There is only one thing we can give to God, and that is the right to ourself. The Apostle Paul here exhorts his readers to respond to God’s undeserved mercy and grace by becoming a living sacrifice. Now instead of the Old Testament dead animal sacrifices, we are to offer ourselves fully – body, mind, and will to God…making every aspect of our life an act of worship. What this means is a continual, active commitment rather than an one time personal ritual. Another way to look at this term living sacrifice is that our individual desire dies as our surrendered sanctification lives.. also known as dying to self while living for God.
John 11:41-42 ” Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, ‘Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. I know that You always hear Me…’ “
Jesus had abiding confidence that His Father always listened to Him…and we should also. In many places across the Scriptures it states that God is attentive to our prayers. (Psalm 34:17, Jeremiah 29:12, I John 5:14) But if we take this idea of Christ’s assurance that God heard Him and add Galatians 4:19 and Romans 8:9-10…we will realize that if Christ is formed in us and His Spirit dwells within, we can have the same certainty that God hears us that Jesus did. So pray with faith and trust that God is listening.
The Holy Spirit convicts for the purpose of restoration. The enemy condemns for the purpose of separation.
The night before He was crucified, Jesus explained to the disciples the work of the coming Holy Spirit. (John 16:5-16) The third part of the Holy Trinity would convict the world of the guilt of sin…so we may recognize our sin, understand the need for righteousness, and trust in God. And it was always with the purpose of restoring our fellowship with our Heavenly Father. But the devil’s aim is to condemn and separate us from that fellowship. He attempts to drive us away from God by reminding us of past guilt, sin, and shortcomings. He murmurs in our ear challenges like, “Has God really forgiven you?” As I Peter 5:8 reminds us, “The enemy prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” But we don’t have to listen and respond.
I Peter 4:19 ” So then, those who suffer according to God’s Will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.”
No one chooses to suffer…we simply choose to follow the Will of God. But suffering for the Lord is still difficult, and self pity gets us no where, and as Jesus told Peter, it’s of the devil. (Matthew 16: 21-23) We must then realize that suffering is part of God’s Will, and entrust our souls to Him…responding to hardship with faith and perseverance…for our suffering is meaningful. That’s because, ultimately, God places us where we will bring the most glory to Him, regardless of how much we may suffer in the process.
John 20:21-23 ” Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent Me, I am sending you.’ And with that He breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.’ “
Within these verses we see the three foundational rocks of the early Church…Peace, Presence, and Power. Jesus is reminding the disciples that true reconcilation with God has been purchased by His death on the Cross. (John 14:27) His Presence, by way of the Holy Spirit, is their commissioning for the sake of evangelism and missions. That’s because Jesus is the supreme pattern for us to follow as He empowers, equips, and guides. (John 17:18) Finally, Jesus gives them the authority to bind or loose (also called “keys” to lock or unlock) the Kingdom of God through the forgiveness of sins, as they declare God’s Word and the Gospel Message. All three of these foundational rocks being built upon the true rock…Jesus Christ. (Matthew 16:18-19) So our responsibly today is to share the Gospel as instruments of His Peace, Presence, and Power to the lost.
Jeremiah 9: 23-24 ” Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord, Who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight, declares the Lord.”
You’ve probably heard the term “self-made man” to describe someone whose success is of their own making. But in the wildly changing world today, this is only false confidence. Intelligence, strength, wealth, and independence are all natural places for sinful human beings to place their trust and worth. But these things are limited and cannot safely secure us from all the hidden dangers of the world. So as this Scripture points out, our fulfillment must then come from our deep and personal relationship with God…Who exercises lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness. Therefore, our boasting needs to be in God, not ourself…redirecting our human pride of fleeting achievements, to our eternal relationship with our Creator.
Acts 8:3 ” Saul began to destroy the Church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.”
We’ve heard of Paul’s “thorn in the flesh”, but the other day I read a very interesting question posed. It was asking if this “thorn in the flesh” was possibly a deep regret or mental anguish for killing so many Christians in the early Church? For we know that Satan was probably bringing up his past and condemning him for his murderous actions and systematic nature of ravaging Believers. But if after his conversion, (Acts 9:1-19) Saul’s past was covered by the blood of Christ, Satan then had no power. And as his ministry moved forward into the Gentile world, Saul’s name changed to Paul in Acts 13:9…his Hebrew name being replaced by his Roman name, and his past forgiven. (Psalm 103:12)
Proverbs 27:17 ” Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”
Sharpening iron requires friction…and in the process both edges are honed perfectly. We need to look then at our interactions with fellow Christians as opportunities to sharpen our character and faith. We can grow spiritually and improve through mutual interactions, accountability, and constructive relationships. But if the only feedback we ever receive are compliments, admiration, and flattery…we’ll never grow. It’s only when that Christian friend challenges us with honest criticism, Spirit-led counsel, and pointing out the need to take responsibility for our actions, that essential spiritual growth will happen.
Revelation 3:15-16 ” I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of My mouth.”
Is your Church ministering or just maintaining? Is it simply preserving old traditions and becoming more of a monument than a vibrant and active Fellowship? In other words, does your Church still have a heartbeat, or is it DOA, and no one wants to admit it? The Church in Loadicea was spiritually complacent, indifferent, and comfortable with the status quo. Or as II Timothy 3:5 says, their religion was hollow, spiritually useless, and displeasing to God. So ask yourself today, is your Church moving forward, actively reaching people…or has it grinded to a halt, becoming more of a monument of what once was?
Psalm 37:34 ” Wait for the Lord and keep His ways…”
Psalm 37 is an instructional poem of King David’s, urging us to wait patiently until God’s promises are fully realized…even when it seems that answers are not forthcoming. That’s because God is still working when He tells us to wait. Exodus 14:14 explains that the Lord will fight for us, we need only be still. For He fights on our behalf behind the scenes…in areas we have no concept of. So our role in all this is to simply trust in Him and wait…for ultimately, God’s Divine Sovereignty will prevail.
Safetypinlove 