GLEANING THE FIELD OF THE BELIEVER’S LIFE - PS. DAVID J LEET, first published on 02/02/1999.
- paracleteministrie0
- Apr 3, 2025
- 22 min read
Updated: May 2, 2025
PART 1
The term “gleaning” means - to go in after the main harvest is completed, and clean up what is left over.
Ruth 2 V 3:
3 And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech.
Deuteronomy 24 V 19a:
19 When thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow: that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hands.
We overlook a sheaf, or sin. We don’t yield up all to God, we remain comfortable. Jesus Himself had a final battle with this on our behalf, and gave us the strength to overcome.
Matthew 26 V 39b:
39 And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.
The basic human cry is no, Lord, I don’t want to have the pain and shame of admitting it to you, of being exposed. This, however, keeps us ineffective and out of God’s will for our lives.
2 Corinthians 13 V 5:
5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
We must ask ourselves, am I led by God’s Holy Spirit, or humanistic flesh values? Not my will, not the world, but your will, Father.
Philippians 2 V 12-13:
12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
John 14 V 17:
17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
Proverbs 14 V 12:
What may seem right, leads to death. So that by our own free will and authority, we hold onto little sins, and give the devil a foothold in our lives. We are therefor under a curse. This is not God’s will of us at all.
Joel 3 V 12-14:
Judgement on sin, harvesting or reaping the good, and discarding the bad. This should make us uncomfortable, due to the little sins we may be holding onto. Perhaps even our mindset.
John 4 V 36:
Spiritually speaking of - God’s promises, rewards, perseverance, joy in service.
Hosea 10 V 12:
Repentance, reading for blessing, righteous, wholly seeking God. Spiritual sowing or disciplining.
Compare Hosea V 13:
13 Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; ye have eaten the fruit of lies: because thou didst trust in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men.
Now we’re on our way back into God’s will for our lives.
TRUE RELIGION - True honesty, until it hurts! Brings true humility before God. Most of our problems are self generated.
Deuteronomy 31 V 6:
6 Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
Divine presence and constancy.
James 1 V 5-6:
5 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.
6 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.
James 1:9:
9 Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted:
Hebrews 13 V 5:
5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
4 By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honour, and life.
Deuteronomy 32 V 46-47:
46 And he said unto them, Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day, which ye shall command your children to observe to do, all the words of this law.
47 For it is not a vain thing for you; because it is your life: and through this thing ye shall prolong your days in the land, whither ye go over Jordan to possess it.
PRIDE
Proverbs 29 V 23:
23 A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.
Micah 6 V 8:
8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
True Religion = Love, Justice, Humility
Mark 12 V 33:
33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. Brotherly love to Neighbour.
Romans 13 V 10:
10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
James 1 V 27:
27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
Zechariah 7 v 9-10:
9 Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother:
10 And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.
EVIL IMAGINATIONS
Jeremiah 23 V 17-18:
17 They say still unto them that despise me, The Lord hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you.
18 For who hath stood in the counsel of the Lord, and hath perceived and heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard it?
FALSE PROPHETS
Genesis 1 V 27:
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Genesis 5 V 3:
3 And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, and after his image; and called his name Seth:
James 4 V 7-12:
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
11 Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.
12 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another? Submission, drawing near to God.
PRIDE:
Pride doesn’t travel alone. Pride, arrogance and haughtiness.
Psalm 10 V 2 - Arrogance
2 The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.
Psalm 73 V 6 - Pride
6 Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment.
Proverbs 16 V 18 - Haughty spirit.
18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
THREE FAMILIAR SPIRITS:
Pride - High Opinion of Your Superiority
Arrogance - Unwarranted or pretentiousness
Haughtiness - Disdainfully Proud
These three (3) emotions block the continual effective working of the Holy Spirit. God actually hates this particular sin. This actually blocks us from reaching or fullest possible potential in God.
Isaiah 57 V 15:
15 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
Contrition of Heart - Deeply sorry for sin, Submissive, Penitent
Lowly of spirit - Humble - “Indwelling of Christ”
Micah 5 V 4:
4 And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.
Shepherds of great strength, majesty and security for our lives, our soul search in all areas of our lives, it’s an ongoing process.
GOD’S SHEAR MAJESTY!
