Well, I am certainly empty of any really meaningful usage. Yes, I can go to the Community Center and serve at soup kitchens or pantry's but, that is not a selfless thing as there was a need to get out of the house and around people after not being able to work any longer, although He DID give me a love for these folks. Much of my work there is behind the scenes (except for Thursdays)
Don't ya think that as we "know them by their fruit" we can also know ourselves in that vein, by our own fruits, or lack of.
It's funny how we can just start to grasp a reality only for it to elude us. My brain feels like there is a roadblock, especially when I am getting close to something that "seems" to be getting clearer, like holiness vs righteousness only to elude me part way there! Frustrating, lol.
Not attempting to limit God in any way but, the proof is in the pudding really, we see what what we are and we know if we have motives. My motives here are not hidden and I expect no "rewards" (another subject out of my understanding, thought Jesus was our reward!)
It seems some Christians never stop! Always stepping up to the plate when it comes to "busy work"...neither do I see that as serving God unless it is going to benefit or edify others but, to do, do, do these things is not true works of God but works of men. And, why do church's ALWAYS center around so much food and eating! Yikes...breaking bread together is great but all these silly tea parties, ladies luncheons (DEF don't fit in these things) Although many of the older ladies love them. Not a thing wrong with this kind of fellowship, just wish the church's I've attended were more welcoming to some that do not fit in so they never stay with this fellowship long. I'm really mad at the church and these gazillions of differing teachings. It's no wonder most unbelievers just throw their hands in the air and walk away
Despite saying all that, He still rules, He is still merciful, forgiving and blesses all, saved and unsaved alike. Sorry if this is all over the place (it is).
Still waiting for this power, until then I generally keep my mouth shut unless asked something about The Lord directly.
JMOI
If I go collect and and store winter coats for the homeless for when winter comes, would you tell me I did a bad thing? Or if I work in a soup kitchen to help feed hungry people? Of course not. Because I DIDNT do a bad or wrong thing, and you would not say I did.
But I have begun to see that touch of selfishness, of pride, of pettiness, arrogance, still IN me. Because I now see this and am bothered by it, NOW does it make my collecting of coats a bad thing? No. At no point is my collecting of coats a despicable thing. But I HAVE seen I am not holy and completely pure and I have begun to hunger for true righteousness in my inner man.
I WANT to be spotless, but I do what I don’t want. I do what I agree is not good and snap impatiently and angrily at the other lady who helps me with the coats because she’s going on and on about how this one has a little fraying at the cuffs or that one has a small spot on the pocket. I snap at her, we are trying to keep them from FREEZING to death, not dressing them for a job interview!! NOW is my collecting of the coats a despicable thing? No. It is still a good thing to do to care that homeless men don’t freeze to death in their tent in the woods.
Now do you see that the righteousness a man is capable of (caring that the homeless not freeze) is not a bad thing? Just because I am not perfect, holy, it is still not a bad thing.
And,
35 but in every nation the one who [
a]fears Him and [
b]does what is right is acceptable to Him.
So using me and coats, would you say my collecting of coats is not acceptable to God? Does He see I have done a bad thing to collect them? Haven’t I cared that my brother not freeze at least as much as I care that I don’t freeze? Would you say my collecting of coats is a foul and dirty thing, like a mildewed and mustering sponge in the sink? no. You would not.
Now if I compared the righteousness/the right thing I have done with the coats against the righteousness and holiness of our Lord, THEN what I did would appear as the filthy sponge in the sink.
That’s the comparison of the righteousness a man can do against holiness.
As Epi taught us in zoom, some verses concern the righteousness men are capable of and some concern the holiness of God. Remember when he compared Annais and Saphira with the man God told to go to Paul and he argued with God, why wasn’t HE struck dead? He argued with God. Why didn’t God strike him dead too?