God has a Purpose for Us.

Ephesians 2:8-10 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Not of works, lest any man should boast.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

The Book of Ephesians is written to describe Who saved us; How we are saved; and the Purpose for which we are saved….what we are to do since saved.

It is a book of great mysteries, made known, so that we can experience in our day to day life, the Inheritance we have in Christ Jesus.

To briefly explain (Yes, there could be a lengthy exposition on these verses, they are so full of promise!):

Ephesians 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:”

Here we meet our Father God, Who through the work of Christ Jesus, blesses us with “all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ”

These blessings are, but not limited to: Forgiveness, Joy, Peace, Hope, Love, Patience, Power over sin, and Fellowship with Him.

If you have a spiritual need; He has a blessing for it.

They are “in Christ Jesus” who is now in heavenly places.

So how do we get these blessings down here to us, today, where we need them?

They are brought down to us, as we yield to Him, making Him, King of our lives:

Matthew 6:10. “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven.”

God will not bless one who refuses His Presence, for it says….they are in Christ Jesus.

If you just want the blessings He has, and not Him, then your faith is flawed; for it is faith in things……. and not Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 2:6 “And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:”

Notice again “in Christ Jesus”….how much the Father honors His Blessed Son.

We are “raised up”, when we are born again; and made to sit…in Christ Jesus.

He is there, representing us; and we are in Him.

We are here, representing Him, and He is in us.

And how is He in us?

Ephesians 1:13-14 “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also, after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise,

Which is the earnest (down payment) of our inheritance until the redemption of the the purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory.”

The Holy Spirit is given to abide with us. By Him we are sealed. (His Presence identifies us, as His. Romans 8:15-16)

When we have the Holy Spirit within, we are given a portion of our inheritance: that is Him.

He is an Almighty Helper, and we are given grace (the unmerited favor of power to do)…..by Him, for our lives. He works within us both to will and to do God’s Will.

(Philippians 2:13)

Yes, He really does this. If you are hesitant, He will encourage. If you are wanting something else, and you get honest with Him, He will nudge you toward Christ Jesus, and make you want to please Him.

Now that we know God’s Provision in Christ Jesus, and how God is always with us, and how His power is given unto us; what is the purpose for our salvation?

Ephesians 2:8-10 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Not of works, lest any man should boast:

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

We are created in Christ Jesus. The idea suggested here in the Greek is: to mold into the likeness of Christ.

The Purpose of God for each individual believer, is….to have our character formed into the character of Jesus…….and to walk in those good works which God hath placed in our path…..each day.

“Ordained” means that God has made all the provision for……He has supplied our need (of course He has……He is God Almighty)

He has seen beforehand what we will need, and sets aside exactly what we need.

So when God gives us a “good work” to do, He prepares the ability, strength, courage, whatever we need then, to be given to us, so we can do it.

What is the Purpose of God for us?

To walk along with Him, conscious of the Presence of the Holy Spirit within us.

Walking along, receiving Him, and the blessings He gives; doing the good works He places before us. (Whether in word or deed)

Walking along with Him, yielding to His kingdom come with in us.

Confident that our King has provided for us……for our everyday life…..for this is what the walk signifies.

The Word of the Amen

Amen means “So be it”……and only God can speak and it is done.

All of us can only say…..”amen” after Him…..or say, “If God wills”. (James 4:13-15)

So we need to hear the Word of the Lord, if we want to have what He has for us.

Matthew 7:7-8 “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”

Now, is what you are asking for, according to His will?

Well, if it is….then it rests with the Amen God.

(There are times when what we ask for, is right before us.

But we refuse to see it because it is not what we think it ought to be….or the way it ought to be.

Are we receiving His Word to us?)

Then we are to seek. We seek the means to bring to pass that which we are asking for. How to obtain the promised thing.

Remember king David and the Ark….

1 Chronicles 15:13 “For because ye did it not at the first, the Lord our God made a breach upon us, for that we sought Him not after the due order.”

For that we sought Him not after the due order.

