PERSEVERANCE AND PERFECTION

Perseverance not Perfection in 2013 

God doesn't expect us to be perfect but He does expect us to persevere. 

As we come to the end of 2012, I want to encourage you to live a life of faithfulness. Faithfulness is seen in our perseverance; how we live each day; in what we are committed to. Faithfulness is seen when we take the road less traveled; when we make the decision to be faithful to God rather than to the world. Faithful believers are often criticized for their faith positions: the Bible is the word of God; Jesus Christ is the only Savior of the world; Jesus is God who became flesh; He died and was resurrected and He ascended into heaven; He will one day come again to rule and reign over the new heavens and the new earth and only those who have acknowledged Christ as Savior and Lord will be inhabitants of his kingdom. These are only a few of the faith positions of a true believer that are constantly being attacked. We sometimes misunderstand how God would like for us to relate to Him and because of that misunderstanding we often attempt to be perfect. Human perfection is an impossibility. What God really wants of us is perseverance. He knows that we are not perfect; perfection is found in Christ alone.  Because Jesus Christ was perfect those who are in Him are perfect. 

I have listed two verses of Scripture I hope you will spend some time reading and praying about. Both relate to perseverance and both are very important to the witness and testimony of a follower of Jesus Christ.  

The first one is recorded in 1 Timothy 4:16 (NIV) “Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.” 

We are to watch our life and doctrine closely to make sure it agrees with God’s Word and that takes perseverance. We are to faithfully follow, model, teach, preach, and live out our faith. If we do we continue to work out our salvation which came through our belief in Jesus Christ and we also witness to others about His saving power through example. God wants to use the followers of Jesus Christ as instruments to lead others into a personal relationship with Him. 

The second text is recorded in Hebrews 10:36 (NIV) “You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised.” 

Once again perseverance plays a very important part in our salvation relationship with Jesus Christ. To persevere in doing the will of God is not always easy yet it is necessary if we expect to receive what God has promised to us. 

Jesus revealed to his followers in Matthew 10:22 that we would be hated by mankind because of our relationship with Him. This hatred and persecution will become more severe as we approach the end of time. Jesus revealed this to His followers because He wanted them to understand what was to be required of them. The world will apply tremendous pressure in an attempt to get believers to renounce their faith and to turn their backs on Christ. Perseverance, or patient endurance, is not a way to be saved but the evidence that you are saved and committed to Jesus Christ. 

To persevere is not easy but thank God we do not have to do it on our own. Jesus has promised to never leave us nor forsake us and His Holy Spirit is always available to empower us and lead us to victory.  Hallelujah what a Savior. May God richly bless you with His power and presence in 2013. david

PLEASING GOD

Pleasing God [Today’s devotional is about the power of God to create and because it is a special day for me I am also sharing some personal thoughts. My prayer as always is for you to be blessed. david]

Psalm 24:1 The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;

I’m sitting at my computer this morning and having read the above verse, I am reminded that God is the Creator of all things including all of us. Not only is God the Creator but he did so with a plan and purpose in mind. His ultimate purpose in creating you is that you might reflect his image. The amazing thing about the way in which God works is how he uses other people to complete his planned purpose for your life. These other people could be your parents, your siblings, your good friends or could be the one to whom you marry and spend your life.

Today, December 21, my wife and I celebrate our 50^th wedding anniversary. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that whatever Christ likeness there is to be seen in me is because of the influence she has had in my life. I have often wondered what my life would have been like without her by my side. It was her prayers and Christian witness that caused me to rededicate myself to doing the Lords will. Because of her faith in God and her obedience to the leading of the Holy Spirit our home was a Godly home. The love she had for me and for our children was a reflection of God’s love. I am so thankful that God chose to work out his plan and purpose for me by using her as a part of his plan.

When I reflect on the past 50 years and see the wonderful ways in which we have been blessed it is truly beyond belief. But one of the things that has become perfectly clear to me is how God has used people to be those special blessings that have come our way. When all is said and done the blessings are not about things or possessions but about people. And she is the “one” among hundreds of people that has had the greatest influence on my life.

Meeting Eleanor and getting married placed me into a family that was truly extraordinary. Her parents, her sister and her husband and their children along with numerous aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews have all enriched my life and have been special blessings to me on many occasions over the past 50 years. I’m so thankful God chose to bless me in such a wonderful way, a way that even today is hard for me to believe. I read in Genesis 1:31 "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good…"  In other words he stood back surveyed all he had done and set his seal of approval on it. He looked at the man and woman he had created in his image and he liked what he saw.

