1Pe 5:1 The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:
1Pe 5:2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;
1Pe 5:3 Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.
1Pe 5:4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.
Over and over again it is revealed that God did not man to think of himself greater than any other man. Over and over an equality is stressed. No man was to think of himself as better than another. Remember this…
Luk 18:10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
Luk 18:11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
Luk 18:12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
Luk 18:13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
Luk 18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
And this…
Mat 18:4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
And this…
Mat 23:11 But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.
And this…
Mar 9:33 And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way?
Mar 9:34 But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest.
Mar 9:35 And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.
1Pe 5:3 Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.
Examples to the flock, not LORDS over.
Men of God, witnessing of God, desiring to reveal the love of God to others so that they too would desire to know the love of God must LIVE the love of God. We can't TELL of the love and expect people to believe. We have to LIVE the love. Our mouths can flap all day long and it won't matter a single bit. It's what people witness in US that reveals the love of God. We are to be EXAMPLES of God's love, not hold the position of authority over others demanding they love God.
Jesus was our GREATEST example, never did He LORD over others oppressively. Never did He assert His authority needlessly. Jesus always treated others as HE would want them to treat Him, always!
We must live as Jesus lived. When our base flesh nature would have us ruling over others with unnecessary oppression, when we are ruling over them as masters thinking we are in someway superior to others then we fail miserably.
The greatest are the least of all, not those that our sinfilled society deems great for whatever reason.
Many people who hear about Christians hear that they are a people who believe they are better than everyone else, and that is a very, very sad way to be spoken and thought of by others.
Christians are NOT better than anyone. They are the least of all! It is only Christ who is better than all, only Christ. We don't become better than others when we accept Christ, that's not what it's about at all. IF anything our filthy faults are revealed, our state of horrifying sinfulness is made so much more apparent. We are far from superior human beings because we claim to follow Christ. He will forever be the ONLY ONE who is superior to all humanity, always only -the only one!
May we be the examples to others that God would have us be, never, ever putting on airs, never lording over others- never.
All by HIS GRACE!
Friday, February 24, 2012
Thursday, February 23, 2012
The righteous can scarcely be saved
1Pe 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
1Pe 4:18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?
If the righteous SCARCELY be saved.
We don't like to think about that do we? We are brought up to believe that we are ALL saved, end of story. We all go to heaven. We all have that tiny bit of goodness in us that God must forgive us of our horrific wrongs. Even those who we believe must be suffering in hell (because so many believe this way though it's not Biblical at all), even those people we believe have to be the worst of the worst of the worst still have a chance, right? Maybe the worst of the worst don't but surely most of us will be saved because we aren't among the worst of the worst.
Yet here we hear these words-
'If the righteous SCARCELY be saved- where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?'
Scarcely means scarcely- there is NO changing the meaning of that word.
If the righteous scarcely be saved.
We have to believe this! We cannot shy away from this fact. We cannot believe that everyone will be saved, that everyone will go to heaven. ONLY by the GRACE of GOD can we be saved, that we can have HOPE in HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, because we have none!
Read the rest of this --
1Pe 4:19 Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.
Commit the keeping of our souls to God in WELL DOING- as UNTO a FAITHFUL CREATOR!
Our God will keep us with HIM, but we have to do our part in living as God would have us live. When we fall short of that and we WILL fall short, we have to ask for forgiveness from our Lord and Savior! He will forgive us, He will.
We must fight the flesh urge inside us that wants us to live selfishly and not even care about well doing. We have to fight the part inside of us that tells us that if we do good that we are trying to work our way into heaven. We have to fight ALL that would keep us from living as our Savior wants us to! We have to ask the Holy Spirit to silence those parts of us that would keep us from living in the spirit.
Please Lord, please help us!
We are so unworthy.
1Pe 4:18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?
If the righteous SCARCELY be saved.
We don't like to think about that do we? We are brought up to believe that we are ALL saved, end of story. We all go to heaven. We all have that tiny bit of goodness in us that God must forgive us of our horrific wrongs. Even those who we believe must be suffering in hell (because so many believe this way though it's not Biblical at all), even those people we believe have to be the worst of the worst of the worst still have a chance, right? Maybe the worst of the worst don't but surely most of us will be saved because we aren't among the worst of the worst.
Yet here we hear these words-
'If the righteous SCARCELY be saved- where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?'
Scarcely means scarcely- there is NO changing the meaning of that word.
If the righteous scarcely be saved.
We have to believe this! We cannot shy away from this fact. We cannot believe that everyone will be saved, that everyone will go to heaven. ONLY by the GRACE of GOD can we be saved, that we can have HOPE in HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, because we have none!
Read the rest of this --
1Pe 4:19 Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.
Commit the keeping of our souls to God in WELL DOING- as UNTO a FAITHFUL CREATOR!
Our God will keep us with HIM, but we have to do our part in living as God would have us live. When we fall short of that and we WILL fall short, we have to ask for forgiveness from our Lord and Savior! He will forgive us, He will.
We must fight the flesh urge inside us that wants us to live selfishly and not even care about well doing. We have to fight the part inside of us that tells us that if we do good that we are trying to work our way into heaven. We have to fight ALL that would keep us from living as our Savior wants us to! We have to ask the Holy Spirit to silence those parts of us that would keep us from living in the spirit.
Please Lord, please help us!
We are so unworthy.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Suffering as a Christian
1Pe 4:14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.
1Pe 4:15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters.
1Pe 4:16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.
Suffering as a Christian.
In our world today there are MANY Christian's suffering in ways we don't want to imagine. Each week we read more and more how Christians are being persecuted. Even in our own country- the US. People try to claim that we have freedom of religion here and then in the next breath tell us we are not allowed to pray, that we are not allowed to say Jesus' name, that we have to keep our religion private and not allow others to witness it.
Christianity isn't contagious- no religion is. We can view all religions and in the US we are supposed to be able to do that, yet persecution persists. They say if we take ALL religion out of our secular lives then it's fair, and yet they hold their own unbelief as their religious view.
Atheists want the right to be free of ALL religious connotations in their life and yet that very stance screams religious repression. To have the freedom to worship, to live your choice of religion you have to be allowed to do so as it dictates to you. If your religion tells you that you must pray before you eat a meal- then NO ONE should be allowed to stop you- You are hurting NO ONE. The people in your vicinity can close their eyes, they can turn away from you, they even have the freedom to denounce what you've done but they aren't allowed to stop you.
Suffer as a Christian.
Yes, those who choose to follow Christ as He desires them to follow will face trials- it's impossible for them not too because living the life of a Christ follower calls for us to be opposed to the world around us. We are opposed to the teachings of this world, we are opposed to living for this world, we are against the evil that fills this world - controlling it in so many ways.
Suffering as a Christian.
Yes, we are to suffer as being a Christian- but we are NOT to be murderers, thieves, evildoers, busybodies in the business of other people. People have made their living off these very things, and we applaud a lot of them- we do.
To be different from the world is to set yourself up as a target for the world to abuse and we are to understand that our suffering is expected and yes, even welcomed because if we simply conform to the world so we do not stand out as Christians we are denying our Lord, our Savior, our amazing God.
1Pe 4:16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.
We are NOT to be ashamed.
We are to GLORIFY GOD on His behalf.
In our suffering we are to glorify God.
Can we do this? Only by the grace of our LORD.
In HIS LOVE!
1Pe 4:15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters.
1Pe 4:16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.
Suffering as a Christian.
In our world today there are MANY Christian's suffering in ways we don't want to imagine. Each week we read more and more how Christians are being persecuted. Even in our own country- the US. People try to claim that we have freedom of religion here and then in the next breath tell us we are not allowed to pray, that we are not allowed to say Jesus' name, that we have to keep our religion private and not allow others to witness it.
Christianity isn't contagious- no religion is. We can view all religions and in the US we are supposed to be able to do that, yet persecution persists. They say if we take ALL religion out of our secular lives then it's fair, and yet they hold their own unbelief as their religious view.
