For the Will of God

Friday, July 31, 2015, 12:50 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “Living Water.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 1 Peter 4:1-11 (NASB).

Arm Yourselves

Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties and abominable idolatries. In all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excesses of dissipation, and they malign you; but they will give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For the gospel has for this purpose been preached even to those who are dead, that though they are judged in the flesh as men, they may live in the spirit according to the will of God.

What was the purpose of Jesus’ suffering? – That HE might die for the sins of the entire world and be resurrected back to life, victorious over sin, hell, Satan and death. Why? – So we can die with Christ to sins and live with him to righteousness (See 1 Pet. 2:24). In other words, Jesus did not die just so we could escape hell and have the hope of heaven when we die. He said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny self (his self-life), take up his cross daily (die daily to sin and self) and follow (obey) Jesus. He said that if we hold on to our old lives (of living for sin and self) we will lose them for eternity, but if we willingly die with Christ to sin (give up our lives), we will gain eternal life (See Lu. 9:23-25). He said his sheep know his voice, they listen to him, and they follow (obey) him, and these are the ones who can’t be snatched out of God’s hands (See John 10).

The whole purpose of Jesus’ death and resurrection was to free us from slavery to sin, and to free us to walk daily in Christ’s righteousness and holiness (See Ro. 6-8; Eph. 4:17-24). He died so that we might be turned from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that we might receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified (purified, made holy) by faith in Jesus Christ (See Ac. 26:16-18). He died that we might no longer live for ourselves, but for him who gave himself up for us (See 2 Co. 5:15). He also died that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us who do not walk according to the flesh, but who conduct our lives according to (in agreement with) the Spirit (See Ro. 8:1-14), all in the power and working of the Spirit within us.

So, if someone is telling you that all you have to do is pray a prayer to receive Christ, but that God requires nothing of you in the way of repentance (turning from sin to faith in Christ), obedience to his instructions, or submission and surrender to his will, then they are telling you a BIG FAT LIE! God’s grace is not a free license to continue living sinful lifestyles free from guilt and remorse. God’s grace which brings salvation teaches us to say “NO” to ungodliness and worldly passions and desires, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives while we wait for Christ’s return (See Tit. 2:11-14). We are called to be holy. Holy means set apart from (different, unlike) the world, because we are becoming like Christ.

So, it is not ok to continue in sin after we have received Christ as Lord and Savior of our lives. God doesn’t look the other way. He is not pleased with us when we are disobeying him, and when we are willfully going against his instructions and his will for our lives. We are supposed to no longer live for human lusts, but for the will of God. That is what is meant by being born again (from above, of the Spirit). It is like metamorphosis, like being changed from a caterpillar to a butterfly, so to speak. Out with the old, in with the new. We are new creations in Christ Jesus, “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (See Eph. 4:24). This is how we are supposed to live, by the Spirit of God.

So, why is it that so many who call themselves Christians today are living much like they did before they were saved? Why is it that the church is barely distinguishable from the world anymore? Whatever happened to teachings about being separate from the world of sin? Why is so much of the church today embracing the world’s culture, adopting its ways, and ignoring or twisting scriptures they don’t like in order to make them more appealing to the people of this sinful world? And, why is it a crime to follow the Word of God in all seriousness and to live like we believe what it teaches? Why is it that so much persecution directed against those who adhere to Jesus’ and the NT apostles’ teachings is coming from within the church, not from out in the world? Why is it that, in today’s church, if you are living in sin and you are worldly, you are accepted, but if you are serious about following Jesus and dying to sin daily, you are an “extremist,” or “crazy,” and you are ostracized? This should not be! We must be crucified with Christ to sin, so we can live to righteousness.

Above All

The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer. Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaint. As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

One day life on this earth is going to end, and we will all have to give an account to God for what we did with Jesus Christ and with his salvation he secured for us on the cross. Life is not just one big party. We are not here to entertain and to be entertained. Why is it so many Christians can gather together and can talk so easily about movies, sports and the like, but are uncomfortable talking about Jesus and their walks of faith with him? We are not going to win the world to Jesus Christ by entertaining them, and by talking with them about what is worldly. We may be the life of the party here on earth, and everyone may like us because we are funny and we make everyone laugh, but what impact are we having on people’s lives for eternity? We need to be serious about our Lord, about his gospel, and about following him in obedience, and we need to be spiritually healthy in our judgments (decisions, wisdom, and discernment) which we make about how we live our daily lives.

True love does not placate or entertain sin, nor is it entertained by the sins of others. It also does not lie to people via false flattery. It does not try to make people feel good about sinning against God, nor does it excuse away or ignore sin. True love does not compromise the truths of scripture or dilute the gospel in order to make it less offensive to this sinful world. Also, it is never kind to tell people lies. True love tells the truth, but it does so in love. Yet, so much of today’s church has adopted the world’s idea of love, which is to not make waves, to not offend people with the gospel, to not make anyone uncomfortable, and to make everyone feel good about themselves, even if they are steeped in sin.

God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whoever believes (present tense) in him might have eternal life. This is true love, to give of ourselves to meet the legitimate needs of others. It is self-sacrificing, and it puts the true needs of others above oneself. Foremost, everyone needs to be delivered out of slavery to sin and to walk in Christ’s holiness. Let us love more like Jesus and not like the world.

Yet, there are many ways in which we can love people. We can offer hospitality to others, serve others, and administer God’s grace to others in its various forms. Jesus Christ, when he walked the face of this earth, set the perfect example for us in how to serve others. The Lord Jesus used this passage yesterday to encourage my heart. My husband and I have four adult children who are all married, and we have 12 grandchildren. My in-laws arrived on Tuesday afternoon for a three week visit. So, we have had our kids and grandkids over for meals and for hanging out with the grandparents during the day. So, I was praying about how I was going to have time to write and to take care of my family, too, and the Lord encouraged me to love my family, to offer hospitality, to use whatever gifts he has given to me to serve them, and to administer God’s grace to them in its various forms, i.e. God has gifted me in many ways, and he has given me many areas of responsibility and care, and right now I am to care for my family, and write when he allots me the time to write.

In summary, we are to arm ourselves with the same attitude of Christ, whether it is in being a servant in caring for people’s physical or emotional needs, or whether it is ministering to the spiritual needs of others, and that is that we must be done with sin (selfishness) so that we no longer conduct our lives according to our sinful flesh, but we walk (conduct our lives) in agreement with the Spirit, and we live for the will of God, to please our Lord in all that we do. This is God’s will for our lives, and it is why Jesus Christ came to earth and died and was resurrected from the dead that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his stripes we are healed. Amen! So, give your all to him today, if you have not already done so.

Living Water / An Original Work / November 21, 2013

Based off Various Scriptures

My people have forsaken Me,

Their Savior, who died on a tree;

Made idols, and they worshipped them;

So empty, they will ne’er fulfill.

