The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…
"Kept… Keep"
Born again believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are "kept," and we "keep."
"You…are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" (I Peter 1:4-5).
"Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life" (Jude 1:21).
This is precisely what we would expect in the light of Scripture's clear revelation that being a believer blesses us with living and vital relationship with God. "This is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent" (John 17:3). The "know" in our Lord's declaration speaks to a fellowship more near and personal than we will ever fully discover. God knows us - perfectly - and we know Him - imperfectly, but with the ongoing possibility to "grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ" (II Peter 3:18). This requires mutual application to the relationship, wherein God ever works to draw us near to His heart, and wherein we must respond in faith and devotion. He preserves the relationship by the grace of our Savior's keeping work on our behalf. "He ever liveth to make intercession for them" (Hebrews 7:25). We also play a role of preserving our experience of God's love by availing ourselves of the gifts He give to "draw nigh unto God" (Hebrews 7:19).
We would not want it any other way. That God originally made humanity in His image surely speaks to His desire for real fellowship with Himself. This can only take place if we possess God-given faculties through Christ for the shared interchange of Heart with heart, and Mind with mind. This we do, even as the Psalmist testified of his own experience with God, and foreshadowed of greater things to come for New Testament believers:
"When Thou saidst, Seek ye My face, my heart said unto Thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek" (Psalm 27:8).
Do we believe ourselves to possess the capacity for seeking the One who beckons us? In the reference by the Apostle Peter mentioned above, we find that we do. We "keep ourselves in the love of God" by "looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ." Or, as the writer of Hebrews affirmed, "Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2). Any believer can do that. Indeed, we would not be believers if we could not, since our faith began by looking to the Lord Jesus to redeem us unto God. Thus, wherever we may be in our personal journey along the path of righteousness, our Father beckons us to Himself for the experienced relationship that so pleases Him, and so fulfills us. This we must believe about Him as our keeper. And this we must believe about ourselves, those who can keep ourselves in the atmosphere and environment of God's love through the power of His Spirit, and by our looking unto the Lord Jesus and being motivated and empowered to draw nigh to the One who has drawn so nigh unto us.
"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
(Philippians 4:6-7)
Weekly Memory Verse
"I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."
(I Thessalonians 5:23)
6879
No comments:
Post a Comment