2007-05-25
Good Morning Children of God,
For the last few weeks, the Holy Spirit has been directing me to write about the five statements of faith in the context of materialism. As a recap, here are the first four already discussed: God is Who He says He is; God can do what He says He can do; We are who God says we are; we can do all things through Christ Who strengthens us [PHIL 4: 13]. Today we will look at the fifth and last of these statements of faith: The word of God is active and alive in us.
Has it ever occurred to us that there is a pattern of passing down certain traits, once we become children of God? In a way, it's like inheriting hair color, eye color, body type etc. from one's earthly parents. As we mature spiritually, we become more and more defined by our relationship with the Father. We begin to acquire His traits passed on to us in a very orderly way when we first come to faith in Him and repent of past sins. As God perfects us in the process of sanctification, we take on some of His strength, moral convictions, and goodness. JOB 23: 10, "Yet God knows every step I take; if He tests me, He will find me pure," the beleaguered Job said about sanctification. And indeed, God does sanctify us by His "refining fire" [tests] in His hard task of purifying us to prepare us for our glorification one day. JER 1: 18-19 reveals how God strengthens us. [God speaking at the time of Jeremiah's commission as a prophet] "Listen Jeremiah! Everyone in this land-the kings of Judah, the officials, the priests, and the people –will be against you. But today I am giving you the strength to resist them; you will be like a fortified city, an iron pillar, and a bronze wall. They will not defeat you, for I will be with you to protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken." PS 16: 2 points out a simple but huge truth. "I said to the Lord, 'You are my Lord. Every good thing I have comes from You.'" Certainly we will never acquire all that God is or has, but we will come nearer to Him than we are right now, near enough (with endurance in faith), that we can have eternal joy and sweet fellowship with Him in the hereafter.
Part of this orderly taking on of some of God's traits is done in each of the areas of talents with which He has fitted us-some healers, some pastors, some scholars, some with amazing physical agility, and so on. No matter what talents He gives us, they are meant to be used for God's purposes. That is why Christ said in JN 15: 5, "I am the Vine and you are the branches. Whoever remains in Me and I in Him, will bear much fruit. Without Me you can do nothing." We also slowly and gradually acquire God's moral traits-things which the fruits of the Spirit produce [GA 5: 22-23]. God teaches us to "tell the truth in love," for example [EPH 4: 15], over psychological game playing, keeping destructive secrets, or gossiping. God gave us the Ten Commandments [EX 20: 1-17] with the full intention that we should live by them. He reminds us often in His word to live righteously. For example, "Be holy, because I am holy [LV 11: 44-45; LV 19: 2; 1 PET 1: 16]. He is consistent in His teaching, asking us to pray for His direction and wisdom in thought, word, and deed.
In the context of materialism, He tells us outright that He will supply our needs. PHIL 4:19, "And with all His abundant wealth through Christ Jesus, my God will supply all your needs." And through experience, we learn gradually what is the difference between needs and wants. At the very heart of all of this is the issue of trust. Put more simply: Do we trust God to keep His promises? It's a question each of us must ask ourselves. This should be done in the course of ordinary, non-guilt-provoking self evaluation. And it should be done as often as it is appropriate, which for some may be very often. JN 6: 37, "Everyone whom My Father gives Me will come to Me. I will never turn away from anyone who comes to Me." Trusting Him is one of the moral traits a mature Christian takes on from the Father. That is true even when temptation to misuse material wealth is present. Are we ever perfect? Only God can answer that one. Surely I don't believe we can be perfect prior to our glorification [our trip to our permanent homes in heaven in which we are given an immortal body -1 COR 15: 42-50].
There are numerous Scripture references in this message in an effort to demonstrate that as true believers in Jesus Christ, the word of God is active and alive in us. The very fact that we are spiritually alive at all is described in RO 6: 5, 9-11, "For since we have become one with Him in dying as He did, in the same way we shall be one with Him by being raised to life as He was...For we know that Christ has been raised from death and will never die again-death will no longer rule over Him. And so because He died, sin has no power over Him; and now He lives His life in fellowship with God. In the same way you are to think of yourselves as dead, so far as sin is concerned, but living in the fellowship with God through Christ Jesus." Put this together with the forgiveness [HE 8: 12] and justification [RO 4: 5] we receive when we come to faith, and we, as true believers, are indeed spiritually alive in the word of God. The final description for our maturing relationship with God comes in JN 1: 1-4, which I hope you will read and reread, meditating on how this applies directly to our lives-thoughts, decisions, actions. Let me conclude with COL 3: 3-4, "For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Your real life is Christ and when He appears, then you too will appear with Him and share His glory!"
PRAYER: O Lord, You sent Your Word [Jesus Christ] to serve a valuable ministry, suffer, take on the sins of the world and die on the cross-all so that we could become alive in Him and be saved. You gave us Your word [Your teaching in the Scriptures-PS 1: 1-2] and the Holy Spirit [JN 14: 16-18], so that we could understand it and live by it. Yes, Dearest Abba, You even give us the hope of the resurrection, since He was "the first among many brothers" [RO 8: 29] and the promise of being "joint heirs" to Your Kingdom with Him [RO 8: 17]. How can we not conclude from all of this that we owe it to You to obey Your commands, thank and praise You every day, and honor You with our worship and adoration? We are sinners, Your imperfect human creation made that way by the work of the evil one. However, through Christ and our faith in Him, You love us enough to give us a way out of certain spiritual death. We offer You today our firm commitment to work hard in cooperating with You in the task of our sanctification-as individuals and as a part of congregations. You have gifted us with lasting friendships with other believers, people who teach us how to become stronger in our faithful obedience to You. You have given us the ability to perceive Your presence, and You give us direction for our lives through prayer, daily study of Your word, and the circumstances of our lives. And yes, Father, You test our faith as precious metals are put to the refiner's fire. PR 27: 17, 21, People learn from one another, just as iron sharpens iron...Fire tests gold and silver; a person's reputation can also be tested." We stand before Your mighty throne to offer You praise, adoration, worship, loyalty, honor, glory, and thanks for all You are and all You do [PS 105: 1-2; PS 115: 1]. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
Next week, we will begin a new segment of these messages based on the Sermon on the Mount. It is all about temptation and how it challenges faith. There isn't a one of us that doesn't come up against some form of temptation, and the latter is the work of the adversary. However, we can take great comfort in knowing what we learn from 1 COR 10: 13, "Every test that you have experienced is the kind that normally comes to people. But God keeps His promise, and He will not allow you to be tested beyond your power to remain firm; at the time you are put to the test, He will give you the strength to endure it, and so provide you with a way out." Still, we must examine the issues associated with temptation and Christ's own words about it for a deeper understanding of how to make God's will our own. No one said it would be easy, but God promises You His wonderful help along the way. Each test to which our faith is put is designed to strengthen us as we deal with it. Our Lord is so wise that no one on earth can match His wisdom. He is the Captain of the team on which we need to be. PS 51: 6 is a plea for His wisdom in our lives. "Sincerity and truth are what your require; fill my mind with wisdom." And from our hearts we can rely that His presence in our lives will bless us. DT 33: 27, "God has always been your Defense; His everlasting arms are your support." Hallelujah! Praise be to God!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn