Category: Word of God

Unfailing Love

Psalm 33:4-5 (NIV)

For the word of the Lord is right and true; He is faithful in all He does. The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of His unfailing love.

I simply love these meditations of King David as he contemplates the character of God … His nature … as He has revealed it and manifested it in the life of David.  David reflects on the same thoughts that I believe most of us would have … who find great delight in knowing God and pursuing Him with all of our heart:

For the word of the Lord is right and true

The most fundamental spiritual discipline we can exercise is to read the Word of God … and to trust that His Word is right and true.  This is essential to the formation of faith because faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Jesus Christ. (Cf. Romans 10:17) No one has ever seen God, but the One and Only Son, who is Himself God, and in intimate relationship with the Father, He has made the Father known. (Cf. John 1:18)

John 6:45-47 (NIV)

45 It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ (Cf. Isaiah 54:13) Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from Him comes to me. 46 No one has seen the Father except the One who is from God; only He has seen the Father. 47 Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life.

John 14:8-10a (NIV)

8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” 9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.  How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me?

Yes, we too, can know the Father because we can intimately know His Son.  We have both The Law and The Prophets which reveal the testimony of God about Himself as well as His Son.  And we have the Word of God made flesh … who came and made His dwelling among us.  We have seen His glory … the glory of the One and Only Son – who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (Cf. John 1:14) As Jesus affirmed, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will knowmy Father as well. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him.” (Cf. John 14:6-7)

He is faithful in all He does.

Like the knowledge of God’s love for us that we find in Scripture, another fundamental truth is His faithfulness!  Indeed, God is faithful to those who love Him … even when we fail in our faithfulness toward Him.  God responds to our love for Him … despite our weaknesses or failures.  Jesus has said, “If you love me, keep my commands.” (John 14:15) “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” (John 14:21)

Deuteronomy 7:9 (NIV)

Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commandments.

Deuteronomy 32:4 (NIV)

I will proclaim the name of the Lord. Oh, praise the greatness of our God!He is the Rock, His works are perfect, and all His ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is He.

Psalm 89:8 (NIV)

Who is like you, Lord God Almighty? You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.

1 Corinthians 1:9 (NIV)

God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 8:35-39 (NIV)

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” (Cf. Psalm 44:22) 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The Lord loves righteousness and justice;

Though we know the character of God … His love and faithfulness towards us … the holiness, righteousness, and justice of His nature … there is an inner knowledge we receive from His Spirit to be conformed to His image.  Paul wrote, “For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He (Jesus) might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified.” (Cf. Romans 8:29-30) We know that we have come to know Him if we keep His commands. Whoever says, “I know Him,” but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys His word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in Him: Whoever claims to live in Him must live as Jesus did. (Cf. 1 John 2:3-6)

Psalm 40:10 (NIV)

I do not hide your righteousness in my heart; I speak of your faithfulness and your saving help. I do not conceal your love and your faithfulness from the great assembly.

Psalm 85:10 (NIV)

Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other.

Psalm 89:14 (NIV)

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you.

Proverbs 21:21 (NIV)

Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor.

1 Timothy 6:10-12 (NIV)

10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.11 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith.

2 Timothy 2:22 (NIV)

Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

1 John 3:7-10 (NIV)

7 Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as He is righteous. 8 The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. 9 No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. 10 This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister. 11 For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.

Matthew 5:43-45 (NIV)

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

It is clear that God expects us to consecrate our lives to Him … to sanctify ourselves through the truth of His Word (Cf. John 17:17) In this way, we become like Him in our own characters and spiritual natures.  The bar has been set quite high for believers, and it is imperative that recognize what the Apostle John admonished above … that no one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God.  Indeed, there is a difference between asking for forgiveness and repentance.  A believer will engage in repentance in order to do what is right and just….

The earth is full of His unfailing love.

Bless the Lord God because He has revealed His Being … His Truth to us through His Word and through His Son!  Bless the Lord God because He is faithful in ALL that He does.  Bless the Lord God because He is righteous and just in ALL He ways!  Therefore, we can TRUST the Lord God will our being … yes, we can trust Him who created us to have relationship with Him.  I love the following verses which speak to the unfailing love of God for us.  And I pray these will speak to your heart as well:

Exodus 15:13 (NIV)

In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling.

Psalm 13:5 (NIV)

But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.

Psalm 26:2-3 (NIV)

Test me, Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind;for I have always been mindful of your unfailing love and have lived in reliance on your faithfulness.

 Psalm 32:10 (NIV)

Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in Him.

 Psalm 51:1 (NIV)

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.

