2025-04-11
Good morning, Dear Ones,
Many of us have memories of deciding something with long-range ramifications in our lives--whether to commit to building personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Some of us had to take a long road, as I did, and others grew up in homes where it was taken for granted. We leave home for the first time for college or work and each of us must decide what our life script. One’s life script is his set of beliefs and the lifestyle he wants to live. For the first time, we have left our parents’ sphere of influence. As individuals we have come to that door marked “Faith” and must decide if we will do what the Lord tells us in MT 7: 7-8, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door is opened.” This action might have been established in the young person’s mind, if his parents are careful enough in rearing him to teach Him that He can go to God in prayer. Many parents don’t think to do that, and the young person must learn to do it under the influence of wisely chosen friends.
The Lord tells us, in EPH 3: 12, “In Him (Christ), we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” Some people have a hard time finding themselves because of outside influences, like running with the wrong crowd, parents that reared them with religious prejudice, ostracism due to not staying with their parents’ belief system, secularism, and so on. We are very blessed to live in North America, where religious freedom is revered. However, many people don’t have this luxury. We shouldn’t take it for granted. I was shocked to find that our Lord Jesus loves us so much that He is eagerly chasing us, trying to get our attention on the fact that He made the quintessential sacrificial Atonement on the cross, so that we could be saved [JN 3: 16], justified (deemed acceptable in God’s sight) [RO 4: 3], and our sins eternally forgiven [1 JN 1: 9]. We have clear evidence that the Lord’s love for us is so strong that He chases after us, in REV 3: 20, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with Me.”
Having established this foundation of love and eagerness to accept us, the Lord hopes we will move on to the next step, which is burgeoning discipleship. What is meant here is learning to pray, to study His word, to seek friendships that build faith, a strong enough desire for a better life that one is willing to give up old, bad habits, surrender his ego to God, participate in worship, and finally the decision to be baptized. Jesus has told us, in JN 3: 3, 5, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the Kingdom of God, unless they are born again…No one can enter the Kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.” In this context, "water" symbolizes cleansing, while "Spirit" conveys God's role in bringing new life. When we respond to God's call with repentance and faith, we are born of the Spirit, and the Holy Spirit begins His transforming work. Being baptized is a commitment we make to God that He is the Leader of our lives. We become what is referred to in RO 6: 5-6, as “dead to sin and alive in Christ.”
That is the beginning of a transformative journey to gradual maturity in the faith. HE 5: 13-14 gives us a clear picture of the Lord’s will in this matter. “Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish between good from evil.” We must examine ourselves to find out which path we are on, and if it is not one of forward progress, we must find a way to improve it.
PRAYER: O Most Holy Lord, because of the amazing love You have for us, You urge us on toward spiritual maturity. By giving us Your Holy Spirit, You give us what we need to move forward in our spiritual and ethical lives. When we have questions, decisions to make, and need direction, You are here for us. All we have to do is call on You. The mystery that was kept for so very long is now open to us, through our faith in the wisdom of Jesus Christ [COL 1: 26-27; COL 2: 2-3]. Moreover, You have made promises all along our human history that You either have already kept or will keep. We can depend on You all the time. By the example Your Son, Jesus kept for us, we can know Your love leads You to be dependable and You want us to be that way too. 1 JN 2: 5-6, “But whoever keeps his word, in Him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in Him: whoever says he abides in Him ought to walk in the same way in which He walked.” We offer this prayer with thanksgiving and praise for all You are and all You do, in Christ’s name, Amen.
NEXT WEEK: The Holy Spirit has given me so much to write that it will take a few weeks to cover the subject of worship, its reasons and types. Bear with me, as I know He has wonderful and transformative things to teach us all. In the meanwhile, there is great satisfaction in spending some time each day in the shelter under His wings. PS 91: 1-2, “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God in Whom I trust.’” Our genuine prayers are heard, and we should practice listening for God’s comments. Our God deserves to have us acknowledge His attributes and deeds, our willingness to thank and praise Him in the practice of our faith.
Grace Be with You Always,
Lynn, JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2025. All Rights Reserved.
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