1.
And can I yet delay
My little all to give?
To wean my soul from earth away
For Jesus to receive?
2.
Tho’ late, I all forsake;
My will, my all resign:
Gracious Redeemer, take, O take,
And seal me ever thine
3.
Come and possess me whole,
Nor hence again remove;
Settle and fix my wavering soul
With all thy weight of love.
4.
My one desire be this,
Thy love to fully know:
Nor seek I longer other bliss,
Or other good below.
5.
My life, my portion thou;
Thou all sufficient art:
My hope, my heavenly treasure, now
Enter, and keep my heart.
This Hymn’s History
Author — Charles Wesley (1707-1788) was the original author of the lyrics to this hymn. The“Hymns of Dawn” Hymnal contains four of the original five verses of this Hymn (“Full Surrender,” No. 14), with some word modifications.
Composer —Unknow (in relation to the melody of “Full Surrender” (No. 14) in the “Hymns of Dawn.”
Bible Scriptures Associated With This Hymn
Psalm 37:4 (KJV) — “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.“
John 6:38 (KJV) — “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.“
Psalm 40:8 (KJV) — “I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.“
Romans 12:1-5 (KJV) — “(1) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. (2) And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (3) For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. (4) For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: (5) So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.”
Ephesians 4 (ESV) — “(22) to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, (23) and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, (24) and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
The following words are from a “Reprint” (No. 1839-1840) from “The Original Watch Tower and Herald of Christ’s Presence:”
CONSOLATION
“Trust in the Lord and do good: so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thy heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass; and he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him.”—Psa. 37:3-7.
WHILE the Word of God abounds in precepts and admonitions, in warnings and instructions, and while it lifts high the standard of moral excellence—so high that in our weak and fallen condition we cannot attain unto it, and in our efforts to do so in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation we must of necessity encounter the wrath of all the powers of darkness strongly entrenched in the hearts of fallen fellow-men, this same blessed Word comes to the faithful children of God in the very midst of this battle of life with sweet and refreshing consolation [comfort, solace].
Consolation! What is it?
Oh, you who have never enlisted under the banner of the cross, you who have never made an honest endeavor to withstand the powers of darkness, to fight the good fight of faith, to stem the current of your own fallen nature’s tendencies, or to contend earnestly for truth and righteousness in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, what can you know of the sweets of divine consolation?
It is the balmfor wounded spirits on the battle fields of time;
the cooling draughtfor fainting souls hard pressed by the relentless foe;
the soothing caress of a loving hand upon the fevered brow of a noble contender for truth and righteousness;
the gentle whisper of hope and courage when the heart and flesh begin to fail—
that is consolation, divine consolation, the only consolation that has any virtue of healing and refreshingin it.
But it is reserved only for those noble souls who are faithfully bearingthe burden and heat of the day; while those who listlessly drift with the current of the world’s favor, and of the downward tendencies of the carnal nature, can never have an intimation of its sweetness.
It is to the faithful soldiers of the Lord that the above words of the Psalmist are addressed—to the persecuted, tempted and tried. Hear them, tempest-tossed and fainting souls: they were long ago penned by the Lord’s prophet for your edification—“Fret not thyself,”but “trust in the Lord and do good, so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.”
How strong is the Lord, how wise and good! His promises have never failed to those that put their trust in him.
We may feel that our efforts to be good and to do good are very unproductive, and that the opposition from within and without is very strong; but it iswhen we are weak—when we thus realize our own incompetency—that we may be “strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.”
Let us endeavor to make straight paths for our feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way, and then lay hold of the Lord’s strength to help us pursue our course in the narrow way of difficulty and trial. The fact that we are weak and lame does not separate us from the love and power of God; for “he knoweth our frame, he remembereth that we are dust.”He knows that we have the treasure of the new nature in earthen vessels, and therefore it is that, while we strive to overcome, we have his proffered sympathy and aid and the imputed righteousness of Christ for our all-sufficient covering.
“Trust in the Lord and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land; and verily thou shalt be fed” (Psalm 37:3).
Our food and shelterwill be sure: he will never leave nor forsake his own, but will make all things work together for good to them [Romans 8:28].
“Delight thyself also in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart”(Psalm 37:4).
This delight in the Lord is a still more advanced step in the Christian life. It is a blessed thing to learn to trust in the Lord; but it is when continued trust and responsive providences have ripened into personal acquaintance and fellowship with God that we learn to delight in him. Yes, it is when heart answers to heart, when pleading prayer brings recognized answers of peace, when the divine care and love are specially seen in the guidance of our way: in a word, when we come to feel that the Father and the Son have so clearly manifested themselves to us that we can recognize their abiding presence with us.
Ah! then it is that we begin to delight ourselves in the Lord.
Then, however dark may be the way, or however heavy may be the storm that rages about us, the balm of divine consolation is always there, so that the child of God, though often troubled on every side, is not distressed; though perplexed, he is never in despair; though cast down, he is not destroyed; and though persecuted, he is never forsaken.
To delight thus in the Lord is to have the affections centered in him; it is to have the heart in such sympathy with righteousness and truth as to see in God the fountain of all goodness and truth, the one altogether lovely.
The Psalmist expresses such an attitude of heart when, personifying our Lord Jesus, he said, “I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.” And again, “O how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.”And again, when he says, “O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land where no water is….Because thy loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee….My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips when I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.”—Psa. 63.
Such an experience springs only from the felt consolations of divine grace in times of sore and pressing need, and however great the afflictions or the trials of faith, patience and endurance that lead to such an acquaintance with God, there is great cause for rejoicing in them; for—
“E’en sorrow,touched by heaven, grows bright With more than rapture’s ray, As darkness shows us worlds of light We never saw by day.”
When the heart has been thus centered in God, it is its most natural impulse to commit its way to him. As one has beautifully expressed it—
“We’d rather walk in the darkwith God Than go alone in the light; We’d rather walk by faith with him Than go alone by sight.”
And how precious is the promise to those who thus learn to trustin the Lord and go on doing good, no matter how obstinate or fierce may be the persecution it may excite, and who delight in the Lord and confidentlycommittheir way to hisloving wisdom. Surely they shall have the desires of their heart, and no good thing will he withhold from them. Their fervent prayers avail much, and in his own good timetheir righteousness,however misrepresented and evil spoken of now,shall be brought forth as the light—clear, cloudless and widely manifest; and their judgment, the justice and righteousness of their hearts, as the noonday. And even while we remain here as aliens and foreigners in the enemy’s land, verily we shall be fed, both with the temporal bread and with the bread of heaven for our spiritual sustenance.
“Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.”
But the Psalmist adds one more important word of counsel to the Lord’s beloved children. It is this—
“Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him.”
Do not make the mistake of expecting him to give you the desires of your heart at the very instant of your request; to make your path peaceful, easy and pleasant as soon as you commit your way to him; and at once to bring forth your righteousness as the light and your judgment as the noonday. He has not promised to do that. Time is necessary for the working out of his kind providences in our individual affairs; for God works on philosophical principles and for lasting and blessed results. So—
This waiting, under severe trial or affliction, will indeed be a blessing in disguise, if the soul be rightly exercised unto patience, endurance, faith, hope, meekness, long-suffering, kindness and true Christian fortitude. And it will be in the darkness of these waiting seasons that the blessed stars of hope will shine the brightest, and the bright Morning Star, the harbinger of day, will shed his beams into the deepest recesses of our hearts. “They that wait upon the Lord,” says the Prophet (Isa. 40:31), “shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint.”
Blessed promises! and, to the praise of his abounding grace, his saints of the past and present all bear ample testimony of their fulfilment.
“Who need faint while such a river Ever flows our thirst to assuage? Grace, which, like the Lord, the giver, Never fails from age to age.”
