BE A BLESSING

 

BE A BLESSING

I Peter 3:8-9 Finally, all of you should be of one mind, full of sympathy toward each other, loving one another with tender hearts and humble minds. Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate when people say unkind things about you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God wants you to do, and he will bless you for it. NLT

       Knowing what we should be like and actually being it are two totally different things.  The body of Christ should be of one mind.  We fail miserably at this point.  There are so many different ways we think about the Scriptures and we let our differences divide us.  It has gotten to the point where parts of the body isolate themselves from other parts and won’t even have fellowship with them.

      We should be full of sympathy toward each other and we struggle with this.  We live in a very personal world and often lack a real concern for those amongst us who are struggling or suffering.  We should show love to one another and for the most part, we love only those whom we are comfortable with.  We should have tender hearts and humble minds and often have neither. 

       We should not repay evil for evil, which means we should repay evil with good.  Getting revenge or seeking justice for ourselves is harmful to the body of Christ and should never be what we do.  When others say unkind things about you, don’t lash back or seek to justify yourself.  Instead, be kind and gentle in your response to them.  Let your tender spirit be your witness and avenger.  Go the extra mile of love and seek to do good to those who are not good to you.  It may not be natural or easy, but it is what God wants you to do.

       When we act in a godly way towards each other, it pleases God and He will bless us for it.  We are not responsible for what others may say or do, but we are responsible for our response to them.  Strive always to do that which is right in God’s eyes which means that you don’t cause trouble amongst the brethren.  It is much better to keep our mouths shut than open them and say things that may divide the body.  God wants us to be a blessing and not a curse to the body of Christ.  He blesses those who do what is right and pleasing in His sight.

      Oneness of mind, oneness of heart, and living humbly with others are God’s will for you in the Church.

       Living a godly life is living a quiet life.  One does not make waves but tries to live peaceably with all men.

 

JESUS DIED FOR OUR SINS!

I Peter 2:24-25 He personally carried away our sins in his own body on the cross so we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. You have been healed by his wounds! Once you were wandering like lost sheep. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls.   NLT

       Jesus took matters into His own hands. He personally took upon himself our sins on the cross. He did not pass the buck and let someone else take away our sins. He alone carried our sins. He alone was qualified to do it; He alone was pure enough to do it. Only Jesus had enough love in His heart to do it. It was our sins that put Him there, but our sins were not enough to keep Him there. It was His love for us that nailed Him to the cross and kept Him from crying out to God to deliver Him.  It was His love that kept Him on the cross until God's perfect plan for our salvation was completed. 

       Sin is the cancer of the soul. Jesus enters into the heart of those who turn to Him and confess their sins before Him. He lovingly and graciously reaches into the filth of our sinful hearts and surgically removes all our sinful cancer cells. He does not miss a one of them. He heals us completely and pronounces us clean! We become whiter than snow in God's eyes. He casts every one of them into the sea of His forgetfulness where they will stay forever and ever.  If we confess our sins, He will forgive us and make our hearts pure before God. 

       Without Jesus, we are like lost sheep wandering about in life. With Jesus as our Shepherd, we know the way to God. Jesus guards our souls from all that would harm us. He is never off duty. He never leaves us or forsakes us. He never tires of us and will always help us as we journey through life on our way to heaven.

        Let us thank and praise Him right now. "Lord, you are our everything--our Savior, guide, protector, lover, provider, and right standing before God. Lord, we cannot thank you enough for all you have done and are now doing in our lives. We owe You our very souls, and we thank you today for saving us and keeping us right with God. Lord, we can't thank you enough. May our lives today be a thanks offering unto You. In Your name we pray. Amen."

SHOW RESPECT FOR OTHERS

 

SHOW RESPECT FOR OTHERS

I Peter 2:17 Show respect for everyone. Love your Christian brothers and sisters. Fear God. Show respect for the king.  NLT

      Show respect for everyone, not just those you agree with or like.  We should respect the fact that everyone is created by God and is given a soul.  We should respect the fact Jesus died for all of us, no matter how “bad” a person may be.  We should respect the fact that God has given honor to human life.  Some people act in such a way that we can no longer respect them for what they do or say, but they still are people created in God’s image and their lives are not a trivial thing. 

