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“Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, BE YE HOLY; FOR I AM HOLY.” I Peter 1:13-16 I fear too many practice religion and thus put on a religious face for those at church and are a completely different person on the job and around their friends. Living in such a manner ultimately will inflict much damage upon their families with such inconsistent lives. We cannot fool God; and those who walk closely with God will find us out sooner than later. Dear Christian, your testimony will either build those around you up or tear them down. Your life will either plant good seed in the soil of your family or there will be the possibility of crop failure due to your chameleon like behavior. God is not glorified by the christian that fashions their life after the things of this world. David wrote, “Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? He that hath clean hands and a pure heart.” (Psalm 24:3-4) A holy life will be an empowered life. A holy life will be a Spirit filled life. A life separated unto God will have a sweet aroma that will permeate through the darkness and sinfulness of this lost world- It will be seen and it will be noticed because it will be of God. And thus- a holy life will lead to a deep abiding closeness to the God of the universe and my friend there could never be a better place for one to be found. I would rather be a sharpened tool in the hands of Almighty God than an unclean instrument propped up in the corner of life's shed. A holy life will make a difference in the lives of those that God brings across your path. Take time to take stock of your life today. Lay it all out before God. Allow your words to echo those of David, "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts" Psalm 139:23 I recently read these words from Charles Spurgeon,“You say that you can handle your secret sins, that there is no one hurt by them. But you may as well ask the lion to let you put your head into his mouth. You cannot regulate his jaws: neither can you regulate sin. Once done, you cannot tell when you will be destroyed. You may put your head in and out a great many times; but one of these days it will be a costly venture.” Hebrews 4:13 says, “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.” God knows what we are doing and what we desire to do. Dear believer, do you think? Do you think, you can get away with your sin? No you cannot and you will not, the Bible says, "For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth" (Hebrews 12:6) As cliched as it is, God will take you to the woodshed. God will not allow our sin to continue He will deal with each of His rebellious children. Thank God for His care and concern. Take the time to read Hebrews 12:5-12. What is at stake? Your testimony. Bringing shame to God. Bringing shame to your family. Bringing shame to your church family. Giving leverage to the devil and his angels. The devil is opportunistic. He will wait and wait- biding his time while working behind the scenes. Little bit by little bit as we continue in the sin the devil will get a toe-hold and than a foot-hold and before we know it he has us wrapped up like a boa constrictor and in bondage. I am bringing a warning! Wake up and get right with the Lord! God does not want you to continue down the path you are on. Bring it to God (I John 1:9) and be empowered by the Holy Spirit for heavenly power to break the chains of the sin. “And when the people complained, it displeased the Lord: and the Lord heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the Lord burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.” Numbers 11:1 The story is told of a little old lady who entered a department store and was startled when a band began to play and an executive from the store pinned a beautiful flower on her and gave her a hundred dollar bill. She was the store’s millionth customer. The local news channel was there with cameras and a reporter asked her, “just what did you come here for today?” The dear lady hesitated for a moment and said, “I’m on my way to the Complaint Department.” Too many Christians live the biggest part of their days in the complaint department. They never seem to be satisfied with anything and are sure to let anyone and everyone around them know about it. When one complains, they taint their testimony and paint a terrible picture to a lost world of the redeemed in Christ. There is no good that comes from such a testimony. We should learn from the children of Israel that complaining does not impress God whatsoever. It is a sobering thought that the Lord heard their complaining. My friend, the God of heaven still hears us today when we complain. This should be a wake up call to any who majors in the not so fine art of complaining. How does one combat a complaining spirit, by being thankful, I Thessalonians 5:18 says, “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” God’s Word is sure to guide us and lead us in the right direction and down the right path every time if we will be doers and not hearers only. Stamp out the complaining with a big dose of praise and thanksgiving. You will be a light in a dark world to the lost and you will be a blessing to the body of Christ. The impact you make will bring glory to God and good to those around you. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love..." Galatians 5:22a True love will be that love which comes from the fruit of the Spirit. Such a love the natural man will never know. Galatians 5:16 commands us to “walk in the Spirit”. When the believer dies to self and purposes to surrender their lives to Christ and Christ alone, they will desire to walk in the Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit will burst from such a life. What a wonderful life it will be. It will be the life that God wants for His children. If the redeemed in Christ ever get a hold of the wonderful life that is awaiting them in a Holy Spirit filled life; the ways of the world would lose their grip and the power and the will of God would be set ablaze in their life. I want us to consider such real love and the objects of such a love. I. A love for the Saviour- Our love for the Lord Jesus Christ will be bountiful in our hearts and lives. We will want to decrease that He might increase in our lives. A love for what the Saviour has done and those things He is doing will be the motivation for our love for Him as we are filled with the Holy Spirit. II. A love for the scriptures- We will have a want and a desire for more and more of God’s Word. We will hunger and thirst for His truth. It will be as honey to our taste and food for our days. The things of God will be the object of our love and the Word of God will be high on the list. The Psalmist wrote, “I rejoice at thy word, as one that findeth great spoil” (Psalm 119:162.) This will be the song of our hearts. III. A Love for the saints- We will have a love for the people in the pews, the Pastor in the pulpit and the preacher on the platform. We will pray and with our prayers our love for the saints will be evident as they will be on our hearts. When they hurt we will hurt. When they know joy we will know joy. IV. A love for the sinners- We will look beyond the exterior and see them as the Lord Jesus sees them, lost. John 3:18 teaches us that those without Christ are condemned already. We won’t be critical of the lost when we remember the words of Paul in reference to those who are now saved and where it was they once were, “ And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others” (Ephesians 2:1-3.) I never knew real love until I was saved and now I pray that all of us that are saved would desire to be filled with the Spirit that we might bear the fruit of the Spirit. “Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him: for there be more with us than with him: With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.” 