Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

Hebrews 12

Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. Hebrews 12:14

I continue to lean on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion, which today looks at how we must fight for holiness, which John Piper defines as a practical matter as "believing the promises of future grace" as the source for all good works that we do in service of a God we love.  Piper sees this as a critical battle, hoping that we avoid Christ's words from Matthew 7:23 and Romans 8:13 where He admonishes those who never truly believed in Him and instead lived according to the flesh (vs the Spirit). This path leads of course to damnation.  On the other hand, if we believe in the sanctifying power of grace to provide all that we need, we demonstrate ourselves to be fully reliant on God.  Piper points us to 1 Peter 4:11, Romans 15:18, and 1 Corinthians 15:10 as examples of text that support how we can fight for holiness and maintain complete reliance on Him. Piper wraps this devotion by sharing: "[m]oment by moment, grace arrives to enable us to do “every good work” that God appoints for us. “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 Corinthians 9:8)."   See also this post from DesiringGod.com. Seek and fight for holiness!

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are so good to me, and You give me Your Word, the Holy Spirit, the church, etc. so that I can arm myself for the fight for holiness. Thank You Jesus!  Without You and the blessings You provide - I am unable to save myself from the prince of this world - Satan.  I am undeserving of how You save, provide, and protect.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus.  Help me overcome and turn from such sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Hebrews 13

 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:31-39

I continue my study of Hebrews, and today my focus is Hebrews 13:1-6, and and I am assisted in my understanding by the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary Series for Hebrews. The commentary outlines five divisions for this text:

I. Love toward Saints: Enduring in Brotherly Affection (13:1): Here the commentary emphasizes how the text seeks to have believers see other believers as family - brothers and sisters...in Christ.  Thus, in v1 we are encouraged to love our brothers and sisters in Christ. 

II. Love toward Strangers: Showing Hospitality (13:2)

III. Love toward Prisoners: Remembering the Imprisoned and Mistreated (13:3)

IV. Hold Marriage in Honor (13:4) 

V. Hold Money Loosely (13:5-6): The commentary writes here how is "a call to live out the tenth commandment. Of the Ten Commandments, the tenth—do not covet—is perhaps the most difficult for us to fully comprehend, even though it tells us specifically what we should avoid coveting: our neighbor’s wife, our neighbor’s animals, or our neighbor’s belongings."  The text wraps with why we can be content with what we have - "[t]he source of our contentment is not the security and comfort we get from owning enough things; it’s that we serve a God who takes care of us. We serve a God who will never leave or forsake us. God himself has promised....[Hebrews 13:6] reflects the same confidence in God’s abiding character that the apostle Paul displays in Romans 8:31-39."

Broadly speaking, the commentary shares how chapter 13 addresses "personal and practical concerns in order to encourage people in the faith and exhort them to grow in holiness."

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace, compassion and abounding love - thank You Jesus! I am not deserving of Your grace, compassion, and love.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me turn from and overcome my sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

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.

Leviticus 19-20

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. 1 Corinthians 15:10

This morning, I continued my study of Leviticus using the Christ-Centered Exposition series commentary for this book - continuing chapter seventeen - Holiness and Love - covering Leviticus 19-20, looking specifically at the second theme for the chapter - A Definition from God's Word.  Here, the commentary seeks for us to understand holiness as, quoting Jonathan Edwards, "sweet and ravishingly lovely...[not] a melancholy, morose, sour, and unpleasant thing."  The commentary than moves to explicitly define holiness as "a condition of our hearts created by God, and a way of behaving lived by us."  We must first understand that "our natural state [is for us to be] sinners, separated from God, and without hope in this life or the next."  We are then referred to the following verses in scripture:

• Ephesians 2:3, 8 - believers (and all of humanity) are born sinners, then by grace saved (not of our own doing) and given faith
  
• Romans 3:24 - we are justified by His grace (again not of our own doing)
  
• 1 Peter 5:10 - it was God who called us to faith and He restores, confirms, strengthens, and establishes us
• John 17:17 - God sanctifies us by His Truth (Word)

Over the course of a believer's life and journey with Christ, it is God alone who sanctifies us and makes us more like Him - more holy. He alone causes heart and life change/transformation. The commentary then encourages to look at Philippians 2:12-13 and 1 Corinthians 15:10.  In these verses, we see that as God moves in our hearts, we begin to behave and act in ways that are more like Him. 

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who sanctifies me and creates new life in me, over and over again as You do this in me over the course of my entire life as a believer. Thank You Jesus for giving me a heart of flesh and for the blessings that follow.  I am not deserving of such blessings.  I sin...every day....harshness towards others and worry, etc. Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

When you bring a grain offering baked in the oven as an offering, it shall be unleavened loaves of fine flour mixed with oil or unleavened wafers smeared with oil. And if your offering is a grain offering baked on a griddle, it shall be of fine flour unleavened, mixed with oil....No grain offering that you bring to the Lord shall be made with leaven, for you shall burn no leaven nor any honey as a food offering to the Lord.

