Ever Believing.

2Ti 4:7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: 

Paul FOUGHT a GOOD FIGHT.

Paul KEPT the FAITH.

Remember this from yesterday-

1Ti 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

We are to fight the good fight. Paul fought the good fight. That good fight is a fight of faith. We need to keep the faith as Paul kept the faith. It is so easy to doubt. I'm not talking big gaping doubts, tiny doubts creep in eating away at our faith, those are what I'm talking about right now. We fight to keep our faith- to believe in our God through every single trial we will face. Believing that God is our all in all takes faith. We are so tempted to look to ourselves for so much and failing to look to God. Do our lives reflect our faith? Are we living for God as we live, or is He an afterthought we have at various times. Does our faith tell us that all through the day, all during the little annoyances and the huge setbacks we face that God is in control? Do we rest in that assurance in the peace that truly passes understanding? Do we allow our faith to run dry periodically, slipping into believing only in ourselves or other people, so that we despair over ourselves, our many failings- not holding fast to faith we need to hold fast to. Our faith can slip in so much, in our thoughts, in our actions. God needs to be in every single part of our lives. We need God with us every second of every day, He needs to be the first thought, not that last.

We need to fight the good fight of faith- of ever believing.

Fight the Good Fight of Faith.

1Ti 6:11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. 

1Ti 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

Fight the good fight of faith.

Lay hold on eternal life.

We are FIGHTING in our spiritual life. At a recent Bible study we talked a little bit about spiritual fighting. If people who are Christ followers don’t realize that there is a spiritual fight they are engaged in then they have not read Gods word at all.

The struggles of a Christ follower are very real. The spiritual warfare is real. We don't have to see our attackers to be attacked. We don't have to see Satan to know he is real. Once more, it has to be said because people tend to forget-  if you believe in Jesus you have to believe in Satan.  Jesus did battle with Satan when He was tempted in the wilderness for forty days. And Satan didn't hide himself after that. Evil spirits were in the presence of Christ often in the form of possession of so many people. This was REAL then and it is REAL today. Satan did NOT disappear from our world when Christ died and rose again. Jesus even prayed this--

Joh 17:15  I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. 

Joh 17:16  They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 

Jesus would have had NO reason to pray this way if there were no longer evil in our world. There IS evil in this world in so many ways. A lot of evil has been hidden by Satan in things we don't even want to imagine. So much evil is called good it's unrecognizable to us. The standard we have is God's word, God's truth.

We need to fight the good fight of faith, laying hold of eternal life. 

We need to fight.

The good fight of faith is a life devoted to living for our Savior in a world where Satan will do all he can to keep us from eternal life. God will keep us from evil as our Savior prayed for us to be kept from evil. Being kept from evil as long as we are Christ's! We are not to be taken out of this world. We are to be kept in this evil world but kept from evil - all through our Savior's love.

The fight is an everyday spiritual battle and if you think you can take a single day off and are going to be free of the attempt of evil to seduce you, to attack you, to ruin you eternally then you're wrong. We can never take a day off from this spiritual battle, never. We must pray DAILY. 

Jesus prayed this--  'Give us this day our DAILY bread.'  If, we weren't supposed to pray daily, then those words would not be necessary. Perhaps…give us our weekly bread, our yearly bread… would have been used, but that's not the case, that's not truth. We are to pray THIS DAY for our DAILY BREAD. In our DAILY prayer.  Daily protection, daily need for protection. As we fall under attack sometimes if we are allowed the discernment we will recognize the attack for what it is. Other times we get caught up in believing as the world does and things just go wrong because of worldly reasons, tangible reasons. We forget that behind so much that is tangible are evil forces manipulating them invisibly. They are REAL. Jesus battled with the invisible evil forces, we too must do battle with them and through our SAVIOR'S love, we will grab hold of the faith we need to fight.

All in HIM now and forever, our Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior. In His love, His grace, His mercy, His everlasting existence!

Heirs.

Gal 4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. 

Gal 4:7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

We are sons and daughters of God. We are heirs of God through our Savior, Jesus Christ.  What do we inherit as heirs of God?