Br. Charles Russell—the founder of the Bible Students movement, who is the compiler of“Poems and Hymns of Millennial Dawn” which was published in Allegheny, Pa., in 1890. This Bible Students’ devotional originally contained a total of 151 poems and 333 hymns.
Later on, the hymns from this book formed a basis for the hymnal titled “Hymns of Dawn” which was published by the Dawn Bible Students Association in East Rutherford, New Jersey (USA) and the 1999 edition contains a total of 361 hymns.
“15See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, 16Redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15,16, KJV).
Brethren, we have work to do!
We are living at the end of the age – at a time when knowledge is so widespread and bountiful, that the average person living in a Metropolitan area will be exposed to more knowledge and input in a week than an entire family of 100 years ago would be exposed to in a year.
Ours is a time when communicationis literally instant; we can see and hear someone on the other side of the world and fluently converse with them when 100 years ago that conversation would not even have been possible.
Ours is a time when travel is so fast and so luxurious that it has made the entire earth navigable by an average individual whereas 100 years ago such travel would have taken months and great risk.
Ours is a time when, for the 1st time in all of human history, leisure time is not only available to the masses, it is expected and it is often considered a human right.Entertainment is no longer an unattainable dream for many; it is now one of the world’s largest and most influential industries!
Thus, we live in a time of distraction, temptation and selfish ambition. A time when personal discipline only applies when we feel like it and a time when integrity and absolutes have all but gone the way of the dinosaur.
Yet, in such a time as this, we as followers of Christ are bound by the scriptural admonition:
“15Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but aswise,16making the most of your time, because the days are evil“ (Ephesians 5:15-16,NASB).
What does it mean tomake the most of our time?
One would think that redeeming the time would be easier in this day of technological genius than ever before, but that is not the case, for with knowledge and technology come choices – lots and lots of choices, embedded in various shades of grey, all designed to capture our hearts and imaginations.
So, my task today is clear – it is to suggest to you a practical plan and path to better serve our Lord and Master – at the expense of ourselves. We will suggest 6 basic principles to focus on and with each, attempt to relay some personal experiences of my own journey as I attempt to do what you are attempting to do – that is, to live selflessly, humbly and sacrificiallyunto death. This is based on my 14 year journey thus far, with Christian Questions.
The word for redeem is only used 4 times in the New Testament. Twice it is in the context of our personal responsibility towards managing our time – our theme text and Colossians 4:5 and twice in the context of Jesus redeeming us from the curse of the Law and bringing us into the adoption of sons.
Thus we can easily see the meaning as Christ nailed the Law to the cross and made it of none effect as it was now replaced with son-ship, we also are required to nail the world, the flesh and the devil and all their demands upon us to our cross and replace them with a clean slate of the only thing we have to offer our Lord in sacrifice – OUR WILLas expressed through how we spend our time.
VISION
“Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18, KJV).
Remember what we just spoke about? With knowledge and technology come choices – lots and lots of choices, embedded in various shades of grey, all designed to capture our hearts and imaginations.
So how do you find the vision that supersedes all these things?
Hence, the secret for redeeming the time relating to establishing a clear vision on the MOST IMPORTANT THING which is based on the 1st commandment:
Thou shalt have “NO other gods before ME“ (Exodus 20:1-17).
“A double minded man is unstable in all his ways”(James 1:8, KJV).
This 1st commandment is one of internal application—it happens inside you. You decide in your heart and mind who or what your God is, and the result of that decision is played out in several of the other commandments.
Focus hard on this! Be brutally honest with the mirror! Who is, what is my God.
“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon”(Matthew 6:24, KJV).
Imagine the quality of your thoughts when the Almighty is “true north”!
“2Then the LORD answered me and said: Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so that a runner may read it. 3For there is still a vision for the appointed time; it speaks of the end, and does not lie. If it seems to tarry,wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay. 4Look at the proud! Their spirit is not right in them, but the righteous live by their faith” (Habakkuk 2:2-4, NRSV).
KNOW YOUR VISION! You must HAVE Vision!
Here is Jesus’ vision:
“1Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, 2looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. 3Consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinners, so that you may not grow weary or lose heart” (Hebrews 12:1-3, NRSV).
My mission: Honor God…
Fifteen years ago I came upon a personal crossroad with this, for I knew that I was not using specific talents directly in the Lord’s service. Troubled, I prayed for opportunity– I prayed for months…
Our vision is the big, panoramic picture of our passion and purpose.
Our vision is like the compass that gets us focused in the right direction, and our priorities are what help us determine which roads to take to get us to our “true north.”
PRIORITIES
Priorities are the necessary ordering of the details of our life.
The secret for redeeming the time relates to establishing precise priorities. Here are some principles:
“Husbands, love your wives” (Ephesians 5:25, NASB).
“Fathers… bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord“ (Ephesians 6:4, NASB).
“But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Timothy 5:8, NASB).
“… let us do good to all people” (Galatians 6:10, NASB).
“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth“ (2 Timothy 2:15, NASB).
KNOW THE TRUTH!
“This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you” (Job 15:12, NASB).
“Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ“ (Galatians 6:2, NASB).
All of these and more, must, of necessity be melded together into a harmonious recipe for humble and focused service to the Glory of God!
There is always another road to choose and there is always another internal battle to be fought. Armed with vision and priorities, we are able to choose rightly, even if our humanness would rather not.
“For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please” (Galatians 5:17, NASB).
Here are Jesus’ priorities:
At the beginning:
“And He said to them, ‘Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?'” (Luke 2:49, NASB)
During:
“Meanwhile the disciples were urging Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.”… 34Jesus said to them, “My food [my nourishment] is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish“ (John 4:31,34, NASB).
His work At the End:
“Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice“ (John 18:37, KJV).
KNOW YOUR PRIORITIES – you MUST HAVE Priorities!!
Sometimes we look at those in a particular service and think how naturally suited they are for that experience and this is often true… BUT:
The appearance of effortless service comes ONLY
as a result of
practice, painandperseverance,
all of which must result from the right focusand activity!
Br. Rick Suraci mentioned in his discourse that each radio broadcast hour represents about 8-10 hours of effort… two hours of radio per week… approximately 719 programs per year and counting… Generally, no weeks off… There is a priority to GET THE JOB DONE because the Lord has GIVEN US this opportunity, [a gift from the Heavenly Father].
We may not always get our priorities right the 1st time, but as long as our vision is strong we can reset!
When we have truly established our priorities based on the big picture, there will naturally develop a deep sense of urgency, for nothing will be more important than following through on that which has proven to be most important!
URGENCY
The secret for redeeming the time (which really is no secret at all) is to maintain urgency, and it is based on the 10th Commandment: Thou shalt NOT Covet.
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s” (Exodus 20:17, ESV).
The 10th Commandment like the 1st is an internal commandment – no one can really know if you are living a covetous life because this takes place in the heart and mind. Coveting is expressed on the outside only when it is firmly rooted on the inside!
Bottom line – if you have a covetous heart for what others have, you do NOT have an urgent heart towards the vision – you can’t have both…
Listen to the urgency in the following Scriptures [as shared earlier]:
“2Then the LORD answered me and said: Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so that a runner may read it. 3For there is still a vision for the appointed time; it speaks of the end, and does not lie. If it seems to tarry, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay. 4Look at the proud! Their spirit is not right in them, but the righteous live by their faith (Habakkuk 2:2-4, NRSV).
Urgently strain forward towards that which is most valuable!
“12NOTthat I have already obtained itor have already become perfect, but I PRESS ON so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. 13Brethren,I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do:forgetting what lies behindand reaching forward to what lies ahead,14I press on toward the goalfor the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you; 16however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained“ (Philippians 3:12-16, NASB).
Here we can see the vision and priorities in place and the deep urgency to fulfill them. Without urgency, vision and priorities are merely theoretical – kind of like New Year’s resolutions…
Here is Jesus’ urgency:
“49I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled! 50But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished!” (Luke 12:49-50, NASB).