Lord, You are the hope of Your chosen ones.

Those who turn away from You will be shamed;

The Spring of Living Water left behind.

Living Water satisfies.

The thirsty, let them come and drink;

Believe in Jesus as their King;

The gift of Jesus given them,

So they will never thirst again.

Indeed, the Living Water flows within.

It springs up like a fountain cleansing sin.

Eternal life in heaven promised them.

Living Water glorifies.

Oh people, won’t you come to Him?

Obey Him and repent of sin.

Let Jesus come and live within.

Surrender all your life to Him.

My people, won’t you turn your hearts to Me?

Forsake your idols and then you’ll be free.

Won’t you come now to Me on bended knee?

Living Water sanctifies.

https://vimeo.com/113088324

Praise the "I Am"

2/24/12: I have been reading in Revelation about the power and majesty of God, and of Jesus Christ, God the Son. Jesus, the Lamb of God, was the only one worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because he was slain, and with his blood he purchased men for God. He made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and we will reign with Christ on the earth. The Lamb, who was slain, is worthy “to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” This song, “Praise the ‘I AM’,” is also a song of praise to Jesus Christ, my Savior, who is my gracious Redeemer, who, by his grace, pardoned me, forgave my sin and he set me free! Now, I am His servant and witness.

Praise the “I AM!” / An Original Work / February 24, 2012

Jesus, my Savior, full of compassion,

Glorious in power, mighty in strength;

Gracious Redeemer, mighty deliv’rer,

My heart adores Him. Praise to His name!

Perfect salvation my Lord provided

When He died for my sins on a tree;

Crucified my sins; conquered in vict’ry,

When He arose, so I could be free!

I am so thankful for His forgiveness;

Grateful that He chose to pardon me,

Giving me new life full in His Spirit,

So I can serve Him; His servant be!

Walking in daily fellowship with Him,

Obeying Him whate’er He commands;

Forsaking my sins, living in freedom,

I will endure with Him to the end!

He gives me peace and calm reassurance

In times of sorrow, or in distress.

His grace is sure, and oh, how sufficient

To meet me in my need for sweet rest.

Oh, how I love You, Jesus, my Savior.

My heart longs for You where’er I am.

Your word is precious; speaks to my spirit;

Brings comfort, healing. Praise the “I AM!”

https://vimeo.com/125736554

I'm Not Ashamed

This song is based off Matt. 28:19-20, often called “The Great Commission,” and was spoken by Jesus to his disciples. It is also based off Acts 1:8, which were Jesus’ words to his disciples concerning the sending of His Holy Spirit to them after he left the earth and ascended back to heaven. It is also based off Rom. 1:16-17, which Paul taught concerning the gospel of Jesus Christ and its power for the salvation of people’s lives for eternity. Jesus has commissioned each and every one of us who are his disciples and followers to go and to make disciples, and to teach them to obey Christ’s commands.

Yet, we do not do this in our own power or strength. We are Christ’s witnesses when the Holy Spirit comes upon us, which is when we accept Jesus Christ into our hearts and lives to be our Lord and Savior. He will give us the words to say, so we don’t ever have to be afraid. We should never be ashamed of our Lord or of his gospel, worrying about what to say or how to say it, and worried about what others will think about us. Instead, we must realize that the gospel has the power for salvation in people’s lives.

I’m Not Ashamed / An Original Work / February 15, 2012

Based off Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 1:8; Rom. 1:16-17

Go into all the world,

And tell them the Good News,

Making disciples of all the nations,

Baptizing them in the name of the Father

And of the Holy Spirit,

And of the Son,

Teaching them to obey

Ev’rything I have commanded you,

And surely I am with you,

E’en to the end of the age.

You will receive power

When the Holy Spirit

Comes on you;

My witnesses you will be

In Samaria, Judea, and Jerusalem,

And to the ends of the earth, amen!

You will receive power

When the Holy Spirit comes on you,

My witnesses you will be

Unto the ends of the earth.

I’m not ashamed of the

Gospel of my Jesus.

For salvation, it’s the power of God.

For in the gospel a righteousness

From God is made known,

A righteousness that is by faith.

I’m not ashamed of the

Gospel of my Jesus.

For salvation, it’s the power of God.

The righteous will live by faith.

https://vimeo.com/125737139

Straying Like Sheep

Monday, July 27, 2015, 8:07 p.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “He Touched My Mouth.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 1 Peter 2 (Selected vv. NASB).

Out of Darkness (vv. 9-10)

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Before we came to believe in Jesus Christ as Lord, and as Savior of our lives, we were under the control of sin’s deceitfulness, without hope and without God, and headed to hell. Yet God, who is rich in mercy, saved us by the blood of Jesus shed on the cross for our sins. He called us out of the darkness of sin into the light of his truth, holiness and righteousness, i.e. Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. When he died, our sins died with him, and were buried with him. When he was resurrected from the dead, he rose victorious over sin, hell, death and Satan. When we come to believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and as Savior of our lives, we are crucified with Christ to sin, and we are resurrected with Christ to newness of life, “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4:24). Jesus did not die just so we could escape hell and have the promise of heaven when we die. He died to give us completely new lives, free from slavery to sin, and free to walk (conduct our lives) in agreement with the Spirit of God; to walk in his righteousness.

Those who are presently under the control of sin’s deceitfulness and headed to hell, though, are not just those who make no profession of Christ as Savior and Lord of their lives. This includes all those who have made false professions of faith, and who have just played (acted) as though they were followers of Christ, but who are not truly saved, perhaps because they were self-deceived into believing they were saved, or were possibly intending to be deceptive. Some of these professors of faith mouth empty words of praise to God, but they are just vain repetitions, insincere and shallow declarations of faith and adoration of God, which are self-focused and not God-focused. Many people today have bought into Satan’s lies which tell them that if they just pray a prayer to receive Christ that they have their ticket into heaven guaranteed, and no one can take that away from them, no matter how badly they sin after that. The lie says that God requires nothing of us at all in the way of turning from sin, following Christ in obedience, and surrendering our wills to the will of God. Yet, if they would just read the Bible, it is real clear all throughout the New Testament that we are called out of darkness into God’s marvelous light. This is true salvation!

God called us to be holy, which means to be set apart (separate, unlike, different) from this sinful world, because we are becoming like Christ. Yet, so many professing Christians today are not living remarkably different from the world, but they are blending in with today’s culture, and, thus, they are a mixed bag of worldly and godly, with a diverse assortment of philosophies, values, and beliefs. They have strayed away from their pure devotion to Jesus Christ, and have allowed worldly influences to creep back into their lives. Though I know this is not a new concept, as the people of God of old did the same, I do believe that television, movies, the internet, social media, private internet access, and the like, have largely contributed to influencing this downward spiral in the spiritual lives of so many Christians today. The meetings of the church largely reflect this mixture of holy and worldly, but they are moving further and further away from holy and are becoming increasingly worldly, and are blending together humanistic philosophy with God’s Word, which stands in contradiction to human-based teachings, philosophies and human-based religion.

