Fix It So You Can Flourish: Are You Diligent In Your Work?

    This week, let's consider the command found in 2 Timothy 2:15:

"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth."

    We understand diligence to mean 'being careful and conscientious in our work' which shows a positive attitude toward the project/duty at hand. In researching the word 'diligent' I discovered that it comes from the the Old English word 'diligo,' which means 'to love.' Diligence means 'with love.' So the above verse can read, 'With love present yourself approved to God."

    When you love what you do, how careful are you to do your best and put your best effort forward? When you love the person for whom you are accomplishing this task/duty, how much conscientious thought do you put into everything you do? When you are motivated by love, great things are accomplished with ease and all tasks are completed joyfully (consider Jacob in Genesis 29:20)!

    When we love God we will want to know how to please Him (be approved to Him). How can we know how to please Him? By reading His Word!! Then, motivated by love for God, we will learn to love His instructions for us - all of them! When we love God and His Word we will read and study and flourish and have no need to be ashamed, because we will know His Word; we will know how to rightly divide [understand] it and apply it (Hebrews 5:12-14)!

    Now, with your understanding of diligence, read 2 Peter 1:5-10.

    Take note of verse 10: "...be even more diligent (do these things with even more love), to make your election sure (sounds like, 'approved to God' right?), for if you do these things you shall never stumble (again, similar to, 'no need to be ashamed', right?)..."

    We need to learn to increase our love for God to the point that we desire His instructions/commands and increase our love of doing the things God commands! God is worthy of our love and our obedience!

"For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome." (1 John 5:3 NKJV) 

Let love motivate your faithful service to Him all of your days!!

You can do it! So can I!!

Fix It So You Can Flourish: Do You Wear the Armour of God?

    As we continue our series in taking a close and honest look at passages so we can make be sure we are doing what God has commanded, let's take time this week to consider Ephesians 6:11-18:

"Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints..."  (NKJV)

    Do you wear the whole armour? Are you familiar with each piece and know how it protects you? God wants us to put on the "whole armour" He has given us. Why? Does God want us to be burdened? Not at all! He wants us to put on His whole armor so that we "may stand against the wiles of the devil" and "withstand in the evil day".

    Let's take a closer look at God's armor and better understand the benefits of putting it on each day:   

• Your heart is protected when you put on the breastplate of righteousness (living right before God, 1 John 2:28-3:8)
• The very core of your being is guarded when you wrap your waist with truth (2 Timothy 2:15, John 8:31-32; 14:6)
• Your walk is secured with the preparation of the gospel of peace (Ephesians 2:14-18; 4:1-3)
• You are shielded with faith and able to extinguish the devil's attempts to harm you (Ephesians 6:16, 1 Peter 5:8-9, 1 John 5:4-5)
• Your mind is safeguarded with the helmet of salvation, as you meditate on God's glorious grace and His abundant blessings while pressing toward the goal. Meditating on these things also allows you readiness to talk about your hope through Jesus (Titus 2:11-14, Philippians 3:12-15, 1 Peter 3:15)
• You can defend yourself with God's word, the sword of the Spirit. When you study God's word and wholly obey it, you will do all that is good and profitable and no one will be able to bring an accusation against you (1 Peter 2:11-12; 3:15-17) 

    Put these pieces of armor each and every day you are blessed with! Prove them and test them by using them! Know how they work, learn how they can help you!

    Now, when you wake each day and put on every piece, pray! "Praying always with all prayers and supplication in the Spirit (according to God's word) being watchful to this end with all perseverance (constant determination) and supplication (asking for supplies/needs/help) for all the saints." Pray not only for your own strength to stand and withstand but also for your fellow Christians strength to stand and withstand!! We're all in this together (Galatians 6:1-2)!

Prepare yourselves and bravely stand for Christ! It's worth every effort!!

You can do it! So can I!!