Success in sacrifice is most often born out of failure. To fail with great intention, over and over again is to live in the hand of God’s mercy – and that is success!
Over years of Christian Questions Radio Program there were (and are) many, many times that the stress and strain of the responsibility are overwhelming – Not knowing what topic to work on next, not having time to develop a topic, Sunday night anxiety when expansion started and the format changed… What kept it always moving forward was the deadline– the urgency that the only thing that mattered was the next broadcast!
What deadline do you have???
[“BIBLE Students DAILY’s” answer: Likewise it is our DEADLINES — the “deadline” of each sharing of Scriptural encouragement to those around us which is like “THE URGENCY METRONOME” of each week with each tick of the “Metronome” marking another sharing of the Gospel message day by day, no matter if hospitalization, household/personal sickness, answering readers’ correspondence, computer/power failures, personal Bible Study or the attacks of the Adversary to have this sharing of God’s Word stopped or through any other 24/7 valleys of experience are encountered, just as our brethren all throughout the world do experience so as to bring—even if it were only one dear reader’s heart and mind as close as possible to GOD through Christ in order to bring the Heavenly Father GLORY, HONOR, PRAISE and JOY—a joy above all joys if only we could, because just to feel GOD’s PERFECT RIGHTEOUS LOVE—IT IS BETTER THAN LIFE ITSELF!!! To feel GOD’s PERFECT (in justice, wisdom and power) LOVE, comes through GREATPAIN,GREAT REJECTION by those around for righteousness sake, GREAT PERSEVERANCE and MUCH joyful in the Lord WORK in the Heavenly Father’s service as our HOPE IN CHRIST, drives the desire of belonging to no other than Christ and by GOD’s grace, reaching the summit of the mountain—OVERCOMING that which the Heavenly Father desires, and having given up ALL THINGS of the FLESH – to GAIN CHRIST – AND GAIN HIM FOREVER!]
The 1st three steps are the necessary elements we must have in place to truly redeem our time. These next three things are the “how to” part of the equation. They represent what must be in place in our hearts and minds to back up and execute the vision, priorities and urgency we have chosen. Next comes inspiration.
INSPIRATION
Inspiration is that which feeds and lifts the heartso that it may overcome.
The secret for redeeming the time related to living an inspired life is to find those things which inspire your spiritual growth– drink them in!
Inspiration works best when we have someone whose struggle can be observed.
“7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me.9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfectin weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses,insults, hardships,persecutions, and calamities.
For when I am weak, then I am strong”
(2 Corinthians 12:7-10, ESV).
There are hundreds, perhaps thousands of Biblical accounts, promises and prophecies that we are at liberty to make our own, for the sake of inspiring us to redeem the time. And what about the lives of our own brethren? Look at who inspired the Apostle Paul.
“For who is our hope or joy or crown of exultation? Is it not even YOU, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming?” (1 Thessalonians 2:19, NASB).
The Apostle Paul drew strength from his brethren – Can we not do the same Brethren?!
Here is Jesus’ inspiration:
“41So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised His eyes, and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42“I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me” (John 11:41-42, NASB).
Jesus exemplified to everyone there that his strength came from our Heavenly Father!
We can only imagine the depth of Jesus’ inspiration, for he knew the Father, he knew the angels, he knew the prophecies and he knew his mission.
Inspiration is not necessarily delivered in exhilaration and victory. On the contrary, it is often found in those lonely and desperate times of struggle, doubt and fear and it quietly carries you through your present tempest to where you can again find secure footing.
Over these 14 years, inspiration has come in many ways:
Simply proving the Truth through Scripture to others;
Effecting someone’s life by talking to and affecting a specific listener on a specific topic;
Teaching the Kingdom;
Watching the incredible sacrifices of so many other brethren—who sacrifice quietly and tirelessly to do the job for the glory of the Heavenly Father
Being touched countless times by God’s grace in the struggle to prepare for the programs, talks, etc…
Prayers, support and accountability of the brethren.
In somehow or other GOD BLESSES YOUR EFFORTS after you have prayed and talked to the FATHER asking Him to “PLEASE HELP ME.”
Inspiration provides us with the desire to rekindle our vision, reset our priorities and restart our urgency. But inspiration alone cannot keep us there! For inspiration to truly play its part, it must be accompanied by its lesser known and certainly less attractive “younger brother,” “perspiration.“
PERSPIRATION
Perspiration is the result of the continuous exertion that stems from being fully engaged.
“6Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, 7casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7, NASB).
So there is rest in the spirit, yet…
“8Be of sober spirit, be on thealert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world” (1 Peter 5:6-7, NASB).
Nothing replaces hard work.
We hear the adage – work smarter not harder and this is true, yet for the New Creation we are to work smarter that is through the spirit – and therefore be able to work harder and more productively at those things of greatest importance.
Why would we be willing to sweat?
“7But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted asloss for the sake of Christ.8More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, 9and may be found in Him, not having a righteousnessof my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, 10that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; 11in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead“(Philippians 3:7-11, NASB).
Now, here is an example of a Jesus’ “perspiration” experience:
“41And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, 42saying, ‘Father, if You are willing,remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.’43Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. 44And being in agonyHe was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground. 45When He rose from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them sleeping from sorrow, 46and said to them, ‘Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not enter into temptation’” (Luke 22:41-46, NASB).
The more fully engaged we are in the work, the more we find that the greatest effort is often not the work itself, rather it is the effort to position and condition ourselves for that work.
One of my greatest personal lessons from the radio work is this:
We all have perceived limits of what we are capable of giving in service. IF we lay those limits at the feet of the Lord,He may, IF WE ARE WILLING, stretch our perceived capacity a little at a time so we can stretch our perceived limits to be more in line with our actual potential. BE ENGAGED!
With the perspiration of complete engagement in place, there remains but one thing to give a complete picture of redeeming our time. It is a simple thing, yet often overlooked when we set our minds to a service. It is consistency.
CONSISTENCY
Consistency is the continual long term application of all those things necessary towards faithfulness.
Hence another secret for redeeming the time:
Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never give in!!!
“Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crownof life” (Revelation 2:10, NASB).
How do we check ourselves to be sure that we are consistently following the right path, the right thoughts, the right attitudes and the right actions?
“4Rejoice IN the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! 5Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. 6Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise,dwell on these things” (Philippians 4:4-8, NASB).
Now, here is Jesus’ inspiration:
“28And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? 29And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 30And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:28-31, KJV).
Consistency in an effort, is perhaps the least glamorous of all its elements. There is no excitement of an idea, no newness of a project, no giddy anticipation of a beginning. Consistency shines in the quiet times of monotony, in the bruised moments of failure and in the darkness, when the unknown and unsung perseverance of will beckons us to get up one more time and press onby the GRACE [unmerited favor, undeserved kindness]of GOD!
Now see if you can identify your vision, priorities, urgency, inspiration, perspiration and consistency in the following Scriptures:
Psalms 37:1-8 (NASB):
“1 Do not fret because of evildoers, be not envious toward wrongdoers.2 For they will wither quickly like the grass and fade like the green herb. 3Trust in the LORD and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. 4Delight yourself IN the LORD; And HE WILL give you the desires of your heart. 5Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and HE WILL do it. 6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light and your judgment as the noonday. 7Rest IN the LORD and waitpatiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. 8Cease from anger and forsake wrath; Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing
Ephesians 5:1-21 (NASB):
1Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; 2and walk in love,just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. 3But immoralityor any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; 4and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.5For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.6Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7Therefore do not be partakers with them; 8for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light9(for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), 10trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. 11Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; 12for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. 13But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. 14For this reason it says, “Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you.” 15Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, 16making the most of your time, because the days are evil.17So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, 19speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; 20always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; 21and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.”
