How Big is Your God?

“…Greater is He that is in me than He that is in the world.” 
1 John 4:4

This verse from John reminds us that the power of God within us far surpasses any challenges or adversities we may face in the world. This leads us to a fundamental question: Who is God to me? How do I know Him? Knowing and serving are necessities for eternal life, that quality of life that exists now and forever.  Who and how we know Him and serve (worship) Him, form the flow of His eternal life.  

Elijah, in 1 Kings 18:21, challenged Israel, “If the LORD is God, worship him! But if Baal is God, worship him!"  Moses set before Israel a choice, Deut. 30:19 .  Jesus gives us the way, John 14:6, but then lets us know which path leads to life and which leads to death, Matthew 7:13-14.  

1 Cor. 6:19; demands consideration of the question,  who is my God and how I will serve Him?

“You should know that your body is a temple for the Holy Spirit that you received from God and that lives in you. You don't own yourselves.”  

Our Scripture verse today from 1 John reads;  “You are of God little children and have overcome them.. (every spirit that is Anti-Christ which is now at work in the world) ..because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”  

In the Old Testament, Israel carried the presence of God in the Ark of the Covenant. When the Ark was among them, the power of God was with them. As New Testament believers, born again by the Spirit of God, we experience His presence within us. We have become the “Ark of God.” As carriers of His presence, our understanding of Him shapes what we can bring forth from within.  He’s always the same but we are the ones encouraged to grow up. 

Ephesians chapter four urges us to grow up INTO HIM in all things, emphasizing that knowing God is a lifelong journey. How can we comprehend an infinite God unless He reveals Himself to us? Thankfully, He does. According to 1 Corinthians 2, the Spirit Himself knows, understands, and reveals all that the Father is.

Our pursuit of knowing and growing in Him should define our lives. The more we know Him, the more we yield and obey.  It is our obedience that works out our salvation and produces growth with Godly character. 

God doesn’t just provide information; He gives revelation. When we obey that revelation, it leads to transformation and transformation ultimately displays the glory of God.  Christ in us, manifested rightly, is the hope of glory. 

May we continually seek the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, striving to be His people, strong and doing great exploits in His name, because we know the greater one who lives in us. 

John 5:19-20

So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can  do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. ²⁰ For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that ⁱyou may marvel.

John 5:19-20 ESV

The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand

John 3:35

For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. John 10:17

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.

John  14:12

Sometimes, we forget the destiny we have been created for.  From the very beginning, the garden scene shows us the very heart and intent of our Father; dominion and  fruitful increase through union with Him.  Jesus chose 12 men, that they might be with Him, then sent from Him to carry on the work He had been given.  Our place of doing begins with being, being one with the Father as His child, son or daughter, and walking with Him.

Because of our love for him, we understand, just like Jesus, a body was prepared for us (his workmanship - Ephesians 2:10) to freely yield and present to Him in service.  It in in this space that we begin this divine working out of being filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.

Pauls prayer from Ephesians chapter one is that we would understand the inheritance the Father has in the Saints.  Created by Him, for Him that He might rule and reign through us begins with the knowing that apart from Him we can do nothing.  Jesus iterates this to his disciples in John chapter fifteen.  And, because we know the love the Father has for us, we know He will show us all things that He is doing.  It’s His desire that we be filled with the knowledge of His will with a walk that is worthy of Him, fully pleasing Him, fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of our Father, Colossians 1: 10-11.

We get busy with daily life, school, work, home, marriage, children, friends, even church and can forget that each day we are to be about impacting lives with Jesus. No matter where we are daily, we are surrounded with people that we are designed to impact with the life that only God can give.

Jesus said, John 5:17 the Father is working and He must work,  John 9:4, the day comes when there is no further opportunity,

The intimacy that is created in this relationship with the Father that Jesus reveals is to be our daily norm.  We were created for this.  Not just to know we are the beloved but to abide in His love and live in this relationship where we can do all and nothing more than what we see the Father doing.

Out of the Wreck

The following is Oswald Chambers' Daily Devotion from May 18, 2025, which I found to be so, so good.  The weekend had already found me thinking on the exact same passage in Romans chapter eight.  I could not express this any better, and I am sure we can all relate, so please, as you read, find that wonderful place of God’s grace flowing to you and strengthening you as only His love can. 

    Out Of The Wreck I Rise
By Oswald Chambers 
My Utmost for His Highest Daily Devotion

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? — Romans 8:35

“God does not keep a man immune from trouble; He says, "I will be with him in trouble." It does not matter what actual troubles in the most extreme form get hold of a man's life, not one of them can separate him from his relationship to God. 

We are "more than conquerors in all these things." Paul is not talking of imaginary things, but of things that are desperately actual; and he says we are super-victors in the midst of them, not by our ingenuity, or by our courage, or by anything other than the fact that not one of them affects our relationship to God in Jesus Christ. Rightly or wrongly, we are where we are, exactly in the condition we are in.

 I am sorry for the Christian who has not something in his circumstances he wishes was not there.

"Shall tribulation . . . ?" Tribulation is never a noble thing; but let tribulation be what it may - exhausting, galling, fatiguing, it is not able to separate us from the love of God. 

Never let cares or tribulations separate you from the fact that God loves you.

"Shall anguish . . . ?" - can God's love hold when everything says that His love is a lie, and that there is no such thing as justice?

"Shall famine . . . ?" - can we not only believe in the love of God but be more than conquerors, even while we are being starved?

Either Jesus Christ is a deceiver and Paul is deluded, or some extraordinary thing happens to a man who holds on to the love of God when the odds are all against God's character. Logic is silenced in the face of every one of these things. Only one thing can account for it - the love of God in Christ Jesus. 

"Out of the wreck I rise" every time.”

Boundaries

You spoke and at the sound of your shout the water collected into its vast ocean bed and mountains rose and valleys sank to the levels you decreed.  And then you set a boundary for the seas….” 

Ps. 104:7-9 Living Bible Translation 

The remarkable thing about today’s verse is that God’s spoken word brought a response from earthly things, and then he set a boundary.   We’ve referenced Acts 17:26 lately, which reminds us that God sets every individual in a place, at a time, thus within boundaries.  This is so we would be able seek and hopefully find him.  

        *NIV ~ having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their             dwelling place

        *NASB ~ determined their appointed times and the boundaries of                 where they live.