2 Chronicles 32:7-8 Sennacherib the king of Assyria and his army had encamped against the fenced cities in Judah. What a sight and sound this must have been to King Hezekiah and the people. Yet, what comforting and settling words Hezekiah had for the people. No doubt the situation was daunting. Often time our faith is frail and fickle when we find ourselves in the jaws of a great battle and it is at that moment that we need a good word to encourage us. Do you rest yourself upon God’s Word or do you rely on your own wit and strength? There is a reason for our need to be in God’s Word. When we rest upon God’s Word, we will live in the power of His strength. There is power and provision to be hauled out of the word of God. The more time we spend mining from the deep cavern of God’s holy word and feasting upon that word the more our faith will increase and grow. Faith and trust will be the by-products of our time spent in the Bible. God will be our everything in anything. My friend, be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed of whoever or whatever is against you. The Lord your God is with you to help you and fight your battles. There is no better place to rest than in the truth of God’s Word and in the power of His might. “Then said Jesus to his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” Matthew 16:24-26 How strange this must have sounded to the disciples and how much more strange it must sound to most today. We live in a culture of pleasure seeking where success is measured in monetary gain and the ease in which we live our lives. I’m afraid that the world’s culture has found its way into the hearts, minds and lives of many Christians. It is getting harder to see the difference between the born again and the lost. Too many believe that to deny their selves anything would be to drop out of the game of life. Too often we believers choose comfort over the taking up of our cross and if we are to follow the Lord Jesus Christ it must not interfere with our own hopes, dreams and schedules (Tee times,tip offs and kick offs) that we have chosen for ourselves. When we choose to deny our own plans, our own will and our own desires we will walk down the path of the Lord’s wonderful and exciting plan He has for our lives. When we suffer for the cause of Christ and choose to give ourselves to Him wholeheartedly, we will truly be living. We will experience true joy and purpose that will flow from heaven. It is and will be the best life. We cannot straddle the fence as believers because that brings a division in our hearts. To have one foot in the world and one foot in God’s plan for our lives, will never work. Ask yourself, "Is what I am living for worthy of Jesus dying"? I pray that the Lord meets with each of us. Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. Acts 4:13 If the Lord calls me home before the trump sounds, my desire is that people will say of me the same words they used to describe Peter and John from our verse, "...They took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus." What will my legacy be? What will your legacy be? What will we give today and what will we one day leave behind? Will it be something of substance or will it be wood, hay and stubble? I feel a certain intensity, a certain fervency, a certain pressing, a certain quickening in my steps and desire within me to set down a spiritual legacy of stepping stones right now at this very moment, with the time and breathe that God continues to give me. I must and you must; we must be considering those who are coming up behind us. Lord willing, the next generation will be used in a mighty way for the glory and cause of Christ Jesus. I am grateful and thankful for those who God used in the past to kindle a heavenly flame in the next generation in their certain time in history, but God didn't pull up stakes and leave after the 1800's were over. The Holy Spirit is just as powerful today as He was in past days and God's word has not changed, it is still quick and powerful and sharper than any twoedged sword! God still has the power readily available to do a powerful work today. My friend, our time here is short; we live one day at a time as we move forward by faith. Be a spark! Be a fire! Be a godly example! Live a Holy Spirit filled life! Be a man of God, Be a woman of God. Dear believer, give your all to the One who gave His all on Calvary’s victorious Hill for you. O the price that Jesus paid for the redemption of our souls. That wonderful and powerful truth should light a fire in us that the devil and all his angels can't snuff out. It should ignite and give birth to a desire to live our lives in Christ Jesus to the edifying and the encouragement to those who the Lord brings into our lives. A life that one day, when it is remembered, will bring glory to God and God alone. After filling Jerusalem with the good doctrine Peter and the apostles were asked, “Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name?” Peter and the apostle’s response? “we ought to obey God rather than men” (see Acts 5.) This should be our battle cry. This should burn in us incessantly and lived out continually before those who are coming up behind us. Let's carefully consider today that which we will be leaving behind tomorrow. May the fragrance of Christ permeate from the very life Christ has given you through His precious blood. May a Christ likeness increase and expand within you as you go about your day and may that Christ likeness increase and expand to those around you today. Let’s seek His face, let’s allow the Word of God to nourish us with heavenly wisdom and heavenly power. Let’s desire to be filled with the Holy Spirit throughout this day. Remember, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever” (Hebrews 13:8.) You will walk in victory today with the knowledge that everything around you may change, but not your Lord and Saviour. “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.” Psalm 139:14 Many years ago, the wisest man in the world (King Solomon) led by the Holy Spirit wrote, “The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the Lord hath made even both of them” (Proverbs 20:12). Many dispute such a truth today. We have pulpits today that preach and teach erroneously when it comes to God the creator. Genesis is a punching bag for liberal fists to take their shots at. This does not change the fact that God is the creator and that God’s Word is our final authority. I recently read, “When a baby is conceived in its mother’s womb, the genetic DNA code governing the eye, programs the baby’s body to begin growing optic nerves simultaneously from both the optic center of the brain and from the eye. A million microscopic optic nerves begin growing from the eye through the flesh toward the baby’s brain. Simultaneously, a million optic nerves with a protective sheath similar to a fiber-optic cable begin growing through the flesh towards the baby’s eye. Each one of these one million optic nerves must find and match up to its precise mate to enable vision to function properly.” We are, “Fearfully and wonderfully made.” There is a design and there is a designer, ALMIGHTY GOD. The origin of creation is GOD. The eye is only one example of God’s power in creation. The entire human body is a marvel due to its design and Designer. “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed life into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (Genesis 2:7.) |
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