Luke 12:31-34(NASB):
“31But seek [PRIORITIES] [“ye first” [URGENCY] – added in Matthew 6:33] His kingdom [VISION], and these things will be added to you. 32“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom [INSPIRATION]. 33“Sell your possessions and give to charity [PERSPIRATION]; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys. 34“For where your treasure is, [CONSISTENCY] there your heart will be also.”
OPPORTUNITY
Opportunity can present themselves to us when we mentally make room for them.
“18But someone may will say, ‘You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.’ 19You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. 20But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?'” (James 2:18-20, NASB).
“(20) Though the Lord may give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself any more, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. (21) And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it'” (Isaiah 30:20-21, NRSV).
Opportunities can be accepted when we spiritually make room for them.
“4For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 5We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5, NASB).
Opportunities can flourish when we prayerfully feed and nurture them.
“16Rejoice always; 17pray without ceasing; 18in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 19Do not quench the Spirit; 20do not despise prophetic utterances.21But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good;22abstain from every form of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-22, NASB).
Reference and Acknowledgment
This post is thanks to the words on the words of great, great inspiration and encouragement IN CHRIST shared by Br. Rick Suraci at the Bible Students’ General Convention in 2012 in his discourse titled “Redeeming the Time” which can be viewed at the following link (and/or YOUTUBE video presentation below) : https://youtu.be/FWKHN8go1o4
The “CHRISTIAN QUESTIONS” team of Brothers and Sisters IN CHRIST are to be commended for their inspiring work in the Heavenly Father’s service, shining the light of the Gospel message to the world of viewers and listeners who’s faith IN CHRIST can be edified and built up through each program they share, which is jam-packed with questions and Scripturally supported answers to provide aid to each follower of Christ, and bring glory, honor and praise to the Heavenly Father through CHRIST Jesus—the Captain of our Salvation. The Christian Questions website: http://christianquestions.com/
A transcription of the below video from a willing, Beloved IN CHRIST, volunteer contributor (which helped to form this post) is another reason for this post and so may it be said “Thank YOU Beloved Brothers and Sisters IN CHRIST for YOUR labours of LOVE IN CHRIST.” May our Heavenly Father’s bless and keep you HIS, according to HIS perfect WILL, until by GOD’s GRACE, we are with our Heavenly Father, Jehovah, and His Son—our Head, Christ Jesus.
The URL of this post is: https://biblestudentsdaily.com/2017/09/20/redeeming-the-time/
“But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled,15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.”(1 Peter 3:14-17, ESV).
What is Godliness?
Here are some words of the Psalmist David in Psalm 15:1-5.
“(1) O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill? He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart; (3) who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend; (4) in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but who honors those who fear the LORD; who swears to his own hurt and does not change; (5) who does not put out his money at interest and does not take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.”
GODLINESS is:
the condition of righteousness (Matthew 5:10, 1 Timothy 6:11, Matthew 6:33, Proverbs 10:2, Proverbs 11:18, Psalm 34:15, Matthew 5:6, Psalm 34:19, Romans 1:17, 2 Corinthians 6:14, 1 Peter 2:24, 1 Peter 3:12, Romans 1:17, 5:19, 6:13);
an opposition to sin—as God is opposed to sin (Psalm 1:1, Psalm 37:28);
a condition in harmony with justice—as God is just (Micah 6:8, Romans 2:1, Isaiah 1:17, Isaiah 30:18, Psalm 33:5, Zechariah 7:9-10);
generosity and kindness and love—as God is generous and kind and loving (1 Thessalonians 5:15, Psalm 37:21);
There arekind, generous and noble charactersin the world who arenot Christians. These may have more or less of opposition from others who are evilly disposed—as darkness always opposes light; yet these noble people exercisemoderationin their righteousness—they arenot righteous overmuch. These fine characters might occasionally get some persecution, politically or otherwise; but even the enemies of such would have respect for them.
Living godly versus living godly in Christ Jesus
Because of their special relationship to Christ Jesus, God’s people:
have a special enlightenment.
see more clearly the principles of God’s Justice.
have a more exacting rule by which their lives are governed.
have an intelligent knowledge that they have entered into a Covenant of Sacrifice.
realize that they are not to compromise their religion in any way; not to compromise with sin or with the world.
uphold the principles of righteousness, evento the detriment of their own earthly interests.
consecrateallof theirtime, talent, influence, money to the Lord’s service, and in relation to the use of their blessings from God, they ask themselves:
“What is the Lord’s will, the Lord’s way?”
How would the Heavenly Father want me to use my time, talents, influence, money etc… in His service, in the cause of Christ?
God’s people would wish to use their money for the preaching of the Gospeland the publishing of it in various ways. They would reason: There are many opportunities for people to get education along earthly lines, and I believe the Lord would have me as His child to use His money to help people get spiritual education.
The godly who arenot in Christ Jesus—those who have a measure of Godlikeness:
do not see these deeper things of the Divine Plan and the special arrangement God has made with the Church.
may indulge in a great many things that would not be wrong for the world—not sinful, not immoral, not unkind.
might feel perfectly free to give of their money for various causes and purposes, that would be reasonable and proper in themselves— such as attending a football match or a theatre production; spend a certain amount each season on the opera; be patrons of art and music and literature—adopting a course that will win the approval of society; or spend a thousand dollars—or ten thousand dollars—on a single painting, because he wants art to flourish. Or he might buy a fine piece of sculpture to adorn his home, but this is not the course for true Christians, who must consider the Lord’s will for them as His servants.
The Christian has limitations which the worldly do not have.
But we are glad!
Glad for all good men and good women, who can be good and noble even though not in Christ Jesus.
Glad to esteem them.
There are noble people in the world. There are some godly ones (to a certain degree) outside the Church, and they are likely to come to see something of the Truth, if they are really noble characters.
The godly of this world will get a blessing in the Restitution time. Every godly thing that they have done, every act of generosity, will get its reward. By cultivating their higher sentiments, they will have fewer steps to retrace.
Specially GODLY are Specially PERSECUTED
The persecutions which come to the godly inChrist Jesus are special persecutions. We are not to expect much of this fromthe Body of Christ.
Persecution is not merely one act or one word—it is a succession of unkind words and actswith a view to punishing some one for adhering to an opinion or course of conduct.
Persecution comes from a certain class called by Jesus the world. But the class that Jesus called the world are those who had a formof godliness, but did not have the power thereof. The Apostle speaks of a class who would take the name of the Lord upon them and misuse that name. There are people in the world today who do not know nor want to know the difference between Truth and error—and who keep out of the way of being told. They somehow know that there would come a certain measure of condemnation to themselves if they recognized the real factsand did not act in accordance with them.
They are not all bad people by any means. There are very many good people among the tares; but there is no real wheat among the tares—no real nutriment.
These tares pose as the Church of Christ; the tare systems pose as Christianity. And from this class usually come the persecutions. They try to crowd out the wheat, or to choke it and make it unfruitful. It was so in our Lord’s day. Those to whom the Lord referred as persecutors were not the Gentile world of His day, but the worldly ones of the Jews—those who werenot fully consecratedto the Lord, but who thought they were.
Nicodemus was a fine character, and Gamaliel was a fine character—and so were a great many who did not become Christ’s disciples at all but were seeking after righteousness; as, for instance, the young man who came to the Lord and asked Him, “Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?”The Lord answered, “Thou knowest the commandments.”The young man said, “Master, all these have I observed from my youth up.” He was a noble character, and Jesus looking on him loved him, even though he was not a disciple. And Jesus said to him. “One thing thou lackest; go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in Heaven; and come, take up thy cross, and follow Me.” But he went away sorrowful. He did not want to become a member in Christ Jesus.
He did not want to give everything to the Lord.
He was very rich—“had great possessions,” and he preferred to hold on to his wealth.—Mark 10:17-22.
