Follower of the Way

Thought for Today - May we be zealous for good works

Titus 2:1-15 (ESV)
But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.  Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness.  Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.  Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled.  Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.  Bondservants are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.  For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.  Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.

 

May we be those who seek sound doctrine.  May we be sound in the faith, in love, and steadfast always in the Lord.  This passage shares many traits that we should seek to have in our life.

 

May we be those who seek to honor God and who seek to show the love of God to everyone we come in contact with.  May we seek to be servants of all, not seeking our own, but that which is best for others.  May only that which is good and upright be seen in our lives.  May our hope be for the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ.  May we be zealous for good works.

Thought for Today - Faith, Hope and Love

I Corinthians 13:13

So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Romans 5:1-5 

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we^[ have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.  Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

I John 2:5-6

but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

I John 2:15-16

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.

I John 3:1

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

I John 3:18

Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth

I John 3:23

And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.

I Corinthians 13:4-8a

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.  Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  Love never ends.

Matthew 25:34-40

Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

Matthew 5:16

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Our Citizenship is in Heaven

Philippians 3:17-21 (ESV) Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

Is your citizenship in Heaven? We need to be those who are following the example of Christ. Paul urged the Philippians to imitate him as he followed Christ. People should be able to see Christ in us. The world follows after their fleshly desires and is focused on the things of this world. We need to be those who have our mind set on Heavenly things.

We have a lot to be hopeful and thankful for as Christians. Our goal and focus should be on Heavenly things. Our daily goal should be to grow to be more like Christ in every way.

"Where is the Promise of His Coming?” – II Peter 3

2 Peter 3:1-18 (ESV)

This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

God has set a day that he will judge all men.  Long ago Peter wrote that men would say, “Where is the promise of His coming?”  Peter mentions that, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” God desires that all men would repent. He has appointed a day. It could be today. That day could be a hundred years from now and it could be in the next hour. God is eternal and Peter mentions that with “the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” Every day we come closer to the return of our Lord. We should be those who look forward to His coming.

This passage in II Peter should cause us to remember several things

1)      Our God is powerful – By His word he formed the world

2)      God has appointed a day to destroy the world and judge man

3)      This world is temporary

4)      We should seek to live our lives to bring honor to God growing in grace and knowledge

 

1 Thessalonians 5:2-11 (ESV)

For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.   While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.  But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief.  For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.   So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.   For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night.   But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.   For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.   Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (ESV)

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.  For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.  For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.  For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.   Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Be Careful Not To Take Your Eyes Off Of Christ

The blog this week has been from I Peter. There are many events of Peter's life with our Lord recorded in the New Testament. One of those is when Jesus came to his disciples walking on the water.

Matthew 14:22-33 (ESV) Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”   He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus.   But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.”   Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.   And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

We tend to think about what we focus on. Have you ever woken up in the night and heard a noise in your house that is always there, but you normally don't pay attention to it? If you focus on it you may not be able to go back to sleep, because that may then be all your mind is hearing. When Peter asked the Lord to command him to come to Him on the water -- Jesus said, "Come". Peter then got out of the boat and walking to Jesus "saw the wind" and he became afraid. In our Christian life it is important to keep our focus on our Lord and Savior -- Jesus Christ and God's love for us. When we lose that focus we open the door for doubt.

Proverbs 3:5 (ESV) Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.

Hebrews 11:1 (ESV) Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Great Promises call for great preparation

The book of I Peter starts with mentioning several great promises that are found for us in God's word:

Grace and Peace in the Fullest (vs 2)

Great Mercy (vs 3)

Living Hope (vs 3)

Inheritance (vs 4)

Protected by Power of God through Faith (vs 5)

Rejoice with joy (vs 8)

1 Peter 1:1-12 (ESV)  Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,  according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.  In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.

God has truly shown us great mercy. We read in Romans chapter five how that God sent he Son for even when we were unworthy.

Romans 5:6-11 (ESV) For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.   For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.  More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

We see through the sacrifice of the Son of God the great love of God for us.

John 3:16-17 (ESV) “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

In addition to God's great love for us by allowing Christ to die on the cross we have a great promise that provide us a living hope and an imperishable inheritance. God has called us to be his children -1 John 3:1 "See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him." We have a promise of eternal life and an inheritance in Heaven. The inheritance is "imperishable, undefiled, and unfading".   Imperishable - our inheritance will Last Forever, undefiled - our inheritance in Heaven is unstained and pure, and unfading -- our inheritance will not become less desirable than when we first receive it in Heaven.

We are protected by God through faith. That does not mean we will not suffer physical harm in this life. What this does mean is that God provides through faith what is needed to save and protect our soul. We know that Faith comes by hearing and hearing from the word of God - Romans 10:17. We know that in all things for the Christian all things work together for good. Romans 8:28 (ESV) "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."

Because of these great promises that God has given us we can have great joy in this life. We can have joy in trials and challenges. We can be filled with joy because we know the love of God and we have faith in the promises he has made us. Truly are God is awesome.  Tomorrow as we look at the remainder of the 1st chapter of I Peter we will look at some of the preparation Peter calls on those who follow Christ to do.

Faith, Hope and Love

Faith, Hope, and Love are three words we find numerous times in the New Testament.  We know that without faith it is impossible to please God.  We know that love is a critical element in everything we do and we know that the promises of God should provide us with great hope if we will seize them.

I Corinthians 13 is ofter referred to as the passage on love.  In this passage Paul mentions Faith, Hope, and Love and how that Love is the greatest.

When I think of passages where we find Faith, Hope, and Love mentioned at the same time I am drawn to I Thessalonians 1.  Here Paul commends his fellow brethren for their Faith, Hope, and Love and mentions how he has them constantly in remembrance in his prayers.  As Paul commends these three attributes of his fellow brothers he describes the actions that are being invoked.  Paul mentions their "Work of Faith", "Labor of Love", and "Endurance of Hope in our Lord Jesus Christ".  I only hope when others think of Faith, Hope, and Love they see those same attributes in me.  We should be diligently serving our Father and others through Faith with all of our actions a Labor of Love.  At the same time our Faith should provide us an Enduring Hope.

I challenge you to think about your Faith, Hope, and Love.  Is your Faith at work so that you are seeking to serve God with you whole being?  Is Love manifested in your actions?  And does the Hope of Christ provide you the ability to endure and persevere in challenging circumstances? 

These are challenging thoughts we should consider daily.  We have a great Hope.  Christ is our righteousness.  Christ died for us to pay the price for sin so that we could be reconciled to God.  Moreover, God has made us his children.  How awesome.  Because of this great sacrifice and great hope we should be manifesting works of faith and labors of love seeking to be pleasing to our Father.

We can praise God in all of our actions.  At work we can be diligent and faithful workers who give a good days work with loyalty and honesty.  At home we can be the example for our families that is needed.  In the world we can be the light and the salt that shows the love of God to all those around us.  May each of have a life full of works of faith and labors of love that are sustained by our endurance of Hope due to the love God has shown for us and the great promises He has provided to us.