Fix It So You Can Flourish: Transformed By Renewing Your Mind

    Our passage to read and think on throughout this week, as the Lord wills, is Romans 12:1-2:

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." (NKJV)

    Following in Jesus' footsteps (1 Peter 2:21, 1 John 2:6) we learn to humbly submit to God, sacrifice our wants and desires (Matthew 16:24), and obey His instructions and commands so that we can be holy as He is holy (1 Peter 1:13-16) and be pure just as He is pure (1 John 3:3). We will determine to make good choices in our attitudes, our words, and our actions so that others will know that we belong to God!

    When I was younger my Dad explained Romans 12:2 like this: Pour Jello into a mould, after it sets, you turn it out and you have a lump of Jello that looks exactly like the mould. The Jello conformed to the mould it was in! We conform to the world when we let it shape us, which will leave us looking just like the world!

    God wants us to be transformed (undergo a change in character). How do we do this? "...by the renewing of your mind." Fill up your heart and mind with God's word motivates us to try harder each day to make good choices in our speech, our attitudes, our actions. Read and think on Ephesians 4:17-32 as it echoes these thoughts. 

    If we put in the self-sacrificing effort, God will provide the transforming renewal!

    Determining to do things God's way will take faith and trust on our part, but it's well-worth our every effort because we will soon prove to ourselves - and to others - that His will is "good and acceptable and perfect."

    Only when we transform ourselves by doing what God has told us to do can shine as a light in the world (Matthew 5:14-16). Only when we are different from the world can we show the world that there is a different way!

    Let's be the living sacrifices that God wants us to be, so that we can prove that His way is the best way!

From wherever you are right now - BEGIN!

Fix It So You Can Flourish: Swift To Hear, Slow To Speak, Slow to Wrath

    Continuing in our new 'Fix It So You Can Flourish' series, let's consider James 1:19-20:

“So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, 

slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not 

produce the righteousness of God.” (NKJV)

Swift to Hear 

    We need to teach ourselves to hear. Hearing and really listening involves quietness on our part. Rearrange the letters in SILENT and get the word LISTEN. We hear best when we remain silent with our voice and in our mind. How often have you missed what someone is saying because you’ve been too busy thinking how you’re going to respond and/or refute?

“He who answers a matter before he hears it, 

it is folly and shame to him.” 

(Proverbs 18:13 NKJV)

    We can cause hurt if we speak before or without hearing. We can give rash or harmful advice when we let our emotions have free rein. When we keep our mind calm and our ears open, we can hear what people are really saying. When we calmly listen, we can take time to consider the matter, we can employ wisdom in our response.

“He who has knowledge spares his words, 

and a man of understanding is of a calm spirit.” 

(Proverbs 17:27 NKJV)

Slow to Speak

    We all know the harm that can come from speaking before or without thinking. God wants us to be slow to speak; He wants us to be wise.

“In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, 

but he who restrains his lips is wise.” 

(Proverbs 10:19 NKJV)

    When we pause and consider a matter before answering we give ourselves opportunity to discern right from wrong, and we can better determine the right thing to say or do.

Slow to Wrath

    Why does God command this? Read again James 1:20 “for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” When we are wrathful and quick to anger, the possibility of saying or doing something wrong/sinful is very likely.

“He who is slow to wrath has great understanding,

But he who is impulsive exalts folly.” 

(Proverbs 14:29 NKJV)

    When we are slow to wrath we can prove to the world “what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2). When we are slow to wrath, we can keep our emotions in check, we can keep our words in check, and we can keep our actions in check. When we are slow to wrath we become a safe haven instead of a raging storm.

    All of these, swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath, take self-control. Only when we control ourselves in obedience to this command can we produce the righteousness of God and bear the fruit of the Spirit:

“...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, 

longsuffering, kindness, goodness, 

faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. 

Against such there is no law.” 

