Thursday 11 May 2017

Ability (part 5) Thought about the abilities to be under God's Spirit

Zacchaeus in the Sycamore Awaiting the Passage...
Zacchaeus in the Sycamore Awaiting the Passage of Jesus (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Poor in Spirit


“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 5:3

    The Bible presents many paradoxes that challenge our human way of thinking. We think of the poor as possessing very little, yet Jesus said the riches of heaven belong to the poor in spirit.

Self-reliance robs us of God’s good gifts.

    Jesus insisted that in order to follow Him, we must deny self. As long as we rely on our own resources, we will never place our trust in Him. As we acknowledge the poverty of our souls, we realize how desperately we need a Savior. Jesus declared: “Repent! For the kingdom of heaven is near” (Matt. 4:17). God has so much to give the one who recognizes his need and will call upon Jesus!

    Jesus said it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. He had just encountered the rich ruler, who valued his possessions so much that he could not give them up to follow Jesus (Luke 18:18-24). Jesus later encountered Zacchaeus, a wealthy, notorious sinner (Luke 19:1-10). Despite Zacchaeus’s material wealth, he recognized his spiritual poverty and found salvation. Jesus taught the disciples that true wealth is found in a relationship with God. Those who realize their inherent spiritual poverty apart from God will trust in Him, and He will enrich their lives immeasurably. Do not allow your resources, wisdom, talent, or abilities to prevent you from trusting the Person who can bring you abundant life.


From: Experiencing God Day by Day

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Preceding articles:
Ability (part 4) Thought about the ability to have ability

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Additional reading

  1. When having found faith through the study of the Bible we do need to do works of faith
  2. Facing our existence every day
  3. Leading people astray!
  4. Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) versus Christianity and end times
  5. Justification – salvation is by grace through faith – JI Packer
  6. January 27, 417, Pope Innocent I condemning Pelagius about Faith and Works
  7. Thought for those who think it is not necessary to do any works any more
  8. Which is worse–works without faith, or faith without works?
  9. Christians remaining hidden not sharing the gospel
  10. 100-Day Identity Makeover: Day 56
  11. Worthy partakers of the body of Christ
  12. Seeds, weeds and kingdoms
  13. The Mountain: Radical Obedience
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Ability (part 4) Thought about the ability to have ability

God’s Abundance in Your Life


And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.

    When you relate to God you always deal with abundance, for God does nothing in half measures! This is true regarding His grace.

The Lord is not miserly when it comes to providing grace to His servants. When you seek to perform a good work that God has asked you to do, you will always find an ample supply of God’s grace to sustain you.

If you begin to lose heart in the work you are doing, God’s grace upholds you and gives you the love for God and His people you require in order to continue.

When you face criticism and are misunderstood, God’s grace enables you to forgive your accusers and to sense God’s pleasure even when others do not understand what you are doing.
When you make mistakes in the work God has appointed you to do, God’s grace forgives you, sets you back on your feet, and gives you strength to continue the work.
When you complete the task God gave you and no one expresses thanks for what you have done, the Father’s grace surrounds you, and He reminds you that you have a heavenly reward where everything you have done in the Lord’s service will be remembered.

    God does not promise to provide all you need for your dreams and projects. He does assure you that, for every good work you attempt, you will never face a shortfall of His grace in order to successfully complete the task God has given you.

From: Experiencing God Day by Day

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Preceding articles:
  1. Ability
  2. Ability (part 2)
  3. Ability (part 3) Thoughts around Ability
Next
  • Ability (part 5) Thought about the abilities to be under God's Spirit
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Additional reading

  1. Not about personal salvation but about a bigger Plan
  2. Failing Man to make free choice
  3. Looking for a spiritual new life
  4. Challenging claim 2 Inspired by God 1 Simple words
  5. When having found faith through the study of the Bible we do need to do works of faith
  6. Salvation, Baptism and Re-baptism
  7. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #13 Prayer #11 Name to be set apart
  8. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #15 Exposition before the Creator
  9. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #18 Fulfilment
  10. Omniscient God opposite a not knowing Jesus
  11. Lost senses or a clear focus on the one at the stake
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Ability (part 3) Thoughts around Ability

English: President Complement of photo File:Pr...
English: President Complement of photo File:PresidentJamesAGarfieldStanding.jpg (Photo credit: Wikipedia)




  No man is without some quality, by the due application of which he might deserve well of the world; and whoever he be that has but little in his power should be in haste to do that little, lest he be confounded with him that can do nothing, --Dr. Johnson.

