Thinking this thanksgiving morning about iron, magnets and faith. The Earth has a magnetic field. Free floating magnets will seek to align with that field and point magnetic north. They also produce a field themselves. There are only a small group of elements that 'hold' magnetism. Iron is one of them.
"Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another." Proverbs 27:17 ESV
The iron in you affects the iron in me. The faith in you affects me and vice versa. It can magnetized me when I have lost my charge (aligning influence). Intense heat causes iron to lose a magnetic charge but it can become remagnetized.
Many believers in one place believing with a freeing message that lets them float to align with the mind of God is an amazing unique thing.
Ancient seafarers used compasses to align themselves and safely navigates the seas. Faith can do that for us also.
I'm studying to align myself to God this morning. I'm going to be around people today and I want to have a strong 'magnetic charge' of faith so I can be a blessing and not a curse. Doctrine without power is dangerous and fragmenting. Grace causes freedom. Power and freedom are an amazing combination aren't they?
"If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy." 1 Corinthians 7:13-14 ESV
This passage is talking about marriage and divorce but doesn't it also speak about the magnet-like power of a believer. One believing parent can bring temporary 'alignment' to a child that has no faith field of their own yet. A person can have a sanctifying influence in a household. The visitor brings Jesus in but the person who lives in that home has Him reside there.
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Showing posts with label Sanctification. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sanctification. Show all posts
Thursday, November 28, 2019
Thursday, June 8, 2017
Remembering Today
Histories are written and edited. I often think that way about our personal histories also.
"For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes... He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." - Revelation 7:17; 21:4 ESV
What if our memories will only consist of what we did by faith and everything else just falls away on the cutting room floor to be swept away.
What will be remembered from today? Will it be remembered at all? Perhaps some days will be very short or even missing from our memories. We get up go to the bathroom and realize that there is no toothpaste and 'poof' everything else is gone from that day. We are just waking up again the next day.
The Gospel is such good news. We are forgiven.
"And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him." - Hebrews 11:6 ESV
"See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is." - Ephesians 5:15-17 KJV
Most of all can't recall large portions of our lives. There will come a day when everything will come back into focus like we can only dream of it now. Our mind will be fully reclaimed. Our soul already is. God has purchased us and will one day restore us to a glory we can only imagine. We will see things that are invisible to us now.
"When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known." - 1 Corinthians 13:11-12 ESV
If we redeem the time we will have the clarity of participation. We can stake a 'grace claim' on time and space. This day can either blow away like chaff in the wind or it can be a day of gold, silver and precious stones. Will adversity steal our memory? Will disappointment? No. We can live by faith in what Jesus has done and get all of today into the final cut of the redemption story.
Thank You God.
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"For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes... He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." - Revelation 7:17; 21:4 ESV
What if our memories will only consist of what we did by faith and everything else just falls away on the cutting room floor to be swept away.
What will be remembered from today? Will it be remembered at all? Perhaps some days will be very short or even missing from our memories. We get up go to the bathroom and realize that there is no toothpaste and 'poof' everything else is gone from that day. We are just waking up again the next day.
The Gospel is such good news. We are forgiven.
"And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him." - Hebrews 11:6 ESV
"See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is." - Ephesians 5:15-17 KJV
Most of all can't recall large portions of our lives. There will come a day when everything will come back into focus like we can only dream of it now. Our mind will be fully reclaimed. Our soul already is. God has purchased us and will one day restore us to a glory we can only imagine. We will see things that are invisible to us now.
"When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known." - 1 Corinthians 13:11-12 ESV
If we redeem the time we will have the clarity of participation. We can stake a 'grace claim' on time and space. This day can either blow away like chaff in the wind or it can be a day of gold, silver and precious stones. Will adversity steal our memory? Will disappointment? No. We can live by faith in what Jesus has done and get all of today into the final cut of the redemption story.
Thank You God.
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Tuesday, January 3, 2017
You Are Clean By His Word
"Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." - John 15:3-5 ESV
"If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." - 1 John 1:8-10 ESV
If you are clean it is because of the word He has spoken. His word becomes a habitation.
If we say, 'You are not qualified to tell me anything.' or 'I don't need you.' then we have nowhere to live with God and God has nowhere to live in us.
Simple.
My history was not been clean but my present is and my future is. His word comes in and overrides the past. We are washed in places nothing else can reach. The depths of us become clean. God declares it to be so legally by decree.
