Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart... 1 Peter 1:22

The Literal Greek reads ~ the souls of you having been purified by obedience to the truth unto brotherly love sincere out of (a) pure heart one another love.  The emphasis being "having been purified" and having been purified is accomplished by obedience to the truth.  

Our souls are made up of our mind, will, intellect and emotions. There is much work required to actually purify those realms and bring them into obedience to the truth.   

James 3 tells us the wisdom of the world is of the earth, it is natural or sensual and when we are simply led by anything other than the Spirit and the word we are operating out of a place that is simply natural. Could we say it is mental, emotional or willful?   When our soul is not governed, renewed or purified it can not be supernatural or spiritual. 

Jesus told his disciples they were washed by the words he had spoken, John 15.   You purify things that get defied or dirty.  The word Hebrews tells us it is the word that separates between soul and spirit.  It is the only safe dividing line we have.

How do I know if my thoughts or feelings are right? Only by measuring them according to the word.  Do they lead me into Christ or into self?  And there the rubber hits the road.  The will of man comes into play and choices are required. 

This verse shows us it is our obedience to the truth that leads us to a sincere brotherly love.  This word sincere is made up of two words meaning not the hypocrite. It describes sincere behaviour free of hidden agendas.  It is only by Holy Spirit working in our hearts giving us the grace to love that we can maintain pure souls and sincere love.   Jude tells us to keep ourselves in the love of God by praying in the Spirit.  So this too requires choices.  I must move into the spirit and receive the grace that enables me to think right and act right. I choose love and mercy over judgment and condemnation.   

The Father has many wonderful attributes, but God is love in it’s purest form. The fruit of love is seen in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8His love to us is worked in and through us that we might be patient and kind without envy and boasting.  Not insisting on our own way free from being irritated or resentful.  Rejoicing with the truth, bearing all things believing all things, hoping all things and enduring all things.  For this love never fails and this love according to 2 Corinthians 5:14 controls us or as the literally Greek implies grips tightly with a sense of constraint and enables us to “earnestly love from a pure heart”. 

Purified souls are washed and measured by our obedience to the truth for the purpose of holding ourselves in sincere love for the brethren. We are after pure souls and pure hearts.  We can evaluate heart and soul by the fruit we produce. 

For the joy that was set before him endured... Hebrews 12:2

In Context Hebrews 12:1-3 reads ~ Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured......so you don't grow weary or fainthearted....

For the joy set before Him Jesus endured.  There was a joy that was constantly before him.  It was this joy that strengthened him and drove Him to achieve the Fathers purpose.  Jesus saw the end.  He saw the prize, many redeemed.  

How could Jesus say, My yoke is easy and my burden is light, if there was not a joy before Him he was constantly seeing?  Hebrews tells us this man Jesus was anointed with the oil of joy.  If Jesus was, we can be too.  We know in His presence is fulness of joy and we are encouraged to live there.  We know joy is our strength.    

When we murmur and complain about what we "have to do" there is no joy.  Where there is no joy, there is not whole hearted devotion. We are to serve with joyfulness and gladness of heart.  We are to give willingly and cheerfully.  We might be obedient but are we willing?  Joy is always willing.  Joy doesn’t ‘have to’, it moves us to ‘want to’. 

Jesus does not consider his work burdensome. He didn't complain on earth, and I can't see him seated at the Fathers right hand fussing about praying for us.   People did not discourage him, nor did circumstances overwhelm him. The joy of knowing that His sacrifice would pave the way for our redemption and reconciliation was enough for Him to endure. 

As a matter of fact, Jesus says come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden.  Whats happening to us when our service to the Lord no longer holds any joy.  What are we considering?  What are we looking at?  

Pauls letter to the Philippians is filled with joy and thanksgiving for individuals, for their faith and their love.  His life is yielded for these people whom he loves and lives for.  He calls them his joy and his crown.  

The Message Bible reads ~ 

Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!

We don't want to just run our race, we want to run it with joy. We want to grow in our love for the brethren with a willingness to die daily for the well being of another.  We don’t want to wear out, burn out or give up.  We want to move from faith to faith, glory to glory, and strength to strength.  This can’t be done in our own power.  We want to finish our course with joy. We want to look forward to the crown that is laid up for us.  Just as Jesus made light of the disgrace of the cross and it’s humiliation, we too must must view our momentary light afflictions as nothing in order to finish our course with joy. 

There must be a joy set before us so we can endure.  Shoot some adrenaline to the soul.  

Thanks be unto God who always causes us to triumph in Christ. 2 Corinthians 2:14

Many times we get sucked into believing success means a life free from hardships.  In the church world large crowds, lots of money, prestige and notoriety speak to us of success YET this is not the standard by which God measures success.

Success is defined as the accomplishment of an aim or purpose and once we have achieved our purpose we can say we have succeeded. Since we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus there can be no “true” success apart from Christ. Created for good works which God has prepared before hand that we should walk in them; success must be considered through the lens of the works we have been created to achieve. There can be no triumph until we engage in His work and live through His victories.  He is the one that causes us to triumph.  Success is overcoming every obstacle we face in order to achieve the works He has left for us. 

When we find our identity in Christ, we discover our purpose. We see the works ordained for us.   Our beginning is in Christ.  He is the author and finisher of every aspect of our life.  We have nothing that has not first originated with the Father, discovered in Christ, birthed by the Holy Spirit, walked out and finished by us.  

