Our Love for God.
Psalm 42: 1 and 2.
“As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?”
Psalm 73: 25 and 26.
“Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon the earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
In Psalm 42, the Psalmist expresses himself as having a severe spiritual drought. He strongly neds the water of God. In his spiritual thirst he longs for intimacy with God. This of course must be fellowship with the living God not some sort of dead idol.
In Psalm 75, the Psalmist expresses his joy at having God In heaven. There is nothing on earth that can satisfy him. His body may be failing but God is his strength and he knows that he will never have need or want throughout eternity. God has never and will never let him down.
We should ask ourselves; do we have that sort of desire for intimacy with God. How strong is our love for God?
Repentance for sin.
1 John 1: 8 – 10
“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Psalm 32: 5
“I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.”
The quote from the first letter of John demonstrates that our sin nature is never completely gone. If we say otherwise, we deceive ourselves. Conversion does not mean the eradication of the sin nature. Rather it means the implanting of a new divine nature with the power to aid us to live victoriously over sin. To walk ay-to-day in fellowship with God, sin must be confessed and thus forgiven. We need to seek parental forgiveness throughout our lives.
In Psalm 32 we see the correct attitude to our errors and sin. This is a Psalm of David. After a year of penitence David finally admitted his sin over Bethsheba and Uriah. He did not floss over it. But as soon as he had whole-heartedly confessed, he was forgiven and his relationship with God restored.
We must remember that no matter who else is hurt by our sin, the principal offence of any sin is against God.
So, when we get things wrong, do we find ways of excusing ourselves and minimising our fault? Or do we openly admit our error to God and seek forgiveness without trying to justify ourselves.
Genuine Humility.
Psalm 51: 7
“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean. Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.”
Matthew 5: 3
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
In Psalm 51 David asks to be “purged” with Hyssop. Hyssop is an aromatic herb and some of its uses were medicinal. David is admitting his shortcomings in humility and asking that his error be washed out of him. He is expressing a profound sense of guilt and humility.
In Matthew 5 we have the beginning of the Beatitudes (the beautiful attitudes). These were not given as the way of salvation by the Lord but as the way of life for believers. These qualities in life for the citizens of God’s kingdom are quite opposite to the world’s values.
“The poor in spirit” are to take heart because they acknowledge their own helplessness and their need to rely on God’s omnipotence. They have the humility to sense their spiritual need and to seek it in the Lord.
So, do we have the humility to acknowledge that without God we would be in a sorry state?
Remember, God loves a contrite heart.
Devotion to God’s glory.
Jeremiah 9: 23 and 24.
“Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches; But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the Lord exercising lovingkindness, judgment and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight”, says the Lord.”
1 Corinthians 10: 31
“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
The people Jeremiah was taking issue with were depending on their own abilities or achievements rather than God. They were praising themselves. They had no conception that whatever they possessed had come to them through the mercy of God. But because of their love for what humanity strives for, they failed to understand God or to delight in what He delights in.
The quote from 1 Corinthians reminds us that we were created to glorify God. That is our purpose. Even our most ordinary and common-place behaviour is to be conducted to the honour of God. We should always be checking if there is any glory for God in what we are about to do. We should be asking ourselves if He would be magnified by any decision we may make.
So, next time someone compliments us on something will we say “thank you, it’s nothing” or shall we say “It’s not of me; it’s all of our heavenly Father.” Shall we give God the glory?
Selfless Love.
1 John 3:14
“We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death.”
1 John 4: 7
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God and everyone who loves is of God and knows God.”
1 John chapter 3 shows us that love of one’s fellow believers is evidence that we have passed from the realm of death to the realm of life. Believers demonstrate their salvation by loving their fellow believers and of course this can involve walking the extra mile for each other even if it is inconvenient or makes us feel uncomfortable in some way. A person truly living in touch with God will not stumble or fall over offering assistance to a fellow believer in need at personal cost.
In John chapter 4, he reminds us that as believers we are children of God and have been given His nature. And, of course, love is fundamental to God’s nature. He is the only source of true love and His love should be found in us.
So, let us not cease from doing good – even if it hurts.
Separation from the world.
1 Corinthians 2: 12
“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.”
1 John 2: 15 – 16
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world.”
