1 Corinthians 8:3 (NLT) "But the person who loves God is the one whom God recognizes."
In one of my recent posts, I commented on our need to have a reverent respect for and a holy fear of God. Acknowledging and remembering the truth and reality of who God is and the true frailty of who we are should be sufficient to keep our hearts and minds in a posture of awe and respect. Only the foolish disrespect Him...
Deuteronomy 32:39 (NLT) "Look now; I myself am he! There is no other god but me! I am the one who kills and gives life; I am the one who wounds and heals; no one can be rescued from my powerful hand!"
Our God IS truly a power that cannot be overcome or even reasonably challenged by anyone. He is due respect. But as true followers of Christ, we're no longer adversary to God's rule or separated from Him by sin. We're made right - redeemed to Him through the price of Christ's punishment and the willing sacrifice of His own life and have the opportunity to become true sons and daughters of God, ... our Father...
Ephesians 6: 1-3 (NLT) 1"Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. 2“Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise: 3 If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.”"
"Children, obey your parents...", “Honor your father and mother.” If it's so obviously important that we are to honor and obey a human father and mother, how much more important could it be that we honor and obey Father God? If we truly know Him, we know that as much as He's promised a wealth of awesomeness to His children, we also know that it's foolish to expect that we won't be disciplined if we're not in submission to honor and obey Him.
Hebrews 12:5-9 (NLT)
5 "And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said, “My child, don’t make light of the LORD’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you. 6 For the LORD disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.” 7 As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? 8 If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all. 9 Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever?"
There's a balance that needs to be maintained in the posture we assume before Him as His children and followers of Christ. It comes to us in that same acknowledgement of the truth and reality of who God is and the true frailty of who we are...
Titus 3:3-7 (NLT)
3 "Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other. 4 But—“When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, 5 he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. 6 He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. 7 Because of his grace he declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.”
We've been redeemed by Christ who willingly gave up His own life for us. His call to us as warriors in His service, is a call to emulate Himself in and through the transforming power of the Holy Spirit...
1 John 4:16-19 (NLT)
16 "We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. 17 And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. 18 Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. 19 We love each other because he loved us first."
Colossians 3;12-15 (NLT)
12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.
Our Father's heart and intentions toward mankind have been consistent from the beginning and all the way throughout scripture. ...
Deuteronomy 10: 12-21 (NLT)
12“And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the LORD your God, and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and serve him with all your heart and soul. 13 And you must always obey the LORD’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good. 14“Look, the highest heavens and the earth and everything in it all belong to the LORD your God. 15 Yet the LORD chose your ancestors as the objects of his love. And he chose you, their descendants, above all other nations, as is evident today. 16 Therefore, change your hearts and stop being stubborn. 17“For the LORD your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords. He is the great God, the mighty and awesome God, who shows no partiality and cannot be bribed. 18 He ensures that orphans and widows receive justice. He shows love to the foreigners living among you and gives them food and clothing. 19 So you, too, must show love to foreigners, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt. 20 You must fear the LORD your God and worship him and cling to him. Your oaths must be in his name alone. 21 He alone is your God, the only one who is worthy of your praise, the one who has done these mighty miracles that you have seen with your own eyes."
The only component of God's plans for us that may have ever wavered ... is simply us. If we understand it, submit to it, the results of His heart and intentions for us are guaranteed...
Ephesians 1:9-14 (NLT)
9 "God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure. 10 And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. 11 Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan. 12 God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God. 13 And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. 14 The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him."
If we are God's own children and Christ Jesus is Father God's own champion - the warrior sent to free us from the bondage holding us captive to death, then He is ours also. And in Christ's own words He commands us as He leads us on our journey from captivity toward the fullness of what He sacrificed to purchase for us. Our commission, by commandment is clear...
John 13:34-35 (NLT) 34 "So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”
"Just as I have loved you...". His love for us involved nothing less than offering His own flesh to be beaten, savagely torn and finally spiked through - nailed to a wooden cross of humiliation to die in a horrifically agonizing way... for us.
But His love was more. It was in every gift of instruction intended to bless and enrich our lives - to help us find compliance with Father God's own heart and ways and bring us into companionship and relationship with our very Creator. He's a creator who's intention in all of this - everything from the moment that He opened His mouth to begin to speak creation into existence and everything after... was to know you, to love you and to walk through eternity in relationship with you. It's not a ceremony of religion, an exercised practice of regimented ritual, or compliance out of some sense of remedial obligation that He's after. He's looking to share hearts with you - to walk in an intimate relationship with you - to gain your submission to His courtship - a submission that His love requires and to walk with Him into eternity sharing all that He's prepared in order to forever show His love for you. In light of all that He's done and promised...
...is the price of our submission to much to ask?
Micah 6:8 (NLT)
"No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God."
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