Obedience

1 Jn. 2: 5-6

but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

If we sin, we have an advocate with the Father, someone who pleads our case. That someone is Jesus Christ the righteous. God Himself has chosen us to be His sending His Son to die a sinless death and fulfill the righteous requirement of the law. This unbelievable sacrifice allowed us to be covered in His righteousness. The proof of our salvation of our being chosen is our obedience to the Word. If I say I know Jesus [and then the Father also] and do not obey His words, then I am a liar. How strong! But this is what the word does. Heb. 4 12-13 says, For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. It is this two-edged sword that pierces our hearts and reveals the truth, that is we are liars if we do not obey the Word, or if we do disobey, we confess that sin and get right before God. 

Jesus is the light and His light shines in us not only saving us but sanctifying us. To do that we must listen and obey all that He says. Example in point, loving our brothers and sisters. If we say the love of God is in us and we hate our brothers and sisters, we are fooling ourselves. This is an impossibility! The love of God does not breed hatred or condone it. Hatred means walking in darkness with no light of Jesus. The darkness has blinded their eyes making them unable to see where they are going. How sad! Is any injustice, unkind word or action, or any other such thing worth eternity? The warning is to examine your life. Are their things that shouldn't be is the light of Jesus is shining in your heart? Make it right, or are you really His? 

Father,

Thank You for Your words no matter how strong they are. Help me to be aware of sin and deal with it immediately. Help me get my priorities in line and be focusing where I should be.

In Jesus name,

Amen

What Sort of People?

2 Pet. 3:11-13

Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming day of the God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to His promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. 

The day of the Lord will come! It is a fact! The scary part is that it will not be expected. It will be as a thief seeking to plunder. But when that happens, events will be set in motion. The heavens will pass away with a roar burning up the heavenly bodies. And the end result will be the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed!  There will be no hiding place! Sure and swift judgment will follow. 

Peter's plea is to those who know Jesus. In light of all this [everything Peter has written], what kind of person will you be? What kind of person will I be? Will I be living a life of holiness and godliness as I wait for Jesus to call me home? Will I be sharing the gospel so that the day of the Lord will come quickly? Or will I be enjoying my time on earth so much so that I have lost my focus? Are my feet so firmly planted that I am sluggish for Jesus? I so hope not! Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by Him without spot of blemish. And count the patience of our Lord as salvation...Thankfully God is so  patient and loving. But I can't take advantage of that. I must be diligent!

I think back in this small letter to certain phrases. Make every effort, Be all the more diligent, But do not overlook this fact,  what sort of people ought to be be, and finally Therefore, be diligent.  These phrases speak of energy, of dedication and forward thinking, and of complete obedience. These phrases speak of the Christian I want to be and should be!

Father,

Through Your grace and strength give me the desire and the means to be obedient to Your words. Help me to speak out boldly and share your love and salvation. 

In Jesus name,

Amen

This One Fact

2 Pet. 3:9

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

Why is the Lord so patient toward men? This verse says because He wants to allow time for men to repent to embrace Jesus as their Lord and Savior. But why make this statement now? What is the context? Peter is refuting the false teachers who were touting as their big reveal that the Lord hadn't come yet, and no doubt wouldn't come in the future either. They claimed that everything was as it was in the beginning. But so very untrue! Things are not the same. The world was destroyed once by water. Sin has matured and wreaked havoc on humanity and the world! The course of life has continued. The gospel has been spread to many nations, but still there must be others that God wants to bring into His fold.

Peter does not want us to overlook this fact, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. Time as we know it is not the same as God's time. He views all of recorded time, the time before time began, and the time that is yet to be. So we can content ourselves with this fact. God's timing will win out! No amount of saying it isn't true will change that fact! No amount of saying He isn't coming back will change the fact that He is coming back! The only thing that needs to be changed is the heart of man, our hearts and the hearts of those yet to be saved. Our mission is to spread the gospel so that the last soul might come to repentance. And then KABOOM! Jesus will come parting the heavens, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and the trumpet of God! We will ascend and see Him as He is because we will be like Him. 

Father,

Open my eyes to see those that You want me to share the message with. Grow me in self-control, steadfastness, and godliness. Help me to reflect Jesus Christ. Conform me to His image.

In His name,

Amen

Rescue or Not?

2 Pet.2: 9

The Lord how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment.

Praise God for this! How many times have we seen the evil flourish and the righteous put down. [Saeed] One could get discouraged were it not for the precious and very great promises. Nothing takes God by surprise! He knows how to rescue those who are His own, and He knows how to save the unrighteous for a special day that God has just for them, judgment day. So when we think a trial has gone on too long, we must remember He knows! He knows what I need because I am His child. A parent knows!

