It’s an age-old debate – are works necessary for our ticket into heaven? Some forms of Christianity make it a huge issue. You can even do something on behalf of someone else to ensure their entry past the pearly gates. Others debunk that as Old Testament – under-the-Law theology.

James, chapter 1 gives a road map for Christian living.

Rejoice when you encounter various trials and let them perfect you.

If you lack wisdom, ask God, who gives it generously.

Rejoice in God’s perfect plans and designs for you personally.

Remain steadfast under trial.

Don’t be deceived. Every good and perfect gift comes from God, the Father of Lights.

Be quick to hear; slow to speak; slow to get angry. Anger does not produce God’ righteousness.

Receive the implanted Word, which is able to save your soul.

Be doers of the Word, not just hearers who,
in actuality, deceive themselves.

Bridle your tongue!

Visit orphans and widows and keep yourself
unstained in this world. 

This is pure, undefiled religion before God.

Living the Kingdom of God on this earth will require doing as well as being. It isn’t that the doing saves us, but it does prove God’s righteousness overshadows, fills motivates and sustains us. The proof, an old adage says, is in the pudding – one can only judge the quality and character of something after you have tried, used or experienced it. I cannot say I live for Jesus if I have not done so, nor will the world experience God’s true love apart from the way we, believers in Jesus, live out God’s Kingdom here on this earth.

James 2 dives in a bit deeper. Now it isn’t about the things I do to gain the character and heart of God within my own soul. Now it is about how God’s love is accomplished through me.

Showing partiality to the rich and slighting the poor is not just wrong; James calls such evil thoughts. He makes quite an indisputable case – it is the rich who oppress; it is the rich who will drag you into court with little provocation just because they can. It is the rich who do such things that dishonor the very name of Christ, the name by which believers are called…Christians. Showing partiality is an I’ll scratch your back because I know you can scratch mine mindset. God’s love constrains us from that kind of evil thinking and living.

James says fulfilling Jesus’ command to love others as you love yourself means we fulfill the Royal Law, and if we show partiality to the rich, slighting the poor, we are committing sin and are, therefore, convicted by the law as transgressors (the law imposed under the old covenant). The Royal law, on the other hand, is the law of liberty ushered in by Jesus, whose actions are merciful rather than judgmental, and Mercy triumphs over judgment. The Royal Law is best demonstrated in how Jesus lived and died. Even from the Cross He cried out, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do! Jesus did not slight the rich. He ate in their homes, counseled them in the night, and, I dare say, opened their spiritually blinded eyes - but neither did he show them partiality. 

He made abundantly clear what the Royal law is in His infamous Sermon on the Mount . . .

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they shall be satisfied.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Here is the crux of the debate over faith and works. . . 

Believing in Christ is not proprietary – even the demons believe and shudder!  Our world wants a demonstration of Christ’ love, grace and mercy – not just empty hyperbole. True faith in Jesus is faith that is action-packed, and our faith is completed by how we live Christ’s Royal Law toward those around us. 

This reminds me of another newer adage – You complete me. As we live out the love, grace and mercy of Christ, we are being completed by Him. We are not saved, but sanctified – blessed, purified and made holy – by what we do with what we believe. It is not debatable, but simple Truth:

The body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead – lifeless; empty.

smcs / 12/31/2019

BASHIRAH, THE GLAD TIDINGS CAMEL

Merry Christmas everyone! 
I am sharing one of the Christmas stories I've written and illustrated, complete with a whimsical song young and old seem to enjoy. It is copyrighted but not published yet, and I hope you will enjoy and share it freely.

This is actually the first in a series of 8 children's Christmas stories I wrote for my grandchildren, and it premiered at my family Christmas gathering in 2008. I just finished the illustrations this year so it was time to share it again.

Bashira, the Glad Tidings Camel, is excited to take you along on his journey to Bethlehem. May the Lord Jesus, the reason for this amazing holiday, grant you peace and joy this Christmas.

With much Aloha!  Sue Sargis

So goes a verse in the well-known poem we sing at Christmas, “Do You Hear What I Hear?” written in 1962 by Noel Regney and his wife, Gloria Shayne as a plea for peace and a return to human civility, sanity and dignity during turbulent time in America. It’s a song that could have been written again in this time of world history. The wealthy get wealthier, all the while fearful of the next stock market crash, while the poor get poorer. How should we live, especially those of us who know the amazing grace of God and the gift Jesus brought to earth over 2000 years ago?

