Christ-Like Attitude (2): Peace

“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:26-27)

In this second installment of the series Christ-Like attitude I will like to embrace the attitude of peace. As the above scripture mentions “My peace I give to you,” this means Peace belongs to Christ, it is part of His nature he and He willing bestowed this gift to us and assures us that we should not be troubled.

Another scripture “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”(Romans 5: 1), Assures us that we have Peace with God because we have believed in Christ . Christ Personifies Peace, hence we have this peace through Him.

Further, With the Peace of Christ, there is assurance for the future. “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7), Reminds us that through the Peace of God  through Christ Jesus, We are not to be anxious about anything but remember that in us is a kind of peace that makes no sense to the world around us but yet still exists because we carry and feel it.

“Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God”(Matthew 5:9), A simple analogy I can make here is clear, Christ is the Firstborn of all redeemed and he is our Prince of Peace, and the scripture mentions that if we live in peace we are called children of God. Then we ought to continuously pursue peace regardless of how difficult it is to achieve, for if we persevere we will achieve our goal of Peace.

Finally, Romans 14:17-19 “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men. Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.

When we follow peace we edify one another, what better way to ensure that fellow believers grow in the ways of the Lord. I do pray that though the Holy Spirit the Peace of God will continue to be with us Always. Amen.

Christ-Like Attitude (1): Humility

"You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though He was God, He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, He gave up His divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.When He appeared in human form, He humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated Him to the place of highest honor and gave Him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2: 5-11)."

Humility is a key Character for all Christians. Yes, Humility is very difficult to master but possible, and yet one of the best weapons we have in our Arsenal. As Highlighted in italics in the Scripture reading, this was Christ Greatest moment of victory. The results show this, He was Elevated and bestowed the Highest Honor.

For Christians to be Elevated to any altitude they wish to attain be it Financial, Spiritual, Emotional, Physical, we need to practice Humility to the fullest and on purpose. We need to be determined not to yield to our flesh but to the word of God.

Obedience is a perquisite for humility, Christ Humbled Himself in Obedience to God, regardless of the anguish and pain He knew he will be subjected to. Fellow laborers my encouragement to you is to try make Humility a first nature, yes moments of Pride will arise, but through the Spirit of God and by His Grace let us overcome any tactics of the Enemy.

Remember through Christ we are more than Conquerors, we are Victors. Remain blessed and please feel free to share your bouts with pride and how you plan to or have overcome this with Humility.

Shalom. Maranatha.

Mercy & Grace; Nothing Else Counts

 " God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.  Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago" (Ephesians 2: 8-10).

To simplify the above, you cannot and will not earn your way into Heaven. Grace is Free, our works and faithful living should be a grateful response to our redemption in Christ Jesus. Good and godly works are to be results of our salvation and not a means to salvation.

A lot of Christians leave under the yoke of trying to "buy or retain" their salvation by good works. The questions I will like to pose are, What is in your Heart? Are you saved? Do you love God? Do you believe that you are saved through Christs' death? If yes great. Christ himself said my yoke is easy, come unto me all ye who are heavy laden and I will give you rest (Mathew 11:28-30). Not grief, we have been set free, we do not have to work to purchase or retain our salvation. All has been done. All we need to is Glorify God.

How do we do this? Jesus said if you love me obey my commandments, this is how we show appreciation to him, he has given us the Holy Spirit to be our Advocate, pray and He will lead you to path of righteousness (John 14:15-17).

The LORD is merciful, we are all sinners but he counted not our sins against us, so the next time you think I need to "bribe" my way into God's good books think again. His Ways are not our Ways, neither are His thoughts our thoughts. We should stop attributing human qualities to the Creator. He made us. Accept your limitations and humble your self before God.

Final note, Grace does not give us an excuse to continue in sin (Jude). The LORD sees the heart, He knows His genuine children, For those struggling in a particular area He will direct you. But the Lord is not mocked, those who sin deliberately will be punished.

Remain Blessed. Maranatha.

FREE INDEED!!!

Romans 8: 1-4 Explains to us that as long as we believe and know in our heart that the Lord Jesus is our Redeemer and Savior we need not feel condemned. One thing I am sure about is that the Holy Spirit Convicts and the Devil Condemns. So who do you believe? I for one choose to believe the Holy Spirit. 

Imagine trying to live by the Law, we will be making sacrifices each day, the Priests will have a very busy day going by the book of Leviticus. But verse 3 and 4 of Romans 8 give us the assurance that what the law could not accomplish that God sent Jesus to accomplish in HIS (Christ) own body. This is the key, for the law to be abolished a human body had to accomplish the law, fulfill the law, be perfect in the law, and that is what Christ did. The old law could not be abolished without being fulfilled. And He who fulfilled the old law was given the Most High seat to judge the world.

Christ was cautious about this fact (abolishing the old law) that even when in agony he humbled himself for the Glory that awaits HIM and everyone who would believe in HIM (Phil 2: 9-10). He walked in perfection to save the world.

So what Am I saying, do not condemn your self if you sincerely trust in God through Christ Jesus, walk in the light and believe that he is shaping you and you will be better than you previous nature. He bears your sins (Isa 53:3-4) and mistakes, take it to Him.

A note of caution though, be wary of presumptuous sin this is you deliberately mocking the Grace of God. Instead ask God to keep you and guide from deliberate sin (Psalm 19:13).

Remain Blessed. Maranatha.

THE GOD KIND OF FAITH

Hebrews 11:29 "It was by faith that the people of Israel went right through the Red Sea as though they were on dry ground. But when the Egyptians tried to follow, they were all drowned".

Our faith has to be dependent on God, as you can see from the verse above, both the Isrealites and the Egyptians attempted to cross the red sea. We can both be assured that both parties were determined to get to the other part. However, what was the difference? The Isrealites kind of faith was anchored on God ALMIGHTY, whereas that of the Egyptians was borne out of their own physical will- illusions. They saw that the Israelites walked through dry ground and thought they could do the same.

One thing is for sure, as we all know the only way the Israelites could cross the red sea is because the LORD  of  HOST was with them. Their faith was anchored to the ALMIGHTY. The Egyptians on the other hand, believed with there eyes, they saw the Isrealites do the impossible and still thought they could.

My brothers and sisters, do not be weary of working with God this 2012.Trust in HIM with all your might. As with the above we can see that the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY will be with us all the way. If our Focus,  Faith and Trust is anchored on HIM, even when our enemies want to tread behind us, they will not succeed, just as the Egyptians tried and failed. They did not have YHWH by their side, We do. Amen

HAVE A GLORIOUS 2012.