Wednesday, June 28, 2017

How Do We Serve God? We Believe on Him!

"For he remembered his holy promise, and Abraham his servant." (Psalm 105:42)

When I read this verse, a uestion came to mind:

"How did Abraham serve God?"

I mean, really, what did Abraham do for God that showed him to be a servant?

God invited Abraham to leave country, kith, and kin to a new land that He would give to Him:

"Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:'

"2And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

"3And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." (Genesis 12: 1-3)

What was Abraham supposed to do? Trust God and go.

And he did not trust God perfectly, because he took his nephew Lot with him, even though he was to completely go away from his family--all of them (Lech Lecha).

So, again--how did Abraham serve God exactly?

Abraham believed Him!



"And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness." (Genesis 15:6)

How does God want us to live, anyway?

"Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith." (Habakkuk 2:4)

We live by faith, the faith of the Son of God!

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)

So, How do we serve God today?

We believe on Him--just as He served God by believing Him:



"Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." (John 6:29)

We are all children of Abraham:

"And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." (Romans 3:29)

and

"Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all," (Romans 4:16)

That's what service to God comes to for us. What really can we do for Him of ourselves! We are called to believe on Him. and His life flows through us to do good works.

Just as Abraham trusted God to bless Him, to keep Him, and to ensure glory and honor for him and his descendants, which includes you and me!



Tuesday, June 20, 2017

He Protects Us, Even from Liars and Dividers in Our Midst

18Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. 19They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.

I have been working in some very heavy, trying circumstanes.

All of us have to deal with the fact that there are men and women who will betray their trust, who will undermine our efforts subtily while pretending to be our friends.

First of all, we must remenber that our safety and security depends on Him who has been from the beginning (1 John 2: 15):

"In the Beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1)

And also

"10For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:" (Hebrews 8:10)

He is our protection!

Now, notice how John the Beloved takes on anti-Christs and other liars who come into the midst of the Body of Christ.


There are indeed many anti-Christs. There will be men and women who come into our ranks who do not believe what we believe.



Our faith is in Jesus!

That is what He asks all of us to do! That is the one work that matters!

"The is the work of God, that you believe on Him whom He hath sent" (John 6:29)

So, what happens when we who believe on Him stand true to His Word and trust Him?

Those who oppose Himself will go away.

Bad people who want to undermine the truth and the community of saints will soon be forced to reveal themselves. They won't stick around, they won't stand by, for they will not "continue with us."

Keep seeing Jesus, and He who is the Light of the World (John 8:12) will expose the darkness--even in our midst--to the light.