Leviticus 2

When you bring a grain offering baked in the oven as an offering, it shall be unleavened loaves of fine flour mixed with oil or unleavened wafers smeared with oil. And if your offering is a grain offering baked on a griddle, it shall be of fine flour unleavened, mixed with oil....No grain offering that you bring to the Lord shall be made with leaven, for you shall burn no leaven nor any honey as a food offering to the Lord. Leviticus 2:4-5, 11

This afternoon, I continued my study of Leviticus using the Christ-Centered Exposition series commentary for this book - looking at chapter two - Giving to God in Worship - covering 2:1-16, looking specifically at the theme We Exclude Corruption from Our Lives which focuses on v2:4-5, 11. These verses include God's command that the grain offering not include any yeast or leaven. My commentary offers up in v2:4-5, 11 that yeast represents sin and corruption and how leavening with yeast "involves fermentation, which is a form of decay, and therefore is related to death." God is holy so He expects holiness in worship and as such no uncleanness is allowed in worship. The commentary provides further examples of yeast in the Bible, including New Testament references such as Luke 12:1 and 1 Corinthians 5:1-8. How we approach worship is important and we must be careful to allow even small amounts of sin into our lives as this impacts our corporate worship and our daily lives (which again per my post yesterday, God seeks for us to offer our lives as a "living sacrifice").

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who offers atonement for sin - through Jesus Christ!  Thank You Jesus!  The greatest gift of all time - I am not deserving of such a gift.  My sin of worry, etc. continues.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.

2 Corinthians 7

Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. v10

Paul writes the church in Corinth expressing some level of regret over a previous letter - a "severe" letter where Paul points out their sin - addressed to them (see also 2 Corinthians Background and Setting - MacArthur Bible Study Commentary (for purchase)). While he might have had some level of regret, he is more concerned over the Corinthians spiritual state and he was glad to hear of their repentance (v9).

Paul then makes a distinction between Godly and worldly sorry - writing that "earnestness, eagerness to clear yourselves, indignation, alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done"(v11).  It is an utter distaste of sin - as God hates sin so should we and this should drive us to pursue holiness.

John Piper helps us further understand this distinction.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who seeks to mold me to be more like You - thank You Jesus for Your patience and compassion for me...and Your concern for me.  I am not deserving of such love.  I am selfish and often neglectful of my relationship with You Lord.  Please forgive me!  Help me turn from such sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.

Psalm 97

Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked. v10

The world is full of sin and wickedness and God calls His children to holiness.  

Be holy, because I am holy. 1 Peter 1:16, Lev. 11:44,45; 19:2

As I posted yesterday, we exist to glorify God - we were made in His image. We must draw near to God, daily, seeking Him.  As we seek God and draw near to Him, we reflect more of His image in us.

Listen to my instruction and be wise; do not disregard it. Blessed are those who listen to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway.  For those who find me find life and receive favor from the Lord. Proverbs 8:33-35

Come near to God and he will come near to you. James 4:8

My Prayer: Lord, You indeed are a great God worthy of my praise and worship.  You alone set the moon and the stars in their place and You hold all things together...wonderfully.  You know everything about me, including my sin, yet You love me anyway.  I am weak, impatient, harsh with my words and actions - please forgive me Jesus and help me turn from sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength.  Help me love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength.  Please heal and cure her of her cancer and the side effects from chemo.  Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach, and Dustin...and serve You.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Whoever does these things will never be shaken.

Psalm 15

Whoever does these things will never be shaken. v5

Wow!  Great promise! This short chapter describes all the ways in which we must live for us to live on God's holy mountain.  Through the blood of Christ however, all can live with God and the Holy Spirit.

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength  he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. Ephesians 1:18-21

It is impossible to be exactly like Jesus but God will mold us and purify us to be more like Him.

The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold,
    but the Lord tests the heart. Proverbs 17:3    

 

The result and the promise of "doing" the things Jesus asks us to do is awesome - we "will never be shaken".

 

My Prayer: Lord, You make awesome promises and You deliver every time!  Nothing but net...awesome!  I am so thankful to have such a God, but I am not worthy.  I continue to struggle with impatience and anger...please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome my sin and turn towards You instead.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength.  Help me love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength.  Please heal and cure Lisa of her cancer and the side effects from chemo and radiation.  Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach and Dustin...and serve You.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.

1 John 1

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us. v8-10

John, like Peter does, spends much of his energy warning us about false teachers and teachings (see also commentary here).  We must not be deceived, and on this topic John warns us even further that we must not make false claims about our righteousness and our holiness.

... for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God....Romans 3:23

We all need Christ to cleanse us of our sins, as He CAN, and He WILL.  We of course must truly repent and turn from our sins towards Christ and renew our minds (Romans 12:2).

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, what a great God You are, You suffered and died for me, so that I would not be slave to my sins and so that I would have eternity in Heaven with You.  You did this knowing everything about me, including my sin.  You continue to forgive me when I come to You and You protect, encourage, guide, provide, etc.  How awesome You are!  Thank You Jesus for coming into my heart and my life.  I need You desperately.  Please forgive me for my lack of action.  Help me serve others as if serving You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength.  Help me love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength.  Please heal and cure her of this cancer.  Help her rid herself of the chemo side effects and be protected from harsh side effects from radiation.  Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach and Dustin.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak. For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, won’t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols?

1 Corinthians 8

Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak.  For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, won’t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols? v9-10

Our life should be a witness to others, and we are not be slack in our ways or a hypocrite...even in the slightest or smallest "insignificant" ways.  Unbelievers will use our ways to justify their own wicked ways.  

I am the Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy. Leviticus 11:45

My Prayer:  Lord, You ARE Holy...pure, holy and blameless.  Yet You willingly came to earth, for me, and then suffered and died for me.  You rose again to beat death, so that I would no longer be a slave to sin, I would have forgiveness for my sin, and that I would have new life and life in Heaven forever with You and my brothers and sisters in Christ.  How awesome You are.  I am not all of what You have done..or any of it.  I have lust in my heart, I am selfish, quick to anger and slow to listen, impatient, harsh with my thoughts, words, and actions...and there is more.  Thank You that You love me anyway but please forgive me for my sin and help me turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength.  Help me love others as You do and help me grow in my faith.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.