        *NKJV ~ determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of             their dwellings,

There is a sense of security, believing that God has divinely ordained you into a place. Conversely, without that conviction, a person’s unique identity and sense of purpose will be continually challenged. 

Being fitted, placed, and having boundaries, though, doesn’t mean change will never take place. As we move through life and grow, we come to understand, as the writer of Proverbs wrote, that change is the way of life.  We learn that time, place, and boundaries must be honoured and respected. That we can never take this intimate working of God for granted, without risking the deepest aspects of our relationship with Him and those we share the space with.

From God's perspective, we have been fitted for the Master's use. God is at work in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure.  His workmanship doesn’t change, but it does increase and develop.  As we seek Him in the seasons and the times we are given, we learn the limitations of our boundaries, even as we occasionally see them move and shift. 

Understanding this, Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 10:13 ~ 

We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the sphere of service God himself has assigned to us, a sphere that also includes you.” -

The apostle Paul did not go beyond his given metron.  Paul was mindful of his specific sphere of influence and authority, as delegated by God, and did not overstep those boundaries. Paul recognized that he was not an apostle to all, but rather had a particular area of service entrusted to him. This concept of metron or sphere of influence emphasizes humility and a sober understanding of one's role and limitations within God's plan. Paul also understood that being faithful within his boundaries carried the benefit of increasing others' faith, thus opening new doors of opportunity as he continued writing in 2 Corinthians 10:16 ~

    We will be able to preach the Good News to other cities that are far beyond you, where no one else is working; then there will be no question about being in someone else’s field.

Again, seen in Paul's life in Acts 16:6-7, we learn limitations, as Paul is forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach in Asia Minor. 

We can’t live in another time frame, but we can live fully in the one we have been given, resting in our assigned places, doing our assigned tasks. 

Lies, Liars, Father of Lies ….

If I speak truth why do you not believe Me?”

John 8:46

From the opening of chapter eight, Jesus is in the temple teaching the people.  Many have come to believe in Him, and he exhorts them onward, continuing in His word to truly become his disciples.  From continuing in His word, they will know the truth and the truth will make them free.  

We live in a culture of darkness and are surrounded by the impacts of a Kingdom of darkness. This dark Kingdom, just like the Kingdom of Light, has a King, a ruler, one who desires to rule. The dark King rules by lording himself over His subjects.  In the darkness, there are only lies, manipulation and control, destined to build strongholds of destruction. Jesus said this thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy as opposed to the abundant life that Jesus offers in His Kingdom. These two Kingdoms will remain in conflict on the earth until Jesus returns.

In chapter eight, we find Jesus assigning all lies to the Father of lies, the devil, who was a murderer from the beginning.  

“ …Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature for he is a liar and the father of lies.” Verse 44.

From here, Jesus asks a very poignant question ~ If I speak the truth, why do you not believe me?

Last week, I wrote that we all have a belief system activating our life’s choices. We know much, but we only practice what we believe. I’m always arrested when considering Eve’s conversations with the serpent in the garden.  How long did she look?  How long did she consider before she adapted to the lie?  

This is why the admonition from 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 is to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.  Capturing thoughts begins with a knowledge of the word of God, that the Spirit of Truth may lead us into.  Our prayer, to not be led into temptation but delivered from evil, is a personal cry to be kept from the power of lies. 

The last days are filled with lies and deception. Great signs and wonders will occur that if it were possible, the very elect could be deceived.   To participate in lies is to take part in the works of darkness.  Satan is the father of all lies.  He breeds deception.  There is no truth in Him. 

The danger of participating in lies is that you are exposing yourself to a practice that creates a liar. Revelation 22 tells us that outside the gates of the New Jerusalem, there will be those who love and practice falsehood. Revelation 21:8 tells us all liars are assigned to the lake of fire in the second death. 

Our standard from Ephesians 4:17-27  tells us we are to put away all the behaviour of the old man, corrupted by deceitful desires and be renewed in the spirit of our mind and then put on the new us, created after the likeness of God in righteousness and holiness of the truth. Paul goes on to say, therefore, having put away falsehood ~ pseudos, derived from the Greek verb ψεύδομαι (pseudomai), meaning "to lie" or "to deceive." 

Helps Word Studies ~ In the New Testament, "pseudos" refers to falsehood or lies, often in the context of false teachings or deceitful practices. It is used to describe anything contrary to the truth, particularly in a spiritual or moral sense. The term underscores the contrast between God's truth and human or demonic deception.

Paul later wrote, “They did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved” 2 Thessalonians 2:10  

The deception and ultimate blindness that lies create are a danger we all want to avoid. Paul warns us that lying gives opportunity to the devil, Ephesians 4:27. 

In conclusion ~ theres a passage from Isaiah 44:9-20, reinforcing the folly of idolatry ~ concluding with the alarming state of not knowing, not discerning…no one considers nor is there knowledge or discernment to say …He feeds on ashes, a deluded heart has let him astray and he cannot deliver himself or say, is there not a lie in my right hand(?),   Reinforcing in my mind how Satan works to blind minds lest we would believe the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. 

So, Jesus asks, If I speak the truth why do you not believe me? 

Selah.  

Godly Sorrow

For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death.  

2 Cor. 7:10 NASB

From last week, we began with Acts 3, looking at times of refreshing to find that they come, following repentance. 

This biblical standard shows us that repentance begins from a godly sorrow;  a sorrow not to be repented of.

A Godly sorrow is the awareness that our actions, in God's mind, are evil.  God’s definition of evil isn’t our definition.  Evil, in God’s mind, is that which causes harm.  The actions cause pain.  That could be pain to ourselves or pain to others.  It’s the wide road, where anything is allowed, that leads to death.  For a good Father, who desires our lives to be filled with abundant life, you could then understand why God hates evil.

From Helps Word Studies evil is defined as ~  

2556 (kakos) is evil "in the abstract; 4190/ponērós, evil in active opposition to the good" (K. Wuest, Word Studies, Vol 2, Hebrews, 77).  "Where kakos and ponēros are put together, kakos is always put first and signifies 'bad in character, base,' ponēros, 'bad in effect, malignant'" (Vine, Unger, White, NT, 49).

ponērós (an adjective which is also used substantively, derived from 4192 /pónos, "pain, laborious trouble") – properly, pain-ridden, emphasizing the inevitable agonies (misery) that always go with evil.

