Selfless Faith

Introduction

¹⁰ Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
¹¹ Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
¹² Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
¹³ Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners shall be converted to You.

- Psalm 51:10-13

Are you enjoying the salvation given to you by God through the death of the Lord Jesus Christ? If not, this three part series is just what you need to get back on track to have a fruit filled life while fulfilling the will of our Father in Heaven, and our Lord Jesus Christ who gave us His own precious life to send us His Holy Spirit to live within us and upon us. May all thanks be given to God who has delivered us from bondage through our Lord Jesus Christ and has given us complete freedom in His name. However, I have seen this freedom we have been given abused, misunderstood, and misused. Continue reading

Last time, we reviewed part one of enjoying the salvation we have in Christ Jesus. We discussed in depth the misery that Christians who do not do anything go through, and the joy that those who are eager and willing to seek after the will of our Lord Jesus Christ experience. Also, we discovered how to make a transition from not doing anything in Christ to becoming a person who serves the Lord, our God, Jesus Christ whom we love because He first loved us.

We have now arrived at part two of our three part series on how to enjoy our salvation. We will discuss why and how to be content in any given situation we face. We have divided part two into two sections. Please let us open our hearts, minds, eyes and ears to allow the Holy Spirit of God to speak to you and make an eternal difference in our lives. May the Spirit of the LORD rise amongst us! Continue reading

Don’ters

I have seen many Christians who say they don’t do this and they don’t do that, making their own lives miserable. Christ did not call us out to live in a little box or to share the gospel of salvation through Him with people so they could have a miserable life as well. The Apostle Paul wrote “All things are legitimate [permissible – and we are free to do anything we please], but not all things are helpful (expedient, profitable, and wholesome). All things are legitimate, but not all things are constructive [to character] and edifying [to spiritual life]” (1 Corinthians 10:23 Amplified Bible). Trying to live a super pious life to appear better than everyone else, by showing what you do not do only makes us more miserable, as a result, those who are yet to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ become even further from Him because they do not want to have the same kind of miserable life. Inasmuch, by focusing on all the things we don’t do, Satan is still at the door with his next attempt to devour us.

Doers

O, blessed are the doers. They go out and profess and proclaim the name of the Lord our God Jesus Christ. Their love and joy radiates and honors the name of our High Priest, our Savior, our Lord, Jesus Christ. By no means are the doers perfect, but they have a true living relationship with the Lord Jesus, and He sends out His children to do His will with smiling faces. Thanks be to God when we fall, He extends His loving hand to lift us up, smiles, and gives us a big heavenly hug while warmly saying to us “keep trying, I am with you.” Sometimes we may get ourselves into certain situations that we should not have been involved in, but God is always faithful to be our strength. When Paul pleaded with the Lord to remove His thorn in the flesh, the Lord responded “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:8) This is why we are called to be perfect like our Heavenly Father (Matthew 5:20), not through our own strength and capabilities, but through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, the very essence of PERFECTION!

Next time my beloved, we well venture deep into how to make the transition from being a “don’ter” into being a “doer”.

   Send article as PDF   

As we move along in our Enjoy Salvation series, today we close finish up the topic of “Being Content.”

Now the other aspect of being content is to give thanks in all things. A lot of times God will put us in situations to see how we will deal with them. Will we be thankful in the harder times as well as in the better times?  We often say “God knows my heart,” which is one of truest statements of all time man can make. That is the reason He sends us into the storm to reveal and expose our hearts to ourselves. God knowing our heart is a weak excuse people use so we can do our own things and feel free to live in sin. If we can appropriate sin, this proves that God does know our heart, but we really don’t know His. If we knew our hearts as well as God knows them, we would be in utter disgust, on our knees begging for forgiveness of the thoughts that come from our hearts into our minds. The apostle Paul wrote “For I know that in me (that is in my flesh), nothing good dwells; for to will is present within me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.” (Romans 7:18) If the apostle Paul went through such a struggle, we know we are in for a bigger fight. However, Jesus Christ sustained him and strengthened him in his weakness just as He does for us.

