Run With It

Thursday, February 23, 2017

The Same Kind

Thursday, February 23, 2017, 4:17 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “Give Ear to Jesus.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 2 Peter 1:1-11 (NASB).

His Divine Power (vv. 1-4)

Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.

So, if we receive the “same kind” of faith as Jesus’ New Testament apostles did, what kind of faith would that be? Can there be more than one kind? Well, let me answer that second question first. Yes, there can be more than one kind of faith. There can be genuine God-given faith (Eph. 2:8-10), and there can be faith which originates in human beings, which is really not the kind of faith which saves us. And, there can be faith (human in origin) in other deities (false gods and false religions) or in other things besides faith in the One and Only True God who created the world and everything in it.

So, what kind of faith is the “same kind” as that received by the apostles? As was already stated, it is God-given faith, i.e. it is God’s divine persuasion (convincing) of us as to his perfect will for our lives. We can’t even come to faith in Jesus Christ unless the Father first draws us to him. And, the faith to believe in Jesus is a gift of God, not something we muster up on our own out of our own flesh. But, it is something we must appropriate (seize, adopt) into our lives via submission to God/Jesus. In other words, God does not just zap some of us and therefore we have faith. We have to accept this faith.

In addition to this, the kind of faith which is God-given is of the Spirit of God, not of the will of man, and thus it prefers what God prefers and it does not make up its own set of rules to suit human flesh. So, what does that mean? It means that if we have God-given faith in Jesus Christ we are crucified with Christ in death to sin but made alive to God in Christ Jesus. Our old self was crucified with Jesus “so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin – because anyone who has died has been freed from sin” (Ro. 6:6-7). So, Jesus didn’t die for our sins just so we could escape condemnation and have the promise of heaven when we die. He died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. Thus, if we say we have fellowship with God, but we walk (conduct our lives) in darkness (sin, wickedness), we are liars (1 Jn. 1:6).

So, what else can we learn about this “same kind” of faith? For one, this is not a one-time experience, then we live our lives, and then we go to heaven when we die. This faith is continuous throughout our lives until the end of time. It submits to God’s will, and walks in his love, and it lives life according to God’s Word (according to the Spirit) and no longer according to the flesh. It is empowered by God and not by the flesh, so its works are not fleshly but are generated by the Spirit of God. Even repentance has been granted to us by God, and the ability to walk in holiness and godliness, as well. But, again, we must appropriate what God has given/granted to our individual lives.

So many people today are teaching that we don’t have to repent of (turn from) our sins, and we don’t have to obey God/Christ, and that God is pleased with us no matter what we do. That is human faith, and it is not the kind that saves us or the same kind as that of the apostles, i.e. it is false. They try to convince us that repentance and obedience to Christ are fleshly works and thus we must discard them, but that is a lie of Satan. God has granted us everything we need for life and godliness, and repentance and obedience are part of that God-given faith, i.e. the kind which persuades us as to God’s perfect will for our lives. True faith dies with Christ to sin and it lives with Christ to righteousness, because it is of God, and not of the flesh.

If These Qualities (vv. 5-9)

Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.

Again, our faith in Jesus Christ is not a one-time experience. It is lived out in our lives every day, moment by moment. True faith in Jesus Christ does not stagnate at the moment we believe in Jesus, but it keeps growing and maturing, and our lives keep changing as daily we die to sin and the flesh, and as daily we put on the armor of God with which to fight off Satan’s evil schemes against us. Every day we should be growing in love, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, mercy, integrity, purity, forgiveness, obedience, godliness, holiness, heart knowledge, self-control, and perseverance, etc. If we are still the same people we were 10 years ago, then something is wrong. We should always be learning and changing for the good.

If these qualities, and others like them, are not increasing in measure in our lives, then we can become stagnated, and usually we end up declining (going backwards) in our faith. Then we are not much use for God’s kingdom work, and so we end up being unfruitful in our spiritual walks and in our witness for Christ and for his gospel. Usually this happens because we have let sin back into our lives and thus we are being hindered in our walks of faith.

In other words, we can’t increase in godliness if we are willfully continuing to do what we know is against God and contrary to his Word. We can’t increase in kindness and love if we are practicing hate, cheating, lying, deceit, stealing, and adultery, etc. We can’t increase in purity, either, if we are taking in regular doses into our minds of what is impure. We can’t increase in faithfulness, if we are regularly in the practice of being unfaithful. We are opposing the very things we say we stand for when we do this. And, when we do this, i.e. the opposite of godliness, holiness and the like, it is because we have forgotten (willfully) that Jesus died to put sin to death in our lives.

Make Certain (vv. 10-11)

Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.

So, we need to be diligent to make certain of our calling and choosing. In other words, we need daily reminders, not just of who we are in Christ by faith in him, but of who God has chosen and called us to be. For, many people today are still walking in sin and yet are being encouraged, even in the midst of willful sin against God, to claim who they are in Christ, some of which is made up of man, and not of God, and not from his Word. And, this is all backwards. God does not approve of our sin, so we should not put his stamp of approval on our lives if we are willfully continuing to live in sin. Yet, many do this because they want to continue in their sin without guilt, i.e. they have bought into a false grace gospel which tells them they can live however they want and still have the hope of heaven when they die.