Mat_19:29  And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.

Mat_25:34  Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

Heb_6:12  That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

1Jn 2:25  And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life. 

Rev_21:7  He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

Tit_3:7  That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life

Heb_1:14  Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?

Jas_2:5  Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?

*******

We inherit --everlasting life.

We inherit --the kingdom.

We inherit --the promises.

We inherit --all things.

We are made heirs- according to the hope of eternal life.

We are heirs- of salvation.

We are heirs of the kingdom.

Gal 4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. 

Gal 4:7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Our inheritance is eternal life.

Our inheritance is the kingdom of God.

Our inheritance salvation.

No earthly inheritance can compare to the inheritance God has for His heirs.

Eternal life in the kingdom of God, salvation.

Please LORD, we would be the heirs of salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord. We have no worthiness of our own. We have nothing to offer. We cling to the hope found in Christ to save us from all evil, from ourselves who are prone to evil, please, save us! Please.

This Hope Purifies Us.

1Jn 3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 

1Jn 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 

1Jn 3:3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. 

The sons of God.

Are you a son or daughter of God?  If so, don't try to fit in with the world because it can't know you, not really. You won't be worldly and that will be odd. You won't be trying to fit in with the world. You will feel left out because you should be left out of the world and its ways. People may even sense that you don't quite fit in with things, and that's okay, you don't want to. The world will not know those who are sons and daughters of God because it did not know Jesus, and it did not know God. The world did not know them and it still does not know them. You say it does? That there are millions and millions and millions of Christians, and you're right about the number of those who claim to be Christians, you're just wrong about the about them belonging to God, and truly being sons and daughters of God.

The Father gave us His love wanting us to be called the sons of God. He wants us to be His offspring, not something separate from Him. The Father wants us to be a part of His life, yes, His life. Truly we do not know what we shall be, but we do know… we know for a fact… that when our Savior returns we are going to be like Him.

How often do we tell sons and daughter that they are "like" their mom or dad? Sometimes it's mannerisms, sometimes looks, sometimes personalities, and so on. Children do take on attributes of their parents. We, as sons and daughters of God, will also be like our Heavenly Father, we will be like our Savior, we will be loved and able to love with the love that is God's. We see God and seeing God we are like God. We are NOT GOD and NEVER do we want to be GOD, but we are His CHILDREN! As God's children we are like Him.

This is our HOPE and with this HOPE we are purified. Christ Jesus is our HOPE, Christ Jesus is PURE.

Please LORD, please we would belong to the Father, we would belong to You. We would be like YOU, we have this HOPE, please!

All through the love of our Savor, now and forever!!!!!!! 

The Royal Law

Jas 2:8 If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: 

Jas 2:9 But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. 

Jas 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. 

Jas 2:11 For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.

The law of God- the Ten Commandments in the New Testament-

1- Mat 4:10  Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 

2- 1Jn 5:21  Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen. 

    Act 17:29  Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device. 

3- 1Ti 6:1  Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed. 

4- Mat 24:20  But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day

     Mar 2:27  And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath

     Mar 2:28  Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath. 

     Heb 4:4  For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. 

     Heb 4:9  There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. 

Heb 4:10  For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. 

5- Mat 19:19  Honour thy father and thy mother… 

6- Rom 13:9  …Thou shalt not kill…

7- Mat 19:18  He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, 

8- Rom 13:9 … Thou shalt not steal…

9- Rom 13:9  …Thou shalt not bear false witness…

10- Rom 7:7  What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. 

These Ten Commandments are summarized in this way--

Mat 22:37  Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 

Mat 22:38  This is the first and great commandment. 

Mat 22:39  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 

Mat 22:40  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. 

If you look at the ten commandments closely enough you can tell that the first four are geared towards worshiping God, and the last six are geared towards loving our fellowman. Through love we keep the commandments, the royal law.

Jas 2:12  So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.

Jas 1:25  But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. 

Mat 5:17  Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 

Mat 5:18  For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 

Mat 5:19  Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 

Faith Can Be Dead Without Works.

Sincerity of our love.

2Co 8:7 Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also. 

2Co 8:8 I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love. 

