JUDGED BY GOD

 

JUDGED BY GOD

I Peter 1:17 And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites when he judges. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time as foreigners here on earth. NLT

I do not believe very many people believe this is true, at least that is the way they come across. We tend to think of ourselves in a better light than others. We measure our worth by our successes or who we know. We tend to think that we earn brownie points with God because of what we do. However, Peter reminds us that God shows no favoritism when He judges the heart of man.

Everyone will be judged according to how he lives out what he professes. What we do with Christ matters to God. How well we live in Christ determines whether or not we will be rewarded by God. If we are not living in Christ like we should be, then we will be judged accordingly. No one will be accepted by God into His Kingdom by what he does in comparison to anyone else. He will be accepted by God only if He lives well in Christ.

A person who lives well in Christ has a reverent fear of God. He honors and respects who God is. He takes holiness seriously in his life. He honors God as the absolute authority over his life. He honors God by how he approaches God in worship and prayer. He keeps God as his first love and lives always for Christ. Keeping his soul fit for heaven is his number one priority in life.

God does not play favorites. He holds everyone equally responsible for holy living in Christ. Anyone who doesn't live a holy life will be judged as unfit for the Kingdom of God.

God is not impressed by what impresses us. He sees what is on the inside, not just the outside. He doesn’t care about the fluff of our lives; He cares about the stuff we are made of. Only the holy in heart will see God.

YOU MUST BE HOLY

 

YOU MUST BE HOLY

I Peter 1:15-16 But now you must be holy in everything you do just as God--who chose you to be his children--is holy. For he himself has said, “You must be holy because I am holy.” NLT

If I had to narrow down into one issue that I believe is the most important issue in the Christian life, I believe the need to be holy before God would be it. Most of the body of Christ seems to think that holiness is an option and not a necessity. We are taught that all that really matters is our salvation. Conforming into the image of Christ may be proclaimed, but it is not put into practice very well. We acknowledge our sinful failures but don’t seem to overcome them. We admit that we are sinners saved by grace and seem to believe that it’s okay when we sin. We struggle with sin and don’t gain true victory over it.

Holiness in a grace-filled life used to be the heart of our preaching, but it seems to not be the case so much anymore. We shy away from soul wrenching messages that drives us to our knees in repentance. We remove our altars from our churches and think it’s okay with God to do it. We minimize our need for public prayer at the altar of God. We have become comfortable in our righteousness and our appetite for more has been dulled to the point where we are barely recognized by the world as being a holy people.

The mandate of Scripture is for us to be a holy people. It is sin on our part when we are not pursuing holiness in our lives. We are made holy by living in a deeply connected relationship with Christ. He must be our Lord as well as our Savior. We must be willing to let Him rule and influence every part of our heart. Our minds must be captivated by Him. Pursuing righteousness must be our passion.

The demise of the church is her lack of zeal for holy living. Holiness flows from a heart fully surrendered to the Lord. It flows from spending much quality time alone with the Lord in His Word and prayer.

OBEY GOD

 

OBEY GOD

I Peter 1:14 Obey God because you are his children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of doing evil, you didn’t know any better then. NLT

As a child of God, obedience is not an option; it’s a necessity. No one who claims allegiance to Christ can live in disobedience to Him. We do not disrespect those whom we love, and disobedience is disrespect for God.

It is easy to slip back into our old sinful ways. Let’s be honest about it. It is easier to sin than it is to obey. Satan knows our weaknesses, and he is a master at exploiting them. It takes a great amount of effort and patience to stop doing the things we once did. For most of us, changed behavior is a process. We normally don’t just stop doing the things we once did. There are no instant disciples of Christ. Many of us struggle a long time with sinful issues in our lives. It is easy to get frustrated and cave into sinful habits when we find ourselves failing. And I might add, often our sinful habits change as time goes on. When we gain victory over one area of our lives, another area pops up to do battle with us. It doesn’t end until we die.

What we need to remind ourselves of is that perseverance is the key. It is okay to not be perfect, but it is not okay to not try. Each time we fall into sin, we confess our sin, accept Christ’s forgiveness, and strive to do better the next time. We learn to recognize over time how to avoid situations that cause us to sin. We learn to recognize when we are growing weak and need to renew our strength in Christ. We learn how to lean on Christ and not ourselves. We learn how to keep our souls strong through the spiritual disciplines of faith.

Living obediently to Christ and His Word is not an easy task, but it is doable. If we have the will and are determined to obey Him, we will do it. The more we learn from God what is sinful, the more responsibility we accept when we mess up and do that which is sinful. We ‘fess up our mess ups, regroup and strive to do better the next time.

Dear child of God, you know better now. Stay away from that which is evil. Stay away from those things which once drew you into sin. You are not that person anymore. You are a new person in Christ.

Victory in Jesus is certain for those who learn how to overcome through Him who gives us the strength and the desire to do it.

THINKING CLEARLY

 

THINKING CLEARLY

I Peter 1:13 So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the special blessings that will come to you at the return of Jesus Christ. NLT

Thinking clearly requires investing time and energy into getting to know God's ways. It means that we value highly God's instruction and guidance. It means that we value highly our relationship with the Lord. Having a right attitude towards God and His ways does not just happen. It is not something that we can categorize and do when we want to. It is the way we live. It is involving the Lord in all we do.