Two thoughts are held in our verse today that I want to examine.  Firstly, ’Repentance without regret’ means we are not sorry about what we are turning away from.  Paul counted all things a loss that He could win Christ. Phil. 2.  ‘Winning Christ’ is the highest challenge and goal of our lives.

Secondly, that I am not engaging in guilt and condemnation by repenting, but rather a thankfulness for God’s light shining into my dark places, leading me to true repentance and always unto life.   Repentance is always according to the will of God, and always unto life. It is the goodness of God that leads us to repentance ~ not to be repented of, because times of refreshing come with goodness and mercy.   

Since we ‘know’ these things, let us examine then what it is that we really believe.   Most of us have embraced a belief system that allows the activities we practice. Even those practices that we know hurt us.  I want to examine Romans 12:1-2  and James 1:21.  They will help us understand renewal and transformation. 

Romans 12:1 exhorts us to present our bodies in a very special condition. That is as a living sacrifice, holy, and acceptable to God.  We must present our bodies before the renewing of our minds can bring transformation.

From James 1:21, we see there must be a putting away of ‘filth and the abundance of evil to receive with meekness the word.’  Once this word is received, it must be implanted to save our souls.  

There must first be a putting away to receive.  We all want our thinking rightly aligned to His heart and mind, but without this ‘putting away’ of filth and evil, renewing is not working in us.  For out of the abundance of the heart we see the issues of our life flowing. 

Jesus qualifies evil from Mark 7:21-23 ~ 

 ESV ~ For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” 

From both verses in Romans and James, we see how one thing is necessary before the other can occur.  From Romans 12, if I do not present my body to the Lord, my mind cannot be renewed.  Without renewing my mind, there is no transformation.  From James, we learn that putting off filth and evil (as defined by God) is first required. 

Now to renewal ~ we can see from these two scriptures the dynamics faced, standing at the crossroads of choice:  my will, versus God's.  We want to have all the blessings God promises, but are unsure of our willingness to change.   If we are convinced our choice isn’t really ‘evil’, it allows us to continue in the current way. Repentance requires change for renewal and refreshing to occur. 
 

Without choosing to take the word of God to bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, we cannot overcome.  Our first commandment is to not only love God with all our heart but our mind as well.  If I love Him, I choose to love His word.  My mind is a part of my body I present to Him that begins the process of renewing.  

Godly sorrow brings repentance. Repentance brings renewing, and renewing brings refreshing.   

Times of Refreshing

Repent therefore, and turn back that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord….”

Acts 3:19

While we, the church, look for Revival to occur within our houses, renewal, the ‘time of refreshing,’ comes from the foundation of repentance.  Peter, of course, speaks here about the new birth that Jesus had explained to Nicodemus in John 3.  

Let’s look at this word refreshing, from HELPS Word Studies ~ 

Helps Lexicon/NASEC dictionary : Cognate: 403 anápsyksis – properly, breathe easily (again); hence, refreshing; "'cooling,' or 'reviving with fresh air'" (WS, 230), used only in Ac 3:20.  See 404 (anapsýxō).

404 anapsýxō (from 303/aná, "up/completing a process" which intensifies 5594/psýxō, "cool by blowing") – properly, bring cooling (reviving, with fresh air); (figuratively) bring much-needed (much-welcomed) relief, "causing someone to recover a state of cheer or encouragement after a time of anxiety and trouble – 'to encourage, to cheer up'" (L & N, 1, 25.149).

404/anapsyxō ("refreshed"), only used in 2 Tim 1:16, refers to the spiritual refreshing (rejuvenation, comfort) brought to Paul by the ministry of Onesiphorus.  This refreshing (relieving) revived Paul and  involved a process (note the ana), i.e. getting past the restrictions imposed on Paul (being in "chains," imprisoned).

Now, let’s define repentance from HELPS Word-studies ~ 

Word Origin: From the Greek verb μετανοέω (metanoeō), meaning "to change one's mind" or "to repent."

‘ “Cultural and Historical Background: In the Greco-Roman world, "metanoia" was understood as a change of mind or perspective. However, in the Jewish and early Christian context, it took on a deeper spiritual significance. Repentance was not merely an intellectual exercise but a profound moral and spiritual transformation. It was a central theme in the preaching of John the Baptist, Jesus, and the apostles, emphasizing the need for a radical reorientation of one's life towards God.’

Our verse highlights all three thoughts: A Repentance that Returns and brings Refreshing.  

God's highest and best is to rain vitality upon us daily.  A life lived in such abandonment to Him that His will is our daily bread assures us of this ‘time of refreshing’.  Jesus asks, ‘Are you weary and heavy laden?  Are you worn out?’  Jesus, as the good shepherd, invites us to come to Him that he may restore our souls.  When weary and heavy laden,  I find it interesting that I’m not usually as physically tired as I am emotionally (soulishly) spent.  Paul said in 1 Corinthians, most gladly I will spend and be spent.  'Burnout' looks for an escape from responsibilities, eventually both from God and others.  

God’s remedy is to come to Him.  Only He can give green pastures, quiet waters to restore a soul.  While we know we are not to be weary in well doing, there are seasons in our lives where busyness reigns over our times.  It’s the busyness, apart from God, that drains us.  

Jesus calls his disciples to be with Him.  Our work is to be done in Him, with Him, and from Him. We never grow beyond the need to examine our hearts and when our lives are out of order, repentance is necessary for times of refreshing.   

Resurrection in Discovery

²⁴ The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, ²⁵ nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. ²⁶ And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, ²⁷ that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, ²⁸ for ‘In him we live and move and have our being’;   

Acts 17:24-28 ESV

A rather hefty portion of scripture, but one serving to remind us we live to discover and learn God.  Paul preaches to a crowd in Athens and tells them it is in Him we live, and in Him we move, and in Him we have our being.  

In the places we have been set by God, allotted periods and boundaries of our dwelling places, we are to seek and find God.   

Living in this world brings great temptation to adapt to the world's ways.  As we come into the Kingdom of God, through our submission to Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, we begin a process of renewal. While our spiritual condition has changed from death to life, darkness to light, we find we must still be renewed in the Spirit of our mind.  Eph. 4:23makes us understand that we must change the way we think.  This comes only through the process of earnestly desiring the sincere milk of the word that we may grow by it, being transformed into the image of his dear son, Eph. 4:24.

