MAY YOUR LOVE INCREASE AND OVERFLOW FOR EACH OTHER

Proclamation:

“May The Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.  May He strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all His holy ones.”  1 Thessalonians 3:12-13 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by the apostle Paul, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the believers in the church at Thessalonica.  In this third chapter, Paul expresses his love and concern for the Thessalonians. (1 Thessalonians 3:1-7)  He also tells them of his desire to see them again. (1 Thessalonians 3:9-11)  Then he ends by praying that The Lord God will increase their love for each other and that He will strengthen their hearts.

Application:

Here the word “love” is not an affectionate term.  It implies an active seeking of the welfare of another.  “Love” here has a purpose; it is not an end in itself. (According to Bible scholar J. Vernon McGee)  Paul prays for the believers to have love for all men, and for the purity of their heart.  We would do well to pray this prayer for each other.  We all need God’s help because some of the people we encounter are difficult to love.  Also, it is difficult for us not to think evil and sinful thoughts, and to maintain a pure heart and mind.  We need for God to create within us a clean heart and a right spirit. (Psalm 51:10)  For the pure in heart shall see God. (Psalm 24:4 and Matthew 5:8)  Be reminded of the fact that Jesus, The Christ, is coming again to gather up His own.

WHO WILL SPEND ETERNITY WITH THE LORD GOD

Proclamation:

“Who may ascend the mountain of The Lord?  Who may stand in His holy place?  The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god.  They will receive blessing from The Lord and vindication from God their Savior.”  Psalm 24:3-5 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David.  Here David begins by stating that earth and everything in it belongs to The Lord.  He created it and it is His. (Psalm 24:1-2)  After stating that he asks the rhetorical question, who is the proper person to be an inhabitant of Zion, the dwelling place of The Lord God?  Then he goes on to answer the question by describing such a person.  One who has “clean hands” and “a pure heart” and has not worshiped idol gods or provided false witness against his fellow man.  This is the person who will receive this special blessing from The Lord.

Application:

The only people who are “worthy” of spending eternity with The Lord are those who are holy in their thoughts, motives, words, and deeds. (Psalm 26:6, Psalm 51:10, and Matthew 5:8)  Those who have been washed in the blood of Jesus, The Christ, believed in Him and accepted Him as their personal savior. (John 3:16 and Revelation 1:5)  This special blessing of eternal life with The Lord is not something that is earned or worked for, it is a gift from God. (Ephesians 1:4-6 and 2:8-9)  For this we should thank and praise God.

CREATE IN ME A CLEAN HEART

Proclamation:

"Hide Your face for my sins, and blot out all my iniquity.  Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."  Psalms 51:9-10 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by King David under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  David knew that he had sinned and he knew that the sin which he had committed was against God. (Psalm 51:4)  He knew that his sin did not end his relationship with God but in interfered with the fellowship he had with The Lord God.

Application:

All of us have sinned.  We all need to ask God for forgiveness on a daily bases.  Sinful thoughts are still sins as well as sinful words and actions.  We all need to be cleansed from sins.  We need God's help to create within us clean hearts and minds.  We should be honest with God and confess to Him our short comings.  We don't need to beat ourselves up because of them.  Let’s ask Him for His help in making us more Christ-like.  Let’s be determined to be a better Christian today than we were yesterday.

Create In Me A Clean Heart

"Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."  Psalms 51:10 (NIV)

This psalm of King David is a prayer to God which he prayed after the prophet Nathan had told him that he had committed adultery with Bathsheba.   He was aware that he had sinned against God, (Psalms 51:4), and he wanted God to have mercy on him and forgive him for his sin. (Psalms 51:1-2)  He also wanted God to give him another chance.

King David was a man after the heart of God, (Acts 13:22), not because he did not sin, but because he prayed, and admitted that he had sinned, and he asked to be forgiven.  We would do good to be like David in this regard.  If we confess our sins to The Lord God, and ask to be forgiven, He will forgive us. (1 John 1:9)  However, not only must we confess our sins, we must also turn away from them. (2 Chronicles 7:14)   We must sincerely ask God for another chance to do the right thing.

Commit To The Lord And Purify Your Thoughts

"Commit to The LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.  Proverbs 16:3 (NIV)  The King James Version of this verse reads: "Commit thy works unto The LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established." 

