The longer you wait

Not so many people are looking for God nowadays, but in case you are, are when you are wondering about that mysterious God, do not procrastinate.

Man has waited a long time, but God has waited even longer. He has shown His patience long enough. He has also allowed man to look for some systems to govern this world. But as we can see throughout history, man has not made something good out of it.

The words “sanctification” and "justification "have been under much debate recently in the church. This debate is less about the actual definition, and more about the ramifications behind how it is actually lived out in the Christian life.

There are preachers, priests and pastors, who want others to believe man is saved by the Blood of Christ and no does not have to do anything any more. They even say that works of faith is a blasphemy. but we would like them and you to have a closer look to what is really written in the Bible.

We should listen much more to the Words of God and come to understand His Plan with mankind and how we do have to fit in God's Plan.

There is God’s will of freeing us from sin, sending His only begotten beloved son. God wants us to become more like that Nazarene man Jesus who was authorized by God to do many miracles. Jesus showed the way to God and to sanctification. We either can see it or keep ignoring his teachings, preferring to hold strong to human writings instead of Godly writings.

Those who say we as Christians do not have to do any work any more should listen to the apostle Paul his writing to the Thessalonians

 “3 For this is the will of God, [even] your sanctification, that ye abstain from fornication; 4 that each one of you know how to possess himself of his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5 not in the passion of lust, even as the Gentiles who know not God; 6 that no man transgress, and wrong his brother in the matter: because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as also we forewarned you and testified. 7 For God called us not for uncleanness, but in sanctification. 8 Therefore he that rejecteth, rejecteth not man, but God, who giveth his Holy Spirit unto you.

9  But concerning love of the brethren ye have no need that one write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another; 10 for indeed ye do it toward all the brethren that are in all Macedonia. But we exhort you, brethren, that ye abound more and more; 11 and that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your hands, even as we charged you; 12 that ye may walk becomingly toward them that are without, and may have need of nothing.” (1 Thessalonians 4:3-12 ASV)

We have to make ourselves like Jesus. To do this we have a lifetime, but the longer we wait, the harder we’ll cling hopelessly to God and his promises.

When we are willing to give ourselves to God and willing to learn about Him we shall come to get to know more about Him. Bit by bit we shall come to know Him better and we shall come to see how our faith in God also can change our attitude in life. That is what has to happen. As soon as we want to go for God we should be willing to give ourselves in the hands of God and letting Him change our inner being.

Our life shall not always go smoothly, also not when we have become a Christian. But when we keep going on the right path, in the process of waiting, spiritual transformation shall happen in our life.

If God always gave you what you want when you wanted it, he would not be such a good Father, but be like any worldly spoiling father, not preparing his children for this life on earth and not getting them to know the values of life. We also should remember that we still are of sinful nature and that not everything we want is the right thing or something good for us or good for others. Think about it. Considering our sinful nature, if you never had to wait, you also would never have a reason to trust God. We would do our own thing. We would never pray. We would not revere Him for His character. If we never waited, our lives would be much worse.

Therefore be patient and look forward to the higher promises of God.  Follow Jesus as the Way to God and try to become like him. This will demand many efforts or works, but it shall be worth it.

Do not postpone and come to recognise who Jesus is, what he has done and Who his heavenly Father is and why that Eternal Spirit Who cannot be seen by man is so important for the whole world. Get to know why we should become children of Jesus ' heavenly Father.

Meditate on James 1:5-8 and on the second chapter about faith and works.

Please also look at our series on From Guestwriters:

1. Leading people astray!
2. Restitution
3. Comments to James remarks, about Faith and works
4. Luther’s misunderstanding
5. January 27, 417, Pope Innocent I condemning Pelagius about Faith and Works
6. Our life depending on faith
7. Romans 4 and the Sacraments
8. Is Justification a process?
9. Justification – salvation is by grace through faith – JI Packer
10. Faith itself not the cause of justification – Louis Berkhof
11. Letter to the Romans, chapter 3
12. Letter to the Romans, chapter 4
13. Additional comments to the 3rd Letter to the Romans
14. Additional comments to the Letter to the Romans 4
15. Which is worse–works without faith, or faith without works?
16. James 2:14-23 — Justified Dynamic Faith & works
17. James 2:24 – You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.
18. James 2:25. Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?

and read also other articles as:

1. A god who gave his people commandments and laws he knew they never could keep to it
2. Our relationship with God, Jesus and eachother
3. Christ’s ethical teaching
4.  Being Justified by faith
5. Faith Alone Does Not Save . . . No Matter How Many Times Protestants Say It Does
6. A Living Faith #3 Faith put into action
7. A Living Faith #6 Sacrifice
8. Faith and works
9. Bearing fruit
10. Observing the commandments and becoming doers of the Word
11. The first on the list of the concerns of the saint
12. Be holy
13. She who sows thistles will reap prickles
14. Love for each other attracting others
15. Outflow of foundational relationship based on acceptance of Jesus

