2014-03-14
Good Morning Dear Ones,
One of the greatest blessings we have is something we can’t see but is nevertheless very real. Just as God rehearsed His history with Abraham “His friend” [IS 41: 8-9], He reminds us of this blessing in IS 41: 10, “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you by My right hand.” Mankind never knew what friendship was until God showed us. One example of where He showed it was with the ancient Jews under king Jehoshaphat. God’s friendship came at the time they were being besieged by a combined enemy army of Ammorites, Edomites, and Moabites. God gave them specific directions when He saw the king lead his Hebrew subjects into prayer first, despite their fear. Over that campaign, not one single arrow was released against the Jews, but instead the opposing armies killed each other amidst great confusion [2 CH 20: 1-30]. Please read this story, if you haven’t already, and look for the wonderful lessons in it.
Our Covenant Partner was far from through being a Friend, as we see in RO 5: 9-11. “Since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through Him! For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, through Whom we now receive reconciliation.” Yes, our Covenant Partner has made us God’s friends!
One might ask why do we need reconciliation, and the answer is clear. We have both inherited sin –a product of the original sin and our being the progeny of Adam and Eve—and we have ourselves committed sins. We, who are true believers in Jesus Christ, have confessed, repented, and genuinely expressed that faith. Christ’s Atonement has opened us to justification, eternal forgiveness, and salvation. Without His Atonement, none of this would have been available to us [JN 3: 16; RO 3: 24-25; RO 4: 3; 1 TIM 2: 5; 1 JN 1: 9]. Because of the Great Commission [MT 28: 19-20], we have accepted another responsibility, that of witnessing to our faith to spread the truth to those not yet believers. One more responsibility, which leads us to inner peace, is living “in Christ” as faithfully obedient believers who follow God’s word and make His will our own.
It is this new way of life that comes after we accept Christ as our personal Savior that serves to change us. Our Covenant Partner has done His part, as we see in RO12: 1-2, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing, and perfect will.” This principle is also reflected in JN 10: 10-11 [Christ’s words], “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” Further illumination is seen in 1 PET 3: 18-19, “For Christ died for sins, once and for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, through Whom He went and preached to the spirits in prison.” What was this prison? It is certain spiritual death that comes as the “wages of sin” [RO 6: 23]. It is permanent separation from God.
Having written here about what God has done, let’s spend this week in a careful, non-guilt-provoking assessment of our own history with God and our heart- attitudes. That may seem like a tall order, but it’s necessary for us to self-evaluate how well we are living up to the Paradigm God has given us. We don’t have to worry that our Covenant Partner has been doing and will continue to do His part. Our need, as sinners always in need of improvement, is to know how well we are doing ours. God wants us to participate with Him in the process of our individual sanctification. It isn’t always easy and requires our honesty with Him and ourselves. We have subtle, often-hidden sins that must be uncovered and expunged. God is polishing each facet of His human gems He has created. We must make ourselves available to Him, as He does to us for this process to be forwarded. We must submit to Him. This week, pray PS 31: 3-5, “You are my Refuge and Defense; guide me and lead me as You have promised. Keep me safe from the snare that has been set for me; shelter me from danger. I place myself in Your care; You will save me, Lord; You are a faithful God.” If we will do this, more and more of His wonderful light will shine through us in the way we live our lives and the relationships we have.
PRAYER: O Lord, as we delve more deeply into what a covenant relationship really means, we are learning that it involves a two-way cooperation with you and each other. This important principle means that submission to You and Your will is the key to success. We can define success on earth as feeling comfortable in our own skins, having an on-going interaction with You, and serving the needs of others using the talents You have given us. An underlying foundation of this is our recognition of our need for thankfulness and offering praise to You. Even when the going gets rough, we should thank and praise You for the blessings of Your presence, Your provision, Your interaction, Your protection, Your wisdom and so much more. To You, Dearest Abba, we offer EX 15: 2, “The Lord is my ‘Strength and my Song. He has become my Salvation. He is my God and I will praise Him; my father’s God, and I will exalt Him.” You have given us the hope of the resurrection through the Atonement of Your Son, Jesus Christ. 1 PET 1: 3-4, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy, He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade—kept in heaven for you…” This means to us that we can permanently interrupt the road to certain spiritual death with our repentance and faith in Him. It is through Him that we can overcome evil and the fear of our death, as well. HE 2: 14-15, “Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity, so that by His death, He might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” Dearest Abba, we offer You our heartfelt praise and thanks with the words of PS 30: 11-12, “You have changed my sadness into a joyful dance; You have taken away my sorrow and surrounded me with joy. So, I will not be silent; I will sing praise to You. Lord, you are my God; I will give you thanks forever.” This prayer is said in the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ, Your Son and our Savior. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: The Holy Spirit now leads me to write about our part in the process of sanctification as Christ’s covenant friends. This has to do with how our covenant relationships with God and each other change our interactions and attitudes. We’ll take a look at its impact on some ancient people and on us in modern times. In the meanwhile, it is my hope that our need for continually praising and thanking God for our blessings can be seen. Our lives will always have trials, challenges, and losses in them. But our abiding faith in the Lord Jesus can be lived out in the way we respond to them and to God’s efforts to purify and perfect us in sanctification. I have often written that God loves for us to rehearse our history with Him in prayer and the attitudes we hold. PS 143: 5, “I remember the days of old, I think about all Your deeds, I meditate on the works of Your hands.” Why is this important? It is because we will look at the blessings—small and large—around us and in our own lives. We will begin to appreciate what God really does for us and how active in our lives He really is. PS 9: 12, “For He Who avenges blood remembers; He does not ignore the cries of the afflicted.” Our God loves us more than we realize. He has promised never to abandon us [PS 9: 9-10]. He has told us, in IS 65: 2a, “Before they call, I will answer; while they are yet speaking, I will hear.” If we remember that if our God doesn‘t answer our pleas right away, it is for His righteous reasons, and He has far greater perspective than mankind. His love for us is eternal and is made complete when we love one another. Praise and thanks be to Him forever!
Grace Be With You Always
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2014. All Rights Reserved.
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