Atheists want the right to be free of ALL religious connotations in their life and yet that very stance screams religious repression. To have the freedom to worship, to live your choice of religion you have to be allowed to do so as it dictates to you. If your religion tells you that you must pray before you eat a meal- then NO ONE should be allowed to stop you- You are hurting NO ONE. The people in your vicinity can close their eyes, they can turn away from you, they even have the freedom to denounce what you've done but they aren't allowed to stop you.
Suffer as a Christian.
Yes, those who choose to follow Christ as He desires them to follow will face trials- it's impossible for them not too because living the life of a Christ follower calls for us to be opposed to the world around us. We are opposed to the teachings of this world, we are opposed to living for this world, we are against the evil that fills this world - controlling it in so many ways.
Suffering as a Christian.
Yes, we are to suffer as being a Christian- but we are NOT to be murderers, thieves, evildoers, busybodies in the business of other people. People have made their living off these very things, and we applaud a lot of them- we do.
To be different from the world is to set yourself up as a target for the world to abuse and we are to understand that our suffering is expected and yes, even welcomed because if we simply conform to the world so we do not stand out as Christians we are denying our Lord, our Savior, our amazing God.
1Pe 4:16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.
We are NOT to be ashamed.
We are to GLORIFY GOD on His behalf.
In our suffering we are to glorify God.
Can we do this? Only by the grace of our LORD.
In HIS LOVE!
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Fiery trials- not strange
1Pe 4:12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you
Why are we shocked when fall on exceedingly hard times?
We are, aren't we?
We quickly begin to bemoan our situation, a knee jerk reaction we make when we are placed under a lot of stress, a reaction we've learned from our youth.
If we think of our pioneer days here in the U.S. can you imagine people moaning about things as much as we do today? Seriously? We have life so easy compared to years ago but our problems are relevant to our life today right? Years ago they didn't have to worry about gas for a car, but feed for a horse.
Each successive generation seems to have the prior generation complaining about their lack of gratitude , their lack of knowledge of 'real' hard work, of a hard life. Every generation's parents seems to have their own tale about walking through the snow five miles to school uphill.
We ALL face fiery trials, every single one of us.
When we are being tried we tend to call it strange because we don't want to be tried, we want our lives to go easy, to have smooth sailing with as few problems as possible. It's normal to want to live problem free- just not realistic.
We are told NOT to think it is strange when we are in fiery trials…trials that will TRY us, try our faith, because it won't be strange to go through them.
It's NOT strange to have our faith tried but it is painful, very, very painful. No one can deny the pain, the horrible emotional pain that we are called to endure. Even the physical pain we experience it induces a lot of emotional, a lot of mental anguish in us. WE suffer, we really do suffer but then again- we are CALLED to suffer living in a world that is over run by sin as we fight to live for a God who abhors all things sinful.
1Pe 4:13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
We suffer- and from that suffering we must rejoice knowing Christ suffered as well. The glory will be revealed one day and then we will have joy unimaginable for us today.
Please Lord, please help us to endure the trying of our faith that must come to all of us. Help us Lord, help us because in our suffering we become so tempted to lose faith. Keep us in You Lord, keep us strong in faith in YOU, in Your love always!
Thank you Lord, thank you!
All glory, all praise, all honor to You!
Amen.
Why are we shocked when fall on exceedingly hard times?
We are, aren't we?
We quickly begin to bemoan our situation, a knee jerk reaction we make when we are placed under a lot of stress, a reaction we've learned from our youth.
If we think of our pioneer days here in the U.S. can you imagine people moaning about things as much as we do today? Seriously? We have life so easy compared to years ago but our problems are relevant to our life today right? Years ago they didn't have to worry about gas for a car, but feed for a horse.
Each successive generation seems to have the prior generation complaining about their lack of gratitude , their lack of knowledge of 'real' hard work, of a hard life. Every generation's parents seems to have their own tale about walking through the snow five miles to school uphill.
