If You are Standing Fast in The Lord

“For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord. For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God, as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith?

“Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you, and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.” (1 Thessalonians 3:8-13 ESV)

You know what? This is how all of us should feel when we hear and know that other believers in Jesus are walking by faith in obedience to the Lord in holy living and in the forsaking of their sins, living lives which are pleasing to God and for his glory, honor, and praise. It does my heart good to hear other followers of Christ sharing their faith with others, and giving testimony of what the Lord is teaching them through his word each day, provided that what they are believing and following is the truth of the gospel and not the altered imitation of the gospel that is out there today.

For to stand fast in the Lord is to stand fast in obeying his teachings and in surrendering our hearts and lives to him in doing what he has said we must do as his followers. So this means we are no longer holding on to our old lives of living in sin and for self, but now, by the grace of God, we are in the practice of denying self and dying daily to sin and following Jesus in obedience to his commands, by the Spirit. We have been crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin but as slaves to God and to his righteousness.

And then we all should be those who are encouraging our brothers and sisters in Christ in our walks of faith and obedience to the Lord, for we all need encouragement, which includes holy urgings and strong exhortations. All of us should be sharing the truth of the gospel with the people of the world, but we should also be ministering God’s love and grace to one another. And this engages us speaking the truth in love, one to the other, and us exhorting one another daily, and us spurring one another up to love and good deeds so that we remain steadfast in our walks of faith in Christ.

[Matt 5:13-16; Matt 28:18-20; Jn 4:31-38; Jn 13:13-17; Jn 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:14-18; Acts 26:18; Rom 10:14-15; Rom 12:1-8; Rom 15:14; 1 Co 12:1-31; 1 Co 14:1-5; Gal 6:1; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:1-16; Eph 5:11-27; Eph 6:10-20; Php 2:1-8; Col 1:9; Col 3:12-16; Tit 2:11-14; Heb 3:13; Heb 10:23-25; Jas 5:19-20; 1 Pet 2:9,21; 1 Jn 2:6]  

And we should be praying for and encouraging one another within the universal body of Christ that our faith in our Lord should increase in intensity and in maturity and in faithfulness of service to our Lord in holy living. And that we will love one another with this agape love which comes from God and which prefers what God prefers, which is all that is holy, righteous, godly, morally pure, upright, honest, faithful, and obedient to God. And we should be those who prefer to live through Christ, choosing his choices, and obeying them in his power and strength, to the glory and praise of God.

And the goal of this love is that all of us may be firmly established in the love of God and in our love for others, having our hearts committed to and surrendered to the Lord to obey him in all ways that he leads and commands us that we should go. And it is that we are living righteous and godly and morally pure lives in holiness and in obedience to our Lord, and that not one of us is still walking in deliberate and habitual sin in disobedience to God. So true love speaks the truth in love so that all of us are walking in the Spirit as we ought and so that we all have the hope of eternal life with God.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2]

A Believer’s Prayer 

An Original Work / July 31, 2012

With my whole heart, Lord, I pray 

To be Yours, and Yours always.

Lead me in Your truth today.

May I love You, and obey.

Lead me in Your righteousness.

When I sin, may I confess;

Bow before You when I pray;

Live for You and You always.

Love You, Jesus, You’re my friend.

Life with You will never end.

You are with me through each day,

Giving love and peace always.

You will ne’er abandon me.

From my sin You set me free.

You died on that cruel tree,

So I’d live eternally.

Soon You’re coming back for me;

From this world to set me free;

Live with You eternally.

Oh, what joy that brings to me.

I will walk with You in white;

A pure bride, I’ve been made right

By the blood of Jesus Christ;

Pardoned by His sacrifice.

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