Free to Serve!

"But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life." Romans 6:22

God gives us our start by setting us free from sin. What a joyous thought! Free from the prison which bound us and kept us spiritually locked away and closeted in death. Free from the degradation and decay of mind, heart and soul. Free from the anguish, shame and guilt of our past and from the fears of awaiting future judgment!

Without this initial and miraculous intervention of love and deliverance from God, we would never experience what things more He has for us. Following deliverance from sin and our old self, we become servants of the living God.  No longer in the choking grasp of the hard taskmaster of sin, we now serve the living, loving God who, as a gentle and firm Shepherd, leads us, guides and protects us through the journey of life.

In this capacity we are exposed to lifelong, faith building experiences which mould and shape us into the people God wants us to be. The glorious times, as well as the times of hardship and suffering, all play a part in the making and forging of the disciples of Jesus. We discover and learn to savour the blessing and privilege of being servants to God. The appreciation of this position grows sweeter and dearer as time passes, as we recognize that we have found our true purpose in life, and would not want to fill any other station than that to which He has called us.

The entire process of cleansing, changing and establishing His servants, can be summarised in this one word: sanctification. This is the condition of being made holy unto God. It is God's main action in the heart and life of the believer. It is being made more like Him and becoming a clearer, better reflection of His essence and character. The Bible calls sanctification ‘God's will’ for His people, and we see in this verse that it is to be the fruit of those who serve God. It is the distinguishing sign therefore between believers and pretenders, and the value which in the end will mark the church, the spotless, unblemished, pure Bride, which Jesus is coming for and which He will present to Himself.

Every human produces a ‘fruit’ in life. Outside of Christ and His values, however our natural produce is nothing to be desired and is in fact overall, little more than an ooze of decay and death. We have no good thing is us and even at our very best, our fruit is marred, flawed and bitter, a result of the ‘tree’ it issues from. The bible lists the works of the flesh, and this natural yield from our beings is what contaminates and mars everything and everyone; its effects can be readily seen all around in our society and world. We all, individually and personally need to be freed from sin and its abhorrent fruit and effects, and only Jesus can perform this miracle!

When we become servants to God, we are grafted into the life of Jesus. Energised by His Spirit and power which now flows through us, we are given capacity to bear new, good and lasting fruit. This is now the fruit of God’s Spirit in us, no longer our own. Through Jesus and His values living and working in our hearts, the quality of the fruit we can bring forth and the motivation for doing so reflects the purity, wholesomeness and beauty of God – it is now fruit unto holiness.  It is evidence that the King of Kings is in residence in this servant’s life. It shouts and testifies of spiritual freedom, life and growth. It proclaims the reality, power and holiness of God and adorns our thoughts, words, habits, actions, desires, preferences and choices.

This condition of holiness is not temporal or for this life only, but extends into eternity. Our text states that the ‘end’ of holiness is in fact, a never ending everlasting life! Heaven is the everlastingly holy place, the abode of the supremely Holy God, and the final destination of all divinely-delivered and sanctified believers, God’s servants who have lived holy lives, separated from worldly ways and consecrated unto the Lord!

What a glorious journey is depicted in these choice and anointed words! A passage from death to life - a voyage of liberation, sanctification and ultimate eternal glorification!



See also:
http://dailybiblefocus.blogspot.com.au/
http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion

Higher Thinking

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9

God’s thoughts are beyond our finite capacities. By ourselves and without His help, we would never fathom them or grasp them. To teach us His ways, God related all we need to know in an enduring ‘love letter’, inspired to tell us enough about Him to honour and love Him, how we got here in the first place, and to convey to us the plan and purpose of our existence. The Holy Bible – God’s Word, is the only reliable tool of communication from God and the sole repository of truth about the One true God, His works, ways and thoughts. Since it was given to mankind, all kinds of exertions have been made to illustrate, define, explain and analyse this divine mandate, in order to comprehend God’s revealed will and message to us.

