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Faith

What Does God Desire From Us?

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How can anyone live a life that is worthy of God? If God is perfect, does He expect perfection from us? No. Our sins don’t surprise God. After all He sent His Son to die for our sins. If anything, the one sure thing that God could expect from us is failure! So if He doesn’t expect perfection, what does God desire from us?

He desires. . .

  • Repentance rather than rejection
  • Love rather than lip-service
  • Our worship rather than works
  • Obedience rather than offering
  • Living a public faith rather than a private faith
  • Time with us rather than testimonies from us
  • Our pursuit of holiness rather than giving us a perfect life
  • Us to know Him rather than to know about Him
  • A relationship with Him rather than a religion.
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Our Mediator

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For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men– the testimony given in its proper time. (NIV) 1 Timothy 2:5-6

When the blood of Christ flowed at His crucifixion, the veil in the temple was torn in half from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51).  The veil that had symbolically separated the people from personal contact with God was removed by God Himself (Hebrews 10:20). The human mediation required under the terms of the Old Covenant would no longer be needed.  Everyone would have access to God through Jesus, the High Priest.  The sole function of a high priest was to offer sacrifices.  In so doing, the priest acted as a neutral party between God and man to bring about an agreement or reconciliation of the divided parties.

Under the Old Covenant, a high priest was selected from among men and was “appointed to represent them in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins” (Hebrews 5:1).  No high priest took the honor upon himself. Rather he had to be called by God (Hebrews 5:4).  A perfect mediator between God and man had to share both natures. Thus for Jesus to be the mediator of the New Covenant, He had to be both divine and human which He was. Christ is the mediator for all believers (Hebrews 9:15, 12:24).  If Christ had not been an actual man, He could not have sincerely represented mankind.  The author of Hebrews describes Christ from both a divine (Hebrews 7:26, 7:28. 9:14) and human perspective (Hebrews 2:9, 2:14).

  • Such a high priest meets our need– one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. (NIV) Hebrews 7:26
  • For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever. (NIV) Hebrews 7:28
  • How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! (NIV) Hebrews 9:14
  • Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death– that is, the devil– (NIV) Hebrews 2:14

The relationship between God and man is at the heart of the New Covenant.  God desires to have fellowship with men.  The author of Hebrews writes, “let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith” (Hebrews 10:22) and that we “come to God through him (Christ)” (Hebrews 7:25).  God desires to have a growing relationship with Christians.  Take time to today to show your gratitude to the Son, our perfect mediator.

In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. (NIV) Ephesians 3:12

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Knowing Christ

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The key to living a life pleasing to the Lord is to develop a more intimate relationship with Him. It is through daily communion with God that the union is strengthened.  There are no shortcuts in the process of growth. There are no “how to” books on arriving at holiness.  Time must be taken to develop a closer relationship with God. In order to live a life worthy of God’s calling, it is essential to grow in the knowledge of who God is and what He has accomplished through the cross, and then apply the scriptural truths to one’s life.

Is your faith stronger today than it was yesterday? a week ago? a year ago? When do you take the time to develop your relationship with God? Do you regularly set aside time to read His Word? spend time in prayer? If you’re not seeking God today, when will you start? Why not spend some time with God right now?

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God’s Grace and Power is Sufficient

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God’s grace and power was sufficient…

  • For Noah living in a corrupt society to persevere in building the ark and was saved from the flood.
  • For Moses, insecure in his speaking abilities, to speak up to the Pharaoh on behalf of the Israelites.
  • For Elijah to stand firm while all the other religious “experts” of his time said he was wrong.
  • For Daniel to live a life of integrity in the fast lane of his era.
  • For David to defeat Goliath, who was bigger, meaner, and a better warrior.
  • For Queen Esther to rescue her people from destruction.
  • For Joseph to fight the temptations of the world while he waited to be promoted.
  • For Gideon to lead his small army in victory over a massive enemy army.
  • For Josiah at the age of 7, to become a king who led his country back to worshiping God.
  • For Nehemiah against great odds, to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem in just 52 days.
  • For Job to not renounce his faith when stricken with calamity and his health taken away.
  • And for hundreds of thousands more who have lived their lives not for their own comfort, but to honor the God who created them!

Is God’s grace and power sufficient for you?

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Why Aren’t My Prayers Being Answered?

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Is there a lack of power in your praying. Here’s what the Bible tells us about some hindrances to prayer.

