My thoughts this morning are centered on the state of purity. What does it mean to be pure of heart, and how is it possible to reach this level of righteousness? By becoming pure we know that we will see God, so it’s a very important subject for us to explore.
Yesterday we spoke of being the friend of Jesus in the context of placing him before us in all things, but today we will look at what kind of friend the groom has chosen for His best man. What kind of friend should we truly be?
“He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.”
John 3:29 KJV
This morning, I have been mulling over the fact that we should always put Jesus ahead of our own wants and self-interests. My mind has wandered to those times when I have placed my name first and didn't allow Him to take the lead in my life... or had ignored Him all together. Jesus has been declared by God Himself to be the name above all names, and yet sometimes we take it upon ourselves to subvert His rule and pursue our own interests as if we hold a higher office than He does. We don't do this so much as a coup d'état but we do it in answer to our own pride and selfishness. Does the thought of this cause our faces to flush with embarrassment and shame?
Do you move along in your life of faith and feel like you are making great strides in sanctity only to have some trivial thing reawaken the old sinful person you used to be? Well, we all have this happen from time to time, and our lives of faith are a constant struggle against our natural selves... so why do we keep falling into this trap, and what can we do to overcome this disappointing behavior?
I really love the story of Jesus appearing to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. This morning let’s concentrate on what those disciples said when they finally realized that the man they had been traveling with was actually Jesus; they said: "did not our heart burn within us." Let’s think about our own moment when it became clear to us that Jesus was truly the Son of God and had been sent to save us. Let’s think back on that faithful day when we walked with Him down our own road to Emmaus and how His gospel message came alive in us as our hearts burned.
This morning I am contemplating a single phrase in the King James translation of the Bible... it is one that was written by Paul to the Galatians, and is found in Galatians 2:20. It reads like this..."by the faith of the son of God." This is opposed to several modern translations which record it as "by the faith in the Son of God." So the question boils down to one word and two different translations... Our study is whether to us the word "In" or "Of" as we talk about our faith. This might sound tedious but the implications are great.
We are going to delve into an interesting topic this morning, friendship with God, and we will do so by asking ourselves three questions that are simple and wonderful in their divine implication. First, do we consider ourselves to be friends of God? Secondly, do we believe that this is even possible, and finally, if we are friends, or not, what are the ramifications of this to our faith?
Does God lead you in the way you should go, and if so, what awaits at the end of your journey? This is what I am pondering this morning. Do we know the Person of the one who leads us and if so, do we need to fully understand where He is leading us to before we join Him in the journey? When Jesus called His disciples to follow Him did they know where they were going? When He tells us to pick up our cross and follow Him do we really know all that awaits us?
How do we reconcile our physical and spiritual selves so that they both mirror Jesus Christ? Sometimes we are so wrapped up in conforming our physical selves that we forget the spiritual side of who we are... or vice versa. Let’s look at this today and see if we can reach an understanding regarding who we really are, and why knowing this is important.
When we perform our works of faith or even kneel to pray, who are we attempting to please? Are our eyes on Jesus and our hearts longing for God, or is there something or someone else who has taken the glory of our efforts? Was it ourselves? I am exploring the motivation behind the acts we do that we claim are of faith this morning, and how we can keep them directed rightly towards the glory of God.
Do we know every sin we have committed? Are there things we do, or thoughts we have, that are sinful without our recognition? This morning I am considering my life and the possibility that there are indeed sins in it that I am yet to realize are sins. To remove sin requires that we face it, confess it, be remorseful and contrite for having committed it, and then ask Jesus to forgive us for it. Once we have done this He will forgive us and say, "go, and sin no more." But, how do we obey Him regarding those sins we aren’t even aware of?
Although we know Jesus for His love, mercy, and obedience to God’s will, we are still saddened by the thought of His pain, suffering, and death for us. There was a time leading up to the Cross, when as He was preparing to take on the sins of the world, He and His disciples were uncertain and afraid of what lay ahead. But as Jesus walked with them towards Jerusalem and Calvary, He prepared them for what lay ahead. We are much like His disciples, and are often worried and afraid of what is happening around us, but if we will continue to walk with Him He will reassure us too.
In the time of Jesus, not all slaves were taken in war, or against their will; some sold themselves into slavery for one reason or another. I am not talking about indentured servitude here, but people who became slaves for the rest of their lives. Have you sold yourself as a slave to something or somebody? Before you answer no, are you sure? Do you have an addiction or some sin you keep hidden? Are you a slave to it?
Let's consider this morning how completely God gave of Himself that we should find forgiveness for our sins and everlasting life with Him. Then, let's ask ourselves if we are willing to give ourselves to Him just as completely and with the same total emersion in love. Are we loving Him and our neighbors as we should or has the world formed a hard shell around this ability in us, and has Satan convinced us that in this hardened form it has become a treasure… a pearl?
This morning I am considering the abandonment of things and people associated with our old life when we are reborn and accept Jesus as our savior. Is it a requirement of salvation, and if not, why do we abandon these things at all? Let's look at those old life things we give up along the way of faith and why we are asked to do so.