Hi! All you lovely people.
Beautiful answers Beloved, Joe, Bobby Proctor, Musicman, OBenda and EKnight. Thank you all so much. But...But as Ray would say "DO WE LOVE GOD?"
Beloved you are dead right, the first three commandments deal with our relationship with God and the rest to do with our neighbour and I agree no one can love God unless God works in them. I accept that but if we are the called then God is evidently working in us. So that settles those points. Since we claim to be the called we accept that He is doing that. But!....But! As Ray would say "DO WE LOVE GOD?"
Now Bobby Proctor's :
1. "For from within, out of the HEART of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man" (Mark 7:21-23).
2. "The HEART is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked [Hebrew: ‘exceeding weak’] who can know it" (Jer. 17:9).
3. "Because the carnal mind is enmity [hatred] against God: for it is NOT subject to the law of God, neither indeed CAN BE [neither is it ABLE]" (Rom. 8:7).
4. "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? Then may ye also do good, that are accustomed [carnal-minded from our birth, as the nation of Israel was] to do evil" (Jer. 13:23).
5. "For it is God which works in you both TO WILL and TO DO of His good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13).
6. "In Whom also we have OBTAINED an inheritance, being PREDESTINATED according to the PURPOSE of Him Who works ALL THINGS after the counsel of HIS OWN WILL" (Eph. 1:11).
There are FIVE "causes" listed in just this one sentence.
7. "For we are HIS WORKMANSHIP, [this is the cause an force behind our Christian walk. We are ‘His workmanship’ in action, not some presumed freedom of the will in action] created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has BEFORE ORDAINED that we should walk in them" (Eph. 2:10).
All excellent reasons, causes and effects and all undeniably true, Scripture proven. But!....But! As Ray would say "DO WE LOVE GOD?"
Musicman you say you honestly try and I believe you as I do Beloved, Bobby and the rest. The fact that you know it's futility is very near the mark but it's not good enough for the kingdom of God. Sorry! It needs a "Yes or a "No" Luke warm won't do, you know what God does with that. "‘So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth." (Rev.3:16).
Which leaves the question still wanting. But!....But! As Ray would say " DO WE LOVE GOD?)
Some excellent Scriptures Joe and undeniable and most desirable virtues without which we cannot hope to enter the kingdom, "4Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 5And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 7And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 8For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. 10Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: 11For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." (2Pet.1:4-11).
All very sound doctrine which we must follow. But!.....But! As Ray would say "DO WE LOVE GOD?"
Welcome aboard like minded Brenda, but please leave that pastor in his Babylonian roost, forget the mere feeling and with no buts answer "DO WE LOVE GOD?"
Your words Eileen: "I guess you could say 'actions speak louder than words'. I sometimes feel that I am using God to help me become a better me. There are so many things about myself that I hate and so I lean on God to help me change. I know that the anger in me, the judgmental side of me, the envious side of me etc etc, cannot be changes without God's help. So, I feel that if I truly loved God more than anything, I would not do things that he does not want me to do. I love God but if he were THE MOST IMPORTANT aspect of my life, I would not have that beast eating away at me. So I guess he is not the center of my existence yet. Does this make any sense?
Bravo! Eileen, you are the nearest. "Actions speak louder than words." Your phrase and a beautiful one. That beast within, Ray tells us is none other than the "I" in us that is prompting all those sins of anger, judgment envy etc.etc. But!...But! As Ray would say have we taken the trouble to diagnose and expose the deadliest part of that beast within all of us that prevents us from honestly answering the question “DO WE LOVE GOD?" To do this we must act by identifying, exposing and then OVERCOMING him.
So now the next question: Who or what is the name of this horrible beast within us that is enmity to God thereby deceiving us into believing that we truly love God?
I have my opinion and I'd welcome all yours. So far the answers have been terrific all undeniably sound and Scriptural but not quite answering the KEY question "DO WE LOVE GOD?" Prove it by identifying, exposing and OVERCOMING the culprit. Unless we do that it's all from an empty mouth. "If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal." (1Cor.13:1).
At the present moment our focus is on tending the garden, pruning the trees etc. keeping it nice and trim for God, which I'd like to think is Beloved's first three commandments. But this appears to be to Satan's liking because while we concentrate on that our attention is detracted from the real enemy he has cunningly concealed within each one of us against our neighbour, making our profession of love for God as false as his false doctrine on hell or free will. All this frantic activity; tilling the soil, mixing the best fertilizers, pruning and digging to make the garden flourish but the leaves keep drying up and falling while Satan sits back and laughs and says "I've got you where I want you."
God bless you brother and sister in our joint walk in Christ.
Love in Christ Jesus.