If we do claim who we are in Christ, first of all we need to make sure we really are in Christ by genuine (God-given) faith in him, which is convinced of his perfect will for our lives and thus submits to his will and purpose. Then, we should make sure what we are claiming is truly biblical, and that we are doing so to encourage ourselves to walk in holiness and purity, not as a cover-up for doing what we know is wrong. But, then we need to be reminded, not just of what Jesus did for us, but of what he requires of us in the way of holy living. We need to be reminded that he called us and he chose us to be his holy people, set apart from the world of sin because we are being conformed into the image of Christ. He has called us to repentance and obedience, and to walk in his Spirit and not according to the flesh, too. So, in the power and working of the Spirit within us, we should walk in his holiness and righteousness, and not live to please our sinful flesh.

Give Ear to Jesus / An Original Work

Based off Isaiah 55 / February 16, 2016

Call on your Savior.

Seek the Lord while He is near.

Let the wicked forsake his way;

Turn to the Lord.

God will have mercy.

He’ll forgive you of your sin.

He will freely pardon you

And give peace within.

Turn from your sin, follow Jesus,

Be cleansed from sin.

Give ear to Jesus.

Come to Him. Your soul will live.

Listen to Him speaking to you:

“Eat what is good.”

If you are thirsty,

Come to Jesus, drink from Him.

Drink His Spirit given to you.

Be born again.

Listen to Him. Do what He says.

Rejoice in Him.

God’s Word, eternal,

Will achieve what He desires.

He is willing none should perish,

Saved by His blood.

Share now the gospel.

Jesus died so we’d go free.

Walk in vict’ry,

Free from your sin, eternally.

Die to sin, and live to Jesus.

In Him believe.

https://vimeo.com/155612854

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

When We Suffer

Wednesday, February 22, 2017, 9:44 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “He Keeps Me Singing.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 1 Peter 4:12-19 (NASB).

The Fiery Ordeal (vv. 12-14)

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

So many people today are presenting the Christian life as all fun and games, and as though it is all about us and our pleasure and enjoyment, instead of it being about us living to God for his honor, glory and praise. Thus, when trials do come their way, they are not prepared for them, and will often see their trials as an annoyance and as an interruption to their lives rather than them seeing their trials as God’s way of refining us, purifying us, maturing us and making us holy, and conforming us to the image of Christ. Trials are hard, no matter what, don’t get me wrong, but if we have the right perspective as to why they come our way, then we will know to reach out to God in our trials, to lean on his grace to help us in our time of need, and to listen to him to hear what we are supposed to learn through our difficulties.

There are different reasons why we go through such difficulties, though. If we are in Christ Jesus by faith in him, our trials are God’s divine discipline in our lives either to mature us and prune us so we will be more fruitful, or they will be there to correct and rebuke us when we are going astray, in order that we might be led back to God. Either way, the purpose is to make us holy and to conform us into the image of Christ.

Trials also come in many different forms. One of the ways in which we are called to suffer as Christians is to suffer persecution for the name of Jesus and for the sake of his gospel. When we stand for what is righteous and against what is evil, we are not going to win the “most popular” contest among the people of this world, and not even among many who also profess to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. In fact, the closer we walk with our Lord, and the more we shun evil, worldliness, and obsession with self-pleasure, the more we will be isolated from those around us, because we won’t “fit in,” and many people won’t want to be around us.

I am not speaking here, though, of joining a monastery and completely removing ourselves from the world, but when we walk in holiness, which means to be separate (unlike, different) from the world, because we are becoming like Jesus, we are going to stand out like a sore thumb among many groups of people, including among worldly Christians. And, we will be reviled, mocked, falsely accused, abused, mistreated and called “crazy,” or considered “abnormal.” Those people in our lives who are concerned about us may even try to pressure or persuade us into “rejoining the human race” by encouraging us to be more like the world and less like one who truly lives in this world as a stranger (alien). But, we are supposed to live as though this is not our permanent home, as though we are just travelers here for a time. Yet, we just don’t get to see this lifestyle emulated to us very much.

At any rate, we are encouraged here to rejoice in our sufferings, and that is a tall order. Yet, it works! Our natural inclination is to be sad, to hurt emotionally, as well as physically, and to lament our suffering. There is no shame in tears, though. I cry many of them myself. But, in the power of the Spirit of God within us we need to rise above our suffering, and we need to count it all joy to suffer for the name of Christ, and we need to put on love, mercy, compassion, kindness, and perseverance, and not let our suffering get the best of us. Satan likes it when we suffer, because his hope is that we will retreat, and that we will give up, and that we will stop serving our Lord, but we must NEVER give up! We need to just keep singing, and keep praising our Lord, and keep following him wherever he leads us, and keep on sharing Christ and his gospel of salvation in order that many will be saved.

Misdirected Suffering (vv. 15-16)

Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.