(Galatians 5:22-23 NKJV)

    Let us have a heart to say, 'If God said it, I believe it, and I will do it.'  As Christians, we are God's children, God wants us to to be pure just as He is pure (1 John 3:1-3). Let us honestly examine ourselves and determine that we will do what God has commanded us so that we can flourish in our faith and service!

You can do it! So can I!!

Fix It So You Can Flourish: Owing Love

    Good Morning!! Over the next several weeks, as the Lord wills, I am going to share a Bible verse for us to think on and apply through our week. I call this series: 'Fix It So You Can Flourish' God is worthy of our every effort to align ourselves with His will and way! Thinking on His Word and applying it to our daily walk will help our faith to flourish! Let's begin! 

“Owe no one anything except to love one another,

for He who loves another has fulfilled the law.”

(Romans 13:8 NKJV)

    We owe it to our family, our friends, our neighbours, and our enemies to love them. We owe it to them. Think about that for a moment. It is the only thing we are to owe anyone!

    When we show love through our actions (1 John 3:18) we show God to others. People who may not otherwise know God can see Him through us when we truly love Him and them!

    When we love, we “prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2). Others will see the difference when they compare you and your actions with those in the world! We will prove ourselves to be disciples of Jesus (John 13:34-35) and we can have confidence that we are abiding in God (1 John 4:12-16)!  

    Let’s do it God’s way!! He has instructed us over and over again to love as He has loved us!! Let’s put it into action!! We owe it to Him to be obedient to this command and we owe it to others to show them God's light and love (Matthew 5:14-16)! 

You can do it! So can I!!

“Beloved, if God so loved us, 

we also ought to love one another.”

(1 John 4:11 NKJV)

Wives Who Magnify and Glorify God

    Glorifying God is a wonderful way to live each day!

    Today, let's focus again on how we, as women, can declare God's greatness to ourselves and to the people we daily interact with. Specifically, we will look at the role of wives.

"Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord." (Ephesians 5:22 NKJV)

"Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord." (Colossians 3:18 NKJV)

"...be submissive to your own husbands..." (1 Peter 3:1 NKJV)

    Today, "submission" and being submissive is considered an ugly thing. It is frowned upon by women of the world as archaic and oppressive. Submission equates slavery, or so the world wants you to think, but God says that it is what a wife is to do, so what now?

A Bible dictionary defines "submit" (as found in Ephesians 5:22) in this way:

1. to arrange under, to subordinate
2. to subject, put in subjection
3. to subject one's self, obey
4. to submit to one's control
5. to yield to one's admonition or advice
6. to obey, be subject

    A Greek military term meaning "to arrange [troop divisions] in a military fashion under the command of a leader." In non-military use, it was "a voluntary attitude of giving in, cooperating, assuming responsibility, and carrying a burden."

    After reading this definition, I feel some of the ugliness of the word is removed, don't you? If you truly see your husband as the leader and you, as his wife, arrange yourself and your children under his command, you are showing a spirit of cooperation instead of contention. You are helping him to 'carry the burden,' by doing what you are responsible for and allowing him to do what he is responsible for. When you do it God's way and submit (obey, yield, etc.) to your husband's leadership you become part of the solution, not part of the problem.

    Some may be quick to say, " Yes, that's all well in good in an ideal world, but you don't know my husband!"

    All too often, women don't see their husband as a capable leader and so they begin to fill in the gaps and little by little 'pull at the reins' (taking over more and more), creating a sense of "constant dripping" (Proverbs 19:13, 27:15) until finally their husband relinquishes all control and leadership in the family and in the home. Losing confidence in themselves they become more and more the man their wives have believed them to be: weak, unable to lead, unable to make quality decisions, unattached to the needs of the family. The wives in these cases do not even acknowledge their own involvement in this downward spiral, they just resent their husbands more and more for doing less and less. It's an unfortunate and unlawful decline that is all too easy to get pulled into!

