We Can't Opt Out

Walk to Please God

1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 ESV

Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

Walking (living) to please God is not optional for the life of the believer in Jesus Christ. We don’t “get saved,” and then live however we want, and then get to go to heaven one day when we die. It doesn’t work that way. That is not what scripture teaches. This passage makes that abundantly clear.

And, yet, so many people who call themselves Christians live just like that. They have their “salvation,” or so they believe, but then they live just like the world, and many of them are addicted to sexual idolatry, as well, and yet they think God will do nothing, because they believe their sins are forgiven and thus they have eternal life with God, no matter what they do.

But, we were not saved from our sins so that we could continue in them without guilt and without remorse. Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. That is the essence of the gospel message. We are not set free to live how we want. We are set free from slavery (addiction) to sin so that we can become slaves (bondservants) of God and of his righteousness (See: Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24).

We are called to be holy, which means to be separate (unlike, different) from the world because we are being made into the likeness of Christ. If we continue in willful sinful practices such as are mentioned here, in lifestyle, we don’t have the hope of eternal life with God, but a fearful expectation of judgment and the fires of hell (See: Rom. 8:1-17; Lu. 9:23-25; Gal. 5:19-21).

Remember, these words were spoken as a warning to the church, not to the people out in the world. If we profess Christ as Savior of our lives, but we live in the filth of this world and we make sin our practice, especially sexual sin, which is often called out in scripture, and thus we willfully do harm to others knowingly and without conscience or true repentance, then we must know that God is an avenger in all these things.

“The person that commits these things the Lord avenges, either in this life, by the hand of the civil magistrate, who is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath on him that does evil; or by a violent death, as in the case of Zimri and Cozbi, and twenty four thousand more at the same time; or by some awful judgment from heaven, as in the case of Sodom and Gomorrah; or in the world to come; for the law of God is made and lies against such persons; these living and dying in such sins God will judge, to whom vengeance belongs; these shall not inherit the kingdom of God, but have their part and portion in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone” (Gil’s Exposition of the Entire Bible).

Concerning Brotherly Love

1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 ESV

Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.

We are always to love one another with God-like love, which prefers what God prefers, which is what is moral, pure, honest, honorable, and faithful, etc., and thus it does no harm to its neighbors (to anyone). But, as followers of Christ, we are to love our fellow Christians with a special kind of affection and kindness, caring and concern, that should exist within a family who loves and cares for one another.

We should, thus, be thoughtful about our brothers and sisters in Christ and their needs, and concerning our duty to minister God’s love and grace to one another, using the gifts God has given us for building up the body of Christ and for strengthening her and helping her to maturity in Christ. We should care, too, if a brother or a sister falls into sin, and we should be careful to, in all humility, encourage him or her back to a right fellowship with God and with the body of Christ.

We are here to help one another to walk in the Spirit and no longer according to the flesh. We are not here to just pat one another on the back to make one another feel good while we or they continue in willful sin against God. Thus, this admonishment to mind our own affairs is not an encouragement to “stay in our own lane” while ignoring sin within the church and while doing nothing to help lift a brother or a sister out of a pit if he or she has fallen. For, this is our business! We are family! We help each other to walk rightly before God (See: Eph. 4; 1 Co. 12).

To mind our own affairs and to work with our hands means to take responsibility for our own lives, and to not pass that responsibility on to others because we are lazy or living in addiction. It means to not butt into other people’s business that God does not make our business, unless we are invited. And, it means to not be one who is idle who just goes around gossiping about other people, too. And, it means, too, not to blame others for our own mistakes, failures and sins, but to own up to them, and to cooperate with God in his work of grace in our lives so that we no longer walk (live) in sin, but by the Spirit we now walk according to the Spirit.

Encourage One Another

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 ESV

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

One day we are all going to die. It is inevitable, unless we happen to be among those who are still on the earth when Jesus returns and we also are ones who have trusted him to be Lord and Savior of our lives.

But, when we stop breathing and our heart stops beating, what dies are our flesh bodies, not our souls; not the real us. Our souls will live on, either with God in eternal joy and comfort or with Satan in eternal torment and punishment. Living with Christ is regarded as life, while living in eternal punishment is regarded as death, because when we live in this life for sin, we die in our sins, and thus we don’t have eternal life with God in victory, honor, joy, and peace, etc.

But, when Jesus Christ returns one day for us, his bride, our salvation is completed, and our marriage relationship to him is fully consummated. We who have died believing in Jesus Christ, perhaps even as martyrs for Christ, will be resurrected from the dead and we will be given glorified bodies, not like these flesh bodies we live in now. And, those who are still alive on this earth, who have trusted in Jesus Christ, will join us in being with our Lord forever, and they also will be given glorified bodies (See: 1 Co. 15:42-53).

Then, all that we have suffered for the sake of Christ and for the sake of his gospel, while we have lived on this earth, will be no more. Jesus will wipe all the tears from our eyes. There will be no more pain, sorrow, abuse, betrayal, adultery, and sexual immorality, etc. No one will hurt us anymore. We will not ever be sick or injured or be tempted to sin, either. We will be forever with our Lord in perfect harmony with him. And, that is awesome! I look forward to that day when I will be forever with my Lord. Amen!