PART 2 - FRIENDSHIP & BROTHERLY LOVE
To aid in all of this process, we are going to need a true friend to stand with us in times of trouble and re-establishment where love will hold us together in Christ. It’s true and unchangeable.
Proverbs 17 V 17:
“A friend loves at all times and a brother is born for adversity”
Have you ever needed to re-establish yourself in life? Be it money, family, faith, emotionally, etc.? Then you need a friend!
Proverbs 18 V 24B -
“but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother”
For instance, look at David and Jonathan, in:
1 Samuel 20 V 17:
17 And Jonathan caused David to swear again, because he loved him: for he loved him as he loved his own soul.
They were friends who loved each other as themselves. Read on through V 42. They made a generational covenant.
18 Then Jonathan said to David, To morrow is the new moon: and thou shalt be missed, because thy seat will be empty.
19 And when thou hast stayed three days, then thou shalt go down quickly, and come to the place where thou didst hide thyself when the business was in hand, and shalt remain by the stone Ezel.
20 And I will shoot three arrows on the side thereof, as though I shot at a mark.
21 And, behold, I will send a lad, saying, Go, find out the arrows. If I expressly say unto the lad, Behold, the arrows are on this side of thee, take them; then come thou: for there is peace to thee, and no hurt; as the Lord liveth.
22 But if I say thus unto the young man, Behold, the arrows are beyond thee; go thy way: for the Lord hath sent thee away.
23 And as touching the matter which thou and I have spoken of, behold, the Lord be between thee and me for ever.
24 So David hid himself in the field: and when the new moon was come, the king sat him down to eat meat.
25 And the king sat upon his seat, as at other times, even upon a seat by the wall: and Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul's side, and David's place was empty.
26 Nevertheless Saul spake not any thing that day: for he thought, Something hath befallen him, he is not clean; surely he is not clean.
27 And it came to pass on the morrow, which was the second day of the month, that David's place was empty: and Saul said unto Jonathan his son, Wherefore cometh not the son of Jesse to meat, neither yesterday, nor to day?
28 And Jonathan answered Saul, David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem:
29 And he said, Let me go, I pray thee; for our family hath a sacrifice in the city; and my brother, he hath commanded me to be there: and now, if I have found favour in thine eyes, let me get away, I pray thee, and see my brethren. Therefore he cometh not unto the king's table.
30 Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him, Thou son of the perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion, and unto the confusion of thy mother's nakedness?
31 For as long as the son of Jesse liveth upon the ground, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom. Wherefore now send and fetch him unto me, for he shall surely die.
32 And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said unto him, Wherefore shall he be slain? what hath he done?
33 And Saul cast a javelin at him to smite him: whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of his father to slay David.
34 So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and did eat no meat the second day of the month: for he was grieved for David, because his father had done him shame.
35 And it came to pass in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad with him.
36 And he said unto his lad, Run, find out now the arrows which I shoot. And as the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.
37 And when the lad was come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the lad, and said, Is not the arrow beyond thee?
38 And Jonathan cried after the lad, Make speed, haste, stay not. And Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows, and came to his master.
39 But the lad knew not any thing: only Jonathan and David knew the matter.
40 And Jonathan gave his artillery unto his lad, and said unto him, Go, carry them to the city.
41 And as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of a place toward the south, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times: and they kissed one another, and wept one with another, until David exceeded.
42 And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of the Lord, saying, The Lord be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed for ever. And he arose and departed: and Jonathan went into the city.
Matthew 26 V 37:
37 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.
Jesus had three such friends in this relationship, Peter, James and John.
So here we see the love of a friend and a man for his brother, and then the love of Christ towards us.
You see, everyone needs a shoulder to cry on, or a crutch to support them, from time to time. Certainly I have found a friend in Christ Jesus! And my fiancé, Chrissy!
We now go to an area little understood these day.
FORGIVENESS:
To assist us, and the Lord in this gleaning process, we need to learn to give ourselves, others, or God, whichever the case might be. In my case, all of the above.
Matthew 6 V 14:
14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you.
Ephesians 4 V 32:
32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you.
So, before we can be blessed or forgiven ourselves, we must forgive and bless others, who are hurting us, or standing against us. By this process we grow in God: and acquire the attribute of mercy, and sonship/daughtership.
What happens when you are cut off in the checkouts or bank queues or on the road? Do you, under your breath, forgive and bless, or out right curse and get angry and upset?
