"Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect" Matthew 5:48.
One thing that unifies all of the character of God is perfection. He is perfectly Holy. We people tend to see God as a little bit holier than us. We do not do this bad thing, or that bad thing, and we think that God is a bit better than us in that respect. The thing is that He is perfectly Holy, and does not tolerate any sin, even the smallest one. He is also a perfect love. We tend to love good people and forgive only the good ones. As God is perfect, He loves all and forgives all, not just 'the good ones'.
The same is true with other character features of God. He is a perfect Father, perfectly patient, perfectly gracious, and the list could go on and on. The fact is that Jesus calls us to perfection. This becomes only possible when we know God as He is, not as we imagine Him. Secondly, this becomes possible by the power of the Holy Spirit that writes all the laws of God in our hearts. Without the Holy Spirit, it is impossible to fulfill the laws of God. But, hey, all of them are built on 'Love God' and 'Love your neighbor as yourself'. So, if the Spirit of loves inside of you, you can fulfill it all. Eventually, children become like their parents. We are to imitate our Heavenly Father. The Holy Spirit will help us.
Saturday, May 2, 2020
Friday, May 1, 2020
Foreigners and exiles
"Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul" 1 Peter 2:11.
This planet is only a temporary place for us. Our home is not here. Our souls long for a real home, which is heaven. If you are a stranger somewhere, you behave in a specific way. That specific way for us Christians here on earth would be to abstain from sinful desires and search for a perfect will of God in our lives. We are supposed to be different and not conform to this world.
Everyone of us have a fight to fight, which is not easy as our flesh longs for the things that are earthly. Yet, as I stated in my previous post, we have a new nature and the Spirit of God living in us that helps us in our struggle. Let's not give up fighting even if we fail again and again. Christ is our example. He conquered the world, and so can we. Let's live like foreigners and exiles on this earth and work to reveal Christ to those who do not know Him yet.
This planet is only a temporary place for us. Our home is not here. Our souls long for a real home, which is heaven. If you are a stranger somewhere, you behave in a specific way. That specific way for us Christians here on earth would be to abstain from sinful desires and search for a perfect will of God in our lives. We are supposed to be different and not conform to this world.
Everyone of us have a fight to fight, which is not easy as our flesh longs for the things that are earthly. Yet, as I stated in my previous post, we have a new nature and the Spirit of God living in us that helps us in our struggle. Let's not give up fighting even if we fail again and again. Christ is our example. He conquered the world, and so can we. Let's live like foreigners and exiles on this earth and work to reveal Christ to those who do not know Him yet.
Thursday, April 30, 2020
The old has gone
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" 2 Corinthians 5:17.
Conversion to Christianity is not a ritual. It is a radical change of a personality, where God Himself participates by changing the person completely. We are not talking about external things, but about internal ones. The nature of a person changes. Hatred, anger, lies, and anything that sinful is removed from the depths of the human heart. Christ enters his/her nature and removes the old one. Holy Spirit settles in too. New life begins.
Old friends may not understand what is happening with their fella as they have not experienced the "New Birth" themselves. The state of being in Christ affects the way of life, choices, beliefs, behavior. Christ himself participates now in the person's life. God's nature becomes that person's nature. Of course, it takes a while for Christ to start manifesting more and more through a person, but the change is real and the journey to manifest more of the new life has begun and should never end.
Conversion to Christianity is not a ritual. It is a radical change of a personality, where God Himself participates by changing the person completely. We are not talking about external things, but about internal ones. The nature of a person changes. Hatred, anger, lies, and anything that sinful is removed from the depths of the human heart. Christ enters his/her nature and removes the old one. Holy Spirit settles in too. New life begins.
Old friends may not understand what is happening with their fella as they have not experienced the "New Birth" themselves. The state of being in Christ affects the way of life, choices, beliefs, behavior. Christ himself participates now in the person's life. God's nature becomes that person's nature. Of course, it takes a while for Christ to start manifesting more and more through a person, but the change is real and the journey to manifest more of the new life has begun and should never end.