From the quote from 1 Corinthians, we see that we have been given “the Spirit who is from God”. Only the Holy Spirit can reveal to us God’s truth. We would never have discovered the mysteries of God or the benefits of Yeshua’s sacrificial death by ourselves. But we know these things because they were “freely given to us by God.” But we are not totally free from the world system. We can however separate ourselves from it through our love for God and obeying Him rather than follow the expectations of the world.
In the verses from 1 John chapter 2, we can see the world system we should be separating ourselves from, because it is a morally evil system opposed to all that God is and holds dear. It is satanic and is in opposition to Yeshua’s kingdom featuring three temptations: the desires of sinful, sensual pleasure; covetousness/materialism; and, pride over one’s position in life. It is foolish to invest oneself in such matters which do not last.
So, how are our strategies for keeping separate from the world and how successful are they?
Continual Prayer
Philippians 4:6
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God …”
1 Timothy 2: 1 and 2.
“Therefore, I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.”
From Philippians 4 we see that we should be “anxious for nothing”. Fretting and worrying indicates a lack of trust in God’s wisdom, power and sovereignty. Delighting in the Lord and meditating on His word are the great antidotes to anxiety. All difficulties are within God’s power and gratitude to God should accompany every prayer.
Paul’s first letter to Timothy chapter 2 calls for us to pray for all people. It is a great privilege for us to have an audience with God on behalf of our fellow man. In particular, we are instructed to pray for all in authority. We are to remember (Romans chapter 13) that all those in authority have been placed there by God. They are to be ministers to us of good. No doubt some will seem to be particularly malevolent but we can always pray that they will repent and receive the gospel. God desires all people to be saved (none to be lost). Therefore, we should be prepared to pray for all people everywhere.
So, how do we access our prayer life? Are we keeping short accounts with God and acknowledging His power in this world?
Spiritual Growth.
John 15: 1 – 4
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Yoi are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in Me.”
“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head – Christ …” Ephesians 4:11-15.
In John chapter 15 we have the extended metaphor of the vine and the vinedresser. The essential meaning is that spiritual growth can only be through “abiding” Yeshua. By obeying the word of God, we grow in spiritual maturity. But there is no standing–still in this matter. We either go forwards or backwards. Not progressing “in Christ” leads to a loss of fellowship, loss of vitality and ultimately loss of reward.
In Ephesians chapter 4, we see that gifted men are to build up the people – but not to make them dependent on them – but to equip them to carrying on, standing on their own two feet, so that they can discern for themselves what is truth and what is error. Such individuals have the personal strength to contribute to the building up of the body. Yeshua, of course, is the source of spiritual growth.
So, how are we doing? Are we growing spiritually to have the maturity to contribute to the body?
Obedient Living
John 15:14
“You are My friends if you do whatever I command you …”
1 John 2: 3 – 5
“Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says I know Him, and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him.”
In John chapter 15 we see the development of our intimacy/friendship with Yeshua grows as we live in obedience to Him, especially with His commandment to love. Friendship with Him is not the same as sonship with the Father. Sonship is a once-for-all gift. But friendship develops as we walk in a life of obedience. Obedience is not the way we become His friends but rather the way we exhibit our friendship with Him to the world. When we closely follow Yeshua, we gain the privilege of revelation and becomes friends of God also.
In 1 John chapter 2, we see that obedience to Yeshua shows trust in Him. Disobedience shows a lack of personal knowledge of Yeshua. To claim to know Him whilst disobeying His word is a lie. Not only does conflict between a person’s words and actions show them to be a liar, but it shows that the truth is not a controlling influence in that person’s life.
As a person keeps God’s word in obedience, that person knows by experience that God is in him. Obedience results in assurance of salvation. Yeshua’s life of obedience to the Father should be our pattern. Believers can live as He lived since they possess the power of God’s Spirit.
So, obedience is the mark of intimacy with Yeshua. How are we doing?
Hunger for God’s Word.
1 Peter 2: 1 – 3
“Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.”
The first part of this section of Peter’s letter calls for the “laying aside” (getting rid of) various faults which are all violations of our Lord’s commandment to love our neighbours as ourselves. Getting rid of these things as part of our re-birth, allows out desire (i.e., longing with all one’s being) to study the word of God to have full reign. The purpose of study is not simply to get to know more (as if getting answers for a quiz) but to become mature in the faith; conforming to the image of Yeshua. When we purge ourselves of sin, the word of God which we long for can do its work.
So, how hungry are we for the word of God? Do we still get that thrill when we receive a new revelation in the word and marvel at its amazing complexity?