Do You Know Him
1 John 2:3-11 (NIV) 3 We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. 4 Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. 5 But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.
7 Dear friends, I Ami not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. 8 Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.
9 Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. 10 Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. 11 But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.
Are you familiar with “if/then covenants”? They are conditional vows that God fulfills based upon obedience. There is no excuse to avoid obeying such a command—we either obey or we rebel.
What happens when we turn away from God’s decree? Quite simply, we miss God’s direction and blessing. In fact, John says we do not even know God. Is that a risk we are willing to take? The language in this passage is quite plainspoken. We either walk in the light or we don’t— we either tell the truth or we tell a lie. When was the last time we were presented with such a clear choice?
May we have ears to hear the truth of God’s word, and may we walk upright and never stumble. But if we do trip or lose our balance, may we reach out to the hand that will always lift us up.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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Guard our hearts and minds with peace
Philippians 4:4-7 4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Life on this earth is not easy. In fact, sometimes it can be downright hard. But we were never means to traverse this world alone. Jesus came to earth at just the right time and when He returned to His Father, He gave us the Holy Spirit to be our constant companion.
In Isaiah 9:6 Jesus is referred to as “the Prince of Peace”, and in Judges 6:24 we are introduced to the name Jehovah Shalom”, which means “The Lord is Peace.” The first name reflects Jesus’ role as peacemaker, while the latter shows that peace is part of God’s character.
In Matthew 5 we are told “blessed are the peacemakers,” while in Galatians 5 we see that peace is a gift from the Holy Spirit and in Ephesians 6 we find that peace is a part of the very armor of God. So when we pray that supernatural peace be poured out upon one in distress, these are not idle words.
The trials of life can wear us down, reducing one whose posture was firm and erect to one whose eyes are downcast and whose shoulders are stooped and bent. Yet Jesus offers the promise of peace that this world does not understand.
May we each seek peace, receive peace and offer peace, regardless of our circumstance, for it is only God’s supernatural peace that can deliver us from chaos and despair.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Give Thanks Always
1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not treat prophecies with contempt 21 but test them all; hold on to what is good, 22 reject every kind of evil.
23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful,
I am thankful for many things, one being that I have lived long enough to understand when God tells us to do something, He is not playing. As I often say, when God says to be holy as He is holy, it is not just a suggestion. Likewise, when God says to rejoice always, to pray continually, and to give thanks in all circumstances, these are behaviors we should practice.
You see, holiness is a part of God’s character. But for humans, since it is not natural to us, we must seek after holiness. How do we seek holiness? By setting our minds on things above, by setting our hearts on loving what God loves, and by setting our actions to live as Jesus lived. And, by rejoicing always, praying continually, and giving thanks in all circumstances.
I wrote a song about true praise around 30 years ago. I’d like to share part of it now.
True praise is like a fragrance, expensive and so rare
Stored in the heart of the believer, marked, “handle with care.”
But once the bottle’s opened and the aroma fills the air,
Then there’s praise, praise, praise everywhere.
Let my praise be like a fragrance carried high on angel’s wings
Let the aroma drift to heaven’s throne
Into the King of Kings,
Let my sacrifice be wholly acceptable my God to thee
Just let me praise your name thru eternity.
May we understand that God desires to set us apart for his purposes and for our calling. May we yield to His unchanging hand as He continues to mold us and shape us, and may we offer up true praise every day of our lives.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
How do we pray
Romans 5:1-5 1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
Hebrews 4:14-16 Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are —yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Prayer, that wonderful gift from God that connects us to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, should never be our last resort. Instead, it is the first place we should turn. For prayer is first and foremost a part of our praise to the most high God. Secondly, prayer is our conveyance of repentance, for how can we ask for God’s blessing if we carry unrepentant sins in our hearts.
Thirdly, prayer is the way we stand in the gap for others. When Nehemiah was assembling workers to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls, he saw that as soon as a section was rebuilt, people would come behind them and tear it down. So he engaged men to follow closely behind the builders, thus protecting the newly built wall
Likewise, when our brothers and sisters in Christ are in need of protection, it is our responsibility to stand for them, preventing the enemy from encroaching in their territory. And finally, we pray for our own needs, knowing that God loves us and wants the very best for us. So how do we approach God? Boldly, for we are not coming timidly before a god we do not know, but instead we are asking our creator to hear our pleas.
Will He always give what we ask? No, but he will give us what we need, and what more could we us ask.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Man’s Plans vs The Almighty God
Proverbs 27:1 1 Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.
Have you ever heard, or perhaps even spoken the words, “the Lord willing and the creek don’t rise”? The phrase, thought to have originated in the 1800’s by Benjamin Hawkins, the principal Indian agent for the government. He was trying to negotiate peace and when he said “the creek don’t rise,” he was supposedly referring to an uprising of the Creek tribe rather than a body of water. The saying became one of hope that an individual’s plans would not be circumvented by God’s will.
I am in a season of hoping “the creek don’t rise” so that I can safely navigate the waters surrounding me. Thankfully, I know that my hope is based on faith, and my faith is rooted in Jesus.
May we treasure faith and hope, knowing that life’s circumstances can never be too great for God.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