This I Believe (The Creed)

Hillsong Worship

I believe in God our Father

I believe in Christ the Son

I believe in the Holy Spirit

Our God is three in one

I believe in You (Jesus)

I believe You rose again

I believe that Jesus Christ is Lord

We believe in love, Jesus

I believe in the resurrection

When Jesus comes again

For I believe, in the name of Jesus

I believe in the resurrection

That we will rise again

For I believe in the name of Jesus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtUNQpu2b7Q

Thursday, May 31, 2018, 7:22 a.m. – Thank you, Jesus, for this teaching from Your Word. Bring it home to our hearts, I pray in Jesus’ name.

Time

An Original Work / May 30, 2018

Time, it isn’t

on our side.

Clocks are ticking.

Hours go by.

Satan’s lurking

‘round the bend.

Life eternal’s

Without end.

See, the church is

Fast asleep.

Satan’s dressed like

Li’l Bo Peep.

Gospel message

Watered down.

Many preachers

Act like clowns.

Pornographic

Liter’ture

In the pockets

Of “mature.”

Scanty clothing

All around.

Decency is

rarely found.

Make excuses,

Then God blame:

Follow Him?

“Now, that’s insane!”

Turn from your sin?

“Surely not!”

Obey His Word?

“That’s a plot!”

Follow idols?

“Surely do.”

Watch what’s garbage?

“So, what’s new?”

Television

Fries your minds;

Mystifies you;

Makes you blind.

Listen, then, the

Word of God –

Nurtures sheep

With staff and rod.

Hope, in truth is

Surely found.

Heaven’s home

Is where I’m bound.

Follow Jesus

Where He leads.

Listen to Him.

His Word heed.

He forgives you

Of your sins.

Walk in freedom,

Cleansed within.

Forsake idols.

Glad you’ll be.

Live with Him

Eternally.

Soon He’s coming

Back for you.

Live in vict’ry.

Trust what’s true.

You’ll be surely

Glad you did,

When, in Jesus,

You’re now hid.

Battles of the Mind

My Enemies Trample

Psalm 56:1-4 ESV

Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me;    all day long an attacker oppresses me;my enemies trample on me all day long,    for many attack me proudly.When I am afraid,    I put my trust in you.In God, whose word I praise,    in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.    What can flesh do to me?

Jesus Christ, when he lived on this earth, told his followers that they would be hated and persecuted for righteousness’ sake and for the sake of the name of Jesus and his gospel message. Yet, this would be their opportunity to bear witness for Him. He told them that they would even be delivered up for persecution by family members and close friends, and that even some of them would be put to death (See: Lu. 21:10-18; Jn. 15:20). And, because of this, they were blessed (See: Matt. 5:10-12).

But, they were not to get even with those who treated them badly. Instead, they were to love their enemies, pray for them, do good to them, and bless them (See: Lu. 6:27-28).

And, then Paul, one of Jesus’ apostles, gave us, the Lord’s followers, many words of encouragement with regard to how we are to respond to such persecution as this. We are to bless, not curse our persecutors (Rom. 12:14). In other words, we are to hope for them what is for their best, according to what is God’s best for them. We are to endure such treatment from our enemies for the sake of Jesus and his gospel, and for the sake of the salvation of human lives (1 Co. 4:12). And, this is so that the life of Jesus may be revealed in our lives (2 Co. 4:7-12). “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim. 3:12).

And, we are not to be afraid of what humans may do to us or what trials we may have to endure for the sake of following Jesus Christ, and for the sake of his gospel (Matt. 10:25-27; Lu. 12:4-5; 2 Tim. 1:6-8; Heb. 13:5-6). But, we are to trust in the Lord, to keep following him and obeying him, and to keep sharing the gospel of our salvation so that many will hear, and so that many will believe and will turn their hearts and lives over to Jesus Christ. For, our enemies may be able to do us harm in this life, but they cannot take Christ away from us, so we need to remain steadfast and pray to God.

Will They Escape?

Psalm 56:5-7 ESV

All day long they injure my cause;    all their thoughts are against me for evil.They stir up strife, they lurk;    they watch my steps,    as they have waited for my life.For their crime will they escape?    In wrath cast down the peoples, O God!

The sad reality of all of this is that there are many people who will never trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of their lives. They, throughout their lives, will remain Christ’s enemies, and therefore they will treat us, his servants, as their enemies, as well. They will oppose all that is of God, including his gospel message and all those who are sharing that gospel message, too. For these enemies of God serve Satan, whose goal it is to destroy us and the gospel of our salvation.

And, unless they turn their hearts to Jesus Christ, and submit to his Lordship over their lives, and follow him in walks of obedience, they will not escape the wrath of God at the end of time when he judges those who chose to continue to walk in darkness, who denied the truth, and who followed after the lie, instead.

My Tears

Psalm 56:8-11 ESV

You have kept count of my tossings;    put my tears in your bottle.    Are they not in your book?Then my enemies will turn back    in the day when I call.    This I know, that God is for me.In God, whose word I praise,    in the Lord, whose word I praise,in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.    What can man do to me?