There were others who went through many of the forms and ceremonies, and who kept the various admonitions of the Law, and its feasts and fasts; but they were not the “Israelites indeed in whom was no guile.” And later they became the persecutors of Christ and those who walk in His steps of sacrifice.
Professed Christian Persecutors
And so those who live godly in Christ Jesus have their persecutions, not so much from the worldly class as from professing Christians. There is a class in Churchianity today that has a great deal of pride and self-satisfaction.
Some say respecting those who proclaim Present Truth and who live saintly lives as followers of Jesus Christ:
If we let these people alone and let them teach these things, all that we have been upholding for centuries will crumble.
Did not Luther hand down Truth to us?
Did not Calvin give the Church Truth?
Have we not the teachings of Wesley?
No, no; we will not have these “new doctrines”!
But we see that these people are persecuting the Truth and its representatives because ofmisunderstanding.
We should have a great deal of sympathyandnot feel specially angry with them.
This does not mean that we should be glad of persecution—no persecution “for the present seemeth joyous, but grievous.” (Hebrews 12:11.) But if we know that we are suffering for righteousness’ sake, then we know the Spirit of God rests upon us. It is those who know that they suffer for Christ’s sake, and who take it gladlybecause it is the will of God, that may rejoice, because the persecution is working out in them blessed effects. Let us then
“Be still beneath His tender care, For He will make the tempest cease; And bring from out the anguish here, The afterward of peace.”
“The Lord Your God Doth Prove You”
WHY does God permit His people to suffer?
WHY does God not shield those who are His from suffering, just as a loving parent would shield a child?
The Scriptures reply that it is because God is working out a great Plan that will eventually bring blessings to all who will do righteously. God wishes to show the evil effects of sin and the deteriorating effects of Adamic disobedience. God’s purpose is that after the Six Days of Sin and Death are ended, in the Seventh Day there shall be a blessing for the whole groaning creation. “Jehovah God will wipe away tears from off all faces.”—Isaiah 25:8.
And there is a particular reason why God should permit persecution to come upon His consecrated ones. “The Lord your God doth prove you,” test you. Why?What is He proving?
We profess to be His loyal children. We profess to be laying down all that we have. And now “the Lord your God doth prove you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God with ALL your heart and with ALL your soul.“—Deuteronomy 8:2; 13:3.
How muchwill you endure?
How patiently will you endure?
To what extent will you endure?
Those who will endure most, and endure most patiently, will give evidence of the best character. And those who demonstrate the best character will have the highest positions in the Kingdom. Each will get a position according to his faithfulness. But as star differeth from star in glory, so it will be in the Kingdom.
He who fights
the greatest fightagainst his own nature
and demonstrates most the love and zeal of his heart,
such is the one who will have a high place.
The Solitary Way
Alas! How few may know the grace it takes To tread the solitary way. Alone! Ah, yes, alone! No other human heart Can understand the nameless sorrows there— The nights in weeping spent, and yet, when dawns The day, to greet the world with radiant smile, And scatter sunshine while you whisper low To your poor heart, “Canst bear a little more?”
Alone! Poor heart, and dost thou question, Why? Dost think it strange that thou must walk this way? Ah, no! Thou dost but follow in His steps Who went before, and of the people there Was none with Him! Alone? Yet not alone— Hath not thy blessed Lord and Master said, “My presence shall go with thee”? Ah, my soul, No longer, then a solitary way!
Our OBEDIENCE to God YHWH isan indicator of our heart attitude.
In John 14:15 we read, “If you love me you will keep my commandments.”
So, obedience demonstratesour thankfulness, our appreciation, our devotion, our reverence for God and our praise.
“Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”(James 2:17, ESV)
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HOW do we become OBEDIENT? Is there a method to it?
Here are some suggested steps to learning OBEDIENCE in order to please our Heavenly Father:-
Step 1: Reading the scriptures daily to know God’s will
The first step to doing God’s will is to actually know what it is, and learn about what pleases our Heavenly Father by reading His holy words in the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16).
“And it [the Word of God] shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear [reverence] the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them.” (Deuteronomy 17:19)
Proverbs 8:34 reads, “Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates.”
Why did the Apostle Paul describe the Brethren from Berea as “more noble” in character than the Thessalonians?
Acts 17:11 (ESV) tells us why. It is because “they received the word with all eagerness,examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.”
It is a lot easier to deal with the issues of life, the trials, difficulties and testings that come to us, if we have daily input from the scriptures. It produces in our heart an overriding confidence and peace that “transcends all understanding” (Philippians 4:7), helping us “do ALL things through Christ” who strengthens us. (Philippians 4:13)
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Step 2: Developing the will to do God’s will:
As we learn about the Heavenly Father’s will and what God wants us to do, we experience the “old man” (Ephesians 4:22-24, Romans 6:6-23), that is, the fallen nature appearing on the scene, that wishes to slow things down in our progress of maturity in Christ.
Fighting against the tendencies of the flesh, which we wish to put to “death” from moment to moment,IS THE BATTLE against sin!
How zealously and diligently withGREAT DISCIPLINE over our thoughts, words and actions do we barricade the fleshly interests… the fleshly wants… the fleshly tendencies in order to let the New Creature in us grow?
You see, the “Old Man” and the “New Creature [in Christ]” are AT WAR with each other! (2 Corinthians 5:17)
If the “old man” gains strength,the “New Creature” in Christ, weakens.
In Galatians 6:17-27 we read,
“17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. 27 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.“
Which one are we choosing to feed right NOW?
Which one will we choose to feed after we read this post?
Which one will choose to feed for the remainder of today?
How about tonight?
How about tomorrow and then for the remainder of this week and this month and year and until the day we die?
Are we consuming more spiritual food than earthly food?
Let’s say we eat breakfast, lunch and dinner with a few snacks in between, well, then that would mean the spiritual food would require to be served seven or more times a day or else the flesh will receive the growth and not the spiritual mind!
Better still, we shall like to feast on the spiritual ALL DAY as it is this kind of “food” that has no side effects but only most righteous and richest benefits (John 17:3, 1 John 2:25). Consuming spiritual food means feasting with Jesus and the spiritual “eagles” (Matthew 24:28; John 6:53-56, Isaiah 40:31).
In 2 Corinthians 5:15-18 the Apostle Paul well explains how all the “New Creatures” in Christ, should treat each other :
“14 For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. 15 And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them.
16From now on, therefore, we regard no one [who is “in Christ”] from a human point of view;even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way.
17 Soif anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!
18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. 20 So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
May we find time each day to read a psalm and read or sing a hymn… recall and share some biblical verses with whomever we can edify along our day’s pilgrimage. Let us pray on our knees if we can, like the prophet Daniel did (Daniel 6:10)… like the Apostle Paul did (Ephesians 3:14), and above all, like our Lord Jesus did (Mark 1:35, Matthew 6:9-13, Matthew 14:23, Luke 6:12, Luke 22:32, 41-44, Luke 23:34, John 11:41-42, John 12:27-28,John 17:1-26,Hebrews 5:7). By being able to come boldly before the throne of Heavenly grace through our Advocate, Christ Jesus, we are able to keep on the right track, asking for our Father to mercifully show us His will EVER STEP of the narrow way.
Do we with great joy in the hope set before us, thank our Heavenly Father even when severe stormy experiences come our way?
How much effort do we put in to represent our titles of members of “a royal priesthood”… the “peculiar people” … “God’s special possession” (1 Peter 2:9)?
Brethren, how much do we strive to live in the world as citizens of heaven but NOT be “of the world”?
Do we long for earthly friendship OR are our minds consumed by the joys of our friendship with Jesus, whom we are training to be like in character-likeness?
Are we consumed by the friendship we have also in the Apostles and Ancient Worthies whom we are all getting to know actually RIGHT NOW?! The Bible is like a Reading Manual for our preliminary “Orientation” Program given to us by God’s grace, whereby we look forward to working with these whom proved faithful unto death.
