Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Encouragement To Live A Holy Life




“God is determined to make you pure, holy, and right, and He will not allow you to escape from the scrutiny of the Holy Spirit for even one moment. He urged you to come to judgment immediately when He convicted you, but you did not obey. […] When seen from God’s perspective, it is a glorious ministry of love. God is going to bring you out pure, spotless, and undefiled, but He wants you to recognize the nature you were exhibiting— the nature of demanding your right to yourself. The moment you are willing for God to change your nature, His recreating forces will begin to work. And the moment you realize that God’s purpose is to get you into the right relationship with Himself and then with others, He will reach to the very limits of the universe to help you take the right road. Decide to do it right now, saying, “Yes, Lord, I will write that letter,” or, “I will be reconciled to that person now.”[ …] yourself asking, “I wonder why I’m not growing spiritually with God?”” CHAMBERS

When each of us is born again, we are saved from the penalty of sin. .. eternal separation from God .. and saved to a new life.  One that has spiritual power.  The New Testament is replete with encouragement to turn away from the old way of life and life in the power of the new one.  That message is to Christians not unbelievers. We are encouraged to live Holy lives.  But it is not that easy is it?  The truth is that you struggle with the old nature wanting to dominate … with the tendency to ignore spiritual things and immerse yourself in the natural life. 

Maybe you treat your new nature like I treat my guitar.  Someone asked me if I played the guitar, because they saw it.  I said, “Yes.  Not well, but well enough.”  What I meant was that I am not willing to invest the time it takes to play well.  I just play well enough to get by.  I am satisfied .. that is until I try to do something and can’t.  Sometimes, my guitar will sit in its case for weeks without my playing it.  And so it can be with our faith.  Someone may see our Bible on the table and mention it.  Yes, we have one, but it may have been weeks since we picked it up, dusted it off, tried to remember where a particular book was .. .especially the Old Testament … “now where is the book of Isaiah?”  We don’t pray to God.  We don’t fellowship with other Christians.  Our life goes on, but while our natural life thrives, our spiritual life .. the one that was made available through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, gathers dust.  Our sins stack up, one upon the other, day after day, the Spirit of God is quenched .. and we convince ourselves that the way we are living is “spiritual” and pleasing to God.  Think about it.  ELGIN

Bondye Beni Ou (God Bless You)

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