Not everyone suffers for doing good, though. Not even every Christian suffers for righteousness’ sake. As stated earlier, God disciplines us sometimes because we are wandering far from him, and in order to bring us back to him. He allows us to go through suffering when we are sinning against him so that we will look to him, so we will forsake our sins, and so we will walk in his righteousness and holiness. We need these trials, at times, in order to bring us to our senses for when we get dull of hearing and we begin to go our own stubborn way again. God disciplines us for our good that we may share in his holiness. “All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness” (See: Heb. 12:1-11).

Judging God’s Household (vv. 17-19)

For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless man and the sinner? Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.

Judgment, in this context, is “the execution of judgment as displayed in the infliction of punishment” (biblehub.com). These words were spoken to Christians: “But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world” (1 Co. 11:31-32). The purpose of God’s judgment (divine discipline and correction) on his church, his house, the body of Christ, once again, is not to condemn us but to lovingly correct us, prune us, train us, and mature us in Christ, and to make us holy.

As far as what is meant by “It is with difficulty that the righteous is saved,” what comes to mind is the passage of scripture where it says: “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many” (Matt. 7:13). What this means, I believe, is that salvation from sin involves much more than just an intellectual or emotional acknowledgment as to what Jesus did for us. It is also not a one-time experience in our lives, then we live our lives, and then we go to heaven when we die. Coming to faith in Jesus Christ involves dying with Christ to sin and being resurrected with Christ to newness of life. It also involves walking in the Spirit and no longer according to our sinful flesh. For, if we walk (conduct our lives) according to our sinful flesh, we will die in our sins. Yet, if by the Spirit we are putting to death the deeds of the flesh, we will live with Christ for eternity (See: Lu. 9:23-25; Ro. 8:1-14; 1 Jn. 1:6).

So, we should not despise suffering or God’s judgment (divine discipline) on our lives, because suffering is for our good, and, if trained by it, it produces in us much spiritual fruit for God’s eternal kingdom. It humbles us, purifies us, grows us up in Christ, refines us, and it teaches us reliance upon God and not on ourselves. So, although painful when it comes, we need to see God’s hand in it in using it to conform us into the image of Christ.

He Keeps Me Singing / Luther B. Bridgers

There's within my heart a melody

Jesus whispers sweet and low:

Fear not, I am with thee, peace, be still,

In all of life's ebb and flow.

All my life was wrecked by sin and strife,

Discord filled my heart with pain;

Jesus swept across the broken strings,

Stirred the slumbering chords again.

Though sometimes he leads through waters deep,

Trials fall across the way,

Though sometimes the path seems rough and steep,

See his footprints all the way.

Feasting on the riches of his grace,

Resting neath his sheltering wing,

Always looking on his smiling face,

That is why I shout and sing.

Soon he's coming back to welcome me

Far beyond the starry sky;

I shall wing my flight to worlds unknown;

I shall reign with him on high.

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,

Sweetest name I know,

Fills my every longing,

Keeps me singing as I go.

The Same Purpose

Tuesday, February 21, 2017, 11:03 p.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “Gift of God.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 1 Peter 4:1-11 (NASB).

Arm Yourselves (vv. 1-2)

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.

When Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins, he died to put sin to death. In fact, He who knew no sin became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God (2 Co. 5:21). He didn’t die just to forgive us our sins, and to free us from condemnation, and to promise us heaven when we die. He died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. When we put our (God-given) faith in him, to be Lord and Savior of our lives, we are crucified with Christ in death 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; cf. Ro. 6:1-23). “Our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin – because anyone who has died has been freed from sin” (Ro. 6:6-7).

So, we are to arm (equip and ready) ourselves with the same purpose (objective) as Christ, which is that we should cease from living in sin, i.e. that we should no longer live our lives for our human and fleshly lusts, but that we should live our lives for the will of God, holy and pleasing to God. This is why he died, that we might no longer live for ourselves, but for him who gave his life up for us (2 Co. 5:15). When we believe in Jesus to be our Lord and Savior, he doesn’t just forgive us our sins, but he eradicates sin from our lives. In other words, he delivers us out of slavery to sin so that we might become bondservants of his righteousness. No longer should we live like we did before we came to Christ, but now we should live to God. Sin should no longer have mastery over our lives, because Jesus set us free!

So, how do we arm (equip and ready) ourselves with the same purpose as Christ? Well, we have to begin with the right foundation. The commission Jesus gave to Paul to preach the gospel describes for us the essence of the gospel message. He told him that he was to open blinded eyes, and to turn them from darkness (sin) to light (righteousness), and from the power of Satan to God so they could receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified (made holy) by faith in Jesus Christ (Ac. 26:16-18).

And, then we need to die daily to sin and self, and by the Spirit be putting to death the deeds of the flesh, putting off what we know is wrong and putting on what we know is right. And, we have to conduct our lives according to the Spirit (in the power of the Spirit) and no longer according to our sinful flesh (Lu. 9:23-25; Ro. 8:1-14; Eph. 4). In other words, we have to get serious and radical about sin and about obedience to our Lord. We can’t toy with sin, or test fate, or take sin too casually, or excuse it away, or use God’s grace as free license to keep sinning. We have to cut out of our lives whatever hinders our walks of faith and whatever leads us into sin, and we have lay aside (renounce) the sins which so easily entangle us so we can run with perseverance the race marked out for us by God (Heb. 12:1).