       Respect should be a given in the household of faith.  We are commanded by God to love our brothers and sisters in Christ.  You cannot properly love those who you have no respect for.  No matter how much we may disagree with each other, we must respect each other.  Who are we to trivialize someone whom Jesus died for and redeemed?  Every believer is worthy of our love and respect.

     A proper respect is rooted in a proper fear of God.  Much of the Church has lost a sense of fear for God.  Whether we want to admit it or not, we have trivialized God by eliminating our fear of Him.  God commands our respect.  He is God.  He is holy.  He is judge.  He is Lord.  A fear of God is essential for a healthy soul and healthy relationships within the church.

     What we think about God affects how we live on earth.  God commands that we respect those who rule over us.  Earthly rulers are ordained by God to keep order and to take care of His people.  Without those who rule over us, there would be utter chaos. 

      In the Church, we are commanded to respect our pastors and teachers.  Unless someone is leading the church astray or is not living a godly life, we should lend them our support and love.  We should come alongside of them to help them fulfill God’s calling on their lives.  We should respect them by heeding their instruction and applying it to our lives.  We should respect them by always striving to grow in grace and honoring the Lord in all things.  We should respect them by putting into practice what we are taught.  We should be slow to judge and quick to support them.

       We may not agree with others or get along with them, but we must respect them as people made in the image of God who have souls and deserve to be treated well.

FREE TO LIVE GODLY LIVES

 

FREE TO LIVE GODLY LIVES

I Peter 2:16 You are not slaves; you are free. But your freedom is not an excuse to do evil. You are free to live as God’s slaves.  NLT

       As believers, we are not slaves to sin; we are free from them.  What this means in a practical sense is that our attitude towards sinning changes when we are in Christ.  Instead of looking for ways to sin, we look for ways to not sin.  We strive to avoid those things which lead us into sin.  We avoid fellowship with those who will lead us into sin.  We take responsibility for our souls and strive to not sin. 

      We are the protector and guardian of our souls.  It is our duty to help ourselves keep our hearts pure.  Only Christ makes us righteous before God, but only we can take actions that keep us righteous.  The Lord does not give us a free pass to heaven that allows us to excuse sin in our lives.  We must do the work that accompanies salvation.

      Being free to live as God’s slaves means that we live the life and not just talk the talk.  We live under the authority of God’s Word.  We conform ourselves to His holy life.  We become living witnesses and servants of Christ.  We actively minister in a dark world God’s amazing grace.  We seek always to do what is right in God’s eyes, not excusing ourselves when we don’t.

     Many who proclaim Christ as their Savior live as if they are still in bondage to sin.  They just don’t seem to get a handle on this.  They struggle with sin and never seem to get victory over it.  They seem to be content with their bondage believing that since they are “saved” they are forgiven and all is well.  But, such living is not appropriate or acceptable for children of God.  Christ saves us from our sins and changes our attitude about sin.  We no longer are okay with sin.  We no longer ignore it.  We confess it and strive to not repeat it in our lives.

      Christ redeems us for His glory and it is essential for our salvation that we live to glorify Him.

GOD'S WILL--GODLY LIVING

 

GOD’S WILL—GODLY LIVING

I Peter 2:15  It is God's will that your good lives should silence those who make foolish accusations against you.  NLT

      God wants you to live in such a way that your life will shut up those who would accuse you of wrong or hypocrisy. 

      When we don't live the way He wants us to, we are out of God's will for our lives.  God will not bless those who are not living honorable lives before Him. 

       How we live affects our witness, whether we want to admit it or not.  When we don't practice what we preach, we are giving others ammunition to use against the body of Christ and even Christ himself.  People want to know what works in real life, not theories about what works.  There are all kinds of theories out there about how life should be lived and if we don't show the world how life in Christ works, we do more harm than good.

        People can come up with all kinds of arguments against what we believe, but they can't argue against what works.  When we live godly lives it silences those who oppose it.  They may not embrace it for themselves, but they can't refute godliness as it is lived out.