Wednesday, April 29, 2020
Life by faith
"For we live by faith, not by sight" 2 Corinthians 5:7.
People tend to live led by their fives senses. It is natural. This is how we survive. However, there is one more essential 'sense' that a lot of people are not aware of or they do not live by it. What is it? It is faith. Most would never believe things they do not see. Well, some would, if they hear it from a person they trust.
Yet, Christians are called to live by faith. We believe things we do not see. We see them with our inner eyes. And we actually live by them. We have never seen Christ (maybe in pictures), but we believe Him. We have never seen the Holy Spirit, but we believe He is with us and in us. We believe that if God said something, it is true and we follow that. Whether it is about His commands, or about His promises. We believe them. Faith causes us to lead a different lifestyle, than the one the world leads. We do things they don't do, and don't do thing they do, because we believe some things are acceptable to God, and others are not. We live by faith every day. Yes, we fail too. But all our life is a journey of faith, and our task is to keep it till the day we go to the other side of eternity and stay forever with the One who is the beginning and end of our faith - Jesus Christ.
People tend to live led by their fives senses. It is natural. This is how we survive. However, there is one more essential 'sense' that a lot of people are not aware of or they do not live by it. What is it? It is faith. Most would never believe things they do not see. Well, some would, if they hear it from a person they trust.
Yet, Christians are called to live by faith. We believe things we do not see. We see them with our inner eyes. And we actually live by them. We have never seen Christ (maybe in pictures), but we believe Him. We have never seen the Holy Spirit, but we believe He is with us and in us. We believe that if God said something, it is true and we follow that. Whether it is about His commands, or about His promises. We believe them. Faith causes us to lead a different lifestyle, than the one the world leads. We do things they don't do, and don't do thing they do, because we believe some things are acceptable to God, and others are not. We live by faith every day. Yes, we fail too. But all our life is a journey of faith, and our task is to keep it till the day we go to the other side of eternity and stay forever with the One who is the beginning and end of our faith - Jesus Christ.
Tuesday, April 28, 2020
God had a plan for us before we were even born
"Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be" Psalms 139:16.
Do you ever feel like God is far away? You pray and prayers seems to be unanswered? You sometimes even wonder whether He even listens to your prayers or ever answers them. It happens to me. We do not see God, and in most cases, especially going through difficult times, we don't feel His presence. However, the word of God tells us very good news. He knows what is happening to us. He knows our thoughts. Before we say a word, He knows what we are going to say. He cares about us, and He will answer our prayers.
The fact is that He takes very special care of you. Before you were even born, He made a good plan for your life. He was with you when you were still in your mother's womb. When you were far away from Him in your mind, behavior, and lifestyle, He was always close to you. And He still is. You have a choice to find out the things that He had written in His book for your life by studying His word, praying, going to church, communicating with other believers. His Holy Spirit will reveal talents, and God's purposes for your life and you will be able to implement what once written in that book the Psalm talks about. God will help you. Never forget, He has prepared good days for you. His plan is good. He is always with you.
Do you ever feel like God is far away? You pray and prayers seems to be unanswered? You sometimes even wonder whether He even listens to your prayers or ever answers them. It happens to me. We do not see God, and in most cases, especially going through difficult times, we don't feel His presence. However, the word of God tells us very good news. He knows what is happening to us. He knows our thoughts. Before we say a word, He knows what we are going to say. He cares about us, and He will answer our prayers.
The fact is that He takes very special care of you. Before you were even born, He made a good plan for your life. He was with you when you were still in your mother's womb. When you were far away from Him in your mind, behavior, and lifestyle, He was always close to you. And He still is. You have a choice to find out the things that He had written in His book for your life by studying His word, praying, going to church, communicating with other believers. His Holy Spirit will reveal talents, and God's purposes for your life and you will be able to implement what once written in that book the Psalm talks about. God will help you. Never forget, He has prepared good days for you. His plan is good. He is always with you.
Monday, April 27, 2020
Greater is He who is in you
"You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world" 1 John 4:4.