We ALL face fiery trials, every single one of us.
When we are being tried we tend to call it strange because we don't want to be tried, we want our lives to go easy, to have smooth sailing with as few problems as possible. It's normal to want to live problem free- just not realistic.
We are told NOT to think it is strange when we are in fiery trials…trials that will TRY us, try our faith, because it won't be strange to go through them.
It's NOT strange to have our faith tried but it is painful, very, very painful. No one can deny the pain, the horrible emotional pain that we are called to endure. Even the physical pain we experience it induces a lot of emotional, a lot of mental anguish in us. WE suffer, we really do suffer but then again- we are CALLED to suffer living in a world that is over run by sin as we fight to live for a God who abhors all things sinful.
1Pe 4:13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
We suffer- and from that suffering we must rejoice knowing Christ suffered as well. The glory will be revealed one day and then we will have joy unimaginable for us today.
Please Lord, please help us to endure the trying of our faith that must come to all of us. Help us Lord, help us because in our suffering we become so tempted to lose faith. Keep us in You Lord, keep us strong in faith in YOU, in Your love always!
Thank you Lord, thank you!
All glory, all praise, all honor to You!
Amen.
Monday, February 20, 2012
God in all things may be glorified
1Pe 4:10 As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
1Pe 4:11 If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
That God in ALL things may be glorified.
Is God glorified in all we do? Seriously. Stop what you're doing and rethink your entire day. Was God glorified throughout the day by you? Do you think He should be?
We work so many different jobs and in all of them can we glorify God? Driving a refuse truck? As a fireman? An office worker? A shelf stocker? A Cashier? A truck driver? On and on we could list numerous professions and we know that while the job itself may NOT be a religious job- they are not evangelizing, some might have no one to witness to- not everyone works with other people, they are not in a position of preaching. The thing is God is glorified when we USE the abilities HE gives to us and the opportunities we are afforded.
We don't have to be preachers, teachers, evangelists, etc, we just have to use the gifts God gave us and use them to GLORIFY HIM!
All glory to God that we are able to perform even the most mundane of jobs, the most menial of tasks, the drudge work that we might be called to do.
If we do speak- we must speak of GOD because God is our life, we LIVE for God, not ourselves!
Do others know this? Or are we keeping it a secret of sorts?
Please Lord we would be your ministers, we would speak of You to others as You would have us do. Please Lord help us to give as we receive.
Please Lord by Your grace may we glorify Your in ALL things, help us! We are so thankless, we are so quick to believe we deserve what we are given and that we don't need to thank anyone for anything. We don't need to give the glory to anyone because we believe we are the authors of our own good deeds. We fail to realize You give us life, You give us the ability to do any good that we might think to do. YOU are all things, YOU are everything!
Bless us Lord, please, we are so far beneath Your worth.
Give us the ability to glorify You in all things, please Lord, please.
Teach us, help us, guide us.
We are so sinful, so prone to sinning, keep us from evil Lord, please keep us from evil.
All in YOUR love by YOUR grace and mercy!
Please.
1Pe 4:11 If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
That God in ALL things may be glorified.
Is God glorified in all we do? Seriously. Stop what you're doing and rethink your entire day. Was God glorified throughout the day by you? Do you think He should be?
We work so many different jobs and in all of them can we glorify God? Driving a refuse truck? As a fireman? An office worker? A shelf stocker? A Cashier? A truck driver? On and on we could list numerous professions and we know that while the job itself may NOT be a religious job- they are not evangelizing, some might have no one to witness to- not everyone works with other people, they are not in a position of preaching. The thing is God is glorified when we USE the abilities HE gives to us and the opportunities we are afforded.
We don't have to be preachers, teachers, evangelists, etc, we just have to use the gifts God gave us and use them to GLORIFY HIM!
All glory to God that we are able to perform even the most mundane of jobs, the most menial of tasks, the drudge work that we might be called to do.
If we do speak- we must speak of GOD because God is our life, we LIVE for God, not ourselves!
Do others know this? Or are we keeping it a secret of sorts?
Please Lord we would be your ministers, we would speak of You to others as You would have us do. Please Lord help us to give as we receive.
Please Lord by Your grace may we glorify Your in ALL things, help us! We are so thankless, we are so quick to believe we deserve what we are given and that we don't need to thank anyone for anything. We don't need to give the glory to anyone because we believe we are the authors of our own good deeds. We fail to realize You give us life, You give us the ability to do any good that we might think to do. YOU are all things, YOU are everything!
Bless us Lord, please, we are so far beneath Your worth.
Give us the ability to glorify You in all things, please Lord, please.
Teach us, help us, guide us.
We are so sinful, so prone to sinning, keep us from evil Lord, please keep us from evil.
All in YOUR love by YOUR grace and mercy!
Please.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Fervent Love
1Pe 4:8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.
1Pe 4:9 Use hospitality one to another without grudging.
Love.
Fervent love.
Not just have love above all things, but FERVENT love. This is an amazing love and it's something we NEED.
We need our sins covered by the blood of the Lamb and our Savior will do this for us purely out of LOVE for us. There is NO other motivator for our God. There is no hidden reward for Him, there is no subterfuge going on. God does NOT get a prize for saving us. God will save us only out of LOVE. Love is so incredibly important and as the end grows closer and closer, love will grow colder and colder. People are losing the ability to love, and to love truly, to love fervently. Is it any wonder there will be few saved when our Lord returns? There will be very little love left in the world. Before anyone says that's impossible there is a lot of love in the world, think about it, really, really think. True love is rare, not common. Fervent love is so hard to find. A SELFLESS love is the love we need. A selfless love will cover a multitude of sins. It is love that saves, it is love that made salvation possible.
We are to have FERVENT love.
We are to have HOSPITALITY one to another- WITHOUT grudging. Did you read that… WITHOUT GRUDGING. All too often we have hospitality but it's not given without grudging. We resent having to do for others sooooo much! We don't like the imposition. We don't want to be bothered. We don't want to take time and effort from ourselves, from our own pursuits. To give of ourselves without resentment is something we need to do, to pray to God that we can do this. We've become so incredibly self-centered that to give hospitality as we need to will be rare as well, very rare. Love, hospitality- rarities.
Please Lord we need to LOVE, we need to reveal this love in our actions, in our lives!
From Your amazing love, a love we cannot fully fathom, please Lord help us to live, to love as YOU would have us love, please LORD. Only through You are we able to love, only by You are we capable of Loving. All through YOU and ONLY YOU.
Your love makes this all possible.
In YOUR love always.
1Pe 4:9 Use hospitality one to another without grudging.
Love.
Fervent love.
Not just have love above all things, but FERVENT love. This is an amazing love and it's something we NEED.
We need our sins covered by the blood of the Lamb and our Savior will do this for us purely out of LOVE for us. There is NO other motivator for our God. There is no hidden reward for Him, there is no subterfuge going on. God does NOT get a prize for saving us. God will save us only out of LOVE. Love is so incredibly important and as the end grows closer and closer, love will grow colder and colder. People are losing the ability to love, and to love truly, to love fervently. Is it any wonder there will be few saved when our Lord returns? There will be very little love left in the world. Before anyone says that's impossible there is a lot of love in the world, think about it, really, really think. True love is rare, not common. Fervent love is so hard to find. A SELFLESS love is the love we need. A selfless love will cover a multitude of sins. It is love that saves, it is love that made salvation possible.
We are to have FERVENT love.
We are to have HOSPITALITY one to another- WITHOUT grudging. Did you read that… WITHOUT GRUDGING. All too often we have hospitality but it's not given without grudging. We resent having to do for others sooooo much! We don't like the imposition. We don't want to be bothered. We don't want to take time and effort from ourselves, from our own pursuits. To give of ourselves without resentment is something we need to do, to pray to God that we can do this. We've become so incredibly self-centered that to give hospitality as we need to will be rare as well, very rare. Love, hospitality- rarities.