       Are you living God's will for you?  Are you living in such a way that no one can question whether or not your professed faith is real or not? 

       You cannot live a godly life until you let Jesus be your Lord as well as your Savior.  Only those who are fully surrendered to Christ will be able to silence those who make foolish and false accusations against them. 

        God’s will is that you live a godly life in the world.  People may wrong you for it, but God will applaud you for it.

BE CAREFUL HOW YOU LIVE

 

BE CAREFUL HOW YOU LIVE

I Peter 2:12  Be careful how you live among your unbelieving neighbors.  Even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will believe and give honor to God when he comes to judge the world.  NLT

       How careful are you with how you live amongst men?  Do you say one thing but teach something else by how you live?  Are you acting and reacting around others in such a way that they know Christ makes a difference in you?  Non-believers are not stupid.  They can spot phony believers pretty easily.  They know whether or not Christ has changed us.  If they see in us things that don't match up to what we preach and teach, they will more than likely not listen to us.  The world generally pays little attention to the Christian message because they don't see it at work like we say it does.

      When we live honorable lives before God and man, people will notice.  They may not accept what we say with their minds, but they have to accept it with their hearts.  Deep down they will know that we are who they would like to be.  When the world sees the Gospel working like it is supposed to be, they will respect us, even when they don't agree with us and oppose us.

      Strive to live in such a way that the world cannot refute the difference Christ makes in you.  Practice what you preach.  Be as consistent as possible in your application of Biblical truth.  Don't give others an excuse to reject the Gospel because of what they see in you.  Instead, give them a reason to embrace it because of how they see it at work in you.

WE DON'T BELONG HERE

 

WE DON’T BELONG HERE

I Peter 2:11 Dear brother and sisters, you are foreigners and aliens here. So I warn you to keep away from evil desires because they fight against your very souls.  NLT

      We must understand this truth.  As the old Gospel song put it, “This world is not my home; I’m just a passing through…..”  Most of us tend to get deeply attached to this world.  We don’t see ourselves as misfits in it.  We act as if this is where we will be forever.  We must change our mindset if we are ever going to live rightly before God.

      We are out of place here.  Heaven is our real home and we must act like it.  We are citizens of heaven more than we are citizens of earth.  Our identity is in heaven, not on earth.  We are not like everybody else.  We are righteous and holy before God.  We do not do as the world does.  We don’t think like the world thinks.  We don’t live for what the world lives.  We don’t fit into the world’s culture.  We are uncomfortable living in the world. 

       We must understand that we have to take charge of our souls.  We must keep away from those things which stimulate evil desires within us.  We must keep our souls pure before God so that we are fit for heaven.  We must not let the world entice us away from God.  We must not let life on earth keep us away from diligently pursuing God.  We must make the purity and growth of our souls the number one priority of our lives. 

      We must understand that the ruler of this world now is Satan.  This is his turf.  He has full reign over it and is constantly on the prowl looking for victims.  He is relentless and will not give up on his quest to lure us away from God.  He is focused on us and will do everything he can to hinder our growth in Christ or destroy our souls.  We are in a spiritual warfare as long as we are here on his turf.  In order to defeat him, we must aggressively seek the Lord at all times.  In Christ alone are we going to make it to our heavenly home.

        The better you blend into the world, the less like Christ you will be.  We have to live in this world, but we dare not live like the world.  We don’t belong here and the sooner we come to grips with that, the healthier our souls will be. 

       We are just passing through this old world.  Don’t let your roots get too deep.  Heaven is our home.  Invest your life in the things of God and great will be your reward there.

YOU ARE SPECIAL

 

YOU ARE SPECIAL

I Peter 2:9-10 But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are a kingdom of priests, God's holy nation, his very own possession. This is so you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. "Once you were not a people, now you are a people of God. Once you received none of God's mercy, now you have received his mercy."  NLT

      I like to think about these verses. I may not be a "somebody" in the world's eyes, but I am a very special person in God's eyes. He has chosen me to be His very own! He has elevated me to a position of service and responsibility. He has made me holy in His sight. He has enabled me to be a light in a dark and hopeless world. I am a somebody, because God has made me that way.