Jesus on the cross declares, “it is finished”. Success in the eyes of God.   From Acts 27 we find Paul, a prisoner on a ship headed to Rome, in the midst of a storm with the ship sinking.  Success to Paul in the midst of this was to encourage the men to take heart because God said no life would be lost. In 2 Corinthians, Paul lists the hardships he has faced and to the Ephesian Elders, Paul affirms none of ‘these things’ move him.  Success to Paul was to be able to finish his race and the ministry he had received in the Lord.  In Philippians Paul measures success through his knowledge and conformation to Christ. 

What greater glory are we able to bring to the Father than a life that accomplishes all that it has been created for.  Don’t allow yourself to be sucked into the lie that says you are not succeeding.  As long as we stay connected to Christ ~ in Christ, we always triumph. We learn. We grow. We work. We conform. We overcome. 

Success is getting to the end knowing you have finished all the good works assigned to you and are still living vitally connected to Him.   Today we are strengthened with His might in our inner man to know, to be and to do and we give thanks to God because He always causes us to triumph in Christ. 

And these are the ones along the path where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. Mark 4:14 ESV

We all know this parable.  It is a parable about heart conditions.  The first place the word hits is ground along the path.  The path is the road I am on. Could we liken it to a mind set I hold?  If it is a path I tread frequently, it is packed down with my personal belief system.  This belief system has been influenced by the experiences I’ve had in life and more importantly, how I’ve responded to them.  This is why Proverbs 4 tells us to guard our hearts with all diligence for from it flow the issues of life.  Luke reminds us that it is out of the heart that all issues manifest.  What I look at, what I meditate on, moves from my head to my heart and develops a belief system.  

We are all tempted in some way with some circumstance, on a regular basis, to remove ourselves from our stedfast trust in God.  The most basic definition of faith is, simply believing.  I believe God. I believe what God has said over and above everything I see, feel, think or know. If God has said, our position- when in faith- must be ~ yes and Amen to His word. 

God’s word is a seed that must be sown and every seed produces after it’s own kind. God sows life, and that more abundantly.  Satan works the same way.  He just sows seeds that steal, kill and destroy.  

If Satan is a liar (and he is, John 8:44) and the Father of all lies, then what he works to sow are lies by challenging the truth of God’s word. Did God say?  If God said?  Jesus said, If we were His disciples- John 8:31- we would know the truth and the truth would set us free.  Jesus said He was the true vine and every branch that abides in Him is cleaned by His word. 

It is vital to our well being to know what the word says in order to bring every thought captive and keep the soil of our heart receptive to good seed being sown. 

This path does have the word sown on it.  It could receive the word with meekness- James 1:22- allowing it to be engrafted into its soil and bringing salvation to the soul. BUT the hardness of the soil, or heart, is so pre-conditioned that it must be worked upon until it will receive the word. 

How can I possibly change my head, change my heart? The only way I know that I have tried and proven is by attending to the word.  This book of the law shall not depart from you eyes, but you shall meditate upon it day and night to do all that is written in it, Joshua 1:8. 

Proverbs 4: 20 My son be attentive to my words, incline your ear to my saying, Let them not depart from your sight, keep them, within your heart, for they are life to those who find them and healing to all their flesh. 

Proverbs 3:1-2 My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments for length of days and year of life and peace they will add to you 

Proverbs 16:20 Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord (ESV) 

If we would spend the time needed to feed upon the bread of life, the peace that passes all understanding, we would enter into the rest of God.  For the light that comes from His word is the same light that dispels darkness.  It is the same light that illuminates our steps and orders our way. It strengths our heart with grace and we are able to face the circumstance for the day ~ standing still and seeing the salvation of God at work.  

He does keep us and His grace is sufficient for this day. 

Work on the hard places in your heart and allow the Holy Spirit to turn that hardened path into a pathway of life that accesses the blessings and goodness of God. 

The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hands. John 3:35

From the New Testament, we find exceeding great and precious promises that have been given to us to know, to believe and then walk in.  Todays scripture is such a word. 

The Father loves the Son and has given all things in his hands.  

Jesus in John chapter 17 says, “I have given them the glory you gave them so they may be one as we are one... and that the world will know you love them as much as you love me.”   From Matthews gospel we know the authority given to Jesus has been committed to His disciples for the purpose of extending His Kingdom and doing His work. This is a finished work.  All things have been given into His hands.  

 From Ephesians we understand that Christ is the head of his body the church. “..seatedwith him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and above every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.“ Ephesians 1:20-23

 His body operates in His authority on earth.  We as members of His Body, (his hands, His feet) to bring His government and extend His rule here and now on earth as it is in Heaven. 

 The Father loves the son and not only has he given all things into his hands, He (the Father) shows him (the Son) what he is doing.  John 5:20 

2 Peter 1:3 tells us his divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness... Jesus’ own testimony is that He has come to give life and life more abundantly.  What do we have that has not been given to us to do the greater works required in service to our Lord and King? 

Jesus has (past tense) destroyed the power of the devil in every area of life - spirit, soul and body. Telling his disciples in Luke’s gospel, chapter ten, that their ability to cast out devils was just a tool, a resource to do the greater works of salvation in others, the cause for all true rejoicing.  Living with the awareness that we are the embodiment of Christ’s authority today will direct the kind of action we take in all situations.   Christ in us, the hope of glory for the purpose of exercising His government on this earth in our lives and for others.  

