Purify…

Purify…

Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. All who have this hope in Him purify themselves, just as He is pure. ~ 1 John 3:2-3

Think about what the Apostle John has posited here for us: “Now we are the children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known.” In his Gospel account of Jesus, John asserted the following: “Yet to all who did receive Him (Jesus), to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” (John 1:12-13) And so, it is with this understanding of who we are in Christ, that we are filled with the hope of resurrection and eternal life … the hope of being like Him – as He is. Therefore, John concludes that ALL who have this hope in Jesus … who place their faith in Him … will purify ourselves as we wait for His coming.

The Apostle Paul weighs in on this matter of purity as well:

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 through 07:01 (NIV)

Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said:

“I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.” (Cf. Leviticus 26:12; Jeremiah 32:38; Ezekiel 37:27) Therefore, “Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” (Cf. Isaiah 52:11; Ezekiel 20:34, 41) And, “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” (2 Samuel 7:14; 7:8) Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.

Look at these promises! In Christ, we are the children of God … we are the people of God! As such, we are to separate ourselves from all things impure and unholy. Indeed, purity and holiness are rooted in our separation from the world and its fallenness. John instructed: “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. (1 John 2:15-16)

In his letter to Titus, Paul concludes that the grace of God through Christ Jesus changes our hearts and the pursuits of our hearts. It is based in the blessed hope of His appearing:

Titus 2:11-14 (NIV)

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good.

As a child of God, are you actively striving to purify yourself? Is the hope you have in Christ Jesus motivating you to pursue holiness in response to the promises you have in Him? Like Paul, I want to encourage all of us to purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God. Yes, “Come near to God and He will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. (James 4:8) For this is the call of Father God to His children! Indeed, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

Have a Blessed Day!

Grow…

Grow…

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever! Amen.” ~ 2 Peter 3:18

In his second epistle, Peter exhorts believers to live holy and godly lives in light of the return of our Lord Jesus:

2 Peter 3:8-14 (NIV)

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, He is patient with you – not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you wait eagerly for that Day of God to come. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with His promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with Him.

Now, more than ever, we need to be growing in our knowledge of the Lord Jesus … increasing in all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives … abounding in the grace that produced our faith through the Word of God … living lives worthy of the callings we have received. Oh, yes! Each one of us needs to find and take our place in the Body of Christ so that we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of Him who is the head, that is, Christ. From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. (Cf. Ephesians 4:1-16)

Growth is a natural process both physically and spiritually. It is the readily seen in our human maturation process; and we can certainly ascertain if our spiritual growth has been stunted or not. Our Lord Jesus has called us to flourish in body, soul, and spirit! We are fashioned for growth through the exercising of our roles within the Church … doing the good works that Father God ordained for us in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10) Yes, let us grow up in our salvation! (1 Peter 2:2)

My friends, I pray that we will always be diligent and passionate in our pursuit of Kingdom-minded growth! Let us persevere and not grow weary for the sake of Christ Jesus and His glorious Name! Amen….

Have a Blessed Day!

Live…

Live…

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” ~ John 11:25-26

I often wonder if we truly understand what it means to live … to be alive. Do we consider that man was formed of the dust of ground and that God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and became a living being? (Genesis 2:7) Can we truly comprehend how God fashioned and formed us in the womb? (Ecclesiastes 11:5) Do we embrace that humans are fearfully and wonderfully made? (Psalm 139:14)

We live because God is sovereign over the work of His hands! He created and ordained for living creatures to fill the earth … and for man to have dominion over them. These truths have not changed since the beginning of creation. But it is apparent that when sin entered the world through man, we lost intimate communion with our Creator and source of life. We lost our breath … so to speak. And God has been calling out to us ever since: “Seek Me and Live!” (Amos 5:4)

Moses exhorted the children of Israel to follow the commandments of God. They were tested in the wilderness and taught that man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. (Deuteronomy 8:3) Jesus affirmed this scripture during His own wilderness temptation; and He would use the metaphor to reveal His identity to those who believe:

John 5:48-51 (NIV)

I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

My friends, to believe in Jesus is to abide in Him … to be united with Him forever! He declared, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.” Truly, Jesus is our breath of life! Think about these words Jesus shared with His disciples: “Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.” (John 14:19)

In Galatians 2:19-20, Paul shared some profound insight for us to ponder: “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Indeed, let us live a life worthy of the calling we have received. (Ephesians 4:1) For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. (1 Thessalonians 4:7) Yes, whoever claims to live in Him must live as Jesus did. (1 John 2:6) And I pray we will live in this light…. Amen!

Have a Blessed Day!