As followers of Jesus Christ, though, we are not to immerse ourselves in our culture, but we are chosen of God to be the Light of the world and the Salt of the earth in shining the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ to this sinful world so that many can be saved. As a royal priesthood, we are the children of the King of kings, and Lord of lords. As priests we not only have the privilege of being able to enter into God’s holy presence, by faith in Jesus Christ, but we are called to be living sacrifices to God, holy and pleasing to him, which is our reasonable service of worship to him, no longer conformed to the pattern of this sinful world, but transformed in the renewing of our minds so we can discern and obey God’s good, pleasing and perfect will (See: Ro. 12:1-2). We are also to be ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ, in praying for people, and in sharing the love and grace of Jesus Christ with them, proclaiming to them the holiness and righteousness of God, and how Jesus came to save us from slavery to sin and to free us to walk in his righteousness and holiness. Through spiritual discernment, because we have had our minds renewed, we can see the wrong turn God’s church (or the institutional church) is taking, and thus we should be calling out to those who are straying, and we should be calling them to repentance.

Abstain from Fleshly Lusts (vv. 11-12)

Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.

What does it mean to be an alien or a stranger? It means that we are not citizens of this world, but our home is in heaven with God. So, we should not live our lives any longer as though we are part of (participants in) this sinful world. God has called us to come out from this world of sin and to be separate, yet it seems today that not many who call themselves followers of Christ are truly separate, and those who are, are often called “extremists,” or “hyper-religious” or “out of touch” with reality or “strange.” So many professing Christians today are daily allowing themselves to be entertained by the sinful acts of others via TV, movies, the internet, or by worldly music, and thus they are feeding their minds with sin. We have heard the saying, “Garbage in, garbage out.” What we daily feed into our minds is bound to come out in our thoughts, attitudes and behaviors. So many who call themselves followers of Christ, thus, speak and act just like the world, rather than speak and act just like those who have been called out of darkness into God’s marvelous light. Thus, they are not shining as lights for the gospel to this sinful world, because they don’t live as aliens.

Live to Righteousness (vv. 21-25)

For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.

Jesus Christ died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. This is the essence of the gospel of our salvation. If we are not daily dying to sin and living to righteousness, all in the power and working of the Spirit of God within us, who has given us new lives in Christ Jesus, our Lord, then something is terribly wrong. We have strayed from our pure devotion to Jesus Christ to following after our flesh, humanistic teachings, and sinful pleasures.

There is a serious problem going on within the church today, and that is that the church has largely moved away from teaching walking in the fear of the Lord and walking in Christ’s holiness, and living to please God, to teaching salvation by faith in Jesus Christ absent of the cross of Christ in our lives. So many Christians want the resurrection without the cross. They want freedom, but not freedom from slavery to sin, but a free license to continue in sin free from guilt and remorse. But, that is not what God is offering us. That is not why Christ died. He didn’t die so we could continue in sin, and so we could dabble in all kinds of teachings contrary to his Word. That goes against his divine nature and godly character.

The church has also largely turned away from the reality that the church, the body of Christ, is the collective body of believers in Jesus Christ, with Christ as her only head, to following the belief and practice that the church is an organization of human origin, run and marketed just like any other human-based business, with the government and humans as her head. The meetings of “the church” are not comprised solely of the body of believers, either, for the mutual encouragement and edification of the body of Christ, but they are designed to attract the people of this sinful world through worldly and sometimes sinful means and methods. The gospel of Jesus Christ is, thus, diluted in order to make it more agreeable, comfortable and appealing to the people of this world. The public meetings of the church may include the body of Christ within those meetings, but they are no longer, for the most part, true fellowships of the body of believers in Christ, but are open to the public, and are largely focused around the “big show” in order to entertain the world, rather than to confront the world with sin, and to call for repentance and obedience to God’s Word.

Yet, now, a large portion of what calls itself “church” has turned from a straight course and has deviated to following a course of action leading it to a one-world religion, incorporating all religions together into one. So, they have had to dilute the gospel even more, in order to conform the gospel to this deviation of direction (course), i.e. in order for us to cooperate with this emerging (evolving) church movement. President Obama, the Pope and Rick Warren, among many others, are powerful voices promoting this deviation in today’s church (or institutional church). Basically, what this movement is teaching is that we need to put aside what divides us, and we need to come together as one people (all people from all religions and even atheists) and work together to make this world a better place. The focus is on all of us just getting along, accepting others who are different from us, and choosing to not try to convince others to believe as we do. This, in reality, is no longer a dilution of the gospel, but it is an eradicating of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We need to stand strong against this, and we need to warn God’s people to not forget their Lord or the gospel of salvation, but to return to the Shepherd and Guardian of their souls. So, so many are wandering off like sheep going astray. We need to call them to return. We need to be discerning about the direction the church is headed, so we can warn others, but also so we do not get caught in the web of deception ourselves. The Lord’s sheep know his voice, they listen to him, and they follow (obey) him, and no one can snatch them out of the Lord’s hands. They do not recognize the voice of strangers, so they will not follow them (See: John 10).

Make sure today you are a true sheep who is listening to and is following (obeying) the Lord Jesus, and that you are not following after false gods, a false (deviated) religion, and a false gospel which does not teach death to sin and living to righteousness, because God called us out of darkness (sin) into his marvelous light (truth, righteousness and holiness). Thus, we need to no longer walk according to (in agreement with) our sinful flesh, but we must conduct our lives in agreement with, and under the direction, supervision and empowerment of the Holy Spirit within us, living holy lives, pleasing to God (See: Ro. 8:1-14).

He Touched My Mouth / An Original Work / June 13, 2012

Based off Isaiah 6:1-8; Jeremiah 1:4-9

Oh, I saw the Lord

Seated on His throne,

High and lifted up;

Holy is the Lord!

The earth is full

of His glory.

“Woe to me,” I cried,

“I’m of unclean lips.”

My Lord touched my mouth

With His cleansing pow’r;

Removed all my guilt,

Paid for by His blood.

He asked, “Whom shall I send;

Who will go for us?”

I said, “Here am I.

Send me!”

Before I was born,

God set me apart;

He appointed me

To His servant be.

I said, “I don’t know

How to speak.

I am but a child.”

Then, the Lord replied:

“Do not say to me,

‘I am but a child.’

You must go to all,

And do what I say.

Do not fear them,

For I’m with you.”

My Lord touched my mouth;

Gave me words to say.

https://vimeo.com/114929183

A Pure Heart

Sunday, July 26, 2015, 8:30 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “In Faithfulness He Leads Me.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 1 Peter 2:4-8 (NASB).

And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For this is contained in Scripture:

“Behold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone,

And he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.”

