God Is Worthy

In the Old Covenant, those aware of God’s greatness and goodness were inclined to praise Him. The Hebrew word for praise is Yadah. It means to confess, give praise, give thanks, and glorify.

In our English language, giving praise means to give credit where credit is due.  But how can a person give praise if they are unaware of where the credit is due?  It could prove challenging to be a person of praise while believing in Murphy’s Law.  Murphy’s Law comes easy when all a person can see is their circumstances. To see beyond the current state of things, you need a reliable source that overpowers what you can see with your natural eyes.

I asked a friend once how he was doing, and he said, “Under the circumstances....” To which I replied, “What are you doing under there?”

To constantly give praise no matter how things appear naturally, you must be able to believe in promises made by someone you are convinced is reliable and trustworthy.

When I asked my wife Sheila to marry me many years ago, when she answered yes, I was excited and told all my family, friends, and coworkers I was getting married. Between the time she said yes and when we stood at our wedding ceremony together, many circumstances tried to threaten our ability to proceed.  Mind you, all I had to go on was her promise to follow through. But I had come to know her well enough to know that she would keep her word.

My confession (Thanksgiving, Praise, Acknowledgment) resulted from my confidence in Sheila’s character, which made her word reliable and trustworthy to me.  In other words, I believed her!

God is way more reliable and trustworthy than any man or woman alive. God has spoken great promises to us in His word and even guaranteed those promises to us through His Son Jesus. All the promises of God are yes and amen in Christ Jesus.

The greatest of these promises is God’s guarantee to love us as His dear children and never leave or forsake us. God has promised to be a Father to us, lead us, and guide us. God has given us the Holy Spirit as our Comforter and Guide. God has promised that He is for us, not against us. This is praiseworthy truth. But our ability to constantly give praise to God is rooted in our belief in His word given to us. It is rooted in what we have come to believe about His character.

New Covenant believers are much better equipped to praise God no matter what the situations and circumstances may appear to be at the moment. Our joy and peace are not related to what is happening to us right now; they are held fast by what we know of God and what He has promised us.

The more we get to know God as our Father, Savior, and Lord, the more confident we become in our praise of Him. He is forever worthy! He does not change! He is perfect in all of His ways! His word will never fail!

I encourage you to allow the Holy Spirit to remind you of the Father and Jesus’ perfect character so you might be empowered to praise regardless of your current situation or circumstance.

When you become convinced God is worthy based on His perfect character, you are empowered to praise Him at all times.

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Proper Mixture

Have you ever seen what happens if you try to run straight gasoline in a two-cycle engine?  It will burn it up and shut it down.

If you mix baking soda with white vinegar, it will react, bubble, and expand in a container.  But if you mix baking soda with water, it does nothing.

Some things just will not work properly without the right mixture. This is also true of the gospel. The Scriptures reveal that it requires being mixed with something in order to work.

Hebrews 4:2 For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.

According to the word of God, a person can hear the gospel, but if it is not mixed with faith, nothing will come of it.

What is the evidence of the gospel being mixed with faith?  We know that if we mix oil and gas in a two-cycle engine, it will run well.  Likewise, we know that if we mix baking soda with white vinegar, it will react.

What happens when faith is mixed with the gospel?

Hebrews 4:1 Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it.

Hebrews 4:10 For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.

The evidence of faith in the gospel is the fruit of resting in Jesus’s finished work. It is the act of truly being confident and convinced that the righteousness of God is really my righteousness now that I am in Christ Jesus. I do not have to wring my hands in worry about my relationship with God.

When someone is frantically trying their hardest to “hang on to God” and impress others with their devotion to the law of Moses or an idea of a higher moral standard of morality that they can lord over others, that is not the fruit of a gospel mixed with faith.

Faith in the gospel will always produce a rest forged on the anvil of Jesus’s finished work. It will always deliver a person from dead works rooted in their best effort to obtain or maintain their right standing with God.  A gospel mixed with faith bears the fruit of security in Christ as opposed to oneself.  That is why faith and the gospel together are a proper mixture indeed.  If you wrestle with insecurity, ask the Holy Spirit for a fresh gospel revelation and for His help in removing any doubt out of the way.  Get a proper mixture of gospel and faith working in your soul, and you will find rest for your soul!

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Grace Can Teach

It’s not beneficial to go through life ignorant about things that matter. This is especially true when it comes to grace.  Did you know that grace can teach?

Grace is wonderful. It brings hope, blessing, and promise and is powerfully transformative. But I have encountered some who think of grace as something it is not. They morph it into being something they wish it were while ignoring what Scripture reveals it truly is. Twisting and morphing happen when grace is made out to be about or to do something that it was never intended to be about or to do. It can also happen if passages that offer a different point of view on grace are ignored.

Sadly, grace is sometimes either not viewed as having the depth of reach it is meant to have or as going so far in its reach that nothing we do matters anymore. I believe in grace that is so powerful that it can be seen as scandalous while also being transformative.

Titus 2:11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age, 13 At the same time, we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. 15 These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.

Grace appeared when Jesus arrived on the scene and went to the cross to pay the penalty for the sin of the world. Your sin and my sin. That act of grace offers salvation to anyone who believes and receives it.  This is because grace personified is Jesus. Grace is revealed in Christ!