All spiritual development is a discovery of God and we have been given this book, the Holy Bible, these exceeding great and precious promises that we might be partakers of His divine nature.  To continually meditate on, Joshua 1:8; John 15:5; to renew our minds to the thoughts and ways of God, is a daily responsibility of the believer.  Joshua meditated to observe and do what the word said.  We too look into this perfect law of liberty to be doers, acting upon what we see.  James 1:25.

Our verse today from Acts highlights the seeking and ‘feeling’ our way…. 

pselaphao (ψηλαφάω, 5584), “to feel or grope about” (from psao, “to touch”), expressing the motion of the hands over a surface, so as to “feel” it, is used (a) metaphorically, of seeking after God, Acts 17:27; (b) literally, of physical handling or touching, Luke 24:39 with
1 John 1:1;   Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words
 

Daily, in every place we find ourselves, God is present, Deut. 31:8; Psalm. 46:1; Hebrews 13:5 and His desire is for us to seek Him, discover Him and finally move into living our lives out, through Him.

This is eternal life, life now and hereafter, forever, to know the Father and his son Jesus Christ.  Our process of growth is to seek, find, and then live and move in the revelation we are given.  

We find in the writings of John, a revelation, not only of a belief system in Jesus as the Son of God, but an intimacy of relationship.  In his first epistle, John writes about what they have seen and heard and handled.  He indicates His writing is so others can have the same joy they have experienced in knowing Him. 1 John 1:1-4

As we grow in our relationship, each day should hold the wonder of the discovery of God in some way for a believer.  

I trust that on this Resurrection Sunday you will find some truth that our Father desires to reveal to you in and through His risen Son, bringing you Resurrection Life. 

Loving Truth

This week's Good Word written by David McGrew ~ 

John 14:6 “ I am the way, THE TRUTH and the life. “

Growing up as a boy, in my time and place, I very typically had a somewhat fragile relationship with the truth.  I was used to bending it to my needs in the moment. 

Without making excuses or casting blame, in a world where you felt isolated and surrounded by ignorance, thugs, and bullies, it was a go-to tactic of self-preservation. 

The problem with having a tentative relationship with the truth is that it alters and hardens a person’s perception of reality.  Even a child’s. The great danger of course is that deception and lying are the core elements of virtually every other sin a man can commit. If you can’t lie well, if you don’t learn to lie to yourself, you won’t get very far into sin without it destroying everyone and everything around you. No one wants that, so you learn to cover, hide, alter and outright deny in an attempt to hold life together.  

Later on through, after deception and sin have brought us to our knees,  that harsh jolt of reality in meeting THE TRUTH; that jolt we now call being born again, begins a dramatic reset of our relationship with truth. All truth. 

Whether it’s a slow or a fast, or even a complete, reboot depends on many things, but it’s inevitably true that staying alive to Christ both costs, and pays, through whole new understandings of reality.  

Growing awareness to the depravity and deception around you, awakens understanding to the deception and depravity you might of once thought of as reality. That can have some unpleasant moments. 

Christ is THE TRUTH, and as we come to trust and believe this, we understand he’s worthy to be the lens we view the universe and its fulness through. 

With some fear and trepidation, we finally grasp that we can’t turn truth off and on. If we deny the realities that we don’t want to accept, we alter our ability to receive the truths we do want to accept. We are not the standard of truth. 

To stay alive, healthy, and growing requires us to see truth as more than data and facts.  It requires an approach that goes beyond the handling of cold information. An intimacy is required for both the person of Christ and the truths that He rules by.  An intimacy, that increasingly invites us to receive, “a love of the truth.”  It is that love of the truth that guarantees our ever-upward growth in His kingdom. 

Hear the word of the Lord

Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord…”

Ezekiel 37:4 ESV 

I’ve been writing these past weeks about the foundational need for the Word in our lives and the benefits it brings.  

All Life, from the Author of Life, comes to us through Jesus, the word made flesh. 

From F.F. Bruces’ Commentary on the Gospel of John, he writes about John 5:35 ~

“For Jesus is himself the gift of which he is the giver.  He has come to give himself that men and women may live by him.  To partake of the bread of life, they must come to him, they must believe in him.  This is total commitment to Christ, this appropriating him by faith, is the secret of eternal life and perpetual soul-refreshment’. 

When Ezekiel is carried in the Spirit to this valley of bones, he notes they were ‘very dry’.  The Lord asks Ezekiel if these bones can live and Ezekiel's response is much like ours would be, ‘only you know’ God.  It is in the midst of what looks impossible that we have God’s prophetic word decreed.  

We see, just as we learned in Genesis’ creation, the presence of God, the Spirit hovering, and the word spoken.  Again, we will note that Ezekiel is given the decree to declare by the Lord, ‘say to them’…..

⁵ Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath² (² Or spirit; also verses 6, 9, 10) to enter you, and you shall live. ⁶ And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.” 

Each declaration is met with the activity, ‘a sound, and a rattling as the bones come together and are covered.  Together, yet lifeless, he is then instructed to prophesy to the breath (spirit) to breathe upon the slain that they may live.  Breath enters, they live and stand, an exceedingly great army.

The Lord tells Ezekiel that the bones represent the whole house of Israel, who say about themselves ’Our bones are dried up, our hope is lost and we are indeed cut off.’ 

God’s power and word comes to a hopeless, dried-up, and defeated people.  

I’m using Ezekiels' vision to emphasize God’s heart and purpose for His church today.  We may feel hopeless, dried up, and defeated over many areas of our lives, yet God comes as the Author and Giver of life into these places. 

He decrees a word, he has decreed THE WORD, that brings all we need, and by the very breath of His spirit, He waters, refreshes, and strengthens us for all battles we must engage in… ‘they stood on their feet an exceedingly great army’.

Dry bones, lifeless, defeated people, are created by turning away from Him as their life’s source. These dry bones have ceased to ‘hear the word of the Lord’.  Where there is no hearing there ultimately is no believing. Hebrews tells us the evil heart of unbelief causes one to depart from the ‘living’ God’, chapter 3:12.   There can be no salvation without a returning.  God’s restoration of cleansing with a new heart, and a new spirit,  all come into us through our receptivity of Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. We bow to the declarations of His word.  We hear, we believe and we live.

The Lord Gives Wisdom

For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;

Proverbs 2:6 

God is described as Omniscient - all-knowing.  While the Bible doesn’t use this word, 1 John 3:20 tells us God does know everything.

