July 24, 2011

Holy Living....Are You Living It? 

1 Peter 1:13 - 2:3

1 Peter

So think clearly and exercise self-control.  Look forward to the special blessings that will come to you at the return of Jesus Christ.  Obey God because you are his children.  Don't slip back into your old ways of doing evil; you didn't know any better then.  But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God - who chose you to be his children - is holy.  For he himself has said, "You must be holy because I am holy."

And  remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites when he judges.  He will judge or reward you according to what you do.  So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time as foreigners here on earth.  For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors.  And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver.  He paid for you with the precious lifeblood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.  God chose him for this purpose long before the world began, but now in these final days, he was sent to the earth for all to see.  And he did this for you.

Through Christ you have come to trust in God.  And because God raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory, your faith and hope can be placed confidently in God.  Now you can have sincere love for each other as brothers and sisters because you were cleansed from your sins when you accepted the truth of the Good News.  So see to it that you really do love each other intensely with all your hearts.

For you have been born again.  Your new life did not come from your earthly parents because the life they gave you will end in death.  But this new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God.  As the prophet says, "People are like grass that dies away; their beauty fades as quickly as the beauty of wildflowers. The grass withers, and the flowers fall away.  But the word of the Lord will last forever."  And that word is the Good News that was preached to you.

So get rid of all malicious behavior and deceit.  Don't just pretend to be good!  Be done with hypocrisy and jealousy and backstabbing.  You must crave pure spiritual milk so that you can grow into the fullness of your salvation.  Cry out for this nourishment as a baby cries for milk now that you have had a taste of the Lord's kindness. 

JesJeJeJJjEJJJ     JJThe LORD is king!  Let the nations tremble!  T*** 

Thoughts.....

Good morning!  Todays lesson seems to be a wake up call.  A directive to live the good life that God set forth for us.  Let's review it together.

Peter tells us to 'think clearly and exercise self-control'.  This could mean many things to many people.  What he is calling us to do is to understand where our salvation comes from.....from whom.  With laser like focus we need to be clear about who gave us life and who 'can take us out'.  And with that same laser precision we need to exercise self-control.  In doing so, we CAN CONFIDENTLY 'look forward to the special blessings that will come....at the return of Jesus Christ'.  And when is he coming, you ask?  For the world, when you 'hear the sound of a mighty trumpet blast' (Matthew 24:31).  Or upon your last breath, when Heavenly Father deems.  Since you don't know when either WILL occur, be ready.  Be really ready....be practicing holy living.

'Obey God.'

'Don't slip back into your old ways of doing evil.'

'Now you must be holy in everything you do'.....God said, "You must be holy because I am holy."    

These are strong directives.  And we are like dust fragments to be brushed off, or to be saved and given life. Will you need to plead your case to God?  Or will you choose to live in a manner pleasing to him?  Remember, he has no favorites and he 'will judge or reward you according to what you do'. 

'You must live in reverent fear of him during your time as foreigners here on earth.'  Ever think of yourself as a foreigner?

Let me reiterate: 

'God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors.'  Now don't go blaming your ancestors for the life you have chosen to live as an adult.  And have you considered that people in the Old Testament are your ancestors, too?  How far back can you go in your geneology?  You could be related to the Neanderthals...a gene has just been found that links 9% of the population.  Here's an interesting thought....who were your relatives and how much gene expression is carried on, and, should we act on how we feel, or what we know?  What do you think based on todays lesson? 

'The ransom God paid was not mere gold or silver.  He paid for you with the precious lifeblood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.  HE PAID FOR YOU.  Because he loves you with a sincere and pure love.     

I need to say something.  Peter alludes to Christ being sinless.  Was he sinless when he left the fold to study at the knee of the Church Fathers, when his parents could not find him?  In todays society, that would not be viewed as sinless.  Was he sinless when he tipped over the tables of the money changers?  Was he angry or righteously angry?  Was he sinless when he told his mother 'it wasn't time' at the wedding of Cana?  Did the fact that he turned around and did what was asked seem as though he appeased his mother to escape punishment?  Just some things to think about.  Does it negate who he was and what he did if he did sin?  Hmmmmmm. 

