2020-07-31
Good Morning Dear Ones,
To write a series like this one is quite an undertaking. That is because the Holy Spirit leads me to do it in a way which lays out exactly Who this divine Being really is in our lives. Frequently, the description unpacks intangible notions, which are harder to completely understand than physical (tangible) phenomena, which can be directly observed or tested in a laboratory. Even so, I have real confidence that this amazing personality of God will show me how to make it easy to accept and understand. All the while, we must remember that God is a supernatural Being with capabilities no human has. Still and all, we can accept that having faith is “to be sure of things we hope for and certain of things we cannot see. It is by their faith that people win God’s approval” [HE 11: 1-2]. I would be remiss, if I didn’t say that there is nothing more important than God’s opinion of us. That defines what we call justification. God has three personalities, the Father (the Decision-maker Whom we can’t see but Who watches over us), Jesus Christ (the visible Image of an invisible God; the Firstborn of all creation [COL 1: 15]); the Holy Spirit (the Counselor, Who conveys God’s will and His advice to us; the One Who inhabits our souls [JN 14: 16, 26]). These three personalities are real and deserve leadership over our lives. They are the Trinity, three personalities of One Being.
It’s important that we understand that God has no evil in Him [1 JN 1: 5b], that He extends grace to us [defined in EPH 2: 8-9], and that it is the Atonement of Jesus Christ that grants the believer eternal forgiveness for his sins [1 JN 1: 9]. When EPH 2: 10, tells us, “When in union with Christ Jesus, He has created us for a life of good deeds, which He has already prepared for us to do,” this is His way of telling us that we have been equipped with specific skills, which help us fulfill the tasks for God that are in line with His will. God wants us to understand that we are still sinners in need of open, honest confession to Him of our sins. This is the way to gain eternal life. It is the Father’s decision when He will glorify us, i.e. collect us for a “meeting in the air” and take us up to heaven for a life for eternal bliss and fellowship with Himself [COL 3: 3-4; 1 THESS 4: 13-17]. In the meanwhile, we are being sanctified as we elucidate and confess our sins while on earth. 2 THESS 2: 13-14, “For God chose you first to be saved by the Holy Spirit’s power to make You His holy people and by your faith in the truth…You were called to know His word and possess a share of the glory of Christ.” This is a part of the power of the Holy Spirit and the effect of God’s word on those who believe. The truths mentioned in these two paragraphs (not the only ones He gives us) are basics of the Christian faith.
GA 2 is about what it means to live the Christian life. It takes place about 14 years after Paul’s conversion. Paul with Barnabas and Titus went back to Jerusalem to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. They wanted to enslave these three, but Paul and the others resisted to keep the truth safe for us. However, the Holy Spirit made it clear that God’s will was for Peter to preach to the Jews and Paul to the Gentiles [GA 2: 7, 10]. Peter, James, and John agreed that although they would work with the Jews and Barnabas, Paul, and Titus would work with the Gentiles, that they were all partners.
GA 2: 16 tells us that no one is put right with the Lord through doing what the law requires. Instead, we are dead to the law and can only be put right with God through faith in Jesus Christ. We have been put to death on the cross with Christ on His cross, so that it is no longer the believer who lives, but it is Christ Who lives in the believer [GA 2: 19-20]. According to our faith, it is no longer necessary for males to be circumcised to gain justification (God’s approval), but only modern medical personnel recommending it for health and sanitation reasons. When Judaizers (Jews who believed in the law only and rejected some of the power of faith in Christ) confronted the Christian leaders, this point about circumcision was made. “If people are put right with God through the law, then Christ died for nothing, “they argued. True believers in Christ are enslaved to the principle that Christ’s Atonement and our faith in Him are what enable us to gain eternal life.
PRAYER: O Lord, today we have delved basic principles of our faith, to have an understanding which is lucid and stronger faith in the Lord Jesus than ever. Rehearsing our history with these principles and with You, leads us to ponder the impact of knowing Your truth on our lives. It has been considerable in my own and on the lives of others. Throughout our time, You have steadily delivered blessings and protection, direction and assistance when we needed them. We have had to face many challenges, things like illness, loss of loved ones, futile efforts while learning Your will for our lives, and the misbehavior of some people encountered. War, epidemics, meanness of some others, and civil violence are the result of corporate challenges on our society. And yet, You never abandon us [PS 9: 9-10]. Knowing that You are with us all the time and that You make Yourself available to us, is a great blessing. PS 145: 17-18, “The Lord is righteous in all He does, merciful in all His acts. He is near to those who call to Him, who call to Him with sincerity. He supplies the needs of those who honor Him; He hears their cries and saves them.” As I write this prayer, the Holy Spirit reminds me of PS 40: 1-3. “I waited patiently for the Lord’s help; then He listened to me and heard my cry. He pulled pe out of a dangerous pit, out of the deadly quicksand. He set me safely on a Rock (Christ) and made me secure. He taught me to sing a new song, a song of praise to our God. Many who see this will take warning and will put their trust in the Lord.” In Christ’s holy/mighty name, Amen.
NEXT WEEK: I’m led to write about being set free from sin next time. God’s word is full to the brim with life-changing advice. Over the years as I have tried to take it and strengthen my faith in the Lord Jesus, I have felt Him helping me. He has sent me a second man to love me after a heart-wrenching divorce, that has led to almost 43 years of marital bliss. He has brought wise and wonderful friends into my life, people whom I want to emulate. He has cracked and broken a hard knot of anger deep inside me, anger from the loss of many ancestors and family members due to the evil of the pogroms in Eastern Europe and the Holocaust, anger that has been replaced by forgiveness. Most of all, He has given me a belief system that makes sense to me, improves my ability to interact with Him and with other humans, and gives my life purpose. It’s necessary for me to share thoughts about myself, because I value the privacy of others and leave it to them to tell their own stories. After numerous miscalculations as to how to apply my skill set to serve Him, God astounded me by calling me to the ministry. He opened opportunities to me to serve others and bring them closer to Him that I never dreamed I would have. How can I not offer God my love, loyalty, thanks and praise? If these weekly devotions help you, my readers, to understand His teaching better and to have strengthening faith in Him, then I have done my job. It is with my love and devotion to you and to Him that I will end this message with IS 49: 18-19, “Look around and see what is happening! Your people are assembling-they are coming home! As surely as I am the living God, you will be proud of your people, a proud as a bride is of her jewels.”
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2020. All Rights Reserved.
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