 Psalm 107:8, 15, 21, 31 (NIV)

Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love   and His wonderful deeds for mankind,

 Psalm 143:8 (NIV)

Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.

 As you can see, King David was quite expressive about the unfailing love of God. The Father is trustworthy in all things. The Father is faithful in all things. The Father sent His One and Only Begotten Son to reveal and manifest Himself so that we might know Him who is true!  As the Apostle John affirmed: “We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him who is true. And we are in Him who is true by being in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.” (Cf. 1 John 5:19-20) And so, I pray that we will respond to this word today. I pray that we will seek sincere repentance in our attitudes and motives that do not conform to the image of Jesus. And I pray that we will always endeavor to walk in this understanding that we have been given. For God is spirit, and those who worship Him must do so in the Spirit and Truth. (Cf. John 4:24) Amen.

So Now You Know!

Have a Blessed Day!

No Eye Has Seen

1 Corinthians 2:9

However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”— the things God has prepared for those who love Him—

I have always leaped for joy when I read this passage.  My imagination affords a wide range of the possibilities for heaven.  I think about the vivid descriptions of the Apostle John recorded in the Book of The Revelation … the emerald majesty of God’s throne … the illuminate Holy City of New Jerusalem … the foundations of precious gem stones and streets of gold as pure as transparent glass….  Heaven really is inconceivable even with the panoramic view we have been given.

But then I looked at the passage in its immediate context, and I thought there is more to what Paul is trying to convey here.  I began to see this verse from a different perspective … one that I had not considered before.  So I have reprinted the entire chapter for us to examine, because I think there is some broader truth to observe in this regard.

1 Corinthians 2 (NIV)

1 And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. 2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. 4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power. 6 We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

9 However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” (Cf. Isaiah 64:4) — the things God has prepared for those who love Him— 10 these are the things God has revealed to us by His Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.

11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. 14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. 15 The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, 16 for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct Him?” (Cf. Isaiah 40:13) But we have the mind of Christ.

Contemplating this passage within the context has shifted my focus from the eternal to the present. The Lord Jesus shared that He was would go to prepare a place for us in heaven and return to take us to be with Him there. (Cf. John 14:2-3) And I believe John has given us a vivid description of that place.  But to me, in the context, this passage appears to be addressing the mystery of the Gospel itself … the wisdom of God and His plan of salvation to be accomplished through His Son … Jesus, the Messiah.  Indeed, no human mind could have conceived that God the Father, the Creator of the Universe, would in essence sacrifice Himself for His own creation as an act of atonement for the sin and corruption that had entered into it.  For God sent His Son, Jesus, to be the Lamb of God … who was slain from the creation of the world. (Cf. Revelation 13:8) Indeed, our salvation is truly unimaginable; and yet, this is the eternal life that God has prepared for those who love Him. And this great salvation has been revealed to us by His Spirit.  Yes, The Spirit has revealed even the deep things of God … so that we might know them!

We do not have to look beyond the Word of God … written by the Holy Spirit upon the minds and hearts of holy men of God (2 Peter 1:21) … to see and understand what God has revealed regarding His plan of salvation.  Until the revelation of the Old Testament was fulfilled in Christ Jesus, no eye had truly seen … no ear had truly heard … no human mind had ever conceived the plan of salvation that God had prepared for those who love Him.  As Hebrews 1:1-3 explains, “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom also He made the universe. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word.” Wow! Just think about that a moment! How incredible is it – that the Creator of the universe would have the care or concern to afford His creation insight into the thoughts of His own mind … the love of His own heart … His deep desire to make Himself known to us!  It was accomplished through the Messiah … the Son of God … Jesus! He brought complete reality to all that had been spoken … to all that had been revealed!  The thoughts of God … the deep things of God … were revealed by His Spirit and witnessed in His Son.

And this is the message: God loves us … His children … so deeply that He died for us!  God sacrificed of Himself as a testimony of His indescribable, inconceivable, inseparable love! Paul would describe His passionate love with these words: “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,  neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Cf. Romans 8:38-39) Indeed, the Word of God is HIS testimony which He has given about His Son. Whoever believes in the Son of God accepts this testimony. Whoever does not believe God has made Him out to be a liar, because they have not believed the testimony God has given about His Son. And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. (Cf. 1 John 5:9-11)

Luke 24:44 (NIV)

Jesus said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”

1 Peter 1:10-12 (NIV)

10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, 11 trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when He predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

So, I hope this discussion has stirred your own thoughts about the Gospel … its hidden wisdom that has been revealed to those who love God through the Spirit.  As the Apostle John affirmed for us: “12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”  (Cf. 1 John 5:12-13) And so I share this word with you that the Gospel may be applied to your hearts in the present … and so that you will know for certain the eternal life that awaits you in that truly inconceivable place Jesus has gone to prepare for us!  And the greatest news is that He will soon return …  so that we might be with Him where He is!