   We judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing, while others judge us by what we have already done.--Longfellow.

   Every person is responsible for all the good within the scope of his abilities, and for no more.--Gail Hamilton.

   The possession of great powers no doubt carries with it a contempt for mere external show. --James A. Garfield.

   The art of using moderate abilities to advantage wins praise, and often acquires more reputation than actual brilliancy. --La Rochefoucauld.

   Ability is a poor man’s wealth.--Mattew Wren.

   The measure of capacity is the measure of sphere to either man or woman. --Elizabeth Oakes Smith.

   Natural ability can almost compensate for the want of every kind of cultivation; but no cultivation of the mind can make up for the want of natural ability. --Schopenhauer.

   An able man shows his spirit by gentle words and resolute actions. --Chesterfield.


Dutch version / Nederlandse versie > ...

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Next:
Ability (part 4) Thought about the ability to have ability

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Ability (part 2)

English: Wikipedia: taste the fruit of knowled...
Wikipedia: taste the fruit of knowledge! (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
We did receive the ability to live and to use our brains. The ability of the brain to research, investigate and then to form conclusions gives us the ability to form ideas and to take action or react to those findings we got.

The ability to use our brains and to make up our mind allows us to gain and/or retrieve knowledge which never shall be complete in our lifetime. At a certain moment in life we shall be able to do certain things at an other moment we shall not be able to do those things which we previously could or later will be able to do anew or again. Even our ability to speak what God has revealed is incomplete.

We should know that it is always a gift from God when we have the ability to use our full senses and that it is God Who gives some people wealth and possessions, the power to enjoy them, the ability to accept their lot in life, and the ability to rejoice in their own hard work.
“Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat of it, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labor; this is the gift of God.” (Ecclesiastes 5:19 WEBSTR)
We must know that every person in this universe has to learn things and grow up in a world surrounding him or her, giving many impulses and many temptations. We also received the ability to resist such temptations. Though there isn’t any temptation that we have experienced which is unusual for humans. God, who faithfully keeps His promises, will not allow us to be tempted beyond our power to resist. But when we are tempted, the Most High shall be on the look out, to see what we do with such temptation and how we use our own free will to react on it. If we want it is also that Most High God Who will also give us the ability to endure the temptation as our way of escape.
“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above what ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13 WEBSTR)
We must accept that it is the Spirit, the set-apart Power of God, Who gives one person the ability to speak with wisdom and Who gives another person the ability to speak with knowledge.  We only can hope that this Gentle Spirit also gives courageous faith to us. Because it is an ability to have faith which is only possible when we are willing to allow the Force of God to enter our hearts and to enlighten us. Our knowledge is incomplete and our ability to speak what God has revealed is incomplete.
“For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another, the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another, faith by the same Spirit; to another, the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;”(1 Corinthians 12:8–9 WEBSTR)
“For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.”(1 Corinthians 13:9 WEBSTR)
We have the ability to listen to people and as such can hear preachers tell a lot of the Word of God. The preacher's power lies very much in the ability of unfolding to the understanding and applying to the conscience the general principles involved in the passage of Scripture which he undertakes to expound. But we may not pin ourselves to it that those preachers would know everything and would always be right in their interpretation of the Holy Scriptures. Each of us received the ability to investigate himself. That gift of ability to search and investigate we should use.

By using our own ability to read and study the Holy Scriptures we shall have the ability to grow in our knowledge of those sacred writings. Our study of the Bible shall give us more insight which at its turn shall give us the ability for a growing faith, and with it we shall receive the ability to speak and to share our knowledge, our dedication, and our love for god and His creation.
“Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also.” (2 Corinthians 8:7 WEBSTR)

The ability to be able to think, investigate, making conclusions, can make us to prevail or to overcome. Our ability to work at ourselves makes it possible to build up our character and to make ourselves strong. our knowledge of Scriptures shall give us the ability to understand how God has a Plan and how He follows humankind. It also shall give us insight how God will destroy anyone who secretly slanders his neighbour. Him not tolerating anyone with a conceited look or arrogant heart.
We should be convinced that Jehovah God His eyes will be watching the faithful people in the land   so that they may find life by Him willing to serve Him.

