Who am I? Where am I going?

I am a member of the church, the bride of Christ, waiting for my bridegroom.  I have been espoused to my bridegroom. With much excitement and anticipation, I am waiting and preparing for the day when He returns for me.  I am day by day seeking to walk in righteousness that I, as His bride, may be clothed in “fine linen clean and pure.” (Rev. 19:7-9) Paul spoke to the Corinthians saying that he had espoused them to one husband, the Lord Jesus Christ, and he wanted to one day present them to Christ as a chaste (clean, pure) bride. So am seeking to remain a pure clean virgin, one who is holy and does not go after any other gods. (2 Cor. 11:2) Paul also stated to the Ephesians that Christ was coming back for a church without spot or wrinkle, a church that had been sanctified and cleansed by the Word.  So I am seeking to allow Him remove my spots and wrinkles, as I daily allow His Word to do its work in me. (Eph. 5:26-27) I am ultimately headed to that place that my bridegroom went to prepare for me. (John 14:2-3)

Rev. 19:7-9 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. ⁸ And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. ⁹ And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God

2 Cor. 11:2 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

Ephesians 5:26-27 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; ²⁶ That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, ²⁷ That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

John 14:2-3 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

Am I My Brother's Keeper?

In Gen. 4:9, Cain asked “Am I my brother’s keeper?” This was asked after killing his brother because of jealousy. For this sin against his brother he was cursed, his ability for fruitful farming removed, and he was sentenced to a life of being a fugitive and vagabond (Gen. 4:12). This act of not being his brother's keeper was very costly.

The word used here for “keeper” (Hebrew shamar ) means “to guard, to protect, to attend, or to regard.”  As a Christian I believe I am my brother’s keeper in exactly all those ways.  I am responsible before God for how I treat both my natural and spiritual brothers.  I can be his keeper by praying for him and ministering to him.  Sometimes that ministry may involve being God’s messenger. Being God’s messenger would mean “speaking the truth in love,”(Eph. 4:15) even when it is difficult or the brother may take offense. Being my brother’s keeper does not involve trying to control his life for him nor am responsible for his actions.  It does not mean trying to be the Holy Spirit in my brother’s life, but it does mean being obedient to the Holy Spirit.

I believe being my “brother’s keeper” is part of “love thy neighbor as thyself.” (Matt. 22:39, Luke 10:27)  The motivating factor needs to be a heart of love and compassion for my brother, under the leading of the Holy Spirit.  If I do not look out for our brother it can be costly to him and to me.

Thy Kingdom Come

Matthew 6:10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

When I pray “thy kingdom come,” I think of God manifesting His kingdom here on the earth in people getting saved and healed and delivered. When a person is born again they become part of the kingdom of God. (Colossians 1:13  Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: )  Once a person says “yes” to Jesus, their life is now under the ruler ship of a new King.  As that rule of God is manifested in their life, they get healed and delivered.  So in one sense I am asking Jesus to reveal Himself to more people as the real King.

The ultimate fulfillment of the “Thy kingdom come,” is when Jesus returns to the earth to establish His rule on this earth, to establish the millennial kingdom on this earth .  This reminds me of Revelation 22:17 “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come….” I do so look forward to the return of the Lord to establish His kingdom on the earth.

2 Peter 3:12 “waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God…” seems to suggest that I can hasten the coming of the “day of God.” (There are some prominent teachers/scholars who believe this to be true.) The fullness of the Gentiles can be brought in sooner. (Romans 11:25) As a result Jesus can return sooner. So when I pray “Thy kingdom come,” I am seeking to hasten the Lord’s return.

The signs we see around us everyday hint to the fact that we are coming closer to that day.  Luke 21:31 So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.

THY KINGDOM COME!!!  KING JESUS BRING YOUR KINGDOM!!

Stewardship Of My Heart

What is your most important stewardship?

“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear” 1 Peter 3:15

According to Chuck Missler, our teacher for this course on 1 & 2 Peter, “my heart is my most important stewardship.”  I think I have to agree with him. How I take care of my heart will affect everything else in my life. 

What I allow to be in my heart affects everything else I do and say, whether good or bad.   What I allow my eyes to see and my ears to hear affects my heart.  What I allow myself to think upon affects my heart. (Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things [are] honest, whatsoever things [are] just, whatsoever things [are] pure, whatsoever things [are] lovely, whatsoever things [are] of good report; if [there be] any virtue, and if [there be] any praise, think on these things.)

Here are some scriptures that speak to this subject:

Luke 6:45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.

Matthew 12:33-37³³Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit. ³⁴O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. ³⁵A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. ³⁶But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. ³⁷For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. (In Matthew Henry’s commentary on these verses, he says, “the heart is the treasury, the words are the things brought out of that treasury and from hence men's characters may be drawn, and may be judged of” Our heart and our words are connected. If my heart is focused on Him, my words will be also)

Proverbs 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it [are] the issues of life.

Proverbs 11:22 They that are of a froward heart [are] abomination to the LORD: but [such as are] upright in [their] way [are] his delight.

Proverbs 14:30 A sound heart [is] the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones.

Proverbs 17:22 A merry heart doeth good [like] a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.

Proverbs 18:12 Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honour [is] humility.

Partakers of the Glory

How do you become a “partaker” of “the glory to be revealed” (1 Pet 5:1) and spiritually “grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ”? (2 Pet 3:18)

When I think of glory I think of the fullness and purity of all that God is. In Exodus 33:18, Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” God’s response was that he would let his goodness pass by and proclaim his name. (Ex.. 33:19) The account of that actually happening is in Exodus 34:5-7. I believe this was God revealing a small amount of His glory because Moses would have been destroyed if the fullness of it had passed by.

On the Mount of Transfiguration the three disciples got a glimpse of the glory of God that was revealed from within Jesus Christ. On Mt. of Transfiguration Jesus was allowed let that glory that was within Him, cloaked in human flesh, be seen when He stood there before His disciples. (Mt. 17:1-2)

Both Paul and Peter speak in their epistles about the glory of God. They seem to indicate that as we spiritually “grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ” (2 Pet 3:18) we will be partakers of more and more of His glory.

As we gaze upon the Lord within His written Word and as we meditate upon Him, we can be changed to become more like Him, if we allow the Word and His character to be worked into our lives. As a result we will reflect the same glory that is in Him.

2 Cor. 3:18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, [even] as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Another way in which the glory of God is worked into our lives is through suffering. If we respond appropriately to suffering we will be changed more into the likeness of our Lord by it.

2 Cor. 4:16-18 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward [man] is renewed day by day.17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding [and] eternal weight of glory; 18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen [are] temporal; but the things which are not seen [are] eternal.

1 Peter 4:13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

On this earth we don’t see the His glory within Christians. Some people do have a glow about them and the character of Christ is manifested in how they live their lives. But the fullness of the glory of God within will be manifested later. Just like when Jesus walked the earth, the glory within Him was not revealed except on the Mt. of Transfiguration. But when we are clothed in our glorified bodies, the glory will be revealed. I believe that is probably what Peter is referring when when he speaks of becoming "partaker of the glory that shall be revealed" (1 Peter 5:1).