This was a very devotional act…..moving the Ark to Jerusalem. But David did not seek Him after His due order…..but had a meeting of his close associates.

God is a God of order and He always has His due order for us.

And what is His due order for us Christians?

Matthew 21:21-22 “Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.

And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.”

Believing obedience. He requires us to obey Him…..and believe Him while we obey Him.

This is His due order.

“But if ye shall say unto this mountain”. Mountains speak of things we cannot, of ourselves, do anything about.

And we are to speak …..what He wants said….in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Our words are important….they are not to be thrown around….but are to be used to honor the Lord.

Then knock…use His Word, in believing obedience and it shall be opened.

When the Lord Jesus has my will….then He will use my will to bring His Will to pass…because they are One.

I am to stay knocking, until it is indeed opened unto me.

(I want to remind every Christian here,…..that Christ Jesus has knocked on our hearts door for a long time.

He has stood….waiting, for us to open our hearts to Him……and our lives to Him. Revelation 3:20)

Let us then, not be weary in well doing. Not be tired of praying, and thinking we see no results….

….but let us labor on, asking of the Lord….and receiving.

Putting what we received to work by seeking the means of having it.

And then speaking what He wants…..in believing obedience to Him….

….and knock.

Keep using the means until God opens up the door that has been shut before us.

Isaiah 44:6 “Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and His redeemer the Lord of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside Me there is no God.”

He is God from everlasting, and will be to everlasting.

If He had not created…..nothing would every have been;

And if He did not uphold….all would soon be nothing again.

He is all-sufficient and therefore….

…..His people need not to hope in any other.

Hebrews 6:18-19 “That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:

Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast,…”

Our anchor is in the Word of our Lord to us…..whether through the Bible, a message, a teaching……for that is what hope is:

It is the confident expectation that God will do what He says.

Psalm 71:5 “For Thou art my hope, O Lord God: Thou art my trust from my youth.”

Psalm 130 “Out of the depths have I cried unto Thee, O Lord.

Lord, hear my voice:….

If Thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?

But there is forgiveness with Thee, that Thou mayest be feared.

I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in His Word do I hope.

My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning:….

Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy and with Him is plenteous redemption…..”

Hope is produced by the Holy Spirit within us, as we hear God’s Word to us.

Hope then anchor’s us….though we have to wait for the fulfillment of that Word….or there are storms surrounding us….or there is opposition (when God says something….then the devil tries to prove that Word wrong.)

Hope is from the Holy Spirit….but it comes and is strengthened through experience with God.

Romans 5:4-5 “And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”

Hope says, like the children’s song…..

“If He said it, I believe it….for His Word it can not lie.

If it’s written in the Bible,….I’ll believe it till I die.

Though the mountains be removed…and cast into the sea…

God’s Word shall live forever…throughout eternity.”

We began this, with…..”Thus saith the Lord…”

And to each of us there is His Word for instruction…..His promises to reach out for….His commands for obedience to exercise and strengthen us in faith…….His word of exhortation to awaken us….His words of comfort to enfold us in His love and care…

….but to each of us there is His Word to us…..personally…that we need to hold on to…in hope….and obtain.

We should all say:

Psalm 146:5 “Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God.”

God’s hope anchors us in the ocean of God’s Will and love….amid the storms of our lives.

To Know the Lord

Hosea 6:3 “Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: His going forth is prepared as the morning; and He shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.”

“Then”.

This is time word: not before, but “then”.

“Then” what? We shall we know Lord, “If” we follow on to know the Lord.

This might seem like a revolving door. We will know, if we follow on to know.

But Jesus said the same thing when He was here:

John 8:31-32 “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him, If ye continue in My words, then are ye My disciples indeed;

And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

Now these people believed on Him; but they were to continue in His word……..

Then they would know the truth,……and the truth would make them free. (Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. John 14:6)

You see, we are called to a walk with Jesus. That is taking each step, each day, each forward move: with Him.

And what does He promise those who “follow on”?