It’s a haunting question, especially at Christmas when giving is clearly on our minds, and oh how the hype can crowd out the true spirit of giving. Does the subtle fear of not having enough cause a hoarding spirit to prevail? James 5:1-3 warns us from the grave to love people and love God out of compassionate, giving hearts, or corruption and corrosion will eventually consume us.

Look here, you rich people: Weep and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.

Woe! What a strong indictment. Corrosion happens to silver when something comes in contact with it that breaks down its composition. There is no known natural substance that can destroy gold, but James is not speaking of the natural. His indictment is about the heart and the spirit with which we relate to one another in this world. In Matthew 6:19 Jesus tells us…

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

And previously in James’s dissertation (4:1-3) he says:  When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

What and where exactly is my treasure, and how am I preventing spiritual corrosion? Where is my heart?

I checked out a website, globalrichlist.com, which shows one's personal rank in wealth in our world today. You put in the country you live in and your annual income – that’s all. No gimmicks. I learned that my meager social security benefit puts me in the TOP 3.20% RICHEST people in the world! OUCH! But it isn’t about our world wealth status, is it?

The Rich Young Ruler (Matthew 19:16-20) wasn’t living a nonspiritual life simply because he HAD wealth – but rather because he chose his self-sufficiency over following Jesus. Treasuring Jesus, most of all, changes the trajectory of our heart and causes us to see, with the eyes of our heart, how to live out a life of blessing toward others on this earth. His instruction, rejected by the man who asked Jesus what good things he needed to do to inherit eternal life, was this:

“If you would be complete, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure {a storehouse of precious things} in heaven; and come, follow Me.” The man went away, scripture says, sorrowful because he had much wealth.

Caring for one another and following Jesus are treasures seated in heaven, rather than here on earth where corrosion robs us of the pure joy of partnering with Jesus for the sake of bringing the Kingdom of Heaven here to this earth.

There is another story about the condition of the hear which Jesus reflects on…

Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”

Being wealthy is realizing the abundance in my life, living with the mindset of gratitude, giving freely and graciously rather than keeping, for myself, what I might consider meager finances, compared to the rich young ruler.

This holy Christmas season as I contemplate the life of Jesus – born in a humble manger, died a sinner’s death on a Cross so I might be free – will I live my life out of a hoarding spirit or out of my redeemed heart? One choice buries my treasures on earth where corrosion destroys even gold, the other is deposited in Heaven’s vast storehouse from which God’s blessings continually flow. For where my treasure is, there will my heart be also…

Said the King to the people everywhere, “Listen to what I say. The Child, the Child, sleeping in the night, He will bring us goodness and light.”

Jesus spoke to the people and said, "I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the Light of Life.  John 8:12

smcs // 12/16/2019

HERE IS JESUS

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning; through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:1-5

Here is Jesus for all mankind to see and to know – intricately, majestically SEE; succinctly, intimately KNOW.

Here is Jesus – THE WORD, with God; the Word, GOD

Here is Jesus – from the BEGINNING, through whom all things were made. You, me, the earth and all its fullness. Without Him NOTHING was made that has been made. Animals, fish, plants, trees – every living thing CREATED by Him.

Here is Jesus – LIFE that ushers in LIGHT for all mankind. Illuminating the darkness, enlightening our vision so we can KNOW the hope He gives to all who would believe.

Here is Jesus – darkness cannot hide Him, crush Him, overcome Him.  because darkness can never overcome true LIGHT, true LIFE.

Here is Jesus – born as man in a humble manger,

died a sinner’s death so we could have eternal life,

seated at the right hand of the Father 

            interceding for you and for me,

                 soon and coming King!

Here is Jesus – come home.

May the Hope, Joy, Light, Life and Peace of Jesus be yours this Holy Christmas Season,

Merry Christmas,
Sue McCary Sargis (2019)

DIG A LITTLE DEEPER

“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like.They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built." Luke 6:46-48

"Dig a little deeper in God's Love. O, dig a little deeper in God's Love" - It's a song I remember from my youth. I looked it up and found that Kenneth Morris composed it around 1948 and Mahalia Jackson recorded it. Mr. Morris lived from 1917 to 1988 and his music company was the longest surviving publisher of black gospel sheet music. When I think of the world he was born into and the struggles of African American people all these years, I think he must have been a person who understood how to dig down deep and lay a firm foundation.

I remember this phrase as a monetary term when one had to dig down deep in our pockets to find the reserves to pay for something we really needed or wanted. It is also an idiom meaning to dig way down deep in our own souls to uncover who we really are. We can scratch the surface, or dig down deep and the way we live life will be reflective of our choice. 