My prayer for today is for the Creator to once again look upon me and my wonderful bride of 50 years and be pleased with what he sees. For You O Lord have done a marvelous work. You have brought us forth from a life of sin and desperation and have placed our feet up on the solid rock of your salvation. You have loved us with an everlasting a love that will never tire nor grow faint. The love we have enjoyed over the last 50 years has been preparing us for a love relationship with you that will last throughout time and eternity. Lord Jesus there are no words that could possibly express the joy I feel, so I ask you to look deeply within my heart and see the love I have for you and be pleased. Once again I ask for you to look upon that which you have created and be pleased. This is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ the giver of life, Amen

LOOK UP

Look UP! 

Revelation 22:14 (NIV) "Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. 

Are you one of those who are “blessed” because you have been washed in [by] the blood of the Lamb? Let this be a day of praise for those of you who see yourself as blessed by God. Even in the midst of the trials and tribulations of life God continues to bless. He is faithful to the promise that he has given in Romans 8:28 to all who are his children: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” 

God blesses his children through the difficulties and trials of life as well as in the peaceful times. He uses everything that touches our lives to fulfill his purpose for us. Many question how this could be possible. 

How would you describe your life’s journey? Do you see the struggles or do you see the blessings? Many describe their lives as being one struggle after another; more defeat than success, more empty than satisfied, more sad than happy. 

Others, even though they have had many difficulties, immediately think of their blessings and are so grateful to God for his care. It all depends on where your eyes are fixed. 

There is only one way to see the blessings in the midst of your difficulties; you must look up. In looking up, the blessings will become visible. It is in looking up that we see hope; we see Jesus. When we see Jesus whatever is going on in our lives is bearable because of him. We believe his words to us in the scripture even though we may not see how he will accomplish it. Looking at Jesus rather than our circumstances keeps us going. Standing on our faith keeps our foundation solid. Trusting in the promises Jesus makes to us expands our faith and draws us closer to our Lord and Savior. His saving grace is also a sustaining grace.

 Even death is seen differently when you are looking up. Death is not seen as the end-of-life but as the true beginning of life. Death is our graduation from this life into the very presence of God himself; a step into the warm embrace of the One who loves us with an undying love, Jesus Christ. 

Look up my friends, look up! Regardless of the circumstances in your life at this time, look up! When you accept your circumstances as a part of God’s purpose for you, then and only then, will you be able to see the blessings that are yours as you continue to walk in faith.  I love the chorus of one of my favorite hymns, “When Jesus Comes.” Read it slowly and allow the Holy Spirit to minister to your heart and let the warm glow of his presence be seen in your countenance to the glory of God the Father. 

When Jesus comes, the tempter's power is broken;
When Jesus comes, the tears are wiped away,
He takes the gloom and fills the life with glory,
For all is changed when Jesus comes to stay. 

Deuteronomy 31:8 The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

 david 

UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER

 Unconditional Surrender

1 John 3:24 Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.

How do you know the Holy Spirit dwells within you? You see the results of his indwelling. You recognize the changes that he has brought about in your life. You recognize it in the hunger and thirst you have for righteousness and for doing the will of God.

When you receive the Holy Spirit He comes and dwells within you; at that moment in time you receive as much of Him as you will ever have. There is no such thing as receiving a little bit more of Him and later receiving a little bit more. When He comes in, He comes in “in the fullness of the Spirit.”

Wouldn't it be great if we could say the same thing for ourselves? That at the moment of conversion the Holy Spirit has all of us; that every thought and every action will be a result of his abiding presence. 

Wouldn't it be great if we would surrender our lives to him unconditionally the same way that He dwells within us unconditionally? We would see the evidence of our unconditional surrender in the way in which we live our lives.

Here are some of the ways I think we would be different in our understanding:

·         We would understand it is His desire for us to worship him every day of the week, not just on Sundays.

·         We would see a great deal of change in our attitudes toward others and our words and actions would demonstrate that change.

·         We would be concerned about our reputation because we would understand that our reputation is a reflection of our witness in our testimony before others; our true faith position in Christ.

·         We would spend more time in the Word of God and in prayer than we do now. As love grows and the level of intimacy becomes deeper your heart will continually lead you into the presence of the one who loves you.

·         We would discover an important truth about Jesus; He desires to share and carry our burdens and to be present the midst of the storms of life.

·         As we discover what is available to us in Christ it will make us want to unconditionally give him our heart.

 Do you know that Jesus live in you? If not ask God for the power you need to entrust more and more of yourself , your will, to him. At the start of each day ask God to make you sensitive to the presence of the Holy Spirit’s leading so you can successfully submit your will to His will in complete obedience. Try to allow Christ to be in control of your day and do what He wants you to do rather than do what you want to do for Him.