“His going forth (with us) is prepared as the morning;”

As certain as this old earth keeps turning, there will be sunrise tomorrow.

There may be clouds, or the day dark and dreary; but the sun will be there: prepared as the morning.

He knows everything that will come to us each day. He is there, preparing in us the grace we need to deal with each thing.

He will rise with us; hit the highway with us; go into our work place, or school with us; and all along the way He will:

“Come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain upon the earth.”

Rain in scripture speaks of His mercy:

This rain was essential for a good harvest in Israel.

You had to have the early rain to soften the ground; and the latter rain to grow the crops.

All this was by the mercy of God.

And He will come unto us: in the circumstances we are in now, today; and “rain” the blessing of grace and mercy for us. (He will be there; guide us, help us, and lift us up; in this time, whatever is going on.)

He wants us to know Him as Lord and Savior.

He wants us to know Him more each day: what He wills for us, and what He will do for us.

He has prepared each grace that we need; “prepared as the morning”—it is that sure.

And He wants us to go with Him, into all our circumstances and relationships; and know more and more of Him: “to follow on to know”.

For “then”, we will know:

And let’s face it: knowing the Lord is: truth, life, and everything we will want.

He fills our hearts and lives with joy: “If” we continue in His word.

The Two Thieves

Mark 15:27 “And with Him they crucify two thieves; the one on His right hand, and the other on His left.”

Matthew 27:41,44 “Likewise also the chief priests mocking Him, with the scribes and elders…..

The thieves also, which were crucified with Him, cast the same in HIs teeth.”

Luke 23:39-43 “And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on Him, saying, If thou be Christ save thyself and us.

But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?

And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.

And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thee kingdom.

And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with Me in paradise.”

The two thieves are a picture of every person born.

We are either persuaded of Christ…….as Lord and King…..

….or we are with the crowd which mocks and hates Christ.

You will notice that they were thieves…..men who had stolen something which did not belong to them.

We, too, are thieves….for we have stolen God’s honor from Him….we have usurped HIs throne of authority.

We have chosen to be in control of our destinies…..so that we decide what is “right” and what is “wrong”…..for us.

This is theft in the Kingdom of God…..we have taken from God the honor due HIs Name…

….stolen it for ourselves.

The thieves both mocked Jesus, at first…

….they “cast the same in His teeth”.

Which means they were throwing insults, just like the chief priests and scribes and elders.

They were not good men,…..they were glad to be able to mock the Son of God, the Son of Man…..

….maybe it would make their pain less.

(Of course, it did not….and it does not for us, as well)

But a change came….first innocence was recognized.

Luke 23:39-41 “And one of the malefactors…railed on Him….If Thou be Christ, save thyself and us.

But the other….rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?

And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds:…”

Here was a recognition that he was a sinner…..that God judges right!

Though it was a simple confession…..yet anytime we get honest about ourselves…..light is given…..for Truth is Light…..

…..and God’s grace is offered. (John 1:17)

Luke 23:41 “….but this man hath done nothing amiss.”

This, too, was a confession…..only about Christ. He had mocked few minutes ago….

….but now he begins to recognize Christ’s purity and goodness.

(Grace does this….it brings us the ability to see Christ as He is, not as we have thought of Him.)

Luke 23:42 “And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom.”

I love this,…..”Lord”…..not “king” in a mocking tone…..but “Lord”…..in subjection to Christ, and HIs Will for him.

“Remember me”…..

Psalm 25:6-7 “Remember, O Lord, Thy tender mercies and Thy lovingkindness; for they have been ever of old.

Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; according to Thy mercy remember Thou me for Thy goodness sake, O Lord.”

For God to remember someone, is for God to fix that person in His affections.

Is 49:15-16 “Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.

Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of My hands;…”

Christ’s graven palms, speak of His remembering all for whom He died…..the penitent thief…..you, me…..for our names are there where the nail prints are.

Luke 23:43 “And Jesus said unto him, Verily (Truth) I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with Me in paradise.”

This thief died…..but lived by faith in Christ Jesus.