Because we are human, mere clay in the Potter’s hands, and we live in flesh bodies, we have human emotions. We cry when we hurt, or at least some of us do. In fact, it is healthy to cry, for we need to get that emotional release, and we need to cry out our suffering to God and lean on him and his strength, and then rest in his comfort and healing.

Even if our faith in our Lord is strong, and our commitment to him and to his service is steadfast (unwavering), we are still human, and as humans we experience pain and suffering. And, when troubles and hardships and persecutions come our way, we will, at times, battle with those in our minds, and we will, thus, call out to God in our suffering, and pray for understanding and wisdom to know how to respond to our persecutors and unjust treatment.

When I read this part about our enemies turning back when we call on the Lord in our suffering, it brought this scripture to mind:

In that day the Lord of hosts will be a crown of glory,    and a diadem of beauty, to the remnant of his people,and a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment,    and strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.Isaiah 28:5-6 ESV

I believe this “turning back the battle at the gate” has to do with those who have resisted Satan’s lies, deceptions and temptations in their own lives, as well as this represents those who are actively involved in sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.

When we resist Satan and his attacks against us, and we refuse to be intimidated by him, and we continue in the love of God, and in sharing the gospel, we turn back this battle that Satan is waging against God’s people, and at the gate of human’s hearts, so that people can be saved, so they can be free from the power of Satan and sin over their lives, and so that they no longer allow Satan and sin to overcome them. We stop it at the gate.

For those who have done this, i.e. for those who have “turned the battle back at the gate,” God will be our refuge and strength. This does not mean we will not suffer or even die for our faith in Jesus Christ and for his gospel, but it means that he will be with us even in death, and he will bring us safely into his glorious presence. Amen!

My Vows to God

Psalm 56:12-13 ESV

I must perform my vows to you, O God;    I will render thank offerings to you.For you have delivered my soul from death,    yes, my feet from falling,that I may walk before God    in the light of life.

What is essential here is that we do not allow Satan to defeat us, but that we remain faithful to our Lord, and that in his power and strength, we are victorious over all Satan’s evil schemes against us, and there are many.

So, daily we resist Satan, we flee temptation, we draw near to God, and we put on the armor of God with which to fight Satan’s evil attacks against us, and he does use other humans as his instruments of warfare against us, too.

One of Satan’s biggest weapons against us is fear. If he can get us to be afraid, then he can defeat us in battle, at least in some scrimmages, he can. So, we must fight against fear by rejecting his lies and by putting on truth and by trusting in the sovereignty of God over our lives. We must remain faithful to God and not give way to fear, but to continually walk in faith and do what the Lord says, and then trust the Lord to work his will and his ways in our hearts and in the hearts and lives of our enemies, too.

We also need to keep an eternal focus, realizing that this world and our flesh bodies and all that is of this life on this earth is temporary, except for our relationships with Almighty God and our trust in our Savior Jesus Christ and His Word. When we keep our focus on God, and on what is eternal, rather than let the things of this life get us down, then we can live in victory over our enemies, and even love them with the love of Jesus Christ.

Not Our Home

Jonathan and Emily Martin

We are making our exodus

Out of this world of sin and death

We are making our exodus

Into the life that he’s promised

Oh… this is not our home

Oh… we’re headed for the kingdom…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A13Uu6cYhZY&t=97s

Wednesday, May 30, 2018, 1:30 a.m. – Thank you, Jesus, for these encouraging words. Help us, Lord, to remain faithful to you in all things and to be strong in the Lord and in his strength in our battles against the enemy of our souls. And, I pray, too, for all who are in this battle who are living in defeat, that they would know that you have come to set them free!

He Breaks Chains

Compassionate and Gracious

Psalm 103:8-9 NASB

The Lord is compassionate and gracious,Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.He will not always strive with us,Nor will He keep His anger forever.

We, who are human, are all born into this world with sin natures, due to the sin of the first man, Adam (Ro. 5:12-19; 1 Co. 15:21-22, 42-49). We are separate from God, without hope, and unable, in our own flesh, to be made right with God (Rom. 3:23). There is nothing we can do, in our flesh, to gain God’s divine approval or to secure our own salvation. Our good deeds will never outweigh our bad deeds. Our only hope is for God to do something to deliver us from our sins, and to set us free from our chains.

Well, the Good News is that he did just that. He sent his Only Begotten Son, God the Son, to the earth, to take on human flesh, to suffer as we suffer, and then to become sin for us on that cross, so that, in his death, our sins died, too. Jesus Christ died on that cross, though, not just to free us from the punishment of sin and to give us the promise of heaven when we die. He died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness (1 Pet. 2:24). He died to deliver us out of the pit – out of our slavery to sin.

He is not willing that any of us should perish, i.e. that any of us should die in our sins without the hope of eternal life with him, so he waits patiently for us to come to him in repentance, to turn from our lifestyles of sin, and to turn to follow him in obedience (2 Pet. 3:9). That is why he has delayed his judgments, to give everyone time to repent of their sins and to willingly follow him with their lives.

