1st Peter 1:18-23, “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.”
I pondered this amazing passage of Scripture today. I admit that I am a sensitive person. That is why I love music do much, and especially musical instruments! My life's passion, next to my website ministry, is playing the pedal steel guitar. It is my happy thought! Here is a song I recorded steel guitar on called: "Near To The Heart Of God." I learned to do that P-Tah effect with the finger picks by one of my favorite Hawaiian steel guitar artists, Bud Tutmarc. I sat by my front door when I lived on Guam by the airport, and in 2017 I made this fun recording to share with others. I used my S-6 short-scale Jerry Byrd Frypan steel guitar. It's made of aluminum, a similar remake of the original 1922 Rickenbacher Frypan, but with some modifications designed by Jerry Byrd. I thank God for it and love that cool guitar! Here are many of my other steel recordings for you to hear and share if you'd like.
Lord willing, it is my heart's desire this year to start recording more steel guitar songs. I have many ideas. I'm also wanting to get into my banjo playing as soon as I get settled, Lord willing. One day at a time. All my stuff is still in storage facility, since I moved from Guam to Pensacola in July of 2021. It has been a rough time for me emotionally, and finding permanent housing. I finally found a good place to stay, and a small church to call home. The Lord is helping my to slowly adjust and transition. I had lived on the island of Guam for 17 years, so now I feel like a fish out of water here in Florida. I can't wait to get back into my pedal steel guitar music. My very favorite pedal steel guitar artist is Lloyd Green (born 1937). Here is a beautiful song that Lloyd recorded in the 1970's which he composed called: "Summer Clouds." I love Lloyd's intelligent performances, which grip my soul. Having said that, I am still considering moving further up north. I'm doing much research. I like Tennessee and Kentucky.
Anyway, back down to planet earth...lol. What does the Bible mean by "Seeing you have purified your souls in obeying THE TRUTH"?: These related Bible passages come to mind:
John 15:3, “Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.”
Psalms 119:9, “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.”
Psalms 119:11, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”
Do you see the unmistakable relationship between heeding the Word of God and being pure in our souls, cleansed and living right for God? To hear the Word of God is not enough, we must OBEY it also. What saith the Scripture? ...
James 1:22-25, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.”
1st Peter 22-25, "Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you."
What beautiful and powerful Words!!!
1st Peter 1:14-17, "Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:"
As believers, we are sanctified by the Word of God...
John 15:3, “Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.”
Psalms 119:9-11, “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word."
Psalms 119:11, "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”
What beautiful Scriptures!!!
James 1:5-8, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways."
God promises to give wisdom to whosoever asks Him for it. Certainly, we cannot expect God to give us wisdom if we are not reading His inspired Word to guide us. Proverbs 3:5-7, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.” Amen and amen! We acknowledge God by obeying His written Word in the King James Bible. Only then, I think, can we justly ask and truly expect for God to grant us wisdom. Sadly, we live in a nation of Bible ignoramuses today in America, and that tragically includes today's average theologically incompetent church leader.
Today's churches are pathetic. I haven't been able to find even one great church here in Pensacola. I was looking for another church to attend today. I found the Calvary Way Full Gospel Church about 7 miles from me, but the church is all about making music, but there's no soulwinning!!! That is not the purpose of the church, to party hardy and play your favorite musical instrument. God has entrusted the local church to obey The Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20). It seems that the last thing churches care about these days is preaching the Gospel. Instead, today's pathetic churches have become entertainment fun centers!!!
God knows that I am not perfect, but I am growing in God's grace every year. I just turned 55 years old on March 5th, 2022 and I've never desired to serve God more than I do today. I often wish and pray that God would show and give me more ideas, strength and opportunities to serve Him better. Google has censored 90% of my web traffic since 2015, sadly. I used to get over 12,000,000 web visitors per years. Now I am blessed if I get 1,200,000 per year. That is the Devil. But thankfully, our great God is greater than the Devil (1st John 4:4). If God wills for THE TRUTH to be preached, then He will open the door for people to find it. I am humbly doing the best I know how with what God has entrusted to me. Jesus is precious!!!
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