So Now You Know!

Have a Blessed Day!

THE WAY OUT

1 Corinthians 10:13

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

As we continue in the pursuit of holiness for our lives, this verse is quite appropriate for us to study and put into action.  Let’s break it down and examine it more closely:

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind.

No matter what you are going through … no matter what you face in the battle against sin in your life … there is someone else who has waged the same fight. The sinful human nature is common to the human life we experience here on earth.  And if you have been “overtaken” by the sin that so easily ensnares you (Cf. Hebrews 12:1), know you are not alone.  What you have allowed to become a stronghold in your life is common to all mankind.  And I believe the greatest temptation that has overtaken any human is the sin of unbelief because I think when most sin occurs … when we are most vulnerable to its deception … is when we fall into faithlessness toward God … when we ignore His invitation to intimacy … when we lose the awareness that God sees all!  David asked: “Where can I go from your Spirit?  Where can I flee from your presence?” (Psalm 139:7) There is no place we can go outside of His presence.  When we wander from God, in a sense, we do not leave His presence; rather, we leave His divine power and His hand upon our lives.  Unbelief weakens us!  Unbelief paralyzes us!  It renders us powerless to overcome sin rather than being mighty to the pulling down of strongholds.  Yet, there is an answer to this plight of temptation!

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NIV)

3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NKJV)

3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal (of the flesh) but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.

The reason temptation can overtake us is because we try to fight the battle in our flesh and not in the Spirit realm.  Our weapons to resist … to flee …  are not natural but spiritual. And those weapons are fasting, prayer, and the sword of the Spirit … which is the Word of God! (Cf. Ephesians 6:17) Paul instructed us to put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil (temptation) comes, we may be able to stand our ground, and after we have done everything, to stand. (Cf. Ephesians 6:13). For this is what Jesus did when He went into the wilderness to be tempted of Satan.  With every high and lofty arrow of deception aimed for His heart, Jesus responded to Satan with Scripture: “It is written….” (Cf. Matthew 4:4-10) Do we know the Word of God well enough to fight or resist temptation? Are we equipped to do battle and to take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ?  Jesus warned His disciples on the night of His betrayal: “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Cf. Matthew 26:41; Mark 14:38) This is real warfare, folks!  And on the battlefields of our minds, the war will be won or lost….

God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.

What an encouragement to know that even when we are tempted … even when we are weak … even when we are faithless … God is still faithful to us.  Yet, too often we lose a battle.  And it appears that we wave our white flags of surrender far too soon at times.  When we “cave to crave” we have not reached what we can bear. Remember, God will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear! So what happens? Why do we fail?

James 1:12-18 (NIV)

12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love Him. 13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. 16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first-fruits of all He created.

So we see that temptation comes from within our hearts. We just read about the condition of man from the beginning … when the Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. (Cf. Genesis 6:5) So it follows that we need clean hearts and right spirits in order to find the path to triumph.  David asked, “Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin”? (Psalm 20:9) Paul observed that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) But God is faithful!  His kindness is intended to lead us to repentance. (Cf. Romans 2:4)   And David found the path of repentance that we would do well to carefully observe.  I encourage you to read all of Psalm 51 … but this excerpt is what came to my heart: “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” (Psalm 51:10-12)

But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

The truth of the matter is you and I WILL be tempted.  The text does not read, “But IF you are tempted….”  No human is or has ever been without temptation.  It is part of the human experience God created.  And even though God has shown Himself mighty and powerful on behalf of His people … they have wandered and rebelled against Him.  God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Cf. Romans 5:8) Yet, Jesus asked, “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” (Cf. Luke 18:8) Faith is essential in the battle against temptation, because faith determines whether we will engage our human will to act upon the temptation presented.  “For without faith, it is impossible to please God.”  (Hebrews 11:6) I am reminded of where Moses wrote:

Deuteronomy 8:2-5 (NIV)

2 Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His commands. 3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. 4 Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. 5 Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you. 6 Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in obedience to Him and revering Him.

