From the Kitchen Table

Advent Day 6

​ Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.  Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.  I Thessalonians 4:1-12

Here’s something to think about.  If we don’t respect ourselves, we can’t expect others to respect us either.  It’s impossible to possess what is real when we’re living what is fake.  God’s will for our lives is what is right and what is real.  That would be called sanctification.  God’s will for our lives is what is right and real and anything that is not pure is not right.  Wrong and wickedness spring from living fake lives filled with fake new in fake love.  The Holy Spirit comes to work what is right and real in lives that are  wrong and wicked so that we can know love, real love.  As we begin to live in what is right and real, we begin to find love that is real and right.  Love become real and right as our lives become right and real.  And as the Holy Spirit makes us right, He will make us real and that’s something we can respect and so can others.  We must let the Holy Spirit not only make us powerful, positive and possible but we must let Him make us pure.  That’s where the respect lies, in what is right and real.