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Wednesday 10 May 2017

Ability

Latin A
Latin A (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Today I'll start going over some words of importance to come to understanding of the Word of God.

The first word is "ability" without one is nothing. Without ability there is no being, because to be a being there has to be the ability to be or to be a being, able to have abilities to sustain that being and to make it grow or to develop.

to come to understand the Word of God one has to be able to think about what is written in the Book of books, the Bible, which gives the power and ability to change.

-ability: word-forming element expressing ability, fitness, or capacity, from Latin -abilitas, forming nouns from adjectives ending in -abilis (see -able). Not etymologically related to ability, though popularly connected with it.

ability (n.) : late 14c., "state or condition of being able; capacity to do or act," from Old French ableté "ability (to inherit)`," from Latin habilitatem (nominative habilitas, in Medieval Latin abilitas) "aptitude, ability," noun of quality from habilis "easy to manage, handy" (see able). One case where a Latin silent -h- failed to make a return in English (despite efforts of 16c.-17c. scholars); see H. Also in Middle English, "suitableness, fitness." Abilities "one's talents or mental endowments" is from 1580s.

A′ble·ness, n. Ability of body or mind; force; vigor. [Obs. or R.]

A′bly, adv. In an able manner; with great ability; as, ably done, planned, said.

-a·bly. A suffix composed of -able and the adverbial suffix -ly; as, favorably.


The divine Creator gave man"ability" or the quality or fact of being able to use their own power to do something, either thinking, developing or creating. To have ability to do things God gave man power of strength and skills.

One is "able" to do things, which a person can do by his own choice or being forced by others to do. A person who is able to do things can do that by using his brains or his mind. He can have enough strength power or means to bring change in certain things or to give himself a voice to make his opinion known to others or to get things done by himself or by others for him or for others.
Once a person is able he or she is capable of being.

able (adj.): "having sufficient power or means," early 14c., from Old French (h)able "capable; fitting, suitable; agile, nimble" (14c.), from Latin habilem, habilis "easily handled, apt," verbal adjective from habere "to hold" (see habit (n.)). "Easy to be held," hence "fit for a purpose." The silent h- was dropped in English and resisted academic attempts to restore it 16c.-17c. (see H), but some derivatives (such as habiliment, habilitate) acquired it via French. Able seaman, one able to do any sort of work required on a ship, may be the origin of this:
Able-whackets - A popular sea-game with cards, in which the loser is beaten over the palms of the hands with a handkerchief tightly twisted like a rope. Very popular with horny-fisted sailors. [Smyth, "Sailor's Word-Book," 1867]

-able : common termination and word-forming element of English adjectives (typically based on verbs) and generally adding a notion of "capable of; allowed; worthy of; requiring; to be ______ed," sometimes "full of, causing," from French -able and directly from Latin -abilis. It is properly -ble, from Latin -bilis (the vowel being generally from the stem ending of the verb being suffixed), and it represents PIE *-tro-, a suffix used to form nouns of instrument, cognate with the second syllables of English rudder and saddle (n.).

A living element in English, used in new formations from either Latin or native words (readable, bearable) and also with nouns (objectionable, peaceable). Sometimes with an active signification (suitable, capable), sometimes of neutral signification (durable, conformable). It has become very elastic in meaning, as in a reliable witness, a playable foul ball, perishable goods.
To take a single example in detail, no-one but a competent philologist can tell whether reasonable comes from the verb or the noun reason, nor whether its original sense was that can be reasoned out, or that can reason, or that can be reasoned with, or that has reason, or that listens to reason, or that is consistent with reason; the ordinary man knows only that it can now mean any of these, & justifiably bases on these & similar facts a generous view of the termination's capabilities; credible meaning for him worthy of credence, why should not reliable & dependable mean worthy of reliance & dependence? [Fowler]
In Latin, infinitives in -are took -abilis, others -ibilis. Hence the variant form -ible in Old French, Spanish, English. In English, -able tends to be used with native (and other non-Latin) words, -ible with words of obvious Latin origin (but there are exceptions). The Latin suffix is not etymologically connected with able, but it long has been popularly associated with it, and this probably has contributed to its vigor as a living suffix.

able-bodied (adj.): "healthy and sufficiently strong," 1620s; see able + body.
controllable (adj.): 1570s, from control (v.) + -able.
redeemable (adj.): 1610s, from redeem + -able.
reconcilable (adj.): 1610s, from reconcile + -able.
improvable (adj.): 1640s, from improve (v.) + -able.