We no longer have a sin consciousness, we recognise sin and rebuke it straight away. But now, what would Jesus have done?
Matthew 18 V 21-22:
21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
How many times shall we forgive? Seven times? Jesus says that 70 x 7 shall you forgive. I would hazard to say, that you would just keep on forgiving, until it is evident that this is being played upon.
But then, if the person truly repents of this, you then forgive again.
You see, if God has given over His only Son Jesus, to death, for our sins and theirs the He might forgive us, who are we to say any different?
Matthew 6 V 14:
14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
You’ve got to have that mindset, that attribute in our life. You see in the scenarios presented - How did you feel? What was our emotion of heart? Your imagination in anger at being cut off? Let’s see what the Macquarie Dictionary says.
HEART - Seat of life, or vital powers, or of thought, feeling or emotion. Seat of emotions and affections (often in contrast to the head ass the seat of the intellect); Feeling: Sensibility, spirit, courage and enthusiasm.
SOUL - The spiritual part of man as believed to survive death. The seat of the feelings or sentiments. The embodiment of some quality. A human being, A person.
SPIRIT - The vital principle in man, animating the body or mediating between body and soul. The incorporeal part of man. A supernatural incorporeal being. Feelings with respect to exaltation or depression. Fine or brave visor or liveliness; Mettle. The true or general meaning or intent of a state of mind.
Incorporate - To put or introduce into a body or mass as an integral part or parts.
PART 3
FORGIVENESS ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED IN THE GLEANING PROCESS
The Macquarie Dictionary - Says:
EMPATHY - EMPATHISE - EMPATHETIC
An entrant into the feeling or spirit of another, appreciative perception or understanding.
How many times do we say to people that Jesus has felt what you feel? Knows the pain and hurt you are going through?
Well, there is our pattern for empathising with others, that we have hurt, or been hurt by. Thereby helping us along the way to attaining mercy, grace and understanding unto ourselves, in order to help others.
Now let’s look at the heart and soul of the matter.
Psalm 19 V 14:
14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.
“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in Thy sight, Oh Lord, my strength and my redeemer.
So that verse of Scripture clearly shows us, that our words come from our heart and the meditations or thoughts therein contained, but to rely on God. Since there are at least 286 scriptures pertaining to the heart, and others concerning the condition of it, ie - kindhearted, wholehearted, etc, perhaps then, we should focus on this diamond of many facets in our chests a little closer!
Here is one warning scripture for us.
Matthew 12 V 34-35:
34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
Look at how closely the heart and soul relate to one another in contrast to the head, or miind. We’ll look at the mind a little later.
Philippians 4 V 14-15:
14 Notwithstanding ye have well done, that ye did communicate with my affliction.
15 Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only.
We are to be like minded in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Deuteronomy 10 V 12:
“Ad now, Israel, what other the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul.”
The Lord here sets down a requirement of us, which He expects to be adhered to. Notice though how closely heart and soul are placed together to fear or respect Him, follow His ways or teachings, and to love Him.
Now see in the next verse, that we receive both an action and a promise, for complying with God’s requirement.
Deuteronomy 30 V 6:
6 And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.
Did you notice the generational promise in the midst of God’s promise to us? “AND THE HEART OF THY SEED”. With these few words, He causes not only us to receive, but also our children, and their children. This also is a condition upon which to live, and a principle cause of life.
Therefore, to follow these commandments, is to know God. Which according to:
John 17 V 3:
To know God is - eternal life. Read that verse and consider this reinforcement, we find in Matthew 22 V 37-39: Heart, soul, and mind love your neighbour as yourself.
Psalm 119 V 32:
That if we follow God’s commandments, He will enlarge our hearts. This can be in a spiritual sense, to enhance our spiritual walk and well being. Also in the physical sense, because this spiritual affects the natural.
Proverbs 4 V 23:
23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
2 Corinthians 1 V 22:
22 Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
Philippians 1:22:
22 But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.
We are told to keep or look after our heart. Also a double guarding, both spiritual and physical.
Concerning our spirit - Amplified Version - “He has also appropriated and acknowledged us as His by putting His seal upon us and giving u His Holy Spirit in our hearts as the security deposit and guarantee of the fulfilment of His promise”
Our spirit is joined with God’s Holy Spirit, and thereby changed in nature from human to heavenly. However it is by this gleaning process, that we bring our heart, soul, body, spirit, and mind into one accord, to emulate or be more like Jesus everyday, as far as we humanly can be perfectly guided by His Holy Spirit, as we yield to Him more and more. Thusly allowing the fruits and gifts of the Spirit to flow.
PART 4
Now a few words on another aspect of forgiveness and the Christian life we lead in general. Not having this in our lives, is like trying to bake a cake, without an oven!
There are four (4) aspects, which make up this vital integral part to our lives, and the process of forgiveness. When they are incorporated together, they become a unified attribute.
Meanings taken from the Macquarie Dictionary:
The first aspect is - Mercy: Compassionate or kindly forbearance shown toward an offender, an enemy or other person in one’s power. In the KJV, the biblical references are -
Hosea 6 V 6:
6 For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
For I desired mercy, and not sacrifices, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
Micah 6 V 8:
“He hath showered thee on man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
The second aspect is Clemency - Lenient, compassionate.
Zechariah 6 V 8:
“Thus speakers the Lord of Hosts, saying execute true judgement and shew mercy and compassion every man to his brother” This is a command of God to us.
The third aspect is Pardon - Remission, or excuse from. To release from liability for an offence.
Matthew 26 V 28:
28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
John 20 V 23:
“Whosoever sins ye remit, they are remitted into them; and whosoever sins ye retain, they are retained.”
We have the power to hold onto the sins and iniquities of our past or present, that pot our families or institutions, or even those around us.
Considering the questions above, what are we told in:
Micah 6 V 8:
8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
The fourth aspects is Forbearance - Patience, an abstaining from the enforcement of a right.
Ephesians 4 V 2:
“with all lowliness and meekness, with long suffering , forbearing one another in love”. 1) Mercy, 2) Clemency, 3) Pardon, 4) Forbearance - All of which makes u p the Grace Factor.
Grace - Law. An allowance of time to a debtor before suit can be brought against him. After his debt has by its terms become payable.
John 1 V 17:
"For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth come by Jesus Christ.”
2 Corinthians 12 V 9:
“and He said unto me, my grace is sufficient for thee; for my strength is made perfect in weakness”
Prayerfully having gone over these four (4) aspects of the grace factor, and understanding grace more fully, can we now see more value in the (2) scriptures at the beginning of this study?
Matthew 6 V 14:
14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
Matthew 18 V 21-22:
21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
The thing to watch, by not having these attributes is our lives, is this commandment -
Ephesians 4:30:
“And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption”
You see, for either the forgiver, or the forgiven, or both! nTo have a hardness of heart or spirit, so as not to allow all of this to take place, we actually block the Holy Spirit! Could this be a form of blasphemy?
The next and final step, is to understand our own mind. Once we bring our mind into unity with God’s Word, along with our spirit, soul, heart, emotions and our bod, we will then be able to more readily do His will.
PART 5 - THE MIND
The human mind or brain, is an amazing collection of membranes, blood vessels, nerve, fibres and electrical energy with all of this operation together, we are able to perform functions. These include forming or conceiving thoughts and ideas and constituting belief if a particular line of thought, or pre-conceived outcome of events, or statements.
When years ago, I trained as a sales rep for insurance, the instructor proved a point all ten (10) of us. In the book “Think and grow rich”by Napoleon Hill, a statement was made by Dale Carney - “What the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve”
The instructor proved his point in this way: Two (2) A44 size pages of copy paper. On one was a particular pattern on the other was a different pattern.. He passed both of them around the class, all agreed they were nothing more than patterns. This was our conceived belief on close inspection.
The instructor then placed these same papers on the white board in front of the whole class, at the front of the room..We were all amazed at the result.
Page one revealed the word “Fly’. Page two revealed the image of a “Cow’s” head, complete with horns.
Proverbs 14 V 12:
12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
Thus proving that, all is not as it seems. This can and indeed does affect your thoughts, feelings, attitudes, emotions, etc to affect your beliefs in your life.
Here is a description of THE MIND - according to the Macquarie Dictionary - Thinks, feels, wills, perceives, judges, reflects, as in a chum or other conscious being. Intellectual power or ability, purpose, intuition, or will, make up one’s mind, come to a decision. To apply oneself, attend to be careful, cautions, wary, concerning, to perceive or notice, to regard or mattering.
So you can now see how our mind’s view of who are & our own self worth can be affected. For instance, traumas in our childhood, or our adolescence periods, will affect our adulthood.
Now depending on how painful these situations are to us to deal with, we will choose to hide them deep within, rather than face them, in order to deal with them. This of course, affects our ability to handle life, and our ability to forgive or be forgiven. This includes ourselves, God, Family, and other people.
PART 6 - IMAGINATION
This item is as common place of hiding - Imagination. This is forming thoughts inner mind, whaha are not real. This can include any dreams, (daydreams), or visions of what could be. Which will affect our thoughts, emotions, our families in the present tense, or future events.
Should we mediate, or another term is to mull - over, in our minds, on these experiences, it could lea us to both be hurt, and to hurt others. This can be totally unknown to us, because of the self-image we have developed, by the previously mentioned situations, and the effect they have had, deeply seated in our emotions, & subconscious.
OUR NEW ATTITUDE:
Proverbs 25 V 21:
If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.
This shows that we are compassionate.
Matthew 5 V 48:
Be perfect therefore as your Heavenly Father is perfect.
God is calling us to be His perfect people:
James 1 V 4 says:
We must be persistent, if we are to grow and mature in God.
In order to do this, we must be willing to make sacrifices.
Matthew 19 V 21:
Sell your possessions, give to the poor and follow Me.
This could be a very hard commandment to receive. However, I think if we took this in the sense of a change of thing, of heart, of attitude and temperament, we may come closer to the true meaning of what Jesus said, other than the literal meaning of course.
This is what we have been seeing all through this gleaning process.
Don’t take things or sayings at face value all of the time.
2 Corinthians 12 V 11:
Aim for perfection, be of one mind and live in peace.
In reflecting off on all of this, “are we fighting the good fight? Or just plain fighting?
2 Corinthians 13 V 5:
5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
Reprobate - Web - Nimas, which is worthless or rejected. Hardened in sin and unbelief.
Romans 1 25:
25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. Sinful minds.
Jeremiah 6 V 28-30:
28 They are all grievous revolters, walking with slanders: they are brass and iron; they are all corrupters.
29 The bellows are burned, the lead is consumed of the fire; the founder melteth in vain: for the wicked are not plucked away.
30 Reprobate silver shall men call them, because the Lord hath rejected them.
A frightening warning! So do as it says in:
2 Corinthians 13 V 5-7:
5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
6 But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates.
7 Now I pray to God that ye do no evil; not that we should appear approved, but that ye should do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates.
Ephesians 4 V 29:
29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
Ephesians 5 V 21:
21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
God by His Word and His Spirit shows the way out into His glorious light by causing us to become perfect, like Jesus was perfect.
This makes for perfect relationships and lives.
NOW IN CLOSING:
PART 2
AFTER THE GLEANING IS DONE - WHEN THE SMOKE CLEARS:
We a see that by this process that we have been looking at, the Lord brings us closer to Him, or our family, and our friends, in a true relationship of:
OBEDIENCE
LOVE
FORGIVENESS
REPENTANCE
HONESTY
HUMILITY
ONENESS AND UNITY IN HIM
After which, the fruits and gifts of the Spirit, can and will flow in our lives. So that our light, many indeed shine in the world, to draw men from all nations, to God the Father, through our Lord Jesus Christ.
LET’S READ OUT THE FRUITS:
Galatians 5 V 22-23:
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness,
23 Gentleness and Self Control (Self Sacrifice) against such there is no law.
AND NOW THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT:
1 Corinthians 12 V 8-12:
To one there is given through the Spirit:
The Words of Wisdom
To another, the Words of Knowledge by means of the same Spirit
To another, faith by the same Spirit (V 9)
To another, gifts of healing by that one Spirit.
To another Working of Miracles (Miraculous Powers) V 10
To another, prophesy
To another the ability to distinguish (discernment ) between spirits
To another the ability to speak in different kinds of tongues,
And still another, the interpretation of tongues. (V 11)
All of these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and He gives them to each one just as He determines.
1 Corinthians 12 V 12:
The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; And though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. Shouldn’t a family or husband and wife be one body?
Now reflect o these truths, and allow the Holy Spirit to glean the field of your life, beloved believer.
AMEN.
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