CONTINUE IN LOVE

 

CONTINUE TO LOVE

Heb. 13:1 Continue to love each other with true Christian love. NLT

Why is loving each other in Christ so hard for us to do? There are so many divisions in the Church today that are the result of our inability to love each other that it is scary. What is our problem? I know that sin breaks the bond of fellowship, but shouldn’t we be able to overcome our sin if the love of Christ is in us?

True lovers of Christ find a way to love those they disagree with. There will always be things that we don’t agree on, but they should never hinder us from loving the redeemed. We often use our differences as an excuse to not love and fellowship with other believers. We take a holier-than-thou attitude towards those who are different than us in understanding instead of embracing them. Why? Doesn’t Jesus love all His children? How can we say we love Him and not love those for whom He died and redeemed?

Loving each other is a lifelong process. We are to continue to love. There is no time limit on when we can stop loving each other. There are no conditions given as to who we are to love, only a command. When we fail to love the brethren, regardless of the church family they may be a part of, we are sinning against God.

Loving others involves grace and forgiveness. You cannot love someone you are not willing to forgive, regardless of what they may have said or done to hurt you. Think about it. I know that it is hard to love someone who may have hurt you, but in Christ it is commanded and made possible through Him.

Consider how the love of Christ can be fleshed out in the Church and then do it. Begin in the church you are a part of and then branch out to all of God’s children. If you do, you will please God.

OUR INDESTRUCTIBLE KINGDOM

 

OUR INDESTRUCTIBLE KINGDOM

Heb. 12:28-29 Since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be destroyed, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. For our God is a consuming fire. NLT

The Kingdom of God cannot be destroyed. Therefore, let us approach God with thanksgiving always. Consider this great life Christ has given us in Him. Meditate upon it until you are overwhelmed by it. Let this mysterious life of God’s love fleshed out in you capture your heart. Think much about what it means to have your sins forgiven and forgotten by God. Consider the horrible life Christ has saved you from both here on earth and in all of eternity. Take in the wonder of the workings of God’s grace in you until your soul rises up in great thanksgiving.

We are receiving the Kingdom of God. We don’t have it yet. We are moving towards that day in which it will be ours to claim. The life of faith is a process requiring us to daily walk with the Lord. As long as our hearts are open vessels that can receive the things of God, we will lay hold of the Kingdom someday.

With gratitude in our hearts, let us always strive to please God by living with a worshipful spirit of holy fear and awe. It is good for the soul to live with a deep sense of God’s holiness. We should respect the holiness of God, knowing that no sin will ever enter into His presence. Let the awareness of God’s holiness move you to diligently guard your soul from sin. It is good to have a holy fear of God. If we don’t fear God in His holiness, we will not stand guard over our souls and we will let sin creep in.

We should never lose our sense of awe over who God is. It is good for the soul to dwell on the glory and majesty of God. It is good to consider the greatness of God in power and love. It is good to feast on the absolute perfection of God in all that is good and holy. It is good to feast on the unfathomable mind of God and His eternal life. God is beyond all of our imaginings.

We have no real sense of who God really is in all His glory. He gives us only a little glimpse of himself because the human mind cannot comprehend Him. It is good for us to never lose our sense of awe of Him.

God is a consuming fire and all will pass under His fiery gaze. No sin will be kept hidden from Him. He will not be deceived by our righteousness. Only those whose righteousness is Christ will survive His searching gaze. He will not misjudge any soul. All who are in Christ will be with Him forever and ever and all who aren’t in Christ will be in the cesspool of His wrath forever and ever with all those who are cast into the lake of fire where there will be ceaseless pain and agony of soul and body.

Don’t mess around with your soul. Choose Christ today because no one is guaranteed a tomorrow. All that awaits you in your tomorrows is eternal hellfire if you die without knowing Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord.