A side thought ~ Authority carries responsibility and must be exercised through and by the love of God.  Without the motivation of love in all we do there can be no true righteousness in the act.  

And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? Matthew 14:31 KJV

The NLT reads, “why did you doubt me”. 

Doubt from Strong's #1365 distazo means to stand in two ways ( dis” double” stasis “a standing”) implying uncertainty which way to take. It is used in Matthew 14:31 and again in Matthew 28:17 of believers whose faith is small. 

I’ve been writing about endurance lately and this scripture addresses the moments that we are beginning to shift in our position while we wait.  The Gospel of Matthew describes Peter as “beginning to sink”.  How do you begin to sink?  I think it is the expression of beginning to shift our position of absolute confidence in God to reasoning in our circumstances. The Book of James calls it a “double minded man”.  When Peter saw, he began to sink.  

The only way we are not moved, not double minded and unstable in all our ways, is to continually feed upon the promise God has given. We do not allow them to depart from our sight.  We meditate on them day and night.  They must be the daily bread we feed on as we wait upon God. Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. 

 In Luke chapter one, Gabriel is sent from the presence of God to speak and preach to Zechariah about the son he will have in answer to his prayer.  Luke describes Zechariah as a righteous man and blameless, yet he asks Gabriel to prove this word.   Gabriel strikes him dumb UNTIL the day these thing take place because he did not believe the words “which shall be fulfilled in their time.”   In contrast, we find Mary who was blessed because she believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.  

The word God sends out always accomplishes its purpose. It has it’s own timetable for fulfillment.  There are many words we send out but God’s word never fails. God watches over HIS word to perform it.  Has he not said it and will he not do it?  God can’t lie.  It is impossible for God to lie.  Let us remember the word must be spoken to us before it can be spoken through us. The bible is not a wish book.  We don’t randomly choose scriptures that feed our personal desires and just begin confessing them.  We take the time to allow the Holy Spirit to make the written word (logos) our spoken word (Rhema) and that word never fails. 

When God speaks our job is to simply agree and then continually feed upon His promise as we wait for the word to be fulfilled in its time. 

There shall be a fulfillment of those things promised. 

Don’t give up.

8 Those who pay regard to false, useless, and worthless idols forsake their own [Source of] mercy and loving-kindness. Jonah 2:8 Amplified Translation.

From the JFB Commentary ~ (see footnote)

“ ‘Jehovah, the very idea of whom is identified now in Jonah’s mind with mercy and loving-kindness. As the Psalmist (Ps 144:2) styles Him, “my goodness”; God who is to me all beneficence. Compare Ps 59:17, “the God of my mercy,” literally, “my kindness-God.” Jonah had “forsaken His own mercy,” God, to flee to heathen lands where “lying vanities” (idols) were worshipped. But now, taught by his own preservation in conscious life in the fish’s belly, and by the inability of the mariners idols to lull the storm (Jon 1:5), estrangement from God seems estrangement from his own happiness (Je 2:13; 17:13). Prayer has been restrained in Jonah’s case, so that he was “fast asleep” in the midst of danger, heretofore; but now prayer is the sure sign of his return to God."

Internal pressures demand submission to God for abundant life to manifest.  Internal pressures demand external choices.  The individual who has learned to seek God doesn’t escape the pressure, he just knows where to run. Jesus himself said the narrow gate is the one to take and the way is hard or pressing BUT it’s path leads to life.  It’s in the press where we are tempted to follow an easier way.  Its in the press we want to move to self preservation.  Choices must be made.  Pay attention to lying vanities and forsake the source of our mercy and loving kindness or run to God and rest in it. 

Jonah’s choice came as he was moved by what he knew about the Ninevites.  These were brutal and cruel people. I don’t think I can blame Jonah for not wanting to go into this ‘camp” and call for repentance.  Yet God had a plan and out of Jonah’s own mouth, 4:2, he declares, “O Lord, is not this just what I said when I was still in my country? That is why I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that You are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness, and [when sinners turn to You and meet Your conditions] You revoke the [sentence of] evil against them.”

Gods very nature and heart are revealed to us in the conclusion of Jonah’s story in chapter 4 verse10.  This one verse shows us again the goodness, mercy and lovingkindness of our Father.  And the Lord said, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. 11 And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?”   Mercy exalted over judgment. 

God never changes.  He is good and His mercy endures forever.  When we heed ‘lying vanities’, circumstances of our lives which scream louder than God’s goodness, we forsake the mercy that God extends to us.  Jonah took the wide path, the easy road, and learned through some tough circumstances salvation is of the Lord but he did learn his lesson; “When my life was fainting away, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple. Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love. But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the Lord!”   Jonah 2:7.

He is the Father of all mercies and the God of all comfort. Jude reminds us to keep ourselves in the love of God looking (KJV) for the mercy, (ESV ~  waiting for the mercy) of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.

Footnote 1 ~  Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 1, p. 685). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

I would have fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of God in the land of the living. Psalm 27:13

It’s a wile of the devil to move us away from seeing that God is always, only, good to us.  There is the Hebrew word in the OT “Checed” which is rich is its description of God’s goodness.  ‘For the Lord is good and His “checed” endures forever’ is the declaration in Psalm 136, not just once but twenty six times.  

