End Of Our Faith

"Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls."  I Peter 1:9.  Salvation is a free gift that has been offered unto us by God.  We have been created as a soul.  We shall not cease to exist.  Physical death is merely a change from this world to the eternal world.  In that world, some will be saved and many will be lost.  God has provided for the salvation of our soul through Jesus Christ.  To acquire this salvation, we must have faith.  Faith is a commitment that is made unto God.  Faith is a spiritual journey that one makes for the purpose of laying hold upon salvation.  Faith believes God.  Faith obeys God.  Faith carefully listens to all the commandments of God.  Faith puts those commandments to work in the life.  The teachings of God direct us toward the prize of salvation.  If we will trust God and serve God, then God will save us.  Salvation comes at the end of our faith.  We live all of our days in obedient trust so that we will be saved.  We must not lose sight of our goal.  We must not cast away our faith.  Faith will be tested throughout our life, but we must continue to believe and know that God has provided for us an eternal salvation.

To Choose Life

"In the way of righteousness is life; and in the pathway thereof there is no death." Proverbs 12:28.  All of us must make a choice.  Life must be lived, and we must choose the manner in which we will live it.  There is a benefit in living according to righteousness.  There is a recompense in walking the pathway of unrighteousness.  As we live our years, we have a tendency to reflect.  The choices that we make determine how we view our past.  The determination that we should have is to find an inner peace.  The path of right living will bring us to that place.  We must make choices that will not bring guilt or regret.  That is the way of death.  Righteousness will deliver us from death.  There are no corpuses on the path of righteousness.  This pathway gives life.  Life is fuller when there is hope and contentment.  Life is dearer when we find satisfaction and fulfillment.  Life is more precious when we have purpose.  Righteousness frees us from the chains of compromise and worldly influence.  Righteousness gives the strength for us to make honest decisions.  Righteousness is not selfish indulgence, but selfless service.  Righteousness looks up, never down.  Righteousness moves forward even against the current of social pressure.  Righteousness never surrenders to the cry of the crowd.  This pathway is the way of life, never death.  Choose wisely. 

Thou Art My God

"But I trusted in thee, O Lord; I said, Thou art my God."  Psalm 31:14.  God must be our trust for He abides.  I remember the words of the hymn, "Some built their hope on the ever drifting sand; some on their treasures or their land."  The tide washes away the sand.  It can not be sustained.  Treasures and land can be gone in a flash.  God remains.  God continues.  Things perish.  And yet, multitudes place their trust in that which does not abide.  We trust in God because God can be known.  We have a personal relationship with Him.  Is such true of any earthly treasure or earthly reward?  God is not only a friend, but is also a Father.  We can ask of Him.  We can seek Him.  We can knock at His door, and He will answer.  In the darkness of the night, God can be summoned for help, and comfort comes.  In the valley of disturbance, God can be called upon, and peace comes.  God is my God.  And, He is the God of all who seek Him with a true and an obedient heart.  We trust in God because He is a loving and good God.  Kindness flows from His hand.  God will cradle us and soothe our troubled heart.  We trust God because of His might.  His promises sustain us, and His grace engulfs our lives.  In nothing other than God should such trust be given.

What Does The Lord Require?

"He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God."  Micah 6:8.  Micah is examining the manner in which we come before God.  The prophet asked about burnt offerings such as calves, rams, oil, or our firstborn.  The prophet declares that God wants us to have a character that is worthy of approaching God.  Unless the heart is right, the burnt offerings would not matter.  The three avenues of approach are as God Himself.  We are to do what is just.  There is right and wrong.  There is a way that is acceptable and also a way that is unacceptable.  We are to love mercy.  Mercy shows kindness and gentleness.  Mercy reaches out to others and helps in their need.  We are to walk humbly.  Humility loses sight of self and gives consideration unto others.  Humility depends upon others, especially God.  We must know that we are needy.  To do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly is to do such with God.  God cannot be left out of our lives.  After all, we only learn justice, mercy, and humility from God.  This is the character that comes before the Lord.  These are the sacrifices that are to be offered unto the Lord.  Do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God.

Redeeming The Time

What if?  That is a question that might cause us some distress.  What if we had turned right instead of left?  What if we had gone this way instead of that way?  We perhaps give some thought to those concerns, and by doing such, can bring some disturbance into our lives.  We might wonder how our lives would have been different had we made a different decision.  What if Cain had offered an acceptable sacrifice instead of a sacrifice that was unacceptable?  What if Nadab and Abihu had not offered strange fire upon the altar of God?  We see in these examples the cost of bad decisions.  What if Jesus had decided in the garden of Gethsemane that He would not die upon the cross?  The entire destiny of humanity would have been changed.  The past of our life cannot be changed.  There is no consolation in looking back.  We must take life and accept the decisions that we have made and move forward.  If we have made bad choices, we have the opportunity to change our future.  God forgives those who turn unto Him and submit themselves unto His will.  His word offers us the guidance that we need to make good choices in our future.  The events of the past cannot be changed, but we can change our heart.  When we change our heart, we can move into the future of our lives.  When we submit our will to the will of God, we can go forward with confidence and peace.  "Redeeming the time, because the days are evil."  Ephesians 5:16.

Alive Or Dead

"Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord."  Romans 6:11.  Jesus Christ is the answer to sin.  Sin is a plague that affects everyone.  However, one can be dead unto sin.  We must choose whether we will live in sin or live unto God.  We must choose whether we will serve God or serve the devil.  God, through Jesus Christ, will remove the sins of our past and free us from sin's tyranny.  One cannot remove his own sin.  One cannot free himself from sin.  Freedom from sin is a work of God through Jesus Christ.  When we are baptized in water, we are baptized into Jesus Christ.  This simple act of obedience breaks the chains of sin in our life.  We are transformed.  We make a change.  We now begin a new life of service unto God.  Our heart is set upon God.  We seek God and His direction for our life.  We follow His teachings and make His way our way.  God becomes real in our life.  God becomes active in our life.  Sin is death.  Those individuals who live in sin are dead.  And, to continue to live in sin will ultimately bring eternal death.  We must die to sin by removing from our heart the love and commission of sin so that we can and do live unto God.  By uniting our life with Jesus in baptism gives birth to this beautiful relationship with God and Christ. 

Redeemed and Zealous

"Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."  Titus 2:14.  Jesus Christ gave Himself for us as an offering unto God for our sins.  As He gave Himself, He redeemed us.  Through that redemption comes purification.  Because we are purified by the offering of Christ upon the cross, we are God's special people.  Redemption and purification bring responsibility.  Because we choose to become God's people by accepting His redemption through Christ, we are to become workers that do good.  We are not simply to perform good works, but we are to be zealous of good works.  God wants zeal to be implanted in our hearts.  We have an eagerness to serve.  Because we are zealous, we find joy in service.  There can be no zeal without the joy of service.  We do not serve through obligation.  We realize the great price that God was willing to pay for us.  We understand the love and grace that was necessary for such an offering.  This realization and understanding creates zeal.  We go about doing good.  We seek to make the world a better place.  We long to lift the burdens of others.  We serve because we are redeemed.