But, this is not to say that he won’t judge us at any given moment, i.e. that he won’t correct, rebuke, prune or chastise even those who are his children. But, when he does chastise us for continued and willful sin against him, it is for the purpose, usually, to bring us to repentance and to faith or renewed faith in him, which then, hopefully, results in submission and obedience to him, and a yielding of the control of our lives over to him. And, then he saves us or he renews and restores us to himself.

Those Who Fear Him

Psalm 103:10-14 NASB

He has not dealt with us according to our sins,Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.For as high as the heavens are above the earth,So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west,So far has He removed our transgressions from us. Just as a father has compassion on his children,So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.For He Himself knows our frame;He is mindful that we are but dust.

If we were all to get what we deserve, we would all be cast into hell, and we would eternally be punished for our sins. But, because of God’s love and grace, he provided a way out for us from this punishment, but also from our slavery (addictions) to sin. Through God-given faith in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, via repentance and submission to Christ, we are delivered from death, from hell, and from our bondage (our chains) to sin. Amen!

But, this deliverance, though offered to all, is not applied to all people. It is applied only to those who “fear Him.”

To fear God is not to be afraid of him, but to show him awe, respect, honor, value, obedience, submission, and the like. True faith in Jesus Christ is divinely persuaded as to God’s will and purposes for our lives, and thus it submits to God, and it yields to His Lordship. True faith in Christ, thus, dies with Christ to sin and it lives with Christ to righteousness. This is what it means to fear God. And, this is what it means to be “born again.”

God’s Lovingkindness

Psalm 103:15-18 NASB

As for man, his days are like grass;As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.When the wind has passed over it, it is no more,And its place acknowledges it no longer. But the lovingkindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him,And His righteousness to children’s children,To those who keep His covenantAnd remember His precepts to do them.

All flesh will one day disappear. These bodies are our temporary homes. All that we accomplish in the flesh will also disappear. It will one day pass away. So, we are not to live our lives for the flesh, to please the flesh, but we are to live our lives for God, for what is eternal, and for God’s eternal kingdom. For, if we live our lives to please our flesh, we will die in our sins, not have eternal life with God, no matter what faith in God we profess.

So, if we want to spend eternity with God, and to be free of our chains to sin while we live on this earth, then we need to walk in the fear of God and do what he says (See: Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24; Gal. 5:19-21; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; Lu. 9:23-25; etc.).

In other words, we are not saved from our sins, and have eternal life with God secured, based on a prayer we prayed or a confession of faith or past belief. It is whoever is believing in Him (present tense) who has eternal life with God. And, believing involves repentance and a walk of obedience and submission to the cross and yielding our lives over to the Lordship of Christ.

We must continue in Christ, remain in his love, and walk according to the Spirit and no longer according to the flesh, if we want to have eternal life with God and freedom from our sinful addictions while we are still here on the earth. We must deny self and daily take up our cross and follow Christ. We must die to our old lives of living for the flesh so that we can live our new lives in Christ in the Spirit, free from the control of sin over our lives.

We must, in other words, live our lives as though this world is truly not our home. We live in the world, but we are not to be of the world. We are not to live, act, think, speak or have the same attitude, philosophy and values that this sinful world has. But, we are to adopt the values, thinking, believing and behaviors of our holy God, and be holy as He is holy.

We can’t do this in our own flesh, but we can do this in the power of God and in the strength of the Lord and in the wisdom given to us by the Spirit who lives within us, but only as we walk in the fear of God, and yield our lives over to the control of our Lord. Then, we can live in the freedom from our addictions to sin that Jesus provided for us on that cross.

Not Our Home

Jonathan and Emily Martin

We are making our exodus

Out of this world of sin and death

We are making our exodus

Into the life that he’s promised

Oh… this is not our home

Oh… we’re headed for the kingdom…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A13Uu6cYhZY&t=97s

Tuesday, May 29, 2018, 7:11 a.m. – Thank you, Jesus, for these encouragements to walk in the fear of the Lord and to follow you in obedience and in surrender to your will, leaving our lives of sin behind us.

Memorial Days

“Memorial Day” is a US holiday commemorating people who have died while serving in the US military, usually in a time of war. Some people extend that to also say that the holiday is a day to honor our soldiers who they say have died protecting our nation and our freedoms. Today was “Memorial Day.”

But, the Lord was reminding me today, instead, of the necessity for us to honor the One and Only who gave his life up for us for our freedom, in truth, and that is Jesus Christ, our Lord and our Savior. Every day should be a day of remembrance of Him and of what he did for us, and a day to honor him for what he did for us in dying on a cross for our sins, so that we could be delivered from our slavery to sin and be set free to walk in God’s holiness.

Romans 12:1-2 NASB

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Honor Him

So, how might we honor our Lord on a daily basis in remembrance of what he did for us in dying on that cross so that we might be free from the control of sin over our lives? And, free to walk in his holiness?

To honor him means to esteem, value, respect, reverence and worship him. And, how should we worship him? By giving ourselves wholly unto God, to live holy lives, pleasing unto him, free from conformity to the ways of this sinful world, via the renewing of our minds and our submission to our Lord.