Our ability to not just mentally assent to this truth but live in the reality of it is foundational to our growth and development as His child.   If we do not fundamentally believe that God will be good to us INDEPENDENT of our performance we do not have strength in our foundation.  Our foundation with Him must rest upon knowing, believing and seeing that He is good and He is good to us because of the intense love He has for us.   

It is vital to our relationship that this truth is our grounding in all things.  So much so that Jesus’ great prayer from John chapter 17:26 “ I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them, was essential for every disciple to possess. 

Jesus came as the express image of God manifesting the very heart of our Father.  He went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil. (Acts 10:38) Jesus corrected religion, tradition, doubt, unbelief, confusion, fear, every condition of man that affected his well being and wholeness in order that they might have life and have it more abundantly all because of the goodness of God.  

Checed means loving kindness, acts of kindness, steadfast love, grace, mercy, faithfulness, goodness, devotion.  It is used 248 times in the OT.  The word carries three main ideas and they always interact.  They are strength, steadfastness and love.  One alone does not carry the full implication of Checed.  God in his love moves towards us in his acts of kindness with strength, goodness, mercy, grace, whatever we need to help.  He is stedfast in his faithfulness to us because He is absolutely devoted to our care and well being.  He is not willing for any to perish.  He takes pleasure in those who hope in his stedfast love.- Checed -Ps. 147.11.

There are four occasions in the OT where the testimony of Gods nature is goodness and they are found in Exodus 34:6; Nehemiah 9:17;Psalm 103:8; Jonah 4:2.  Our God is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in stedfast love and faithfulness.

Our verse today reminds us when we lose sight of the truth that God is only good, always good, we do lose heart, faint and ultimately give in to the temptation to doubt God.  We stop trying.  We do not engage in the battle. This is exactly where the devil wants us; doubting God and removed from our place of fellowship with Him, which then leaves us vulnerable and capable of being devoured. God is our refuge, a very present help in time of need.  

Again, there is one thing that God requires from us and that is to come to Him believing that He is good and He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.  We must believe God is good not just in theory but good to us personally. 

Let’s not allow circumstances of life to define who God is to us, but let us be those who choose to believe He is good.  He is at work on our behalf.  He is a very present help in time of need.  

For the Lord is good and His “checed” endures forever.

“For godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death” 2 Cor. 7:10 KJV

In working through my own personal issues, I hear the Holy Spirit say to me “never feel bad about growth - never regret seeing or hearing truth”.  These are to be celebrated, never regretted.  For they work repentance in our heart and lead to growth and increase within.  We see this in our scripture today.  Godly sorrow leads us to a place of repentance, when truth is revealed and that to salvation.  

We all have limitations.  We all have those places God is not done conforming us to His image.  I’m sure this is a lifetimes work, continuing until we finally see Him as He is.   

Elihu, from Job’s story in chapter 36 beginning in verse eight, tells Job that if one of us is bound in chains and caught in the cords of affliction, that God declares our work and our transgressions to us, that we are behaving arrogantly.  He, God, opens our ears to instruction and commands that we return from iniquity.  If we listen and serve him, we complete our days in prosperity and our years in pleasantness.  If not, we perish by the sword and die without knowledge.

Over and over, we find from the word of God, the place trouble in our life enters is through a separation between us and God.  Jesus bore our iniquity that we might become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.  Jesus bore the nature in every one of us that turns our hearts rom God and His commands. Isaiah 53 calls this iniquity. Jesus bore “every one turning to his own way” that we might be united with him and walk in His righteousness.  

Being one with God is a sure foundation.  It doesn’t promise us an easy path, but it does assure us that we are with Him and He is working, leading and guiding us through all.  Our ears hear and our hearts obey.  Consider it the divine tweaking keeping us on the straight and narrow.

Paul said godly sorrow works salvation, defined from the Greek as a savior, deliverer. Safety, deliverance, preservation from danger or destruction.  That’s a good thing.  
That’s the love of the Father, for what Father is there that does not discipline the child he loves.  Remember Hebrews 12 admonition; shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live, knowing He works all things together for our good.  

Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his presence continually. 1 Chronicles 16:11

1 Chronicles 16 is recorded as King Davids Song of Thanks after they had brought the ark of God back to Jerusalem and set it inside the tent David had pitched for it and had offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before God.  David’s sole purpose is found in chapter 13 verse 3: “Then let us bring again the ark of our God to us, for we did not seek it in the days of Saul.”

The ark was the place the presence of God rested. “There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel.”  Exodus 25:22.  

After King Sauls disobedience, we find the Lord seeking a man after his own heart. 1 Samuel 13:14.   In Acts 13:22 we read;  “And when he had removed him (Saul), he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’  Davids own testimony from the Psalm 27:8reads, “You have said, seek my face. My heart says to you,“Your face, LORD, do I seek.”

Once again, we find seeking God is all about the heart of man and our personal spiritual growth process.  The more we grow in God the more we find it is Him that we inquire for and require as our vital need.  Eventually we come to understand that our strength is in Him.

To seek His face is not the same thing as approaching him on a basis of need.  Seeking His face speaks of knowing Him, his ways, his thoughts.  Isaiah tells us his ways and thoughts are above ours, but it does not say we can’t know them.  The New testament tells us this new covenant that we enter into through Jesus Christ is one that gives to us the fullness of God himself.   Knowing him, knowing his will, having his understanding, are our just some of the things we inherit as his children.  

