Whiter Than Snow

Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Sin is not removed by the acts of good deeds. It is a stained that is stamped deep in the heart of mankind. The root of evil is rebellion against God and an unwillingness to believe that God is holy and just. Sin, conceived in the heart of man since the fall of Adam and Eve in the garden of creation rules the nature of man. But also within the heart of man is a desire to know God, and to find meaning in life. Though our sins be as a stain that cannot be removed, God entreats us to come to Him. Christ died to remove the stain of sin from our heart. He, who is sinless, gave His life for you and me. Even if our heart is wicked, heinous, and commits immoral acts, we can come to Him in confession. God is not unreasonable. He is a God of grace and love. No matter the sin, He is willing to forgive and remove. He is able to wash our sins away and give us a heart that is whiter than snow.

Be Still

Psalm 46:10  Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

Life moves so quickly and everyday is filled with things to do.  Finding time to stop and get still before God becomes even more important than ever. Getting to know God does not happen by accident. If we desire to know Him in a way that is personal, we need to find a place to be alone with Him. Take time out of our busy schedule to think on His power, love, mercy, and grace. Take time to praise Him for who He is and exalt His name. Put way the things in our lives that clutter our thoughts just for a moment, and let our heart be warmed by His presences. Solace is found when we can empty ourselves and let God fill us with His Spirit. Like a river, He desires to flow in us and through us. 

The Command to Love

1 John 3:23 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.

A command is to give an authoritative order. God gave the Ten Commandments to His people, and ultimately to the world. The finger of God wrote them on a stone to signify permanency. These commandments were not to change base on time and culture. They were commands that would guide men and women to live righteously before God. These commandments are stilling the guiding principles that we base many of our laws in our country. It is impossible to make someone love someone else. The command to love is base on our desire to please God. Because He first loved us, we love Him. God’s requirements for all that want to follow Him is to put our trust in Jesus Christ. Believing on Him is the first step to loving one another as we should. The command to love can only be accomplished when we follow the command to believe. Once we give our live to Christ, He puts in our heart a desire to love. The ability to love in spite of the circumstances is made possible by the Holy Spirits that lives within us. It is through the power of His Spirt that God’s love can work through us. It is not the love brought through any human means, but divine love that comes only from God. 

Be Patient

James 1:3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

Patiences is not one of my known virtues, especially if my waiting is caused by someone who is inconsiderate of my time. But not all circumstance that try our faith are caused by someone else. Life happens, and we are often face with having to ask for patience. There are somethings in life when no-one is at fault. God has ordained the testing of our faith. He wants us to look to Him and trust Him that He has everything under control. In this we rejoice, knowing that God has a plan. God desires that we seek Him for wisdom when we are faced with situations that test our faith. Patience to trust Him and hold steady and wait on God to take care of the problem. Lack of patience is an indication of instability and a faith that is weak. “Let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” -v4

Thanks For All He Has Done

Roman 11:36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

We often take the things around us for granted. We get use to having things happen and they become just apart of normal life. The reality is that life is not the way we see it in many parts of the world. It is not until we are stripped of our comforts and the things we take for granted are taken away from us, that we realize how good we have it. I sit in my beautiful home and thank God for providing such luxury. My coffee is ready to go at the push of a button, the water in my shower is heated to a nice refreshing temperature, and my home automatically will warm up and take the chill out of the air. All things are given by Christ and we are recipients of this blessing. It is good to often push the pause button of life and reflect on the goodness of God. We don’t do it enough, I don’t do it enough. To God be the glory for all He has done. 

Why Is Church Imporant

Col 3: 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

The importance of gathering together as a body of believers is base on Bible principles. The argument that one does not need the “church” to be close to God and does not need to go to church to worship God is not sound Biblical teaching. The unity of believers is base on a diversity of people coming together to meet under the banner of Christ. This is not possible if one keeps themselves in the solitude of their home or in nature. Yes, God can be found anywhere where hearts seek after Him, but the richness of Christ in found in the bond of love that is seen in those that follow Him. Let this love of Christ that dwells in all believer be the unity that brings believers together to encourage themselves to serve Christ. One cannot admonish another person if such person does not gather to worship with the assembly.  “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” Heb.10:25. The importance of assembling together is a Biblical teaching that should not be taken lightly. The end is soon approaching and we need each other. There is strength in unity. We need to put aside our differences and focus on what we hold as truth. The banner of Christ is love.

Living For What Matters

2 Corinth 4:18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

We are pilgrims just passing through. This is not our home. This earth is a temporal dwelling place and this body is also temporal. The physical elements of this world will some day all melt away. The things that really matter in life are those things that we cannot see. There is life after death. We all will stand before God and give an account for the life we live. Did we strive only to gain the riches of this world? Did we take time to invest in things not of this world? Did we seek those things that are above? Where our heart is, so is our treasure. Life is but a viper, here for a moment and then gone. Others may remember your life, but they too will also will pass away. The things that matter in this life are seen in the priorities in the choices we make. Let us make choices that will last for eternity. Live your life to be a vessel unto holiness, a vessel broken and spilled out for God.