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Living with Virtue and Integrity
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Living without Virtue and Integrity:
The Choice Is Ours
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VIRTUE
Virtue means
goodness and excellence. It is the visible sign of what is
invisible in the believer, Bible doctrine and the power of the
Holy Spirit. It can only be manufactured through God’s laws (the
laws of divine establishment*),learning Bible doctrine, and living
the spiritual life inside of the plan of God.
* God has made certain laws for the survival and freedom of the
human race during the course of human history.
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“Behold, Thou dost desire truth in the innermost being, [the inner
man] and in the hidden part [inner man] Thou will make me know
wisdom.” Psalm 51:6
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Living with Virtue
We Use Impersonal Love
When we live
with virtue, we use impersonal love. Impersonal love highlights
something in you rather than highlighting something in the object
of your love. You may not personally love someone at a certain
time because of the way he or she acts. However, you can treat the
individual with impersonal love if you have the filling of the
Holy Spirit and Bible doctrine in you soul. Those need to be the
highlights in you! |
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“For
God so loved the world [impersonal love] that He gave His one and
only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have
eternal life.” John 3:16
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Living without Virtue
We Don’t Use Impersonal Love
Those who
don’t use impersonal love rely on their own power and human
viewpoint. They find it very difficult to get along with people.
Let’s face it. There are many people who do things that we don’t
like, including ourselves!
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“Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances [complaints]
you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
And over these virtues put on love [impersonal love], which binds
them all together in perfect unity.” Colossians 2:13-14
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Living with Integrity
We Use Bible Doctrine
Integrity
(honor, uprightness) is the spiritual strength to use doctrine in
a pressure situation. Integrity is walking in the predesigned plan
of God for your life, and allowing doctrine to speak to you and
guide you in your mind. It means trusting in God’s Word in any
situation, and trusting in the Lord without wavering (indecision).
It means having the spiritual strength to apply Bible doctrine in
your soul to situations, and also having the “faith-rest” to leave
them in the Supreme Court of Heaven.
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“Vindicate me [clear me from blame], O Lord, for I have walked in
my integrity; and I trusted in the Lord without wavering
[indecision].” Psalm 26:1
“He who walks with integrity, and produces divine righteousness,
speaks truth [or doctrine] in his heart [mind].” Psalm 15:2
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Living without Integrity
We Don’t Use Bible Doctrine
When we live without integrity, we
don’t apply doctrine in pressure situations. We panic and get out
of God’s plan for our lives. We don’t trust God’s Word in our
pressure situations. We don’t have the spiritual strength to apply
Bible doctrine to our problems! We keep them in our hands rather
that handing them over to God and faith-resting them. What a mess!
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“Lo,
God will not reject a man of integrity, nor will He support the
evildoers.” Job 8:20
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Living with Virtue and
Integrity
We Don’t Play the Blame Game
When we live with virtue and integrity,
we don’t blame others for our problems. We take the responsibility
for our own decisions. We make decisions from a position of
strength, God’s Word in our souls, and go forward in the plan of
God. We replace blame with claiming God’s grace, thanking Him for
who we are and what we have as a gift of His grace.
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“But
by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me was not
without effect [result].” 1 Corinthians 15:10
“It is God Who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.”
2 Samuel 22:33
“I can do everything through Him Who gives me strength.”
Philippians 4:13
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Living without Virtue and
Integrity
We Play the Blame Game
When we are
living without virtue and integrity we play the blame game.
Everyone else is the cause of our problems. However, God knows us
inside and out, or He can see right through us. We can’t blame
others to make ourselves feel better because God can’t be fooled!
We don’t need to blame others because it isn’t about our sins.
They’ve been judged! It’s about our salvation and deliverance. God
wants us to have the best. We may put ourselves down, but He never
does. His mercy and grace are abounding, they go on forever!!!
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“For the Word of God is alive and powerful. Sharper than any
double-edged sword, it penetrates [goes in deep] even to dividing
soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and
attitudes of the heart [mind]. Nothing in all creation is hidden
from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the
eyes of Him to Whom we must give account.” Hebrews 4:12-13
“Set your mind on the things above [God’s viewpoint], not on the
things that are on earth [human viewpoint and unfairness].”
Colossians 3:2
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Living with Virtue and Integrity
We Have the Right Focus
When we
live with virtue and integrity we have the right focus. We focus
on good, on God and His just treatment of us. Jesus concentrated
on the justice of God while He was being treated unfairly. He had
the right focus. We focus on the Lord Jesus Christ as our role
model. We don’t feel let down because we trust in the Lord. We can
count on His constant acceptance and understanding!
“The
Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is
the defense of my life; whom shall I dread?” Psalm 27:1
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble
[respectful], whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is
lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or
praiseworthy – think about such things. Whatever you have learned
or received or heard from me, or see in me – put it into practice.
And the God of peace will be with you.”
Philippians 3:8-9
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Living without Virtue and Integrity
We Don’t Have the Right Focus
When we
are living without virtue and integrity, we don’t have the proper
focus. We focus mainly on ourselves and the unjust treatment we
think that we receive. We feel that life has let us down, when in
reality we have let ourselves down. We have put ourselves into a
pit. Life is the pits! We feel that life is unfair and we get into
self-pity. What a pity!
“Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater
than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute
you…”
John 15:20
“…Who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and
compassion…” Psalm 103:4
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Living with Virtue and Integrity
We Live in God’s Righteousness
God is
awesome! His love for us is magnificent! At salvation, He gave us
His righteousness, +R, which is divine integrity. Since we have
+R, God is able to bless us. It was freely given to us; we don’t
have to earn it. When we understand, believe and use Bible
doctrine, we build up capacity (room) for blessing. We are living
in the perfect righteousness of God. We are living in the
righteous Word of God, the fair and honorable Word of God!
“For
surely, O Lord, You bless the righteous; You surround them with
Your favor as with a shield.” Psalm 5:11
“Lo, God will not reject a man of integrity, nor will He support
the evildoers.” Job 8:20
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Living without Virtue and Integrity
We Don’t Live in God’s Righteousness
Sometimes we
don’t live in +R. Sometimes we fail to understand, believe, and
use Bible doctrine. We don’t let God bless us as much as He could
because we don’t have the capacity or room in our souls. We are
not living in the righteous Word of God, the fair and honorable
Word of God. What a downer for us!
“Woe
[trouble, sorrow] to him who builds his house without
righteousness and his upper rooms without justice.” Jeremiah
22:13a
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Living with Virtue and Integrity
We use impersonal love.
We use Bible doctrine.
We don’t play the blame game.
We have the right focus.
We live in God’s righteousness.
“Stand
firm therefore, having girded your loins [made yourself strong]
with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness…”
Ephesians 6:14
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2
Peter 1:3-11
“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and
godliness [spiritual living] through our knowledge of Him Who
called us by His own glory and goodness [virtue, excellence].
Through these [His glory and virtue] He has given us His very
great and precious promises, so that through them you may
participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the
world caused by evil desires.
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith
[doctrine] goodness [virtue]; and to virtue, knowledge; and to
knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to
perseverance, godliness [spiritual living]; and to godliness,
brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love [virtue love].
For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they
will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your
knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have
them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has
been cleansed from his past sins.”
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References used:
Robert R.McLaughlin Bible Ministries
www.gbible.org
Lessons: 11-12-03,
5-4-04, 4-29-04, 4-30-04, 5-2-04
Book: Adjustment to
the Justice of God (to order this book click
HERE)
Terms Used by Robert R. McLaughlin Bible Ministries
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