The Apostle Paul’s prayers are filled with the desire for the saints to know and understand the Father.  What do we need for this day that can’t not be found in Him?
Isaiah reminds us as we wait upon the Lord there is a divine exchange .We are renewed, we are refreshed, we are strengthened with might by His Spirit in our inner man.  We are filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.  The Spirit shows us things to come so we are prepared for the day. Grace abounds.  Mercy is not restrained. Favour flows.  Light dispels darkness.  The joy is unspeakable and peace mounts guard over our hearts and minds.

Oh Taste and see that the Lord is good.  

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places....Ephesians 1:3

In the midst of our enduring we can either keep our focus on Him or our focus on our circumstances.  If we keep our focus on Him, we see over and over again the goodness of God to us.  We remember His love and mercy is given daily to us.  Grace abounds and Ephesians reminds us we have been blessed in Christ with every spiritual blessing. We have been blessed in the beloved.

When we focus on the Lord, we are choosing to exalt Him. To magnify Him means make Him bigger than what we are facing.  Worship is the key to all overcoming.  This verse in Ephesians is a word of praise rehearsing the fullness of the blessing we have from our Father in Christ.  Since the Father seeks worshipers and we are a royal priesthood to show forth the praises of Him who has (past tense) called us out of darkness and into His Kingdom, this is a good place to start in not forgetting His benefits in a season of endurance.  

Ephesians goes on to tell us the first blessing is adoption. Our hearts cry Abba Father.  What Father withholds life from His child?  He has chosen us to be His very own, sealed with His promised Holy Spirit.  All that He has, has been given to us through His son, Jesus Christ.  A spiritual blessing that alters our daily reality.

 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us in all wisdom and insight  making known to us the mystery of his will. Redemption, forgiveness, abundant rich grace lavished on us, wisdom and insight into His will are all spiritual blessings that alter our daily realties.

As His child, we truly lack for no good thing because of the blessing we have been given in the beloved.  All of heaven stands at attention to serve the Fathers commands.  The Father waits on the one who simply chooses to believe and trust Him.  

Just remember - have been blessed.  
Keep your eyes on what you do have right now and not what you don’t.  
The pool of your natural resources are found in Christ’s spiritual blessings in the heavenlies.

My son do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves and chastises every son whom he receives. Hebrews 12: 5-6

I’ve been writing recently about discipline and what we learn as we wait on the Lord.  The waiting process does reveal all of our heart ~ good and bad.  

Our verse this week addresses us as children that God has received. It assures us all God’s dealings with us are ALWAYS done because He loves us. He is UNWILLING for any of us to perish in any way.  Yet as in any child’s growth process, there is a tendency to ignore or minimize what the Father is saying or simply be weary of hearing it said over and over again.  

Where does our weariness come from when reproved by Him?  Can it be that correctionspeaks of His rejection of us? Do we feel that God is disappointed with us? Do we think correction is disapproval of us?  Does it make us angry and sulky?

We have two admonitions in the verses above.  The first is to not make light of the discipline. In other words, don’t blow it off.  The second is not to be weary when we are reproved by him. Both of which occur when we do not have a right mindset about our Fathers motivation and purpose for correction.  

We have earthly Fathers who disciplined us as it seemed best to them and we respected them.  Many of us suffered unrighteously from what “seemed best to them” and that ‘correction’ often did carry rejection. To unlearn this and to allow the revelation enter into our heart that ‘God is good and only does good’ is huge. The end goal is to submit to the Father of our Spirit and live. To achieve this we might need to change our perception about correction and develop deeper depths of fellowship with our heavenly Father.  

Reproofs of instruction, Proverbs tells us, are the way of life.  We are reminded from James to receive instruction with meekness.  Jesus says, He who has an ear let him hear what the spirit is saying.  Above all, we must remember The Lord loves the ones He disciplines.  Earthly fathers did what seemed best, but our Heavenly Father does exactly what is best for us.  

All correction is to keep us on His path of life so that we are able to fully enjoy life as He has it.  Our admonition is not to regard it lightly nor be weary when reproved but remember love and life are with it. 

Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not turn to the proud to those who go astray after a lie. Psalm 40.4

The danger I’ve found in the endurance and discipline test is the mind games we play as we wait on God.  Psalm 40 is King David’s song about his help and his deliverer.

I said last week that the greatest revealer of our trust level is our ability to praise him in the midst of our troubles - our worries - our fears.  David remembers and rehearses the care of the Lord towards him. 

He waited patiently for the Lord.  The Lord was inclined to him and heard his cry.  Through out the OT we have record after record of the children of Israel crying out to the Lord and him responding to their call for help. Davids Psalm is filled with acknowledging and remembering God’s goodness.  

Hebrews 13: reminds us that the Lord is our ‘help’. This Greek word is Boetheia which is from two words meaning; I cry out and he runs in response to that cry.  He is our helper.  We are not to fear our circumstances, we are to fear the Lord; and with reference to our verse today, we are not to turn to those who go astray after a lie.  It is always pride that leads astray. 

Pride is best defined as “I will ascend” my thoughts, feelings, choices, above God’s will.  Isaiah 44:20 says a deluded heart leads us astray and then we are not able to deliver ourselves or say “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”  The greatest danger of disobedience is the ultimate pride that settles in without us even recognizing it.