Why would it seem that no rescue is in sight? Perhaps it is a Lazarus situation. When Jesus heard how sick and close to death Lazarus was, He stayed away 2 days longer. Funny response from a friend! Jesus' purpose was not just healing or even resurrecting. His purpose was so the people could see the great power of God and then give the glory to the Father. What better way than to raise Lazarus from the dead! In the case of Saeed, we all want him home and reunited with his family immediately. Yet, despite the prayers and the pleadings with governments, he is still in a vile, wicked prison enduring horrible abuse. But since God knows how to rescue him, we must trust that God has a different plan in place. When times are hard and human longings are strong, we must rest in what is true about God. In this case, God knows!

Father,

We always desire Your will. But You know our hearts want Saeed released. If possible, make that happen. I know that You have the power to do so, but I also now that you have a plan, an eternal purpose. So we leave it with You. Comfort the hearts of his wife and children and all those around the world who have been praying.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Well-Being and Calamity

Jer. 51:56 c

for the Lord God is a God of recompense; He will surely repay.

I think it is amazing how God uses heathen nations in the discipline and punishment of Israel and Judah in the Old Testament, but yet those very nations will come under the wrath of God later for what they did to Israel and Judah. God can use anyone, people, nation, or things that He chooses. He has the right as Creator of this world. Is. 45:5-7 says, I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides me there is no God; I equip you, though you do not know me, that people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides me; I am the Lord, and there is no other. I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am the Lord, who does all these things. These nations do not need to know God themselves to be used by God. As the author of all things, He calls the shots. What an amazing lesson! 

Man is so puffed-up with himself thinking he can control his own life. How foolish! All God needs do is speak a word and all nature responds, earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, etc., and yes, even wars and invasions. Sadly, many times Christians think that they call the shots in their own lives. No, no, no...It is not true. Only God directs the lives of His own children. Lam. 3: 38 says, Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come? But the verses we can cling to are earlier in this same chapter, The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning, great is Your faithfulness. What a powerful God we serve! 

Father,

Thank You for being so involved in my life, for helping me yesterday when I fell, and for helping me find my phone. In the grand scheme of things a phone is inconsequential, but to me it was big. Thank You! I praise You for hte great God that you are!

In His name,

Amen

Battle Directions

I Pet. 5:8-9

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 

What an exhortation! Get ready for the battle. The enemy, the devil, is a fierce opponent. He won't take it easy on you. He wants to take you down Not only take you down, He wants to devour you. He has an appetite for Christians. They are his candy! But we need more than just being alert, we must resist and be firm in the faith. So when a temptation comes, say NO! Immediately! Make no excuses or rationalizations, just say NO. Give no allowances for our flesh, our weaknesses, our fleshly memories. Don't fall backwards. Resist. The flesh is like a bad habit. It lurks around testing you where you are weakest. But in the strength of Jesus we can say No. We can walk in a different way. We can walk in the way of our faith! We can fortify ourselves in the Word and grow in Jesus in and through His grace and power, we can stand strong and true. 

Is it a comfort to know that fellow believers around the world are suffering? Perhaps it would be if we were suffering too. But even in America, Christians are beginning to suffer. Case in point the school shooting in Oregon. "Are you a Christisn? Then in 1 second you will meet your God." And it was over. Case in point, Saeed, an American in an Iranian prison. Abuse, beatings, internal injuries with no end in sight. It makes us long for heaven and shows us the heinousness of the flesh and this worldly system. But God promises, And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. There is an end in sight! Heaven awaits! Our citizenship will finally be realized. No more alien, pilgrim, and sojourner!

Father,

Teach me to stand firm in the faith and to say No to temptation. Be with believers around the world and in America. Comfort the hurting hearts, and if you will, release Saeed. Bring him home to his family.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Humility

1 Pet. 5:6 

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on Him because He cares for you.

Humility, who can understand it and make it happen? So important and yet so illusive. But oh so important to God. We humble ourselves under God because He is God, divine, eternal and we are human, temporal, and mortal. Quite a difference, and yet the pride of man exalts himself above God! How foolish! Peter gives two reasons for humility. One being God can than exalt you at the proper time. What time is that? Who know? But that is up to Him, and that is something well worth waiting for. 

Two being that when we are humble, we can actually cast our anxiety on Him. As long as pride is in control, we think we can do it ourselves, or we fall into a pool of self-pity which is just inverse pride. Either way are we giving it to God? No. We hang on seeking control and creating anxiety. In essence we are saying that God can't control this as well as I can. Anyone who truly believes this is foolish! Many times I have thought I knew best, but in recent history, I do know that I don't. [Maybe older age has taught me something!] I still have trouble relinquishing control, but whenever I see that happening, I know pride is operating. 

The other problem I have is when worry is absent from the equation. When I neglect to cast each moment on Him, I am still operating in pride. Often without thinking, I operate on auto-pilot. Well, auto-pilot is still me! God is not my default until I get to heaven. I must consciously give to him my moments, my decisions, my actions, my thoughts, and my attitudes, all I am and have. 

Father,

Help me to talk to You constantly all throughout the day. Open my eyes to see who is piloting my life. Teach me humility. 

In Jesus name,

Amen