We are all always looking for wisdom and understanding.  Knowledge is readily available to those who seek it, but wisdom, defined as the ability to understand and use knowledge correctly, is what we must have.  

Proverbs tells us wisdom is the principal thing.  Get wisdom and with the wisdom, get understanding.  Wisdom was with the Father in the beginning, beside Him like a master workman.  She was daily His delight rejoicing before him always.

The Bible contains three books that are commonly referred to as Wisdom literature: Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes.  Each book holds its own perspective and overview of the questions of life as well as the wisdom from God as their answers.  But beyond these three books, we read from 2 ™ 3:16-17,

 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, ¹⁷ that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 

I also love the picture painted in Proverbs 8, showing wisdom as present every time a decision needs to be made. Wisdom holds the bird's-eye view, above all, looking down. She sees and knows and calls out. As a matter of fact, wisdom doesn’t just call; she cries aloud. She speaks and utters the truth. All the words of her mouth are righteous; there is nothing twisted or crooked in them.  

We are admonished, when we lack wisdom, to ask God, James 1 and told he gives it to us liberally and doesn’t scold us about our lack ~ BUT (don’t you love these, BUTS there is always a condition to meet with the promise of God.  He does his part and we have ours) BUT, let him ask in faith, (he who comes to God must believe he is and he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him) without doubting.  What is the doubting?  Is it doubting God will speak, or doubting what we hear?  Either way, the doubting individual ends up double-minded, driven, and tossed back and forth.  We’ve all been there and know that experience.    

Here’s the deal—the Bible is God's mind and wisdom, and only in and through it do we first find knowledge. The new birth brings entrance with the working of His Holy Spirit to lead and guide us into His truth. He brings forth wisdom and understanding. His Spirit takes from His word and reveals this to us. He shows us the right word and the right way. Revelation is our ah-ha moment of awareness. 

Knowledge, wisdom, and understanding are all identified in Isaiah 11 as parts of the whole Spirit of God. The seven Spirits that stand in the book of Revelation before the throne of God are described as ‘burning lamps and seeing eyes’ (Revelation 4:5; 5:6).  

How do I know when I have found the wisdom of God?  James 3:13-17 gives us some guidelines of wisdom when it comes to relationships.  The word delineates wisdom that comes from God and wisdom that is just earthly, not spiritual, and occasionally even demonic. 

God's wisdom is first pure ~ free from selfish motives and jealousy. Then it is peaceable (as opposed to anxious and fearful), gentle (non-aggressive, pushy), open to reason (a willing and hearing ear), full of mercy (extended forgiveness)  and good fruits, impartial (thy will be done) and sincere, providing a harvest of righteousness.  

What to do? What to do? We begin with the fear of the Lord, which opens wisdom and understanding. We listen and watch daily at the gates and wait beside His doors until we know His heart and mind.  Then, we step out in bold confidence, acting on His wisdom to achieve His will.

The word of truth

He chose to give us birth through the ‘word of truth’  that we would be a kind of first fruits of His creation. 

 James 1:18 

For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me….John 17:8 

Sanctify them in Truth, Your word is truth ~ John 17: 17

Faith all begins here, through believing and receiving the bible as the infallible word of truth.  Without this, we have no foundation for our belief system.  Isn’t it interesting our scripture today paints a picture for us of first fruits being birthed through the word of truth?  

F. F. Bosworth writes in Christ the Healer, “ It is only by knowing that God promises what you are seeking that all uncertainty can be removed and a steadfast faith is made possible.”  I want to add believing to the knowing.   It is not only what we know, but what we believe and hold as truth.  It is this word of truth, this gospel, that makes faith possible, unlocking the power of God unto salvation.  

How do we know the truth?  Can we prove it?  It comes solely from our own personal faith’s choices and experiences. This is why when something doesn’t happen like we think it should we are tempted to change our belief system.  Yet we need to know on a spiritual level that our belief system, this trust we have in his word being the ultimate truth,  is constantly challenged. 

We are faced with two dynamics ~ God’s truth or Satan’s lies, “Has God really said, or God said it, and I believe it. 

With life and death set before us each day, the bible encourages us to choose life, Deut. 30:19-20, knowing our choice will either lead us into the blessing of the Lord or bring a curse (the disasters that occur when we choose wrongly).  The Message bible from verse 20 admonishes us to Love our God, listening obediently to him, firmly embracing him. 

This begins with the choice we make to firmly embrace God’s word.  Jesus revealed in John 8:44 the devil is a liar and the father of all lies.  He does not stand in truth because there is no truth in Him.   Our ability to hold a knowledge of the word gives us the ability to rightly discern truth from a lie, Hebrews 4:12.  Our believing of His words, gives us victory over every wile and strategy of the evil one. 

The bible assures us that God is not like man.  He does not lie. Numbers 23:19   In fact the bible says it is impossible for God to lie. Hebrews 6:18   God has decreed, “My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. Ps. 89:34.

It is the truth you know and believe that brings freedom to our lives. This reality creates the foundation of all we stand upon.  “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth shall set you free”.John 8:31.  Jesus’ own testimony was,      “I am …. Truth. John 14:6.

It is in Jesus, the word made flesh, that we continue our way into life through His truth.  As we read Jesus’ prayer from John 17, He declared in verse seventeen, ‘Your word is truth’.  Jesus and the Word are a divine union of absolute agreement. 

When we choose to believe God is not a liar and His word is truth we can find wisdom to lead us into and through our daily experiences.  

We were never created to live apart from Him, His Spirit, or His Word, but like Jesus, we are destined to find our union in Him in perfect harmony through the receptivity of the word of truth.  

The Spoken Word

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us….” 

John 1: 14 

We have seen how all things began in Genesis and John. I don’t want to be tedious, but as the NT admonishes, saying something again is never a bad thing; it is actually beneficial for our edification and growth. 

The word that came out of the mouth of God became Jesus Christ, the son of God, the son of man and this has become the principle of the power of the spoken word.  Hebrews 4:12 reminds us that this word is alive and powerful.  The word that goes forth from the mouth of God, God's word, when spoken, is powerful and will not return to him empty, but will accomplish what He desires and succeed in its purpose. Isaiah 55:1.

There is a principle of confession, but this does not give us the freedom to pick and choose the word we want established.  God is the creator of all things. He is the author of His creation.  He has written the story.  Now, we’re simply privileged to participate in the verbal expression of that story.  As Jesus was the express image of the Father, we have been left here on this earth to continue this work.  Everything is to flow from Him. 

