Good morning to all on this glorious Sunday morning. Waine and I are in Hawkinsville this morning and it is on the chilly side. It was a warm high 70's on Friday but then a storm came through and it has been in the 40's and 50's yesterday and today. Georgia is having a real spring! Nonetheless it hasn't detoured the golfers so I an sure my beloved will be heading out soon. The practice is still growing so continue to pray for us as we go into the usually slow summer season.
We have finished James and I thought we would tackle Peter which has 2 book. 1 Peter chapter 1 verses 1-25, " Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ. To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with His blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.
Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through Him you believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and glorified Him, and so your faith and hope are in God. Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the Word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the Word that was preached to you." Amen and may the Lord add a blessing to the reading and hearing of His Word.
What does it mean to be Holy? Does it mean to be religious? To have the trappings of religion? Is the Pope Holy? Is Billy Graham holy? What Peter is teaching here is that being Holy has nothing to do with religion which is like grass which will wither and die. Religion is a man made institution and cannot make you holy no matter how many times you attend mass, or Sunday School, or church service. What makes you Holy is Jesus and acceptance of Jesus as your Savior. That makes us Holy. When we accept Christ into our lives we are "COVERED" by the blood of His sacrifice and thus God the Father sees us as Holy.
I looked up the definition of Holy and it is defined as being set apart and consecrated. This is what our faith in Christ does. It sets us a part from people in the world which is why it is confusing to them when you profess a faith in God through Christ yet have their traits. When you bear the fruits of the world you will worry, you will fret, you will be angry, your will be selfish, you will have "Me" on the throne of you life. As Christians we are set apart and consecrated--made Holy so that we can bear the fruits of the Spirit -- love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. This is what is meant to be Holy, to be like Jesus. We have the power to be Holy because we have the Holy Spirit! If you see any other trait emitting through your life then you know you have stepped out of the protection of the Holy Spirit and are in the world. When you approach your life in the world then you are not set apart. When you are involved in chaos then you know it is not of the Spirit. I had a situation in the past 2 weeks that was truly not of the Holy Spirit. There was the potential for so much confusion that instead of reacting, I just got quiet. I didn't want to be part of the confusion, the "mess" so I prayed. I encouraged all around me to pray, because the God we serve is not a God of confusion or strife but of love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. When you see any other finger-print you now know that it is not of God. Now you can choose to participate in confusion and the father of lies, Satan, will have you tied up in so much fear and chaos you will think you are losing your mind. We all have the choice when there is CHAOS and CONFUSION all around us just to STOP, DROP and ROLL into the arms of the Savior who loves us and died for us. The way we do that is to become quiet and pray. Not to try and "fix" things but to simply pray.
Remember the battles of this world are not about flesh and blood but are about the spiritual principles that God has ordained. To know Him is to love Him. To Love Him is to Love one another. Have Peace today and be Holy and separate yourself from confusion.
Now may the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace,
Stephanie
No comments:
Post a Comment