Blessings, david

THE DIFFERENCE OF CHRISTMAS IS EVERYTHING

Dear friends, I want to share this with each of you who are on the Devotional email list along with my prayer that it will bless you and enrich your Christmas celebration. It is slightly edited by me but 99.9% as received. I highlighted one live that blew me away when I read it. Merry Christmas and may the presence of our Lord be your comfort, peace and strength in 2013.  david

 The Difference of Christmas is Everything

 Aimee Herd-Commentary (Dec 18, 2012)

In this "I'm okay-you're okay" world—where many blasé university religion professors tout the so-called equivalence of all religions as myths—I am very grateful for the difference Christmas makes.

I'm not talking about "fa-la-la" and tinsel, festive lights and trees in the living room—I'm talking about the divergence from similitude that was laid down by one Baby. God Himself, in the vulnerable, fragile form of a human infant.

The All-sufficient One, Who created the entire universe—and you and I—laying down His consummate position, exchanging royalty and absolute independence for tenuous flesh and blood; suddenly becoming the epitome of mortal dependence.

The Apostle Paul described it this way: "Though He was God, He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, He gave up His divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When He appeared in human form, He humbled Himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross." (Phil.2:6-8)

John, in the first chapter of his Gospel, wrote: "And the Word (Christ) became flesh (human, incarnate) and tabernacled (fixed His tent of flesh, lived awhile) among us . . ." (John 1:14 -AMP)

Just in case that doesn't yet strike wonder in your heart, really think about this . . .Mary was created by the very Son she bore. How's that for a time-space-continuum vortex?!

And just when you start to think the astonishing mystery of Christmas is too unattainable for you to grasp; God has made the message and the purpose of His mission very simple.

Any loving parent and any child can understand it; to be with His children, and for His children to be with Him.

The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.  (John 1:9-13)

It's summed up in two names bestowed upon God's Son—one the immediate promise: Immanuel, which means "God with us."

"Look! The virgin will conceive a Child! She will give birth to a Son, and they will call Him Immanuel, which means 'God is with us.'" (Matt.1:23)

The other name; the one and only key to unlock Heaven's door; It's the mission statement and also a reminder that what we could never do ourselves, God has done for us: Yeshua (Jesus in the Greek), which means "God saves."

". . . you are to name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."(Matt.1:21)

"There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under Heaven by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12)

It's the greatest gift we could ever receive; it can't be earned and it is offered to everyone.

God with us now, and us with God when our mortal life is done.

It is the assurance of constant companionship of the One who has authored our very lives and the world in which we live, and the One who knows our future. The assurance and the peace of knowing that even death cannot tear us apart from Him—He is with us through and on the other side of it.

Nothing in this world; no person, no substance, no prosperity and no religion can offer what a relationship with Jesus does.

Again Paul wrote in Corinthians: "You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that by His poverty He could make you rich." (2 Cor.8:9)

It is the absolute difference that Christmas—the birth of Jesus—makes to each one of us who will open that preeminent Gift.

The Difference of Christmas is Everything!!!

  

JESUS SAW THE PEOPLES NEED

JESUS SAW THE NEEDS OF THE PEOPLE 

Mark 6:34, NIV He had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. 

When you are able to see people the way Jesus sees them you will see them not as an interruption, but as an opportunity; an opportunity to share the love of Jesus with them and to share the desire of our Heavenly Father for them to know and understand his compassionate power available to them to meet their deepest needs. 

Jesus saw people as more important than His own plans. When He saw people he saw their need. Out of His love for them He drew them to Himself. 

The Holy Spirit’s ministry is to transform and mold us into the likeness of Jesus. Is it working? Are you allowing the Spirit of Jesus to love others through you? 

The secret to growing in Christ is to let go and let God. Growing in this way will result in your being changed, transformed into the image of Christ. If you don’t see this taking place you need to let go and let God. 

Work on it. No one wants you to succeed any more than Christ.

DON'T SLIP NOW: THE RESULTS ARE DISASTROUS

Don't Slip Now; The Results Are Disastrous 

“Think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the special blessings that will come to you at the return of Jesus Christ…Don’t slip back into your old ways of doing evil…Now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God-who chose you to be his children-is holy.” - 1 Peter 1:13-15 NLB 

One of the greatest needs in a Christian's life is to be able to think clearly and exercise self-control.  The apostle Peter was very much aware of this need. Read the verse of Scripture again and notice the important points. What I would like to do is to take the important points in reverse order making some comments on each of them as I do so. 

1.   ”Now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God-who chose you to be his children-is holy.” We are to be holy in everything we do because God has chosen us to be a part of his family. We are his children. He is holy and we should be like Him. We must try to live totally committed to the cause of Christ. The word holy means to be "set aside;" set aside for the work God desires for us to do. To answer the call of God we must be willing to crucify ourselves, our old self, the flesh, and be born again by the Spirit of God. Once we are born again we become a new creation in Christ Jesus, the old has passed away, and the new has come. We no longer possess a sin nature but now possess a spirit nature; a nature like that of Jesus Christ. We have been born again, forgiven and redeemed in order to serve God. We must willingly set our new lives, our spirit regenerated lives, apart to serve the Lord. This is how we fulfill our call to holiness. We are to be holy in everything we do because God has called us and chosen us to be holy. 

