Sealed By The Holy Spirit And Awaiting To Be Delivered

"And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.  Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession, to the praise of His glory."  Ephesians 1:13-14 (NIV)

In his letter to the Ephesian Christians, the Apostle Paul told them that from the very moment that they believed the gospel, they were saved and sealed by The Holy Spirit, and that they belonged to God just as he did.  They were all just waiting to be redeemed and possessed by God.

As Christians, we are already bought and paid for, Jesus paid it all.  The Holy Spirit has already wrapped us up and sealed us.  We are now just awaiting delivery to our Father in heaven.

God Lives Within Us

"Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?  If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him;  for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple."  1 Corinthians 3:16-17 (NIV)

In this letter to the Corinthian Christians, the Apostle Paul told them that they themselves were the temple wherein God resided, not some physical building.  Their bodies were the temple of God and should be treated as such.

That is a lesson that we should be aware of today.  From the moment that we accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior, The Spirit of God took up residence inside of us.  Our bodies are God's temple.  With that in mind, we should be much more careful about how we treat and care for our bodies.  We also should be careful how we treat God's other temples, other Christians. 

Only What We Do For Christ Will Count #2

"I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.  So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.  The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor.  For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building."  1 Corinthians 3:6-9 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul told the Christians at Corinth that leaders like he and Apollos were not important, they were both just servants of God.  And just like all Christians, they had a job to do, working for The Lord, and they would be rewarded by Him according to how well they did their job. 

Today we should understand that our positions and what we do here on earth is not about us.  All that matters and what is important is what we do for Christ.  Our individual efforts are just a very small part of His overall plan for things.  We each have a job to do as part of His kingdom building plan.  We each need to make sure that we are doing what He has called us to do, because in the end, only what we do for Christ will count when we have to give an account on judgement day.

Our Haters Can Be A Blessing

"The whole city was aroused, and the people came running from all directions.  Seizing Paul, they dragged him from the temple, and immediately the gates were shut.  While they were trying to kill him, news reached the commander of the Roman troops that the whole city of Jerusalem was in an uproar.  He at once took some officers and soldiers and ran down to the crowd.  When the rioters saw the commander and his soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.  The commander came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains.  Then he asked who he was and what he had done."  Acts 21:30-33 (NIV)

Because of his preaching and teaching, the Apostle Paul had angered some of the Jewish leaders so much that they stirred up a crowd of Jews against him.  They had seized him and were beating him with the intent of killing him.  The commander of the Roman troops was responsible for keeping order within the city.  When he heard about the riot, he took some troops to the scene to restore order.  To control the crowd he arrested Paul.

In those days, Christians were hated by the Roman leaders and by the Jewish leaders. So basically, one enemy saved him from another enemy.  We need to recognize that God can use our enemies and our haters to be a blessing to us, in spite of their feelings and intentions towards us.  The Lord can make our enemies our footstool.  (Psalms 110:1, Matthew 22:44, Mark 12:30, Luke 20:43, Acts 2:38, Hebrews 1:13, & Hebrews 10:13)   Our blessings can come from what seem to be some strange places.

God's People Can Disagree Without Being Disagreeable

"Paul also and Barnabas continued in Antioch, teaching and preaching The Word of The Lord, with many others also.  And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, 'Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached The Word of The Lord, and see how they do.'  And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark.  But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work.  And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other; and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus;  And Paul chose Silas, and departed, being recommended by the brethren unto the grace of God.  And he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches."  Acts 15:35-41 (NIV)

Though they had been teaching and preaching together for some time, when it came time for their next trip, they could not agree on whether to take John Mark with them.  Their disagreement was strong enough for them to part company over it.  However, even though they went their separate ways with different partners, they both continued to teach and preach and do the work of The Lord.

The point here is that Christians, and even men of God will disagree, but it is possible to disagree without being disagreeable.  Some people are not meant to be with you or go with you always.  You may need new friends to go with you on the next part of your journey.  Just because you disagree with another Child of God, that does not give you cause to stop working for The Lord.  Learn to agree to disagree, and keep on working either with them or with others.  Remember, what we are doing here is not about us, it is all about Jesus.

