Living in Truth

John 8:31 ““If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”-

Living in Truth is to abide in Him. Free from sin. There are those who teach because we are born in sin and have a sin nature that we cannot live a life without sinning. Sin is part of the human nature and to say you do not sin is to say you are not human, and no one is perfect. This teaching is contrary to the teaching that Christ gives the Jews as they defended their claims to know the Father. It is true that we are all born in sin and by birth are sinners. For all have sin and come short of God’s glory. Being free from sin is not humanly possible for deliverance from sin is only made possible because Jesus died on the cross to pay our debt of sin. Accepting Him as Savior, we now abide in Him, we are now living in the Vine. We now live in truth for He is Truth. As long as we live in Him we can be free from living a life of sin. Sin no longer abides, we are no longer in bondage or enslaved to Satan, He is no longer our father, we have a new Father, a heavenly Father that sets us free from the sin bondage that Satan had on us. A life free from sin is made possible through the blood of Christ and abiding in Him. 

Dead with Christ

Col 2:20a, 3:12 “Therefore if ye be dead with Christ ..., holy and beloved, as the elect of God, put on hearts of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering,”-

Being dead with Christ gives life a whole new meaning. The deeds in our life are no longer measured by keeping certain laws of what we eat, or the relics we cherish as sacred. The life that we now live in Christ is demonstrated by our actions toward one another and to those who don’t know Him. It is the fleshly tendency of man to be critical and hard. When others interfere with what we want or get in the way of our desires we become impatient and intolerable with them. Paul says that if you have taken up the cross of Jesus and have been crucified with Christ you no longer act that way. Action in speech and attitude reveal what is in the heart. As believers in Christ, we are to show kindness in situation that normally would irritate us. Instead of being critical and oppressive, we are to show mercy and long suffering. Let us pray that God will help us to have the heart of Christ and live in such a way that God would be pleased.

Life is Tough At Times

Isaiah 40:4 “Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain.”-

Life is tough at times. We have valleys of discouragement, mountains of problems, roads of confusion, and places where life is unpleasant. Facing life head on and trying to overcome the tough times is not easy. Sin had brought about some of these rough times. Living to satisfy the desires of the carnal flesh most often ends in destruction. The wages of sin is death and the way of the transgressor is hard. But for those who are doing their best to serve God and live according to His Word, life still happens and problems are just as real. As a children of God, and one that belongs to God, we can be comforted in knowing that God cares and has promise to make a way through the tough times in life. If there is sin in our lives, He wants us to confess them and trust the blood of Christ for forgiveness. If we are living in obedience to Him, He wants us to commit the things that happen in life to Him. He will bring us out of our discouragement, our problems will seem as mountain hill when He is in control, we can walk with confidence that we are following the right road, and in the rough places, He will bring joy and contentment. 

God's Mouth Piece

Ex 4:12 “ Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth and teach thee what thou shalt say.”

Know what to say and how to say it is always difficult for those who are timid or not as aggressive. Being God’s mouth piece is to voice God’s message to others in a way that will reflect God’s love and grace. The task that Moses was given was to speak God’s warning and judgment to those who war against Him, but the message we give from God in this day of grace is to let others know that God cares and loves them. He wants us to be His mouth piece to speak to others that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. That there is no other way to see the Father except through Him. We live in a day of mass communication and people have been expose to various forms of doctrine and many people are very forceful with their message. Speaking the gospel to others without offense is why we need the Holy Spirit to help us be the voice of God. Like Peter on the day of Pentecost, he spoke with power and conviction. When we try to rely on our human ability to speak, it often fails to reach people’s heart. May we be always ready to speak and give an answer to those that ask of the hope that is within us. May we always speak words of truth, but with love and kindness. The effective mouth piece of Christian avails much when the Holy Spirit fills our mouth. 

An Honorable Life

1 Peter 2:12 “ having your way of life honest among the Gentiles, that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.”-

Life of honesty is a life living truthfully. A truthful life is an honorable life. We are ambassador for Christ, representing the Name of Jesus to the world that lives in darkness. The lifestyle we live is to honor God and glorify Him. We our now part of the royal priesthood, a child of God by adoption, and made an heir of His riches. The desire of a true believer is to honor His Father and to avoid anything that would dishonor Him. Peter instructs us to avoid fleshly lust or desires that war with the soul and fight against that which is holy. Flee from sin, and avoid the appearance of evil. We are to seek righteousness and holiness in our life. We are still human with many short comings, but our motive to live holy for God can always be pure. Satan hates God and will attack that which He loves. When we dishonor God by the way we live, Satan wins and we lose. Let us take heed that we seek always to honor God and live a honest life. 

Wondrous Word

Psalm 119:18 “Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law.”-

Blinded by sin, it is not natural for people to see the truth of God’s Word. God in His love, grace, and mercy illuminates the mind and opens the eyes of sinners to see Jesus. To see that we are sinners and need of a Savior. As Christians, we need the Holy Spirit to open our eyes to see the deeper things of God. The Law of God is more than a rule book of things to do and not to do, but a love letter that God gives us to help us understand what it means to live and what it means to love Him. His Word is filled with wondrous things, and the half as yet to be told of all that He has for us. It is The Good Book in every sense of the word. His Word is food to the soul and the air we breathe. 

Spiritual Blessings

Eph. 1:3   “ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ...”

Spiritual blessings are given to those who are faithful and put their trust in Christ, They are chosen of God, adopted into the family of God, accepted by Christ, redeemed by His blood, our sins have been forgiven and He has given us wisdom that is not of this world. Spiritual blessings are given for the purpose to fulfill the will of God for each one of our lives. God’s plan for our lives is to glorify Him, to live holy through the blood of Christ. It is only through the Holy Spirit that we are able fulfill this plan. He was the promise of the Father received on the day of Pentecost to endued us with power, cleanse from sin, and to walk a life of holiness (a witness to the world that Christ is alive and lives in our hearts). We are blessed.