“Faithful is He that calls you who also will do it.” 1 Thessalonians 5:24
Dear Ones:
There is a concept of God declared in the Gospel which is of utmost importance if we would be motivated, and enabled, to appropriate Christ as our very PRESENT Savior. We see this concept in the Psalms, for God is “a very PRESENT help.” (Ps. 46:1) We see it revealed in what is called “The Great Commission:” “…and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” (Matt. 28:20) What does the truth of Christ’s constant presence declare to us? Certainly more than JUST a presence, an existence next to us. In the FACT of His presence comes the promise of His working: “For it is God who IS at work in you both to WILL and to DO of His good pleasure.” (Phil. 2:13) What is the discovery here? It is that God is not only present, and is a help to us, but is that very One who is at work IN us, bringing us to a knowledge of His will, His person, and His ways, that we might WALK in a manner worthy of Him. Beyond even this truth is yet another, tied to it, found in the letter to the Philippians, which enhances and expands the thought and reality of His present, and persistent work: “He who has begun a good work in you, WILL perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Phil. 1:6) What a wonderful thought, that not only is He present, and working in the heart, but is determined to finish that work…conforming us into the image of His Son. How does He do it? And what is our part, or responsibility, with regard to His working?
First of all, we must establish that God does NOT use the “old garment,” and “old wine skins,” which speak of the “old life,” that life characterized by the orientation to “sinful self.” Before one comes to Christ, the dominant principle by which one lives is “faith, or trust, in self.” This was characterized by Isaiah’s words: “…we have turned every one to his OWN way, and the Lord has laid on Him(Christ) the iniquity of us all.” (53:6) God does not need to use that principle, nor will He, because He has brought about a “new creation” in us, where we are to live by FAITH in the Son of God…and Him alone. So, in His dealings with us, He is constantly seeking to bring us to faith, increasing and more consistent, as we grow in Him. It is in the measure that our vision of Christ increases, and our understanding of His work deepens, that we are brought to appropriate more of His life. It is that LIFE, and the experience of it, Him, that glorifies God. So then, practically, what is our part in this wonderful, Divine endeavor?
Simply put, it is to look heavenward. It is to direct our attention, and expectation, to Christ. If we would believe the Lord increasingly, and consequently obey Him more fully, then of necessity we need to obey three imperatives. The first is, “Rejoice evermore,” or as Paul puts it in Philippians 4:4: “Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS.” Why? Rejoicing in Christ is an act of faith, a blessed response to the knowledge of Who He is, and what He has done. Secondly, we are to “pray without ceasing,” being in an attitude of prayer, constantly relating all to Christ. Again, why? Because in this new realm of the “new creation,” Christ IS our life, and everything is to be derived from Him. It is in prayer that we specifically believe God for the blessings of heaven to be revealed on this earth. And thirdly, “…in everything give thanks.” (1 Thess. 5:18) The true believer recognizes and believes that everything good and perfect, comes from God. He also knows that on this earth, where the effects of sin are so prevalent, that even in the difficult and unwanted circumstance, he can be thankful, and reassured, because all things work together for good.” Having committed all that he or she is to God, believing in the benevolent blessing of God’s goodness, is essential to having a right mind and heart to believe God fully.
Dear Father, we praise Thee for Thy presence with us, and Thy power which You put within us by the Spirit. We thank You that our calling is to KNOW Your presence without, and within. Work in our entire being today so that our whole spirit, soul, and body, be preserved blameless unto Thy Son’s coming. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Love, Dad