JoAnn's Spiritual Lessons: Be Vessels of Living Water

JoAnn's Spiritual Lessons: Be Vessels of Living Water: John 4:10,  New King James Version   Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permissi...

JoAnn's Spiritual Lessons: Salvation through Jesus brings freedom and life.

JoAnn's Spiritual Lessons: Salvation through Jesus brings freedom and life.: James 2 , New King James Version   (NKJV) Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used b...

Salvation through Jesus brings freedom and life.

James 2, New King James Version (NKJV)

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

2 My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. ² For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, ³ and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, “You sit here in a good place,” and say to the poor man, “You stand there,” or, “Sit here at my footstool,” ⁴ have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? ⁵ Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? ⁶ But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? ⁷ Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called? ⁸ If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well; ⁹ but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. ¹⁰ For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. ¹¹ For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. ¹² So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. ¹³ For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. ¹⁴ What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? ¹⁵ If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, ¹⁶ and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? ¹⁷ Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. ¹⁸ But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my^[e] works. ¹⁹ You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! ²⁰ But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? ²¹ Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? ²² Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? ²³ And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. ²⁴ You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. ²⁵ Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? ²⁶ For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

1 Corinthians 1:27, (NKJV)

²⁷ But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;

Galatians 3:10, (NKJV)

¹⁰ For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.”

Leviticus 19:18, (NKJV)

¹⁸ You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

Matthew 21:28-32, (NKJV)

²⁸ “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in my vineyard.’ ²⁹ He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went. ³⁰ Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. ³¹ Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said to Him, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. ³² For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him.

Deuteronomy 1:17, (NKJV)

¹⁷ You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small as well as the great; you shall not be afraid in any man’s presence, for the judgment is God’s. The case that is too hard for you, bring to me, and I will hear it.’

Hebrews 6:10, (NKJV)

¹⁰ For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of^[a] love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.

Genesis 15:6, (NKJV)

⁶ And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.

James 1:25, (NKJV)

²⁵ But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

James 3:13, (NKJV)

¹³ Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom.

To refresh you memory of the Law or the Ten Commandments:

Deuteronomy 5, (NKJV)

5 And Moses called all Israel, and said to them: “Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your hearing today, that you may learn them and be careful to observe them. ² The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. ³ The Lord did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, those who are here today, all of us who are alive. ⁴ The Lord talked with you face to face on the mountain from the midst of the fire. ⁵ I stood between the Lord and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the Lord; for you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go up the mountain. He said:

⁶ ‘I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

⁷ ‘You shall have no other gods before Me.

⁸ ‘You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; ⁹ you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, ¹⁰ but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

¹¹ ‘You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.

¹² ‘Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. ¹³ Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁴ but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. ¹⁵ And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.

¹⁶ ‘Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may be well with you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you.

¹⁷ ‘You shall not murder.

¹⁸ ‘You shall not commit adultery.

¹⁹ ‘You shall not steal.

²⁰ ‘You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

²¹ ‘You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife; and you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, his field, his male servant, his female servant, his ox, his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.’

My Comments: If one is not saved or Born Again one is subject to the Laws of God as given to Moses and they are written on our hearts. When one is Born Again one out of love lives a life pleasing to Abba Father and because of the love of God within it is easier to keep His precepts. A person who has had loving parents understands this.

When a child knows the rules of the family and follows them it is either because of fear of being punished or out of love and not wanting to disappoint the ones we love.

This is the same in essence with before we knew the love and indwelling of the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit. When we are Born Again and He comes to dwell within us He guides us to do the things that please Him though Jesus when still with the Apostles said He had two  Commands, Love God and love your neighbor as all the law hinges on these two. If we love God we will not want to do anything that will bring shame on His name. We are His children and carry the righteousness of God and all we do reflects on Him as our Abba Father just like all we did in life before reflected on our earthly families’ name.

This is the faith of knowing and loving the Lord. We take Him at His word. We trust Him to take care of us and even when things seem at their darkest we trust His loves us and has our best in mind for us as long as we keep our eyes and hearts on Him and trust with faith that it is so. This is also why we keep His commandments willingly and they become light because we know we are saved, we are going to Heaven our true home when we leave here, we are made righteous by the blood of the Lamb on the Cross.

We can know someone who is Born Again by their works. Works do not save. One cannot purchase salvation through works nor can they get to Heaven by a formula. One must confess they are a sinner in need of the Salvation Jesus offers and accept Jesus as their Savior then they are made righteous. Not a formula but the only way to salvation. Once one is righteous one wants to please the Lord God and one looks for ways to work in His vineyard and helps in the planting, cultivating and harvest and keeps the Commands knowing when the fall and stumble as they will, that Jesus is there to pick them up, dust them off and give them the renewing waters that flow freely through Him to all who are His. To be under the Law is never to keep it fully and to be condemned. To be made righteous is to be forgiven and assured of a place in Heaven with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I pray you know the Lord or will accept Him as your Savior and no longer be under the Law and condemnation. Salvation through Jesus brings freedom and life.

Abba Father, thank You for sending Your Son Jesus to die on the Cross for our sin and to obtain for us eternal salvation and righteousness. Give us a thirst for Your word and give us Your strength to do all You want for us to do and to become completely Yours.

Jesus You are our King of glory and we praise You for bringing us salvation and for showing us the way to live our lives to bring glory to Abba Father. Thank You for Your sacrifice on the Cross. Help us to carry our crosses and to rely on You completely.

Holy Spirit, fill us with Your presence and guide, teach, fill us with wisdom and knowledge that we may live our lives to bring glory to Abba Father. Thank You for all You do to turn hearts to Jesus.

In Jesus name I pray to the Father in union with the Holy Spirit. Amen

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