This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve,

“The stone which the builders rejected,

This became the very corner stone,”

and,

“A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense”;

for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed.

Coming to Christ

This coming to Christ being spoken of here is not a one-time event in our lives. It is present tense, and it is ongoing. This speaks of our walks of faith in Jesus Christ on a day-to-day basis, which began at that moment that we initially believed in Jesus, when the Holy Spirit gave us new birth in Christ Jesus, and when he came into our lives. This coming to Christ is ongoing for all who believe (present tense) in Jesus Christ, who have been saved (and are being saved and will be saved) by his blood. Coming to Christ means to draw near to him, to approach him, but also to connect ourselves to him, to agree with him, and to participate with him in his death and resurrection via death to sin and living to righteousness. It is fellowship with him, and worship of him, and submission and obedience to him. It is praying to him and studying his word, and witnessing for him and for his gospel. It is walking in the light as He is in the light, and it is conducting our lives according to the Spirit and no longer according to the flesh. It is living to please him, growing to maturity, being conformed to the image of Christ and being made holy. And, it is loving others with Christ’s love.

Although there were many who believed in Jesus Christ, many more rejected him. They rejected him because he didn’t do what they thought he ought to do. He didn’t follow their man-made religious system, and this irritated the religious leaders of his day. He also did things they thought he ought NOT to do, such as healing people on the Sabbath. This infuriated them. As well, he publicly chided them for their hypocrisy and their wickedness, and they hated him for that. They were also jealous of his popularity and feared him, thinking his favor with the people would serve as a threat to their own positions of power, rule and influence over the people. And, they also hated him because he told them the truth about who he is, that he is God, and so they hung him on a cross to die, although he had done no wrong.

Yet, it was God’s will that he should die for the sins of the world. When he died, our sins died with him, and were buried with him, and when he was resurrected, he rose victorious over sin, hell, Satan and death on our behalf. By his stripes we are healed!

Living Stones

Jesus Christ is described here as a “living stone.” He is the Rock (the foundation, the basis) on which the church (and our individual lives) is built. And he is living, not dead, because the Father resurrected him from the dead. Jesus taught denial of self, death to sin and living to righteousness. He taught repentance (turning from sin) for forgiveness of sins and for eternal life. He also taught obedience and holy living. Coming to Christ means we are crucified with Christ to sin, and we are resurrected to new lives in Christ, “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4:24). We no longer conduct our lives according to our sinful flesh, but according to (in agreement with) the Spirit (Ro. 8:1-14). For those of us who believe in him, he is precious (valued, loved, and treasured). This means we honor him, respect, revere and obey him. Yet, for those who don’t believe in him, they stumble over him, because they disobey the message of the gospel (his Word).

We, who are in Christ Jesus by faith, are also like living stones, as each one of us is part of God’s building, his true church. This church, though, is not a building built by human hands nor is it an institution, corporation or organization of human origin and design. We, the people of God, are his church. We are his body, his temple, for he dwells within us. And, he is the head over his church. He is building us into a spiritual house. He does this through teaching us, counseling us and leading and guiding us in the direction we should go. He is building us to be a holy priesthood. Holy means to be set apart from (different, unlike) the world, because we are being transformed into the image of Christ. A priest is one who, before Jesus died for our sins, would serve as an intermediary between man and God, and would offer sacrifices to God on our behalf because of our sins. They were the only ones who could enter into God’s holy presence. When Jesus died, the veil which stood between us and the presence of God was torn in two, symbolizing that Jesus Christ now made the way for us to have direct access to God, so now we, like priests, no longer need human intermediaries, for we can approach the throne of grace with confidence because of Jesus.

Spiritual Sacrifices

We are also being built up to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. So, what is a spiritual sacrifice acceptable to God? This word “sacrifice” means “an official sacrifice prescribed by God; hence an offering the Lord accepts because offered on His terms” (biblehub.com). This is critical that we understand this. God is not interested in what we want to do or what we are willing to do for him of our own choosing. He wants us dead to sin, living to righteousness, walking in his holiness, living our lives in agreement with the Spirit of God, obedient to his teachings, and no longer conducting our lives according to our sinful flesh. Yet, much of the church is not teaching this anymore. More and more the church is teaching a gospel which conforms to our human will and ways, which is pleasing to us, which is patterned after our sinful flesh and worldly desires, and which does not put our flesh to death, but which entertains it and placates (pacifies, appeases) it. And, they excuse all that away by calling it “love” and “grace.”

I believe Romans 12:1-2 says it well. We are to offer our lives to God as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, NOT pleasing to our flesh. This is our spiritual act of worship of him. This is true worship. So many people get this idea that worship of God is merely singing songs of praise to him at a church service, but true worship of God is total surrender of our lives to him, to be lived out according to his will and his purposes for our lives. We are to not conform our lives any longer according to the pattern (ways) of this sinful world, but we are to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. This means we have to be different from (unlike) the world, not blend in with the world as many do. We can’t be consuming daily what is adulterous, lying, cheating, stealing, and deceptive, and expect to be living holy lives pleasing to God. We need to rid our minds of all that is ungodly and unholy and instead fill our minds with what is righteous, pure, and praiseworthy (Phil. 4:8). Then we will be able to discern and know God’s will, and will be able to do the will of God – his good, pleasing and perfect will. Then, we can follow him wherever he leads us.

In Faithfulness He Leads Me / An Original Work / March 20, 2013

Based off Various Scriptures

(Ps. 26:3; 86:11; 91:4-5; 111:7-8; 119:73-76;

Is. 25:1,4&9; 42:6-7; Hos. 2:16-20)

Teach me Your ways, Lord, and I’ll walk in them.

Give me a pure heart. I’ll fear Your name.

Your love is always, ever before me.

Continually I’ll walk in Your truth.

You will cover me with feathers.

Under Your wings I’ll find refuge.

My Lord’s faithfulness will be my

Comfort and my shield.

The works of His hands are faithful and just.

Trustworthy are all of His precepts.

Your hands have made me, and they have formed me.

Give understanding of Your commands.

I have put my hope, O Lord, in Your word.

Your teachings, O Lord, are righteousness.

Lord, in faithfulness You have

Afflicted me so I may learn of

Your unfailing love and comfort

And Your truthfulness.

You are my husband; You have betrothed me

In love, compassion and faithfulness.

O Lord, You are my God, I’ll exalt You.

In faithfulness You’ve done wondrous things.

You’ve been a refuge for those who’re needy;

A shelter in storms; shade from the heat.

This is the Lord, we trusted in Him,

Let us be glad and rejoice

In His salvation which He

Provided through the Lamb.

Open the blind eyes; free all the captives.