Grace revealed in Christ teaches us something. It is a tiny but powerful two-letter word, “No.” Grace empowers us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions because of grace and what it teaches us.

But more than teaching us to say no to those things, grace teaches us how to live! We get to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives. Grace reveals to us a broader scope of purpose to the death of Christ on the cross than just saving us from the penalty of our sin.

Grace reveals that Jesus died to save us from all wickedness and purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good. New Creation DNA is designed in this way. Jesus did not go to the cross so that if someone wanted to continue in wicked behavior, they could do so without threat of consequence.

The purpose of the cross was to redeem and transform. It is the gateway to becoming a New Creation in Christ filled with the Holy Spirit and empowered to live as a changed person who knows they are loved greatly.

This is what grace teaches us. It lets us know that as we seek to live as who He says we are and we find we miss the mark, we haven’t lost His love, and we still have His favor, and we are not left in the spot where we fell. He is there with us to help us get back on our feet again and live as the person He says we are.

It is essential to be taught by grace, not just be fascinated with it. I encourage you to embrace all the lessons Grace desires to teach you.

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The Power Of Believing

Have you ever wanted to do something and had that one person who overcomplicated it with all the things that could go wrong, making it seem impossible?

Overcomplicating, even with good intentions, can be detrimental to our faith and joy. While there’s a time for attention to detail, unintentionally overcomplicating something can steer us away from our original intentions. Let’s simplify our faith, with belief as our focus, and witness how it draws us closer to the glory of God. Never forget that the greatest miracle there is involves simply believing for it to take place. Jesus made me a New Creation by faith! A brand new species was created by faith. He kept it simple.

Overcomplicating happens when someone gets too caught up in the how from a logical point of view. It leads to imagining all the things that may prevent the how before the desire can even take root in the heart. Jesus witnessed this when He knew He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead.

John 11:38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 “Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time, there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” 40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

Over the years, I have witnessed many put a strong emphasis on God’s glory in an effort to create a desire for it in others. Years ago, I was one of the ones guilty of ignorantly doing such a thing. In an effort to see manifested glory, it’s possible to get too caught up in the how and overcomplicate it until it seems impossible to see it happen. Jesus makes things simple and thus doable.

The Lord Himself reveals the simple key to any experience of the glory of God. “If you believe.”

Jesus said, “These signs shall follow those who believe.” He did not say those who do these signs will believe. Believing precedes any true experience that is real.

In the case of Lazarus’ sisters and friends, Jesus did not say that if you do certain things, you will witness the glory of God. He said very clearly, “If you believe.” Lazarus was raised from the dead against the natural realities of being in the grave for four days and already decomposing. That is an exhibition of glory! It is one of the strongest exhibitions there is, and Jesus said it was available by just believing. This emphasizes the power of belief over actions, giving us hope and empowerment in experiencing God’s glory.

Ephesians 3:16 I pray that out of his glorious riches, the Father may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.

Here, we find Jesus dwells in our hearts “by faith.” It also reveals that faith is the result of the Father strengthening us in our inner man. We also discover that by growing in our knowing the love of Christ, we are filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. This is just so simple. It encourages us to pursue knowing the love of Christ, which will result in experiencing the measure of all the fullness of God.

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Glorious Covenant

Back in my youth, I had a passion for fast cars. I remember the thrill of leaving my competitors in the dust, their vehicles seemingly motionless in comparison. It was a feeling of exhilaration and superiority that I can still recall vividly.

In other words, I was going so fast that whatever motion they were making seemed like nothing.

This kind of concept is communicated in the Scriptures, just not with cars and speed.  Instead, it is communicated in terms of covenants and glory.

2Corinthians 3:4  And we have such trust through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 7 But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? 9 For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. 10 For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. 11 For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious.

Did you catch it?  The Old Covenant, even though it had some glory, is like it had none at all when compared with the glory of the New Covenant!

Paul identifies himself and his coworkers in the gospel as being ministers of the New Covenant.  They were not ministers of the letter but rather of the Spirit.  Why? Because the letter kills!

Now, let’s, for the sake of understanding, get a little practical here.  There are things today that we no longer use because we learned they are harmful to us.  Generations before us used them regularly, but we know things now that weren’t known then, and therefore, we avoid them.

Paul spoke of a ministry of death written and engraved on stones.  What do you suppose he is referring to?  You see, the law is the ministry of death.  It is meant to make people aware of just how dead they already are, and if they think themselves to be alive spiritually without Jesus, it is meant to make sure they are dead.  But sadly, too many ministers today are still using law among the saints as opposed to teaching the New Covenant.  Too many still think the law can bring them the glory of God based on their performance and devotion.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

Why should I settle for a lesser covenant when I have received and been brought into a much greater and more glorious covenant in Christ?  The real glory is experienced in New Covenant life and practice where faith in Jesus is the foundation and new life in Him is the means of experiencing the glory!  Being in Christ and indwelled and overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit is no small thing.  The greatest miracle Jesus has ever done is to make new creations whose sins have forever been removed, and condemnation and shame are buried in the past!  This is a glorious covenant too good to be allowed to have a rival in anyone’s heart and mind.