They Malign You (vv. 3-6)

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.

When we get serious about God, and about sin, and about obedience, and we no longer do the fleshly things we did before, but now our goal is to live for our Lord, to please him in all ways, we are bound to face both rejection and ridicule for our step of faith. Some of our friends, acquaintances, family members, co-workers and fellow Christians might even try to shame us or pressure us into doing some of the things we did before. They might, as well, try to convince us that making Christ truly Lord (owner-master) of our lives is not normal and that we need to join in with them in some of their revelry so we don’t stand out, and so we don’t seem odd or peculiar. To them, a life controlled by the Spirit of God, and not by the flesh, is just too weird. They think we need to be more fleshly and worldly in order to be considered sane. They think we need to be more fun and less serious, as though life is to be about self-pleasure, games and parties. It isn’t!

Keep Fervent (vv. 7-11)

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.

We need to remember why we were put on this earth, and why God called us, and to what he has called us, too. We aren’t here to make people like us, and to do what other humans do so no one will think we are strange. We are here to give honor, glory and praise to God, and to give him our worship, our submission, and our obedience. We were called to holiness and righteousness, not to self-pleasure and a life given over to entertaining ourselves. We are to live in the fear (respect, reverence, honor) of God, i.e. to take him and his Word seriously by doing what he/it says. And, we are to remember that he redeemed us (bought us back for God) with his blood, and our lives are no longer our own, so we are to honor God with our lives.

We are to love one another and forgive one another, for Christ forgave us. We are to love as Jesus loved us and gave his life up for us. This is God-like (agape) love which prefers what God prefers, and that thinks about what is in other people’s best interest. It does not placate or excuse away sin, though. It confronts willful and unrepentant sin in hopes that the wanderer will come to his (or her) senses and will turn from his sin and follow our Lord in obedience. And, its goal is to restore such a one to fellowship with God and to see him be renewed in his faith and in his commitment to Christ. Then, we are to use our spiritual gifts to encourage, strengthen, urge, inspire, teach, and counsel one another in the Lord so that we can all be built up in our faith and in our walks with Christ, and come to maturity. And, all this is for the praise, honor and glory of God, who saved us from our sins.

Gift of God / An Original Work / October 25, 2016

Based off Various Scriptures

Jesus Christ, Son of God,

Died for us on a cross;

Conquered death, sin, and hell,

So, with Him, we would dwell.

For, by His grace, we are saved.

He set us free from all sin.

Thanks be to God for His Gift.

Through faith in Him, we’re forgiven.

Holy Spirit of God,

Given to us who believe,

Gives us new life in Christ;

Made to be just like Him.

We died with Christ to our sin.

New lives in Him we begin,

Walking with Christ day by day.

We read His Word, and we pray.

Jesus, He is our Lord.

Follow Him where He leads.

Tell the world of His grace.

We’ll see Christ face to face.

Soon He is coming again.

We’ll be forever with Him.

He’ll wipe our tears all away.

Oh, what a wonderful day!

https://vimeo.com/188931779

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

When Sorrow Comes

Tuesday, February 21, 2017, 9:00 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “Look to God.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 1 Peter 3 (select vv. NASB).

Be Harmonious (vv. 8-9)

To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.

In the previous verses we are instructed in the necessity of being in submission to authorities instituted of men who are there to punish wrong and to commend those who do what is right. In this submission, we do what is right in God’s eyes. We live as those set free from sin, but we do not use our freedom as a cover-up for evil, as some are in the habit of doing. Instead, we are to live as servants of God. Thus, we are to never compromise our faith in Jesus Christ, or his Word, in order to be in submission to humans, or to live at peace with all people. If human authority demands we do what we know is wrong, we must obey God rather than man. And, this applies, as well, to wives who are to be in submission to their husbands, and to slaves who are to be in subjection to their masters.

So, the point of all this is that we are to live in harmony with one another, as much as it depends on us. But, again, we don’t compromise our faith or truth in order to be harmonious. Remember, Jesus said he did not come to bring peace but a sword – to turn family members one against another. It isn’t, though, as though his intention was to pick fights, but rather he knew that when we stand for what is right against what is clearly wrong, we will be opposed, and we will be hated, rejected and mistreated for righteousness’ sake. So, we should seek harmony, but never at the cost of truth or righteousness. We should not be proud, but humble; not contentious, but peaceable; not resentful, but compassionate; and not spiteful, but forgiving.

Turn from Evil (vv. 10-12)

For,

“The one who desires life, to love and see good days,

Must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit.

“He must turn away from evil and do good;

He must seek peace and pursue it.