The Apostle Paul explains that learning God’s will and wanting to do God’s will is a matter of development in our lives.
“For it is God that worketh in you bothto willandto doof his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13)
This means that we not only just learn to desire doing God’s will, but that we actually DO do it to the best of our abilities. These experiences and training in the school of Christ, involve TIME and we DO it with GREAT JOY being motivated by “the precious and very great promises” of God which in turn, gives us HOPE.
“And hopedoes not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the holy Spirit who was given to us” (Romans 5:3-5).
The Apostle Peter explains about these precious promises in 2 Peter 1:2-14 (ESV), which reads:
“2 May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,4 by which he has granted to us hisprecious and very great promises,so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge,6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness,7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.9 For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.11 For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
12 Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. 13 I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder, 14 since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. 15 And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.”
By clinging onto the Divine gifts from God founded upon His word, the new mind in Christ, by God’s grace and mercy, is able to overtake or over-weigh the “old mind” of the flesh, growing into maturity in Christ through the tests of faith, to prove worthy as sharers in the grandest prize of all—belonging to Jesus’ body, bring the Heavenly Father greatest possible joy and being granted the privilege to bring the world of mankind into harmony with GOD during the 1000 year Millennial Kingdom Age.
We come to delight in God’s will and delight in doing it when the desire to do so is continuously presented before God.
If we do our part, God will do HIS part in our lives and IMMEASURABLY MORE!
Expecting miracles without asking, seeking and knocking is perhaps how this can be understood based on what we read in Matthew 7:7-11,
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”
In Philippians 4:6, we are reminds:
“DO NOT BE ANXIOUSABOUT ANYTHING, but IN EVERYTHING by prayer and supplicationwith thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
In Isaiah 26:9 we read,
“With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early.“
A Desire to Serve God
One of the ways that God brings us to the point where we desire to serve Him is by showing us His Divine Plan of Salvation that we can truly love and respect now “early” before the resurrection of the world—who will all desire God and turn to Him in the Millennium when all shall be taught to walk up the Highway of Holiness in order to gain eternal life, and most will seek life. For is not God’s love better than life itself.
Let us think back in our lives to a time where we have studied scripture, or attended a convention, or had special fellowship with brethren or in some way come to a special appreciation of God’s character. For instance, when examining some glorious beauties of the Truth and recognizing the perfect harmonious relationship between the Scriptural types and anti-types. Perhaps it was that “eureka” moment of enlightenment upon some glorious gem of God’s Divine Truth that had never been realized before (Daniel 12:10, Proverbs 2:4-6). Here we were left with a stronger desire and eagerness to seek and do God’s will since. We continuously learn that GOD is more perfect than any other living being that we have ever know.
The Heavenly Father’s love, is the TRUEST, MOST LOYAL LOVE because it is PERFECT LOVE—a love that is balanced perfectly with PERFECT JUSTICE, PERFECT WISDOM, PERFECT POWER and PERFECT STRENGTH (Ephesians 3:14-19).
“ThisGod—his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him” (Psalm 18:30).
Jehovah’s love is reflected in Jesus—God’s only begotten Son (John 3:16).
When disappointment and discouragement comes with trials, testings and failures and the realisation of the emptiness of what the world has to offer, we know then that there is no real choice between serving God and serving the flesh/the world. This is another way God’s power works in our lives, guiding us through those experiences and teaching us things.
Perhaps the most painful experiences to the fleshare actually the GREATEST BLESSINGS to the New Creature’s development, for perhaps these are the moments of existence when the SURRENDERING up of self-will occurs fastest or with the best results. When we “let go” of the pain and not fight against the experience, we learn not to attach feeling or any label to the “what is” experiences of the flesh, trusting that “all things work out for good to those who love God” (Romans 8:28). By numbing the flesh in this way, one can concentrate on feeding the Spiritual Mind and take care to develop joy in the hope given to God’s people through the marvelous precious promises in the Bible.
The Bible is flooded with precious promises and we know they are true because already so many have prophecies have been fulfilled with the Nation of Israel as promised long ago, by the mouth of the holy prophets. For instance, what was once a valley of dry bones, is now an independent country which has gained not only “tendons” and “ligaments”, but “muscles” and soon “the bones” will live again and all things shall be renewed in the approaching millennial reign of Christ with his bride of 144,000 members. (Ezekiel 37, Revelation 7)
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Step 3: Incorporating God’s will into our lifestyle:
We have responsibilities at work and with our families, entertainment, school, neighbours, activities with brethren etc., but how many opportunities do you think you have for obedience in any particular day?
Well, nearly everything we do is an opportunity for obedience.
Every time we interact with people is an opportunity.
A lot of the commandments in the Old Testament apply to us as well as in the New Testament. Let’s consider a few:
2 Timothy 4:2:“Be instant in season and out of season.”
That’s about teaching the word, but really it can apply to us in every regard.
Hebrews 13:16:“Forget not to do good and communicate, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.”
This is talking about an entire lifestyle, being connected with your brethren, being aware of what type of things they’re going through; because if you are, you will have no lack of opportunity to do good.
James 1:27:“Pure religion before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction and to keep himself unspotted from the world.”
That’s a commandment and a perfect balance between commitment to brethren and personal caring.
There are other things in the Old and New Testament about how to relate to other people, but there are other commandments that also tell us how to act when not with other people, even when we are by ourselves.
Philippians 4:8:“Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely and of good report; if there be any virtue and if there be any praise, think on these things. Also, Pray without ceasing.”
1 Timothy 4:15:“Meditate upon these things: give yourself wholly to them, that your profiting may appear to all.”
This instructs us to take the necessary time to think about what we do in the eyes of God and respect it, so that we may stand in awe of the grandeur of the high standard of being Christ-like, and thus pleasing to our Heavenly Father as His Sons and Daughters.
Psalms 4: 4: “Stand in awe, and sin not; commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still.”
In Hebrews 12:12 we read, “Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees.”
In other words, let us be a strengthening influence upon the brethren around us. Let us seek out those hands that hang down and lift them up. Remember Moses, when his hands were up the children of Israel would win and when down they would lose, so it was important for his hands to be held up. We have the same opportunity with our brethren.
Hebrews 12:13– “And make straight paths for your own feet lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but rather let it be healed. Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.”
By striving to BE RIGHTEOUS IN THE EYES OF GOD—that is by being amongst the company of the the Bible characters during our daily meditations of the Word, we can be saturated with Godly thoughts… Godly words—which result in Godly actions. We can BE GOOD examples to others, someone others can look to for encouragement.
Acknowledgment:
This post was inspired by the content of an excerpt from a talk by Br. Tim Alexander titled “Five steps Towards Obedience.”
ONLY a little while to walk with weary feet,
Only a little while the storms of life to meet,
Only a little while to tread the thorny way,
Only a little while, then comes the perfect day.
Only a little while to spread the truth abroad,
Only a little while to testify for God.
Only a little while, the time is fleeting fast,
Only a little while, earth’s sorrows all are past.
Only a little while, then let us do our best,
Only a little while, then comes the promised rest.
Only a little while, oh, what a word is this!
Only a little while, then comes the perfect bliss.
Only a little while, then death shall be withdrawn,
Only a little while, then pain and tears are gone;
Only a little while, then by the Crystal Sea,
Only a little while, then Immortality.
Only a little while, Lord, let Thy Kingdom come!
Only a little while, Thy people sigh for home;
Only a little while, the City bring to sight,
Only a little while, come end earth’s dreary night!
From “Poems of Dawn”
This short while of striving to follow our Master and King Jesus is worth every moment in the “School of Christ.”
The Lord gives bread of adversity and the water of affliction (Isaiah 30:20) as the greatest of “teachers”to humble and learn submission to and dependency upon God who is the source of perfect love, joy, comfort and strength. To become empathetic New Creatures, one must experience many challenges of life and sufferings in the flesh so as to develop patient cheerful endurance in Christ.