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New Life

My favorite Scripture of all time and a home base Scripture to me is,

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

This Scripture says something about who I am now that I belong to Christ and He lives in me.  My past is no more!  Who I used to be and all that history of bad stuff is no more!  All those bad decisions and choices are no more!  All the things that led me into that way of life are no more!

As a believer, I am a living testament to the truth of this Scripture. To deny this revelation is to risk returning to a life of ignorance and separation from the transformative power of Christ.

As a new creation, I am created in His image, and I am changed from glory to glory as I behold Him!

It is intended that my identity be swallowed up in Him and His great love for me.  I no longer have to go through life not knowing who I am and what I was created for.  I no longer have to live my life in ignorance of His will for me and void a purpose and significance.

Christ lives in me, which is my hope of glory!  He is my life, my joy, and my peace.  When I am aware of being hidden with God in Christ and enjoying my privilege of being a new creation in Christ, I am empowered to live contented and joyful.  I am at a place where I can hear Him speak to me, and I can know His will for me, and the thought of embracing it brings joy to my heart and soul.

As a New Creation in Jesus, I am given the revelation of His great love for me.  While I was still a sinner, Christ died for me, and this is evidence of the love of God for me and for all who inhabit this planet of ours.  The great love of God came in the person of Christ Jesus, and then Jesus laid down His life, surrendering Himself to die.  He embraced death on the cross, although He was innocent and without sin.

Jesus, the Only Begotten Son, who knew no sin, became sin for us that we might become sons of God in Him!  Being a New Creation is much more than just becoming a new species on this earth that is born from heaven.  It is becoming one of God’s many sons!  It is to be known as one greatly beloved by the Father!  It is to come under His love, which fills everything in His kingdom!  It is never to be alone again!

At eleven years of age, my earthly father committed suicide and left me and my mother and brothers alone on this earth.  It was a hollow feeling of abandonment to us.  But none of that matters since I became a new creation in Christ.  His story became my story.  He went through the pain of separation from His Father, so I will never again have such an experience.  That moment on the cross when the Father turned His face away and for the first time in all of eternity, Jesus was truly alone. Jesus went through that so that you and I would never again have to.

I am greatly loved, never abandoned, always cared for, and able now to live in the will and purpose He has for me, knowing that He will always know best and have my best in His heart and mind.  I get to live trusting Him with my life because only He is worthy of having the right to direct my steps.  New Life!  There’s nothing like it in all of this earth, and the world will never be able to copy it.  Enjoy it to the fullest!

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Belief Is Powerful

Have you ever wanted to do something and had that one person who overcomplicated it with all the things that could go wrong, making it seem impossible?

Overcomplicating, no matter how well-intentioned, can be a faith and joy killer. I understand that there’s a time for attention to detail, but unintentionally overcomplicating something can derail the thing originally desired to start with. Let’s simplify our faith, focusing on belief, and see how it brings us closer to the glory of God.

Overcomplicating happens when someone gets too caught up in the how from a logical point of view. It leads to imagining all the things that may prevent the how before the desire can even take root in the heart. Jesus witnessed this when He knew He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead.

John 11:38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 “Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time, there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” 40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

Over the years, I have witnessed many put a strong emphasis on God’s glory in an effort to create a desire for it in others. Years ago, I was one of the ones guilty of ignorantly doing such a thing. In an effort to see manifested glory, it’s possible to get too caught up in the how and overcomplicate it until it seems impossible to see it happen. Jesus makes things simple and thus doable.

The Lord Himself reveals the simple key to any experience of the glory of God. “If you believe.”

Jesus said, “These signs shall follow those who believe.” He did not say those who do these signs will believe. Believing precedes any true experience that is real.

In the case of Lazarus’ sisters and friends, Jesus did not say that if you do certain things, you will witness the glory of God. He said very clearly, “If you believe.” Lazarus was raised from the dead against the natural realities of being in the grave for four days and already decomposing. That is an exhibition of glory! It is one of the strongest exhibitions there is, and Jesus said it was available by just believing. This emphasizes the power of belief over actions, giving us hope and empowerment in experiencing God’s glory.

Ephesians 3:16 I pray that out of his glorious riches, the Father may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.

Here, we find Jesus dwells in our hearts “by faith.” It also reveals that faith is the result of the Father strengthening us in our inner man. We also discover that by growing in our knowing the love of Christ, we are filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. This is just so simple. It encourages us to pursue knowing the love of Christ, which will result in experiencing the measure of all the fullness of God.

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Good Works

I remember when I was a young boy there was one Christmas with my dad that really is locked in my memory. We had gotten some old bike parts, frames, etc, and stripped them down, painted them, then put them back together and added the things they needed to be safe, reliable bicycles. Of course, my dad did most of the work; I was just there handing him a tool here or there, or a part, perhaps. I just remember enjoying doing this with my dad for the sole purpose of giving these bikes to some kids who could not afford a bike. Doing this with my dad was what made it a very special moment for me.

Good deeds have the power to make us feel good. They can make us feel good about ourselves or about the people we do them with. Good deeds are very much a part of the New Covenant life we have in Christ.

The point of sharing that experience I had with my dad is not so much about the good deed we did as it is about the connection I felt with my dad in the context of doing that deed. To me, it was the relationship moment that I treasure.

