LIVING IN THE LIGHT

“All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”

John 3:20-21 New Living Translation

     Those of the faith who do what the Lord wishes are not just “doing the truth”. They are thinking and saying it as well. Our thoughts come from what we have learned thru the course of life. We acquire them from the events, people or reading we have done for starters. These things help mold us into the person we become. Living apart from God gives you a life that is skewed by your influences. 

     Those who are outside the family of God think, say and do things that are not in line with God’s standards. Many times their deeds can be evil. They live in fear that their deeds will be found out. Though they are unaware of it, God sees and knows all things. Nothing escapes him or surprises him. Those who walk with God think, say and do what they do out in the open with no fear of others knowing. This comes from a clear conscience.

     Living a life that is free from guilt and shame is very liberating. Those who do evil shall be found out. They can fool the entire world but nothing fools Almighty God. Whenever you are confronted with a choice, consider that which would be pleasing to God and not man. Living in the light is what is expected of the true follower of Christ. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!

Resource: www.biblegateway.com; The Reformation Study Bible.

LIVING IN THE SPIRIT

“But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.”

1 Corinthians 2:14 New Living Translation

     This verse has to do with spiritual discernment and understanding. Those who are not of the spirit will never understand what the Spirit says, for it is an otherworldly communication, in a manner of speaking. The Holy Spirit resides within you if you are truly born again of the spirit of God. He warns us, leads us, directs us, calms our fears … he is a member of the Trinity; another facet of the intricacy that is Almighty God.

     There is God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. If I could clearly explain all that I would, but I’m unable to. I just know that our faith allows us to connect with the creator of the universe in such a way that as we grow we learn and mature and slowly are molded into the person the Lord knew we were all along.

     What I speak of isn’t natural, but spiritual. It takes discipline to stay focused on the things of the Lord. Distractions abound as the devil attempts to keep us from digging deeper into the things of God. Concentrate on that which you know to be true and listen for the still small voice of the Spirit as he whispers God’s truth to you. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible.

LIVING FOR GOD

“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”- Matthew 6:33 New Living Translation

Nothing this side of heaven should be allowed to distract us from our right relationship with God. That, obviously, is easier said than done. We must work at it diligently; we must fight for it earnestly. With dogged determination we are to stand tall in our faith and make our relationship with the Lord the most important thing in our life.

      It should be noted that our faith is counted to us as righteousness. We know from the Gospels that it doesn’t take a whole lot of faith to please God. Why it only takes a mustard seeds worth and a mustard seed is only as big as the head of a straight pin. We must strive to live righteous lives, lives pleasing to the Lord and the Lord alone. Our godly choices in life may not please those we associate with, but that is unimportant. We must please the Lord with our decisions and with our lives.  

      The last phrase of this verse tells is that everything we need shall be provided. Our needs are vastly different than our wants or desires. God is very aware of our desires and he will meet them as well as long as they are sought with the right motivation. Live your life for others knowing full well that you will not go without. That is God’s word for you today. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible; The Reformation Study Bible.

FAITH QUOTE by St. Thomas Aquinas

“To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary.  

To one without faith, no explanation is possible.”  
St. Thomas Aquinas

WE ALL SIN

“My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous.” - 1 John 2:1 New Living Translation

     During the course of my 38 year walk with Christ I have encountered some Christians who firmly belief that if you sin after redemption you were not really saved. I don’t believe you will find that in scripture. Once we are saved you are forgiven, but are not perfect. In fact, we will continue to sin; however, to a lesser and lesser extent as we grow and mature by the grace of God. The Apostle John, knowing how hard the Christian life can tend to be, writes his letter in an effort to keep the followers of Christ from sinning against God. It’s as if he is saying: I’d rather you didn’t sin, but knowing the way life is, if you do happen to sin you have someone who will readily intercede for you before Almighty God.

     An intercessor is one who pleads your case; who acts as a mediator, a lawyer in a manner of speaking. Jesus Christ, who is wholly perfect and truly righteous, stands before God the Father to represent us regarding our indiscretion.

     This is incredible news for the believer. Even though we are told to imitate Christ in our daily lives, there comes a time in every believer’s life when we slip up and say or do something we know we ought not say or do. This mistake will not usher us off to hell. If we are serious about our walk with the Lord, the Holy Spirit, who resides within us, will gently prod us that we might feel guilt and remorse for our sin.  That is designed to lead us to repent and receive forgiveness with the idea that we will not say or do that thing again. Even if we do, God will forgive us if we ask for it. You see, forgiveness isn’t some large blanket that is dropped by God over all of mankind, it is something that must be sought and then received. It is a gift, but unless a gift is accepted and opened, it cannot be utilized.  So try to avoid sinning, but if you fall into a trap of your own making, stand up, seek God’s face and receive your cleansing. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible.

A Quote from A.W. Tozer

“True faith rests upon the character of God and asks no further proof than the moral perfections of the One who cannot lie. It is enough that God has said it.” – A.W. Tozer