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Put off the Old Man and put on the New

21. Jun 2024 On The Way In Love
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, He is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Cor 5:17; NKJV). When we asked Jesus into our life our spirit was made new and we became new spiritual creations (John 3:5-6). Moving forward we need to get rid of the “old man” or lifestyle and grow into the new Christ-like nature and life God has for us (Eph 4:15, 22-24). The apostle Paul exhorts us to “put to death” the sinful nature of our soul and body (Col 3:5a; NKJV). In Colossians 3 and 4 he gives us many areas to consider: lust, lying, anger, theft, corrupt and foolish words, bitterness, malice, sexual immorality, poor humor, covetousness and blasphemy.
In those same chapters we also see many characteristics we should grow into as Christians: gentleness, lowliness, righteousness, holiness, kindness, meekness, mercy, forgiveness, tenderness, patience, truth, unity, peace, renewal of mind, grace, love and the fullness of Christ. The list may seem overwhelming but with God’s help we can put off and put on to be more like Jesus every day. The apostle Peter encouraged us to “desire the pure milk of the word” (1 Peter 2:2a; NKJV) and the author of Hebrews 5:12-14, exhorts us to delve into the solid food of the word. As we get revelation of God’s Word the Holy Spirit can transform us to be more and more like Jesus (2 Cor 3:18). In Philippians l 1:6, we are assured that, “He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ”, or when Jesus returns to earth at the end of time. Let’s get busy putting off and putting on!

God is Good

19. Jun 2024 On The Way In Love
The goodness of God is one of the foundations of our Christian faith; it is what everything hinges on. God is completely and consistently good and nothing bad can come from Him. “Oh give thanks to the Lord for He is good” (Ps 106:1; NKJV). “Oh that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men” (Ps 107:8,9; NKJV). These Old Testament scriptures (and there are many more) are confirmed in the New Testament, for example James 1:17 says that all good gifts come from God. It is said of Jesus that He went around “doing good” (Acts 10:38). Jesus Himself said that it was God, the Father, who enabled Him to do many good things (John 10:32). We see that of course in all the miracles that He performed; He was continually doing good things such as healing, delivering and helping people. It is because of God’s great love for us that He does good things for us (John 3:16). So, if something not good happens in our life we can rest assured that it is not coming from God; no matter what happens – good or bad, God is good, all the time! (John 10:10). And, “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Rom 8:28; NKJV).
So, “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Ps 34:8) today. Study and meditate on the goodness of God and allow God to give you more revelation on this subject and then you can say with conviction, “God is good!”

Be Consistent

17. Jun 2024 On The Way In Love
“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Cor 15:58; NKJV). To be steadfast is to be constant, immoveable, unwavering. God the Father never changes (Mal 3:6a), nor does Jesus (Heb 13:8) and God’s plans and purposes stand firm across all generations (Ps 33:11). I am always impressed with the prophet, Daniel; he was constant in his relationship to God, praying always even though he faced the penalty of death for doing so (Dan 6:10). In the New Testament we are told to stand firm in our relationship with God (Phil 1:4) and not to get discouraged or weary in doing good (Gal 6:9). James, the brother of Jesus, exhorted us to “Let your “yes” be “yes”, and your “no”, “no” (James 5:12b). The writer of Hebrews wrote, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful” (Heb 10:23; NKJV).
As Christians, we are to be consistent, constant in our walk with God, with no contradictions in our lifestyle. We often hear people say, “it’s not how you start but how you finish the race that counts.” Jesus asked His disciples whether He would find faith at His second coming (Luke 18:8b) but when He returns will He also find a church consistent with the early church of Acts? How can we assure this will be so? Joshua 1:8 would be a good starting point. Joshua advises us to meditate God’s word both day and night and live lives consistent with what we read. Do I hear an Amen?

I will be with you in Trouble

14. Jun 2024 On The Way In Love
Just because we are Christians and operate in faith doesn’t mean we will never have trials in our life. “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all” (Ps 34:19; ESV). “He shall call upon Me and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honour him (Ps 91:15; AMPC). So, according to the Bible, we will have challenges but we need to be reminded that God is with us as we go through those challenges and He is also the solution for our problems. When we are praying about situations that we are facing the first thing we need to ask for is wisdom, then wait on God to give us instruction as to how to pray and act.
That is what King Jehoshaphat did when he was surrounded by enemy armies, “Then Jehoshaphat feared and set himself (determinedly, as his vital need) to seek the Lord; he proclaimed a fast in all Judah” (2 Chron 20:3; AMPC). As a result, God gave him a plan and also, victory! (See Chron 20:1-30).
We all know about all the challenges and persecution that the apostle Paul faced (see 2 Cor 11:23-28) however, Paul relied on God’s strength and power in those situations (2 Cor 12:9). That is what we can do too. Our deliverance from storms in life doesn’t always come overnight but faith and patience bring the answer (Heb 6:12). As Jesus said, “In the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33; ESV).

Are we Focused

12. Jun 2024 On The Way In Love
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matt 6:33; NKJV). As we focus on God and make Him our priority, our primary focus, then God will make all the blessings, power and fullness ours. That should encourage all of us! Zacchaeus, the tax collector, climbed a tree to be able to see Jesus; he responded quickly, with joy and excitement to Jesus’ request to stay at his house (Luke 19:1-10). His focus on the Lord resulted in a complete change in his life for the better. Noah had to be steadfastly focused on God to build a massive ark in a dry place and with the ridicule of his neighbours (Gen 6:1-22). God promised Abraham that he would be the father of a great nation and He showed Abraham the starts at night to illustrate the promise (Gen 15:5). Abraham kept his focus on and faith in the promise by often gazing at the stars! Jesus is the prime example of focus, “Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of God” (Heb 12:2; NKJV). Jesus endured all this suffering because He was focused on the results, satan’s defeat and our salvation. Are we walking in all Christ won for us? How is our focus? Do we “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess 5:17; NKJV)? “Rejoice always” (1 Thess 5:16; NKJV)? Praise Him continually (Ps 34:1)? Study the word day and night (Josh 1:8)? Are we easily distracted from this pursuit by the world around us? Let’s get focused like Jesus and set the world on fire for God!
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