       Dear friend, as you read this today, I want you to know with your heart that you are a somebody to God. Don't believe the lie of Satan that you aren't. Our Lord has put His life into your life and made you very special. You are a child of God. You are crafted by God to play a very special role in His kingdom. You are an integral part of what the Lord is doing amongst the people you live around and associate with. You live as a witness for Christ in your world that no one else can do. The Lord has chosen YOU to be loved by Him. He has chosen you to be nurtured and empowered to serve Him. He has chosen you to be a testimony of His amazing grace. He has chosen you to show others the goodness of God.

       I want you to know today that you are a somebody to God. You belong to Him and not the world. You are who you are because the Lord wants to bless those in your life with your life. Hold your head up high today and act like the somebody you are in Him. Let the Lord have His way in you and you will never have to feel like a nobody again.

A CHOSEN PEOPLE

 

A CHOSEN PEOPLE

I Peter 2:9 But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are a kingdom of priests, God’s holy nation, his very own possession. This is so you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.  NLT

       Note first of all, we are a chosen people.  God chose us to be His own.  We are not a part of God’s family by accident.  God looks into the heart of man and chooses those whom He knows will follow Him.  He chooses us not because of who we are, but because of who we can become in Him.  God calls all people to repentance, but chooses only those who are willing to repent.  This is a mystery only fully understood by God. 

       We are chosen for a purpose.  God chooses us so that we will become a holy people able to serve Him.  He chooses us to be His and not the world’s.  He chooses us to be His own special people, a kingdom of priests.  Priests are those who serve God amongst man.  They represent God before man, bringing man to God.  Priests can only serve God with holy hearts.  They must always strive to have pure souls before they fulfill their priestly duties.  They understand that God is holy and must be respected and treated as holy.

       God chooses us to show the world the goodness of God.  We are the witness of God in the world.  We are the way God has chosen to reveal himself to the world.  In order for us to be the people God created us to be, we must keep our souls right before Him.  We must let His light shine deeply into our souls.  We must always seek Him and let Him have access to every crevice of our hearts.  We cannot be a holy people unless we go all the way with Him.  We must be totally committed to Him.  

       God’s desire is to lead us out of, and away from, the darkness into His wonderful light.  His plan is to lead you so far away from the darkness that all you can see is the Light.  You will never see the Light while peering into the darkness.  You will only be the light whom God has called you to be in the world by staying in the light and letting it capture your soul. 

       Your life is the only goodness of God many people will ever see.  Do they see enough good in you to be attracted to your Lord? 

        In order to live in the light, you must stay in the light.  You cannot be wandering off into the darkness to see what is there.  No matter how alluring it may be to you, stay away from the darkness.  Keep your eyes focused on Christ at all times.  What you find in the darkness will never satisfy your soul.  What you find in Christ always will satisfy.

JESUS, A STUMBLING BLOCK?

 

JESUS, A STUMBLING BLOCK?

I Peter 2:8-9 And the Scriptures also say, "He is the stone that makes people stumble, the rock that will make them fall."  They stumble because they do not listen to God's word or obey it, and so they meet the fate that has been planned for them. But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are a kingdom of priests. God's holy nation, his very own possession. This is so you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.  NLT

      There are two things I want to emphasize from this passage today. The first is that Jesus is the stumbling block in many people's lives and the other is that we are who we are in Christ so that we can be a witness in the world of God's transforming power.

      Two things happen when we are confronted by Jesus: either we will embrace Him or we will reject Him. To embrace Christ is to become like Him. There is no such thing as an unchanged child of God. It may not happen quickly, nor may it be easily seen, but change does indeed happen. When Jesus enters the heart He begins to get rid of all that is unholy there. He changes the way we live and think. He replaces all that is not consistent with the holiness of God with those things which are. To reject Christ is to resist the changes He wants to make in us.