You see if I had done the good deed on my own, I am sure it would have felt good, but what made this particular deed so special was that my dad invited me to partner with him in doing it. It was special to me even though my contribution was very small.  In this sense, I feel it is not unlike what Jesus experienced during His earthly ministry.  You see, Jesus did what He saw His Father doing, and He spoke what He heard His Father speaking. Jesus partnered with His Father. So when we read something like:

John 10:32 Jesus answered them, “Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?”

We begin to grasp what gave fuel to the works that Jesus did. The reason the people wanted to stone Jesus was because Jesus spoke so clearly and authoritatively about His relationship with His Father and the authority the Father had given Him to give eternal life. The people wrongfully thought Jesus was speaking blasphemy.

When the beauty and profound nature of Jesus’ relationship with the Father were revealed, the anger and religious jealousy of certain people were exposed. The relationship set Jesus apart, and the actions based on that relationship revealed what the Father was truly like.  Jesus offered this counsel to His disciples,

Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

The phrase “Let your light so shine” is key to understanding the actual nature of Jesus’s counsel. Notice Jesus didn’t say, “Let your light shine.” He said, “Let your light so shine.” That little two-letter word is so important to a real revelation of what Jesus was getting at.

The word “so” means there is a specific manner in which the light is to shine. Jesus is not saying here that any and all good works automatically point others to giving glory to the Father. Jesus is indicating that the why and the way we engage in good works will be what moves others to give glory to the Father.

My good works are to be such that they clearly demonstrate my relationship to God the Father, and that relationship is the source of my good works to start with.

The Father is happy to call them my good works, nonetheless, just as my dad was happy to let kids think I was a large part of them getting bicycles that Christmas. But those kids knew it was my dad who was at the core of that blessing, and they were very grateful to him.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

The bicycles we gave to kids that Christmas were my dad’s idea and mostly his work, not mine. He allowed me to be included in it because he wanted me to share in the blessing of it. What good work is your Father in heaven up to through you today? He prepared it for you a long time ago with joyful eagerness to partner with you in it. I encourage you to partner with Him from that place of relationship made possible through Jesus and be a springboard for others to give Him glory. You’ll enjoy it like nothing else.

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Good Preaching

When some think of good preaching, they imagine a certain style of delivery.  Yet others think of what they deem to be their interpretation of anointing.  Still, others consider it to be the level of exegesis or exposition that makes a good preacher. There would be others who would argue that a good preacher needs to be able to hold your attention or tell good stories. Most of these opinions regarding what makes a good preacher have to do with personal preferences more than a Biblical understanding.

I would consider Paul the Apostle’s preaching good. After all, the Holy Spirit used him to pen most of the New Testament we read. When writing to the church at Colossae, he spoke of what motivated him in his proclamation of truth.

Colossians 1:26 the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. 27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. 29 To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.

Up until that time, a mystery had been hidden that had only recently become known to the saints. It was this mystery that moved Paul to preach.  But what was this mystery?

It was the mystery of how God willed to make known the riches of the glory of Christ in you, the hope of glory!

Throughout history, various notions of glory and its attainment have been discussed. The glory of God, in particular, has been the subject of many a preacher. However, in this context, the message is crystal clear: ‘Christ in you’ is the ultimate hope of glory. This profound truth was the cornerstone of Paul’s preaching.

Paul warned and taught every man in all wisdom.  What does that actually mean?  I look at that, and I perceive him to be saying that regardless of whatever wisdom a man professes to possess, Paul was ready to warn him to put his faith in Christ alone for the hope of glory as it was God’s will that this should be the way of salvation for any who would desire to know God and experience His life and presence.

Paul believed and preached that the only way to be presented as perfect before God was to be presented in Christ Jesus. He believed this so deeply and profoundly that he declared it was the reason he labored, striving according to His mighty working in Paul.

Paul had this desire to make this known to all, and with God’s power working in him, he could not help but preach Christ Jesus as the means of being presented as perfect before God and as the only hope of glory!  Good preaching sets Christ at the center, presents Christ as the only hope of glory, and makes sure those listening realize that putting their faith and trust in Christ is the wisest and most reasonable thing there is.  Good preaching seeks to unveil the finished work of Christ and all its benefits to those who believe and will put their faith in Jesus alone.  Good preaching makes Christ known!  It magnifies Christ!  It enjoys putting Jesus center stage, in the spotlight for all to see!  It does not appeal to the flesh for righteousness and hope.  It points to Christ Jesus!

Good preaching remains true to the New Covenant Gospel of Jesus.

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Beware The Dogs

I realize that dogs are much loved in our day and age, but it helps to realize that dogs were not thought of in that way at the time of the early church. They were held in contempt back then.

Have you ever found yourself clinging to something long after its usefulness has expired? Perhaps a belief or a habit that you’ve outgrown. This is a common human experience, one that even the early church grappled with.

Nostalgia can cause someone to hang on to something way past its expiration date. That is what was happening in the early church. Some Jewish believers struggled to let go of things that no longer applied to believers in Jesus, especially the Gentile believers.

It is why Paul wrote what he did to the Philippian church.

Philippians 3:2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation! 3 For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh,

The ones refusing to let go of the things Moses instituted for the Jewish people under the Old Covenant were trying to obligate all who followed Christ to observe the Law as proof of their salvation and dedication.  They were basing their confidence on the flesh, which simply means they thought they could observe the Law more perfectly now that they had been saved.

By having confidence in this, they put their confidence in their flesh to perform. They were carnally minded and not centered on Christ and His finished work on their behalf. In other words, they were robbing Jesus of His glory in a sense.  It is why Paul said in verses 4 - 6

“though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so:  circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee;  concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.”

These were the things Paul counted as rubbish and considered a loss.  Why?  So that he might gain Christ!  Why was this so important to Paul?  He explains it.

Philippians 3:9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

If you or I desire to really know Jesus, we must give up our quest to establish our own righteousness, based on keeping the Law, and instead rest all our hope and faith in who Jesus is and what Jesus did.  We must come to terms with the fact that Jesus imputed righteousness to us, which comes from God and is ours only by faith.

To draw confidence in being right with God from any other source is a huge mistake and an insult to the righteousness made possible through Christ. I do not wish to insult the very One I claim to love the most by setting out to establish my own righteousness and beginning to think I am in good standing with God based on something I have done rather than what Christ has done on my behalf. I not only wish to avoid the dogs in this sense, but I do not wish to become one myself.

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Getting To Know Him

Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

As wonderful as that truth sounds, a deep level of trust isn’t produced by just hearing the truth through others. It is the fruit of getting to know Jesus and His love for you, personally for yourself. I can’t have a healthy marriage based only on what others tell me about my wife, Sheila. I have to know her for myself, and that leads me to invest myself in certain ways. It requires effort on my part to see her, hear her, and be with her in ways that advance my understanding of her. It is very purposeful and intentional on my end. It will also require me to get over myself at times so I can hear and see what is really going on and what she is really trying to say or do.

It is not that she established some difficult condition in order for me to be able to know her. It is me being very purposeful and intentional on my end to get to know her. She is not making me earn it. It is just how things work. It’s how we, as human beings, experience growth. I am not trying to earn anything from her. I am simply enjoying the journey of continually getting to know her and growing together in life. That cannot happen as a one-sided deal.  It can’t be that she is the only one invested.

I believe this is the understanding Paul was speaking from when he said,

Philippians 3:7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet

indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

If I refuse to invest by faith in ways that lead me to greater discoveries of Jesus, I am being one-sided towards Jesus. Then, if He doesn’t meet my expectations of what I want Him to do for me, I may go away offended and claim that He or others have misled me concerning Him. I know it sounds ridiculous, but it is a common occurrence in many people's lives. Meanwhile, Scripture clearly testifies that God cannot lie. That means He is reliable and that His promises are sure. However, getting to the level of trust that takes Him at His word based on knowing His character is not easy, like snapping one’s fingers. That kind of trust comes from knowing Him and becoming familiar with His character and nature.  Are you getting to know Him more and more?

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Trustworthy

If you knew someone who knew everything, and you were convinced that they could not lie, how often would you seek their counsel? How would it impact your relationship with them?

Our nation’s history is filled with stories that have endeared our leaders to us. One such story is about our first president, George Washington. As a young boy, he cut down his mother’s cherry tree. When confronted, he bravely admitted his actions, saying, ‘Mother, I cannot tell a lie; I cut it down.’ This act of honesty, even at his own risk, has been a testament to his character for generations.

Recently, I was tasked with interacting with customer service representatives. During the conversation, I discovered several of them were either intentionally lying to me or at least only using programmed responses they had been trained to use that could not apply to what I was asking. Either way, it led me to mistrust their ability to help me and question their integrity in doing so.

Honesty and integrity are extremely important to our ability to trust others or for others to be able to trust us. That is why it is so important to understand the character of honesty and integrity that originates with God. After all, He is called the God of truth, and Jesus came to us in grace and

truth. The Holy Spirit is known as the Spirit of truth. In the Scriptures it says,

Titus 1:1 Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of JesusChrist, according to the faith of God’s elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness, 2 in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began, 3 but has in due time manifested His word through preaching, which was committed to me according to the commandment of God our Savior; 4 To Titus, a true son in our common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior.

This passage clearly reveals that God cannot lie. It doesn’t say He does not lie simply because He is against doing so. It says, He cannot lie.

When you understand this accordingly, it can very powerfully feed your faith in what He speaks. Think about it. God, who cannot lie, has made certain promises to you, both in His word and in real-time interaction with you. If He cannot lie, that means you can count on what He promised you. God will be true to His word.

You become responsible for taking Him at His word and, of course, knowing what His word is. I cannot tell you how refreshing it was when I finally spoke with a customer service supervisor who was extremely honest with me, even at the risk of losing my business. I thanked him for his honesty, and he was the reason I remained with the service they offered.

Trust is not a given fruit in life. It is developed by knowing the character of the person you are expected to trust or at least having faith initially that they are good and trustworthy to start with. I am grateful to know that my God is the most trustworthy being who has ever existed. It has helped me immensely during strange and challenging times to stand firm on the promises He has made to me.