“For the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous,

And His ears attend to their prayer,

But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

We were put on this earth for a purpose. We live, because God willed that we should live. We were created by God to give him glory. We are to honor him and give him thanks. We are to worship him as the One and Only God who created us. He made himself known to us that we might praise and exalt him for who he is, and that we might revere him and give him due respect. When he called us, he called us to holiness, righteousness, obedience, and submission to his will for our lives. He called us to leave our lives of sin behind us, to die with him to sin, and to live with him to his righteousness. When he saved us, he delivered us out of slavery to sin so that we might become bondservants of his righteousness and of his truth. This is the life he has given to us to live when are are “born again” of the Spirit of God. And, this is the life we should love; that we should desire.

So, if we desire life as God has given to us to be lived for his purposes and for his glory, to live at peace with him, and to experience his blessings, then we need to keep our tongues from all evil (wickedness, sin), as defined by God, not by man. We should not be those who practice telling lies and who willfully and purposefully say things to people in order to deceive (trick, cheat, betray, mislead and/or to defraud) them. We must turn from all evil and do good. This means we should cease doing what we know is wrong, and we should be in the practice of doing what we know is right. The peace we are to seek and to pursue is not peace with the world, by the world’s standards, but it is peace with God and harmony with his Word, which then flows (spills) over into our relationships with human beings. Again, we never seek peace at the sacrifice of doing what we know is right in God’s eyes.

Suffering for Doing Good (vv. 13-18)

Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong. For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit.

In a perfect world, or even in a world where truth is truth and lies are lies most of the time, if we do what is right, we should not be harmed for it. Where justice truly prevails, we should be honored for doing what is right and chastised for doing what is truly evil. But, we don’t live in such a world. We live in a world where evil prevails most of the time, it would appear, and were lies, immorality and cheating are accepted as normal practice, even among many people who call themselves Christians. Thus, if we stand for what is true, and we hate what is evil, and we forsake sinful practices, and we cling to what is good, we are often rejected, hated, despised, ostracized, falsely accused, gossiped about and ill-treated for doing what is right. And, it isn’t just the world who treats us this way, either. Much of this kind of treatment comes from those closest to us, even from among those who call themselves followers of Christ, but who live in conformity with the world.

Yet, we should not fear this kind of treatment. We should not even be afraid of being wronged, or of being slandered, or of being misrepresented. We should not go around fretting and worrying over what humans might do to us. We have no control over what other people are going to do. Hate is a very strong force, and it will lead people to do some really horrible things. All we can do is do what we know is right, and then trust our lives into God’s hands, and let him work it all out for good. He does not promise us that following him will be smooth sailing. In fact, he promises the opposite.

Instead, we are to make Jesus Christ the Lord (owner-master) of our lives, and allow him to direct our steps, and to watch over us, and to carry us through when life gets really hard. We should keep a clear conscience in all that we do, i.e. we should not be guilty of knowingly and willfully practicing what is wrong. We should make every effort, in the power and working of the Spirit of God within us, to live holy lives, pleasing to God. Then, no one will have cause to accuse us of doing wrong. It doesn’t mean that they won’t falsely accuse us, though.

And, when we give answer as to what we believe and why we believe the way we do, we should be gentle (showing power with restraint), and we should show proper respect (concern for, consideration and value) to the ones to whom we are giving answer. We should not trade tit-for-tat or insult for insult, but we should be loving, kind and honest, speaking the truth in love. It is never kind to tell people lies. We should always tell them the truth that Jesus died that he may bring us to God, so we might live in love, submission, surrender, obedience, faithfulness, and in holiness. And, in all things, we should turn our hearts to God, and trust our lives into his hands, and let him lead us in the way we should go, and then we must obey him.

Look to God / An Original Work

November 11, 2016

Fear not. Look to God.

He will strengthen you. He is your Rock.

He’ll meet all your needs.

Rest in Him, and be filled with His peace.

When sorrow fills your life, pray to the Lord.

Believe His promises. Trust in His Word.

He’ll lead you each day.

Give your life to Him. Follow His ways.

Lean on Him today.

He will comfort you. Trust Him always.

Read His Word and pray.

Tell the world of His love and His grace.

When trials come your way, be not afraid.

God watches over you. Be not dismayed.

He’ll work all for good,

For the called of God. Jesus, they love.

Sing songs. Praise your Lord.

Lift your voice to Him. Shout out His Word.

He forgave your sins,

Cleansed your heart. You are made new within.

When you are faced with temptation to fear,

Remember God will be with you. He’s near.

He’ll take care of you.

He will keep you in His love, tis true.

https://vimeo.com/191325193

Out of Darkness

Monday, February 20, 2017, 11:11 p.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “Seek the Lord.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read I Peter 2:1-8 (NASB).

Put off Put on (vv. 1-3)

Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.

In the first chapter of 1 Peter we are instructed, on the basis of what Jesus Christ did for us in saving us from our sins, to be holy in all that we do. We are to be self-controlled, obedient, and we should no longer conform to the evil desires we had before we believed in Jesus to be our Savior. As well, we are to live our lives as strangers here on earth in reverent fear. In other words, we are not supposed to be like the world. Being holy means to be separate (unlike, different) from the world because we are becoming like Christ. To live in the fear of the Lord is to honor him as holy, and to revere, obey, adore, value, and esteem him highly, and to take him seriously.