    When we do it God's way and submit to our husbands - truly submit - seeing our own husband as the leader God wants him to be, even if he is not that leader now, he will be. When you do your part and submit to his leadership, he will become the leader he needs to be. Please read 1 Peter 3:1-2.

    We need to stop thinking we know better. We need to start doing it God's way! We need to stop making fun of our husbands, belittling him and/or his decisions/ideas to our friends. We need to stop criticizing his every word of advice and every decision he makes. We need to give him control - hand back the reins. Believe him to be the leader God wants him to be. 

    Not every man is a born leader, but a good and loving wife will encourage him to become just that! When he knows that you fully trust him as your leader he will put more time, thought, and energy into the family he leads! He will do his best to do the best for you and the family. If he makes a mistake, don't belittle him, instead stand beside him and help him see it through. Don't give up on him. Encourage him to try again. Tell him how much you believe in him and his ability to successfully lead your family! Tell him this often!! Pray for him. And again I say, pray for him! Support him by doing what you are responsible for (house, children, etc.) and leave his responsibilities to him.

Can you see the difference between the two possible outcomes?

1. Ugly downward fall when the wife takes over
2. Beautiful steps forward that occur when a wife follows God's instruction

    Today, stop seeing submission as an ugly thing. Start seeing it as a beautiful instruction from God! Yes, it will take work, but anything worth having is going to take work! Let your husband become the leader that God wants him to be, let him flourish in that role! Submit to your husband and be his help meet, his cheerleader, his wife! Let God be magnified in your homes by exemplifying this instruction! Let people see through your example of obedience that the will of God is good and acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:1-2)!

"Do not let your adornment be merely outward - arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel - rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands..." (1 Peter 3:3-5 NKJV)

    A wife who, with a gentle and quiet spirit, is submissive to her own husband, is very precious in the sight of God! That is a picture of complete and perfect beauty!!

    Let's try to do our very best to be the best wife we can be to our own husbands, by doing it God's way!!

You can do it! So can I!!

Women Who Magnify God

    What better way to declare God's way as the best way than to know His will and joyfully fulfill it in our lives! When we find instruction, let's have a heart that is open to receiving it and applying it, so we, as women, can declare God's greatness to the world around us!

    As women, we have opportunity to use our talents to help others (Tabitha/Dorcas, Acts 9:36, 39). There is also more specific instruction given to older and young women in Titus 2:3-5:

"The older women likewise*, that they be reverent in behaviour, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things - that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed." (NKJV)

    Every single item in these verses applies to older women. How can you teach something that you, yourself, do not already know and do?

    And if you think you still have some years before these verses for "older women" apply to you, think again! If there is any woman younger than you, with whom you can influence by your example, you too are an 'older woman!' Begin now to understand the beauty and importance of fulfilling God's will in your role as a woman!

~ Note the asterisk (*) I added beside the word 'likewise' in the above passage. When we see the word 'likewise' we need to realize that a commonality is being expressed between two parties. In this case, there is an instruction given to the older men (in verse 2), that the
older women are also to adhere to.

"... the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience; the older women likewise..." (Titus 2:2-3a NKJV)

    From this same passage we can understand the instruction to young women: love your husband's, love your children, be discreet, homemakers, good, obedient to your own husbands.

    So, older women are to be examples as well as teachers to the young women - likely one on one as a mother would be with a daughter, but I would love to see this stretch beyond the bonds of only teaching or feeling a realm of influence on our own daughters. Let each one of us embrace the women younger than us as daughters; women we can be examples to, whom we can influence toward godly goals.

    Older women, love and care for the hearts and souls of the young women. Look for opportunity to teach and influence them toward the things listed in Titus 2.

    Young women, look to the older women for guidance and encouragement. Respect them and their accumulated knowledge/experience/wisdom. Allow them to instruct you and teach you.

