Tuesday, September 4,
2012, 4:04 a.m. – the Lord woke me with the song “In Harmony” playing in my mind. After I had recorded some thoughts,
prior to reading the passage of Scripture, and while I was praying for wisdom
and understanding, the Lord brought this song to mind:
Trust Him / An
Original Work / August 15, 2012
Based off Psalm 27:14
Wait for the Lord; be of courage;
Be strong and take heart today.
Do not fear when foes attack you.
Trust in God always.
He will rescue you in times
Of trouble and distress,
He’ll comfort you in all ways
As you trust Him with your life today.
Trust in Him always.
God is with you; He’ll not leave you.
You can always count on Him.
He will fulfill all He promised
Before you began.
His word teaches you
All that you need for this life.
Let Him lead you. Open your heart;
Let his truth envelope you today.
Listen and obey.
Love your Lord God; follow Jesus.
Repent of your sins today.
Make Him your Lord and your master;
Trust Him and obey.
Follow Him where’er He leads you
In His service; be His witness,
Telling others about Jesus’
Price that He did pay
For your sins always.
Speak, Lord, for your servant
is listening. I read 2 Corinthians 13
(NIV 1984):
This will be my third
visit to you. “Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or
three witnesses.” I already gave you a warning when I was with you the second
time. I now repeat it while absent: On my return I will not spare those who
sinned earlier or any of the others, since you are demanding proof that Christ
is speaking through me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful
among you. For to be sure, he was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God’s
power. Likewise, we are weak in him, yet by God’s power we will live with him
to serve you.
Examine yourselves to
see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that
Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? And I trust that
you will discover that we have not failed the test. Now we pray to God that you
will not do anything wrong. Not that people will see that we have stood the
test but that you will do what is right even though we may seem to have failed.
For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. We are
glad whenever we are weak but you are strong; and our prayer is for your
perfection. This is why I write these things when I am absent, that when I come
I may not have to be harsh in my use of authority—the authority the Lord gave
me for building you up, not for tearing you down.
Finally, brothers,
good-by. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in
peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.
Greet one another with
a holy kiss. All the saints send their greetings.
May the grace of the
Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit
be with you all.
Sin Issues
God does not wink at our sin. He takes our sin seriously,
and he expects us to do the same. Jesus Christ died on the cross so we could be
free from sin, not to give us a free license to continue in sin now that we are
under grace. Paul was Christ’s representative to the people. As an apostle of
Jesus Christ, he had God-given authority to act on the behalf of Jesus Christ in
addressing serious sin issues within the church. Since Jesus Christ is not weak
in dealing with sin among his chosen ones, but is powerful among us, so Paul, acting
as Christ’s representative, was also not weak when it came to the discipline of
Christ’s body for the purpose of bringing folks back into a right relationship
with Jesus Christ, and with a goal of purifying the body of Christ of the yeast
of unrighteousness.
Examine Yourselves
Upon Paul instructing the church that he would not be weak
among them in dealing with sin, he asked them to examine themselves to see
whether or not they were truly in the faith. They were to test themselves. He
asked them to realize that Christ was in them, unless they failed the test.
We don’t hear much in today’s church about self-examination
and tests to see if we are truly in the faith. In fact, we often hear just the
opposite. We often get this “carte” (ticket) “blanche” (blank), i.e. “unrestricted
power to act at one's own discretion; unconditional authority” (www.thefreedictionary.com) idea
concerning salvation by grace. In other words, it is often taught that all we
have to do is to invite Jesus Christ into our hearts to be our Lord and Savior,
with little to no more explanation than that, and then we are told that we have
our ticket into heaven (our carte blanche or blank check) and no one can take
it away from us. If that is the case, then why take the examination?
So, what is this test? Paul didn’t really say what the test
entailed or how they were to go about examining themselves. Yet, he did give us
a few hints. He said he prayed that they would not do anything wrong (sin), but
that they would do what is right. So, it appears that a life exemplified by not
doing wrong (actively and continually) and doing what is right (actively and
continually) might be one of the requirements on this test. Paul also stated
that he and the other apostles could not do anything against the truth, but
only for the truth. So, again it appears that in this self-examination we might
ask ourselves if this speaks of our daily walks with Christ. Paul also said
that he prayed for their perfection. So, this, as well, may be a question on
the test, asking us if we are striving toward perfection in Christ, not in our
flesh, and not with a “perfectionist” attitude about everything, but “Are we
striving to be like Jesus in the power and working of the Holy Spirit within
us?”