We all, too, are presented with Christ Jesus.

To some He is nothing more than an object to mock and insult….

To others, they begin to see the goodness and holiness of Christ, and are drawn to Him…being honest about themselves….and receiving Him as Lord and Savior…

….they ask to be remembered of Him.

And He will….always.

The Battle of the Ages

1 Corinthians 15:24-25 “Then cometh the end, when He shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when He shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.

For He must reign, till He hath put all enemies under His feet.”

The battle of the ages rages all around us, and we all,….aware or unaware….are part of it.

The battle of the ages is that battle between God and evil….

….it is a battle that God knew would come when He first decided to create.

The Godhead saw by their omniscience the rebellion of Lucifer and the fall of one third of the angels with him.

They saw a perfect earth turned to chaos:

Genesis 1:1-2 “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”

Complete destruction of it’s original beauty and perfectness,….then re-creation.

They saw the fall of man and the evil that flowed out, after that…..and the necessity of the flood….yet saved, by grace Noah and his family.

Genesis 6:7-8 “And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth;….

But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.”

They saw the call of Abraham and the establishing of a Jewish Nation….and their failure to follow Him and His Laws.

They saw me and you….our birth, our call….and our twists and turns in the Way God wants us to walk.

They saw when we followed the world to our hurt….and They saw the price Christ would pay to get us back.

They saw our spiritual steps till now…..

…and they see our end.

And at the beginning of it all….the Godhead saw all these things….yet…

..decided to save us:

God the Father would draw us to God the Son.

God the Son would….at the fullness of time to become the Man Christ Jesus and pay the price of our salvation.

And God the Holy Spirit would become the indwelling instrument of His Eternal life to us day by day….for all eternity.

We are either for God….or against Him…..

….there is no neutral ground….before the Throne of God….

…for that is where we all will be….one day.

For Christians….the Throne of God is a throne of mercy and grace:

Hebrews 4:16 “Let us therefore come boldly to the Throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

For unbelievers….the Throne of God is the place they will be judged….for all those things done….in their rejection of Christ….

Revelations 20:11-12 “And I saw a great white Throne, and Him that sat on it , from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

(What an terrible thought….no place before Him, now….no place in His mercy or long-suffering love, now!)

And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dad were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.”

What we must understand, is that the battle is a spiritual battle….yet fought in spirit, soul and body.

Romans 12:1-2 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service.

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.”

The body is the Temple of the Lord, for God, in the person of the Holy Spirit indwells us.

People believe that the spiritual life is only in the spirit….they think they can ignore the body.

But the body is an extension of the spirit and soul:

The feet for walking at His direction,

The hands to work HIs Way,

The tongue to speak for Him,

The ear to hear HIs Words,

The eye to look at everything, under His control.

This is how the body…the whole life finds itself under the kingdom of Christ…..we are to bring our body to the Holy Spirit and deny ourselves….

…for our eyes and ears affect the heart.

So when our eyes wander, or our ears are tuned to the world…we have allowed an occasion to the Adversary of our souls…and he has already gained a small victory.

The attack is against our affections, our reasons, our thought life, our anger—past and present, and what we believe.

It is one where we are under attack,…for the sole purpose of getting us to give up on God…..to forsake His Will and way for us….

….to defeat the Lord’s Will in our lives.

Here in Romans, the mercies of God (the kindness of God to sinners)…call us to offer up our bodies in love to the Holy Spirit….that we might be free.

True freedom is to be free from sin.

We are not to be conformed to the world…..or “the age” we find ourselves in.

(Has anyone noticed the sadness, the anger since Covid? Or the frantic seeking for entertainment for the moment….afraid of what’s next?)

We can be transformed…..amazing word….from the natural inclination of “the age”.

We have had our part in it,…..yet again mercy comes with “renewing”….

…producing a order and attitude….in our lives…

….this is the reign of Christ through our bodies.

(This is not just refreshment and strength….but the actual saving us…and the real giving of another temperament for our lives, altogether.)

