Have Faith, and Start Building

 

Don’t stop, can’t stop, won’t stop.

We must live by faith and not by sight, simply  trusting in God! Though we may not visually see Him, we have the word of God to show His power. 

There are examples throughout Scripture displaying this type of faith. Noah building an ark for 108 years found in Hebrews 11:7. ‘’By faith Noah when warned about things not seen, in Holy fear believing  built an ark to save his family…” Every once in a while he may have missed the nail and hit his finger, but his faith never missed the mark. Verse seven continues by saying, “… By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.’’ Even when life looks  questionable, like God asking Noah to build an ark, only through a faith filled heart can we follow the instructions and see that God had a plan the whole time, like using the ark to save Noah and his family from the flood. 

Don’t stop, can’t stop, won’t stop. We all have our own ark that we must  finish, work hard by living through faith, who knows what God has in store for you.

Praise the Lord, We are Free!

 Good news has arrived! Animal sacrifice, which was once necessary for every Jewish service prior to Christ’s crucifixion on the cross, is no longer necessary for the Christian. In the Jewish life there were so many rules and regulations. Such as people were restricted from wearing mixed fabrics like linen and wool. The Jewish law is no longer necessary because Jesus came and fulfilled the law. (Hallelujah! I’m gonna get my linen  jacket out and wool dress ready to wear together.) 

Jesus freed us from the many laws of  the Old Testament with the the biggest act of love, His death on the cross. Now we come to life because of a death, no need for animals blood to obtain forgiveness. Hebrews 7:26-28 says, “For such a high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this He did once, when He offered up Himself.” The greatest example of true love came from our Holy high priest, freeing each Christian from requiring animal sacrifice. We now use communion as a memorial of what Christ did for us at Church, thanking Jesus that our sins are erased and we are forgiven. Praise the Lord!

Divine Illumination

“Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment“ Hebrews 6:1-2

As Christians we should not remain childlike forever, never maturing in our knowledge of God. We need to mature and edify ourselves by working on understanding God’s spiritual will, not just settling with the basic understanding. Graduate to the next level of belief, live in the divine radiance with what you believe, knowing Christ and being a light like Jesus. As Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Growing in this knowledge will encourage us to flourish spiritually.  You could do all the acts in the world but it’s all frivolous  unless you have Christ in your heart, this is the only way to be saved. God sent His Son to die on the cross for us, believing in Him eliminates the necessity of works to be saved, for we could never save ourselves. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” Ephesians 2:8 

Works are to reflect your belief, we can use the knowledge we attain from Scripture to glorify God with our actions, and have Jesus shining through our lives. “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” Matthew 5:14-16

How do we accomplish spiritual growth? Read the Bible, study the Bible, instead of twiddling your thumbs memorize Scripture. Listen to podcasts that preach the Word, go to church, and pray! Ask God for help and He will give you guidance that will help your light shine.

No Tokens Needed

“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.“

Romans 8:1-4

No fear, God won’t say, “You’re fired” if you’re a believer. True Christians can have peace in life knowing they do not need to work for tokens for salvation, for they know Christ’s sacrifice on the cross fulfilled the Law. Hebrews 4:1-3 says, “Therefore, while the promise of entering His rest still holds and is offered (today)…For indeed we have had glad tidings (Gospel of God) proclaimed to us just as truly as they (the Israelites of old did when the good news of deliverance from bondage came to them)… for we who have believed (adhered to and trusted in and relied on God) do enter that rest, in accordance with his declaration those (who did not believe) should not enter when He said, as I swore in my wrath, they shall not enter my rest; and this He said although (his) works had been completed and prepared (and waiting for all who would believe) from the foundation of the world.” For those who are saved, we find rest because we find peace and freedom with God.

In every season of life, we find a reason for rest. Psalms 91:11 says, “For he will command his angels in regard to you, to protect and defend and guard you in all your ways (of obedience and service).” Lots of people won’t ever experience this because they don’t believe, or only believe that their works will save them, so they never truly enter this rest and are stuck in work work work. 

There is also joy in the future rest found in heaven. All God is looking for from you and I is to believe in Jesus. With salvation you can live with him, resting in the beautiful kingdom for all eternity, praise the Lord!

Undeniably Unstoppable

 

There are two paths to choose to live on, the first road being the things of this world with sin, the second with righteousness.

The first is incorrect, it’s a deadly path. Don’t get allured by flashy things, stay on the trail of righteousness with the Holy Spirit as your guide. Lean into Christ to learn how to live like Him, we simply need to follow His steps. Hebrews 2:1 says, “Therefore we must pay greater attention to His Word.” Be diligent  in keeping and studying the Bible, make sure the devil’s temptations do not lead you astray. 

God’s Word instructs us that because we are in Christ, He is now is in our blood. Hebrews 2:14 says, “Since therefore children flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared the same things, that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is the devil.” Death is undeniably  unavoidable, but not even death can remove Christ’s blood. But we’ve got to choose the right road, the one that leads to Heaven. 

This heavenly connection is only found in one place, through Christ, who denied the temptation of darkness, and conquered death with His blood. 

Properly Geared

 Muscle man goes, “Just look at these guns, I can rule  the world”. He ruminates upon these already prideful thoughts until the devil creeps in at an opportune moment and attacks with either self doubt, or with even more pride. 

The devil can invade anyone’s mind at anytime, the innocent and the deceitful. He encourages darkness, he trespasses in man’s mind saying, “Why are you even trying to get  in better shape? Everyone else lifts heavier weights than you. Just call it quits while you can.” He maneuvers our thoughts, and we need to learn to ignore the discouraging words and put on the mighty armor of Christ. 

Call on God and He will listen. Fight against the devil’s whispers with Christ’s armor as it says in Ephesians 6:10-11 “Finally, be strong in the Lord in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” Instead of feeling like a complete failure, we need to simply be properly geared up. Even if satan’s nonsense never stops and looks truthful, just remember only Christ’s glory lasts. Colossians 2:17 “These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality however, is found in Christ.” 

The Master’s Masterpiece

Cat Sleeping on a Bed by Claude Monet

Monet, van Gogh, Rembrandt; all are artists who have painted masterpieces. Yet these men do not compare to the ultimate Artist, who paints the skies and with His brush strokes created the world that inspires art.

Currently we are mere tracings of masterpieces. Christ, being the artist, will complete His perfect work in heaven, with no more touch ups needed as on earth. Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good work, which God prepared in advance to do.” We are a work in progress, with the goal of heavenly beauty. Because of this, we should be encouraged to spread the joy found being sculpted by Christ. Romans 5:21 says, “So that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” 

Through Christ we have the ability to become magnificent masterpieces if we accept Him as our Savior.  Though we are currently a work in progress, still needing one or two touch ups, we will continue to grow in spiritual maturity, closer to perfection, and once in heaven, becoming a work of art.