I realize a “thought” is to be brief. Especially by today’s standards where if someone uses more than 5 words, or doesn’t write in text messaging or abbreviations they feel exhausted and too wordy. While fewer words usually impact and mean more, and brevity is to be strived for sometimes the necessary words must be said or written in order to convey better. We can’t assume people understand. They more times than not become restless unless brevity is used because they don’t like listening to others and being distracted from their own thoughts, truth be told.

As “A Crooked Path” grows, as I grow spiritually closer to God and His Word and live to distance myself from this world, the topics, the meat of Scripture and what being a Christian means will be covered. Certainly not everything, it would take several earthly lifetimes to even attempt such an endeavor. Especially because I am a newcomer to this all being saved by the blood of Yeshua now for a little over 2 years.

One “thought” which encompasses every moment of every day and every choice and decision we make, or should, is sin, grace, and God’s everlasting love without measure.

I still fail. Daily. I still, as the Apostle Paul wrote, do that which I should not do, and do not do that which I should. I am flesh and blood and human and still wrestle daily with the desires of the flesh. This takes me away from God and learning through His Word which is His will for us to find.

I realize this in a daily ongoing battle. That old dragon the devil wants nothing more than to undermine the spirit, heart, and mind of true believers. We need to prepare for battle each day against the enemy who is always awake and always ready for a fight, and is much more cunning and stronger than we are – so we must rely more and more daily upon the Lord to wage this continual war for us, with us, through Him we attain victory. But we can fall. We can fail. We can even lose. Unless we shed this world and its desires and enticements and place our eyes resolutely upon the Lord and His complete Living Word.

A. W. Tozer writes better than I do, and as a result says things better than I do, so let’s now read what Mr, Tozer’s thoughts are, and as the Lord blesses us with time and days we will expand upon this going to the words and thoughts of A. W. Tozer along the way.

 

Ken

 

 

DEALING WITH SIN

A.W. Tozer

 

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life.

Romans 6: 23

 

Many evangelical teachers insist so strongly upon free, unconditional grace as to create the impression that sin is not a serious matter and that God cares very little about it!

They make it seem that God is only concerned with our escaping the consequences.

The gospel, then, in practical application, means little more than a way to escape the fruits of the past! But the heart that has felt the weight of its own sin and has seen the dread whiteness of the Most High God will never believe that a message of forgiveness without transformation is a message of good news. To remit a man’s past without transforming his present is to violate the moral sincerity of his own heart.

To that kind of thing God will be no party! For to offer a sinner the gift of salvation based upon the work of Christ, while at the same time allowing him to retain the idea that the gift carries with it no moral implications, is to do him untold injury where it hurts him the most!

 

 

LOVE WITHOUT MEASURE

A.W. Tozer

 

Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love.

Jeremiah 31: 3

 

I once wrote something about how God loves us and how dear we are to Him. I was not sure I should put it down on paper – but God knows what I meant.

I wrote: “The only eccentricity that I can discover in the heart of God is the fact that a God such as He is should love sinners such as we are!”

On this earth a mother will love the son who has betrayed her and shamed her and is now on his way to a life in prison. That seems to be a natural thing for a mother. But there is nothing natural about this love of God. It is a divine thing. It is forced out by the inward pressure within the heart of God of all grace. That is why He waits for us, puts up with us, desires to lead us on – He loves us!

My brethren, this should be our greatest encouragement in view of all that we know about ourselves: God loves us without measure, and He is so keenly interested in our spiritual growth and progress that He stands by in His faithfulness to teach and instruct and discipline us as His own dear children!

 

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Dear Father, thank you for changing me from the inside out. Empower me by Your spirit to live in the light of Your forgiveness today as I am struck with the thought of how much You have put up with me – because of Your endless love. Lord, help me take another step toward spiritual maturity today. Amen.