    The world around us wants us to see these verses in Titus as asphyxiating and constraining us from the 'freedom we deserve' as women. I want you to love God and understand His love for you, enough to see the absolute beauty He has given us to embody as women! We have a most wonderful role to fulfill - a role that takes us a lifetime to accomplish. Each day, let us grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ and take the steps necessary to apply what we are instructed to do in Titus 2.

    Why are we to do this? Why are we, as older women, supposed to take care to obey these commands/instructions and be examples and teachers to the young women? Why should young women listen to the older women's teaching and advice - don't they understand that times are different now and their experience is antiquated? Why are we to fulfill these instructions? 

    Read the last part of Titus 2:5 to find the answer: "that the word of God may not be blasphemed." 

    We follow these instructions, we fulfill God's command to us as women, so that when others observe us they see that we're on to something that truly works! They see us loving our husbands - not abusing them to our friends. They see us loving our children - raising them in an environment of nurturing and in the admonition of the Lord. They will observe women who are happy! Happy to help, happy to take care of their homes, happy to work; "doing the will of God from the heart"(Ephesians 6:6)! No one can make fun of God's word when they see it beautifully personified in our actions and behaviours! When they see how well it works and benefits us and those with whom we can have an influence; they will want to know more about Him - another opportunity to shine God's light into the darkness!!

You can do it! So can I!!

    Next week, the Lord willing, we will continue our theme of 'Women Who Magnify God' by examining of the role of a wife. 

Cultivating Pure Hearts So We Can Magnify God

    Good morning!! This week I would like each one of us focus on our heart - the source of our thoughts and words (Proverbs 23:7, Luke 6:45).

    In order to declare God's greatness to the world around us we need to uproot the weeds of complaining, comparison, jealousy, envy, lust, gossip, and anger, to name only a few.

    From wherever you are right now, begin to remove the weed-enhancing influences in your life: soap operas/TV shows/movies/online videos full of immorality, gossip, and bad language; music and/or books that fills your mind with impurities like lust, adultery and fornication. Maybe for you it's idle mind time where you indulge your negative imaginings/anxieties and let the 'worst case scenario' play out in your mind's eye or it could be that you allow yourself to look back on memories of your sinful past with longing. Whatever it is, get to the source and work to remove it from your life.

"... brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy - meditate on these things." (Philippians 4:8 NKJV)

    We should be determined each day to do the work and make the necessary choices/changes that will keep us heading toward a purer heart (1 John 3:1-3). Make time to be with others who are also trying to live right before God:

"Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart." (2 Timothy 2:22 NKJV)

    When we change our heart, our motives will become loving, our attitudes will improve, our words will reflect the peace and contentment that comes from acknowledging God's blessings of provision in all things!

    We can do this! We can polish our armour and reflect light into the darkness of this world! Let's purify our hearts and magnify God, declaring His greatness and the greatness of His way!

"Let them shout for joy and be glad, who favour my righteous cause; And let them say continually, "Let the LORD be magnified, who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant." And my tongue shall speak of Your righteousness and of Your praise all the day long." (Psalm 35:27-28 NKJV)

You can do it! So can I!! 

Magnifying God

    Good morning!! Today is another opportunity to prove to the world that doing God's will really is the best way to thrive!! Consider these verses as you go about your day:

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." (Romans 12:1-2 NKJV)

“I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall makes its boast in the LORD; the humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together.” (Psalm 34:1-3 NKJV)

    When we magnify God we declare His greatness! What descriptive words come to mind when you think of God?

    Glorious, Magnificent, Majestic, Loving, Merciful, Holy, Patient, Pure, Powerful…

How Can We Magnify God In Our Daily Walk?