The other visual in my mind is of a soldier in a war zone who could dig a hole three feet deep, or dig a deeper trench. He could hide his profile in a fox hole, but if he really wanted to be safe he would dig down deeper. It's not easy and it takes longer, but it's a much better place to be with enemy fire coming from all directions.

How do I dig down deep?  It's not rocket science. I spend time digging into the Words of our God so I get a clearer picture of His will, His ways, His desires for me. It's in deep trenches of God's Word instead of scrambling for a fox hole where I find the weapons necessary for spiritual warfare. There I am able to battle the onslaught of enemy fire with weapons of mass destruction. and where I learn to rest in the reality that the battle belongs to the Lord.

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. (2 Corinthians 10:3-4)

I am also trying to spend more time listening to God than bombarding Him with my words. As Matt Redman puts so succinctly, "Let my words be few."  This comes from Ecclesiastes 5:1-2 . . .

Guard your steps as you go to the house of God and draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools; for they do not know they are doing evil. Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few.

Only as I invest my heart, mind, soul and time in the process of digging down deep do I experience unshakable support and strength, wisdom and the knowledge needed for when the winds of adversity, come, courage to stand against the attacks of the evil one, steadfastness when the ways of this world slam into me. Floods and storms will come; torrents will strike but I will not be shaken. The exhortation and God's promised reward for digging down deep and laying a strong foundation is as true today as the day it was penned over 2000 years ago.

No, it's not rocket science, true - but it is not always easy to make the choices necessary. In my world today everyone, including me, wants the easy way out, the quick fix. We want someone to tell us a good story each Sunday or stuff us full of spiritual insights for a weekend but then we walk away into real life which can so easily shatter our resolve. I love the mountain top experiences, but when it is time to be back in the real world, the only place safe and secure is in the One who tells us to dig down deep and lay a strong foundation; to hear His words and put them into practice. Not rocket science, but it does take the same kind of determination and resolve.  

smcs //  revised November 5, 2019

MOUNTAIN MOVING FAITH

God gave me an assignment recently – to pray that mountains be removed. I felt in the depths of my spirit the call to pray, and to walk in mountain-moving faith. There is a specific situation for me, but I’ve realized over the past couple of weeks this is how I am to pray for everyone – to pray that emotional mountains of shame and blame go throw themselves into the sea, never to return again!; that mental mountains of fear, defeat, and even those we call mental illnesses, would no longer be fruit-sucking giants blocking our way forward; that physical mountains, all that stuff in our lives, would no longer trap us, smother us, keep us from growing and sharing the fruit of a redeemed spirit – the spirit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control; and also that those spiritual mountains of doubt, skepticism, distrust, cynicism would be uprooted, never again take up space in hearts, minds and souls. I am literally and figuratively watching mountains move and freedom rise up, the freedom for which Jesus died so can live in this world free indeed. 

Biblical imagery often is designed to help us understand life’s experiences – whether it be successes or obstacles that hinder us. I pray the eyes of our hearts will be opened to the depth of God’s love, His purposes and plans which are altogether good, and to the power God exerts in and through us as we both stand in and walk out lives of faith; as we live and move and find our existence entirely in Him. To our Mountain and our mountain-mover be all the glory and honor and praise.

THE MOUNTAIN

1 Corinthians 13:2 –  If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
God grants us mountain-moving faith, and we know it is fruit-filled faith when Agape (God’s unconditional love) is the catalyst of our prayers, petitions, hopes and dreams.

Isaiah 2:2 –  In the last days the mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it.

Many things can exalt themselves and become, what seem, insurmountable mountains – but they are only hills dwarfed in the presence of God, who is the source of our faith. Every menacing thought, obstacle, circumstance is actually a  molehill, brought low as we fix our hope on the Lord. I am reminded of Psalm 121 that begins: “I lift my eyes to the hills. Where does my help come from?” At first I think the Psalmist sees the hills and not the Mountain of the Lord. But then he gets it! “My help comes from the LORD, maker of heaven and earth.”

Isaiah 52:7 – How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”

Oh Lord, when mountains seem to be in our way, we pray you will open our ears to hear your good tidings, open our eyes to see your salvation in the midst of this crazy life, to feel your peace when all around is chaos, and to know with every fiber of our being that YOU REIGN! And, Lord, help us to be the ones who proclaim your peace, who bring Good News to all desperate to know there really is good news. Help us be good-news bearers of the grace we find in You, Savior, Redeemer, Lord.

Isaiah 54:10 – Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you.

