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!! 

 

 

 

 

 

Rooted in the Truth - Together

"Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, 

and whose hope is in the LORD.

For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, 

which spreads its roots by the river..."

(Jeremiah 17:7-8a NKJV)  

    Last month I was trying to decide on a month-long topic of study for my Facebook group (G.R.O.W.) and my youngest daughter suggested a topic that she felt was pertinent - having firm and established roots.

 

    At the time I couldn't foresee building a month-long series of articles/lessons from that topic, but it has never left my mind and so I have decided that we'll delve into it here and see where it takes us!

 

    Click on the video below (it's only 35 seconds long) and watch what happens when the wind blows against the trees. Take note of the ground at the base of the trees.

 

    

    How does that happen? The trees are all rooted in the earth - together. Their roots are intertwined into the same foundation and they help each other stay rooted when the winds rise up against them.

    If we are firmly rooted in God's Word alongside those of like precious faith then our roots will be bound together in His Truth! Just like the trees, we can help each other weather the storms that will arise in this life; we will help each other hang on!

  

    We are here to help each other (Ephesians 4:29-31, 1 Thessalonians 5:11); to remind each other of Christ's love for us (Ephesians 3:17-19, Romans 8:31-39). We are all seeking the same goal so we flee the same things and we pursue the same things (2 Timothy 2:22) - together! We do all we can to help each other overcome (James 5:19-20), by exhorting and encouraging each other DAILY so that none become hard and brittle through the deceitfulness of sin (Hebrews 3:12-15)!

 

    You are needed! By keeping your roots firmly planted in the Truth you can help a brother or sister in Christ stay rooted. Your staying power, your consistency, and your example can edify others to keep trying, to keep going, and to keep growing!

 

"Therefore, my beloved brethren,

be steadfast, immovable, 

always abounding in the work of the Lord,

knowing your labour is not in vain in the Lord."

(1 Corinthians 15:58 NKJV)

 

You can do it! So can I!!

 

 

     

 

    

 

 

 

 

    

 

 

     

 

 

 

    

 What we have learned in our study, “Building Faith and Confidence”:

• We can have confidence that we know God when we wholly obey His commandments (1 John 2:3)
  
• Surrender wholly to God because of what you already know of Him (His power, love, faithfulness, etc.) AND so you can learn MORE of Him (Psalm 46:10)
• When we abide in Christ – being part of His body, the church (Romans 6:3-4, 1 Corinthians 12:12-13, Galatians 3:26-29, John 3:5-7) – we can have confidence before Him when He comes again (1 John 2:28)
• Having faith like the mustard seed, which is willing to die (to self) in order to live, develop, and grow in stature (John 12:24-26) will, with determined tenacity, help us to remove great obstacles in life (doubts, fears, anger, etc.) and strengthen our confidence in God. (Luke 17:5)
• Fearing God, giving Him His due reverence and thinking on His awesome power and ability, gives us confidence in all that He can do. He truly does become a refuge for those who trust wholly in Him (Proverbs 10:26)!
• Faith continues to develop as we continue to serve God. We will be given many opportunities in life in which we will need to choose between doing what is pleasing to God or what is pleasing to ourselves – one results in eternal joy, the other only offers a fleeting feeling of happiness (Luke 17:7-10).

“Therefore do not cast away your confidence, 

which has great reward. For you have need 

of endurance, so that after you have done 

the will of God, you may receive the promise… 

…we are not of those who draw back to destruction, 

but ofthose who believe to the saving of the soul.” 

 (Hebrews 10:35-36, 39 NKJV)

Keep turning to God, keep seeking His instruction from the Bible, and keep humbly obeying it with determination each day! Surrender to God’s wisdom and discover the absolute beauty of His way! Keep choosing God and you will soon realize both your faith and your confidence are growing! Keep on keeping on!!

You can do it! So can I!!

 

Increase Your Faith By Serving God

    Do you want your faith to increase? You simply need to keep serving God!

    In Jesus’ response to the apostles asking for increase of faith (Luke 17:5-10), we find that a small amount of real faith would put them on the right path, but it is dedicated service toward God –  active and tenacious – that will increase and strengthen our faith.

    Many of us would desire an immediate gift of faith that would not allow doubt or uncertainty – a strong, secure faith that would not fail us, but Jesus said that that kind of faith is only developed through continued service – always choosing to put God’s requirements and commands ahead of our own (Luke 17:7-10).

“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.” 

(Romans 12:1 NKJV)

    Along life’s journey we will have opportunities to grow our faith, through active times of raising children, through sacrifice of our own desires, ideas, and expectations, and through patient submission because of age, illness, or other long-term stresses, if in these we choose God and His holy ways, having a complete trust in Him, loving Him, obeying Him, and being fully confident of His promises, happily saying, “Whatever you need me to do, I will do it”, then with each opportunity our faith will increase.