And, the key word here is “Lord,” which means “owner-master.” If he is our owner-master, then we belong to him, and our lives are no longer our own to be lived how we want, but they are to be lived to God, to do what honors him and what brings him praise.

“So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” Romans 8:12-14 NASB

We are under obligation to our Lord (our owner-master) to do what pleases him, to no longer live in conformity to our flesh and to the world. Jesus didn’t free us to live however we want without guilt or remorse. He freed us that we might walk no longer according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For, it is we who are being led by the Spirit who are the children of God, not those who merely profess Christ as Savior of their lives.

The Lies

There are many liars and deceivers, nonetheless, who would have you believe that you have no obligation to God whatsoever, that you owe him nothing, and that he requires nothing of you in the way of repentance, submission, obedience and honor, etc. But, that simply is not true.

And, they would also have you believe that those who teach holiness, repentance, obedience and submission to Christ are legalists who are teaching works-based salvation, and that we should not listen to them. They would also have you believe that those who teach such are also unloving, critical and unforgiving, and that they are religious extremists to be avoided.

But, scripture is the determining factor, not the words of people in their deceitful scheming. Scripture is what tells us what God requires or does not require of us. And, so the Word of God is what we must live by.

And, the Word teaches us that if we sow to the flesh, from the flesh we will reap destruction, but if we sow to the Spirit, from the Spirit we will reap eternal life. The Word says that if we live according to the flesh, we will die in our sins, but if by the Spirit we are putting to death the deeds of the flesh, then we will live. It also says that if we make sin our practice, that we will not have the hope of eternal life with God in heaven.

[See: Gal. 6:7-8; Rom. 8:1-17; Gal. 5:19-21; 1 Jn. 1:5-9.]

The Truth

The truth is that Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. His grace, which brings salvation, instructs us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly (fleshly) passions (desires, lusts) and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives while we await Christ’s return. Our worship of God is not just singing songs of praise to God, but it is yielding our lives wholly to God for his will and for his good pleasure.

[See: 1 Pet. 2:24; Tit. 2:11-14; Rom. 12:1-2.]

Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, and take up his cross daily and follow him. To follow means to obey, to do what the Lord and his Word say we should do. This is not legalism. This is loyalty, devotion, reverence, respect, honor and worship, and it is our obligation. We owe it to our Lord to live for him in obedience to his will and his ways.

Jesus also said that if we hold on to our lives (of living for sin and self), that we will die, but if we lose our lives for his sake, i.e. if we die with him to sin and self, then we will gain eternal life. He made it real clear when he walked the face of this earth what it meant to be one of his followers. His sheep listen to his voice and they follow (obey) him. We must die with him to sin so that we might live with him to his righteousness and holiness.

[See: Lu. 9:23-25; Rom. 8:12-14; Jn. 6:35-66; Jn. 10:27-30.]

Not of World

As followers of Jesus Christ, we are to no longer be conformed to the ways of this sinful world. We should be living holy lives, separate (unlike, different) from the world, because we are being conformed to the likeness of Christ Jesus, our Lord.

This means that we don’t adopt the ways of this world into our lives. We don’t live to please our flesh, but we live to please the Spirit of God. We don’t make sin our practice, but we practice righteousness, instead.

Again, this is not legalism, as some would have you to believe, but this is reverence, honor, respect, and worship of God, which is acceptable and pleasing to our Lord. And, we should show him this kind of honor every day of our lives, i.e. every day is a “Memorial Day” to honor our Lord Jesus who died for us and for our freedom from sin, that we might have eternal life with God in heaven.

Not Our Home

Jonathan and Emily Martin

We are making our exodus

Out of this world of sin and death

We are making our exodus

Into the life that he’s promised

Oh… this is not our home

Oh… we’re headed for the kingdom…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A13Uu6cYhZY&t=97s

Monday, May 28, 2018, 7:16 a.m. – Thank you, Jesus, for these encouraging Words. May you bring them home to our hearts. Amen!

Faithful Followers

Serving the Lord

Acts 20:17-21 NASB

From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church. And when they had come to him, he said to them, “You yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which came upon me through the plots of the Jews; how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house, solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we are to be the Lord’s servants and witnesses, sharing the love and grace of God and the gospel of our salvation with the world about us, and loving and nurturing (edifying and encouraging) the body of Christ to maturity in the faith and to unity of mind with Christ Jesus.

Not only are we called to serve our Lord and one another, but we are to do so with humility, being willing to die, if need be, for the sake of Jesus Christ and his gospel, and for the sake of other people, for their salvation, and for their healing, hope, peace and joy.

We must be willing to endure trials, tribulations, persecutions, hatred, rejection, false accusations, and slander, etc. for the furtherance of the gospel of our salvation, and for the benefit of others, for their deliverance from their addictions to sin, and for their freedom in Christ to walk in his righteousness and holiness. For, this is all for their good.

I’m On my Way

Acts 20:22-24 NASB

“And now, behold, bound by the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me. But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.

We should all be on our way towards afflictions, rejections and persecutions, if we are truly following Jesus Christ with our lives, and if we are not shrinking back from sharing the whole counsel of God, the fullness of his gospel message of salvation from sin.

