2016-06-10
Good Morning Dear Ones,
For the last few weeks, we’ve been looking at the warnings contained in the book of Colossians. They’ve dealt with spiritual warfare, the need to demonstrate the fruits of the Spirit, a reminder of what God has already done for us, knowing the mystery of God, the danger of human regulations, the need to eschew false humility, how angel worship disqualifies a person for eternal life, the need to be holy, prayerful, and watchful, and the need to stand firm in God’s will. With attention to all these things, people can live in harmony with each other. Today, we will turn the spotlight on the last three issues mentioned here.
Being holy is being the way God wants for us. It means knowing His will and living in accordance with it. The only ways we can do this is through listening to God in prayer, being alert to the interference of the evil one, and standing firm in God’s will in thought, word, and deed. We are meant to live in harmony with each other, and not to constantly be locked in the horns of controversy. Let’s look at some Scriptural support for this notion. MT 5: 44-45a [Christ’s words], “But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.” PR 25: 21-22, “If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you.” RO 12: 14-17, 19, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with each other. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. RO 14: 1, 4, 7-8, 13, and 17-18, “Accept Him whose faith is weak without passing judgment on disputable matters...Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master, he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand…For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord…Therefore, let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way…For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.”
COL 4: 5-6 adds some further instructions for being holy we are given. “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders, make the most of every opportunity . Let your conversation be always full of grace seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” Prayer is a huge foundation on which to build in relational witnessing. I wanted to do this for a long time, but the opportunity didn’t come up until Oct. ’13. That’s when I went to work for In Search of Shalom, a Toronto-based organization which sets up secured computer chats with seekers from all over the world, in all walks of life. This daunting task is made possible by remarkable software, which contains language translation capacity. I can see now why God didn’t present the opportunity to me until then. I’m on the other end of the chat-line six hours a week. I needed the time to develop a mature prayer life, a working knowledge of the Scriptures, and enough wisdom from living long enough to help younger people who chat in with us. I’m not perfect, but I do try my best to follow all the warnings mentioned in the last few devotions I’ve sent to you. We get all kinds of seekers—some serious with a good knowledge of the Bible, some young and in need of confidential, wise advice on building faith in Jesus Christ, some who are Atheists, and some who are fools using foul language and wasting my time and theirs. The latter get one warning to clean up their language and have a helpful chat, and if they refuse, I abort the chat. All of the others get my best wisdom out of many years of life’s experience and the word of God. Patience and politeness are my habits. Every chat opens with, “How can I help you? Do you know that God loves you so much that He sent His only Son, Jesus, to the cross, so that all who believe in Him can have everlasting life?” This is my way of setting the tone of what follows and conveying that all important message of JN 3: 16 and RO 3: 24-25. The bottom line is the difference between a God-centered belief system and one that is man-centered. Some of the questions I’m asked are profound and lead to some great chats. An example is: Do Islam and Judeo-Christianity believe in the same God? Another is: What must I do to strengthen my faith in Jesus Christ? I often share four suggestions: Pray often, asking for God’s help and remembering to rehearse the blessings He has already given you; spend time daily reading the Scriptures and remember to meditate on any messages God has for you; get active in a Christ-led church, one that bases all it does on the Bible and prayer; join a good Bible study with others, and you will make lasting, faith-strengthening friendships. These four can really jump-start one’s way to eventual mature belief and can truly bless one’s life.
PRAYER: O Heavenly Father, You, in the profundity of Your wisdom and righteousness, select the perfect time and way for us to fulfill Your will for our lives. No human can surpass Your ability or power to do this. We acknowledge that You sent our Lord, Jesus, to minister, suffer, die on the cross, and be resurrected to make it possible for us to get out from under the weight of our sins. You want us to know You better; Your decisions and actions are to bless us with gaining eternal life with You. IS 55: 8-9, “’For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.’” This is Your reality. We are surrounded at all times by the warmth of Your love, and we accept that without Your presence and intervention in our lives, we have nothing and are useless [JN 15: 5]. With it, we can serve You and our fellow mankind in ways we never dreamed possible. You have set aside two purposes for our lives, the immediate one and the cosmic one. The immediate purpose is tied with the talents you have given us. These are described in RO 12: 6-8. You have given us unique personalities to go with these talents. And, You lead us into careers that You intend for Kingdom-building here on earth. The cosmic purposes for our lives are tied to the legacy each of us will leave behind for future generations. We usually can’t know what they should be, unless we learn them after returning to Your side in heaven. We are sure, however, that both these purposes will be fulfilled if we faithfully obey You in the conduct of our earthly lives. In Your perfect time and way, You always hold up Your end of our covenant relationship with You, and You hope that we will do the same. We declare our intention to be Your servants and friends, living righteously and being faithfully obedient to You, in a way which pleases You. Your patience, love, generosity, and kindness is deeply appreciated. We offer You praise and thanks in the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: We will look at standing firm in our faith, something that matters tremendously to living a holy, righteous life, next week. In the meanwhile, we are reminded that our Paradigm lives among us, making Himself available at all times to us. How blessed is that!? When we suffer during our trials, He is there suffering with us. When we enjoy a victory in our lives, no matter how large or small, He is there to celebrate with us. He feels our pain and knows our joy. He hears our prayers and answers them [PS 116: 1]. No matter what part of the world we live in, He is there, being our greatest fan, rooting for us to forward our spiritual maturity and loving it when we gain wisdom. He provides for our needs, protects us from danger, and heals our wounds. That is the God we have. He sent us the Holy Spirit to given us God’s perspective and teach us His ways. He helps us in decision-making and loves it when we acknowledge the blessings He has already given us. And when we please Him, He gives us inner peace and strength. Deeply mature faith brings a kind of tranquility that can’t be had from any other source. Our Triune God is and wants to be the Center of our lives. He is the Resident of one’s household that brings families together at the dinner table and encourages children to learn self-discipline from their parents. It is He Who is most pleased when activities center around regular church attendance and worshipping Him. It is our God Who holds marriages together and builds communities from people who share their faith in Him. And when it is time to share our faith with outsiders, it is He Who shows us how to approach and treat them with respect. It is this example, which garners attention and makes people want to ask great questions that lead to eventual faith in Jesus Christ. Praise, honor, glory, and thanks be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2015. All Rights Reserved.
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