Living as Children of Light

What a great few paragraphs from Ephesians four: 

Living as Children of Light

    17  So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer* live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.* 18 They are darkened in their understanding* and separated from the life of God* because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.* 19  Having lost all sensitivity,* they have given themselves over* to sensuality*so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more. 
    20  You, however, did not come to know Christ that way.  21 Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.  22  You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off* your old self,* which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;* 23  to be made new in the attitude of your minds;* 24  and to put on* the new self,* created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.* 
    25  Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully* to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.* 26 "In your anger do not sin"* :* Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27  and do not give the devil a foothold.* 28  He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work,* doing something useful with his own hands,* that he may have something to share with those in need.* 
    29  Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths,* but only what is helpful for building others up*according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God,* with whom you were sealed* for the day of redemption.* 31  Get rid of* all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.* 32  Be kind and compassionate to one another,* forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.* 

How to Identify Manipulators by Don Miller

A most excellent repost:

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How to Know If You’re Dealing with a Manipulator

by Donald Miller

A few years ago, I started studying manipulative people. And I started studying them after having been completely taken in over the last several years by a few of them. You just assume all people are good and honest and it’s a shock and borderline offensive to think they aren’t, but the truth is some people are a lot more manipulative than others.

The bottom line is manipulative people try to trick you into siding with them or submitting to their will without directly asking you to do so.

They like to trick people into things.

Whether it’s a business deal or romantic relationship, manipulative people will use guilt, shame, lies and trickery to get what they want.

I’ve been trying to identify the kinds of manipulators I see in the world, for my own personal protection. There are false victims, dramatics, bullies and so on. But there’s one common denominator. It’s important and it’s this: Manipulators have a very difficult time admitting they are wrong.

If I have one piece of advice it’s to never work, fall in love with or for that matter walk a dog for anybody who has a hard time articulating their faults or mistakes.

People who cannot articulate their faults or mistakes see life as a game. They are keeping score.

And they intend to win.

They want you to submit but have no intention of submitting themselves. Theirs is not a world where we are supposed to create intimacy and trust through grace, but a world where we are supposed to accumulate power and security by tricking the people around us.

The best book I’ve read about manipulators is a book called Who’s Pulling Your Strings by Harriet Braiker. 

I would never have agreed with the idea that some people should be avoided because they’re manipulators ten years ago. 

But I live by that idea now.

And I’m happier.

I have a friend at the Department of Justice who once said to me “Don, 90% of people’s problems could be solved if they just chose the right people to work with or to love.” 

It took me awhile, but I agree with him. 

Stay away from manipulators. If they can’t articulate their mistakes or faults, they’re pretending to be superhuman and they’re playing a game. And you can be sure, you’ll lose.

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Read more from Don Miller at http://storylineblog.com

A Really Great App

I have my friend Gabe to thank for showing me the Mantis Bible Study App. -- http://mantisbible.com

For six years this has been my favorite tool for studying Scripture. And one of my favorite things to do with it is simply word searches. Search the word "love" and it turns up 505 results. "Christ" = 499. "Jesus" gets an even 1000. "God" also has 1000 passages. Search "blood" and there are 352 verses to read.  "Spirit" reveals 477 versus. And "sin" shows 420.  

I love the app because of how easy it makes it to study the Bible for yourself. Of course there are lots of online tools as well like Biblegateway.com. It's important to listen to good teachers but it's more important to study and learn for ourselves, and to apply and pray Scriptures into our hearts.  We must have our own theology, a belief system that we own and live by. This can only come from personal investigation of God's Commandments, followed by obedience. Searching words like "repent", "forgive", and "love", put us on a path of choice. God's Commandments, God's scripture, is for our own spiritual good. If you believe someone else is in charge of your spiritual walk and your spiritual health then you are mistaken. Christ is the only mediator between God and man. The Scriptures inform and educate us about God's heart and reveal a clear desire that he has for each one of us = freedom. 

Mantis is a really great app but it's only a tool that leads us to the Truth. I like the easy technology but even if we were studying scrolls passed down to us from the apostle Paul himself the effect on our hearts should be the same. 

Where, then, is boasting?

There are some things in scripture and in God's plan that are so deeply spiritual they cut to the very core of who we are and how we think. Justification is one of these things. So many questions: How are we justified? Why are we justified? Why are we guilty before being justified? Can we boast that we are justified? 

That justice even exists in God's plan tells us one very important thing: it is needed. We are guilty. We are fallen. We are separated from God. Sin is the wall between us and our Maker. We cannot get to Him because He is Holy. And we are not. A debt must be paid for this wall of sin and it cannot come from us. 

Paul's letter to the Romans can be a bit confusing. The first 4 chapters are written to the Jews in Rome. Paul was addressing their misunderstanding about justification. They continued to think justification came by works, by status, and by obedience to the law. Paul declares the good news is much bigger now; much broader and wider than a handful of Jews. Sure, the Law came through them, the "Chosen" people. But now the grace of God extends even to the Gentiles, those not of Jewish descent. Now we are all God's Chosen people. Justification by the blood of Christ now reaches all who believe.

But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement,[i] through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. -3:21

It's super clear. But still, if you've been bragging your whole life about being a Jew you might have trouble. It might now even seem fair. You had the bloodline of Abraham before the blood of Christ. It was enough for your parents and their parents before them. And what about the tedious obedience to all those laws?!? Jews did that. Not Gentiles. Wait. What? Gentiles get a free pass?!? After all these years, decades and centuries even?! Now the Good News is getting personal. That is why Paul continues with this: 

27 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith. 28 For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, 30 since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. 

There are some things in scripture and in God's plan that are so deeply spiritual they cut to the very core of who we are and how we think. Justification is one of these things.The Jews needed to hear that they were no better than the Gentiles because both are justified by faith in the blood of Christ. What about today? In the world we live in are there not those who think they are better than others? Maybe we are tempted to think like the Jews did, that maybe we are better than some other "types" of Christians. Yes. Unfortunately. Boasting is not excluded. But it should be. 

Is God the God of your church only? 

Is God the God of missionaries only? 

                      ... of worship leaders only?

                      ... of evangelists only? 

                      ... of the poor only?

Is God the God of the _______ only? 

The list could go on ... indefinitely. Just fill in the blank. 

If you have faith in Christ and in His blood, then, according to the Gospel laid out here in scripture, by the Spirit of God, you are justified!! Don't listen to those who tell you otherwise; those who place conditions on your salvation. There is only One condition. You are redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb! -- not by works, by status, or by obedience to the law. 

Where, then, is boasting? 

Boasting is excluded because we are included by faith.