For, Jesus said that if we follow him, we will be treated as he was. We will be hated and persecuted, and some of us will even be falsely accused, falsely arrested and put in prison, and some of us will even be put to death for our testimonies for Jesus and for his gospel.

We may not know when or how this will all happen, but we should know that this is what awaits us wherever we go if we are truly the Lord’s servants and messengers.

Yet, we should not consider our lives to be our own, but the Lord’s. For, Jesus said that if we want to come after him, we must deny self and take up our cross daily and follow him. If we hold on to our own lives, in order to please ourselves, we will lose them for eternity. But, if we lose our lives for the sake of Jesus Christ and his gospel, then we have eternal life with God.

Be On Guard

Acts 20:25-31 NASB

“And now, behold, I know that all of you, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, will no longer see my face. Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God.
 “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.

We should never shrink from declaring the whole counsel, the entire purpose of God, out of fear of what other humans may do to us or say about us to others. We have to put other lives before our own, and care more about other humans than we do our own reputations, because we love all of humankind, and we want to see all people free from their addictions to sin and living in peace, joy, and in the Lord, and in his perfect will for their lives.

Those whom God has called to shepherd his flock - his sheep, his followers - must be diligent in protecting the sheep against any marauding forces which would sneak into the sheep pen stealthily in order to kill, steal and destroy the sheep. You must guard those entrusted to you from false christs and from false doctrines which are free license for lasciviousness, because they appeal to human flesh rather than put human flesh to death on the cross.

You must not only teach what is truth – the whole counsel of God – but you must expose what is false and warn against it so that the sheep do not fall into a pit with no one to rescue them.

And, the truth of the gospel is that Jesus died that we might die with him to sin and live with him to righteousness (1 Pet. 2:24). He didn’t die merely to give us an escape from hell and to promise us heaven when we leave this earth. He died to give us NEW LIVES in HIM free from our sin addictions and free to walk in his holiness, all in his power and strength within us.

More Blessed

Acts 20:32-35 NASB

“And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothes. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my own needs and to the men who were with me. In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

The Word of God’s Grace to us is not just forgiveness of sins, but it is eradication of sin from our lives. For, God’s grace, which brings salvation, instructs (commands) us to say “No!” to ungodliness and worldly (fleshly) passions (lusts, desires), and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives while we await Christ’s soon return (Tit. 2:11-14).

This is why this Word of Grace is able to build us up (mature us) in Christ Jesus, because it does not leave us still floundering in our sin thinking we have our ticket to heaven when we leave this earth. It shows us the way out from under temptation to sin, and it paves for us a path of freedom from sin’s grip on our lives. Not saying we will be perfect, or that we will never sin, but Jesus made the way for us to no longer be enslaved to sin.

So, this is what we are to teach others, and live ourselves, so that we can help others to freedom in Christ rather than to a slightly cleaned up old life which is still dead in sin and bound for hell. If we want to help the weak, then we need to tell them the truth, not tell them lies so that they feel better about themselves while they still wander in sin, going nowhere.

My Jesus, My Savior  

Michael W. Smith

My Jesus, my Saviour,

Lord, there is none like You

All of my days, I want to praise,

The wonders of your mighty love

My comfort, my shelter,

Tower of refuge and strength

Let every breath, all that I am

Never cease to worship You…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqSQvoinDE4

Sunday, May 27, 2018, 3:42 a.m. – Thank you, Jesus, for this teaching from Your Word. Help us to be faithful followers, servants and witnesses of yours.

His Story

An Original Work / May 26, 2018

The mountains declare

The praises of God.

Their beauty proclaims

His glory.

The sky and the clouds,

The stars up above

Give evidence of

His story.

The sun, as it shines,

His radiance shows.

The tree tops proclaim

His kingdom.

The colors of all

His beauty shine forth.

Creation declares

His wisdom.

We have no excuse,

If we not believe

In Him from whom all

Was conceived.

For God has made known

Himself to all folk,

Through all that He made

In a week.

So, trust in Him now.

Believe in His Son

Who died on a cross

For our sins.

Make Jesus your Lord,

Trust now in His Word.

And do what He says,

Truth within.

Your sins He'll forgive.

His pardon receive

When you trust in Him

As Savior.

From sin you're set free,

If you will believe,

And you will make Him

Your master.

A Dichotomy

Various Trials

James 1:2-4 NASB

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Jesus Christ, “for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame” (Heb. 12:2). So, what was the joy set before him? It was the salvation of human lives. It was our deliverance from sin and our freedom from the control of Satan over our lives. And, it was our freedom, too, to now walk according to the Spirit, in Christ’s righteousness and holiness.

We, as well, should endure the cross – death to sin and self, and trials, tribulations, and persecutions, for the sake of Jesus Christ and his Gospel, and for the sake of being followers of Christ who lead others to be followers of Christ. And, we should endure this cross for the joy of knowing that our walks of faith will result in our own salvation, and in the salvations of others whose lives we touch with the grace of God and with his gospel of salvation from sin. We just need to be patient in our trials, and wait on God.