You Are Not Who You Used To Be

"... Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus.  At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is The Son of God.  All those who heard him were astonished and asked, 'Isn't he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn't he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?' "  Acts 9:19-21 (NIV)

While he was still known as Saul, the Apostle Paul was well known as a persecutor of Christians.  Because of his prior well earned reputation, he frequently had to tell people of his Damascus road conversion.  Some believed him and some didn't, but he continued to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.

All of us have done some things in the past that are an embarrassment to us now.  It does not matter how many skeletons there are in our closets, God can still use us.  All of the great men of the Bible were sinners, except Jesus The Christ, and God used them.  Don't let your past sins get in the way and stop you from serving God now.  You have changed, you are a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17), thanks to The Holy Spirit you are not who you used to be.  The fact that you have stopped doing what you did in the past may help you reach someone who is lost in sin where you used to be.  God has a plan for each of us, and I am sure that part of that plan involves helping someone else and sharing what you know about Jesus.

Health Wealth A Long Life And Happiness

"Blessed are all who fear The Lord, who walk in His ways.  You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours ... Thus is the man blessed who fears The Lord.  May The Lord bless you from Zion all the days of your life ... and may you live to see your children's children ..."  Psalms 128:1-6 (NIV)

The unknown author of this psalm is clearly addressing issues of the home and personal blessings.  He addresses four areas of blessings: provisions, prosperity, partner, and progeny.  These blessings are for those who walk in His ways.

May you enjoy the fruit of your labor.  May all of your needs be supplied.  May you be blessed with prosperity.  May your spouse and your children also be blessed.  May you be happy all of the days of your life.  May you live a long life, long enough to see and enjoy your grand children.  In other words, may The Good Lord bless you with health, wealth, a long life, and happiness.

We Always Have A Choice

"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able ; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."  1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul tells the Christians at Corinth that God will not allow them to be tempted beyond which they are able to handle.  No matter how great the temptation, God will always provide them with a way out of a tempting situation without giving in or yielding to sin.

The popular translation of this verses is: God will not put more on you than you can bear.  And for every tempting sinful situation, He provides a non-sinful option as a way out.  We always have a choice, we just need to pray for His help in choosing the right way. 

Be Merciful To Me Heal Me Deliver Me Save Me

"O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your anger or discipline me in Your wrath.  Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am faint; O Lord, heal me, for my bones are in agony.  My soul is in anguish. How long, O Lord, how long?  Turn, O Lord, and deliver me; save me because of Your unfailing love."  Psalms 6:1-4 (NIV)

While in the mist of an apparently stressful bad situation, David assumed that God was punishing him, and he asked God not to punish him while He was angry with him and to have mercy on him.

Bad things can happen to good people.  Whatever happens to us is all part of God's permissive will because He is in control of everything.  Remember, all things work together for good to them that love God. (Romans 8:28)  The spankings that we got as children were for our good, even though they hurt and we did not enjoy them at the time.  And not all of the bad things that happen to us are punishment, some times they are just tests of our faith.  Remember what happened to Job.  (Job 1 & 2)   Some times they are to remind us that God's grace is sufficient to see us through.  Remember the thorn in Paul's side that he prayed and asked God to remove. (2 Corinthians 12:7-9)  It is always okay to ask God for mercy and help in the midst of a stressful situation.  However, instead of always asking God to remove your mountains, maybe you may want to ask Him for the strength to climb them.

God Is Always With Us

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.  You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.  You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.  Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of The Lord forever."  Psalms 23:4-6 (NIV)

The second half of this psalm, David depicts God as his protector, comforter, provider, supplier, and constant companion.  He states that he walks with God every day, and is is with God that he wants to spend eternity.

As Christians, we have no need to be afraid of anything because God is always with us.  He can protect us from all hurt, harm, and danger.  He can supply all of our needs and provide for us until our cup overflows.  The love of God is always with us, no matter what kind of situation we are going through, He will see us through it.