    As I wrote in an earlier post, how can you have faith in God’s promise of peace if you never give over your worries (Philippians 4:6-8)? How can you have faith in His care if you never cast your cares upon Him (1 Peter 5:6-7)? With each opportunity to do things HIS way, our faith has opportunity to grow.

    We love and obey God willingly, eager to serve Him to the uttermost because we know what He has done for us (John 3:16-17, Romans 5:8-9), we see what He continues to do for us (Psalm 68:19, Psalm 103:1-5, Ephesians 1:3-14; 2:1-10), and we believe that what He has promised He will do for us (Hebrews 11:6, 1 Peter 1:3-9, 1 John 2:25)!

    In the end, we will only be able to say, “We are unprofitable servants, we have done what was our duty to do”, knowing we would never, even if we lived for a million years, we would never be able to repay God for what He has done for us!

    The joy we feel in trusting God’s grace is part of what propels us in our active, willing duty! So keep trusting, keep choosing God and HIS way, and keep serving – it is worth EVERY effort!!

“Let your waist be girded 

and your lamps burning; 

and you yourselves be like men 

who wait for their master, 

when he will return from the wedding, 

that when he comes and knocks 

they may open to him immediately. 

Blessed are those servants 

whom the master, when he comes, 

will find watching…” 

(Luke 12:35-37a NKJV)

You can do it! So can I!!

Building Confidence and Finding Refuge

 “In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence, 

and His children have a place of refuge.” 

(Proverbs 10:26 NKJV)

    Why is there strong confidence in the fear of the Lord? How does this fear supply a place of refuge?

    When we truly and properly fear the Lord, reverencing and respecting Him, we will take Him at His word and obey His word; what He has told us to do, we will do.  When we live in this way we can have strong confidence, just as Paul had in 2 Timothy 4:7-8, we can have a hope of rest, and reward for doing what was our duty to do.

    When we live in fear of Him, remaining zealous in our admiration of His magnificence, God grants us refuge during the trials of life. Through humble obedience of God’s commands we will kept from wayward living, but there will still be trials of temptation and sin, health, age, and loss and in all these we have refuge through prayer! Knowing of God’s greatness, that He is BIGGER than anything we may ever face encourages us to boldly approach God’s throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16, 1 John 5:14-15)! We also receive a vital refuge in the form of protection from the devil and his schemes (Ephesians 6:10-18, Proverbs 14:27)! And when our lives are finished here we have the final refuge of life eternal, when we may rest from our labours (1 Peter 1:3-9)!

    Do you want a stronger confidence? Do you desire a place of refuge? 

    Find both these blessings by fearing the Lord and keeping His commandments – for this is our all (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)!!

“The fear of the LORD leads to life 

and he who has it shall abide in satisfaction…” 

 (Proverbs 19:23 NKJV)

 

"Increase Our Faith"

 "And the apostles said to the Lord, 

"Increase our faith." 

 (Luke 17:5 NKJV)

 

    The request made the apostles is one that we, too, should be unafraid of making. While some may say, "Nope, I'm good; I got all I need," the Christian should have a constant inclination toward more faith - "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24)

 

    Jesus' response to the apostles request, at first glance, may seem condescending - 'if you had even a little bit, you'd be able to do great things!' - but we know that Jesus was not condescending and His response does show how to increase faith.

 

"So the Lord said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, 

you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots 

and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you."" 

(Luke 5:6 NKJV) 

    A mustard seed held in the hand appears small, inactive, and feeble but inside, it is full of life and ability to develop "greater than the herbs and [become] a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches" (see Matthew 13:31-32).

 

    The mustard seed, once planted, is known for its tenacity, persistence, and determination! It can grow and develop in the harshest of conditions. It is hearty and its determination to sprout will, in many ways, "move mountains" (Matthew 17:20). It will crack the great rocks that it is growing up through; it has even been known to lift and crack concrete that has been set over it in its determined pursuit of development! 

 

    Within the mustard seed is a powerful resolve to keep on keeping on!! How does it do this? By drawing from the riches that surround it: sunlight, water, nourishing soil - God's plentiful provision!

    Jesus does not want us to be satisfied with a faith equal in size to a mustard seed. A small, feeble faith will accomplish little. It keeps us from openly declaring our faith and therefore never sharing our faith, and when trials come it will sink and we with it (consider Matthew 14:22-33).

    Jesus wants us to have a faith that is living and active - like the planted mustard seed! He wants us to have a faith that continually draws from the riches that surround us - God's bountiful blessings - and use these provisions to grow stronger and develop toward bearing fruit, something that will become visible in us even to the the unbeliever! An active and tenacious faith will not only be able to uproot great evils by God's awesome power but also by the same Source it can accomplish great and long-standing good!

 

    We may appear small in the grand scheme of things but within each one of us is the potential to grow and develop a faith that will help us overcome the world (1 John 5:4-5)! 

 

    Let your faith be like the determined mustard seed! Take root in the gospel of Christ and drink nourishment from the bottomless wells of God's love and provision! Seek the SON, lift your face toward Him!! 