Christians are called to fight and they have all necessary tools to win. What are our enemies? According to the Bible, we are fighting the world: lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. And we also fight the devil. Looks like we've got a lot to fight against. Well, maybe, but look what John says. He says that we are from God, which means we have the nature of God inside of us. The things of the world should be alien to us. Yes, we have a flesh, but the nature that God imparted into us is stronger.
Furthermore, by the power of the Holy Spirit Christ lives inside of us. He is greater than the world, and the devil. That's why we are destined to win. Christ conquered the world, and we have the same promise, we can conquer it. Let's rely on His power that is inside us to help us in the fight. We shouldn't fear neither the world, nor the devil as they are weaker forces than the one that we have at our disposal. Let's believe we can win. Let's rely on the power of Christ on us. Let's us the power. Let's win.
Christians are called to fight and they have all necessary tools to win. What are our enemies? According to the Bible, we are fighting the world: lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. And we also fight the devil. Looks like we've got a lot to fight against. Well, maybe, but look what John says. He says that we are from God, which means we have the nature of God inside of us. The things of the world should be alien to us. Yes, we have a flesh, but the nature that God imparted into us is stronger.
Furthermore, by the power of the Holy Spirit Christ lives inside of us. He is greater than the world, and the devil. That's why we are destined to win. Christ conquered the world, and we have the same promise, we can conquer it. Let's rely on His power that is inside us to help us in the fight. We shouldn't fear neither the world, nor the devil as they are weaker forces than the one that we have at our disposal. Let's believe we can win. Let's rely on the power of Christ on us. Let's us the power. Let's win.
Sunday, April 26, 2020
List of charges against us
"having wiped out the handwriting
of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He
has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross" Collosians 2:14.
Do you think God blames you for your sins, shortcomings, past mistakes, and the bad stuff you have done? I look at the Bible and do not find confirmation for that. On the contrary, I see that God justifies us in Jesus. The verse in Collosians tells us that once there was a list with charges against us. In that list, there were recorded all the bad things you have done. There were also requirements for you to be punished for what you have done. Wow! Who wrote that list? The accuser of the brethren - Satan.
We know that devil accuses you in the presence of God day and night. That is his job. Revelation 12:10 confirms that. However, his accusations no longer matter. God solved the problem of your guilt. Jesus took all the list of accusations as well as the requirements for punishment that devil wrote against us and nailed it to the cross. Devil can now accuse you as much as he wants, God does not listen to him and you shouldn't either. If you feel guilty, go to Jesus and ask forgiveness, and you get the forgiveness instantly. No more reason to feel guilt or shame for your past. It has been dealt with. Jesus paid the price for your guilt. You are no longer guilty if you believe in Jesus redemption. Praise God, you are no longer a prisoner of your past or the devil. You belong to God and you are forever free from your guilt. You are forgiven. Amen.
Do you think God blames you for your sins, shortcomings, past mistakes, and the bad stuff you have done? I look at the Bible and do not find confirmation for that. On the contrary, I see that God justifies us in Jesus. The verse in Collosians tells us that once there was a list with charges against us. In that list, there were recorded all the bad things you have done. There were also requirements for you to be punished for what you have done. Wow! Who wrote that list? The accuser of the brethren - Satan.
We know that devil accuses you in the presence of God day and night. That is his job. Revelation 12:10 confirms that. However, his accusations no longer matter. God solved the problem of your guilt. Jesus took all the list of accusations as well as the requirements for punishment that devil wrote against us and nailed it to the cross. Devil can now accuse you as much as he wants, God does not listen to him and you shouldn't either. If you feel guilty, go to Jesus and ask forgiveness, and you get the forgiveness instantly. No more reason to feel guilt or shame for your past. It has been dealt with. Jesus paid the price for your guilt. You are no longer guilty if you believe in Jesus redemption. Praise God, you are no longer a prisoner of your past or the devil. You belong to God and you are forever free from your guilt. You are forgiven. Amen.
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