Let’s consider what Jesus said from the following verses in John's Gospel ~

• Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing on My own, but speak exactly what the Father has taught Me.  John 8:28

• For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak.  John 12:49

Note from these two verses that Jesus expressed unity with the Father.  Throughout the gospels we can read the very heart and mind of God as it is expressed through His vessel.  The demand for the ‘son of man’ to be fully submitted, in perfect harmony, oneness that ‘if, like Jesus, you see me, you see the Father’ has set the standard for every believer.  

Jesus said, whatever you ask the Father in my name, that will I do.  This divine alignment, so that we can truly say our words are Jesus’ desire, is required for our words to be effective. Since Jesus is the spoken word of God made flesh, we know the place of our personal submission begins the creative processes of God within us. 

Not only do we see the miraculous occurring through the spoken word but we find the very purposes of God articulated as Jesus instructs (the sermon on the mount, parables, corrections, rebukes) and declares the ultimate end of His existence as the son of man. As the author and finisher, there is a beginning and an end to every purpose.  There is a time for everything under the sun.  There are boundaries set.  These words were all seeds sown by the Father, through Jesus, so that we might know the things that have been freely given to us, so we might see, learn, and receive and do. 

The demand to see, hear, and understand holds no shortcuts.  Another individual's revelation only becomes ours through the same processing that the first received it. Faith is never about what we know (head knowledge) but what we have seen, learned, and received from Him. That’s what shapes us and, in turn, shapes our world.  

The diligence required to practice this level of spiritual discipline can be a challenge in our daily lives, but we can never lose sight of God’s desire to speak and create through us. He does this so the word He speaks to us can be spoken through us and become abundant life for not just ourselves but others as well. 

Another Beginning

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.  The earth was without form and voice, and darkness was over the face of the deep.  And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said…..

Genesis 1:1-3

We saw last week another beginning from the Gospel of John 1:1-2, which read ~ 

In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. He was in the beginning with God.  

Our Scriptures today, found in Genesis, show us how all things created by God are created when God is present, His Spirit is hovering, and the word is spoken.  From John's gospel, we see the word is personified as ‘He’ with verse fourteen expounding that His word was made flesh.  We now see Jesus personified as the word of God. 

Jesus declares through his ministry, 

• I only do what I see my Father doing. John 5:19 

• For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak. John 12:49

This is the beginning of all creative work.  It is the way our Father-God works.  It is the way Jesus worked, and it is the way we are given to work.  

• Jesus did say, ‘I will build my church and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it’. Matthew 16:18,

• Psalm 127:1 reminds us that unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain.  

• Every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of all things,  Hebrews 3:4.   

I wonder why we often seem to lose sight of this as we put our hands to the work assigned.  We work with Him.  He is the master architect.  He holds the blueprint we work from.  And all creative work begins with God, the Spirit, and the Word being spoken.  The agreement between these three must always be present before creation can occur. 

Jesus engaged in ministry under the authority of the Father, full of the Holy Spirit.  From John 16:13-14 Jesus tells us the Holy Spirit does not speak on his own authority either, but whatever he hears, he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

In our lives, we don’t get to say ‘Holy Spirit’ without our words finding agreement with the written word.

Once again, as we see from the two beginnings recorded in Genesis and John, this place of absolute unity within the Godhead.  All things by Him, through Him, for Him, with the Spirit hovering, His word spoken, is the beginning of all His creative works. 

Whatever we have put our hands and voices towards, must find its origins in the same unity.  

It’s always an honest spiritual and mental exercise to look at the works of our hands, making sure our works and words are being done with him, holding His plan, with His spirit breathing upon them, standing on a solid foundation of His word confident that it withstands the gates of hell and the storms of life.

In the beginning

John 1:1...

'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men...
..14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.' 

In the following weeks, I want to once again lay the foundation for the necessity of the word of God being built within us.  

Using the first chapter of John's Gospel as our primary foundation, I will endeavour to present the viability and reliability of embracing the time-honored discipline of Bible reading. One which I trust you are already practicing and holding fast.  It is the preparatory way of God for our tomorrow. 

“Get a word, design it, capture everyone's attention so that he who reads may run with it,” encouraged me to begin this Good Word in 2004. Like all beginnings, clarity, and refinement came over the years.  This prophetic word, given to me in 1978, was built from Habakkuk 2:4.

I realize the foundation for ministry that I’ve built off of has always been on bringing forth His word and truth in a way that strengthens and encourages another’s personal development in God, an intentional conforming to the image of His dear son, Romans 8:29.  

My instruction to ‘Get a word’ was with the understanding that my Good Word was to be discovered and expounded from His, “without him was not anything made that was made”.   As a preacher and teacher, my life verse has been built on 2 Timothy 4:2 AMPC, both in practice, preaching and paper. 

Herald and preach the Word! Keep your sense of urgency [stand by, be at hand and ready], whether the opportunity seems to be favorable or unfavorable. [Whether it is convenient or inconvenient, whether it is welcome or unwelcome, you as a preacher of the Word are to show people in what way their lives are wrong.] And convince them, rebuking and correcting, warning and urging and encouraging them, being unflagging and inexhaustible in patience and teaching.. 

This word, of course, heightens an awareness of cultural issues the church is continually addressing.  Since culture tends to trump values, a generation that does not value the word within the church can only produce impotence.  As new and filled believers, the last instruction Jesus gave to his disciples was to proclaim the gospel. The challenge of remaining faithful to the words of God in the face of those who do not readily receive them does not excuse or eliminate the need for this word to be preached.  We are simply unable to grow up into Him in all things without feeding upon this bread of life.  His word must be preached.

This book, the Bible, contains God's whole counsel. Whether we understand or hold revelation about every piece it reveals is only a matter of personal growth in our understanding of God's nature and character. As a new believer, I was taught that good always looks good. Yet God's definition of good is not always mine. Where I do not understand his workings, where I hold no revelation regarding the specific word, I am not able to communicate His word accurately.  

I was taught to take my bible and read it until revelation came, then pray it until it was established within my heart, and then attend to it on a daily basis so it would define and shape my heart, mind, and choices!  ‘The word, still, becomes flesh.’

Holding a foundation of the word is essential to the life we are promised.  Psalm 119 rehearses over and over the value and necessity of holding fast to the word of God.  The book of Proverbs highlights the wisdom in keeping the word.  The building we do must be founded upon His instruction and revelation to sustain us from beginning to end. 