2.   “Don’t slip back into your old ways of doing evil.” Pay attention to this admonition. We are not to slip back into our old way of living (doing evil). Notice how going back to the old ways of doing evil is described as slipping back. Normally when a believer back slides they do so gradually. They don't wake up one morning and decide to go back into the evil and ungodly way in which they used to live. It's a gradual process. They accommodate a sinful desire that in the beginning doesn't appear to be very important or dangerous. Nothing happens. It's not long before they are accommodating more and more sinful behavior; sinful behavior of their own and the sinful behavior of others. Then before you realize what has happened you find yourself living a full-blown ungodly, worldly lifestyle and any thoughts of holiness are not even considered. Peter knew well that we have to be very observant of what is going on around us and in the power of the Holy Spirit fight to keep every evil behavior at bay. 

     Followers of Christ are not to compromise with evil in any way, form nor fashion. If we do we open the door to more and more evil and before we know it we are back living in a way that is worse than it was before coming to faith. 

3.   “Look forward to the special blessings that will come to you at the return of Jesus Christ.” One of the ways  we can guard against slipping back into sin is by looking forward. We look forward to the special blessings that will be ours when Jesus Christ returns. Special blessings are ours whether we are alive at His return, whether we meet him in the air at the rapture, or if we have already died. There will always be special blessings awaiting those who have been faithful in serving our Lord; special blessings of living in his presence now and for eternity; the blessing of being instantaneously transported into the presence of God at death; the blessing of knowing that Jesus has prepared a place for you and when it comes your time to leave this earth, he will come and take you to be with him so you can be where he is. Blessings on top of blessings; blessings too numerous to list or to fully understand; blessings beyond our wildest dreams, blessings experienced while here on this earth that make us hunger for the fulfillment of all of the promised blessings that are ours in Christ. 

     Don’t minimize the importance of these two disciplines: “thinking clearly and exercising self-control.” When we do these two things consistently we will witness the “keeping power” of the Holy Spirits and more fully experience an intimate and growing holy relationship with our Lord and Savior. The assurance of our salvation is ours not because we have said certain words or submitted to certain rites or belong to a certain denomination but because we belong to Christ and are accepted and deeply loved by God. As his child we are bearing fruit for the kingdom of God.   

     If you have been struggling in your faith lately and feel you are drifting away from God ask yourself these two very important questions, “am I thinking clearly and am I exercising self-control?” If the first thing that comes to your mind is no, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you what you need to be do in order to get back into sweet fellowship with Christ. Once the Holy Spirit reveals to you what needs to be done there is only one response for you to make; confess and repent. Don’t argue with the Holy Spirit. Agree to everything the he leads you to do and then allow God to restore you to the faith from which you have slipped. 

     Praise God for His faithfulness in keeping His promises and doing what He says He will do if we do what He says we are to do. We serve a great and awesome God. david

RESIST SATAN

Resist Satan  

1 Peter 5:8-9 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

This verse of scripture tells we are to:

       1. Be self-controlled and alert. Why? Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking to destroy you. 

It tells us what we are to do:

  2.  Resist him! How? By standing firm in the faith.

It also reveals a comforting truth about suffering:      

  3. As a believer, you are not alone: your brothers and sisters throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

Thoughts to ponder:       

• When the first humans chose to disobey God, they sinned, becoming slaves to the very sin they had brought into the world. As a result, they gave up the authority over creation that God had originally delegated to them (Gen 1:26; 2:15). 
• Satan then seized control over mankind and the earth, becoming the leader of the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Eph 6:12; 1 Jn).
• Satan now patrols the earth as commander of a host of evil spirits through whom he enslaves and keeps captive those who do not have a personal relationship with Christ (Eph 2:1-3).
• Only Christ’s true and faithful followers have been rescued and liberated from Satan’s power (Eph 2:4-5).
• Yet, Satan like a ferocious lion remains a threat to believers and seeks to ruin and destroy them (1 Pet 5:8). He will spiritually destroy anyone who abandons God’s protective care and turns again to a lifestyle of ungodly behavior.  
• Christ has provided all we need to be victorious over Satan.  We are fully equipped to be defeat Satan’s schemes, to resist him and to stand firm in the faith (Eph 6:11-18).
• As a believer you must never forget that “the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 Jn 4:4).

God has commanded us to live by what he has revealed in his Word, the Bible.

Questions we need to ask ourselves:

·         Do I believe what God has written?

·         Am I living it? If not, why not?