      There is an outright rejection and a subtle rejection. An outright rejection is slamming the door in Christ's face and refusing to even let Him in. A subtle rejection is to let Him in, but resisting the changes He needs to make in us. It is giving lip loyalty to Him but not a life loyalty. When we fail to embrace Christ with all of our heart, mind, and soul, He becomes a stumbling block to us.

      We who are in Christ take on a new identity and become living witnesses of God's transforming power. We are on display in the world showcasing God's goodness. We become beacons of light in the darkness of the world. We don't blend into the world, we stand out from it. It becomes obvious to the world that we don't belong here, that we are citizens of heaven. We do not hold dual citizenships. We are chosen by God to represent Him on earth. We are priests of God, a holy people, a people who belong to God.

      A child of God is outstanding and outstanding in his field.

JESUS, OUR CORNERSTONE

 

JESUS, OUR CORNERSTONE

I Peter 2:6 As the Scriptures express it, "I am placing a stone in Jerusalem, a chosen cornerstone, and anyone who believes in him will never be disappointed."  NLT

      A cornerstone is the main stone in the building. It is the first stone laid and must be the best stone it can be. It must be able to withstand the pressure placed upon it by all the other stones without crumbling or cracking. If the cornerstone fails, the rest of the building is in serious jeopardy of falling.

      God has chosen Jesus as the cornerstone of our faith. Now we know that God is perfect in knowledge and judgment so it is no mistake Jesus was chosen. Jesus is the perfect one upon which to build all those of faith. He is able to withstand all the pressures placed upon Him without fear of failure. He is able to hold the household of faith together without fear of ever shifting or changing. He is flawless in character and will always be as He always has been so that the household of faith will never have to question His ability to hold them together.

       Jesus is the perfect choice to be the cornerstone of our faith and all who believe in Him will not be disappointed. He keeps every promise He makes. He purifies the heart and makes it holy for all who will allow Him to do it. He will supply every need we have, if we let Him. He will enable us to keep steadfast in faith if we let Him. He will help us to resist Satan and overcome sin if we let Him. He will use us as key building blocks in His kingdom if we will let Him. He will take us by the hand and lead us safely home to heaven if we let Him.

     The key to Jesus being the cornerstone of faith for us is our giving Him permission to fill that role. He will keep His covenant of grace to us, but not against our will. Don't deny the Lord the opportunity to be your cornerstone of faith. Let Him have His way with you.

COME TO CHRIST

 

COME TO CHRIST

I Peter 2:4-5 Come to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God's temple. He was rejected by the people, but he is precious to God who chose him. And now God is building you, as living stones, into his spiritual temple. What's more, you are God's holy priests who offer the spiritual sacrifices that please him because of Jesus Christ.   NLT

      This is God's plan for all His people. We are created in Christ to serve Him as His chosen priests amongst men. We are not zombies roaming about on earth biding our time. We are living stones, actively doing the Lord's bidding. We are first and foremost spiritual beings. Who we are in Christ takes precedence over everything else.

       We are holy priests before Him. We are not participants in sinful living. We are characterized by who we are in Christ and not who we are in the world. We are different because Christ makes us different. We are not perfect, but we are perfected in Him. And, the more we live in Christ the more we show it.

      No matter who you may think you are or aren't, God says you are special. You are specially created in Christ for Him. You have a very important role to play in the work of the Kingdom. You are a somebody because God says you are. Your value is not measured by the world's standard; it's measured by God's standard. We must not listen to what others say about us or compare ourselves to anyone else.

      We are a work in progress. The Lord is building you into His spiritual temple. He knows you are not who you need to be or will be. He will not stop working on you until He is ready to take you home. Be patient and don't let what may seem to you to be a lack of progress discourage you. The Lord will complete what He has begun in you.

       Live like the person God says you are. The Lord believes in you. Believe you are who He says you are.

CRAVE SPIRITUAL MILK

 

CRAVE SPIRITUAL MILK

I Peter 2:2-3 You must crave pure spiritual milk so that you can grow into the fullness of your salvation. Cry out for this nourishment as a baby cries for milk, now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness.  NLT

      There is such a thing as impure spiritual milk.  It is those things that are not true to God’s Word.  It is compromised or distorted truth.  It is convenient truth.  It is insufficient truth.  It is truth that never inspires or challenges one to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord. 