Tell them of Jesus: “Be born again!”

https://vimeo.com/115747912

You are Loving and Forgiving

Written on 2/19/2012: We have been battling sickness in our house for over a week now. It appears we keep recycling the same germs to one another. And, then I walked into our bedroom yesterday and turned on a light when my husband was sleeping. I didn’t think about it. The light was like a sharp stab to his eyes, though. And, then I felt really bad about it. This cold has been getting me really down, too. So, all this was going on when I sat down to hear from the Lord, to see if he had words to go with the tune I believe he had given me to write.

So, when he began with the words, “You are loving and forgiving, Jesus, Savior,” I felt such comfort and reassurance from him at this time. Then, he led me to read Psalm 86, and to translate the psalm into New Testament terminology. So, this song is based off that Psalm, with Jesus Christ as the one to whom we are offering our prayer of praise, adoration, thanksgiving and supplication.

You are Loving and Forgiving / An Original Work / February 19, 2012

Based off Psalm 86

You are loving and forgiving,

Jesus, Savior, King of kings.

You provided our redemption.

By Your blood You set us free.

You are gracious; full of mercy.

No deeds can compare with Yours.

Great are You; there is none like You.

Glory be to Your name.

Teach me Your way, and I’ll walk in it.

O Lord, I will walk in Your truth.

May I not have a heart divided,

That Your name I give honor to.

I will praise You, O Lord, my Savior,

For great is Your love toward me.

You have delivered me from my sins.

Your grace has pardoned me.

You, O Lord, are full of compassion,

Slow to anger, bounteous in love;

Faithful to fulfill all You promise;

Glory be to Your name above.

Hear, O Lord, and answer Your servant.

You are my God. I trust in You.

Turn to me and grant Your strength to me.

You are my comforter.

https://vimeo.com/117066958

Where are Our Minds?

Saturday, July 25, 2015, 8:30 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “I Sing of His Mercy.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 1 Peter 1:13-25 (NASB).

Prepare Your Minds (vv. 13a)

Therefore, prepare your minds for action…

Because Jesus Christ died on the cross to save us from slavery to sin, and to free us to walk daily in his righteousness, we should prepare our minds for action. How do we do that? For one, we examine all the things we are taking into our minds daily against the Word of God, and we ask the Lord to show us where what we are taking into our minds is contrary to his Word, his will and his ways. Why must we do this? – Because we can’t prepare our minds for action if we are filling them with nonsense, junk and that which is opposed to God and his Word. In other words, if we are spending our evenings or weekends watching TV, movies, playing video games, surfing the internet aimlessly, reading novels, watching news shows, hanging out on social media sites, or if we are just in general filling our minds with clutter, and what is useless, and what has no eternal value, or what is truly sinful, then our minds are too occupied with all this junk, so there is no time or room left for God.

Do you know that one of Satan’s greatest weapons against us is distraction? Look at our society here in America. Most homes have a TV. Many of them have wide-screen TVs which have become the prominent fixture in many living rooms, around which everything else in the room is focused. After TVs, came around-the-clock TV, cable and satellite TV, and Netflix, which provided all sorts of movies and shows to watch 24/7. Also then came personal (portable) computers which give us private internet access in our homes. And, then came tablets and smart phones, which gave us private internet access in our pockets or in the privacy of our cars and bedrooms, with no accountability and such ease of access.

Through all of these mediums we are continually connected with the world, or we most certainly can be. If we are not careful, all these things of the world can begin to rule our lives and to crowd out God entirely. Some of these things may not be sinful in themselves, but they have the potential of becoming our idols, i.e. that to which we give most of our free time, affection and attention. Or, they can certainly be easy access to a whole world of evil at our fingertips, and in the privacy of our own homes, and may present us with much temptation to sin against God. As well, most of what is on TV these days, even the commercials, is filled with sensuality, sexual situations, idolatry, adultery, and that which glorifies what is sinful, i.e. such as murder, lying, cheating, stealing, etc. A sad reality is that many Christians are allowing themselves to be daily entertained by this filth, too.

So, if we are going to prepare our minds for action, we need to remove from our lives all hindrances to our walks of faith and all that contradicts what the Bible teaches us to set our minds on and to do. We have to get radical about God, about sin and about obedience. We can’t have one foot in the world and the other in our relationships with Jesus Christ.

Be Holy (vv. 13b-16)

…keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

Instead of filling our minds with junk, worldly distractions and/or what is clearly sinful, i.e. all these many intoxicating influences via all these various worldly mediums, we need to be sober-minded. We need to fix our hope and thoughts on Jesus and our eternal salvation. We need to be sensible, rational, spiritually alert, and self-controlled. We have to be students of the Word of God, spending time daily in prayer, listening to God speak his words to our heart, and we have to be obedient to what his word teaches us. Then we will be able to discern what is not of God, what pure junk is, and what is deception and manipulation of truth. One of the reasons many Christians are not discerning is because they are filling their minds with so much which is worldly, and they are investing little time in their relationships with Jesus Christ and their walks of faith, holiness and purity.

We are to no longer be conformed to the ways of this sinful world, yet this worldly church of today is telling their adherents to immerse themselves in today’s culture, and they are promoting this through the use of worldly and even sinful means and methods in order to attract the world to the “church.” How can we reach this sinful world for Jesus Christ if we are no different from the world? Being holy means set apart from (unlike) the world because we are becoming like Christ. We are not supposed to be one with the world in order to win the world. We are supposed to come out from the world and be separate, not that we remove ourselves from the people of this world, but that we cease to participate in what is trash and what is sinful, and we choose to walk in the ways of the Lord instead.

Conduct Yourselves in Fear (vv. 17-21)

If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

What does it mean to conduct our lives in fear? This fear is not anxiety or worry, but it is showing respect, honor, and value for God/Jesus, and for what our Lord did for us in giving his life up for us to deliver us out of slavery to sin. To me, when people teach that salvation is nothing more than an escape from hell and a free ticket into heaven, and that God requires nothing of them – no repentance, no obedience, and no surrender to God’s will – then that is not conducting our lives in the fear of the Lord. To me it is a slap in God’s face to believe that God would save us and not require holy living out of us. The mere fact that they insist that repentance, obedience and surrender to God are not required of them speaks volumes about how they view God and his grace to us. Yet, his grace is not a free license to continue in sin. Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. He died that we might no longer live for ourselves, but for him who gave himself up for us. When we live the life Jesus died for, daily forsaking sin and walking in his righteousness, then we are conducting our lives in the fear (honor and respect) of our Lord God.

Love One Another (vv. 22-25)

Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God. For,

“All flesh is like grass,

And all its glory like the flower of grass.

The grass withers,

And the flower falls off,

But the word of the Lord endures forever.”

And this is the word which was preached to you.

