My aim in these little bloggish thoughts is to build us up in our knowledge of how to live, because the quality of our life everlasting depends on the life we lead while we are here.

Please forgive me for repeating some things I have thought about before: to live as we should, we must set out to live by every word of God. To live by every word of God means not only to hear it, or even to hear it and believe it, but to do it as well.

We can learn two things about this; firstly that in order to go in to the city of God, dwell there in peace and eat the fruit of the tree of life, we have to carry out his commands, and secondly that Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to me Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father who is in heaven."

The Epistle of James tells us not just to listen to the word, and so deceive ourselves.

We are, I'm afraid, living in an age of spiritual ignorance. The art and skill in imitating Jesus is being desperately neglected on both sides of the church doors. I don't mean just being disciples, I mean actually trying to do what he did, kingdom work!

Of those few who actually do hear these instructions, how few of us are doing it! We are running the enormous risk of deceiving ourselves. Those that hear, but do not do, imagine they are on their way to heaven, when they may well not be.

The only way to heaven is by doing his will, not legalistically but with a will of our own. By way of illustration of what I mean we can look quickly at a few texts:

"Do to others as you would have them do to you." Luke 6:31.

"If your enemy is hungry, feed him." Romans 12:20.

"But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also." Matthew 5:39.

"Heal the sick who are there and tell them, `The kingdom of God is near you.'" Luke 10:9

And those are only four. If we are humbly satisfied that we are living joyfully according to texts like these, then we might begin to tentatively conclude that our hearts might be right with God.

Sorry if that's a bit challenging! – every blessing today - Mike