Thus, we are to rid our lives of malice, deceit, hypocrisy and the like. Malice is hatred, spite, meanness, nastiness and cruelty. Some people have learned (been conditioned) to hate certain groups of people from early on in their lives, and to treat them with disdain, and to devalue them, just because they are different from them. So, this needs to be unlearned. The Bible says that “If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen” (1 Jn. 4:20). It also says that “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him” (1 Jn. 3:15). So, we need to get rid of all hatred.

As followers of Christ, we should also not be hypocritical or deceitful. Now, it is not hypocritical to say you are a Christian and then to not be absolutely perfect, for we will not be perfect until we get to heaven, or until Jesus returns and gives us glorified bodies. But, it is hypocritical to claim to be a follower of Christ while knowingly holding on to certain sins and then pretending as though we are walking in holiness when we know we are not. And, it is deceitful (devious, cunning, and dishonest) to willfully give people a false impression of who we are in order to convince them that we are better than we are, or that we are someone we are not, especially if the purpose is to manipulate them and/or to slander someone else.

Not only do we, by the Spirit, need to be putting to death the deeds of the flesh, but we need to crave (long for) the pure milk of the Word. Jesus died, not only that we might die to sin, but that we might live to righteousness. We don’t just put off lying, but we tell the truth. We don’t just put off stealing, but we work, doing something useful with our hands, and then we give to others to help them in their need. Jesus died, not just to free us from slavery to sin, but to make us bondservants of his righteousness.

Paul’s commission, in sharing the gospel, was to open blinded eyes, and to turn them from darkness to the light, and from the power of Satan to God, so they could receive forgiveness of sins, and a place among those who are sanctified (purified) by faith in Jesus Christ. This is what it means to be saved. This is what it means to be born again. We no longer walk according to our sinful flesh, but now we walk according to the Spirit, to please God.

As Living Stones (vv. 4-8)

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.

When we believe in Jesus Christ with God-given faith, and our hearts are transformed of the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit comes to live within us. We, thus, become the temple of God, the body of Christ, his church. This church is not a building or an organization or a corporation of men, nor is it of a particular denomination like Baptist, Methodist or Presbyterian, etc. This church is spiritual, not physical, although it is comprised of followers of Christ. It is a living organism with Jesus Christ as its (her) head (the chief cornerstone). So, the building being referred to here is not physical but spiritual, and that is why we, the parts of the body (the building), are referred to as “living stones.”

Jesus is the cornerstone of this spiritual building, i.e. he is the foundation for this building. He is the one who gave his life up for us on a cross so that we could be delivered out of slavery to sin and so we could live to his righteousness. Without his death and resurrection there would be no church; no spiritual building of which we are also living stones. It was because Jesus was hated, and treated with malice, and because of the lies and deceptions of those who hated him, that he was brought to trial and hung on a cross to die. And, because he died, we are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood.

In other words, we no longer need men as priests to offer up sacrifices for our sins, because Jesus died once for all sin. We no longer need physical priests to mediate between us and God, because Jesus made the way possible for us to be restored to fellowship with God and to be able to come into his presence. So, we are now priests, and the sacrifices we offer are not blood sacrifices for sin, but they are our lives committed to Christ to walk in his love, in his grace, in his truth and in obedience to his Word.

Yet, not everyone has faith. Many people are still rejecting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, and they are still persecuting him by persecuting his followers; his servants. Many still hate Jesus Christ and thus they hate his followers, and they will do everything they know to do to stop them from spreading the gospel and to destroy them and their reputations, or to put them to death. They will even use deceit and trickery to try to trap them, and/or they will spread lies about them, which could be half-truths, which are still lies, but twisted to their advantage. Yet, we are not to fear their threats, but we are to trust our lives into God’s hands, and not fear being persecuted and even falsely accused for our stand on the Word of Truth.

So, if anyone reading this, who claims to be a Christian, is still living like Jesus didn’t die to deliver you out of slavery to sin; if anyone is still giving in to the flesh on a consistent basis, and is not walking in victory, then I would encourage you to submit to Christ today. Put off those sins which so easily entangle you so that you can run the race God has marked out for you. And, if you are reading this and you have never trusted in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of your life, I pray you will surrender your life to him today, allow him to cleanse your heart of sin, and to give you a new life in Christ Jesus, “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4:24). One day Jesus will return as judge, so let him change your heart today.

Seek the Lord / An Original Work / July 20, 2012

Based off Isaiah 55

“Come to Me all you who thirst; come to waters.

Listen to Me, and eat what’s good today,

And your soul will delight in richest of fare.

Give ear to Me, and you will live.

I have made an eternal covenant with you.

Wash in the blood of the Lamb.”

Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him.

Let the wicked forsake his way, in truth.

Let him turn to the Lord, and he will receive mercy.

Freely, God pardons him.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

Nor are your ways My ways,”

declares the Lord, our God.

“My word that goes out of My mouth is truthful.

It will not return to Me unfulfilled.

My word will accomplish all that I desire,

And achieve the goal I intend.

You will go in joy, and be led forth in peace.

