Purifying Ourselves

     We, as Christians, represent Jesus (as His followers), represent God (as His children), and represent Christ’s church (as members of it). We may be ‘the only Bible the careless world will read’ (excerpt from hymn by Annie Johnson Flint), we need to speak and behave in such a way that people can see God through us (this includes what we post and share online, even jokingly) and see the well-anchored hope we have in Jesus! We need to determine daily to do all we can to help others believe in the goodness of God, so that they too will seek Him! We can only do that when we keep our priorities straight and work at purifying ourselves!

“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like him, for we shall see Him as He is. And whoever has this hope in Him purifies himself just as He is pure.”   (1 John 3:1-3 NKJV)

    I would like you to take time today to think on the meaning of “purifies” and “pure.”

Purifies - the Greek word ‘hagnizo’ (Strong’s G48) means to make clean, set apart morally, to cleanse from defilement.

    This is our daily responsibility: to be careful what our eyes see, what our ears hear, what our mouths speak, what our hands do, where our feet go (consider Psalm 1 and 2 Timothy 2:22); to keep ourselves pure from evil/sinful influence!

Pure – the Greek word ‘hagnos’ (Strong’s G53, from ‘hagios’ (G40) which you will remember means ‘holy’) means clean, perfect, properly pure (to the core), pure inside and out, holy because uncontaminated (undefiled from sin), without spoliation even within (even down to the center of one’s being); not mixed with guilt or anything condemnable, pure from every fault.  

    This is what God is. It is what we work toward because we are His children! We work toward this kind of purity because we desire to be like Him and to see Him as He is!  As God’s children, as Christians, we have this hope, so, we too have this responsibility!

    As the Lord wills, let’s dig into this study and learn how to purify ourselves just as He is pure!!

You can do it! So can I!!

Do Your Roots Help or Hinder?

    Our family loves going out for hikes and during these outings I have come across roots that tripped me and also those that helped me safely climb up steep slopes. It was from one very knobbly-rooted path that my youngest daughter thought about the importance of roots - and whether our roots help others find God or if they the hinder them from walking the narrow way.

    Weather and general treading can erode soil and expose roots. In life, our daily treading (our conduct, the choices we make) and the storms of life can expose our roots as well (consider 1 Peter 1:3-9). Are your exposed roots helping or hindering?

"...the good works of some are clearly evident, 

and those that are otherwise cannot be hidden."

(1 Timothy 5:25 NKJV)

    When people see your conduct - in good time and bad - will they know that you are rooted in Christ? When they hear your words - in good times and bad - will they know that you are rooted in love and Truth?  When they hear you talk about fellow members of the congregation - in good times and bad - will they come to understand that you feel yourself rooted together with them?

    We are here to help one another (Galatians 6:9-10, 1 John 3:16-23)! We are here to help others come to know God (Matthew 5:16, 1 Peter 2:9-12) and share in the blessings found only in Christ (Ephesians 1:3-14)! 

    Root deeply into the solid foundation of the Truth so that your example leads others to the narrow path and helps those on that path gain better footing as they tread the way that leads to Life (Matthew 7:13-14)!  

 

     

    

       

Rooted in Christ - Together

"As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, 

so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him 

and established in the faith, as you have been taught,

 abounding in it with thanksgiving." 

(Colossians 2:6-7 NKJV)

 

    To walk in Christ, to conform to His image (Romans 8:29), and reverently imitate Him (1 Corinthians 11:1) means that we are obedient to all of  God's commands and instructions as we follow Jesus' example of obedience (1 Peter 2:21-24, John 15:10-14). 

 

    To know Christ's example and learn God's commands we must be established in the faith (Romans 10:17), have firm roots in the Truth (John 14:6) allowing the Truth to transform us (Romans 12:1-2, ) and build us up (Ephesians 4:15-16, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 3:18)!

 

    Think of all the blessings that can come when we are 'rooted and built up in Christ' TOGETHER! 

 

    For one thing, as stated in an earlier post, we all flee the same things and we all pursue the same things (2 Timothy 2:22)! That in itself is a wonderful help and blessing - to know that you're not alone and have others around you who are striving toward the same goal! 

 

    What are some other blessings that come from being rooted in Christ together?

 

    Among our brethren we can find examples of faithfulness, integrity, courage, honesty, humility, brotherly love, respect shown to elders, patience, forgiveness, diligence, and 'get-back-up-and-keep-trying-ness,' but our roots are also bound together with those who are inconsistent, weak, frail, and full of fret. Just as we gain strength from those stronger (longer in the faith) than us, so too can the weak and frail benefit from our example (Romans 6:1-2; 15:1-2) as we show love, compassion, and care for them, encouraging them to trust more in God and rely wholly on His goodness!! 

 

    Together we can encourage one another, edify one another, and help one another become established in the faith! Not just established in the faith but to ABOUND in it - FLOURISH IN IT! - when we are thankful for all the blessings we have in Christ and in being part of His church!

 

    Think on all the blessings you have through your brethren - those who helped you, encouraged you;  those who have caused you to dig deeper and put your love and faith into action - think on them all, thank God for them for helping you stay rooted and for giving you more opportunity to be built up better and stronger!  

 

    Being rooted in Christ together is a wonderful, wonderful blessing!

 

 

      

 

     

Rooted in Love - Together

 "...that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, 

being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend 

with all the saints what is width and length and depth and height - 

to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may 

be filled with all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:17-19 NKJV)

 

    Paul's prayer for Christians was that they be rooted and grounded in love so that they, with their brethren, may comprehend the full extent of Christ's love.

    Have you ever been surprised at someone's capacity to love? Maybe you have received a kindness from a sister in Christ, or been shown mercy and sincere forgiveness when you have wronged a sister or brother and gone to them to make it right, or maybe you have felt the congregation envelop you with love and care when you have repented of and confessed sin, or when you asked for their prayers, or when you have gone through a great hardship?

 

    Each of these occasions - and so many others - help us comprehend Christ's love for us. When we love our brethren as we ought we will help them better understand Jesus' love for them.   

 

    Now, we all know that is so much easier to love those who love us or are loving toward us, but what about those among our brethren who are not that way? 

 

    Consider 1 John 4:10-11 for a moment: "In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." Just as God loved us before we learned to love Him, we also need to love our brethren even if or when they do not love us. Sincere love of our brethren is shown when we love as God loves: caring for and considering those who have not yet fully comprehended His love (Matthew 5:43-48). 

    What a gift the church is! The congregation in which we are members grants us abundant opportunities to learn love, to teach love, and to grow in love toward each other and especially toward Christ and God (Ephesians 4:15-16)!  Let us all be so rooted and grounded in love that everything we say and do will help each other better understand Christ's love and together we can better represent God's love to the world around us, so that more may come to know the love of God and discover the joys of being rooted and grounded in Him (1 John 4:7-9)! 

 

You can do it! So can I!!