I encourage you today to examine God’s inability to lie and consider what He has spoken to you, both in His written word and when He has spoken to you as His own.  That is something you can take to the bank and rely on, even when it appears it might not be able to come to pass. Be patient and stand strong because God never disowns what He spoke; He upholds His word because He cannot lie!

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A Trustworthy Testimony

Psalm 119:138 Your testimonies, which You have commanded, are righteous and very faithful.

Numbers 23:19 “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

Whenever anyone comes to Christ for salvation, the Father speaks over them as His child. He identifies them as His own with the seal of approval, which is the Holy Spirit.

Being born again is a work of the Spirit having nothing to do with one’s flesh. It is very supernatural indeed. It is then that the Father marks us.

If a person believes the Father is marking them as not being good enough, not being favored, or always subject to trouble, they have not fully believed the good news of Jesus’s completed work.

God does not choose us, bring us to Jesus, fill us with the Holy Spirit, and then turn around and abandon us because He regrets His decision. His decision to rescue us and bring us to His Son for salvation was a confident one that wasn’t based on what we can or cannot do. It was based on what His Son could do.

Jesus said in John 6:44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, “And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore, everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.

No one came to Jesus on their own as though they possessed some superior wisdom above others. Anyone who comes to Jesus does so because the Father drew them. It is also important to notice that no one will raise themselves up on the last day. Jesus will do that!

That means none of us have any bragging rights regarding our standing in Christ, as though we did anything to obtain or merit the Father’s attention.

The way to know when a person truly hears from God is to pay attention to whether or not they are drawn to Christ and give credit for being right with God the Father to Christ. God did not set things up for men to take the credit. The Father directs men to Jesus because only Jesus can make a person worthy to stand before the Father confidently.

The Father knows the only way for a person to truly be made righteous with the right kind of righteousness is to be born again through faith in Jesus.

This has made everyone equal in God’s family. It strips away the need for comparison and competition among His own. No one is superior to another in the faith, as though they are special due to something they bring or some natural birthright.

Romans 3:21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;

God’s testimony regarding those who come to Christ is consistent and without regard for persons. His testimony of you is a reliable one, indeed. It is not healthy for anyone to compare themselves with others in the body of Christ to see if they are doing better or worse. Both conditions of comparison are unhealthy and unsupported in the Scriptures.

I encourage you today to enjoy being His, rejoice in being born again, and be made a part of the family without prejudice. You are His, and He is yours! You are greatly loved by the Father simply because you came to Him through Jesus when He drew you to Him at the start.

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Orphan Spirit?

Romans 4:14 For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect,

We know we have the Spirit working in us when our hearts are inclined towards God as a dear Father, as opposed to a harsh dictator or overbearing ruler.  God does not interact with us as a slave master but rather as a loving Father.  Suppose someone’s understanding has refused to allow them to go to the place of interacting with God as a dear Father who loves them and cares for them. In that case, it is most likely that they have succumbed to a religious idea of God that is contrary to the gospel’s idea of Him.  I call that an orphan spirit.

Hebrews 6:13 For when God made a promise to Abraham because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, 14 saying, “Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.” 15 And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. 16 For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute. 17 Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, 18 that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. 19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, 20 where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

I absolutely love the language in verse 16: "An oath of confirmation is for them an end of all disputes.”

When two parties believe that an agreement will stand firm, peace flows.  That is why God was willing to go to great lengths to secure the promise and give us a sure hope!  Jesus sacrificed to secure a sure hope!

I love how it says God determined!  What did God determine?  To show more abundantly to the heirs of promise!  What did He show? The immutability of His counsel.  In other words, His counsel will never change! How did he do this?  He confirmed it by an oath!  An oath that required two unchangeable things on His part. What are the two immutable things?  Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension, and the fact that God can’t lie. Why did He go to such great lengths to do all this?  So that we who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us might have a strong consolation! Why is this so important?  Because this hope is an anchor of our souls that is both sure and steadfast and enters the Presence behind the veil!  This is not a shallow, fleeting kind of hope that hangs by a thin thread!  This is a sure hope that has its roots in heavenly realities and goes into the Presence behind the veil in heaven itself!  If you want a healthy soul, you need this hope as an anchor!

THIS IS JESUS, THE AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH AND THE HIGH PRIEST OF OUR CONFESSION!

It cannot get more secure than it already is because of Him! Because of what Jesus did, the way of becoming heirs of God as dear children greatly beloved by a loving Father has been opened to us.

Are you basking in the revelation that you are an heir of God and joint heir with Christ and thus are able to refer to God as a Dear Father?   If so, wonderful, rejoice and give thanks to Him!

If not, why not?

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Heirs Of God

The concept of being an heir of God is not just a passing thought but a profound idea that demands our deep contemplation.  It beckons us to delve deeper, beyond the surface, and explore its true significance. Several Scriptures shed light on this profound truth.

Romans 8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

When someone comes to Christ, they are given new life in Him, and they receive a spirit that is alive and free of fear.  They are not given a spirit that is afraid to approach God.  Just as a small child is unafraid to run to a loving mother or father, a child of God is unafraid to run to its Father.  We have not been given a spirit of bondage again to fear.