The mountains will burst into song… before you,

And all of the trees clap their hands.”

https://vimeo.com/114870641

Monday, February 20, 2017

Our Stay on Earth

Monday, February 20, 2017, 4:46 p.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “In Holiness.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 1 Peter 1:13-25 (NASB).

Prepare Your Minds (vv. 13-16)

Therefore, prepare your minds for action, 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.”

We who are in Christ Jesus, by faith, were chosen by God even before the creation of the world to be holy in his sight. We were chosen by God to be cleansed of our sins and to obey Christ, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit (1 Pet. 1:1-2). To be sanctified means to be purified and made holy. Jesus died on the cross that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. He gave himself for us that we might no longer live for ourselves, but for him who gave his life up for us. And, he died “to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works” (See: 1 Pet. 2:24; 2 Co. 5:15; Tit. 2:14; Eph. 2:10).

Therefore, because of all that Jesus did for us, and on account of his will and his purpose for our lives, according to which we were created and chosen by God, and for which he called us and he saved us, we are to do all that Peter stated here that we should do. This is why we are here on this earth, for a time. We are not here to live for ourselves, to entertain and be entertained, and to live selfish lives, engrossed in the world of sin, satisfying our every sinful desire. We are not here to please ourselves, but to please God; not here to do what we want, but to do what he requires and what he desires.

So, we are to prepare our minds for action. What action? And, how do we do this? The action is pretty obvious. It is whatever God’s word teaches and commands us we must do. The way we prepare for it, as believers in Jesus, is to surrender our lives to God, first of all. Then, we need to rid our lives of anything hindering our walks of faith, such as anything which might lead us into sin, and we need to throw off any sin still remaining in our lives which easily entangles us so we can run the race God has set out for us (Heb. 12:1). We must resist Satan, flee sinful desires, and draw near to God. Daily we must put on the armor of God so we might fight off Satan’s evil schemes against us. And, then we have to walk in holiness, in truth, in integrity, and according to and in the Spirit, and no longer according to our sinful flesh.

This will not happen, though, if we don’t take God and his word seriously. Too many professing Christians today are making light of God’s grace, i.e. they are taking God and his grace for granted, and/or they are far too casual about their Christian walks. They live so much like the world that it is barely distinguishable between those who profess Christ and those who make no profession of faith in Christ at all. They are still conforming their lives to the sinful lusts they walked in before they made a profession of Christ as Savior of their lives, so they are not walking in holiness. But we are called to be holy, and to be holy means to be separate (unlike, different) from the world, because we are being conformed into the image of Christ. In all our behavior we are to be pure, righteous, honest, holy, honorable and to show integrity.

The Fear of God (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.

While we live on this earth, we are to live here in the fear of the Lord. This does not mean we are to be afraid of God, but that we are to treat him with honor, value, respect, reverence, and awe, and we are to take him and his Word seriously. Thus, we are to walk in obedience to his instructions for our lives – all in the power and working of God’s Spirit now living within us. And, we are to live to please him in all that we do.

Yet, many people today are preaching that we don’t have to turn from our sins, and we don’t have to obey Christ, and that God is pleased with us no matter what we do, if we have prayed a prayer to receive Christ. They teach that God does everything and nothing is required of us. While it is true that we can do nothing to deserve or to earn our own salvation, and we are not saved by our own works, we are saved to do good works, and we are saved to be delivered out of slavery to sin so that we can live to righteousness. To have the attitude that nothing is required of us and that we can live however we want and still go to heaven when we die is a slap in the face to God, and it is not living in the fear of the Lord. We need to learn to live in godly fear.

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.

A lot of people today have an aversion to the word “obedience.” They equate it with legalism. Yet, they are wrong! Why? Because if we are truly walking in obedience to our Lord we can’t be doing what is opposed to him and his word. If God disapproves of legalism, then it can’t be obedience. God often chided his people in the OT because they followed all the ceremonial laws and did all the required sacrifices, but they didn’t obey him. He said they honored him with their lips, but their hearts were far from him. Jesus, as well, often chided the Pharisees because they were so strict about following all the traditions of the elders and the ceremonial laws, but they also did not obey the Lord, and they surely didn’t love their neighbors. Jesus told them they cleaned up the outside, but inside they were full of wickedness.

So, obedience is a good thing, and not something to be shunned. We don’t obey to be saved, but obedience is part of God-given faith. When we believe in Jesus Christ, by the Spirit, we die 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; cf. Ro. 6:1-23).

Because we obeyed the truth, by the Spirit, our souls were purified of the Spirit of God, so that we have sincere love for our fellow Christians, and for all people, in reality. We should even love our enemies. So, we are to fervently (passionately and zealously) love one another from our hearts. This kind of love is God-like, and it prefers what God prefers, and it is not dependent (conditional) on the one being loved but on the one doing the loving. As well, this kind of love is action, it is giving, and it is self-sacrificial. Yet, this kind of love never compromises our faith and convictions in order to make peace with the world, but it holds fast to the enduring word of God.

In Holiness / An Original Work

February 1, 2016

Praise the Lord all you saints!

Worship God in holiness.

Trust in Him! Do not faint!

Believe in His righteousness.

