Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Seeing Clearly

Gradual growth in grace, growth in knowledge, growth in faith, growth in love, growth in holiness, growth in humility, growth in spiritual-mindedness - all this I see clearly taught and urged in Scripture, and clearly exemplified in the lives of many of God's saints. But sudden, instantaneous leaps from conversion to consecration I fail to see in the Bible.  J.C. Ryle

Do you ever think about how you see yourself spiritually?  When I was baptized I didn’t all of a sudden know everything I needed to know about leading a spiritual life.  Yes my sins were cleansed but that was just the beginning of the journey.  If we clearly see our need for God’s grace we will pursue Him above all else.

If leading a spiritual life were easy, everyone would be doing it.  Jesus was the only man who lived that was without sin.  So here is the question. How do we pursue a truly spiritual life in a world that is constantly trying to bring us down?

I am like each of you.  I lead a busy life.  I have responsibilities to myself and my family but first and foremost I have responsibility to God.  If God saves me from a fate worse than death, what do I owe Him? I owe Him my life.  Everything I have is His because He gave it to me as a blessing that I don’t deserve.  So if I want to be what God wants me to be, I must value what He values. 

It is so easy to get side tracked by the world.  Pursuing a spiritual life worthy of our Heavenly Father is hard work.  I determined a long time ago that I am selfish in many ways.  If I want to see God clearly I must put him first.  When I put myself first I lose.  If I learn to deny my wants and focus on God’s I am on the right path.  A continuous flow of conversation between us and our Heavenly Father is one way to become spiritually healthy.  The second is we must spend time in His word.  If we don’t we will never know what He expects of us.  Being a child of God is the hardest job we will ever have but it is worth the cost.  Pursue Him with your whole heart.

Prayer for the Day: Father, I am guilty of pursuing things of the world.  In my selfishness I sacrifice my relationship with You.  I ask You to help me keep my focus on You so that my spiritual life will reflect You.  Seeing You clearly and following your commandments are the most important things I can do to build my spiritual life.  You are worth any sacrifice so I give my life to You.  I will fail over and over again, but I know You are with me.  I praise You above all others.
  

Scripture:   We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.  We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.  And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.  Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.  1 John 5:18-21


Redemption in Christ


Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.


In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.


In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. Ephesians 1:3-14

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