Double-Minded

James 1:5-8 NASB

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

When we face various trials and persecutions, they will often time come through those who are double-minded, who are unstable in all their ways. For, the double-minded are like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. They can be one thing one moment, and then become the opposite in another moment. They can proclaim one thing while they live the opposite. They can give the appearance of one persona in front of people, for the praise of man, but then be just the opposite when they are no longer performing for public praise.

They are often like on a teeter-totter with regard to their thinking, reasoning and beliefs, going up and down in opinion. They are “tossed back and forth by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming” (Eph. 4:14), including by their own deceitful scheming, because of the lies they tell themselves and thus believe and thus they also tell others. They are like in a vehicle going around and around in a cul-de-sac, and thus they never really ever go anywhere.

They have no set standard or belief, because they are like chameleons, who blend in with whatever their environment happens to be in any given situation, when it suits their purposes. They are restless and confused in their thoughts, actions and behavior, always in conflict with themselves, and thus with others who may expose their dichotomy, and who may call them to repentance and to faithful submission to the Lordship of Christ.

Thus, they may be ones who strongly persecute those who are strong in their walks of faith and in their relationships with Jesus Christ.

All Will Pass Away

James 1:9-11 NASB

But the brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position; and the rich man is to glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with a scorching wind and withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away.

All that is of this world is going to one day pass away. Our flesh bodies will also one day perish, unless the Lord returns first to take us to be with him. Nothing of this earth will be forever. So, if what we pursue in this life is what is going to perish, then when all is said and done, we will have nothing to show for what we did with the lives we have been given. Those who lived their lives to please the flesh, thus, will die in their sins, and not have eternal life with God, even if they claimed to believe in Jesus Christ.

Face in a Mirror

James 1:19-25 NASB

This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.

This, I believe, goes perfectly along with the double-minded person. For, he who sees who he is, and how he needs to change, but then walks away and willfully forgets what he sees, is also a double-minded person. For, he first of all takes the time to read the Bible, and to know what it says, and even to see how it applies to his life, and what God requires of him, but then he doesn’t do what the word says, because he doesn’t really want to change, and so he willfully forgets what he learned. This is double-minded, too.

People like this, too, may be ones who are quick to anger, because they know the truth, and they know right from wrong, for they have seen themselves in that mirror, and yet they walked away, so they are in conflict with themselves and with the Word of God, and thus they are restless and confused because they are living lives which are contradictory to themselves, to what they profess, and they know it. So, especially if the truth of all this is exposed, this internal inferno may then come to the surface.

The Pharisees were like this, I believe. They were teachers of the Word of God, and leaders and rulers within the temple of God, so they knew the truth, and they knew right from wrong, but they put on a show for the public while they performed their wicked deeds in secret. And, this is why they persecuted Jesus, for his righteousness exposed their falseness and their wickedness, and thus they were continually on his case, trying to bring him down, and eventually they put him to death on a cross.

But, we ought not to be like that. We ought to be ones who not only hear and know or even teach the Word, but we need to be those who do what the Word says. We need to be those who put the Word into practice in our daily lives. And, part of that practice is enduring unjust suffering at the hands of those who, like the Pharisees, are double-minded in all that they do.

But, we can only do what the Word says, and not live by our flesh, by the power and the working of God – Father, Son & Holy Spirit – living within us. Only in the power of God can we resist Satan, flee temptation and draw near to God in full assurance of faith. Only in the strength and wisdom of the Lord can we also endure unjust suffering and persecution at the hands of the double-minded, and remain strong in our faith, and in our commitments to Jesus Christ and to his service. All glory to God for all that is accomplished in our lives for the Lord’s purposes and for his praise and his glory. Amen!

Lord, I Need You

Matt Maher

Lord, I need You, oh, I need You

Every hour I need You

My one defense, my righteousness

Oh God, how I need You…

Without You I fall apart

You're the One that guides my heart…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuvfMDhTyMA  

Friday, May 25, 2018, 7:43 a.m. – Thank you, Jesus, for this teaching from Your Word. May you bring it home to our hearts, I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen!

Love Like God

Love Without Hypocrisy

Romans 12:9 NASB

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.

This word “love” means “benevolence, goodwill, kindness, and compassion,” but it also means “to prefer,” specifically to prefer what God prefers, which is purity, morality, truth, righteousness, holiness, godliness and faithfulness, etc. To love like this is to love like God loves. Love does no harm to its neighbor. Love does what is helpful and beneficial to others.

So, if we “love” others hypocritically, it means we just pretend to love them when we really don’t, or it means to say we love them, but then to do the opposite of love towards them. So, we don’t really love them, we just pretend that we do or we just say that we do, but our actions speak louder than our words, for our actions speak hate rather than love if we act in opposition to love towards others, especially while we profess to love them.

This is not about our feelings, though. We can love others whom we don’t feel warm fuzzy feelings towards. And, that is because love is action, not feelings. And, that is why we can even love our enemies – those who mistreat us and who do all manner of evil against us. We can be kind and compassionate towards even our enemies, and do for them what is for their good (what is beneficial for them), hating the evil, but clinging to the good.