I Shall Not Want

"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want."  Psalms 23:1 (NIV)

This well known psalm of David depicts God as a shepherd who provides for, protects, and directs His sheep.  This image was clearly understood in David's time.  His comment "I shall not want" (KJV) implies that God will provide all that he needs and therefore he wants for nothing.

Most Christians today can quote the twenty-third Psalm, in part if not recite it in its entirety.  We say it, but we do not really mean it.  We say "I shall not want" but our prayers are usually long lists of "wants".  And that does not include our long list of worldly wants, wishes, desires, and preferences.  We need to realize that our number one priority should be to give God glory, not our personal pleasure or self satisfaction.  He knows what we need and what we want, and He is able to supply it according to His riches in glory.  Let us spend more time thanking Him for what He has already done and less time asking Him for more blessings.  He is able to supply all of our needs.  We need to do a better job of appreciating all that He has done for us, is doing for us, and know that He will do for us in the future.

Don't Envy Prosperous Evil Men

"Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.  Trust in The Lord and do good ..."  Psalms 37:1-8 (NIV)

David said that prosperous evil men should not be envied.  Christians should trust in The Lord and continue to do that which is good, right, and that which gives God glory.  God will deal with the evil men.

Don't worry about why the ungodly prosper while the godly painfully struggle through life.  God is in control and the ungodly will soon have to answer for their behavior.  Just make sure that you do good, and do the right thing.

Lord Have Mercy

"Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your unfailing love; according to Your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight ..." Psalms 51:1-4 (NIV)

David sinned, he knew that he had sinned, and he prayed for mercy and forgiveness. He wanted God to cleanse him and take away all of his sins (stated here and repeated in verse 7).

It has been said that David was "a man after God's own heart," not because he did not sin, but because his heart was in the right place. David prayed to God for forgiveness, mercy, and God's help after he sinned, and he did not continue to repeat the same sin over and over again. We need to sincerely pray like David did. We also need to ask God to help us, and to remove from us the desire for our sins, to create in us a clean heart and mind. We cannot become more Christ-like without God's help.

Create In Me A Pure Heart

"Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me ... O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise." Psalms 51:10 & 15

Psalms 51 is a prayer that David uttered after he has done wrong, knows that he has done wrong and sinned against God (verses 3 & 4), and he is now asking for mercy and forgiveness, and for God's help to do better in the future.

We would all do well to read Psalms 51:1-15 daily, and to pray a similar prayer. All of our sins are sins against God. We need His mercy, and we need for Him to create in us a pure heart and a steadfast spirit. We need for Him to guide and control our tongue so that the words of our mouths will be acceptable in His sight.

We Are Blessed Chosen Predestined And Special

"Praise be to The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will; to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in The One He loves. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. And He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment ..." Ephesians 1:3-10 (NIV)

In this letter from the Apostle Paul to the Christians in Ephesus, who he had never met but he had heard of the demonstrations of their faith, he tells them that the saints of God are special. They are blessed, chosen, and predestined by God, according to His will, to receive His glorious grace through Jesus Christ.

As believers in Christ we are also special. We are blessed in more ways than we can count, we
have been redeemed, our sins have been forgiven, we have been given wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, and our heavenly Father has even more good things are in store for us when the fullness of time has come.

While We Run This Race Let Us Focus On Jesus

"... Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:1-2 (NIV)

This text by the author of Hebrews could be restated to allow ease of understanding. Let us Christians put aside all of our unprofitable beliefs and sins, and let us endure our challenging faith-filled lives with our eyes fixed on Jesus who endured the suffering of the cross to satisfy His Father and pay the price for our salvation.

Our Christian lives can be compared to a race which is similar to a combination of a marathon and a steeplechase, it requires perseverance and endurance, in addition to the negotiation of frequent obstacles, some more challenging than others. In order to complete this race, we must focus on the prize and the satisfaction that comes at the end when we finish and know that our effort resulted in hearing "well done" from "He who made it possible" for us to run the race.