It is here that we can learn all that is known about God, His ways, His thoughts, His creative acts, His directives and purposes, and here too, that we can focus our minds and harness our hearts to imbibe knowledge, wisdom and understanding not found anywhere else. Entire libraries of books, references and commentaries have been written over the centuries in an attempt to explain God’s letter to man and exhaust its incomparable treasury. Every week, thousands of sermons and lessons are delivered to listeners, expounding some aspect or topic of God’s Word. Although this has continued for centuries, yet this heavenly resource is not exhausted. Many have spent their whole lives digging deep into the truth and message of the Bible, only to find that one lifetime is simply not enough to plumb its depths.

In spite of the unceasing and widespread drawing from this spiritual well, the multitudes who daily drink from its living waters continue to find a quenching for their thirsty souls. Its truths, principles, concepts and applications adorn and direct the lives of people of all ages and walks of life, from all cultures and in all times. Its stories and the message they convey, teach each new generation how to live good, God-honouring and fruitful lives with the same impact and freshness that was found by ancestors of old.

The Bible has held the most prominent place and exerted the greatest authority in all areas of mankind’s development and advancement. Its principles and truths have contributed and impacted man’s achievements of an almost unending list of structures and learning including government, art, science, history and human relationships. It was the first book printed on the newly invented Gutenberg press in 1440, and has been the No. 1 bestselling book since the 15^th century, topping the sales of all other printed matter every year with an overall, staggering 6 billion copies printed! The Bible also holds the number one position as the most sold and popular digital or electronic book (e-book) in the world!

What makes this enduring product something more than a mere book of printed words on paper or electronic screens, is the fact that the Bible is God’s Word. It is a living Word, so relevant and applicable to the essence of humanity, that it transcends time and culture. It is the message which God Himself, by His Spirit and power, inspired and communicated to mankind, and which He still stand by without revision or alteration, for it was perfect for humanity from its inception. It speaks to our souls, and reveals to us who we really are, and makes known the purpose God has intended for our lives. It answers the essential questions we all ask, and explains why we are here and where we are destined to go. Its testimony of itself is that it is established forever, it is enduring and will not pass away!

God makes it clear to us that there is an unmeasurable distance between His ways and thoughts, and ours. This is what makes His Word incomparable and unsurpassable as the means of comprehending God.  God’s ways are higher and greater than anything we could ever imagine or come up with. What is more, even with God’s revelation in hand, man cannot in his natural mind and ability reach to the loftier and more profound thoughts and ways of God, he needs the Lord's Spirit to inspire, illuminate open and clarify what is revealed from God's mind and word. Without the influence, teaching, strength and ability of God’s Spirit, man cannot live and practice the ways of God consistently or successfully. Mankind is by nature weak and imperfect, unable to direct life’s affairs without the help of the Almighty. History demonstrates the obvious failure of even the best efforts that were made without regard to God’s revealed principles. This is why as humans we cannot make up our own minds about what is right and moral, but must rather enquire and learn these values from the One who is perfect in all His ways and has the authority and ability to dictate these standards.

Human nature is fallen and it has a natural bent toward sin, wrongdoing and evil. Man’s laws and restrictions are not enough. Without the influence of the Holy Spirit and the direction of God's Word, humanity is lost and hopeless lacking moral strength and destitute of any true and enduring value. We should be glad that there is an All-knowing, All-powerful and Ever-present God, who cares so much for us and whose ways are far above ours.  We ought to rejoice at the fact that He has revealed His higher ways and thoughts to us in His Word, so that we may grow towards His perfection, learning and becoming increasingly better human beings, through obedience and application of them. It should be considered our privilege to love and serve this Great and Almighty Benefactor, who more than anyone or anything else, can make such a positive and eternal improvement of our lives and destiny. What joy and great liberty we find when we are filled with the new knowledge and understanding we can gain through Jesus! This opens to us ways above our natural ways and thoughts greater, higher and deeper than our own natural thoughts. Life is totally different, new and worthwhile when we begin to 'see' things God's way! 



See also:
http://dailybiblefocus.blogspot.com.au/
http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion