A Christian's Manifesto

I assembled these verses a few years ago and titled them "A Christian's Manifesto" as a means of inspiring myself to higher ground. I reread them today, and found them to still be very challenging.

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Ga 2:20), Therefore:

I will love the Lord my God with all my heart, and with all my soul, and with all my strength, and with all my mind; and my neighbor as myself. (Lu 10:27)

I will trust in the LORD with all my heart; and lean not unto my own understanding. In all my ways I will acknowledge him, and he shall direct my paths. (Prov 3:5,6)

I will submit myself to God, and resist the devil. (Jas 4:7)

I will put on the whole armor of God, that I may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (Eph 6:11)

I will humble myself under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt me in due time: (1 Pe 5:6)

I will sanctify the Lord God in my heart: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks me a reason of the hope that is in me with meekness and fear: (1 Pe 3:15)

I will confess with my mouth the Lord Jesus, and will believe in my heart that God hath raised him from the dead. (Ro 10:9)

I will seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness. (Mat 6:33)

I will stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God. (Job 37:14)

I will cast down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. (2 Co 10:5)

I will walk in the light, as God is in the light. (1 Jo 1:7)

I will keep God’s commandments: and his commandments will not be grievous. (1 Jo 5:3)

I will grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (2 Pe 3:18)

I will be a good steward of the manifold grace of God. (1 Pe 4:10)

I will study to shew myself approved unto God, a workman that need not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Ti 2:15)

I will hide God’s word in my heart, that I might not sin against Him. (Ps 119:11)

I will preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. (2 Ti 4:2)

I will let the word of Christ dwell in me richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing others in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in my heart to the Lord. (Col 3:16)

I will hold forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither labored in vain. (Php 2:16)

I will give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. (1 Ti 4:13)

I will buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding. (Pr 23:23)

I will love my wife, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; (Eph 5:25)

I will not provoke my children to wrath: but will bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. (Eph 6:4)

I will command my children and my household after me, and they shall keep the way of the LORD. (Ge 18:19)

I will be an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. (1 Ti 4:12)

As I have opportunity, I will do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. (Ga 6:10)

I will honor all men, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king. (1 Pet 2:17)

I will choose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. (Heb 11:25)

I will very gladly spend and be spent for the brethren. (2 Co 12:15)

I will be kindly affectioned to others with brotherly love; in honor preferring others. (Ro 12:10)

Above all things I will have fervent charity among the brethren. (1Pe 4:8)

I will obey them that have the rule over me, and submit myself: that they may do their duty with joy, and not with grief. (Heb 13:17)

I will pray without ceasing. (1 Th 5:17)

I will come boldly unto the throne of grace, that I may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. (Heb 4:16)

I will confess my sins. (1 Jo 1:9)

I will, whatsoever I do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. (Col 3:17)

I will give thanks in everything. (1 Thes 5:18)

I will rejoice evermore. (1 Thes 5:16)

I will not love the world, neither the things that are in the world. (1 Jo 2:15)

I will put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of my mouth. (Col 3:8)

I will abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; (1 Pe 2:11)

I will cease from anger, and forsake wrath. (Ps 37:8)

I will depart from evil, and do good; I will seek peace, and pursue it. (Psa 34:14)

I will put away lying, and speak truth with my neighbor. (Eph 4:25)

I will be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: (Jas 1:19)

I will recompense to no man evil for evil. I will provide things honest in the sight of all men. (Ro 12:17)

I will not resist evil. (Mt 5:39)

I will love my enemies, bless them that curse me, do good to them that hate me, and pray for them which despitefully use me, and persecute me. (Mt 5:44)

I will abstain from all appearance of evil. (1 Thes 5:22)

I will not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves. (2 Ti 2:24, 25)

I will walk in the Spirit, and not fulfill the lust of the flesh. (Ga 5:16)

I will put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and not make provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof. (Rom 13:14)

I will, by the mercies of God, present my body a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is my reasonable service. (Rom 12:1)

I will reckon myself to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Ro 6:11)

I will love without dissimulation, and abhor that which is evil and cleave to that which is good. (Ro 12:9)

I will rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. (Ro 12:15)

I will use hospitality to others without grudging. (1 Pe 4:9)

I will be a lover of strangers. (De 10:19)

I will forbear with others, and forgive others, if any man have a quarrel against me: even as Christ forgave me. (Col 3:13)

I will lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. (1 Ti 2:2)

I will be peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. (Jas 3:17)

I will glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation works patience. (Ro 5:3)

I will most gladly glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Co 12:9)

I will endure God’s chastening. (Heb 12:7)

I will endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. (2 Ti 2:3)

I will walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God. (Col 1:10)

I will do these things, only because I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me, according as his divine power has given unto me all things that pertain unto life and godliness,. (Php 4:13, 2 Pe 1:3)

Rick Halliday (1958-2003)

At a time it seemed life had no end,
That's when you were my best friend.

We laughed, we sang, we played our parts.
You were Paul, and I was Art.

As time moved on, I moved away.
Why we lost touch, I just can't say.

I've lived and loved, and you did, too.
But your life ended and I never knew.

Now hoping that we could renew our bond,
Instead I find that you are gone.

Had I been there to lift in love,
Would you have chosen to rise above?

The answer to this I'll never know,
But I'm sorry, Rick, that I let you go.

Forgiveness

"Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do."

Were more beautiful words ever spoken? Consider:

1. The person speaking was being punished, nay crucified, though he had committed no crime.
2. The victim had 12 legions of angels at his disposal to deliver him if he so desired.
3. The forgiver had no reason to forgive his persecutors, except his will to do so.
4. The ones afflicting him were deserving of eternal punishment, not forgiveness.

Yet...he forgave them.

What does it mean to forgive? The definition of forgive is: To stop feeling angry or resentful toward someone for an offense, flaw or mistake.

I found it interesting that the example phrase in the dictionary I use is: I don't think I'll ever forgive David for the way he treated her. Isn't that how it usually is? When we speak of forgiveness, it's in not being able to.

Why do we find it so hard to forgive?

• A neighbor's dog kills one of our chickens, and we demand compensation and threaten to shoot the dog if he comes around again.
• A brother uses your computer without asking, and you proclaim, "You are never to use my computer again!"
• A spouse utters a cutting remark in haste, and though he apologizes, you remind him of his indiscretion whenever the opportunity presents itself.
• A driver in another car changes lanes dangerously in front of you, and you tailgate him for the next several miles.

You get the picture. We want revenge. We've been wronged, and we want, we deserve, to have it made right. Justice must be served.

Where was justice when Jesus was mocked, beaten and crucified? Why did he not demand that it be made right? Why does his father not demand that it be made right now?

Perhaps the point we miss is that when Jesus forgave them, he made it right. When Jesus forgave you, he made it right. When we forgive our neighbor, brother, spouse or fellow man, WE make it right.

When a person chooses to forgive, rather than exact revenge, the wrong is removed, as if it never happened. It's all right again!

If we're honest, we know we feel better when we forgive, than we do not, too. Somehow, getting revenge just doesn't satisfy. But forgiveness does.

When we forgive, we acknowledge that we make mistakes, too; we are selfish, too; we speak hastily, too; and...we've been forgiven.

Jesus told a parable of a man who had been forgiven a great debt, and then refused to forgive someone else an insignificant debt. Isn't that man you? Isn't that man me? Consider what Jesus forgave us, compared to the debt we require repaid by others.

Let's forgive. Let's make it right.