HAPPY TUESDAY!
I pray all is well with everyone, and you enjoyed this beautiful “Terrific Tuesday”. I am doing well, and am feeling much better today! I guess my first day back in the gym wore me out, more than I realized. When I sat down to write, I could not hold my head up. Well that, and the fact that I have not been sleeping as well I would want, conquered my will to write last night. Transitions are awesome, especially when God takes you into a quiet corner, and teaches and molds you into an awesome servant. I am learning that there are times where you are not supposed to do anything but listen and learn. The only way that we will be able to teach what we have learned, is to allow this much needed season. I remember when I was living in Portland, OR, and we were about to enter into the rainy season. We had gotten halfway through November and the rain still had not started. I was elated about that, because I was not looking forward to eight straight months of rain. When I said this, my friend, who grew up in Portland, looked a little worried, and she said, “There is a reason for the rain, and if we do not get it, that means that we could have terrible forest fires next year, and things just would not be right”. Sure enough, after that painful rain season, the spring peaked through, the trees and flowers bloomed, and it was the most beautiful, green, lush place that I have ever seen. If it had not been for the rain, who knows what it would have looked like. When we are going through periods of nonstop rain, or when God sits us down to just listen, it seems like it is never going to end. Quite frankly, it is just downright boring and sometimes painful, however, everything happens for a reason, so it is important for us to allow the seasons. I’m in a season of listening and learning so that I can better teach the Word, which is what I was called to do. Always be sure to know which season you are in, and embrace it. Enjoy the remainder of your day, and be blessed family.
Today’s scriptures are about walking in perfection. Perfect is what we all strive to be, even though God never created us to be that way. In the flesh we are actually imperfect and sinful in nature, yet we try to be perfect. What’s wrong with this picture? You may be wondering why God asks us to be perfect, when it is absolutely impossible to do. Well the answer lies in Christ Jesus. He was perfect and sinless, because we were incapable of being that on our own. He gave up His life, so that we do not have sacrifice another living breathing soul. He taught us how to walk in righteousness through His teachings, and the way that He walked in faith. He endured everything that we could ever face, and more, so that we can understand that it is all a part of life, and we too can overcome any obstacle. So in Christ, we are indeed perfect, because we’re washed by His blood. When we accept Jesus as Lord we’re baptized with the Holy Spirit, and born again. We’ve become “new creatures”, which gives us the opportunity to be perfect. To clarify: within the flesh we will never be perfect, but in Christ we are made perfect by the blood of the Lamb. The only thing left for us to do is to conduct ourselves in such way, so that we can grow in our faith, as well as be great representatives of Christ.
It amazes me how much scrutiny Christians are under. It seems like we are under a microscope, because people analyze everything we do—believers and non-believers alike. I don’t know how many times I've heard someone say, “He’s not acting very “Christian-like”, or “Did you hear what she said, isn’t she supposed to be a Christian”. This annoys me because sure we’re Christians, but we’re also human, and are going to make mistakes. We’re only perfect through Christ! The person who’s trying their best to make their outside match the inside, deserve all of the credit in the world, because it is not easy. If you wake up each morning with the intention of making God proud, then you’re perfect in your spirit. If you happen to fall short, which each and every one of us will at one time or another, then that’s okay, because God knows your heart. He sees us trying, and that is all that we can do. I mean genuinely trying, by making sure that we have Him in mind with everything we do. Just getting up and making it to church every Sunday, or donating money when a disaster happens—which are all great things—are not enough. You must walk, talk, and think like Christ, which takes practice. You have to actively want to be better, do better, look better, work harder, love deeper, and have a stronger sense of the Kingdom of God. That, brothers and sisters, is perfection in Christ.
In order to maintain this perfection we have inherited from Christ, our entire lives must change, because again we are in the flesh, and the flesh is indeed weak. We have all heard what the Apostle Paul had to say about this, when he wrote the “Instructions on Christian Living”. My favorite part is when he wrote: So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed. That, however, is not the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. (Eph. 4:17-24) You may have read this and thought “that is easier said than done”, but trust me, it could be easier, if you do it with your heart. If you really Love Jesus, then you are going to want to live in a way that pleases Him, because He gave up so much for you. Do you think if Jesus had to do it all over again He would? Of course He would, because He loves us just that much, and He knows better. All He's asked of us to do is LOVE Him; is that too much to ask?
To take a few moments to think of your life. With sin comes payment, and that payment takes a toll on you physically, spiritually, and emotionally. When you walk in righteousness, it also comes with payment, which builds us up physically, spiritually, and emotionally. All you have to do is make a conscious decision—choose Jesus, and trust Him to show you the way. Believe me when I say that you DO NOT have to be perfect to accept Jesus as Lord, He'll take you just as you are; I am a living witness. Besides, Jesus is the only way to achieve perfection in God's eyes. Take a few moments to take the God Quiz right now! My favorite verse today is: Ye shall Be Holy unto me: for I the Lord am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine. (Leviticus 20:26)
ENJOY! http://www.bible.com/scripture-detail.php?juli=2455685&dtype=Scripture
http://www.intouch.org/broadcast/today-on-radio
http://www.joycemeyer.org/OurMinistries/Broadcast/
I love you!
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