Mountains and hills often represent obstacles looming before us, and the enemy of our soul wants to preoccupy us with these, to make us feel we are on the verge of erupting, and he even attempts to steal, kill and destroy our faith in our faithful God. But our Lord shouts down the taunts of the enemy with the assurance that God’s love for us is unfailing, his covenant of peace cannot ever be removed from us, and his compassion will always be upon us.

Micah 4:1 – In the last days the mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and peoples will stream to it.

We are His holy temple. He has established Himself in the very depths of our being, and any other mountain that threatens our peace simply cannot stand in the presence of His glorious grace and love. As He dwells within us, we reflect His beauty, and through us, He draws people from all walks of life, from every tongue, tribe and nation, into His very presence.

MOUNTAIN-MOVING FAITH

Mark 11:23 –  Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’  and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.

Jesus, what mountains are in my way? Is it the mountain of defeat, despair, depression, fear, anguish, sorrow, sadness, hopelessness? Am I praying for others but all I see are mountains of skepticism, unbelief, self-sufficiency, doubt, rejection, and the outright lies of the enemy telling me they are too well-rooted to ever be uprooted? WELL, I SAY TO THOSE MOUNTAINS YOU GO THROW YOURSELF INTO THE SEA!! You have no authority here. You are a liar and you cannot thwart the plans and purposes of Almighty God! Lord, I will not doubt your power, your presence, your purposes, and I thank you for the work you are doing in me, in my loved ones, in every circumstance. You alone are Lord!

Matthew 17:20 – Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as  mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.

Sometimes mountains are in the way that I cannot see over or around and it is impossible to go through them. But as I draw near to you, Lord, they must flee!!! So I say, in Jesus’ name – get out of my way!!

Matthew 21:21 –  Jesus replied, Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done.

Just walk away! That’s what I feel I witness when Jesus approaches the unfruitful fig tree, assesses it, and declares, “you will never be fruitful again.” I must evaluate my life all the time in light of God’s calling and purpose for me on this earth, and when I see something is not fruitful it is counterproductive for me to keep pouring effort into it, no matter how good or godly it may appear. All those ideas I carefully plant and cultivate which cease to be productive, it’s ok to walk away, to stop fertilizing them, pouring water on dry ground, and resting underneath greenery that seems appealing even though there are no longer signs of fruitfulness. It takes personal integrity and humility to walk away, and Godly insight to admit something is, in fact, usurping time, talents and energy needed for new seasons of faith and fruitfulness. It’s ok to walk away.

Psalm 121:1-2 –  I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.

I see Oahu’s beautiful Ko'olau’s, and every time I gaze upon those majestic mountains, I envision God chiseling every one of them, painting them with His glory, and I hear Him calling me to lift the eyes of my heart to Him. In those moments, whether troubles are brewing or not, I know God, maker of heaven and earth, is my help!

Matthew 14:23-24 –  After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

Lord, you call me to climb up on the mountainside to pray, to seek your face, to offer my songs of gratitude and praise, and to lay before you all that concerns me today. In this quiet place I find my rest in You. Dwarfed by the majesty of Your presence, every care fades away and I know today and every day I live enveloped in You.

HIS MAJESTY

Psalm 95:1-5 – Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.

Singing! Joy! Shouting! Thanksgiving! Music!  Oh, my Lord who has the depths of the earth, the heights of the mountains, the vastness of the sea and the beauty of all lands in your hands, thank you for being the Rock of my salvation. Thank you for being my mountain-moving God! What joy it is to know You are the only Mountain that cannot be moved, and the Mountain every other mountain, hill or even valley, bows down to. How majestic! How glorious You are!

Fruit Bearing

"I am the true vine and my Father is the vinedresser.... as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in Me."        John 15:1;4

My friend, Mary, recently led the last session of a small group and this scripture continues to linger in our hearts. She is doing her own study on the Vine and Vinedresser, and I am too. We will get back together and work through this and maybe even offer this study in the future to those interested. It is fascinating!

Today all I'm going to do is give an amazing definition found on the www.torres.es.en/blog on the Anatomy of Grapevines:

Every component, every minute function, represents a complex and perfect biological design. Nature provides us with profound wisdom, which is humbling and demands that we listen and respect it, because only then will nature give us the very best of itself.

My reinterpretation of their profound thought:

"Every component, every minute function of growing and bearing much fruit represents the complex and perfect work of our Heavenly Father - our Vinedresser, of His Son - our Savior, our Vine, and of The Holy Spirit - who dwells within us, who provides us with profound wisdom straight from the Father’s heart. This complex and perfect work requires one more component - that we remain in them. Indeed this is so humbling and demands that we listen and abide reverently. Only then will the supernatural fruit-bearing workings of the Trinity produce, in and through us, the best of  Themselves."