Selah.  

Revelation waits….

For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.” 

Habakkuk 2:3 (NIV)

I like the way the NIV uses the word revelation.  Contextually, our verse speaks of something that has been made known.  Habakkuk prophesies this revelation ‘speaks of the end.’ 

Hopefully, we’ve all started our journey with God with a word that has defined our purpose.  We hold a revelation, wisdom from the heart and mind of our Father.  I heard this word described one time as the ‘preview’ of life.  A snapshot of the beginning and the end,  with very little known about the in-between because there are a lot of choices to be made there. 

Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith, Heb. 12:2.  He who began a good work shall complete it. Phil 1:6.  He is the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end, Rev. 1:8. These are just a few verses to help establish our understanding of the processes of God.  The middle is obscure because choice, free will, is the one gift we have been given by God that we do rule over. The exercise of that gift influences both our life’s times and the Word’s fulfillment. 

I want to focus on the word ‘revelation’ in relation to our need to know and understand everything in the middle of our journey. 

We all have our own timetable.  It is the preferred structure of our lives and the nature of our society.   Yet the biblical principle for us as children of God is to be content in the time (the 24-hour portion of it) that we are in.  Could delay be the timing of the Lord?  He does not tarry.  He has a day for everything He has planned. He does watch over His word to perform it.  

As the author and creator of all things, created by him, and for Him that He might have preeminence in all things, He desires to be first in our lives as well.   Proverbs tells us wisdom was with Him at the beginning. Wisdom builds the house. Wisdom fills the rooms. It is from His mouth that wisdom flows. 

Revelation comes to those who seek and inquire and it comes when needed, but it comes on God’s timetable.  In His wisdom and goodness, He works to keep us from all harm.

Jesus said to his disciples, I have many things to say, but you can’t bear them now, John 16:12.   There must be a preparation and a strength of heart to carry certain revelation.  Things entered into and possessed out of God’s time can be hurtful to us.  

Jesus preached, ‘Be anxious for nothing,’ Sufficient is the day’s trouble.’  Trying to resolve tomorrow creates its own anxiety. Every day has its own issues to resolve, so seek His kingdom first, his righteousness (amplified classic adds; his way of doing and being right), and everything else is added to you….in the timing of God. 

Does personality excuse the negative aspects of behaviour?

 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 
1Cor 15:10 ESV

Often we neglect the entirety of this verse, where Paul emphasized, as the Amplified bible highlights, “his grace toward me was not found to be for nothing (fruitless and without effect).”

Today, we find a cultural norm saying, “That’s just who I am; deal with it.” A common catch phrase is, “Don’t judge me.”  Does personality excuse negative behaviour, or more perfectly, how do we righteously bring personality into the Kingdom of God?

The following information on personality has been taken from www.verywellmind.com by Kendra Cherry, MSED:

‘“Personality describes the unique patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviours that distinguish a person from others. A product of both biology and environment, it remains fairly consistent throughout life.

Examples of personality can be found in how we describe other people's traits. For instance, "She is generous, caring, and a bit of a perfectionist," or "They are loyal and protective of their friends.”

The word "personality" stems from the Latin word persona, which refers to a theatrical mask worn by performers to play roles or disguise their identities.

 Although there are many definitions of personality, most focus on the pattern of behaviours and characteristics that can help predict and explain a person's behaviour.

Explanations for personality can focus on a variety of influences, ranging from genetic effects to the role of the environment and experience in shaping an individual's personality.

Some theories describe how personalities are expressed, and others focus more on how personality develops.”’

Does the existence of personality remove me from a personal need to conform to His image? If, and I am, created by the grace of God, ‘fearfully and wonderfully made,’ Psalm 139:14-16; shouldn’t His workmanship (Eph. 2:10) then reflect His personality?  Paul went on to say that this grace was not to Him in vain.  The place where we believe and receive the grace of God is the place of growth and transformation into the image of His son. Growth is a process, and we never, ever diminish it, but growth requires a personal willingness to engage in change. 

“This is just who I am, deal with it,” can be a dangerous belief to hold.  There can, and should, be a recognition of who you are naturally, ‘try me o God. Search my heart and if ……lead me into right’, Ps 139:23-24 but our destiny is to be conformed into the image of His son, Romans 8:29.

Change is never possible without the recognition of a need to change, which requires our willing cooperation. He works, I yield. Knowing the Holy Spirit is given as a comfort and help to produce His fruit not only within but through us.  Gal 5:22  

This is the work of God. This is the working of grace, and like Paul, we work hard and cooperate with God, knowing it’s not me (self-effort) but the grace of God in me.  He is able.  He is willing.  I must believe and receive to bring forth a character and nature pleasing to Him.  

It is a daily desire, and one that aligns us to him to be able to say, like Jesus, He who has seen me, has seen the Father.  

Grace and peace to us all. 

Does rejection free you from responsibility?

Does rejection free you from responsibility? 

God is my witness how I yearn for you (all) with the affection of Christ Jesus.  Philippians 1:8 

The short answer is, ‘no.’  We want to think that once someone has hurt us in some way, the solution is to distance ourselves from that individual. While this may be necessary, if even for a short time, God is always looking at our heart, and with that in mind, our hearts can never ‘hate’ those who have wronged us, cp Jesus’ instructions from Matthew 5:43-48. 

We’ve all heard that ‘hurt people, hurt people.’  The pain they contain is the pain they pour out on others, and until those wounds are healed, the sore spots respond when touched. Any pain I don’t allow to righteously transform me, I transfer to others.’

We must always be careful about aligning ourselves to cultural norms and not holding Kingdom values.  God has a way to abundant life which can only be found as we submit to His divine order and obey His words. 

We come into the kingdom from varying experiences, requiring degrees of change and growth, but all with the one intent of growing up into Him, so that we may be found perfect, whole, with nothing broken, nothing missing.  Only by this can we accurately and righteously display His nature.  

The Spirit is willing, Jesus said, but the flesh is weak; pray so you don’t enter into temptation.  Temptation comes to every individual.  How easy it is to hold expectations of others that may or may not be righteous in the sight of God, but when they are not fulfilled, we consider duties failed.  Our responsibility is to align in agreement with Our Father's perception and understanding in the matter.  Prayer strengthens the heart and will.  

