Growing In Grace

The steps of a righteous man are established by the Lord And He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the Lord upholds him with His hand. (Psalm 37: 23,24) The verses out of the 37th psalm above describe my life the last seven years. At a time in my life when I was closer to God than I had ever been I fell into sin. I really thought that I had fallen into the one place in the universe that God had forgotten about and therefore couldn't find me. But all the while He was holding me up with His hand, even though I couldn't see Him working. Oh what grace and mercy there is available in God! The last few months I haven't been very active on the internet and my words have become few. God's been teaching me a new language....again. I used to want to argue and establish my position...and I do mean mine though I thought I was standing for the Lord. I figured I had something to teach people when it was I who needed to learn. Jesus humbly took the basin and towel to my feet and washed them when I was in the midst of my pride and lovingly destroyed that sinful pride in His humility. "If I, your master, have washed your feet..." He's given me new eyes so I can see, new ears so I can hear, and a new heart so I can love.I've never been one to be given to making New Year's resolutions, but at the end of this year I find myself reflecting on the incredible grace that God has poured into my life in the last several months. In reality it seems a coincidence that I've made these resolutions at the end of the year because it wasn't the approaching new year that inspired them, but my longing for a new and changed heart. I've come up with nineteen so far--I'm nowhere close to Jonathan Edwards' 70, but like him I'm going to keep these and read them often. Here's the list that's on my heart:1. Love others above myself2. Learn and seek humility (I pray for the grace to be humble so that I may recieve more grace to be more humble so that I may recieve grace)3. See myself as I really am before I see others.4. Wait on the Lord. (I want to wait on Jesus as a faithful steward waits quitely and patiently before his king.)5. Do nothing without the Lord's leading.6. Die to myself7. Live to God8. Be a servant9. Seek no position of honor for myself10. Humbly obey my parents and those above me without complaining or murmering11. Glory in my weaknesses12. Seek to place no stumbling block in front of a brother in Christ13. Hold no offences and keep no record of wrongs done to me14. Forgive as I have been forgiven15. Consider the poor16. Lift up and encourage those who are young or weak in their faith in Christ17. Know no man after the flesh18. Know nothing but Christ and Him crucified19. Disappear or become so transparent that all people see in me is Christ

Good on you Jeremy - good words.Question re number 17: Know no man after the flesh . . . . what does that mean?God bless you,Brian

Hi Brother,Question re number 17: Know no man after the flesh . . . . what does that mean?It comes from 2Cor 5:16. It's sort of KJV language that means I won't judge any man by his outward appearance.Here's some different commentators on the verse:Wesley2Co 5:16 - So that we from this time - That we knew the love of Christ. Know no one - Neither ourselves, nor you, neither the rest of the apostles, Gal_2:6, nor any other person. After the flesh - According to his former state, country, descent, nobility, riches, power, wisdom. We fear not the great. We regard not the rich or wise. We account not the least less than ourselves. We consider all, only in order to save all. Who is he that thus knows no one after the flesh? ln what land do these Christians live? Yea, if we have known even Christ after the flesh - So as to love him barely with a natural love, so as to glory in having conversed with him on earth, so as to expect only temporal benefits from him.Jamison Faucet Brown (JFB)know we no man after the flesh — that is, according to his mere worldly and external relations (2Co_11:18; Joh_8:15; Phi_3:4), as distinguished from what he is according to the Spirit, as a “new creature” (2Co_5:17). For instance, the outward distinctions of Jew or Gentile, rich or poor, slave or free, learned or unlearned, are lost sight of in the higher life of those who are dead in Christ’s death, and alive with Him in the new life of His resurrection (Gal_2:6; Gal_3:28).yea, though — The oldest manuscripts read, “if even.”known Christ after the flesh — Paul when a Jew had looked for a temporal reigning, not a spiritual, Messiah. (He says “Christ,” not Jesus: for he had not known personally Jesus in the days of His flesh, but he had looked for Christ or the Messiah). When once he was converted he no longer “conferred with flesh and blood” (Gal_1:16). He had this advantage over the Twelve, that as one born out of due time he had never known Christ save in His heavenly life. To the Twelve it was “expedient that Christ should go away” that the Comforter should come, and so they might know Christ in the higher spiritual aspect and in His new life-giving power, and not merely “after the flesh,” in the carnal aspect of Him (Rom_6:9-11; 1Co_15:45; 1Pe_3:18; 1Pe_4:1, 1Pe_4:2). Doubtless Judaizing Christians at Corinth prided themselves on the mere fleshly (2Co_11:18) advantage of their belonging to Israel, the nation of Christ, or on their having seen Him in the flesh, and thence claimed superiority over others as having a nearer connection with Him (2Co_5:12; 2Co_10:7). Paul here shows the true aim should be to know Him spiritually as new creatures (2Co_5:15, 2Co_5:17), and that outward relations towards Him profit nothing (Luk_18:19-21; Joh_16:7, Joh_16:22; Phi_3:3-10).