Brotherly Love

Romans 12:10-13 NASB

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we are to love all people with this God-like love, but we are to especially be devoted to loving one another, caring for one another’s needs, showing one another tenderness, compassion, care, etc. We are to consider one another as family, and to honor one another, i.e. to show one another respect, kindness, and regard, i.e. to value one another.

And, this is why it is so important that we truly understand what it means to love with God-like love. So many people today have this word “love” all backwards, even within the church. They think that we should only say what makes people feel good, even if what we tell them are lies. Lies are never kind, though, no matter how much we dress them up to make them look good. It is not love if we lie to people to make them feel good so that they will, in return, like us. That is pure selfishness.

If we truly love one another with this God-like love, we will love them as God loves us. He doesn’t lie to us or pretend to love us when he doesn’t. He doesn’t say only what makes us feel good about ourselves. He tells us the truth. He says what we NEED to hear, not necessarily what we WANT to hear. He does for us what is beneficial for us, what will lead us to holiness, not that which will leave us still wandering in our sins.

So, if we truly love one another, we are going to be diligent in doing and saying what we know is going to help one another know Christ in his fullness, walk in his love and holiness, grow in our walks of faith, and live in purity, love, holiness and godliness. We are not going to applaud what we know is the opposite of love, truth, faithfulness, holiness and godliness.

Bless Your Persecutors

Romans 12:14-16 NASB

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.

If we curse someone, we speak or hope that harm or evil would come to him. We wish him ill will. We don’t care if he lives or dies. But, when we bless someone, we are thinking about what is for this person’s good, for what is in his best interest, what is beneficial for him. We consider what he really needs (not wants), and we pray to that end.

Blessing someone is not telling him lies to make him feel good. Blessing has to do with saying what is for his good, what is truly helpful for him, and what will do good to him.

In all of this, in all that we do or speak or act towards others, it must all be with God-like love, which does no harm to others, and which does only what is beneficial, and that which prefers what God prefers. So, to rejoice with those who rejoice would never mean to rejoice with them over that which God would not approve or over that which we know is for their harm, or for the harm of another. So, we will never applaud that which is sinful.

In like manner, to be of the same mind with one another would never be to be like-minded over anything sinful or contrary to God and to his Word. We are like-minded with one another when we are first of all of one mind and heart with Jesus Christ. So, be discerning here, for many, even within the church, are pushing a “unity” and “one mind” with human thinking and reasoning, but they are disguising it as biblical unity, and are pressuring many Christians into conformity, but it is not with Christ.

The same is true with regard to living at peace with all people. If living at peace with other humans means we are not at peace with God and with His Word, then God and His Word must trump. We must remember here that Jesus said that he didn’t come to bring peace, but a sword (Matt. 10:34-42). He doesn’t give peace as the world does (Jn. 14:27).

His peace has to do with peace with God through submission to the will of God and surrender to his Lordship over our lives. And, when we live at peace with God we will often be at enmity with other humans, even within the church, because many of them are like-minded with the world, not with God. So, if we can live at peace with other humans without compromising our faith in Jesus Christ or the truths of God’s Holy Word, then live at peace.

If Your Enemy

Romans 12:17-21 NASB

Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Jesus Christ had enemies, and he lived a perfect life. If we are following him, in doing what he says, and in speaking his truths, we, too, will have enemies, even within the church. Remember here that Jesus’ greatest persecutors were not the Romans. They were the Jews - his own people, his family, the people of his own town, and of his own faith.

So, when we truly follow Jesus Christ with our lives, his enemies will be our enemies. And, they will do what is harmful to us, because their goal, which is Satan’s goal, is to bring us down so that we no longer serve the Lord but so that we serve ourselves, instead. So, don’t be surprised if your greatest persecution comes from within the church, not from without.

But, our response to persecution and to our persecutors is to trust God with our lives, to believe he is completely sovereign over every aspect of our lives, and to believe that he has power over every authority on this earth. It is also to love our enemies, to pray for them, to bless them, and to do good to them. Remember, this means to do what is for their good, as God defines good, not to tell them lies to make them feel good about themselves in their sin.

And, it is never to pay them back evil for evil, but only with good. It is God’s to take revenge or to pay back for evil with his wrath, not ours.

So, instead of seeking revenge, we are to help meet the legitimate needs of our enemies. Again, this has to do with doing and saying what is ultimately for their good, in the eyes of God, always preferring holiness, righteousness, truth and purity, etc. In this way, we will not be overcome with evil, but we will overcome evil with good. For, we will be doing the will of God, and we will be ministering his love and grace to others, for their benefit, that they, too, may come to know him in his fullness, and be likeminded with Him.

It Is Well with My Soul  

H. G. Spafford / P. P. Bliss

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say,

It is well; it is well with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,

Let this blest assurance control,

That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,

And hath shed his own blood for my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!

My sin, not in part but the whole,

Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

And, Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,

The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;

The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,

Even so, it is well with my soul.

It is well with my soul,

It is well; it is well with my soul.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbNm_Kdez8o

Thursday, May 24, 2018, 4:00 a.m. – Thank you, Jesus, for these words of instruction to us on holy living, on loving others, and on doing for others what is ultimately for their good, as God defines good.