We are not to turn astray after a lie.  The danger of any long term condition in our life is the potential to adapt to it.  Psalm 78 reminds us as the children of Israel endured 40 years in the wilderness they tested God . They did not believe in God nor trust his saving power. We are instructed NOT to conform to this world but to be transformed by renewing our minds to what God has said.  

The world would have us adapt to it’s system of manna, it’s medical system, it’s parenting system, it’s family system etc. It’s take great determination to move away from a world system and it’s belief to trust solely in God’s promises and the longer we stand the greater the pressure to take the easy way out.  With the pride of man, the exaltation of our will to be our own saviour and deliverer, we find the lie we embrace leads us astray.

It’s is the redemptive act of Jesus that heals us from going our own way.

It is humility that moves us to the throne of Grace where mercy is handed out and help comes.

It is the Spirit of Truth that works to hold us in the light of the world to illuminate our hearts and minds and it is His grace that enables us to stand firm and resolute one more day as we wait upon the Lord.

Count it all joy my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds... James 1: 2-4

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.  James 1: 2-4

We’ve seen from Hebrews “it is for discipline (training) that we endure”. Jesus tells us if we endure to the end we shall be saved (experience not just heavenly salvation, but wholeness) and now, here in James, we find the ultimate goal of all trials of all kinds are that we might be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

Again, we are being groomed to conform to the image of His son. All circumstances we face are to work in us to produce the character of Christ. My heart responds and reflects what I am lacking and the circumstance is designed to move me to “perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”

James says, Count it all joy. Paul affirms in Romans, we rejoice in our suffering. How can we do that unless we understand and believe there is something in all of the events that is working for my good. Even though I might not see it, I must believe it. This is the ultimate expression of trust - in everything give thanks.

From the NLT in Romans 5 Paul writes ~ We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

To move from a place of frustration and despair in the midst of adversity requires a focused mind and heart on the purposes God is working in our lives. Sometimes the pressure is so great we can lose sight of the Fathers heart and care for us, yet God is not a man and he does not respond like man and we must stop trying to personify God.

Ps 8:14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne. Steadfast love and faithfulness go before Him. He sits on a throne of grace, where we are told to come to find mercy and receive grace to help in time of our need. He is faithful to walk us through, showing us the way of escape. Thus, we count it all joy when we meet up with trials.

Are we saying that God sends the temptations? Nope, we are saying He works in them and all the workings of God are good ~ so, Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

But the one who endures to the end will be saved. Matthew 24:13 ESV

Jesus’ promise for our endurance is salvation.  Salvation is not just making heaven but is promised wholeness at the end of the trials we’ve faced. We saw from the book of Hebrews 12:7 it was for discipline that we had to endure.  Discipline is about training.  Every situation in life we find ourselves in works in us to produce a greater level of Christ like character with the ultimate goal to love others as He has loved us.  

We have been predestined as His children to conform to the image of His son. Until we learned our lesson, training continues. None of us have arrived to the perfect son but we do strive for that standard where we are able express nothing less than His character in all circumstances.  

Paul wrote that in all situations God is at work in us and he works all things together for our good. In these two scriptures lie His supernatural hand working to conform us into His image.  

John chapter 15 tells us that Jesus is the vine and His Father is the husbandman.  The caretaker, the one who works with the vines and branches (which we are).  These branches are trained to grow in a certain direction.  Pruned when needed and removed when they are no longer bearing fruit for His purpose.  Welcoming and scary thoughts at the same time. 

While we come to know our Father as the one who cares for us we are willing to be submitted to the Father of our Spirits and live.  When we continually resist or refuse the training process there is the danger of being removed.  Its the age old argument, are we eternally secure?  Are we once saved, always saved?  I don’t suppose its a question for those of us who are always moving towards confirmation and adoption as sons.  

Suffice to say, in the situations of life, we must endure until the end to find His wholeness manifested in us. We are NOT enduring if there is no patience.  We are NOT enduring where there is anxiety, worry and fear.  We are NOT enduring when there is no rest in God.  We can only properly endure unto salvation as we stay vitally connected to him.  Disconnected we are fruitless in every area of our life. 

There are without a doubt many training lessons we must endure, but the overall goal we must come to terms with is seen in Jesus.  From 1 Peter 2:22-23, He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.  When he was reviled, he did not revile in return, when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting Himself to him who judges righteously.  

Count it all joy when you find yourself tempted and remember we’ve not yet resisted to the shedding of blood.  Learn the lesson. Endure to the end.  Develop the character that expresses Christ and find the wholeness in life God has designed for every son and daughter.  

It is for discipline you must endure...... Hebrews 12:7

In English, discipline is understood as the practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behavior.  

The Greek word From Vines Expository Dictionary discipline as paideuo (παιδεύω, 3811) primarily denotes “to train children,” suggesting the broad idea of education (pais, “a child

), Acts 7:22; 22:3; see also Titus 2:12, “instructing” (rv), here of a training gracious and firm; grace, which brings salvation, employs means to give us full possession of it, hence, “to chastise,” this being part of the training, whether (a) by correcting with words, reproving, and admonishing....

Thus Hebrews 12 goes on to say our heavenly Father does it for our good.  

Romans 8 reminds us that for those who love the Lord, all things work together for our good and the Spirit helps us in our weaknesses, grace abounding,    

It is for discipline we must endure circumstances. We wait upon the Lord to show us the way of escape because we are able to bear up under whatever we face by His grace and faithfulness.  For when we are weak, then He is strong.  ‘His grace is sufficient’ is a life’s lesson we learn through our endurance. 

