew close up and personal in my life. I look to Jesus and the Word of God as to how to live my life and remember how living for Christ looked in two wonderful people who influenced my life.
Because of these two saintly people, when I did come to know and accept the free gift of salvation and was Born Again as Jesus says we must be to enter Heaven, I was able through the Holy Spirit to grow and change how I interacted with my children and my husband. As I have said before, I was raised Russian Orthodox and went into a Catholic cult called Soldiers of the Euchrist. That is where I met and married my second husband. And though I was in a cult the Holy Spirit worked on my heart and let me hear to Gospel message and told me what I had to do to be Born Again.
Still after repenting of my sin of putting other people and things before God and living life my way, accepting the gift of salvation and redemption I was in the cult and reading the wrong bible. Still God blessed me and showed me His mercy and grace. He took away my husbands job our home and placed us where we could hear good solid Bible teaching of the Word of God and the Holy Spirit worked in our hearts and changed us. Because of the good example of my Aunt and Uncle I knew what a solid godly marriage looked like and strove to change. Then eventually God placed us in a solid Bible believing teaching studying body of believers where we could grow and help others to grow as well. I praise God daily for sending good teachers into our lives and I know my husband did up until He passed on to be with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and be reunited with God Almighty.
I pray you have fine godly examples in your lives and I know from seeing the ones I have been privileged to have, that it is possible for a person to know God fully in His Word and walk with Him continually. I pray you come to know the living God as well and accept His saving grace on the Cross bought through His suffering for all that none should perish. It is a choice and the Holy Spirit wants to fill you with His fruit but first you must in you have not done so already, you must repent (confess and turn from your sin) and accept Jesus as your Savior and believe He died on the Cross for you and rose on the third day that you and all may live eternally as Children of God. It is your choice to listen to the Holy Spirit.
I did not use that choice well early in my life. Not even when I saw the joy of life in my Aunt and Uncle. Maybe the early people Paul and the other Apostles preached to, allowed themselves to be blinded to the truth as well. Yet like many who followed and lived the the Gospel of Jesus, I too turned from the worlds ways and was accepted into the loving arms of Jesus. Therein lies my joy. The joy I knew my Aunt and Uncle and my Cousin had. The joy of the first martyrs. The joy the Apostles had even when being persecuted for Jesus and the Gospel. I pray you beloved will come to know this joy.
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