The foundation for being thankful does not rely upon what happens every day around us, but it started 2,010 years ago when God sent His only Son to the world as a sacrifice for sin to be our reconciliation to Him and for our redemption. We are to be thankful for the display of God’s love by allowing His only Son to be offered for us on a cross while having the capability of stopping it at anytime. He could have easily sent a legion of angels to rescue His Son, yet He remained silent. Our thankfulness lies at the empty tomb of Jesus Christ. He is alive. Since He is alive, so are we. We are thankful for the freedom we have received. We are freed from our bondage, from our slavery, free from death. We went from living in fear to living in faith in the Lord Jesus Christ thanks to God Almighty. We are to be thankful for the people used by Jesus Christ, His apostles and disciples and all the men (and women) who boldly proclaim the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes. “ (Romans 1:16)

Our list of reasons for being thankful can go on for pages. We must also be thankful even before God’s will has be done.  We must understand our petty little issues are nothing compared to what it cost all the people who took part in bringing us the gospel and leading us to the narrow gate where our salvation begins; for that cause we must be thankful with every single ounce of life that we have to the Lord Jesus Christ for His love for us and the cost of His love to bring salvation to us. Through that love, we have been reconciled and forgiven by the grace of God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

My beloved, give thanks to God for the love He has for each and every one of us. All that has happened in our lifetime symbolizes God’s love for His children. If we step out of line, He deals with us; if we do His will, He spiritually rewards us. He is loving, faithful and just. If it wasn’t for the love of God, we would never be able to experience the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ. “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18

My brothers and sisters, as we wrap up part two of our series of having the joy of our salvation restored, we went in depth on being content with what Christ has set for us. Always remember, we surrendered our lives to the Lord Jesus Christ so He can work His perfection through us. We are to give thanks in all circumstances and situations, through the good times and the bad. Of course, we will all face ups and downs, but remember our life is like a vapor.

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6

“Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to be about. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.” Philippians 4:11-12

   Send article as PDF   

It is time to make a transition from being a “don’ter” into being a “doer.” The Lord Jesus Christ has a perfect will, pleasing to Him and pleasing to us, for each and every one of our lives. However, if we confine ourselves to a closet, trying to hide from the devil, hide from the world, our flesh is still with us. We face three enemies in this world which consists of the devil, the world, and the flesh. I have named this the satanic trinity. It may be possible to hide from the devil (which he will always find us), and seclude ourselves from the world (which could care less about us), but we cannot get rid of that sack of dead weight our soul carries around. My beloved, the Lord Jesus Christ did not call us into exile. We are to stand up and fight the good fight, make it to the end of the battle, complete the journey. He has provided us a song and a sword. “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)

However, we must always be in the word of God, studying it, testing it, being prepared for all situations. “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15) “A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.” (2 Timothy 2:24)

That is the joy in leaving behind being a “don’ter” and transitioning into becoming a “doer” of the word. By being a “don’ter” we place ourselves under the law that we could not uphold, a law that was never commanded to us. Living as a “don’ter” we put ourselves in a position of not being able to experience the unique will of God through the many miracles He is waiting to work in our lives. However, in the life of the “doers”, we are placed at the forefront of the army of God, being good and faithful soldiers, who as we walk into battle, we know God is with us and can yell “Lord, please show me your glory!” (Exodus 33:18) The Lord being faithful and just will deliver us through many and any situations, trials, battles, and tribulations that He leads us in, or save us from any sin we may have fallen into. “…being confident of this very thing, that He who begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6)

My beloved brethren, let us be doers of the Word and not “don’ters.” We shall fight the good fight enduring all to the end that we may glorify the Lord our God Jesus Christ who delivered us out of bondage and into freedom because He loved us. He loved us onto death. The death of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross is the very center which divides this world into two parts. The death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ is the epicenter of salvation. As “doers,” we look forward to standing before the Lord Jesus Christ to hear the precious words “Well done good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter the joy of your Lord.” (Matthew 25:21)

   Send article as PDF