       It is imperative that we crave for that which is pure.  For the health of your soul, be sure that you only sit under the teaching of the authoritative Word of God accurately proclaimed and taught.  Think enough about yourself to not settle for anything that impedes your spiritual growth.  You deserve to learn the whole truth of God’s Word.

      We must crave pure spiritual milk.  We must desire to be nourished by the Word.  We must grow in our desire for it.  We must constantly desire to discover what the Word says and seek to apply it to life.  It is impossible for the soul to mature in faith without a steady input of the Word.

      We must never be satisfied with what we have.  We must cry out for more.  Like a baby who cries for his milk, seemingly never satisfied, so should it be with us with the Word of God.  There should be an insatiable appetite for more.  We must understand this crucial truth; we cannot survive spiritually without a consistent feeding of our souls with the Word of God.  A casual or occasional reading of the Word simply will not meet our soul’s needs.

      The natural goal of every believer should be to grow into the fullness of faith.  It is abnormal for a believer to not want to grow in faith.  It is abnormal for him to be comfortable with where he may be in his faith walk and not seek to grow. 

      Tasting the Lord’s kindness should inspire us to even greater experiences with Him.  The Lord’s kindness is His embracing love.  It is to know we are forgiven and have eternal life.  It is to know His peace and the joy of salvation.  Blessed are those who constantly crave more and more of the Lord at work in them.

       If you truly love the Lord, you will not ever get enough of Him.  You will want to be with Him all the time.  You will want Him to want to be with you.  You will want what He offers to you.  You will always crave for more of Him.  Your constant cry will be, “Feed me more, O Lord.  Feed me more.”

THE BREVITY OF LIFE

 

THE BREVITY OF LIFE

I Peter 1:24 As the prophet says, "People are like grass that dies away; their beauty fades as quickly as the beauty of wildflowers. The grass withers, and the flowers fall away. But the word of the Lord will last forever."  NLT

       We discover two essentials truths here we must grasp: the brevity of life and the length of eternal life. We act like life on earth will last forever. We ignore the signs of aging. We continue to pursue earthly gain as long as we are able. We do our best to stay as young and as productive as possible. We keep relying on the wisdom of the world which promises us longer and richer lives. We struggle with aging naturally.

      We also ignore eternal life. We dismiss from our thoughts that there is life after death that will never end. We don't want to think about it too much lest we take it too seriously. We stay focused on life as we know it and fail to grasp fully what awaits us in eternity.

      We also tend to forget that what God has given to us in His Word is eternal truth. It is as true and applicable for us today as much as it was for the people to whom it was given, and it will always be relevant to people who follow us. God never changes His Word. It is for all people for all time. We tend to devalue its worth to us because it was written so long ago. We must reconsider our thinking. God is still speaking to us through His Word and we must listen to it and obey it.

      Listen, you are getting older and will die. Life goes by so quickly! Don't waste it away by chasing after things that don't last. Don't believe Satan's lie about the worth of earthly pursuits. God's Word is the only thing that is time-proof. What comes out of God's mouth is eternal. It alone is worth giving our lives for.

       Satan wants you to believe that life is not eternal, that when you die it’s all over.  But, the reality is, when you die life begins.  How you live on earth will determine where and how you will live eternally. 

SINCERE, INTENSE LOVE

 

SINCERE, INTENSE LOVE

I Peter 1:22 Now you can have sincere love for each other as brothers and sisters because you were cleansed from your sins when you accepted the truth of the Good News. So see to it that you really do love each other intensely with all your hearts.  NLT

       I wonder what would be different in our churches if we were to take today's verse to heart. Just how intensely do we really love each other? Are we as concerned and involved in each other's lives as we ought to be? What do we do to show our love? Love without action is only a word. Love compels us to take an invested interest in people. It compels us to respond to needs when we learn of them. It compels us to withhold judgment on others unless it is clearly directed by Scripture to do so. It compels us to see the good in others and dwell on it instead of the weaknesses people have. Love is not a convenience, it is the fruit of a heart that is right with God.

