2019-06-21
Good Morning Dear Ones,
I’m commanded by the Holy Spirit to continue writing on the question: What does it mean to appear in glory with the Lord Jesus? This discussion arises out of COL 3: 3-4. In doing this, I continue to present supporting Scriptures to the book of Colossians. 2 COR 13: 5, “Put yourselves to the test and judge yourselves to find out whether you are living in faith. Surely you know that Christ Jesus is in you? – unless you have completely failed.” The God-inspired words of COL 3: 5-17 is a passage on the old life and the new. Contained in it are specific criteria that we can use to answer the question in this 2 COR verse above. Furthermore, it is necessary for us to look at this verse with the maturity of both our emotions and our spirituality. Total honesty with oneself and God in answering it is essential. This is not the first time in the Scriptures the idea of having our faith-status tested arises. Note: PS 139: 23-24. 2 COR 5:10, “All of us must appear before Christ, to be judged by Him. We each get wheat we deserve, according to all we have done (good or bad) in bodily life.” Our Deity judges us all on the same standards with fairness and equity. His own standards are outlined throughout His “Love Letter” (the Bible) to us, so that we know what pleases Him and what doesn’t in our behavior toward Him and toward other humans. In RO 14: 10-12, the same notion as 2 COR 5: 10 is addressed, regarding the fact that all of us must appear before Christ for His righteous judgment. There is nothing like a new conversion to a different, healthier lifestyle (losing weight, becoming a vegetarian, or smoking cessation, for example) to give impetus to judging others! This kind of human behavior does not please God. Instead, He tells us, in MT 7: 1-2, judge others as we would want to be judged. We are to resist this kind of judgmental behavior, because the right to judgment has been given to Christ alone by the Father [DN 7: 13-14].
Saying, “no!” to the flesh is hard to do. But, ever since Christ atoned for our sins, we have been given the choice and ability to do this. Most of the time, we can do this, but that is not always. We are “works in progress.” Christ delivers us from darkness in our past lives before He entered them. Since our God is omniscient (all-knowing), He knows the status of our heart-attitudes and is aware of any progress we make in our spiritual maturity. The fact that we can come closer to the Lord should be recognized by us as a valuable and precious blessing. The same is true of the fact that we can not only strengthen our own faith, but that of other people. The changes in our outlook for the better are evidence that we are saved. As we mature spiritually, we are more willing to submit ourselves and our challenges to Christ’s right to be the Lord of our lives. I’m reminded of the time I was in a church class where the leader asked us: Who is the most important person in your life? As a new and inexperienced believer in Christ, I raised my hand and answered, “my husband.” My classmates shook their heads, indicating I had given a wrong answer. The leader smiled and said, “no Lynn; its your Husband, meaning the Lord. When the Lord is in the center of your life, all those who you love (meaning all other believers in your circle of friends, including your human spouse) will do well.” She was right on the mark, as my experience so far has shown me. We have not yet attended the wedding feast of the Lamb in which Christ, the Bridegroom, will marry His bride, the church [REV 19: 5-10]. However, we can have faith that this will indeed happen. Since then, I have taken this experience and made our Lord First in my life. The difference for good is stunning!
In judging oneself, we need to ask the following questions: 1) Are you living in the faith (according to Biblical truth)? (2) Do you know Christ is in you? (3) Does your life stand the test, in accordance with the truths in Colossians? (4) Have you died to your old self and been raised to a new life in Christ? (5) Are you using the power He gives you to avoid temptation? (6) Do you think you have been delivered from the dominion of darkness? Are you willing to examine any sins you commit (even the subtle ones), to confess them to the Lord, stop the behavior or attitude, and believe that He will forgive you? (7) Are you willing to let God “transform you inwardly by the renewal of your mind” [RO 12: 2]? (8) Do you recognize God’s right to sovereignty over your life?
PRAYER: O Lord, once again we approach Your mighty throne with confidence and the freedom to open our most painful sins and private thoughts to You. You have asked us to do this from time to time throughout our earthly lives. We do so now with openness and honesty. [Insert your latest confession and prayer here]. Having confessed our sins, we are assured of Your forgiveness and understanding from COL 3: 13 and know You are omniscient. No human has close to Your power to bring goodness, fairness, love, and kindness to this judgment. We offer You our utmost praise and thanks for never being evil or unwise in Your judgments. Your unconditional love for us is a great blessing. You have given us Your criteria for pleasing You and urge us to engage in self-examination (without evoking guilt), so that You can grow us in spiritual maturity and prepare us for the time when we will face You to be glorified. You patiently listen to every prayer we send up and answer it with unparalleled wisdom. Your timing and method of answering us is perfect. It is designed to maximize any lessons You think we need. We acknowledge that You deserve our reverence, attention to Your word, and utmost loyalty. That is why we come to You in faith, love, and loyalty today, in the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: At the bottom of this lengthy “Christ and Believers” segment of “Knowing God” is this author’s attempt to closely examine Colossians and take up the issues in our relationships with the Lord and with other people. Next week, we’ll look at some of the temptations we try to avoid and what we learned in the book of Colossians. This entire subject is intangible, but worthy of our consideration, as we learn together what it means to appear in glory with Christ. We all have things kept in our inner selves that we would prefer others didn’t know. It might be opinions that are negative, thoughts that are impure, sins that we commit, etc. That is because we are human and imperfect. My own experience in being on this earth for as long as I have taught me, that the Lord is working on gradually whittling such thoughts or attitudes down. Because I am aware of His constant presence in my life, I am blessed. Only He knows when any of us, will be ready to be glorified. I have not been His easiest “nut to crack.” My own stubbornness and complaining in the past assured that. All I know is that He deserves our loyalty, honor, reverence, love, obedience, and awe. Praise be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2019. All Rights Reserved.
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