This is what the Everlasting Covenant was for:

Hebrews 13:20-21 “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant.

Make you perfect (complete) in every good work to do His Will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ; to Whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

Go down to the Potter’s House.

Jeremiah 18:1-2 “The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord saying, Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there will I cause thee to hear My words.”

Jeremiah was God’s Prophet. He spoke to Judah for God. But when called to go to the potter’s house, he did not refuse,…..because God spoke to him.

He went, without question, to hear what God would say,……he didn’t say. “Hey, Lord, I am your prophet. I don’t need to go to a potter’s house. He only makes pots, but I give your message to priests, the king, and the people….You just speak to me.”

No,……Jeremiah wanted to hear the Lord’s Word,…..no matter how or through who it came.

Jeremiah 18:3-4 “Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.

And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel as seemed good to the potter to make it.”

Now the potter uses clay and water (lots of water) to make the clay very pliable in his hands.

The two are mixed together, and when the clay seems soft enough;…..the shaping starts.

The potter starts the wheel and puts the clay on; and begins to shape the vessel he wants to make.

But the vessel was marred, because the clay had a hard spot.

The water had not been absorbed into that part of the clay, so when the potter’s hand was trying to form it,……it refused to bend, and so it destroyed the pattern, marring the vessel.

Often we are the same way.

The Holy Spirit has spoken to us, trying to work the “water” of the Lord’s Word in us,…..and we just refuse to hear….at least in some spots of our life.

(In scripture water is a picture of the Holy Spirit working through the Word; Ephesians 5:26 “That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word.)

When we do not yield to the Word, it becomes a dry, hard spot in our life.

Then when the Lord is forming us according to His Will, we become marred, and unable to be molded into what He wants.

(Sometimes the hard part tears a hole in the vessel, sometimes it just will not bend, or yield to the Potter’s hand.)

“……So he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.”(Jeremiah 18:4)

So what does the potter do? What did He do with Israel? And what does God do with us?

Does He give up on us? No.

Jeremiah 18:6 “O house of Israel, can not I do with you as this potter? Saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in Mine hand, O house of Israel.”

He takes the hard clay out , and then adds more water till the clay is completely pliable, so that the rest of the clay is reusable: to be able to be made into what the Lord wants.

The hard spots in us are varied:

They are those things the Lord has told us to do, and we have put off.

We know what the Lord is telling us. We know what we should do;…..but we think we have a better plan.

We even come to believe that the Lord will not care…it is such a small thing.

But it becomes a hard place, and comes between us and God in our lives, until it is removed.

Or this hard spot is a resentment we have left unconfessed (why should I confess this attitude? They did this to me. Let them apologize first!),………so it festers into something between the Lord and us.

[I will tell you, speaking from personal experience, that these things are deadening. They make you insensible to God’s voice. Any attitude , hurt, or affections which pushes you away from God (His call, His love, His power to do for you) causes real separation.

Forgiveness is freedom—do not let anyone tell you different. Forgiving someone frees you from their control. They can not hurt you anymore; for forgiveness lifts you above them.]

But once these (and any other “hard” places) are removed, the Holy Spirit can add the water of the Word to us, making us pliable in His hands; so He can form us into a Vessel unto honor, meet for the Master’s use.

(Pliable to His hands. See what He does! His hands in us, and for us—for He shapes our circumstances, our path, as well as us.)

2 Timothy 2:19-21 “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are His. And, Let every one that name the the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honor and some of dishonor.

If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.”

Do you want to be “prepared”? Nothing coming between you and your Lord?

Ready to face any challenge, or call?

Then yield; give yourselves into the hands of the Almighty Potter, and let Him work within you—and see what He will work for you.

An Expected End

Jeremiah. 29:11 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”

This expected end here, is “the thing that the Lord longs for”.

This expected end is to hear when we get to heaven: “Well done, thou good and faithful servant”. (Matthew 25:21)

God expects us to follow Him, and to this end He works within us and on us; so that He can bless us.