These are the words of King Solomon, the wisest man that ever lived. (1 Kings 3:12)  His divinely inspired word to the people was that if they committed their efforts to pleasing The Lord God, then their thoughts and plans would be purified and brought to fruition.

All to often our thoughts are not pure, they are sinful more often than they are not.  Our sinful words and deeds begin as sinful thoughts and plans.  Even when we do not act upon them, our sinful thoughts are still sins. (Matthew 5:28)  We are what we think, and as we think, so we are. (Proverbs 23:7)  On judgment day, we will also be judged on our thoughts and the intents of our heart. (Hebrews 4:12)  The Lord knows our thoughts. (Psalms 94:11 and 1 Corinthians 3:20)  The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to The Lord. (Proverbs 15:26)  We need to renew our minds, and pray. (Romans 12:2)  We need to pray about everything, read The Word of God, and think about things which are true, right, pure, lovely, admirable, and worthy of praise. (Philippians 4:6-8)  We need to commit ourselves to The Lord and to His way.  We need to let the mind which is in Christ Jesus be in us also. (Philippians 2:5)  We need to pray that The Lord will create within us a clean heart and mind. (Psalms 51:10)  

Only The Pure In Heart Will See God

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God."  Matthew 5:8 (NIV)

According to the Apostle Matthew, this is the fifth of the beatitudes from The Sermon on The Mount in which Jesus taught His disciples, and all of those in the surrounding crowd.  He said that those who had a pure heart would be blessed and they would see God.  

Those who have a pure heart are inwardly pure.  They are pure from worldly lusts, pure from unchaste thoughts and desires, pure from fleshly lusts, pure from coveting money or worldly possessions, and pure from the filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit.  This is only possible with a heart that has been purified by God by one's faith in Him.  God must create this within us.  This is what we should pray for, just as King David prayed for it. (Psalms 51:10)  The pure of heart will see God face to face. (Psalms 24:3-5)   Only the pure of heart will see Him and look upon His face because God cannot look upon sinful impurity. (Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34)

A Man's Heart Reflects The Man

"As water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man."  Proverbs 27:19 (NIV)

King Solomon provides this profound saying, just like still water shows the reflection of a man's face, so his heart reflects who the man really is.

That which is within us will eventually come out.  Just as that which is within us will show forth in the fruit that we produce. (Matthew 7:17-18)  Just as the words that we speak reflect the issues that are within our hearts. (Matthew 12:34 and Luke 6:45)  For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he. (Proverbs 23:7)  It may be possible to put on an academy award winning performance and fool some of the people some of the time, but it is not possible to fool all of the people all of the time, and it is impossible to fool God any time.  God knows our thoughts. (Psalms 94:11, 1 Corinthians 2:11, and 1 Corinthians 3:20)  We may hide our feelings, thoughts, and intentions from others, but God sees the heart and He knows who we really are. (1 Samuel 16:7)  We need to transform our reflection and renew our mind and heart. (Romans 12:1-2)  We need to pray that God will create in us a clean pure heart and a right spirit. (Psalms 24:4-5 and 51:10)  We want our reflection and our heart t be Christ-like.

Who Will Ascend To The Hill Of The Lord?

"Who may ascend the hill of The LORD?  Who may stand in His holy place?  He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false.  He will receive blessing from The LORD and vindication from God his Savior."  Psalms 24:3-5 (NIV)

Here King David asks a rhetorical question, rephrases it, then he proceeds to answer it.  Who may stand in God's holy place?  The innocent, those with pure motives, those who do not worship idols, and those who are truthful and fair.  They will receive a special blessing from The Lord and they will receive eternal life. 

Although the Bible scholars disagree on exactly where "the hill of The Lord" and "His holy place" refers to, it is clear that is in the presence of God.  It is also clear that that only those who qualify will receive the special blessing and vindication from God.  It does not require being free from sin, but it does require the right intentions and motives in addition to the right behavior.  For us to qualify, we would have to confess our sins, ask for forgiveness, and ask Him to create in us a clean heart and a right spirit. (Psalms 51:1-4 & 9-11)  If we would humble ourselves, and pray, and seek His face, and turn from our wicked ways, (2 Chronicles 7:14) then He would bless and vindicate us.

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.