We all usually start our lessons well, in a place of trusting God to work, but seem to cave in when the race turns into a long haul; when endurance itself becomes the test.  

All testing reveals the heart of man.  The dross comes to the surface and needs to be removed in order for a vessel to be fitted for the masters use.  Yet, I think, we all resist- and many times- resent the process, but James tells us that patience must have it’s perfect work for us to be complete and lacking nothing.  It is for discipline that we must endure.  

If discipline is about training, and endurance is about discipline, then the question must be asked ~ what am I learning while I endure?  In every circumstance we must learn and relearn that we are not our own saviour.  We cannot be our own God.  Our hope and trust must remain firmly fixed in Him and this can all be judged by our expression of praise and thanksgiving....count it all joy. 

If we consider Job, like James 5:11 instructs us to do, we see that Job learned a few things through the troubles he faced. In lack, in sickness, in family, in friends, Job suffered and had no understanding of why this was happening or why God was not seemingly intervening on his behalf.  Aren’t these the very questions we ask today through the long haul? 

Aren’t we often all like Job? Frustrated with the waiting, wondering why God isn’t working and why something is taking so long?  God’s response is still the same to all and I’m thankful Job was recorded for every one to have the ability to be instructed.

Job 38 begins with God asking “ Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words.  Gird up your loins for I have some questions for you and you must answer them.”  This question reminds me of 1 Peter 5:5 where it says God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.  The word resist there means that God arrays himself in military like fashion and stands against the proud.  Gird up your loins, would say to me, God is withstanding Job.  How do you contend with the almighty and win?

  Beginning with chapter 40 He asks again, Do you still want to argue with the Almighty? You are God’s critic, but do you have the answers.  Job, is beginning to see the reality of his words and answers, I am nothing, how could I ever find the answers?  I will cover my mouth with my hand.  I have said too much already.  I have nothing more to say.”  God, continues,  “Gird up your loins because I have some questions for you and you must answer them.”  

Finally in chapter 42 we see Job’s revelation and reply to the Lord.

“I know that you can do anything and no one can stop you.  I was talking about things I knew nothing about, things too wonderful for me.  I take back everything I said and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.”

James reminds us that a double minded man is unstable in all his ways, let not that man think he will receive anything of the Lord.  Do we lack wisdom?  We are instructed to ask the Lord, not question His purposes or works.  

If we “learn” to stay vitally united to him, there is the joy and peace that comes because we trust Him.  We believe He is working and know He will show the way through andthe end of the matter is as Job found and James 5:11 tells us, the Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

We must find ourselves willingly submitted to the Father of Spirits to live.  Even in our lack of understanding, our questions should never be about His righteousness, justice, faithfulness or love for our hope must be kept in Him.

It is for discipline we must endure.  

There is something to learn.

For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world 1 John 2:16 ESV

This thought begins with verse 15, to love not the world nor the things in the world. Not an easy thing to do when you live in the world.  The force of worldly love is strong enough to pull you from ‘of the world’ to ‘in it’.  The only thing I know of that holds this in check is the awareness that this is not our final destination.  Hebrews 13:14 reminds us that this world is not our permanent home but we are looking forward to a home yet to come.  This is our hope, thus, we do not fashion ourselves after worldly elements. 

The word ‘love’ in our verse is the greek word agape which means a self sacrificing, lay your life down for another, kind of love.  The only place this agape comes from is theFather, given to us by the Holy Spirit.  This love ensures us that we have passed from death, the dominion of sin, and have been translated into His Kingdom where we are to experience and enjoy life. We love Him because He first loves us.  

How is it then that we can take the love He gives us and pour it out on things that do not profit?  How can we spend and be spent on something that has eyes that do not see and ears that do not hear and have absolutely no power to save, heal or deliver?

When we invest ourselves into the culture and the thinking of this world we are transformed into images the world can relate to, understand and approve.  Yet the Bible tells us clearly we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.  We are to be “re-newed” in the spirit of our mind. 

Paul wrote in 2 Cor. 11:3 that he was concerned the church would be deceived by the same cunning strategy Satan used on Eve which would then lead them astray from the sincere and pure devotion to Christ.  Jesus prayed from John 17 that while we were in the world we were kept from the evil one.  

There is no denying the pull that is in the world through these three things, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, yet all these are heart issues that can be kept under through the attachment we maintain living and abiding in HIM.  

Deception occurs when we continue to look at something long enough to change our mind about it.  Im hearing the Holy Spirit saying ~ Stop looking at the tree.  I understand this to simply mean, the things that would lead us away from our devotion to Christ must not be considered.  It was as Eve considered the tree, that she was able to agree.  The tree was good for food, pleasing to the eye and it could make you wise and she took the bait that hide the hook.  God didn’t say the tree wasn’t desirable, he simply said don’t eat from it.  

God doesn’t deny the reality of what the world seems to offer, He just says it’s not our fountain of life.  It is not our well of salvation.  

I’m assured that Jesus is coming again for His church, and that church is without spot, wrinkle and blemish.  Let us not be deceived into thinking His church is less than what His blood has purchased.  Pure, holy set apart for the Masters use.  In the world, not of it.  In the world, not defined by it. In the world, not adapting to it. 

For this purpose was the son of God manifest.... 1 John 3:8

Purpose is defined as ‘the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists”. There is a powerful truth in the statement ‘we misuse a thing when we don’t understand it’s purpose.’