Don't Believe and Follow Every Spirit

"Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize The Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world." 1 John 4:1-3 (NIV)

The Apostle John warns the Christians not to believe every spirit that they hear because there are evil spirits in the world. He even offers the Christians a means to test the spirits that they hear based upon the willingness of the spirit to acknowledge that Jesus, The Christ, is The Son of God. The spirits that will not acknowledge Jesus are evil spirits of the antichrist.

We should not believe everything that we hear. Every spirit that we hear is not The Holy Spirit, and every person that speaks to us is not a messenger from God. We should also use the above test on every spirit that we hear. If what we hear from people is not consistent with what the Bible says, then we ought to disregard it. We need to read and study the Bible so that we can rightly divide the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)

Believe And Never Doubt

"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from The Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does." James 1:5-8 (NIV)

James, the half brother of Jesus, writing to the scattered believers in Christ, tells them to ask for wisdom if they want it. However, if they ask for it, they must believe that they will get it. If they have any doubts about receiving it, they will basically block their own blessing.

The same applies to us today. When we pray and ask God for a blessing, we must believe that we will receive it. Doubting God shows a lack of faith in Him. When we doubt that we will get what we ask for, we basically block our own blessings. No one else will get the blessings that have our name on them, but doubting will cause us not to get them either. Pray that God will help our unbelief.

Righteousness By Faith To All Who Believe

"This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." Romans 3:22-24 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul told the Christians in Rome that the righteousness that was imputed to them comes from God through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe in Him, because we have all sinned and we must be justified by His grace.

We are not "innocent" of sin, we have been declared "not guilty" because Jesus paid the price for all of us who believe in Him and it is by His grace that we are justified and declared righteous. We ought to thank Him every day for what He did for us.

You Must Believe in Jesus To Be Saved

"That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." Romans 10:9-10 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul told the Christians in Rome that the law of Moses will not save them. It is their belief in God that will save them.

If you believe in Jesus, then you will be saved. Our salvation is not based upon our works, our salvation is based solely upon our belief in Jesus Christ. Eternal damnation awaits those who do not believe.

There Is Power In Prayer

"The prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; The Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven." James 5:15 (NIV)

James, the half brother of Jesus and one of the "pillars" of the early Church in Jerusalem, wrote to the scattered Christians after the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, to encourage them and remind them of the power of prayer.

Those of us who believe today need to also be reminded of the power of prayer. We know that God can answer our prayers, we just need to believe that he will. As long as our prayers are consistent with His will and are designed to give Him glory, He will answer them. Just remember to be sincere and to pray for others as we would for ourselves.

Guidelines For Christian Living

"Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving The Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need." Romans 12:10-13 (NIV)

This was the Apostle Paul's advice to the Christians in Rome on demonstrating Christian living and brotherly love.

Paul's discourse on "brotherly love" actually begins with verse 9 and continues through verse 21. It does not matter how "good" we are, we could all improve on our Christ-like behavior. While lengthy, and fairly comprehensive, this list is not exhaustive or complete. However, living as these guidelines suggest, would provide a very good example of Christian living.

Ask And You Will Receive It If You Believe It

Jesus said, "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins." Mark 11:24-25 (NIV)

When you pray and ask for something, you must believe that you have already received it. This was one of the lessons that Jesus taught His disciples during the week prior to His crucifixion.

When we ask for something that gives God glory, we will receive it if we believe it. But don't ask for anything while you are harboring ill will against your brother because of a wrong done to you.

Those Who Preach The Gospel Should Live By It

"Even so hath The Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel." 1 Corinthians 9:14 (KJV)

Thus saith the Apostle Paul about the people taking the care of preachers after saying, " For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn . Doth God take care for oxen?"

The Bible Scholars and the Bible commentaries all agree that this verse should be interpreted that those who preach the gospel should make their living by preaching the gospel. However, when I read this verse, I read it as those who preach the gospel should live by the gospel, and I was instantly convicted by The Holy Spirit. This verse has been on my mind for all of last week. Even though all of my research points to the contrary, I still cannot get my reading of it out of my mind. The way that I read it helped me so I decided to share this with the hope that maybe my thoughts might help someone else.