When we experience true rebirth in Christ, it is not just a theological concept but a deeply personal reality. The Spirit within us testifies to our spirit, affirming that we are indeed children of God.  Just as we can identify our earthly parents, this spiritual rebirth enables us to recognize and connect with our heavenly Father. It is an inner knowing, a profound sense of belonging to God.

Here’s the big deal in all this.  If we are children, that means we are heirs!  We are heirs of God!  But what does that actually mean?  Have you ever really taken time to sit down and pray and ponder what it means to be an heir of God?

The Greek idea of being an heir is one of being a possessor, an inheritor, or a sharer.  We are partakers of God with Christ!  More than that, we are joint heirs with Christ!  This is a marvelous truth belonging to those who are His dear children.

Of course, it goes on to say, “If indeed.”  If indeed, what?  We suffer with Him.  Many embrace the idea that this is speaking of enduring physical maladies, sicknesses, and diseases.  My thoughts do not go there.  I believe this speaks of the rejection, misunderstanding, persecution, and opposition that are apparent whenever we take a clear stand on the true gospel of Christ and what it means to be dear children of God who are greatly beloved and favored.

Galatians 4:6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” 7 Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

We know we have the Spirit working in us when our hearts are inclined towards God as a dear Father, not a harsh dictator or overbearing ruler.  God does not interact with us as a slave master but rather as a loving Father.  Suppose our understanding has refused to allow us to go to the place of interacting with God as a dear Father who loves us and cares for us. In that case, it is most likely that we have succumbed to a religious idea of God that is contrary to the gospel’s idea of Him.

Because of what Jesus did, the way of becoming heirs of God as dear children greatly beloved by a loving Father has been opened to us.  Are you basking in the revelation that you are an heir of God and joint heir with Christ and thus are able to refer to God as a Dear Father?  If not, why not?  I challenge you to meditate on this truth until it overwhelms you with His love and goodness.

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Sons And Heirs

It would be quite enough just to be blessed with inheriting God!  But we inherit more! We inherit things here and now and things yet to come.

Romans 8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father .” 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified

together.

We became a joint heir with Christ. We inherit what Jesus inherited! We get the same body He had in His resurrection.  We are loved as He was loved by the Father!

Galatians 4:6 And because you are sons, God has sent for the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” 7 Therefore, you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

It is interesting to consider what we received when we became sons of God through faith in Christ. You see, we inherited something as sons.  What did we inherit? God Himself!

Before knowing Christ by faith and being born again by the Spirit, we were estranged from God. We were His enemies. As soon as faith appeared in the heart to believe in Jesus and confess Him as our Lord, we became God’s very righteousness, and God became our Father.

Galatians 3:26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Being absolutely convinced in faith of these truths produces a confidence that can withstand opposition, hardships, persecutions, false accusations, misunderstandings, and rejection by those of this world. It can withstand being rejected even by your own blood relations who oppose the truth.

That is what filling up the sufferings of Christ really is. It is what constitutes suffering with Christ. Christ did not suffer sickness, disease, starvation, and many of the other things so often labeled as the way of suffering. Jesus suffered ridicule, scorn, opposition, rejection, being misunderstood, falsely accused and opposition to all that He was seeking to offer so freely.

This world and all it has to offer pales in comparison to what is already yours through promise.  By faith, you get to live according to such promises because many are available to manifest in your life, here and now. You also get to live as though the ones yet to come are already yours because faith is not in seeing in the natural so much as it is by seeing by the Spirit that which cannot be seen in the natural.

It will prove difficult to enjoy the promises as yours if you are unconvinced of being a son and an heir. Being convinced of such things requires faith—not faith in having earned it, but faith in Jesus.

All this is yours only by faith in Jesus and the finished work of the cross and His resurrection and ascension. The promise of the Holy Spirit is yours by faith alone, not by any merit to speak of. This is the New Covenant Jesus spoke of. A covenant whereby, with simple faith in Jesus, you are made a son and heir!

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Life According To…

New Covenant life is life according to the Spirit. It is a way of life where the just live by faith.

Habakkuk 2:4 “Behold the proud, his soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith.

Romans 1:17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”

Galatians 3:11 But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.”

Hebrews 10:38 Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.”

In the New Covenant, things dramatically changed from what they had been under the Old Covenant of Law. Under the Old Covenant of Law people were given rules to live by. If they could avoid breaking any of those rules, they would be blessed. If they violated even one of those rules, they would be cursed.

Galatians 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the

book of the law, to do them.”

Under the New Covenant, life with God is done by having the Holy Spirit as our guide and comforter who leads us according to the will of God and reveals Jesus to us in an ever-increasing way.

Galatians 2:16 knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.

Galatians 3:12 Yet the law is not of faith, but “the man who does them shall live by them.”

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

A life lived according to the Spirit is a life lived by faith in the Son of God. Confidence doesn’t come from law-based obedience but rather from relationship-based surrender that is born of faith. It is a faith that flows and grows by means of the Holy Spirit’s revelation. It is a very relational faith indeed.

True New Covenant faith-based obedience will never outpace your relationship understanding and experience with Jesus. The closer you are to Him, the greater your surrender will be to His ways. This surrender transforms you into His image and leads you into greater adventures with Him. It’s a surrender that moves you to rely even more upon the Holy Spirit for help.