'God chose him for this purpose long before the world began, but now in these final days, he was sent to the earth for all to see.  And he did this for you.'  Have you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?  Have you thanked him with your very life?  Your everyday life of holy living? 

Peter tells us 'through Christ you have come to trust in God.'  Have you?  He goes on to say 'because God raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory, your faith and hope can be placed confidently in God.'  So, where is your faith and where is your hope?  Is it placed confidently in God? 

This will grab you.....

'Now you can have sincere love for each other as brothers and sisters because you were cleansed from your sins when you accepted the truth of the Good News.' 

Wow.  Do you have sincere love for each other....anybody....as a brother and sister? 

WERE YOU cleansed from your sins......DID YOU accept the truth of the Good News?

'See to it that you really do love each other intensely with all your hearts.' 

Do you feel you are in a choke hold right now?  Or do you feel embraced and warmed by the love of God?

Hmmmmmmm.

You have been given the opportunity to be born again.  That is NOT what the scripture says.  It says 'you HAVE been born again.'  Peter is talking to Christians here.  Are you a Christian?  I cannot presume to believe that you are just because you read the Scriptures or what I write weekly.  Define this.....what is a Christian?  Base it on Scripture...the holy and inspired word of God.  Now, do you fit the definition?  Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?  Do you obey him?  Do you thank him?  How?  Time for a reality check.

'Your new life did not come from your earthly parents because the life they gave you will end in death.  But this new life will last forever because it comes form the eternal living word of God.'  

It's true:

'People are like grass that dies away; their beauty fades as quickly as the beauty of wildflowers.'  I happened to notice this in the mirror the other day.  My external beauty is fading.  But my internal beauty....The Lord....will never fade away.

'The grass withers, and flowers fall away.  But the word of the Lord will last forever.'  Praise be to God!

'And that word is the Good News that was preached to you.'  Hallelujah!

'SO'....OOOOOOOOOO...., 'get rid of all malicious behavior and deceit.'  This goes on even in churches....how sad is that?  Sometimes it is more prevalent in a church than out.  Are you listening family of God?

'Don't pretend to be good!'  Note the exclamation point.  Life is not a joke, God is not laughing, and neither are the people you are hurting by pretending, manipulating, lying, backstabbing, etc.

'Be done with hypocrisy and jealousy and backstabbing.'  See.......be done with it.  BE DONE WITH IT!

'You must crave pure spiritual milk so that you can grow into fullness of your salvation.'  Milk...the Word, when you are new to it, and just starting to understand the basics.  What I traditionally give weekly, but I throw in a little meat now and then to give you substantial thoughts to chew on to learn and grow.  The dessert is salvation in his arms. 

'Cry out for this nourishment as a baby cries for milk, now that you have had a taste of the Lord's kindness.'  Have you tasted the Lord's kindness, or have you merely noticed and passed him by?  Who are you?  What do you want your life to become?  How do you want to live your life?  How do you want to be known? 

Someone said once that in helping others with their end time moments on this earth, the question came up again and again at the last was NOT, "Was I loved?" or "Did I love?", but it was, "Did I love well?"  God is loving you today, right now, at this moment.  He has been loving you well....and wants to continue to do so.  How do you feel about him?  Do you love him?  Or do you love him well?  He's waiting for your love to be complete.  Consider giving him your whole heart today.  And all good things will be yours through the love of Jesus Christ.  The greatest gift is love (1 Cor 13:13).

Know anybody else willing to die for you today?  Jesus did it already.  Any chance you would be willing to thank him by dedicating your life to him today?  Give him your heart and your soul.  Give them back to him.  For doing so with love, the love you have given will return to you many fold.  There is no mistaking it, God was the same yesterday, as he is today, and will be tomorrow.  He will not leave you nor forsake you.  Don't you leave or forsake him.  Love him fully.    Obey him.  Live holy.  Today.                       