When we come to faith in Jesus Christ, and we die with Christ to sin, and we are resurrected with Christ to new lives in him, we are indwelt with the Holy Spirit, so that the presence of God now dwells within us. We are Christ’s body, his church, and our mission is to continue the work he began when he walked the face of this earth, i.e. to be Jesus to the world, and to be his hands and feet in loving people with God’s love. God’s love, though, is not the same as human love. His love does what is best for people, not necessarily what they want or desire. His love is pure, honest, and sincere, and cares about people’s legitimate needs. God is not interested in making people feel good about their fleshly lives. He does not tell lies or try to deceive or manipulate just so we will like him and think he is a swell guy. Although he certainly heals, delivers and gives us his grace, he does so because he wants us free of bondage to sin, and free to walk in his holiness. So, he will tell us the truth about sin, deception, and false teaching, etc., and he will call us to repentance and obedience, because he died that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. He died to set us free!

We are all going to die one day. Our flesh bodies will be put to death, but our spirits will live on, either in eternal torment in hell fire, or in heaven with God. Because Jesus Christ has given us new birth (new lives) via his death and resurrection, and God now lives within us, if we truly love others with God’s love, we will want to see people truly saved so that they would have the same hope as what we have received. It is not loving to tell them lies, though. If we tell them that God requires nothing of them in the way of turning from sin and turning to walk in obedience to Christ, then we have doomed them to hell. It might make them feel good, because we didn’t offend them with the gospel, but one day they will have to stand before God, as we all will, and if they did not repent and follow our Lord in obedience, then they don’t have the hope of eternal life, and we will have facilitated them in following a false gospel and a false Christ all the way to hell. So, God’s love cares enough about people to tell them the truth, and to give them the only true hope there is of a life free from slavery to sin, so that we can be free to walk in Christ’s righteousness. And, that is how we need to love others, too.

I Sing of His Mercy / An Original Work

Based off Psalm 32 / April 10, 2014

Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven

By the blood of Jesus Christ.

Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does

Not count against them; freedom found.

When, in silence, I did not confess

My sin to You; had no strength.

Then I owned up to my sin and

You forgave and cleansed me within.

Therefore let the godly pray to You;

Draw near to You; grace they’ll find.

They will not be o’ertaken by afflictions,

But in Christ peace abounds.

Lord, You are my hiding place.

I find my refuge in You secure.

You protect me from all evil.

You give songs of vict’ry in You.

Lord, You teach me to walk in Your ways;

Counsel me in love, I know.

Help me to not be stubborn and

Unwilling to follow in Your truth.

Thank You for Your love and mercy.

I put my trust in You always.

I rejoice in my Lord and

I sing of Him throughout all my days.

https://vimeo.com/91747192

Teach Me, Lord

6/12/11: No matter how long I have known the Lord Jesus, I always need him to teach me how to love and serve him, how to obey him, how to be his witness, and how to love others with his love, so this is my prayer.

I want to walk in his ways, to do what he says, and to be his servant and witness always. I pray all the time that he will teach me how to love others like he loves me.

I do listen to my Lord, but not always as well as I should. Sometimes I battle with the flesh, but then I yield to his will and his ways, though not always. Sometimes he has to urge me to go the right way. I don’t want to stray from him. I don’t want to have idols in my life, so I pray regularly that he would show me anything in my life that is displeasing to him, or that he would convict me of any way in which I am sinning against him. Sometimes he does show me things, and I have to confess and turn from them. Other times he encourages me that he is pleased with me, and that I am walking in his truth.

Teach Me, Lord / An Original Work / June 12, 2011

Teach me, Lord, to walk in Your ways,

And observe all You command.

May I ever hasten to You,

And desire to not offend.

Teach me how to follow Your steps,

Gently guiding me each day.

May I love and serve You always,

Loving others, this I pray.

Teach me, Lord, to listen to You

Speaking Your words to my heart.

May I never stray from Your truth,

And from Your law ne’er depart.

Teach me how to instruct others

In the way that we should go,

Leading them by my life witness,

So that Jesus they should know.

Teach me, Lord, to be a light in

This dark world of grief and sin.

May I always care for others;

Share their burdens; help to mend.

Teach me how to share with them that

Jesus came to set them free,

So that they could be forgiven;

Live with Christ eternally.

https://vimeo.com/126020281

His Great Mercy

Friday, July 24, 2015, 1:44 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “He Touched My Mouth.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 1 Peter 1:3-9 (NASB).

A Living Hope (vv. 3-5)

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, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 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.

God the Father sent his Son Jesus Christ to the earth, to take on human flesh, to suffer as we suffer and to be tempted in like manner as we are also tempted, yet without sin. Jesus Christ, who was fully God and fully man when he walked this earth, learned obedience through what he suffered, “and once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him” (Heb. 5:8-9). He healed the sick, raised the dead, delivered people from demons, comforted the sorrowful, and preached repentance for the forgiveness of sins and holy living. He confronted sin in sinful human beings and called for people to turn from their sin and to follow him in obedience, which is one of the reasons why so many of the Jews hated him. In addition to that, the religious leaders hated him because he threatened their own positions of power and control, because so many people believed in Jesus and were following him, and because he claimed to be who he was - God.

They hated him so much, in fact, that they had him crucified on a cross, although he had done no wrong. Yet, when he died, our sins died with him, and were buried with him, and when he was resurrected from the dead, he rose victorious over sin, hell, death and Satan. He died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness (1 Pet. 2:24). He died that we might no longer live for ourselves, but for him who gave himself up for us (2 Co. 5:15). He died that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit (Ro. 8:1-14). Thus, when we believe in Jesus Christ, we die with Christ to sin and we are resurrected with Christ to a new and living way which God provided for us through Jesus’ blood shed on the cross for our sins. This new and living way is different from the old way, for we leave our old way of conducting our lives according to the flesh behind us, and we now walk (live) in the new way of the Spirit.

So, what is our inheritance? It is something we receive due to our relationship to the benefactor, i.e. to the one giving us this inheritance. When we believe in Jesus Christ, we become children of God, so we are his heirs. Thus, our inheritance is our eternal salvation (deliverance) from both bondage to sin and the penalty of sin (eternal damnation). It is our new birth into a living hope, which results from death with Christ to sin, a transformation of heart and mind of the Spirit of God, and resurrection with Christ to a new life, “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (See: Eph. 4:17-24; Ro. 6:1-23; Ro. 8:1-14). It is the indwelling presence of the Spirit of God within us, teaching, guiding, counseling, encouraging, strengthening and empowering us in our walks of faith and ministry of the Spirit. It is the encouragement we receive from being part of God’s family, the body of Christ, and the privilege of being called of God into Christian ministry. It is the power of the Spirit within us to walk in his holiness, and no longer after the flesh. And, it is the hope of life after death with God for eternity, free from these flesh bodies. Amen!

Our inheritance is guaranteed on the basis of our faith (present tense) in Jesus Christ, not on the basis of past belief, and our faith is revealed through repentance and obedience.

Refined by Fire (vv. 6-7)

In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 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.