You can never really know and experience all that you were created for until you learn to lose yourself in Christ. Losing yourself in Him leads you to humble yourself and rely on the Holy Spirit, just as He humbled Himself, became a man, and relied fully on the Holy Spirit.

You are never more like Jesus than when you humbly and fully rely on the help of the Holy Spirit to know and do according to the Father’s will in your daily life.

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The Evidence Of Faith

Many years ago, when I asked Sheila, my wife, to marry me, and she said yes, I began to prepare and make plans for our wedding day, our honeymoon, and our life together. I altered my life to accommodate her becoming my wife and sharing a place with me.

I went out and rented a two-story, two-bedroom townhouse as the place where we would start our married life together.  I saved money for our honeymoon and reserved accommodations for it.

I did all these things even though we had not stood before witnesses and exchanged vows yet.  I did not wait until after the I do to make these preparations because I already believed we would be married just as she and I had promised each other.

She also made preparations. Our faith in each other’s promises moved us into action and preparation.

Faith is not dormant.  It is not lazy.  It is not inactive.

Faith activates, mobilizes, and moves people into action based on what they believe.

Jesus said something profound,

Luke 8:19 Then His mother and brothers came to Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd. 20 And it was told Him by some, who said, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You.”  21 But He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.”

When the word of God is heard and believed, it moves a person to act on what it is they have believed.

Merely talking about what one believes is not the same as acting on it. Faith opens the door of understanding to the next step. It lights the path of the will of God in the moment. It shines a spotlight on the opportunity and possibility before a person according to God’s desire and the aid of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus spoke of doing what was heard, not just hearing it and agreeing with it because it was too difficult to argue against in the first place.

Dead religion seeks agreement and is happy to hear someone parrot what they say is important. If there are discussions on it and everyone simply agrees, that is enough to satisfy dead religion. But real faith is never satisfied with mere agreement. Real faith has to do something about what is accepted as truth and believed to be right. Real faith will always act on it.

The evidence of faith is always the action that follows it. I believed and had faith that I would be married to Sheila, and it moved me into actions that altered my life. I believed and put my faith in Jesus, and it forever altered who I am and how I live. Faith changes a person from the inside out.  Faith will always provide more than enough evidence to prove it exists by what is done as a result of it.

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Last Days

With the recent 2024 solar eclipse, it appears that many all of a sudden had the last days on their minds.

There’s something about celestial events that stir up in people the idea that the end is drawing near.

I would agree that we live in the last days, even without a solar eclipse to consider.

The description Scripture offers us for knowing this has nothing to do with celestial events.

2 Timothy 3:1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!

I believe this sufficiently describes our generation today.  So I think it is safe to say we are in the last days.

It reminds me of the times when I was in school; the day for a test was drawing near, and we all began to press hard to prepare for it.  We didn’t want to fail.  To avoid failing the test, we prepared ourselves for what we knew was coming.

A sports team prepares for the upcoming opponent they know they will face.  They practice offensive and defensive game plans in a quest for victory.  They access the opposition and plan accordingly for them.

Finding ourselves in the midst of a generation that has lost its way while thinking it is finding it, we are wisely advised in Scripture.

Ephesians 5:15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.   17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Redeeming time is by knowing God’s will so that we can participate in it. This is also called wisdom.

Is there any indication in Scripture regarding the will of God for the last days?

Acts 2:17 “And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,  That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams.

The outpouring of the Spirit occurs during the last days. It is God’s will that it be so because it is necessary to sustain His children in evil times and set them apart. For me, this reality of the Holy Spirit’s move in the lives of believers is important.  I want to be as prepared as I can be, so I humble myself and acknowledge my great need to be filled with the Holy Spirit all the time because in evil times, knowing His will matters.  It is His will that the Spirit is poured out on all flesh, meaning simply without respect of persons.  So whether you are male, female, young or old, rich or poor, and regardless of race, so long as you are His, the opportunity to experience an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in your life is always available.

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An Incorruptible Inheritance

1Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.  6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, 8 whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls. 10 Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, 11 searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. 12 To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into.

I’m so glad that what Jesus did will not fade away and that the inheritance He secured for me is incorruptible and undefiled.

It can be good to know that the trials we face are meant to bring forth praise, honor, and glory to God as we stand in faith, unshaken in our testimony of His goodness and grace.

By continuing to believe in Him despite all the odds and circumstances the enemy desires to use to tell us it is of no use, we demonstrate our love for Him. Believers in Jesus experience many of the same things those who do not believe experience in this life. We live in a fallen world.

But believers know they have received something special when they are given new life in Christ—something so special that angels desire to look into it, and the prophets longed to see it in their day.

We have been brought into a living hope!  It is not a hope on life support.  It is a hope that lives and increases all the more.

When we believe as we should, it produces the fruit of joy, inexpressible, and full of glory!

All this is made possible through Jesus’s resurrection from the dead. His resurrection testifies to us that for those who are in Him, there is something to look forward to because just as He was raised from the dead, so also shall all who belong to Him be raised from the dead on the day of His return.  We have already been made alive again by means of resurrection when His story became our story by reason of our being placed in Him and He in us.  It is a grand story too good for some to believe, but for those who have it is wonderful and alive!  I hope you will rejoice today in your incorruptible inheritance given to you in Christ.

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