God has a place for us where we are accepted, loved and appreciated. We can live there.
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"If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." - 1 John 1:8-10 ESV
If you are clean it is because of the word He has spoken. His word becomes a habitation.
If we say, 'You are not qualified to tell me anything.' or 'I don't need you.' then we have nowhere to live with God and God has nowhere to live in us.
Simple.
My history was not been clean but my present is and my future is. His word comes in and overrides the past. We are washed in places nothing else can reach. The depths of us become clean. God declares it to be so legally by decree.
God has a place for us where we are accepted, loved and appreciated. We can live there.
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Monday, February 29, 2016
Foreknown Children Of Grace
God knew that Adam and Eve would have children before they did and said...
"I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel." - Genesis 3:15 ESV
This is the first prophecy we have in the scripture about Messiah.
In the next passage we see another inner working of God's foreknowledge.
"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified." - Romans 8:28-30 ESV
We make choices but God knows our choices before we make them because He knows everything. The past, present and future are already laid out before Him. This doesn't negate our ability to choose or the consequences of our choices.
If we respond to the Gospel (and God knows whether we will or won't) then we are justified and eventually glorified. Just as children grow up to be little versions of their parents. Similarly each believer grows up to be like Christ. We are not exactly like Him because we are all unique but we bear his name like a child would bear the family name.
"I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel." - Philippians 1:3-7 ESV
Believe it or not some people hate grace. They hate the idea that God must give them spirituality for free. They hate the idea that their right standing would be based on some one else's work and not theirs. They hate that God has authority over them because they want to rule themselves at any cost. There is no evidence that these people are partakers of grace.
Are they called? Or in other words have they responded to the calling that God has initiated to them?
Moses saw a burning bush and turned aside to look at this rarely seen wonder and when people hear they Gospel they get a spiritual glimpse of God waving them over from the across the room. Only an individual can make that decision to respond. Some people get many chances and others may only get one. We don't know how that works. Just one chance is more than we deserve. Salvation is a gift after all.
But if anyone has responded then we know that God is going to complete the work He started. Every person who believes is justified and every one of them will eventually be glorified.
Jesus is the first man to be glorified but we are next in line. Wow. That is exciting to think about. It gives me hope.
Are you a partaker of grace? If you are then you are on a good path. Even if other things don't seem to be going well don't worry. God is going to bring you through.
We can spend our days loving the free gift and spreading it in other peoples lives like seed. The seed of the Gospel has transformation potential. If it takes root and is established then God is going to complete the work He started in that life. That is a promise He has made and I trust that He knows what He Is doing.
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"I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel." - Genesis 3:15 ESV
This is the first prophecy we have in the scripture about Messiah.
In the next passage we see another inner working of God's foreknowledge.
"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified." - Romans 8:28-30 ESV
We make choices but God knows our choices before we make them because He knows everything. The past, present and future are already laid out before Him. This doesn't negate our ability to choose or the consequences of our choices.
If we respond to the Gospel (and God knows whether we will or won't) then we are justified and eventually glorified. Just as children grow up to be little versions of their parents. Similarly each believer grows up to be like Christ. We are not exactly like Him because we are all unique but we bear his name like a child would bear the family name.
"I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel." - Philippians 1:3-7 ESV
Believe it or not some people hate grace. They hate the idea that God must give them spirituality for free. They hate the idea that their right standing would be based on some one else's work and not theirs. They hate that God has authority over them because they want to rule themselves at any cost. There is no evidence that these people are partakers of grace.
Are they called? Or in other words have they responded to the calling that God has initiated to them?
Moses saw a burning bush and turned aside to look at this rarely seen wonder and when people hear they Gospel they get a spiritual glimpse of God waving them over from the across the room. Only an individual can make that decision to respond. Some people get many chances and others may only get one. We don't know how that works. Just one chance is more than we deserve. Salvation is a gift after all.
But if anyone has responded then we know that God is going to complete the work He started. Every person who believes is justified and every one of them will eventually be glorified.
Jesus is the first man to be glorified but we are next in line. Wow. That is exciting to think about. It gives me hope.
Are you a partaker of grace? If you are then you are on a good path. Even if other things don't seem to be going well don't worry. God is going to bring you through.
We can spend our days loving the free gift and spreading it in other peoples lives like seed. The seed of the Gospel has transformation potential. If it takes root and is established then God is going to complete the work He started in that life. That is a promise He has made and I trust that He knows what He Is doing.
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