As we see our own daily imperfections in our struggle to please our Heavenly Father, it makes us long for the perfect new body and mind promised to the “faithful unto death” (Revelation 2:10).
Let the New Creatures in CHRIST be encouraged by the words of the Apostle Paul in Philippians 4:13.
“I can do ALL things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”
The Heavenly Father understands perfectly how hard each of His children try to please Him. This realization, that God reads the heartof all whom He has created, brings us great comfort.
The words of Psalm 103:13-18 (ESV) are so refreshing:
“13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord hascompassion on those who fear him;
14 for He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust.
15 The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field;
16 the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.
17 But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear Him, and His righteousness with their children’s children—
18 with those who keep His covenant and remember to obey His precepts.”
Do you feel your “old man” (within) has been “crushed” like grapes to be added to the juice of the most exquisite and sweet barrel of grape juice?
In order to develop “the fruit of the spirit,” did the crushing process today, result in getting rid of the “I”, “me” and “my will”?
“22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22-25).
Have you asked the Heavenly Father,
Father what is YOUR will for me to do now and today?
Father how can I please YOU more?
Most Holy Heavenly El Shaddai please show me, how can I bring YOU the greatest JOY and pleasure through my existence?
Please Father teach me YOUR ways and transform me into YOUR Son Jesus’ likeness for YOUR love brings a JOY that is based on the highest level of JOY that transcends all understanding.
Those who have chosen to put to death daily the “old carnal mind” and renew the “new mind in Christ” by feeding on the word of God and feasting on the precious promises, gain Godly strength as they focus on the Bible where the inspired words of God are found (Isaiah 40:31).
Those who wait upon the Lord develop a maturity in Christ. These are “no longer… children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love” they “grow up in ALL aspects into Him who is the head…Christ” (Ephesians 4:13-15).
They are not idle with their time as their work in the Father’s service is their delight. It is all they want and need to do, to feel the JOY IN THE LORD that transcends all understanding (Philippians 4:7).
They do not conform to the patterns of this world because they are “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people” who shew forth the praises of him who hath called them out of darkness into his marvellous light (1 Peter 2:9).
The waiting only for a little while more is aided by the hope in Christ which the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians discusses comes from the holy Spirit of understanding that comes from studying the Word of God in the Bible, prayer and obedience to God, developed as theory is put into practice through the experiences God permits, which can be overcome with the strength God does supply.
“For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith” (1 John 5:4).
“17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:17, 18).
The waiting is necessary for TIME is required to develop the fruit of character that comes from a KNOWLEDGE of GOD:
“For the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.”
Those who have made a full consecration to Christ during the Gospel Age, do endure patiently with joy in the Lord through their experiences, developing a steadfastand resilient character in Christ.
“57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord”(1 Corinthians 15:57-58).
The consecrated believers learn that waiting upon the Lord in all things is a wonderful means by which to prove their loyalty to their consecration vows unto God. They have vowed to serve the Lord their God with all their heart, with all their soul and with all their strength until death, to be used solely for God’s glory to be manifest to all the world.
Living a life in closest communion with Godmeans feeling the highest level of JOY while in this temporary carnal abode!
A wonderful example of loyalty in the Bible can be found in the Book of Samuel: in David, Jonathan and the armour bearer of Saul.
In 1 Samuel 22:14 David’s loyalty to Saul is reflected in the words of Ahimelech (the high priest of Nob in Saul’s day):
“Then Ahimelech answered the king, and said, And who is so faithful among all thy servants as David, which is the king’s son in law, and goeth at thy bidding, and is honourable in thine house?”
Jonathan’s loyalty to David is also a righteous example of how the consecrated child to God learns to agape their fellow brethren in Christ who profess full consecration to God and this is a sign that “we have passed from death unto life,” because we agape the brethren.
Let’s be reminded of the words of our fellow brother in Christ, the apostle Paul, who in 1 John chapter 3 writes:
“15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
17 But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
19 And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.
20 For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.
21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.
22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
23 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
24 And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.”
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Psalm 37 (ESV)
He Will Not Forsake His Saints
A Psalm Of David.
1Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! 2 For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb.
3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. 4 Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. 6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.
7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! 8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
9 For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land. 10 In just a little while, the wicked will be no more; though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.
11 But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace. 12 The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him,
13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that his day is coming. 14 The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose way is upright;
15 their sword shall enter their own heart, and their bows shall be broken. 16 Better is the little that the righteous has than the abundance of many wicked.
17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous. 18 The Lord knows the days of the blameless, and their heritage will remain forever;
19 they are not put to shame in evil times; in the days of famine they have abundance. 20 But the wicked will perish; the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures; they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.
21 The wicked borrows but does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives; 22 for those blessed by the Lord shall inherit the land, but those cursed by him shall be cut off.
23 The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way; 24 though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand.
25 I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread. 26 He is ever lending generously, and his children become a blessing.
27 Turn away from evil and DO good; so shall you dwell forever. 28 For the LORD LOVES JUSTICE; he will not forsake his saints. They are preserved forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
29 The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever. 30 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice.
31 The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not slip. 32 The wicked watches for the righteous and seeks to put him to death.
33 The Lord will not abandon him to his power or let him be condemned when he is brought to trial. 34 Wait for the Lord and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land; you will look on when the wicked are cut off.
35 I have seen a wicked, ruthless man, spreading himself like a green laurel tree. 36 But he passed away, and behold, he was no more; though I sought him, he could not be found.
37 Mark the blameless and behold the upright, for there is a future for the man of peace. 38 But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed; the future of the wicked shall be cut off.
39 The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; he is their stronghold in the time of trouble. 40 The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, BECAUSE they take refuge in him.
The intention of today’s blog is to cheer our readers onward in striving to maintain peace within one’s heart even in the face of the most unfavourable circumstances.
But why?
Because the comfort and peace of the Church are dependent largely upon unity of the Spirit of the Lord in the various members.
Let us begin by sharing some glorious scriptures to refresh our minds about the sublime PEACE we are talking about:
“Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it” (Psalm 34:14).
“Follow peace with all men and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14).
“The kingdom of GOD is not meat and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17).
“Follow after the things which make for peace and things wherewith one may edify another” (Romans 14:19).
“Live peaceably with all men” (Romans 12:18).
“God is not the author of confusion, but of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:33).
“God has called us topeace” (1 Corinthians 7:15).
“Lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty” (1 Timothy 2:2).
“The wisdom that is from above is first pure then peaceable” (James 3:17).
“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee” (Isaiah 26:3).
“When a man’s ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him” (Proverbs 16:7).
“Be at peace among yourselves” (1 Thessalonians 5:13).
“Have peace one with another” (Mark 9:50).
“The fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace” (James 3:18).
“Follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2:22).
“Let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also ye are called in one body” (Colossians 3:15).
“Keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3).
“Preach the gospel of peace” (Romans 10:15).
“To be spiritually minded is life and peace” (Romans 8:6).
“Love the truth and peace“ (Zechariah 8:19).
“Great peace have they which love thy law, and nothing shall offend them” (Psalm 119:165).
“The meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in abundance of peace” (Psalm 37:11).
“We, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness; wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot and blameless” (2 Peter 3:13, 14).
What have we done todayto let this peace of God dwell within our hearts?
A possible answer might be — that we have just read the words from the Holy Bible.
YES dear friends!
Even if our flesh is overwhelmed by the storms of imperfection that surround us, we can enter into the shelter of the Most High (Psalm 91:1) when we quieten our minds from the turmoil and read, listen to, or recite, passages of holy Scripture.
We can renew our minds by submitting every thought and motive to be in conformity to the will of God, and fixing our eyes on Christ Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, and recalling how Jesus pleased the Heavenly Father through his loyal and faithful obedient even unto death.