Here's to a fruitful day in Jesus

Aloha, Sue

FaithWorks!

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LET YOUR LIFE SPEAK

I found and took a photo of a picture at a thrift store today, “LET YOUR LIFE SPEAK” which, along with pictures of my grandson, became my graphic design for this blog.

It seemed appropriate to the subject.

GODLINESS TRAINING ~ 1 Timothy 4:7-16

 ….Train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. 

The world is obsessed with bodily training, just like it must have been in Paul’s days when the Colosseum was a lively and oft-times brutal place where strength determined victory. Today we have CrossFit, power-lifting, muscle-training, marathons, triathlons, and on and on. In our town families are stuck at home and churches close their doors because of the inability to get in or out driveways due to tens of thousands of participants in the annual marathon. I don’t, actually quite sadly, participate in any of those things. I say ‘sadly’ because I know that training the body is not only a good thing but can be a righteous pursuit too. My body is the ‘Temple of the Holy Spirit’ after all, and God deserves a fit temple, don’t ya think?

But here’s the thing – if godliness training is not moving the meter of my life, then all the bodily training in the world will not benefit me in the long run.  My view of life does not dictate a here-and-now existence. My life will continue beyond the grave, and I long for and look forward to my God welcoming me home with “well done, good and faithful servant.” So, this begs the question – what is godliness training? I got a very succinct answer as I kept reading. . .

Set an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.  Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift you have….

Conduct – does my behavior reflect the character of God
Love – do I love as Jesus loves – God, myself, others?
Faith – is my faith hidden under a basket, or does it help light dark paths?
Purity – my actions AND my thoughts, are they pure? What is my motivation?
Scripture – lots of books to read! How much do I let God’s revelations in?
Exhortation – when I open my mouth, am I an encouragement to others?
Teaching – how good of a coach am I in teachable moments?
Gifting – do I use God’s gifts so that they flow naturally out of me?

Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.

PRACTICE, IMMERSE, PERSIST! Then, just like weight training develops specific muscles, I will develop character muscles. Others will see my progress and as I persist in my pursuit of godliness training I, and others, will reap the benefits now and for all eternity. It’s a pretty good reason to pursue soul/spirit training.

I injured my foot recently. It is healing and I will get back to bodily training because I know it is good for me. I will also let my life speak as I pursue, practice, immerse and persist in godliness training. I do like the idea of temporal and eternal rewards!

Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
1 Corinthians 9:25

Onward and Upward!

suemccarysargis / 6/22/2019

SEVEN NECESSARY INGREDIENTS IN MY SPIRITUAL PANTRY –

To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours: Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.  His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Seven ingredients - I guess the world would hash-tag these ‘virtues’ and certainly they are, but more than this, they are the most basic ingredients for successful living, for clarity and for our own personal safety!

Through these God gives us His great and precious promises, and through these we actually participate in His divine nature! Possessing these, in increasing measure, guarantees we will be effective and productive in our knowledge of Jesus.

Without them we are unproductive, ineffective, nearsighted, blind and we will easily fall into Satan’s traps of accusation and condemnation, shame and blame.

Possessing these things keeps us from stumbling along life’s pathways, and one day when we stand before our righteous and Holy God we will receive a rich welcome into the Eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Well, that's intriguing enough to want to know WHAT these things are! Here goes…

Begin with FAITH, and
ADD GOODNESS. To this

ADD KNOWLEDGE. To this

ADD SELF-CONTROL. To this

ADD PERSEVERANCE. To this

ADD GODLINESS. To this

ADD MUTUAL AFFECTION. To this

ADD LOVE

Then, keep on adding these in increasing measure. 

If my recipe for life includes these but it is limited, like a recipe for a one-layer cake, then I will quickly be exhausted, and many people God places in my life will not taste His goodness through me because my spiritual pantry will simply be depleted.

My mom made me a 7-tier wedding cake!! It was enough to feed 500 guests with cake left over. When my faith is perpetually growing through God’s own character, His banqueting table  is never depleted, and I and those He brings into my life get to taste and see that He, indeed, is good. (Psalm 34:8)

Abundant life begins with faith, is upheld through love and is sustained by everything in between. Every ingredient must be on hand in my spiritual pantry, so that I get to continually partake of and dish out God’s divine nature. It is how, we are told, we escape the corruptions of this world bent on starving us of God’s goodness, grace, mercy and love. It is through these things that we get to help others escape too.

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. (vs 3)

Well, I better go check my pantry!
In His Love, 
suemccarysargis 6/10/2019

To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours: Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 2 Peter 1:1-2
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