If we truly love others, we will befriend them and stand by their side as they endeavor to grow in faith. We will accept others without strings attached. We will work together for the cause of Christ and not let our own agendas get in the way. This is true within our individual churches, and it is true in the body of Christ as a whole.

      We can't make people love each other intensely from the depth of their hearts. Most people don't and won't get it. But, what about you? Just because others don't love as they should, it doesn't excuse us. The mandate to love is clear in the Scriptures. We can make a huge difference for Christ by setting a godly example of loving for others to follow. To do anything less, is to live in disobedience to God.

       Our capacity to love is directly related to our relationship with Christ. To not live a life of love is to not live in a proper relationship with Christ.

NO FAVORITES

 

NO FAVORITES

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

       No matter who a person may be in the world or church, God treats all people the same.  He judges each of us by His holy standards.  He looks into the heart and determines the motives behind our actions.  He sees the extent to which we are righteous and holy.  He will not be swayed by what we do.  Instead, He will be swayed by why we do what we do.  His understanding of the heart is perfect and there will be no mistakes.

      God determines our judgment or rewards.  It is to Him alone that we will give an account.  It should therefore cause us to live in reverent fear of Him as we journey through this life.  This is the biggest problem most Christians have; we don’t live in reverent fear of God.  A proper attitude toward God involves many things.

      We have become too familiar with God.  We are more buddies than we are worshipers of Him.  We have lost our sense of awe of Him.  We have made Him more like one of us than the God He is.  We marvel at His handiwork, yet fail to worship Him as the creator of it all.  We have lost our sense of His holy nature.  Our worship is more of a performance or duty than it is an expression of our heart of love for Him.

       Our comfort with God has affected our sense of fear for Him.  We easily dismiss sinful behavior because we are not struck with the hatred God has for it because He is holy.  We no longer are under the law of God therefore we have become convinced that we won’t be judged for our sins because of grace.  We have accepted the fact that eternal life means that we will make it to heaven regardless of how we live on earth. 

       You cannot live in grace unless you have a reverent fear for God.  The will to not sin flows from our respect for God and our desire to please Him.  Reverence for God should stop us in our tracks when we are tempted to sin.  Grace can flourish only in the heart of those who are determined to be respectful to God and not sin against Him. 

      God shows no favoritism; he will judge all people justly.  He saves us and commands us to grow, go, and glow in the world.  He looks upon our living and judges the heart motives behind our living.  Are you living in reverent fear of our God?

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.

OBEY GOD; BE HOLY

 

OBEY GOD; BE HOLY

I Peter 1:14-16 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. 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

       For the most part, the church has either forgotten or ignored these verses. We like our faith to not be messy. We don't want to get down to the nitty-gritty task of cleaning up our messes. We want the benefits of faith, but not the demands of faith. We excuse ourselves when we sin because we are in grace and not the law. We admit our guilt, but don't let it bother us too much. We change just enough to get by, with little interest in pursuing the deeper walk of faith known as holiness.

      Yet, God commands it. He doesn't give us an option in this. He is our Father and He demands our obedience. We can't get around this truth. As His children, we are not allowed to continue in our sinful ways. We are commanded to be holy, just as He is holy. This means that we purposely strive to not sin. It means we seek after the things of God as a way of life. It means we identify that which is sinful in us and deal with it before God. It means we identify what is sinful to us and strive to avoid them.

      Being holy takes work. It does not come naturally to us. It is the fruit of maturing faith. It is the goal of faith, but it has no end. Holiness is achievable only in degrees. We can always become more holy. God is holy and therefore to be holy is to be more like God. We cannot become like God to the degree He is holy, but we must certainly continuously become more holy.

      How are you doing? Does holiness characterize your life? Are you at peace with how much like God you are becoming? Or, are you a mess that needs to be cleaned up?

      If you are holy, you will desire and strive to resist sinning. You will develop the discipline of saying no to sin when it rears its ugly head in your life.

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 yet 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 drive 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 a 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 hearts.  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.