From the book of Hebrews, we find that Jesus had a body prepared for Him for His purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.  We find from Acts 10:38, Jesus went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed by the devil. His life was offered as a sacrifice on the cross to redeem mankind.  

Understanding the Lord’s purpose for life is essential for a fulfilled life.  We are created with purpose by the very hand of God.  We are his workmanship created for good works which God prepared for us before we were ever born. The bible says we are fearfully and wonderfully made, and that for His purpose.  

Paul on the road to Damascus, meets Jesus and finds himself asking the question, who are you and what must I do?  With eternity created in man, we all seek to answer this very question.

 From Ben Campbell Johnson’s paraphrase on the book of Romans we read Paul’s purpose. “I am Paul, a loyal follower of Jesus Christ.  I havebeen given a special commission to speak God’s good news, so I center my life around it.   

If we look at the life of John the Baptist we see John confident in purpose - I baptize you with water unto repentance.  He understands his set boundaries; there is one coming who is greater than I.  He must increase, I must decrease. This did not diminish John, rather it defined him.  

We are destined to find our ultimate fulfillment in achieving the very purpose of our unique creation.  When we try to duplicate others the fruit is conflict. When we compare ourselves to others the fruit is frustration.  Our expression is only clarified through intimacy with the Father.  

Do not confuse purpose with methods.  Methods change, but our purpose is constant. By living in union with God, we experience wholeness of life and fulfillment giving ourselves to the very purpose of our creation. 

Jesus answered, Hear O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Mark 12:29

If I were to ask you, what did Jesus say was the most important commandment, you would probably quote verse 30,..”and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” and while loving God and loving your neighbor is absolutely our command, Jesus began by telling us the Lord our God is one. This phrase is unique to Marks gospel in the New Testament. 

The profound truth of being able to love is found in the oneness we have with the Godhead. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. It is the very love of God that is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit that enables us to love ‘even as’. Could we say the very word ‘love’ is the personification of Jesus? 

In the beginning, we observe the unique workings of each person of the Godhead but still unanimous in purpose. We find the body of Christ, unique in graces and parts, but one in purpose.  Psalm 133 tells us from this place of unity, God commands His blessing of life evermore. The Fathers heart and motivation is love and he achieves His purposes through the union He has with the son, the Holy Spirit and the body of Christ.  

We find Jesus praying in John 17 for the oneness he has with the Father to be known and shared by us. Verse 23,  “I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me”.   It is in this oneness that the world knows and perceives the love of God.  

In John 15, Jesus tells his disciples that we are to remain vitally united to the vine.  Apart from this vine we are not able, not capable, of doing anything from a place of oneness with them. Consequently we are unable to offer anything more than our own human efforts.   

Our Father reminds us that divorce can only occur within a hard heart and that it is a violent act, covering ones garments with blood.  Mark 10:5; Malachi 2:16.  His cry is for us as His children is to abide in Him and His word to abide in us.  This is to be our standard and our guide for life.  We measure our lives, our hearts, by the willingness we have to submit to the Fathers ways and word.  

Our New Testament admonition is for His body to be of one accord.  Nothing done through strife or selfish ambitions, but in love esteeming one another higher than self.

I read from Brother Lawrence in Practicing His Presence, that Brother Lawerence practiced living as if each individual was Jesus and asked himself the question, would I do this if this was Jesus?  Would I say this, if this was Jesus?     

We are growing.  We are conforming. It does take time.  We do have to practice.  We will make mistakes but how gracious He is, as we lean into Him, to reveal Himself to us and make His ways known that we might be perfectly one.

But he answered, “It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4 ESV

There are two words from the Greek translated as WORD: logos and rhema.  Simply stated, logos is the written word of God. It’s alive with potential waiting to be released.  Rhema is the spoken word; often it’s a portion of the written Word of God as it comes alive in our hearts. We live, or possess the ‘Zoë’ life of God as we feed on the rhema from God’s mouth.  

Today, if you hear his voice, harden not your hearts is the admonition of the New Testament.  Daily we stand, to hear what the Spirit is saying to us.  He provides us with the living bread we are to feed on for this day and the green grass that nourishes us.  This word is a fountain of living water that refreshes not only our lives, but overflows to others. 

As we move through these days, the rhema of God becomes increasing more necessary for us to navigate our times.  It isn’t enough to simply know what the logos says, but we must position ourselves for the Rhema of God daily. Proverbs 8:34reads, Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors. 35.For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord, but he who fails to find me injures himself; all who hate me love death.”  From this chapter in Proverbs we find that wisdom was at the beginning of creation, daily His delight.   Shall it be less so for us?

From the books of John and Genesis, we discover the beginnings, the order of God for man.  In the beginning was the word, the logos, John 1:3 “All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. Genesis 1:2-3 we read; And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.  And God said.... 

This spoken word and the working of the Holy Spirit is absolutely vital to our daily well being.  The Spirit of truth “hovers” each day waiting to create the works that God has ordained, written for our lives.  He brings to our remembrance all things that Jesus, the word, has said. He reveals the heart of the Father and gives to us the mind of Christ.  

Thus when we embrace what He is saying and agree with the Rhema that has come to us for the day, the word in our mouth is as God’s when he said ‘light be’.  All things become possible as logos becomes Rhema with the Spirit hovering over the sown word.