God took His people into the wilderness and then He led them through it.  God caused His people to hunger … and then He fed them.  The Lord declared through Moses, “Man does not live on food alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.  God provides for both our physical hunger and spiritual hunger! No, the testing and trials that the Lord allows are not temptations; rather, they reveal the truth of what lies with our hearts.  And when we decide to face the truth … when the discipline we receive of the Lord is discerned and understood … then we will discover that God has provided a way out of the wilderness.  We find that God has made provision to sustain us.  Oh, yes!  When we completely surrender everything to our Lord and Savior … when we enter into intimacy with Him … He will change the inclinations of the thoughts of our hearts.  He will renew a right spirit within us.  God will give us His divine power; and His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who call us by His own glory and goodness. (Cf. 2 Peter 1:3)

Another thought that just occurred to me on the issue of temptation:  I believe the more we pursue intimacy with Jesus … the more He disciples our faith in Him … then the more we can expect to experience trial and temptation in order to test our faith.  I considered what Jesus said to Peter at the Last Supper in the Upper Room:

Luke 22:31-34 (NIV)

31 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” 33 But Peter replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.” 34 Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.”

It was not only Peter who would be sifted as wheat in order to separate the valued, true seed of faith from the worthless, deceptive outer covering of chaff … that made faith appear larger than it was in reality .  It would be all of the disciples … just as it will be all of us.  We will all be sifted!  We will all be subjected to temptation … to test our faith! Even Jesus was not immune from being tempted by Satan.  And the Apostle James advised us, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (Cf. James 1:2-4)

But I want us to notice how Jesus said He had prayed for Simon Peter.  Jesus prayed that Peter’s FAITH would not fail…. Now we know from the narrative that Peter did in fact fail during the next battle he faced … and the rooster crowed.  But we also know that Peter later triumphed … being baptized with fire and the Holy Spirit. Because the Lord was with Him, Peter persevered in faith, and he went on to win the war … to “finish the race.”  His faith did not fail!  And this is something for us to grasp, that even now, Jesus sits at the right hand of God … seated at the throne … interceding for us. (Hebrews 7:24-25) God may send you into the wilderness, but He will lead you through it to the Promised Land.  God may allow you to hunger, but He will fill you and sustain your life.  God may allow Satan to sift you with temptation to test the genuineness of your faith, but Jesus will intercede for you … that your faith may not fail.  Peter would later share and express his experience:

1 Peter 1:3-9 (NIV)

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Romans 8:31-39 (NIV)

31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all—how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” (Cf. Psalm 44:22) 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us!  God provided us a way to endure temptation.  His name is Jesus!  And I pray that we will realize that Jesus is ever interceding for us that our faith may not fail.  I encourage you to take some time and read the “Hall of Faith” presented in Hebrews 11.  Then, let the triumphs of those faithful people of old resonate within you.  And then, after your meditation, continue to this passage:

Hebrews 12:1-3 (NIV)

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer (author) and perfecter (finisher) of our faith. For the joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart….

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

So Now You Know!

Have a Blessed Day!

Be Holy, Because I Am Holy

1 Peter 1:15-16

But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

A solemn reminder … that we are to be holy just as God is holy!  This means we are set apart unto God.  This means God is the center of our being.  This means we seek intimacy with God in order to be like Him in holiness.  There are several Scriptures that address this call to holiness … and the word sanctification comes to mind as I write.  Perhaps we could explore what Paul wrote on the subject:

1 Thessalonians 4:3-8 (NIV)

3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5 not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. 7 For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. 8 Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit.

2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 (NIV)

13 But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as first-fruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. 14 He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

A couple of thoughts here:

Our sanctification, our walk toward holiness, is the expressed will of God.  Paul connects that sanctification or holiness entails abstinence from sexual immorality; however, holiness goes far deeper into the inclinations and motives of our hearts … our souls.  For God did not call us to uncleanness, but to holiness.  And this is what we should pursue through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit.  Indeed, God chose us for salvation and sanctification.  And note how Paul articulates this process – the Holy Spirit works to separate us from the world unto God … and His work begins when we believe the truth.  In fact, Jesus prayed for our sanctification!  Look at this passage as Jesus prayed to the Father:

John 17:13-19 (NIV)

13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

When we believe the Word of God … and put our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ … this is the conception of sanctification.  This is moment that holiness is birthed in our hearts.  We are born-again … not of this world … not of the flesh … but born of God through the Holy Spirit working through the Word … the Word of Truth!  And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the Truth! (Cf. 1 John 5:6) Oh, how I pray we all will take the call to holiness to heart … deny ourselves as symbolized in fasting … and sanctify our hearts through prayer and intimacy with the Lord.  This is what He desires for His children to be … and for the prodigal to be … and for whosoever will believe in Him to be! The time has come for authentic relationship with God … and this requires our sanctification…. Have your way … Holy Spirit! Amen.

So Now You Know!

Have a Blessed Day!