•         Sanctify God in Your Hearts - Determine to seek God with your whole heart, your whole soul, and your whole mind (Matthew 22:37, 1 Peter 3:15). Renew this determination every day!
•          Read His Word - How can we know God without reading His Word? Dig in! (Psalm 119:11-16, 17-18)
•          Pray - Get comfortable communicating with Him! Never give up on prayer! (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
•          Grow Your Gratitude - The more you tune your focus to appreciating the blessings you receive from God, the more likely you are be able to say, “His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” (Psalm 34:1, I Thessalonians 5:18)
•          Bear the Fruit of the Spirit - Our actions indicate who we belong to. If we bear the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), everyone will know we belong to God (John 15:1-8, 1 Peter 2:11-12)!
•          Make Mention of Him - If our heart is filled with God’s Word, if we talk with Him daily, are thankful for everything, and we are bearing fruit, the natural outgrowth will be to declare His greatness to others! “...For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). People you interact with are bound to ask you about your positive and patient attitude, your loving and helpful nature, and your firm faith (1 Peter 3:15). Give God the glory!! Magnify His greatness!

    God is worthy of our praise! God’s greatness is worthy to be magnified!! What can you do today that will allow you, like Mary, to say, “My soul magnifies the Lord” (Luke 1:46)? Magnify Him today!!

You can do it!! So can I!!

When Our Faith and Hope are In God We Will Love Our Brethren

    Looking at the final passage that makes mention of the trio of faith, hope, and love we find how having faith and hope in God leads us to sincerely love our brethren.

“[Christ] indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which abides forever…” (1 Peter 1:20-23 NKJV)

Our Faith and Hope Are in God

    Jesus came to preach and teach people about the kingdom of God. He told people of His Father and the promise of eternal life that God the Father holds out to those who hear, believe, and obey (1 Timothy 2:4, Hebrews 11:6, John 3:16-17, 1 John 5:13).

    Jesus was not gathering followers to Himself, but to His Father (consider John 12:49-50). We are to conform ourselves to Jesus’ image (Romans 8:29) – His obedience and faithfulness, His efforts to tell others of God the Father, His love for all people, etc. – because He was/is the only perfect example that will, when we conform to Him, lead us home to God (1 John 1:6, John 14:6).

Side note:  God gave those who answered His call (God calls us through the gospel, 1 Thessalonians 2:13-14) and obeyed His commands (Mark 16:15-16) to Christ, whom He made head over the church, which is Christ’s body (John 17:6-26, Ephesians 1:1:22-23, 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 18, and 27). We become member of Christ’s body/church when we hear, believe, repent, confess, and are baptized.

    God raised Jesus from the dead and gave Him glory so that our faith and hope are in Him. Jesus was declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead (Romans 1:1-3). If we faithfully follow Jesus’ example of wholly trusting God throughout our lifetime, we too, can have hope of being resurrected in the Last Day (read and think on 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).  

Having Faith and Hope in God Leads Us to Love Our Brethren

    Read and think on 1 John 4:20-5:5 – if we love God, we will love our brother also. If we believe that Jesus is the Christ we are born of God (He “begot” us), so if we love Him who begot us, we will love those who are also begotten of Him – our brothers and sisters in Christ!

“By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments.” (1 John 5:2 NKJV)

    What better love could we have and show for our brethren than by remaining faithful to God, consistently learning and growing through study and application of His word (1 Timothy 4:12-16), through good times and bad. Our love for, and obedience to, God will have us serving others humbly, always looking out for another’s best interests (agape), and developing patience (longsuffering) as we help others come to know the good and acceptable and perfect will of God (Romans 12:1-2).

    Jesus loved His brethren because His faith and hope were in God the Father, we, in following His example, can do the same! Strengthen your faith in God, anchor your hope in Him, and fervently love your brethren with a sincere and pure heart (1 Peter 1:22, 2 Timothy 2:22)!

You can do it! So can I!!

