2018-09-21
Good Morning Dear Ones,
If you are wondering why this segment of the “Knowing God” messages is lengthier than many others, there is an important reason. There is nothing more important than our relationship with God. One must first come to understand Who God is and what our relationship with Him should be. Once that is accomplished, we must come to know how we can best serve Him, not the opposite. RO 7: 4-6, “You have died to the law, because you are part of Christ’s body. You belong to Him and are raised from death to be useful to God in His service. When we lived driven by human nature, sinful desires were stirred up in us by the law at work in us. All we did ended in spiritual death. Now we are freed from the law, because we died to it even though it once held us prisoners. We don’t serve the old way of the written law, because we serve the new way of the Spirit.” As a Jewish person, I didn’t stop being Jewish; instead, the old rituals that were practiced (what I call the format) no longer drives my life. Now, the teaching and will of God does. This latter is what I call God’s content-His will- rules it. Following God’s will, means there will be times when I must find myself making tough choices, rather than taking the easy way out of contentious situations. Other Gentile Christian believers have the same experience. It’s just as difficult for them as it sometimes is for me.
Serving God may be defined as using talents He gave us for serving Him. One must first study His word to know His will. Then, one must place trust in Him-even when we are dragged out of our comfort zones and into the unknown. In the past I’ve participated in belief systems where every question has an answer, where social issues were placed in importance ahead of God’s word, and where a church hierarchy is worshipped rather than the Creator Himself. Yet spiritually, these belief systems have been found wanting. It’s my belief that reality is rarely black or white; there are most often shades of gray. We can’t always get every question answered, and it’s at these times, that God forces us to trust Him. Always trusting God may not be easy, but I’ve learned from experience it’s necessary. It is only because of the unconditional love of Christ that we can avoid spiritual death. It is He that offers us this huge blessing, because of His great sacrifice on the cross. Only a fool consistently and premeditatively rejects such a gift.
GA 2: 20-21, “I no longer live but it is Christ in me. I live by Christ, Who loves me and gave His life for me. I refuse to reject the grace God gave me. If a person is put right with God through the law, it means that Christ died for nothing!” These are the apostle Paul’s words, words which the Lord gave him to say, words that are just as true today as they were when Paul first spoke them. The power of the Lord to affect spiritual transformation in a person is exemplified by the greatness that this former persecutor of Christian Jews working for the Jewish High Council (the Sanhedrin) achieved after it happened to him. RO 8: 3-4, “God did what the law couldn’t do because we humans are weak. He condemned the sinful nature of mankind by sending His only Son, Who came with a nature like humans to do away with sin. God did this, so the righteous demands of the law might be fully satisfied in us, who live according to the Spirit and not human nature.” Yes, this places the responsibility on our shoulders to choose whether to live by the law or by the Holy Spirit. Once the choice is made to serve God, we are to live according to that choice, as examples to others who are in the process of making that decision. We have one further responsibility; that is to accurately convey the word of God to others and emphasize the reasons why we should live at one with God’s will for us.
PRAYER: O Lord, our relationship with You must be founded on truth. We must be open and honest with You. We must also understand that You are always truthful and surely the stronger Member of this relationship. Our weaknesses and imperfections are many, and You are perfect. We express the reverence, awe, and respect we have for You. We don’t deserve the favor You show us, but
are grateful and eager to joyfully acknowledge it. Our understanding of Your kindness and goodness motivates us to offer You praise and thanks. Never before, has any human been available to us at any time of day or night, any day of the year. Your intervention and answer to our prayers are filled with wisdom that far outstrips any that humans have. Any wisdom and/or discernment we have comes from You. We accept and embrace Your omnipotence, omniscience, and ability to be omnipresent. What we experience leads us to acknowledge Your supernatural power and Christ’s supremacy over any other ruler or authority. Your fellowship with us as a Resident in our homes is sweet, as is Your willingness to forward our spiritual maturity through our experiences with You. We live in a world with many factions, each pulling itself apart from others. These may be political or clerical or philosophical groups; it doesn’t matter. Yet, somehow, we believe that in the end all this contentiousness will be overcome by the righteousness of Your superior power. We have been told that at some time in the future, evil will be ended. Therefore, we pledge to work toward that end. Thank You for showering us with the many blessings we have, not the least of which is the faith You have given us. We express our heartfelt love for You, in the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: I’m commanded to discuss the question: What certificate of debt has the Lord God nailed to the cross for us? This intriguing question is very much a part of our individual relationships with God and with other believers and potential believers. For now, I would like to share something that has been a blessing given to me. All my life (and I’m now in my mid-seventies) I’ve wanted to know more about my own ancestors -who they were and where did they live. A lot of this desire came from inheriting a few pieces of handwork and some vague stories that I heard. Since I am Jewish, I suspected those things would always remain shrouded in mystery. I was told that a portion of my family had perished in the Holocaust. The pieces of handwork came from my maternal great grandmother, who died before I was born. She was an expert needlewoman. Neither my mother or maternal grandmother were interested, but I had a great-aunt who always loved to knit. I taught myself how to knit and crochet at age 8 and have done those things ever since. As a young preteen, I worked toward a scout badge in sewing and discovered I loved doing that too. Over the years, I became adept enough at it to teach it. Later, I discovered that a 2X great-grandfather born in Russia was a tailor. For the last 6-8 mos., I have been working with a genealogy website to learn more. The Lord opened a floodgate of hitherto unknown information about my ancestors—most of whom were Jews from the countries in central and eastern Europe. Most of them moved around to escape persecution, and a few courageous ones made the arduous trip to North America. How blessed I am to learn their names and know when they had their earthly lives! I’m grateful to God for the blessings He gives me. It’s my hope that as you read my devotions each week, each of you will make discoveries that will bless you in your lives. Praise and thanks be to God for the love He has for us!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2018. All Rights Reserved.
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