So I ask again, does rejection free us from responsibility?

We all have been taught to love ‘even as’ we have been loved’.  Jesus taught us to pray, ‘Forgive us as we forgive those who have sinned against us.’ Weymouth’s translation highlights forgiveness as ‘failed in duty’. 

Romans tells us to ‘owe no man anything but to love.’ Our duty then becomes keeping ourselves in the love of God towards one another.  The Apostle Paul gave us his example when he wrote, ‘The more I love, the less I am loved,’ 2 Cor. 12:15.  Though his love was not reciprocated, he was still willing to spend and be spent for another’s well-being.  

His motivation for prayer from Philippians 1 vs 8: “For God is my witness, how I yearn for you (all) with the affection of Christ Jesus” shows the strong foundation of his prayers for others.  

The ‘yearn’ looks and longs for restoration and reconciliation.  Not one of us can separate ourselves from a God-ordained relationship without first separation from God.  

Rejection in life comes to all of us.  We’ve all experienced the pain rejection brings, but as Christians, we keep our hope in God, refusing to allow others' actions to dictate our responses.  As we walk in the Spirit, we will not fulfill the lust of our flesh.  Our words will not divide or dishonour but the love we hold will cover a multitude of sins.  

How else could Jesus face the multitudes who cried ‘crucify him’ and offer so willingly his life for our redemption?  Only by holding a love that surpasses knowledge and being filled with the fullness of God.  

Help us Jesus!

More Hope

Through him  (our Lord Jesus Christ) we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

Romans 5:2 

Lest we think higher of ourselves than we should, we must hold one undeniable truth; I need God.  It is by Him and through Him that we claim our existence, acknowledging without Him, we can do nothing.  Thus, we come to this profound truth found in Romans chapter five of three intertwined absolutes - faith, grace, and hope.  

Let me remind you of the Discovery Bible Word Study Notes summary on the definition of hope ~ 

Hope (1680/elpís) is active, confident waiting as God's Word in us matures (consummates) "through love" (Gal 5:6).  Hope is the "interim" period that extends from the time faith is inbirthed by God to its expression through divine love.

Biblical hope (1680/elpís) carries  God-inwrought confidence that goes with His work of faith (Heb 11:1).  Obeying faith, in the process of hope, consummates into the active expression of God's love (cf. 1 Cor 13:13).

Hope runs on God's timetable, not ours.  God first births the persuasion of His will (desire) in the believer by His work of faith (Heb 11:1; cf. 1 Jn 5:4; cf. 2307/thélēma).  This may find immediate temporal fulfillment, but this active waiting can extend into the distant future (even heaven, Heb 11:39).

In these absolutes, we begin with faith.  Faith is our trust in God that brings us into His presence in a posture of agreement and receptivity.  

We find hope that rejoices in the glory of God and rests upon our ability to access His grace by faith.  You will notice Romans makes clear it is the grace we stand in.  

Faith takes us to grace. Hebrews 4:16 is our invitation to come boldly; Gr. 3954 paresis ~ freedom, openness especially in speech, boldness, denoting a freedom to speak openly and without fear. Strongs Lexicon. 

  It is His grace we are to stand in.  Again, Hebrews 4:16 tells us we are to find grace (discover, after searching) the grace to help in the time of need that God abundantly supplies. 

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work, 2 Cor 9:8.

  Grace is sufficient for anything and everything we find ourselves facing BECAUSE it is the enabling power of God to, and for, us.  There can be no true faith operating in me if we are not moving into grace.  I might be operating in control, but faith takes me into all that God has provided in Christ Jesus. There is a God, and it is not me. I am not capable of controlling my life. You and I must have our dependency upon God. It is faith that draws us in.  There, we look for and find His power and ability; we stand in that.  

 Rejoicing in hope in the glory of God gives us assurance that we have moved by faith into grace.  My confidence is not in myself but in the grace that enables me.  

The glory of God is seen not only by God’s character manifested on my behalf but also by my reflection of His character as I stand in His grace. 

Faith, grace, and hope ~ all in and from Him.  

Good Hope

“Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, comfort and strengthen your hearts your hearts in every good work and word.”

2 Thessalonians 2:16,17 NASB

Paul wrote to the Corinthian church that there are three foundations on which we build our life in Christ: faith, hope, and love.  The writer of Hebrews tells us faith is the substance of things hoped for.  The danger of not holding an active and living hope is the drifting that occurs, ultimately leading to a shipwreck.  So, our admonition is to continually guard this hope through the assurance of the Word God has promised.    

Paul wrote above that this good hope by grace gives us eternal comfort, that is, to comfort and strengthen our hearts unto every good work and word.  In other words, hope keeps us actively engaged in serving God and His purpose for our lives.  We know Proverbs 29:18: ‘Without a vision, the people cast off restraint.’  As we saw last week, hope is the anchor of our soul.  So, hope is also a restraint.   

The Discovery Bible Word Study Notes summarize the definition of hope ~

hope (1680/elpís) is active, confident waiting as God's Word in us matures (consummates) "through love" (Gal 5:6).  Hope is the "interim" period that extends from the time faith is inbirthed by God to its expression through divine love.

Biblical hope (1680/elpís) carries  God-inwrought confidence that goes with His work of faith (Heb 11:1).  Obeying faith, in the process of hope, consummates into the active expression of God's love (cf. 1 Cor 13:13).

Hope runs on God's timetable, not ours.  God first births the persuasion of His will (desire) in the believer by His work of faith (Heb 11:1; cf. 1 Jn 5:4; cf. 2307/thélēma).  This may find immediate temporal fulfillment, but this active waiting can extend into the distant future (even heaven, Heb 11:39).

Every generation faces its own pressure, its own cultural tribulation designed to discourage (dis.courage) and give its hope up.   Hope relinquished is work undone.

We learn from the church in Sardis in chapter three of Revelation the danger of incomplete works in the sight of God.  Their admonition was to wake up and strengthen what remained so that it did not die.  They were exhorted to remember what they had received and heard and to keep it. {(“keep intact") emphasizes the end-outcome ("preserving to the end"), successfully presenting at the end what was guarded.  5083 (tēreō) involves "active and strenuous care to preserve, not merely watching over" (WS, 565) which ensures the final state of safe-keeping.}

This good hope is to be a living Hope.  To be good and living demands feeding upon the promises of God and resting confidently in His love to keep hope alive.  A living hope is always about the Father's business.