2Co 8:9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. 

If we KNOW the grace of our LORD JESUS CHRST…. do we? 

Our Savior gave up heaven. You might instantly shake your head and say that He didn't, He's there right now, and you're right. However, He had to GIVE up heaven in order to go back to heaven.  The enormity of that act is somewhat lost on us I think.  God with God in heaven, think about that for a moment.

Let's take it down to another level- suppose you are born rich, filthy rich. You've never lacked for a single thing in your entire life. You've had the best of the best. You've been blessed with amazingly good health and a very sound mind. And then your sister/brother comes to you and says we have a problem. You learn that there is a village on the opposite side of the earth from where you live that unless someone goes to that village, becoming exactly like one of the people there and live their lifestyle- the complete opposite of all you'd known your entire life, the people there will perish. There are a lot of particulars we can't go into but that's the gist of it and now you need to decide if one of you will go, or not. Could you give up everything, I mean everything- every amenity you've ever known, and live a life of complete deprivation from your rich reality in order to save a village of people?

Of course the life of our Savior prior to His taking on human flesh as a baby is something far beyond anything similar to even the best life here on earth. He was SPIRIT form, He was from the everlasting, at His word heavens were brought into existence, worlds came to be, He was never in time, never constrained by any limitation we can imagine. He CHOSE to give all that up. To comprehend the depths of the poverty He took on for us, is impossible.  And He would have US take on poverty for our fellow man.  I know that sounds ludicrous and some may be instantly protesting saying we aren't all supposed to be poor people.  But there are many meanings of poverty.

2Co 8:9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. 

For us Jesus became poor and because He became poor we have the riches of eternal life!

He is our greatest example!

2Co 9:7  Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. 

Jas 2:14  What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? 

Jas 2:15  If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, 

Jas 2:16  And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? 

Jas 2:17  Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. 

Jas 2:18  Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. 

Let us follow our Savior's example, let us have faith with works so our faith is not dead!

All through His amazing love!!!!!! His GRACE!

Christ Became Poor

2Co 8:7 Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also. 

2Co 8:8 I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love. 

2Co 8:9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. 

Christ became poor.

How often do people purposefully become poor?   I know in my life most of the people I know strive to become rich, or rather to at least make do with a few comforts of life. I don't know a single person who has tried to become poor, willingly become poor. Being poor happens, and we know there will be poor with us always, and we also know that we are to help the poor as often as we can.  Christ did not give up monetary riches, but the riches of His Spirit God form and His power that came with that form. He gave up a lot. People don't seem to realize that all the miracles that Jesus performed were not done by Him directly. Seriously, they weren't. Our Savior divested Himself of His power, power He had that played a part in the very creation of the entire world and all that is in it. Christ couldn’t even save Himself from death. What Christ could and did do, was rely upon His heavenly Father. Christ prayed to the Father and the Father's power worked through Him.  Christ became poor. The Father GAVE the Son power, yet before Christ took on flesh He had power of His own accord. Christ did act on the power given to Him.

Php 2:5  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 

Php 2:6  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 

Php 2:7  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 

Php 2:8  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 

Php 2:9  Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name

Joh 5:30  I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

Joh 8:28  Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. 

Joh 8:29  And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.

Joh 5:19  Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. 

Joh 5:20  For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel. 

Joh 5:21  For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. 

Joh 5:22  For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: 

Joh 5:23  That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him. 

Joh 5:24  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. 

Joh 5:25  Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. 

Joh 5:26  For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; 

Joh 5:27  And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. 

Joh 5:28  Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 

Joh 5:29  And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. 

Christ became poor …

2Co 8:9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. 

Through our Savior's poverty we become rich. We are spiritually rich in Christ Jesus our Savior. Only because our Savior was willing to give up His position in heaven, willing to give up His spirit form and take on flesh; only because He became poor are we rich. Without sacrifice there is no salvation.

Our lives are to be lives of sacrifice in Christ. 

We too must be willing to be poor in this world to be rich in Christ.

By the will of God may we study this more tomorrow.

All in the love of our LORD, JESUS CHRIST, now and forever!!!!!!!