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Tapping into God's Strength by Waiting on Him

Tapping into God's Strength by Waiting on Him Joey Cochran

Isaiah 40:31 says: “But they who wait for the Lord renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” Greeting cards on display at retail. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) This is one of the most celebrated and shared verses of the Bible. I’m sure you’ve seen it on greeting cards, framed pictures, and tees garnered with a picture of a soaring eagle. If you’re like me you’ve had different responses at different times to these products. At one point you wrapped your hands on them anytime you found them. You got a euphoric inspiration from them. Then at other times these products exhausted you. You shunned them as superstitious, sentimental, or just flat out silly. Though we oscillate between euphorically or exhaustingly responding to “soaring eagle” merchandise, this is not how we should respond to the truths in this verse. These are truths that promote waiting on God. They teach strength and endurance. Let me show you how. Strength Have you done a lot of strengthening exercises? I work out a few times a week, and I always find that I am chipper on the days when I work out. I feel pep in my step and a eurphoric sensation that I can take on any task. It’s remarkable that God conveys that our waiting gives that same sensation. The practice of patience empowers us. It renews our strength. It’s kind of like a video game where the player is able to recover from attack by waiting and avoiding attacks. But it’s entirely different because we are not waiting from something we are waiting into something. We are waiting into the Lord. Our wait is a wait into the Lord that strengthens us. Why is that? Well Isaiah 40:28 clues us in. Look at the beginning of the verse: “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the Ends of the earth.” This verse tells us who God is. He is everlasting and Creator. Thus, we derive strength from God because he is the one of unending strength. He outlasts all creation and is the source of all creation. All creation waits on him and depends upon him. Where creation has its start and stop, God doesn’t. So we can plug into God’s unending strength and be empowered by him. Endurance Humans are puny and weak without God’s strength. Life’s troubles exhaust us easily, and it’s meant to be that way. The curse of the fall led to toiling work. Our toil is because of our turning from God, and our toil reminds us to turn back to him. So when we are exhausted from all of life’s troubles, we need to turn to God. That state of being turned to him and looking to him is an act of waiting; it brings endurance from exhaustion. But we don’t just get exhausted from toil. We get exhausted from going, we get exhausted from not knowing, and we get exhausted from waiting. Toil is only part of it. To fully grip how to develop the endurance portrayed in Isaiah 40:31 we can again look at what Isaiah 40:28 conveys about the character of God. Isaiah 40:28 ends by telling us more about who God is: “He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.” Now, when we look back at Isaiah 40:31, it makes more sense. Our endurance is borrowed from God’s endurance. Exhaustion from going is endured because God does not faint. Tapping into God’s tireless strength protects us from fainting. Furthermore, our exhaustion from not knowing what’s ahead is endured because God’s understanding is unending. We, then, trust that he knows what’s next for us. Soar Like Eagles Have you ever seen an eagle circling or soaring? They can hold their wingspan for a lengthy time and glide on the wind for what appears to be an interminable period. They look graceful, steady, and sure as they soar. Do those words describe your patience? Graceful. Steady. Sure. Is that the picture of how you wait for the Lord? My patience falls far short of that description. When I don’t know what’s going on, when I am weak, when I am exhausted, then I am much more likely to look like a spazzed dog chasing its tail rather than a strong, enduring eagle soaring on the wind. You know why? A dog is focused on his tail. Isaiah 40:28 and Isaiah 40:31 teach us to not be focused on ourselves but to refocus on who God is. Look at the enduring nature of God’s character and trust Him to provide strength and endurance through whatever toil or trial you face. Joey Cochran, a ThM graduate of Dallas Seminary, is the church planting intern at Redeemer Fellowship in St. Charles, Illinois under the supervision of pastor Joe Thorn. You can follow him at jtcochran.com or @joeycochran.

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The truth is very plain to see and God can be clearly seen

SOMETHING TO CHEW ON

(Written by Jason Cook)

There is a time in a person’s life when there are many questions to be asked but few answers to be given. This is what can make life so difficult. The only way to find true peace is by seeking God. He has the answers which we truly desire which will enable us to have peace within our whole being. The Bible clearly states in Deut. 6:5: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” Verse 6 also goes on to say “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.” Verse 7 again says “You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down and when you rise up.”

  God can do many things for us if He is our true life. 1 Cor. 1:26: “For you see your calling brethren that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called.” For we all have a calling but it is by the hand of God and not by the hand of the world, for the world is so caught up in its cunningness and its desirable ways that we do not see what is right from wrong except through the word of God. The truth is very plain to see and God can be clearly seen and heard speaking to our hearts and to our minds to give us courage to be able to carry on with the things that surround us.