In the parable of the sower (Matt. 13:1-23), Jesus described for us four different responses to the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The first response is that of one who does not understand what he hears, and so Satan snatches away from him the truth which was sown in his heart. This person never made any profession of faith in Jesus Christ. The second response is of one who initially receives the gospel message with joy and excitement, so there is at least a profession of faith, but he has not the root (the source of his salvation) within him, i.e. this person was not truly born from above, for his faith was surface only, and was temporary, so when trouble and hardship come because of the word, he quickly falls away. The third response appears to be of one who was born of the Spirit of God, but who, over time, allowed the things of this world to choke (spiritually suffocate) his spiritual life, so that he then became unfruitful (inoperative) for God’s kingdom work. The fourth response is of one who is genuinely saved, who is repentant and who practices obedience to Christ and to his Word, and who produces spiritual fruit in keeping with repentance.

God allows us to go through difficulties in this life, thus, to test our faith to see if it is genuine, but also to strengthen us in faith, to mature us, to teach us to rely on God and not on ourselves, to develop within us godly character and divine disciplines, to produce within us perseverance and steadfastness of faith, and so that we can comfort others with the comfort (encouragement, counsel) we received from God when we went through similar trials as to what others are now experiencing. So, it is good for us to suffer grief in all kinds of trials, for one, because they will test our faith to see if it is genuine, and if it doesn’t pass the test, then we have the opportunity to make sure we have truly been born from above, via death to sin and living to righteousness, empowered by the Spirit within us. These trials will also help test the maturity of our faith and our walks of obedience, so that we then have the opportunity to repent of any sinful rebellion against God, and to be renewed in faith. For those whose faith is genuine, and who are walking in obedience to their Lord, these trials will help strengthen and encourage them in their faith, and will help them to be more compassionate and tender-hearted towards others who are suffering.

The goal of our faith is that it may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Many people today, though, are making it all about us, i.e. about what we get out of it, but not about what is required of us in the way of death to sin and living to righteousness. They act as though God is a genie in the sky there to grant our every wish and desire, and that his goal is just to make us happy and comfortable. Some have suggested that God is happy when we are just being us, and when we are doing things we are good at and love doing. Many teach that all we have to do is pray a prayer to receive Christ, and we have our ticket into heaven, which can never be taken away from us, yet they don’t teach death to sin or living to righteousness. Many go so far as to say that once we are saved we can sin as much as we want and still go to heaven when we die. And, they call this “love,” but what it is is pure selfishness, because it is all about “me” but not about God or his holiness or his righteousness. So, I can tell you right now that what they are describing is not genuine faith, and it will not result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ returns, because selfishness and sin are opposed to righteousness and holiness.

Filled with Joy (vv. 8-9)

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, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

The way we love God is to keep his word (his commands, his instructions), to walk in his love, and to love others as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us. To believe in Jesus Christ means death to sin and living to righteousness, no longer living to please ourselves, but living our lives to please our Lord, no longer conducting our lives according to (in agreement with) our sinful flesh, but according to (in agreement with) the Spirit. And, this is how we can be filled with such inexpressible and glorious joy, because we are walking in the will of the Lord, in his ways, doing what he says to do, and we are living in spiritual victory, free from slavery to sin. If we are still walking in the flesh, living to please ourselves, conforming our lives according to our sinful ways, then don’t call it love, because it is not love, but pure selfishness, and God is not pleased, and it will not be for his praise.

He Touched My Mouth / An Original Work / June 13, 2012

Based off Isaiah 6:1-8; Jeremiah 1:4-9

Oh, I saw the Lord

Seated on His throne,

High and lifted up;

Holy is the Lord!

The earth is full

of His glory.

“Woe to me,” I cried,

“I’m of unclean lips.”

My Lord touched my mouth

With His cleansing pow’r;

Removed all my guilt,

Paid for by His blood.

He asked, “Whom shall I send;

Who will go for us?”

I said, “Here am I.

Send me!”

Before I was born,

God set me apart;

He appointed me

To His servant be.

I said, “I don’t know

How to speak.

I am but a child.”

Then, the Lord replied:

“Do not say to me,

‘I am but a child.’

You must go to all,

And do what I say.

Do not fear them,

For I’m with you.”

My Lord touched my mouth;

Gave me words to say.

https://vimeo.com/114929183

The Sanctifying Work

Thursday, July 23, 2015, 3:55 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “He Gives Purpose.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 1 Peter 1:1-2 (NASB).

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.

To those who reside as aliens

The Christians to whom Peter addressed these thoughts were literally living in countries which were foreign to them. Yet, in a metaphorical sense, all of us who are born of the Spirit of God live here as strangers on this earth. This world is not our home. We are just passing through on our way to heaven. We should not fit into (belong to) this world, although God has placed us here for a reason. So, the more we “come out from among them” and are separate, in that we don’t partake of the delicacies of this sinful world, the more we realize just how much we are strangers here, and that this world is not our home.

The sad reality to all of this, though, is that when we do come out from the world, and we are separate from (unlike) the world, because we are becoming like Jesus, which is what it means to be holy, we then live as strangers even within the institutional church and among many of those who call themselves followers of Christ. This is the case because today so much of the church has become one with the world, and so they think and act much like the people of this sinful world to where there is not much of a distinction between the church and the world anymore. If you do live as a stranger here on this earth, then you are considered “strange” even by others who call themselves Christians. Thus, we can be in a room full of professing Christians and feel completely alone. And, that is very sad indeed.

Chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father

We, who are in Christ, by faith in Jesus Christ, are chosen by the foreknowledge of God the Father. Our God is all knowing, so this foreknowledge certainly indicates that he knew in advance who would accept his invitation to his great salvation, and who would not, yet this foreknowledge is greater than just God knowing in advance who would receive him as Lord and Savior of their lives. This foreknowledge also means: predetermined or prearranged. It has to do with his divine will and purpose; his providence. “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory” (Eph. 1:11-12).

By the sanctifying work of the Spirit

How are we chosen? – By the sanctifying work of the Spirit. This sanctification means: “The process of making or becoming holy, set apart - the believer being progressively transformed by the Lord into His likeness” (biblehub.com). The Spirit of God is the one through whom we come to know Christ, i.e. we are born of the Spirit of God, and he is the one through whom we are being made holy, and through whom we are being transformed into Christ’s likeness. When we believe in Jesus Christ, and we are born of the Spirit, the Holy Spirit now indwells our lives. We now have God/Jesus, in the person of the Spirit, living within us. And, we are now his body, his temple. The Spirit was given to us to teach us all things, to remind us of all that Christ taught when he walked the face of this earth, and to counsel, lead, guide, encourage, strengthen and empower us in our faith and ministry.