Thinking clearly about our relationship with God is not an option; it's an absolute necessity if we are going to please Him. Far too many people who claim fellowship with God do not have a clear mind when it comes to understanding what it means to live in relationship with Him. God commands our best efforts at holy living. He is never pleased with the leftovers. He does not accept anything other than being the number one priority of our lives.

When we think clearly about our souls, we will exercise self-control. We won't fall prey to our sinful desires. We will be able to say no to sin as it tries to weasel itself into our hearts and minds. We will learn the secret to successful living in Christ.

When we think clearly we are guided by faith. We understand that we won’t understand everything and we will have many questions that we will never figure out. We understand that when we encounter those issues in life we accept what God says about it by faith and leave it at that. If God said it, it is regardless of my understanding of it.

The Lord rewards greatly those who know how to think clearly, live by faith and exercise self-control in their lives.

LOOK AHEAD!

 

LOOK AHEAD!

I Peter 1:6 So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while. NLT

When we live in the moment without a vision for the future, we can easily be overcome and fall into discouragement and despair. Sometimes life isn't pleasant. Circumstances in life around us change and often not for the best. We often struggle due to things we have no say or control over. People sometimes take out their own frustrations and problems on us. We sometimes struggle to keep our heads above water and see no end in sight.

When all we can see is the moment, our will to keep trying ebbs away. It seems pointless to fight through the trials we go through. We don't like life's difficulties and look for ways to make things easier, escaping anyway we can. We may even deny their reality, hoping somehow they will not come our way. Yet, we all face them.

The Lord knows how difficult life can be and that is why He instructs us to look beyond the moments of our lives. He knows that what is ahead of us is worth whatever we may be facing at the moment. There is a wonderful joy ahead of us that we can only imagine now. We can't begin to know the glory of what He is preparing for us. We can't even begin to imagine what it will be like to have a face-to-face encounter with our Lord which will never end. There is a wonderful joy ahead of us as we live in a place where there is no more sin, pain, or suffering.

Jesus and His kingdom await us! Life may be tough now, but for those who persevere there is joy unspeakable and full of glory!

Whatever you may be going through in life, keep your eyes fixed on Jesus--the author and finisher of our salvation--and your heart will be filled with joy as you anticipate what lies ahead of you. It will be worth it all when we see Jesus.

BRING THEM BACK

 

BRING THEM BACK

James 5:19-20 My dear brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back again, you can be sure that the one who brings that person back will save that sinner from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins. NLT

There is nothing more sad and tragic than to see a brother or sister in Christ wander away from Him into sin. It doesn’t just happen. Slipping into sin is a process that begins with compromise. By neglecting time with the Lord we can be easily be misled and start to compromise on that which we know to be true. Whenever we lower God’s standards to accommodate our desires, we begin to wander from God. Sin breeds sin so when we start compromising, we tend to cover-up what we are doing by lying about it. We lie to ourselves, God and others. The longer the process goes on, the farther away from God we drift. He who does not stand guard over his soul and nourishes it is an easy target for sin.

It is tragic when a fellow believer falls into sin and no one does anything about it. Far too many of us don’t want to get involved. We don’t want to lose friendship or stir up trouble. It is easier to “mind your own business” than it is to show loving concern and care for he who sins and wanders from God. Who can claim to love others when there isn’t enough love for others to get involved when they fall into sin? Coming alongside of those who have wandered from God and lovingly leading them back to Him will certainly help them be restored to God and save them from certain destruction.

There is no greater joy than to be a part of God’s restoration project on earth. Someone you know needs you to take his/her hand and gently lead them back to our Savior. Will you love them enough to get involved and gently help them to find their way back to the Lord?

ELIJAH, ONE OF US

 

ELIJAH, ONE OF US

James 5:17 Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for the next three and a half years! NLT

One of the things we so often fail to remember is that every one of the men and women of the Scriptures were human, just as we are. No matter how godly they were or how much they were used by God, they were human. They knew the same emotions we do. They had the same good days and bad days we do. They had fears and doubts just like we do. They had problems just like we do. They stumbled and fell just like we do. Yet, God used many of them in miraculous ways. Why them and not us? While there is no way we can know for sure, I believe there are some things that we can say.

These people were people of faith. They did not always get it right, but they believed God, trusted Him, and allowed themselves to be used by Him. They did not have all the knowledge about God that we do, yet they believed God and did marvelous things for God. We can do the same as they did. We cannot be who they were, but we can be used of God like they were.

God uses those who are faithful and submissive to Him. When we put the Lord first in our lives, God honors us and uses us for His glory just the way we are. We don’t have to be anyone special; we just have to be submissive and obedient. Elijah was one of us, yet God used him in miraculous ways.

Are you fully surrendered to the Lord? Are you in a position to be used by God? Are you investing your life in Christ's life? Are you feeding your soul with His Word? Are you in constant fellowship with Him in prayer? If you do these things, just like Elijah of old, God will use you in mighty ways.