  Even before time began God has been there. Time is a wonderful thing to have but it is how we spend our time and what energy we put in to it that matters; “a time to love a time to cry, a time to rejoice and a time to celebrate.” One thing we must spend time with is the Word of God. There are many times when God is in effect put on the shelf and left closed like a dusty old book forgotten about. But to realize who He is and what He truly stands for and what He is all about is light and love and pure strength.

 

Psa. 27:14 says “Wait on the Lord, be of good courage and He shall strengthen your heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord.”

  Waiting can be one of the hardest things to overcome because that is the way of human nature and the flesh. Waiting with patience is the one thing we must all learn to have and some have more than others which is a blessing.

  Jam. 1:4: But let patience have its perfect work that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. God has the power to give us all that we need. Not always what we want, but with the time and patience that He gives us, later He may even give us some of our wants. The trust that we show to the Lord can come in many ways. One way is how we live our lives, asking God to help us with the things that we are to face each day, week, month and year. Another way is to talk to others about the wonderful hope that the Lord gives us if we trust in Him with all our heart. One of the first commandments was “to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength,” and to “seek first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto you.”

 We are all influenced by many things in this life that we live. There are so many things that can encourage us but there are so many things that can prevent us from moving forward from the past and going forward into the future. We can either choose to be in the dark or we can be covered by the glory of the Lord.

 Rom. 3:23 “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” Rom. 9:23: “and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy which He had prepared beforehand for glory.” To really realise that we have a God that watches us and waits for us to be able to call on His name whenever He is needed, is a pretty powerful thing to behold, for the power of God cannot and will never be able to be comprehended except by reading His word. By doing so we can truly know who God is which is truth in itself. Truth can be a painful thing when we are not prepared for it. But we must all deal with these things when we are faced with the thought that we could or might be wrong. We must all come to the conclusion that there is only one true thing for us and that is the Lord thy God who has the power over all things. He is in control of all the beasts that walk the earth, all the creatures that swim in the ocean and the birds which fly in the heavens. From the insects to the air we breathe, the sun which heats our planet to the love which surrounds us and our family.

 We live a life which we are totally in control of in deciding which path we should lead and how we should be living it. By reading the Word of God it can give us strength and hope with the promise God has given us of the gift of life eternal through the lord Jesus Christ. Through his salvation we can be saved from the darkness and turn it into light to move forward strengthening our faith and our belief in what we feel is necessary for the  hope that God has in store for us. Hoping for this we can always depend upon His love and kindness.

  Psa. 116:1-2: “I love the Lord, because He has heard my voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.”

  Psa. 116:8-9: “For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears and my feet from falling. I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.” When we walk with the Lord it is not an easy thing to do as we have seen. Looking around us we see how dangerous the world really is. The flesh in itself finds it nice to the eye but so evil in its content and what it represents. There are so many nice things in the world that appeal to the flesh and take us away from God but with it there comes a price - the price of sin and death. This is one thing we truly do not desire to have, but that is up to each person’s responsibility in how they live their lives. Each person has his or her own responsibility to make their own choice whether right or wrong. My choice is our almighty God.

  When you try to think of the many ways God has intervened in our lives it is amazing. He has provided food and shelter and we have our families which give us strength. But most importantly we have His love all around us. We represent God and the truth that He stands for and all the goodness that is in His son Christ Jesus our Lord and Saviour who is the light of the world. He sits at the right hand of power which is the everlasting Father God almighty. We have all been called in some small way by God and there are many ways by which we are called.

  1 Pet. 5:5-11: “Likewise you younger people submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another and be clothed with humility for God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time. Casting all your care upon Him for He cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant because your adversary human nature walks about you like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Resist your nature, be steadfast in the faith and know that the same sufferings are experienced by your brothers and sisters in this world. But may the God of all grace who called you to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while perfect, establish, strengthen and settle you. To God be the glory and the dominion forever and ever amen.

  There is a saying “you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.” The same goes that “you can lead a man to God but only he can get his salvation.”

  Ps. 3:8: “Salvation belongs to the Lord; your blessing upon Your people.”

  2 Cor. 6:2: “For God says in an acceptable time I have heard you and in the day of salvation I have helped you.”

  Heb. 2:3: “How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him.”

  Psa. 68:20: “Our God is the God of salvation. And to the Lord belongs escape from death.”

  We all try to the best of our ability to live under God’s law and His guidance by reading His Word and studying with willingness. By having a hunger for the Word of God to truly know who God is and to know that He will never leave us or forsake us. He is not a god of wood or stone; not a god we cannot hear or cannot see, but a God who loves us and cares for us and accepts us for who we are, not what we are. Praise His almighty name for He is a God of the living, not the dead.

  Thank you Father for being in our lives and showing us the path to life - not to destruction. We want to live Lord, we all want to live.

  We desire oh Majesty that we might live by Your decree Amen.