BE A WATCHMAN

 

BE A WATCHMAN

Heb. 12:15 Look after each other so that none of you will miss out on the special favor of God. Watch out that no bitter root of unbelief rises up among you, for whenever it springs up, many are corrupted by its poison. NLT

Each of us is a watchman in the household of faith. We are to look after each other so that none of us miss out on God’s favor. God favors those who live in Christ, so we need to be aware of each other’s walk of faith and if we notice things aren’t right, we need to get involved and redirect the soul back to Christ. We tend to ignore each other’s progress in faith. Out of fear of being perceived as judgmental, nosey, or better than others, we don’t say anything. We are afraid of offending someone so we keep quiet. But, it’s not what the Lord wants us to do. We are to show love and concern for each other and that means we sometimes need to point out to others a need to get back on track spiritually. Many problems could be avoided if we were to do this.

We must be aware of those amongst us who are not saved. Some people attend church simply because they like to hear what is being said. Some attend because they believe with their heads but not their hearts. Some attend because of the expectations of others. Some attend for personal gain in the sight of man. Whatever the reason, not all who attend church do so because they are saved. We must be careful that we don’t allow those who are not saved to poison those who are. There are those in the church who will lead others astray. They will preach and teach another Gospel. They will convince others that sin is no big deal, that a loving God will never allow anyone go to a place called hell.

Scripture warns us that in the last days there will be much unbelief in the Church. People will be persuaded by those who will tell them what they want to hear instead of the truth. Keep your soul in a good, godly condition and you will recognize these deceivers in the Church. Stay right with God and you will not be poisoned by their teachings. Stay in the Word so that you can recognize truth from error. Stay on the lookout and help protect each other from these false teachers. Keep your eyes peeled lest anyone amongst you miss out on salvation because they have believed a lie.

HOW TO HAVE PEACE

 

HOW TO HAVE PEACE

Heb. 12:14 Try to live in peace with everyone, and seek to live a clean and holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord. NLT

Notice first of all that we are to try. We cannot live with peace with those who refuse to live peaceably. We have to do what we can on our part, but we can't make others do what is right if they are determined not to. That being said, how are we live a peaceful life?

We live a clean and holy life before God. We do what is right before God. We don't ignore our sins. We don't neglect our time in God's Word or prayer. We don't shrink away from opportunities to serve the Lord. We don't rest on our laurels and coast along in faith. We always strive to learn more about the Lord, His ways, and how to apply them to our lives. We seek excellence in our walk with the Lord.

Satan wants us to believe that it's not necessary and really doesn't matter. He wants us to believe that all we need is to confess Jesus as our Savior and we are home free. But, those who are not holy will not see the Lord. It's a sobering thought isn't it? We don't hear this truth being taught much anymore. But, it does matter to God how we live. Our lives must match up to our teachings. God does not play games with us. Those who are not living in holiness will not see Him. Christ is our holiness so we must live in Christ and become more and more like Him. There is no getting around this truth.

How about it? Are you looking like Christ, or is your Christ looking a lot like you? Are you acting and thinking like Christ is in you and controlling you? If not, you need to bow before Him right now and let him straighten out the mess you are making with your life. We are created by God in Christ to be holy and unless we are, we won't see the Lord. God's words, not mine.

PEACEFUL LIVING

 

PEACEFUL LIVING

Heb. 12:14 Try to live in peace with everyone, and seek to live a clean and holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord. NLT

The truth of the matter is that we are not going to live at peace with everyone. There simply are people who have personal issues that won’t allow them to get along with us. They are cantankerous and will not allow themselves to let go of the things about us that bother them. However, their spirit does not let us off the hook. We must do our part and try to live at peace with everyone. We cannot excuse ourselves because of the attitude and behavior of others. The Lord commands us to do our part and strive to live at peace with everyone.

We are to seek to live a clean and holy life. Here is an area that every believer in Christ needs to linger over. So many of us pay little heed to the need we have to keep our hearts pure and live a holy life. God’s standards are very high and He commands us to strive to live by them. Holiness is not an option; it’s a necessity if we are going to see God. There is no excuse for the believer to ignore this command from God. Holy living is vital for all who desire to see the Lord. There is no leniency on this. God is holy and will never tolerate unholy people in His presence.