By keeping a firm hold on the precious promises of the holy Scriptures, we keep our hope in Christ burning within our hearts.
“If there be any consolation [comfort] in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of spirit, if any bowels and mercies, fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same LOVE, being of one accord, of one mind.“
—–Philippians 2:1-2—–
What exhortations to unity, peace, and brotherly kindness! They suggest patience, forbearance, gentleness, helpfulness, and comfort one to another in the Church. By this means, the Spirit of Christ may abound in all, for the greatest possible progress for all in the right way.
If only we can be worthy of the name Barnabas, “Comforter” of the brethren. If the holy Spirit abounds in us more and more (by our unceasing efforts as athletes in a race), then what pleasure we shall bring our Heavenly Father. With the holy Spirit dwelling in us richly, may we all be sons and daughters of comfort in Zion.
Togetherness in Christ
Many Scriptures speak of togetherness.
“There is one body and one spirit, one Lord, one faith” (Ephesians 4:4,5).
“That your hearts might be comforted, knit together in love“ (Colossians 2:2).
We are all part of God’s flock. Sheep like to be together. Unlike other animals who will scatter, sheep will stay together. They are gregarious. This helps them because they lack many of the natural defences other animals have, such as speed or personal protection (like a porcupine). Safety comes from staying close together.
To flock means to be in company together, to be a group. It means togetherness as comrades, brethren, and associates where we learn to pass our tests of character development into Christ. Some differences of opinion in Biblical details may exist which each Son and Daughter of the Most High has the liberty in Christ to possess. This develops humility, patience, and respect for other dear co-labourers in the “vineyard” of our Heavenly Father.
In such fellowship circles, we develop reliance on God to fight the battles surrounding us that might arise when sharing scriptural understandings of Divine revelation concerning prophetic unfoldings of Truth.
How we praise the God of mercy—the Almighty Heavenly Father, Who reads the heart of each one whom He has called by His good pleasure, for their eternal JOY and His HONOR (Nehemiah 8:10).
“BORN OF GOD” – What does this mean?
Peace may be found in holy words of encouragement and Divine reassurance. Here is one example.
“For everyone who has been BORN OF GOD overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith” (1 John 5:4).
The word “born”in this scripture is the Greek word “Gennao” (Strong’s #G1080) which often means begotten.
When and how are we begotten?
The beginning of one’s spiritual existence dates from the time a person believes in Christ as the ransom for their sin and makes a full surrender, or consecration, of themselves to Jehovah God, and this is accepted by Him.
The New Creature mind developing in such an individual continues until their final existence as actual spiritual beings, when they shall be “like Him” Jesus. As in natural generation, begetting precedes birth. Really there are three steps of development — begetting, quickening, and birth. So also with becoming “new creatures in Christ”—there are three corresponding steps.
(1)We are begotten through the Truth—the Gospel (1 Corinthians 4:15, 1 John 5:18).
(2) In due time come a quickening into activity, zeal, and labor. This gives evidence to others that we have been begotten of the truth to newness of life, new hopes and aims. The spirit of Christ in us will “quicken [make active in God’s service] our mortal bodies”(Romans 8:11).
(3) When we are properly developed, we shall come forth in the resurrection, “born” into full spirit-power and become “like him,” who is the “express image of the Father’s person” (Hebrews 1:3).
Our King Jesus gives us so much encouragement. “My reward is with me and I will give to each person according to what they have done”(Revelation 22:12).
The reward of immortality is the reward of the class who will help Christ bring the world of mankind up the Highway of Holiness!
Finally the Body of Christ shall be united with their Bridegroom— their Lord and Master Christ Jesus—for whom they have give up all earthly interests, ambitions, and desires. For whom they have suffered and on occasion been humiliated for, sometimes enduring abuses by the world who considers such as “peculiar.” Perhaps some of such are called by the world as “brainwashed,” “a sect,” “crazy,” “unbalanced in thinking,” “going overboard” with spiritual talk, “obsessed about God” etc.
May the JOY of finally overcoming the scorn of the cross of Christ that we do carry until death, create exuberant rejoicing within our entire being.
Each time we bow our heads and bend our knees in prayer, may the peace of God rule in us as we hide under the shelter of the Heavenly Father’s “wings” of Divine supervision, protection and comfort.
“Let your GENTLENESS be known TO ALL MEN. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to GOD. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, WILL guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:5-7).
“Be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another. Love as brethren” (1 Peter 3:8).
Does “being of one mind” mean we must all think alike on every detail of Scriptural understanding?
No. How grand a blessing here in that it is our differencesthat help is develop the greatest lesson of all,AGAPE LOVE.
“Be of one mind. Live in peace. And the GOD of love and peace shall be with you” (2 Corinthians 13:11).
“Be of the same mind” (Philippians 4:2). Being of one mind does not mean we have to see exactly the same on every smallest detail of the Bible. This would be like saying we must wear the same shoes or agree to like the same flavours or the same colours.
Paul urges us to have no divisions amongst the brethren through a lack of tolerance, a lack of compassion… a lack of allowances given as we do have in the liberty in Christ one for another and we are not to show favouritism toward this one or that one based on human fleshly preferences, nor are we to idolize any man, other than CHrist Jesus.
We appreciate ALL OUR BRETHREN who profess their consecration daily before the throne of God in their private prayers, as we, pray for them (1 Corinthians 11:18,19).
Would the apostle approve of the butting of heads, divisions and unkind harsh arguments between the believers? No, he would not. So why does God allow this, one might ask?
The answer from the Divine Word of God is this: “so that they which are approved may be made manifest” (1 Corinthians 11:19).
Amidst the butting, some will show they still have the Lord’s spirit. They will be approved by showing a gentle submission of non-rebellious spirit of always considering others higher and better than themselves— by striving to not force their opinions of Biblical interpretation on others in a demeaning way; learning the lessons of humility, forgiveness, compassion and long-suffering; learning to LOVE MORE THROUGH SUFFERING MORE.
Aggressiveness among us is permitted by the Lord to see who will properly react to the test, who will have the right heart attitude, who will grow and manifest the fruits of the spirit. We really know only in part and this is humbling also (1 Corinthians 13:9).
Through the knowledge we acquire by our striving to diligently study the scriptures, and through our prayers for wisdom and understanding which our Divine Father does give to those who seek it in HIS Perfect time, in the Perfect amounts as HE would best see we should possess, let the main goal of all this work be to develop the HIGHEST LEVEL of LOVE possible —AGAPE love. A definition of agape love is in 1 Corinthians chapter 15. To put agape love into practice is why we are NOW being tested in the most severest and most adverse conditions of all.
Let us ask ourselves: does seeking and maintaining righteous peace help me love my brother and sister in Christ more?
Or should we “turn over the tables” of righteous anger like Jesus could and did do if we think we see or hear injustice? Let us restrain from this. We cannot judge the heart like our Master Jesus could and did.
“Blessed are the peace-makers: for they shall be called the children of GOD” (Matthew 5:9).
None will be accounted worthy who shall not have developed peace-loving dispositions. Anger, malice, hatred, envy, strife and a generally quarrelsome disposition must be recognized as belonging to the works of the flesh and the devil. These must be resisted in the heart fully, and in outward conduct as fully as possible.
“Peaceableness must supplant quarrelsomeness in all those who would hope to share the Kingdom and be recognized as children of GOD. ‘So far as lieth in you live peaceably with all men.’ This of course does not mean peace at any price, otherwise our Lord, the apostles and the faithful body of Christ throughout this age might not have suffered, or at least might have endured very much less suffering for righteousness’ sake. Hence, the significance of our Lord’s statement, ‘In the world ye shall have tribulation; in me ye shall have peace’ (John 16:33).” (Reprints of the Original Watchtower, R2251.)
BIBLE Students DAILY 