God is faithful in all things.

He delivered you from sin.

Follow Him where’er He leads.

Witness daily. His words heed.

Trust in Him! He is truth!

He has not forsaken you.

Rest in Him! Let Him lead!

He will meet all of your needs.

When you go through trials deep,

He’ll be with you. He’ll not sleep.

Walk with Him throughout your day.

Read your Bible. Kneel and pray.

Give to God all your heart!

From His mercy ne’er depart.

Jesus died for your sin!

Walk in vict’ry. Live in Him.

Jesus paid the debt we owe.

From our lives His love should flow,

Living for Him ev’ry day,

Loving others, His words say.

https://vimeo.com/153857809

Sunday, February 19, 2017

By God's Power

Sunday, February 19, 2017, 11:11 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “Gift of God.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 1 Peter 1:1-5 (ESV).

For Obedience (vv. 1-2)

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood:

May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

This letter is addressed to the “elect” of God. So, who are the elect? They are those chosen by God for salvation and for holiness before the world was created. We were predestined by God to be conformed to the image of his Son (Ro. 8:29). All the days ordained for us were written in God’s book before any of them came into being (See: Ps. 139).

Before we can even come to faith in Jesus Christ, the Father must first draw us to Jesus (Jn. 6:44). Then, he gives us the faith to believe in him, i.e. God divinely persuades us as to his will for our lives, i.e. he convinces us or he moves us to action; to change (Eph. 2:8-10). As well, God grants us repentance, leading us to a knowledge of the truth, so that we might realize the futility of our fleshly lives, and our need of Jesus to deliver us out of slavery to sin, and so we might call on him to save us (Acts 2:21; Acts 5:30,31; Acts 11:17; Ro. 10:13; 2 Tim. 2:24-26).

Then, when we accept this God-given faith in Jesus Christ to be applied to our lives, and he turns our hearts away from sin and to God, to follow him in obedience and in surrender to his will, we are then born again (spiritually) of the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit comes within us to live, and then he teaches, encourages, empowers and strengthens us to live godly and holy lives pleasing to God.

Yet, we are not puppets on a string. We are not possessed of the Spirit of God in the same way someone is demon possessed. One characteristic trait of the fruit of the Spirit is self-control. God does not just zap certain people and instantly they are his puppets and they no longer have control over their own minds, will and bodies. This could not be more obvious when we read the books of the New Testament. We do have a choice to believe in him or to not, i.e. to accept or to not accept this gift of faith and to appropriate it to our own lives via submission to Jesus Christ, to the cross of Christ, and to his Word (See: Jn. 3:11; Mk. 4:20; cf. Ro. 6:1-23; Eph. 4:17-24).

Born Again (vv. 3-5)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Not one of us can be saved of our sins by our own merit. We can do nothing to earn or to deserve our own salvation. It was while we were yet sinners that Jesus Christ died for us. 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, Satan and death on our behalf. Only by God’s grace, in giving up his Son (himself) to die on a cross for our sins, can any of us be saved from our sins and have the hope of eternal life with God. Yet, we must accept this free gift of salvation, by accepting this free gift of faith, by yielding control of our lives over to God, and via surrendering our lives to his will (See: Ac. 3:19; 26:16-18; Eph. 4:17-24).

So, why did Jesus die on a cross? He died to take upon himself our sin and our punishment for sin so that, by faith in him, we might be delivered out of slavery to sin, no longer condemned to die in our sin, and so we might have eternal life with God beginning now and forevermore. He died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; that we might no longer live for ourselves, but for him who gave his life up for us, and that we might no longer walk (live our lives) according to our sinful flesh but according to the Spirit of God who is at work in our lives in purifying us and in making us holy (1 Pet. 2:24; 2 Co. 5:15; Ro. 8:1-14). If we have believed in Jesus with God-given faith, “our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin” (Ro. 6:6-7).

Not only were we delivered out of slavery to sin, but we have been given new lives in Christ Jesus to be lived to his righteousness, free from the control of sin over our lives. That is a “living hope!” It is not living hope if all his grace does for us is frees us from eternity in hell and promises us eternity in heaven when we die. That still leaves us in bondage to sin. So, the real hope is that we have been set free, and we no longer are under the control of Satan or sin, but now we are slaves of Christ’s righteousness. We can walk in freedom! We are not destined to live our lives fighting for survival, regularly feeling defeated by sin, and thus giving in because we feel powerless to say “No.” God’s grace, which brings salvation, teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives while we wait for Christ’s return (Tit. 2:11-14).

By God’s power we can resist Satan, flee temptation to sin, i.e. flee sinful desires, and draw near to God in full assurance of faith. This does not mean we will never sin (See: 1 Jn. 2:1), but it means we should no longer be enslaved to sin or feel as though we are powerless to defeat sin in our lives, because Jesus already won this one for us! He already conquered Satan and defeated sin on our behalf, and he has given and will give us all we need to put off the deeds of the flesh daily and to put on the armor of God with which to fight off Satan’s evil schemes against us. He empowers us to live for him, but we have to appropriate (put into practice) what he gives us.