Although Paul did not go into great detail in this specific
part of his letter to the Corinthian church as to how this examination was to
be conducted or what types of questions might be on the test, the New
Testament, as a whole, serves as our test.
The Exam
Q: Have I turned from (died to) my life of sin?
·
2 Co. 4:2 – We have renounced secret and shameful
ways.
·
Eph. 4:22 – Come to Christ? - You were taught to
put off your old self (life of sin).
·
Rom. 6 – Count yourselves dead to sin but alive
to God in Christ Jesus.
·
Luke 9:23 – Want to come after Christ? Must deny
self (humble oneself), take up cross daily (die daily to sin) and follow (obey)
Christ.
·
Luke 9:24 – Want to hold on to your old life of
sin? You will lose your life for eternity.
·
1 John 1:6 – Claim to have fellowship with God
but you continue in sin? You lie and do not live by the truth.
·
1 John 3:6-9 – No one who lives in Christ keeps
on sinning (continues in sin).
Q: Is it my goal to obey (follow; please) God in every way?
·
Ro. 6:22 – Been set free from sin? - Now slaves
to God, offering bodies in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness, and
the result is eternal life.
·
Eph. 4:22-23 – You were taught (concerning the
way to come to Christ) to put off old self (life of sin); to be made new in the
attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in
true righteousness and holiness.
·
Luke 9:23 – Want to come after Christ? You must
deny self, take up your cross daily and follow (obey) Jesus Christ.
·
1 John 2:3-4 – We know we have come to know
Christ if we obey his commands.
·
1 John 2:17 – the person who does the will of
God lives forever.
·
1 John 3:18 – Let us not love with words or
tongue but with actions & in truth.
·
John 10:25-29 – Jesus’ sheep 1) listen to (heed;
pay attention to) His voice, 2) He knows them, and 3) they follow (obey) Him. These
are the ones who have the promise of eternal life, and no one can snatch them
out of God’s hand.
Q: Do I love my fellow man (or woman) or fellow believers in
Jesus Christ?
·
1 John 2:9-11 – Claim to be in the light and yet
hate your brother? You are still in darkness. Whoever loves his fellow man (or
woman) lives in the light.
·
1 John 4:20 - If anyone says, “I love God,” yet
hates his brother, he is a liar.
·
1 John 4:8 – Whoever does not love does not know
God because God is love.
Q: Do I truly love God?
·
1 John 3:18 – Let us not love with words or
tongue but with actions & in truth.
·
1 John 4:20 – If anyone says, “I love God,” yet
hates his brother, he is a liar.
·
1 John 2:15-16 – Do not love the world (cravings
of sin; lust of eyes; boasting about possessions or self-accomplishments). Love
world? Love of Father not in you.
·
1 John 3:17 – See your brother in need
(legitimate need) & have no pity? Love of Father not in you.
·
1 John 5:3 – This is love for God: to obey his
commands.
How did you (I) do? Did you (I) pass the test? If not, I
pray you will turn from your sin and choose to follow Jesus Christ in obedience
and surrender to his will for your life today. None of us will live perfect
lives, yet we are to aim for perfection (completion in Christ), i.e. we should
make it our goal to please Christ Jesus in every way, and we should strive, in
the power of the Holy Spirit within us, to die daily to sin and to choose daily
to walk in faithful obedience to Jesus Christ. Then, we will be of one mind and
we will be able to live peacefully with one another. “And the God of love and
peace will be with you.”
May the grace of the
Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit
be with you all.
In Harmony / An
Original Work / September 2, 2012
Based off Ro. 12:9-21; 1 Pet. 3:8-15
Love each other truly.
Cling to what is good.
Hate all that is evil.
Never lack in zeal.
Serve the Lord with
fervor.
Joyful in hope be;
Patient in affliction;
Praying faithfully.
Honor one another.
Live in harmony.
Share with all God’s
people
Who are found in need.
Do not be conceited.
Sympathetic be.
Love, and show
compassion
In humility.
Keep your tongue from
evil.
Peaceful you must be.
Honor one another.
Live in harmony.
God sees who are
righteous;
Listens to their
prayers.
But He’s against evil
–
Is His to avenge.
Do not fear what they
fear.
Suffer patiently.
In your hearts, make
Christ Lord.
Serve Him faithfully.
Honor one another.
Live in harmony.
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