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Let Us Pray

Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on me.  I have not loved you with my whole heart, I have not loved my neighbor as myself.  I am heartily sorry and I humbly repent.  Please forgive me.  Thank you.  Lord, I am not perfect, I am glad you are.  I am glad you made arrangements, God, to make me whole, forgive me of my sins, give me eternal life, by sending your Son, a man I call my Savior, Jesus Christ, to die for me so that I may have all that.  Now, Lord God, help me not just ACT like he is my Savior, let me LIVE....HOLY....because he is my Savior.  I hear the call to holy living.  I bow down to you.  Raise me to new heights, so that I may glorify you, and Jesus, and Holy Spirit.  I don't want to just bring glory to your name, I want to bring glory to all that and who you are, the fullness of you.  I know that I know that I know that I know, you love me.  And  I cannot thank you enough.  Though I say this, I don't know that I am truly living this thankfulness, so please help me honor you by helping me to obey you more.  I am grateful, I will try to show it more.  I have loved all others around me.  For some reason this has never been hard for me.  Please help me fine tune my discernment knob, so I know who really are my brothers and sisters in you and who are not, so I know who is worthy of your love.  Keep me close to you and surround me with your guardian angels.  Let me not jump at any call, but only to your calls.  Give me a new life in you....please.  Oh, Lord, would you please heal me and my family of all the things we need to be healed from?  I know I need only ask and you will answer.  Thank you!  Oh gosh, I'm excited.  A new day and a new life....with you!  Thank you!  I love you!  My family loves you!  Amen!                  

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More love.... 

  Benediction...Blessing

Let us hear from Paul as he prays:  

When I think of the wisdom and scope of God's plan, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth.  I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will give you mighty inner strength through his Holy Spirit.  And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him.  May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love.  And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is.  May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it.  Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Now glory be to God!  By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope.  May he be given glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever through endless ages.  Amen.  Ephesians 3:14-21 NLT         

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Scroll down to read Jesus' Prayer of Thanksgiving...'The Unforced Rhythms of Grace'.

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Definition of a Christian:  Anyone who believes in God, Jesus and Holy Spirit, and accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior.  Regardless of church name or religious affiliation. 

It is not how we worship, but that we worship....the Trinity!   

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If you feel that the Church of the Holy Spirit has inspired or helped you, we'd like you to prayerfully consider tithing regularly to us or gifting us, so that we can further the work and carry out the will of the Father as proclaimed in Matthew 28:19-20 NLT

 to

 "Go and make disciples out of all the nations

baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.  And be sure of this:

I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

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  Our Current Cause

It is time to reach into the community and the world around you to see wherein lies the greatest need.  As you choose to focus on these areas, do so with a servant's heart.  Whether the need is for children, adults, or animals, or any cause in between that will help those in need, ask God how you can best serve his needs, what path you must take, and how long you should persevere.  Sometimes we are to be in the lives of others merely as stepping stones.  Sometimes we are to touch those lives forever.  Whatever journey you are called to take, whatever team you will be a member, know this:  God is with you always...even til the end of time.  He loves you, is grateful for you, and will help you along life's way, especially if you are helping others along theirs, persevering with a servant's heart. 

Please accept my sincerest thanks....and God's....and may God richly bless you!   

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    One last thing....

 Jesus' Prayer of Thanksgiving

'The Unforced Rhythms of Grace'

"Abruptly Jesus broke into prayer:  "Thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth.  You've concealed your ways from sophisticates and know-it-alls, but spelled them out clearly to ordinary people.  Yes, Father, that's the way you like to work."

Jesus resumed talking to the people, but now tenderly.  "The Father has given me all these things to do and say.  This is a unique Father - Son operation, coming out of Father and Son intimacies and knowledge.  No one knows the Son the way the Father does, nor the Father the way the Son does.  But I'm not keeping it to myself; I'm ready to go over it line by line with anyone willing to listen."

"Are you tired?  Worn out?  Burned out on religion?  Come to me.  Get away with me and you'll recover your life.  I'll show you how to take a real rest.  Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it.  Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.  I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn how to live freely and lightly.

   Matthew 11:  25-30

  The Message

And the people said,

"Amen."

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I now write most prayers in the position of ' I ' (first person) because most people are sitting at their computer alone, not in groups, and it allows those reading and praying to personalize the prayer as coming from them going to God.  Variations may appear on holidays when families may wish to use the prayer provided. 

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  Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996.  Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189.  All rights reserved.

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