An Air of Virtue

The chief assertion of religious morality is that white is a color. Virtue is not the absence of vices or the avoidance of moral dangers; virtue is a vivid and separate thing, like pain or a particular smell.
Gilbert K. Chesterton (1874-1936, British author)

2 Peter 1:2-3
Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. NASU

I couldn’t say anything but “Amen” when I read the words of Chesterson this morning, for what he says is absolutely true. We as Christians do identify so many times the color white, but we identify this brilliance to God Himself, and not to how it applies to our daily lives. We know God is pure and holy and without stain or blemish, but we do not like the idea of striving to duplicate His Holiness to others.

Virtue for the most part is dead today. What is virtue? It is a trusted and honored handshake, a keeping of your word. It is the living outwardly of what is happening inwardly in you as God’s Holy Spirit works, in you and me daily. I do mean daily, for that is virtue, it is not a color, it is a belief, an honored and treasured idea that we are to live out our lives with a defined separation between us and a self-centered world.

God declares this to us clearly in His Word, in 2 Cor 6:17-18 “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” Now this is virtue, it is a different way that someone looks at you, a different air that surrounds the Child of God, which carries with it the fragrance and feeling of Heaven…God Bless.

Pastor William

Choosing Wisely

Everything can be taken away from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedom -- to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.
Viktor E. Frankl (1905-1997, Austrian psychiatrist, author, "Man's Search for Meaning")

Ps 25:12-15
Who is the man who fears the LORD? He will instruct him in the way he should choose. His soul will abide in prosperity, and his descendants will inherit the land. The secret of the LORD is for those who fear Him, and He will make them know His covenant. My eyes are continually toward the LORD, for He will pluck my feet out of the net. NASU

Abraham Lincoln, America’s 16th President said this, “I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere to go. My own wisdom, and that of all about me, seemed insufficient for the day.” Now that is an attitude that would greatly benefit us all. A recognition that sometimes all of my choices are lacking, and I must go to a reliable and proven source.

Seems to me that Abraham Lincoln knew his God, and knew that when all else around him did not make sense, there was still one more avenue of relief. Most likely the situations he was in, and the situations that we find ourselves in daily, are the result of not choosing to ask our most wise God’s advice in our undertakings.

We are given choices, and you cannot live a “choiceless life.” Every moment of every day, choices are made. Our only relief is to make sure the advice that we get for life is the very best. Well this morning I would like to recommend to you our Lord. His answers are guaranteed to give you the most desirable results. He will instruct you and me and keep our feet out of the entangling nets of this world…God Bless.

Pastor William

Narrowing or Widening Your Choices

Every choice moves us closer to or farther away from something. Where are your choices taking your life? What do your behaviors demonstrate that you are saying yes or no to in life?

Eric Allenbaugh American Author of ''Wake-Up Calls''

Deut 30:19-20
"I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the LORD your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them." NASU

You and I live our lives out before witnesses. One day Heaven and earth will give testimony of us, of our choices, and our daily decisions. Our choices and decisions say something about us. The things we surround ourselves with, the things we indulge in, all have a word to say about us to all that know us.

As Christians our daily choices can do one or two things. Our choices can lead our lives into a funnel that narrows or choices, or our choices can broaden our selections and lead to full and rewarding lives. Our choices will, as God has set forth, lead us into wonderful blessings, or make our lives a curse.

God has told us plainly that our choices determine our quality of life and length of days, we live while on this temporal earth. God is even so loving and kind as to give us the secret to bring this life to a successful conclusion. The secret formula is as easy as 1-2-3. We must choose, 1. To Love Him, 2. To Obey Him, and 3. To Hold fast to Him, and never let go. This is choosing life for you, and those you love…God Bless.

Pastor William