Unforgiveness:
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 11:25)
We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will. (John 9:31 NIV)
If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; (Psalm 66:18 NIV)

Lack of sensitivity to those in need:
If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered. (Proverbs 21:13 NIV)

Request is Outside of God’s Will:
This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. (1 John 5:14 NIV)

Worry:
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  (Philippians 4:6 NIV)

Wrong Motives:
When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.  (James 4:3 NIV)

Proud Attitude:
But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6 NIV)
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.  (James 4:10 NIV)

Improper Husband-Wife Relationship:
Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers. (1 Peter 3:7 NIV)

Meaningless repetition:
And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. (Matthew 6:7 NIV)

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Praying in God’s Will

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This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us– whatever we ask– we know that we have what we asked of him. (NIV) I John 5:14-15

The safest way to know that you are praying in God’s will is to pray God’s Word! If there is a verse or passage of Scripture that directly relates to your request or a principle from God’s Word that applies, you can pray with confidence! God’s Word will never contradict God’s will.

What kind of a “pray-er” are you?  Do you pray with complete confidence because you know it’s God’s will because it came from God’s Word?  Or perhaps you are saying to yourself, “But, I wouldn’t even know where to start looking for passages that apply to my requests!”  Here are a few to get you started. Look up the passage in your Bible and then pray it back to Him as a personal prayer. . .or better yet, make it a prayer for someone else!

  • Comfort, Peace: Psalm 42; 2 Corinthians 1:3-5; 4:7-12, 16-18;
  • Church Leaders: Ephesians 4:1-6, 11, 12; 1 Timothy 4:7-16; 2 Timothy 4:2; Titus 1:5-9;
  • Families: Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Proverbs 22:6; Ephesians 5:21-6:4
  • Growth in faith and character:  Joshua 1:8; Psalm 119:9, 11, 28, 34; Matthew 6:25-34; Galatians 5:16-26; Colossians 1:9-12; 3:13-15; James 3:17
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Walk The Walk

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“Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” (1 John 3:18, NIV)

I am a planner. I have more notepads in my house than the New York Times. Every day, I make lists of “things to do”. Recently, I have started another list. This is my personal card ministry list, and I send cards to people every week. This has been a tremendous blessing in my life.

I am also attempting, as of late, to “walk the walk” instead of merely “talking the talk”. With many saints in our church as my role models, I am trying to visit the sick; take flowers or food to people I love; do more phoning, and write more words of encouragement. I want to be a doer, and not a hearer, only.

Jesus was the only Son of God. He could have written out His heavenly plans on golden note pads, and let His angels do the walking. But, He didn’t. Jesus was a doer. He preached, taught, healed, encouraged, visited, and walked among the people every day. His healing hands restored sight to the blind, made the lame jump with joy, and gave hope to everyone.

When Jesus commissioned His disciples, He instructed them to GO from town to city, preaching, teaching, and healing in His name. And, at The Last Supper, He gave them the Holy sacraments, and instructed them to, “…DO this in remembrance of Me.” (Luke 22:19, NIV) Jesus didn’t tell the disciples to make a list of “things to do”. He told them, TO DO good works.

Strap on your sandals, and begin your personal walk. The road ahead is hot and dusty, but Jesus has blazed the trail before us, and His footprints are right there in the sand, next to yours and mine.

Guest Blogger: Myra F. Smith

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What a Wonderful World

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“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2)

We write songs about it; create plays to demonstrate its workings; make up stories to illustrate all of the many variations of it, and talk incessantly about it. And what is this popular subject? It is the world in which we live, and we, understandably, love and cherish it our earthly home. However, there is a dirty little suffix that adds another meaning to the word “world” and that is the “ly”. When we pay too much attention to our position, responsibilities, activities, passions, pleasures and priorities in this world, we become “worldly”, and this love of the world can separate us from the throne of God.

Paul, the writer of the gospel of Romans, knew all about the world’s agenda. He was beaten, imprisoned, shipwrecked, rebuked, and hungry, to name a few of the worldly injustices he endured. But, Paul’s response to this worldly suffering was shocking. He said, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) Paul was once a persecutor of Christians, but through God’ intervention in Paul’s life, the once worldly Saul became Paul, a leading spokesperson for God’s heavenly agenda.

When the daily stresses and issues of this world confound us, we can go to God in prayer, read His word, and be transformed by His will for us. And what is God’s perfect will for us? It can be found in the first commandment: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:2-3) It’s that hard and that simple. If God is our only object of worship, the things of the world will lose their importance, and we will find His perfect will for our lives.

Guest Blogger: Myra F. Smith

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