 

 You can do it! So can I!!

 

 

 

Abiding In Christ Allows Us to Have Confidence

 "And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may 

have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming."

(1 John 2:28 NKJV)

 

    If we abide in Christ we can have confidence, so what does it mean to "abide in Him"?

    Abide (əˈbīd) from the Greek word 'meno' which means to stay in a given place, state, relation; to continue, to dwell endure, be present, remain, stand.

 

    To abide in Jesus you must first be brought into Him, into His body. The only way in is through baptism (Romans 6:3-4, 1 Corinthians 12:12-13, Galatians 3:26-27, John 3:3-5).

 

    We then continue to abide in Christ by: 

• No longer abiding in darkness (John 12:46, Ephesians 4:17-24)
• No longer willfully sinning (1 John 3:4-6, 2 John 2)  
• Keeping His commandments (John 15:10, 1 John 2:28-29; 3:24)
• Continuing in His words/teaching (John 8:31; 15:7)
• Continuing in the Truth (1 John 2:24, 2 John 9)
• Confessing that He is the Son of God (1 John 4:15)
• Partaking of the Lord's Supper (John 6:56, Matthew 26:26-28, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26)
• Loving one another (1 John 4:12, 16)
• Walking just as He walked (1 John 2:3-6)
• Bearing fruit - only possible when we abide in Him (John 15:4-6)

 

    Are you in Christ? Are you abiding in Him?

    When we abide in Him we can have confidence in the final Day! It is worth every effort and every sacrifice - God will abundantly provide and replenish - so build your confidence by being sure that you are in Christ and that you are abiding in Him!

"Therefore, my beloved children, be steadfast, 

immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, 

knowing your labour is not in vain in the Lord."

(1 Corinthians 15:58 NKJV)

You can do it! So can I!!

 

 

Building Confidence By Being Still

 "Be still, and know that I am God." 

 (Psalm 46:10a NKJV)

 

    How do we build up our faith and maintain our confidence while this fearful pandemic is causing the world to reel?  

 

    By being still and trusting in God!!

    "Be still" is often thought to mean "be calm" - something akin to that popular British wartime slogan, "Keep Calm and Carry On" - but it actually means something more than that. The Hebrew root behind the phrase "be still" is 'raphah' which means 'to let go,' 'to release,' "to surrender,' 'to be weak,' even to 'die to ourselves.'

    It is only when we let go and surrender to God that we begin to live by faith. We surrender knowing that God is in control! We surrender to learn that His word IS truth and His promises ARE real!

• It is only when we surrender our anxieties that we come to know His peace (Philippians 4:6-7)
• It is only when surrender our desire for continued youth and vigor that we come to know His strength (2 Corinthians 12:9-10) 
• It is only when we surrender our grudges and feelings for revenge that we come to know His goodness, His mercy, and His love (Matthew 5:38-48, Romans 12:17-21)
• It is only when we surrender the wearing of exhaustion as a status symbol that we come to know His rest (Psalm 121:2, Matthew 11:28-30) 
• It is only when we surrender our determination "to face it alone" that we come to know His abundant help and comfort (Hebrews 4:14-16, 2 Corinthians 1:3-4)
• It is only when we surrender our sin that we come to know His forgiveness (1 John 1:8-10, Acts 2:37-38)
• It is only when we surrender our very lives to Him, that we come to know the life we can have in Jesus - learning His way, His truth, and His righteousness through humble obedience to His word (Proverbs 1:7; 3:5-6, Matthew 16:24-26, Galatians 2:20)!

    When we come to know these aspects of God we can willingly "let go and let God" and like the psalmist, we too, can declare, "God is my refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1)! 

    God wants us to trust Him! He provided the Holy Scriptures to us so that we may learn of His power and might, His majesty and glory, His wisdom and provision, His justice, His abiding love, and His will for us - so that we may confidently surrender our all to Him, and put our trust wholly in Him!

    Having a complete trust in Him keeps us from fear, even if the world crumbles around us, even if the waves crash and the mountains quake (Psalm 46:2-3, all metaphors for the troubles and trials of life), we will not fear! It won't be because of anything we have done, not because we have vigorously trained ourselves to be composed in the face of disaster, not because we have seen so many trials that we are now numb to them, non, we will not fear and we will gladly "be still" because of what we know of God!! 

    We know that God is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe! We know that God is magnificent, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent! He has been and always will be the VICTOR! He will be exalted among the nations, He will be exalted in the earth (Psalm 46:10b)!

    Knowing what God has done in the past and what He continues to do in the present, gives us calm assurance of what He can and will do in future!

 

    Do you want to increase your faith and confidence? Learn of God through His word, trust in Him through humble obedience; be still and know that God IS GOD!! 

 

"You are My witnesses," says the LORD, "and My servant whom I have chosen,

that you may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He...

Therefore you are My witnesses," says the LORD, "That I am God."

(Isaiah 43:10a, 12b, NKJV)