This process of sanctification in which we are set apart from (unlike) the world, and in which we are being transformed into Christ’s likeness, involves our cooperation with the Spirit’s work. In other words, we can’t be immersing (engaging and occupying) ourselves in today’s culture (philosophy, values, and beliefs) and expect to have the Spirit of God work his process of sanctification in our lives. The two are contrary, one to the other. We have to come out from the world and be separate. This means we need to evaluate what we are taking into our minds each day, what types of activities we are involved in, and what types of close associations we have, and we need to examine these in light of the teachings of scripture on holiness, and ask the Spirit of God to show us what things in our lives are in conflict to his divine Word, purpose, and will for our lives. And then, by the Spirit, we need to put to death the deeds of the flesh, so that we can walk in the Spirit, in his holiness.

To obey Jesus Christ

What are we chosen to? - To obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood. Some people today will tell you that the only obedience God requires of us is to “believe” in Jesus Christ, yet most of them also do not explain what it means biblically to believe in Jesus. Their belief sounds more like intellectual assent. Yet, is that what scripture teaches?

Jesus Christ said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny self (his self-life), take up his cross daily (die daily to sin and self) and follow (obey) Jesus. How can you follow someone if you don’t do what that person says? He also said that if we hold on to our lives (of sin) we will lose them for eternity, but if we lose our lives (die to sin and self), we will gain eternal life (See: Lu. 9:23-25). He said his sheep listen to his voice, they know his voice and they follow (obey) him, and these are the ones who can’t be snatched out of his hands (See: Jn. 10:27-30). Yet, some people will tell you that Jesus’ words don’t apply to us today, even though Jesus Christ is the foundation upon which the church is built, and he is the chief cornerstone of God’s building, the church, and he is the one who died on the cross for our sins, and he is God. Yet, just for the sake of discussion, even if that were true, and even if the gospels do not apply to Christians today, what did the apostles teach?

“For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Ro. 8:3-8; cf. Eph. 4:17-24).

What are the righteous requirements of the law? The law demands perfection, yet none of us are perfect. Not one of us can keep the entire law, because we still live in flesh bodies. We all fall short of God’s approval. So, the law can’t save us. So, God sent his Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins, and to take our punishment for us, so that through faith in Jesus Christ, Christ’s righteousness is credited to our accounts. Yet, this doesn’t say that the righteous requirements of the law will be fulfilled in us who believe, but in us who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. So, what can we conclude from this? We can conclude that believing in Jesus Christ to save us from our sins means we cooperate with God’s work of grace in our lives by submitting ourselves to the cross of Christ in our lives via death to sin and living to righteousness (See: 1 Pet. 2:24), yet all in the power and working of His Spirit within us, and not of our own fleshly works. True faith in Jesus Christ is humble, respectful, honoring of God, submissive, repentant and obedient (See: Jn. 8:51; Ac. 26:16-18; Tit. 2:11-14; Heb. 5:9; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; 2:3-6; 3:24).

And be sprinkled with His blood

This “sprinkling” means “purification” (biblehub.com). To purify means to cleanse, refine, decontaminate, and to make pure. “And since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water” (Heb. 10:21-22). “But if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn. 1:7, 9). “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” (2 Co. 7:1; cf. Tit. 2:14; Jas. 4:8; 1 Jn. 3:3).

Notice with me the order in which these introductory remarks were given. We are chosen and sanctified for obedience and sprinkling (purification) by his blood. This “sprinkling” with his blood is not just the purification which takes place when we initially believe in Jesus Christ and are forgiven of our sins, but this is a daily (present tense) purifying us as we daily confess sin, draw near to God in full assurance of faith, and as we walk (conduct our lives) in the Light (truth, righteousness, holiness of God). We have a part in this daily cleansing, for we must daily die to sin and self, and daily put to death the deeds of the flesh, by the Spirit of God. We are not purified from all unrighteousness, then live our lives to please ourselves, and then go to heaven one day, as many people would have you believe. This purifying is daily, and we have an active part in it by daily rejecting the temptation to sin, and by confessing and repenting when we do sin, and by submitting ourselves to obedience to Jesus Christ and to his will and purposes for our lives.

Jesus Christ died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. He died that we might no longer live for ourselves but for him who gave himself up for us. If we conduct our lives according to our sinful flesh we will die, but if by the Spirit we put to death the deeds of the flesh, we will live. This is true faith. And, this is God’s grace, not just to free us from hell and promise us heaven when we die, but to deliver us out of slavery (bondage) to sin, and to empower us to walk daily in his righteousness and holiness. If someone is telling you differently from this, then they are telling you a lie. Don’t believe me, just because I said it, though, but believe the Word of God. And, do what it says to do. Your life depends on it.

He Gives Purpose / An Original Work / June 9, 2012

“Listen to Me when I’m calling to you.

Obey freely My word.

Follow Me in all of My ways.

Do all that I say.

Hear Me gently whisper to you

My will for your life and future.

Give all of your life and heart to

Follow Me always.”

Repent of your sins and worship Jesus.

He’s your Lord and Master.

He died for your sins so you could

Live with Him today.

He has a plan for your life and

He gives purpose and direction.

He gives meaning to your life,

So follow Him today.

“I love you so much I gave My life for

You to walk in My ways,

Living for Me each day as you

Bow to Me and pray.

Witness for Me of your love for Me and

Of My grace and mercy,

How I died to save you of your

Sins now and always.”

https://vimeo.com/119038798

Do Not Fear

Jesus told his disciples that he was going to leave them and that they could not go with him now, but they would follow later. He told them not to be afraid, though, because he was going to prepare a place for them in his Father’s house, and that one day he would come back, at which time he would take them (us) to be with him forever. Then he assured them that he would not leave them comfortless. He would send his Holy Spirit to be in them, and the Counselor would teach them all things and remind them of everything Jesus had taught them. Yet, he also let them know that he was the only way to the Father. He said “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Then, he explained to them how this new relationship with him, the Father and the Spirit works. If we love Jesus Christ, we will keep his commands, i.e. we will obey him. Whoever has his commands and keeps (obeys; holds to) them is the one who loves Jesus. If we love Jesus, we will be loved by the Father and by the Son, and he will show himself to us. If we love Jesus we will obey his teaching. The Father will love us, and the Father and the Son will make their home with us. If we do not obey Christ’s teachings, then we do not truly love him. If we do not love him, then all bets are off, i.e. none of these promises apply to us. So, love for God means keeping his commands, and his commands are not burdensome.

Do Not Fear / An Original Work / June 2, 2013

Based off John 14

Do not let your hearts fear.

Trust in God. Trust in Christ.

“In My house you will find

Many rooms I have

Prepared for you,

And I will come back

And take you to heav’n.”

“I will take you to be with Me;

You’ll be where I am.”

“I am the way and

The truth and the life.

No one comes to the Father,

Except he comes through Me,

So put your faith in Me,

And do all of what I command.”

“Whoever has My commands

And obeys them loves Me.”

“I did not leave you as orphans.

I sent you the Counselor;

The Holy Spirit to live in you.

He teaches you all things,

And He reminds you of Me.”

“My peace I give to you,

So do not fear, trust in Me.”

https://vimeo.com/116484386