Since we are created we came into being and as such became able to breath, think and handle. though having come from fallible parents we also inherited less good parts from them. We can live by them and be happy with the bad parts we inherited or we can work at ourselves to improve with the knowledge that everything is improvable,or can be changed for the better.

Someone who is able can be very clever or very good at doing something,having the necessary power, resources, skill, time, opportunity, etc, to do something. One has not to have certificates or being qualified to do something, but one have to be willing to do something and then to be  competent, having enough power, skill, etc., or authorized to do some specific act.

It is the divine Creator Who gives to all human, animal and vegetable beings sufficient power or resources to accomplish something. But man has received more abilities from God than the other creatures. We all may receive according our own abilities and should be happy with that but also do something with it.


Ex. 4:11 … Who gives people the ability to speak? …
Ex. 36:1 … the LORD has given skill, ability, and knowledge for the work …
1Chr. 26:8 … were skilled and had the ability to perform the service. …
Wis. 7:7 … I prayed, and the ability to reason wisely was given
Sir. 14:13 … According to your ability, reach out, and give to them. 
Rom. 12:18 … to the best of your ability, live at peace with all …
“And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one; to each according to his several ability; and he went on his journey.” (Matthew 25:15 ASV)
1Cor. 12:8  The Spirit gives one person the ability to speak with wisdom. The same Spirit gives another person the ability to speak with knowledge.
“And“But now complete the doing also; that as [there was] the readiness to will, so [there may be] the completion also out of your ability.” (2 Corinthians 8:11 ASV)
“But now complete the doing also; that as [there was] the readiness to will, so [there may be] the completion also out of your ability.” (2 Corinthians 8:11 ASV)

All have people ability and opportunity to do wrong so cunningly or powerfully that they may escape the observation and censure of men. But all people also have enough ability to feel what is right and wrong, since Adam and Eve have eaten from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, each of their offspring has that knowledge. Persons of knowledge, wisdom, and experience, can be a nobody but also can become famous, being good or also bad in reputation, for ability and integrity; they all have an inner feeling, call it instinct of goodness and badness.

 All of us have received ability to think, observe, analyse and should know that by the gift our ability we shall have to make choices which can give us stability or instability and shall bring over us accountability.


Lots of instability of societies has come because people were not able to make the right choices. Often lots of people live at a rate which their consciences know to be much above their ability; which certainly is an ungodly and unrighteous, though too common, practice. 


As believers of God we should see that we take care to be able to make the right choices. this can be done by creating the right atmosphere by having the right attitude and the will to live according to God's commandments.

Therefore it is important to be able to make the right choices and to come in proper relationships with others in good association or incorporation of themselves with them; avoiding to fall for man's doctrines which go against biblical doctrines. 

Of the scornful; of those who are not only diseased, but reject, despise, and scorn all remedies; who make a mock of sin, and of God's threatenings and judgements against sinners; who deride all wholesome reproofs and counsels, and make it their trade to scoff at goodness and good men. Be able to see those who are wrong and who are the real satan or adversary of God.

Make it that you get the ability or the power to change your evil being in a good worthy being to be part of the Body of Christ, skilled, talented, or having the capacity to live according to the Will of God, having the quality of being suitable for or receptive to a specified treatment, namely to be taken up in the body of Christ and to be allowed or justified to enter the Kingdom of God.

Compare:
capable; skilled, skilful, talented, gifted, adept, competent, fit, powerful, proficient, masterful, efficient, accomplished, effective, practised, adroit, qualified, expert
talent, skill, gift, expertise, faculty, competence, energy, flair, accomplishment, knack, aptitude, proficiency, dexterity, cleverness, potentiality, adroitness, adeptness

capability, facility, capacity, power, potential, competence, competency, potentiality, qualification


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Continued with: 


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Find also to read: 

  1. Genesis – Story of creation 4 Genesis 2:16-25 Warning for Adam and Eve
  2. With God All Things Are Possible
  3. Failing Man to make free choice
  4. Being Religious and Spiritual 6 Romantici, utopists and transcendentalists
  5. Power in the life of certain 
  6. To whom do we want to be enslaved
  7. Compromise and accomodation
  8. Thought for those who think it is not necessary to do any works any more
     
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