When we are first born again, our love of the Lord Jesus is very strong……
…..something, or someone has come between our heart’s affection and the Lord……our sight becomes affected.

We no longer see Christ as our all.

First it is “Christ and….everything else in their place.”
But then, it is “something…and Christ”

He has already slipped into a second place.

Jeremiah 29:13 “And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart.”

Jeremiah is telling God’s people that God will be found of those who seek for Him.

For you see, “seek” and “search” are words used only when something is lost. Israel had lost true fellowship with God.

But the Lord says: “seek” Me:
The word is used as though we must go out of our comfort zone and look around us.
When we do,…..we can begin to see all the abundance of things He has done for us……and said to us.
To seek, is to think on these things, and on Who He is.

And as we do, we will “find Me.”

We are to “search” with all our hearts:
That is to take everything apart if necessary, to find the most valuable Object: Christ Jesus, Himself.
It is to throw away the other things we trust in, or have looked to.

We must tear away the pretenses we have wrapped ourselves in. (I’m OK, sure I’m not as close to the Lord as before, it seems as though something has come between us; but I’m sure it will work itself out? Right?)
When we do get these things out of the way:

“And I will be found of you, saith the Lord:…” (Jeremiah 29:14)

I have been as the Prodigal son, in a “far country” from God. But when I, too, “came to myself”, and saw things as they really were; I came home to the Father. (Luke 15:17-24)
The Father does not berate him, but runs out to meet him….and restores him.
So He does with all who will “seek” and “search”; and come home to Him.

There is an expected end for each believer. The thing He longs for.
That He may say to all of us: “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”

True North on the Compass of your Life

There is a magnetic north, which is not true north.

You can navigate with magnetic north for short trips. It will get you in the general vicinity.

But to navigate across the vast spaces, you need true north…..for that is calculated by lines of longitude.

So to navigate accurately, especially for long trips, over long distances and time; you must be able to ascertain true north.

As Christians, we have a long journey ahead of us. Whether we are born again as children, or adults; we have the rest of our lives to be guided as we are on our way to heaven.

This is called Eternal life….for it is a condition of life…now and forever in heaven, with God.

As journeymen in this life, we are all given a part in the Purpose of God….a personal calling and gifts, from the Lord; who gives us His Holy Spirit to enable us to do.

He give us a “goal or prize” to head for…

Philippians 3:13-14 “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things where are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

All are called as witnesses….some as teachers of His Word, some as prayer warriors, some as preachers, some as peacemakers….etc.

We are never without purpose each day.

Ephesians 2:8-10 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Not of works, lest any man should boast.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

For we are His workmanship,…..and that means that we are molded into the character of Christ Jesus,…..for good works:….and He has made full provision, so we might walk in them.

(Full provision? How? First…The Lord has provided us with His Holy Spirit, Who gives us faith by which we can overcome the way of the world (1 John 5:4-5)

Second…There is guidance….by His Word.

Third…the Holy Spirit enables us with His “fruit” in our lives: peace, joy, long-suffering, gentleness, etc. (Galatians 5:22-23)

Fourth…there is love…His love encouraging, and yes, empowering us to go on.)

Our purpose is to walk in those good works, He has given us to do.

This includes our words, and actions:

Titus 3:8 “This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.”

So, if we are to navigate our life through this wicked world; from here all the way to heaven, we need to find true north.

What is true north for each Christian?

True North for each of us is making Jesus Christ, Lord of our lives.

And He is not Lord of us, until we determine to obey Him….in all our ways.

If we were talking about a car; His Lordship is the power in the engine…submitting to Him gives us power in our lives to do anything……and our obedience is the wheels,….they are in the world…but going forward.

And of course He is driving.

John 7:17 “If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whither it be of God, or whither I speak of myself.”

John 7:17 (LNT) “If any of you really determines to do God’s will, then you will certainly know whether My teaching is from God or merely My own.”

I rarely use any other translation but the King James Version. But this translation in the LNT describes what I have found to be so: We need to “really determine” to do God’s Will.

This is a picture of digging in : “I’m going to do this no matter what it cost me” determination.