Please Lord we need to LOVE, we need to reveal this love in our actions, in our lives!
From Your amazing love, a love we cannot fully fathom, please Lord help us to live, to love as YOU would have us love, please LORD. Only through You are we able to love, only by You are we capable of Loving. All through YOU and ONLY YOU.
Your love makes this all possible.
In YOUR love always.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Living to the will of God
1Pe 4:1 Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;
1Pe 4:2 That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.
Live to the lusts of men.
Live to the will of God.
One or the other, not both.
1Pe 4:3 For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:
1Pe 4:4 Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you
Lusts of men- lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, abominable idolatries.
Lusts of men- selfish pursuits. Lusts of men- fulfilling desires temporarily. Lusts of men- a constant seeking of self contentment outside of communion with God. Lusts of men- seeking to be happy by their own power, in themselves alone.
The Will of God- to live connected to Him as our source of life. The Will of God- living for Him our Creator as Creatures meant to be connected to Him. The Will of God- accepting the Way of reconciliation to Him. The Will of God- love.
Do people find it strange when you do not run in their circles of pleasure seeking, and self-fulfillment? Those who are caught up in lusts often can't imagine others not wanting to be caught up in them as well. Those pursuits have given them a temporary pleasure that rivals their mundane life outside of them and they just can't imagine that other people do not want a break from their own mundane lives to experience the sensations of fulfilling lustful desires. Seeking a permanent unselfish pleasure is foreign to those who live for self gratification. Seeking a reward that is far off when temporary rewards are plentiful all around, is crazy to self-seekers.
This is truth.
1Pe 4:5 Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.
1Pe 4:6 For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.
1Pe 4:7 But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.
We all have to give an account of our choices to our Savior- who judges the living and the dead. The wonderful gospel is preached to those who are on that path of everlasting death as all men are until they accept the sacrifice of our Savior, and then and only then are we able to live according to God in the Spirit.
Our flesh selves must die.
1Pe 4:1 Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;
1Pe 4:2 That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.
Living to the will of God- by the grace of God!
Living with God as the center of our lives and not with ourselves as that center. Living as a creature, not as a creator.
All by HIS LOVE!
1Pe 4:2 That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.
Live to the lusts of men.
Live to the will of God.
One or the other, not both.
1Pe 4:3 For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:
1Pe 4:4 Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you
Lusts of men- lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, abominable idolatries.
Lusts of men- selfish pursuits. Lusts of men- fulfilling desires temporarily. Lusts of men- a constant seeking of self contentment outside of communion with God. Lusts of men- seeking to be happy by their own power, in themselves alone.
The Will of God- to live connected to Him as our source of life. The Will of God- living for Him our Creator as Creatures meant to be connected to Him. The Will of God- accepting the Way of reconciliation to Him. The Will of God- love.
Do people find it strange when you do not run in their circles of pleasure seeking, and self-fulfillment? Those who are caught up in lusts often can't imagine others not wanting to be caught up in them as well. Those pursuits have given them a temporary pleasure that rivals their mundane life outside of them and they just can't imagine that other people do not want a break from their own mundane lives to experience the sensations of fulfilling lustful desires. Seeking a permanent unselfish pleasure is foreign to those who live for self gratification. Seeking a reward that is far off when temporary rewards are plentiful all around, is crazy to self-seekers.
This is truth.
1Pe 4:5 Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.
1Pe 4:6 For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.
1Pe 4:7 But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.
We all have to give an account of our choices to our Savior- who judges the living and the dead. The wonderful gospel is preached to those who are on that path of everlasting death as all men are until they accept the sacrifice of our Savior, and then and only then are we able to live according to God in the Spirit.
Our flesh selves must die.
1Pe 4:1 Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;
1Pe 4:2 That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.
Living to the will of God- by the grace of God!
Living with God as the center of our lives and not with ourselves as that center. Living as a creature, not as a creator.
All by HIS LOVE!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)