The message is very clear; unholy people will not see the Lord. Holy people do not live in sin. They do not take a nonchalant attitude about sin. They do not have a self-righteous attitude. They are not proud of their goodness. They do not rely on past righteousness. They see themselves as a broken people before God and seek His face for forgiveness. They understand that Christ’s forgiveness is their only hope for seeing God. A holy people are a humbled people before God who constantly seek to know Him in a deeper way.

Can you honestly declare yourself to be holy before God today? If not, today is the day of salvation. Today your heart can be cleansed and be made pure before God. Today He can declare you to be holy through Jesus Christ our Lord. Confess your sins and He is faithful and just and will forgive your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteousness (I John 1:9).

ARE YOU WEARY?

 

ARE YOU WEARY?

Heb. 12:12-13 So take a new grip with your tired hands and stand firm on your shaky legs. Mark out a straight path for your feet. Then those who follow you, though they are weak and lame, will not stumble and fall but will become strong. NLT

Life can be wearisome, especially as we grow older. We get more prone to tiredness and our bodies begin to fail us. The same thing can hold true in our spiritual lives. We can get battle weary. It can get to us after a while. Satan is a relentless enemy and seldom leaves us alone to rest.

If you find yourself getting weary, get a new grip on the Lord. What you have been doing to keep you faithful to the Lord may not be working as well now for you. Examine what you are doing. Do you need to spend more concentrated time in the Word? Do you need to allow for more time in your prayer closet? Do you need to include some Bible study fellowship in your routine? Do you need to be better prepared for worship? Do you need to be more involved in church life? Do you need to switch churches so that the preaching and teaching is more Biblical and practical? Do you need to take a rest and let others minister to you instead of you doing all the ministering? Do you need to rest more in what Christ can do instead of what you can do? You will never be able to regain spiritual strength so that you can stand steadily if you don’t get a newer, more firm grip on the Lord.

Let the Lord mark out your path. Let Him lead you through your life. Observe His ways and follow them. Don’t be foolish and follow a path that leads you away from the Lord. Let the Lord set your course and with determination follow it.

When we live with the Lord being our priority and director of life, we influence those around us to stay the course of faith. Those who follow us are strengthened by the example we set before them. There is no greater witness than the witness of a life lived well in faith.

TAKE A NEW GRIP

 

TAKE A NEW GRIP

Heb. 12:12-13 So take a new grip with your tired hands and stand firm on your shaky legs. Mark out a straight path for your feet. Then those who follow you, though they are weak and lame, will not stumble and fall but will become strong. NLT

Are you getting tired and weary in your struggle against sin? Do you find yourself slipping more and more into it? It might be in how you act, what you think about, or how you react to life and others. Be honest, are you losing battles that you know you should be winning?

Now is the time to take a new grip on your faith. Tell the Lord about your struggles and failures. Tell Him about your frustrations over not being able to resist your desires to sin. Ask Him to give you the strength to hold on tighter. Ask Him to show you a better way to live. Ask Him to take over the guiding system of your life and mark out a straight path for you to follow. Ask Him to take you deeper into His Word and to speak to you more clearly and loudly through His Spirit. Ask Him to give you the power to do these things.

There are those who are following in your footsteps. Like it or not, you are having an impact on others and how they relate to God. How you are following Christ will make a difference in those who love and respect you. You will either make or break some people's faith.

You are either a part of the problem or the solution in others' lives, depending on your own faith walk. The Lord holds us accountable for how we walk with Him. Are you stumbling around or walking strong? Is your pathway straight, leading you to heaven, or do you wander around in circles?

Hang on tightly to the Lord, stand firmly on the solid ground of faith, be a good example worthy to be followed. Great is your reward in heaven.