“Let us” Have Faith, Hope, and Love

“Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus… …let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works…” (Hebrews 10:19, 22-24 NKJV)

Side Note on Context: The writer of Hebrews spends his time encouraging the Hebrew brethren not to return to the old ways (the Law of Moses and its works/rituals), but to understand who Jesus the Christ was and is and to follow the New Covenant He established at His death (see Hebrews 10: 5-10). The writer states that the sprinkling (of blood on the altar, Leviticus 17:6, 11) and the washing in water (for ritual cleansing, Leviticus 16:24) – rituals the Hebrews were all familiar with - have been replaced with something better when Jesus offered something greater than the continual sacrifices of bulls and goats: His own self, once for all (Hebrews 10:10, 10:4, 9:11-15).

Jesus, by His sacrifice, allowed them, and us, access to the Holiest (consider Hebrews 4:16, John 14:6). The Hebrew brethren would have known that the Holiest (or Holy of holies) was the one place that only the High Priest was allowed to go and only when it was required (see Leviticus 16:1-2, Hebrews 9:7-8) but Jesus grants us all access wherever and whenever we need it and we, like the Hebrew brethren, need to cherish and respect that blessed access.

 Faith:

    Since Jesus has granted us access to the Holiest (God the Father), “let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” Faith comes from hearing the gospel –the “good news” of Christ (Romans 10:17). We, like the eunuch in Acts 8:26-39, can hear the good news and understand that baptism is a necessary part of salvation; “…having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water” (see also 1 Peter 3:21-4-2). Baptism brings us into the body of Christ (the church, Romans 6:3-4, Galatians 3:26-29, Ephesians 1:22-23). So, we, who now offer ourselves as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1-2) continue to get closer to God (live fully in His light, John 3:20-21, Ephesians 5:8-14) with sincere intent (not carelessly or mindlessly, Matthew 15:8, Psalm 78:36-37), in abundance of faith and trust (“full assurance” means abundant and most certain confidence). When we approach God, as His child, with a heart and mind motivated by sincere and confident faith we will be prepared to wholly obey all His commands as we cling firmly to the hope we have through His Son.

 

Hope:

    “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.” Referring back to Acts 8, the eunuch made a confession before he was baptized: “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” (v37) – his hope was found in believing that Jesus is the Son of God – in believing this he also believed what Jesus said: “…if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins” (John 8:24) and “[h]e who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16). The eunuch after being baptized into Christ went on his way rejoicing (v39). We who have been baptized have all made a confession of our hope – let’s hold fast to it, bind ourselves to it and never let it go! “Without wavering” means we have a firm hold on it – so much so that we can share the reason for our hope with others who ask (1 Peter 3:15-16). God is faithful – our hope is not in vain – all that God has said, He has done and will do (Joshua 21:45, 1 Corinthians 1:9) – let’s hold fast to our hope, trust God, and remain faithful to Him!

Love:

    With our full assurance of faith and unwavering hope, “let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works.”  Considering one another is more than “being nice” to those you worship with, it means to be attentive to, fixing your eyes and your mind on them so that you may stir them up to love and good works. Take note that “stir up” literally means to jab (cut) someone so that they must respond. Think of a prod or goad used to push animals in the right direction; it provokes them to action, incites them to do the work, and rallies them to actively participate.  We are to stir up love and good works. The entirety of the New Testament declares why love is a vital part of a Christian and in knowing that we are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works (Ephesians 2:10) we realize the importance of action (1 John 3:18, James 1:25, 4:17, Matthew 5:16, Titus 2-3). Love in action = good works! Good works are defined as actions that are beautiful, honourable, noble, praiseworthy, pure, virtuous, just, and truthful (think Philippians 4:8 – there are many good reasons to be meditating on these things!) 

    Do you have abundance of faith in God that motivates you obey His commands? Do you firmly cling to your hope without easing your grip, wholly trusting God? Do you care for your brethren enough to push them in the right direction so that together you can be actively doing, with love, what is good and right? Then “let us be diligent to enter that rest…” (Hebrews 4:11) and “let us lay aside every weight, and the sin that so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith…”(Hebrews 12:1b-2)!

You can do it! So can I!!