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THE LAW AS USED IN PAUL'S WRITINGS
The word "law" as used in Paul often refers to "the Jewish religion" or the whole corpus of the Mosaic system which scholars say was composed of 613 commandments. In many cases if you substitute "Jewish religion" for law it will make the meaning clearer. In a larger sense we could use any religion today such as "Baptist religion, Muslim religion, Evangelical religion, Catholic religion, Lutheran religion, etc." Under the New Covenant we are led by the Spirit and NOT by "religion” as such (see Romans 8:14). We find this theme throughout the writings of Paul. There was the constant conflict over Jewish converts to Christianity trying to impose the Law of Moses (Jewish religion) on new converts from the Gentiles who had no background in Judaism whatsoever. Even today there is endless warfare over “religion” which builds walls and sets people against one another. At the core of our being we all have ONE Father Who is above all, through all, and in all (see Ephesians 4:6). If we would focus on that essential truth all wars would cease very quickly. We were created in God's image and likeness and that is true of all people, whatever their religion or lack or it may happen to be. The great masses of humanity live in ignorance of their true identity and this sense of separation from God leads people to attack one another and live an ego-based existence.
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"Above this sense-life, there is a universe of Spirit governed by Love, peopled with children of God living in the household or temple of Truth. This world is real and permanent: Its substance is eternal Consciousness. In it there is no awareness of discords or even of temporary and material good."—Joel S Goldsmith, The Infinite Way
You may read ONE IN THE BOND OF LOVE on the link below: Tags: spiritual life
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BY MY SPIRIT Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.”—Zechariah 4:6 ESV
It is not by might (the physical realm) nor by power (the mental realm) but by the Spirit that real healing takes place. “By my Spirit” does not come through thought processes or physical or material force of any kind. Healing comes through EXPERIENCING THE PRESENCE OF GOD because in that Presence nothing else is power whether it be disease, lack, loneliness, or depression. EXPERIENCING the Presence of God is not the same thing as accumulating information about religion and spirituality, however good such information may be. There is an element in our human nature that runs from the Presence of God and that element must be recognized for what it is and completely surrendered (see Genesis 3:8-9). Those who are half-hearted and lukewarm continue to choose darkness instead of light. This admonition of our Lord should cause all of us to watch and pray continually, lest we be deceived by the mass hypnotism of the world.
"Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”—Matthew 7:13-14 ESV
"There is a rest, then, for the people of God--a rest from all the anxious thought and worry that hovers about the human reasoning."--Walter C Lanyon, The Temple Not Made with Hands, p. 94 Tags: prayer, spiritual life
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A ROOT OF BITTERNESS
Hebrews 12:15 New Living Translation (NLT)
15 Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.
One of the definitions of "bitterness" is: "anger and disappointment at being treated unfairly; resentment." This feeling of being treated unfairly may be ever so small but it is in reality a DEADLY POISON that will affect every area of our life, especially our relationships with others. We may think that we are able to hide our anger but others will sense it and often quietly withdraw from associating with us which will only increase our own suffering and likely intensify our resentment. If we compromise even slightly with bitterness it will be like a deadly poison and will not only ruin our relationships but will also bring all kinds of sickness and physical problems. Few people would knowingly drink some poisonous substance but think nothing of allowing anger and resentment to abide in their consciousness. Even more serious is that harboring bitterness can cause us to fail to receive the enabling grace of God. Does this mean that God stops loving us if we are bitter? No, but it does mean that we are cutting ourselves off from partaking of the empowering aspect of grace and making ourselves weak physically, spiritually, mentally, and socially.
With God all things are possible but we must intentionally choose to let go of every ungodly thing in our life and then earnestly set our feet on the path of unconditional forgiveness and love. Then God's grace comes in and we receive His almighty power and what humans call "miracles" begin to happen (see Philippians 2:12-14). Think about this seriously, examine your own hearts, and without further delay take whatever steps needed to put your spiritual house in order.
"I know from personal experience how damaging it can be to live with bitterness and unforgiveness. I like to say it's like taking poison and hoping your enemy will die. And it really is that harmful to us to live this way."--Joyce Meyer
 Tags: love, relationships, spiritual life
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Psalm 34:14 Common English Bible (CEB)
14 Turn away from evil! Do good!
Seek peace and go after it!
Most of us decry the violence and conflict that sweeps through our world but at the same time may be allowing things in our life that are destroying our own peace. Such things as even minor irritations are little forms of death that bring misery, sickness, and greatly hinder spiritual growth. If our spiritual journey is not bringing us increasing peace, joy, and love for God and others then something is radically wrong and it is time for some very serious heart searching and making needed corrections in our thinking. In the midst of a troubled and hurting world we are privileged to experience the peace of God in a way that no human words could ever describe. We must be willing to recognize any hindrances to peace in our lives and put them away by the grace of God. We cannot contribute to the peace of the world unless we "go after it" in our personal life with all diligence. We must be about our Father's business of truly experiencing His Kingdom in our hearts and sharing love, joy, and peace with others. We cannot truly pray "Thy Kingdom come" while living contrary to the principles of the Kingdom.
As you consider these inspired words a good prayer might be: "Lord, change me."
Philippians 4:8 The Message (MSG)
8 Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. 
To read more short articles related to this topic click on the Tag "peace" directly below.
Tags: bible gems, peace
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