That is what making Jesus Christ our Lord takes.

We know His will by doing it. If we do it today, then tomorrow when we seek His Will, it will come easier.

(And of course, if we hesitate and put it off, tomorrow it will be harder to find it)

The world’s influence, and our old selves, and the devil are against us.

The old me will tell me, “Well, if I was still in charge, I would not require you to pray so much. After all, we’re busy. God knows what we need.”

And the world will say, “Why not laugh at that joke? So what, it was a little “bad”. A little won’t hurt.”

But if Jesus is Lord to me, it is not what I would do, or what the world says is OK, but where He leads, and how He would have me to go.

It is a process. I believe you can commit yourself to the Lord, as Lord; but then it is a matter of putting everything in our lives in His order.

What is first for me to see to…and sometimes it comes down to what is first today, Lord?

(I have found that the five minutes to pray at the breakfast table for my family, places them before God, today. Of course, He knows what is ahead for each of us….but placing them in His hands for their conversations, actions, and the influence of the Holy Spirit in their lives….is our responsibility as their mother and father.)

No, it is not a list that is handed out; but a conviction from the Holy Spirit within which shows us the way.

This is His order:

Philippians 2:12-13 “Wherefore my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling:

For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.”

Notice that we are to work out what God works in.

We are to work out, practically, the power to be saved from our sin that Christ Jesus works in us, by His Holy Spirit.

We are to work out that grace God gives….putting it to use in our lives.

We are to work out that peace which should be a hallmark of “Christ in us the hope of glory”.

Then we have that true north on the compass of our lives;……His guidance will guide us for today….tomorrow….and we will surely get to our destination…..in the joy and peace He has for us.

The Work of the Spirit of Truth

John 14:16-17 “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever,

Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world can not receive; because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you; and shall be in you.”

The first work the Holy Spirit does in us, as Christians, is to come and be with us forever.

This is one of the greatest blessings we have.

God is with us, by His Holy Spirit, so that we are never alone, never deserted, never apart from His love and care for us.

John 14:26 “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”

The next work the Holy Spirit does within us, is to teach us things:

He brings to mind the Word we have heard, reminding us of what Jesus has said to us;…..and telling us what we should do.

He teaches us about the circumstances around us; for He gives us His wisdom concerning the people and things of our days.

John 15:26-27 “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me;

And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.”

The Holy Spirit teaches us how to witness of Christ. We do this in two ways.

First, by our lives showing all we come into contact with, that we belong to Christ.

(There are many who will never get a glimpse of Jesus, except we show Him to them.)

Second, by our testimonies about what Christ has done for us.

The Holy Spirit gives us the words to say, and also the enablement to say them.

John 16:13-14 “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come.

He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine and shall show it unto you.”

The Spirit of truth will guide you into all truth…..

This is personal, private truth;….that which you need to know, each day.

How many things we could avoid, if we were more sensitive to Him, and what He is telling us?

And how much more we could have enjoyed other things, if we could have seen that this was what He wanted for us, at the time?

And He will show you things to come.

I’ve been warned by the Holy Spirit within, concerning certain circumstances that were coming up. Warned against being part of them; also warned about what to say.

“He shall glorify Me”, the Lord Jesus said.

As I die to self’s demands, the Holy Spirit lifts up Christ in me. He glorifies Christ by this.

For He shall receive of Mine, and show it unto you. It is His Spirit within us, making all the things of Christ real to us.

The Work of the Spirit of Truth is to guide us into all truth concerning God….concerning ourselves,….concerning the situations of our lives.

He lives within us, giving us the reality of the truth of God.

He enlightens us, so we can know where to go, and how to go. And with the enlightenment, He gives us power to live the life we have been given to do.

And He shows us Christ.

Again and Again and Again, the Holy Spirit brings to our minds and hearts, our dear Lord Jesus, His love, and His peace.

He shows us Christ, as our example, and encourages us to follow Him.

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth….He will open up the light of truth to us…shall we yield to Him?