Trials of Faith

1 Peter 4:12-13 “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.”

There are trials of faith which we just have to go through. They are sent to help us to grow stronger in faith; to learn joy in trouble; to realize the power of peace—His peace in it all.
Thank goodness, we do not go through any trial alone. For Christ Jesus is with us, guiding, strengthening, and encouraging us; as we walk through them with Him.

There are also trials which come upon us which we have brought on ourselves.
Let’s face it, we often “stick our foot in our mouths” and say things which are wrong.
Either in anger (and have you ever noticed how much anger is around any more?), or we blurt our our opinion, when discretion would have kept us silent.
Sometimes the Lord uses these trials to remind us of these things, so they can be confessed, and taken care of.
These, of course, are to be confessed to Christ, and if any one was injured, to the person involved; as you can. (How many blessings come from letting people know you, too, are human, and make mistakes?)

And then there are “fiery trials” which come upon us because we are Christians—we belong to Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 4:14, 16 “If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the Spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you; on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.
Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.”

Fiery trials? Partakers of Christ’s sufferings?
We do not like to think of such things.

We like to think about what He has done for me. Tell us about His Eternal Love for me, His suffering in the garden of Gethsemane or on the Cross for me, or His agony of prayer for me.
All the things He did, but I do not want to hear about what I am to do.

Doesn’t that make it a works salvation?

No, we can never do anything for Christ to get our Salvation; but we can work for Christ because we are saved.

And that is what He says: Stand with me, and go through these trials, with Me at your side, to show to the world that you trust Me.
That will glorify Me.

Do you remember when Jesus asked His disciples in the garden to watch with Him? (Mark 14:33-34, 37-38)
And instead they fell asleep.
He came and asked, “Could you not stay with me one hour?”

He asks us the same thing: Stand with me in a world that does not believe in Me, and if that brings ridicule, or persecution; still stand with Me, and I will stand with you.

 

 

Always to Pray

Luke 18:1 “ And he(Jesus)spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;”

To faint means to weaken in purpose.

In other words, we are to continue to pray, and not give up the purpose of our prayers, even when they are not answered right away.

Then He tells this story:
Luke 18:2-3 “…There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:

And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.”

Here are the two persons involved in Jesus parable:

A judge, who could do what he wanted in his court. (Probable a Roman judge, because Jewish judges were in threes). Who cared about no one’s opinion; not God’s or man’s.

And a widow, who was usually the poorest and lowest of the decent people in the city. She would have no family to speak for her, no money to bribe this judge; so she did what she could do to get relief from the one who was harassing her.
She asked this judge to “Avenge her”. This would have been like a restraining order today. Something to keep him from do damage to her.

This is like prayer?
Yes, for we shall see, she prevailed, not because of the kindness of the judge….he had none.
Not because she had influential friends…she did not.

But because she kept coming back and asking him, and asking him, and asking him.

Luke 18:4-5 “And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, though I fear not God, nor regard man;
Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.”

This “weary” here, means that she might ruin his reputation. Since he cared for no one, but himself; he answered her request because of selfish motives.
He did not want her to make him look bad, by being in his court so often.

So he gave her that restraining order against her adversary, just to get rid of her.

Christ Jesus says that God shall avenge His people, when they pray the same way: with diligence for an answer.

Luke 18:7-8 “And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?
I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?”

To stay after God for our prayers, shows we really want what we ask.
And that we believe He will answer us. That is faith, for it holds on to God for an answer.

Christ Jesus honors faith in Him. (And again, faith holds on to God.)
For faith honors God.

In this world of troubles (and who can say they do not have some), Jesus says we are “always to pray, and not to faint”.

Hang on to Me, He says; I hear, and will avenge or restrain your Adversary….if you ask Me.

 

The Means of Victory: Pray, Believe and Praise

2 Chronicles 20:1 “It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other…came against Jehoshaphat to battle.”

Now Jehoshaphat was a godly king of Judah.
And so when he heard of their coming to war with them, he feared; but sought the Lord.

2 Chronicles 20:3 “ And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.”

He knew that his small country could not stand against the superior numbers and warriors of these.
But He knew God could save them.

2 Chronicles 20:6, 12 “And said, O Lord God of our fathers, art thou not God in heaven? And rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? And in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee?
O our God, wilt thou not judge them? For we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.”

As they were praying and seeking God’s help; The Holy Spirit gave them direction through one that stood seeking:

(2Chronicles 20:15-17) “….Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.
Tomorrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel.
Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you.”

They knew they would have to go out and face the enemy; but the Lord said He would be with them, and fight for them.
They all started worshipping, and thanking God for it!

2 Chronicles 20:20-21 “And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness…: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah,…; Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.
And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord; for His mercy endureth forever.”

Notice Jehoshaphat did not stay in Jerusalem, but led his people.

Also notice, when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers. They all wanted to praise God, even before the actual victory.

And what was the battle?
It was the Lord’s. For He caused two of the armies to unite against the third army; destroying it.
Then He had them turn on each other!

2 Chronicles 20:22-23 “And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord sent ambushments against…which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.
For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of mount Seir, everyone helped to destroy another.”

Judah did not have to fight at all.

2 Chronicles 20:24 “And when Judah came toward the watchtower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, Behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped.”

Four days later, after taking the spoil of the armies that came to destroy them, they gathered in the same Valley.
They renamed it “Berachah”, or Blessing.

2 Chronicles 20:26-28 “And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of Berachah; for there they blessed the Lord:…
Then they returned,…to go again to Jerusalem with joy; for the Lord had made them to rejoice over their enemies.
And they came to Jerusalem with psalteries and harps and trumpets unto the house of the Lord.”

Jehoshaphat was a godly king, but even godly people have enemies.
And God was sought after and found of them.

We, too, can seek the Lord and His help when we are in fear of being overcome.
Whether by enemies, troubles, or fear itself.

We are to pray, looking to Him for the help.
We are to believe Him.
And we are to praise Him for the help He sends. What ever way He sends.

He is the means of Victory in our lives; and He has appointed prayer and belief and praise to go before us into the battle.

Reality
The Faithful and True Witness, Jesus Christ, says that Laodicea lacks reality.

Revelation 3:17 “Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:”

They are, in fact, not what they say they are.

But why? They might have a head knowledge of the Word of God, the Bible.

2 Timothy 2:6 “The husbandman that laboreth must be first partaker of the fruits.”

Here is where a great deal of the problem is.
The Lord’s husbandman: those He puts over His local churches, have not the fruit of the Spirit, in their lives, as they should.
They, therefore, can not pass on what they do not have.

Doctrine, sound doctrine, must be taught, and preached.
But it is only doctrine appropriated into their own lives, that counts.
If they have the experience that they are preaching or teaching on; then the Holy Spirit will honor them and their word.
If they do not, then the word might be honored, as a good lesson; but the real power is lacking, and it falls short of what the Lord wants to give. (For He has so much He wants for us)

Head knowledge will give a mental agreement with certain facts.
But it is the apprehension of those same facts in our experience that will save us, and set us free!

Example: I used to ask the Lord, “Why?” a lot. Why did this happen? Why does that not happen?
He let me: sometimes explaining; sometimes telling me to just trust.
But finally, He “explained”, that I was not a child; and I was to do what He wanted without explanation.

(Real Obedience is to a person, or a cause; not just because it is reasonable.)

I actually thought He did not mean it. (Boy, was I wrong)
He began to deal with me every time I asked why; till it got to the point that it even hurt to think why!

I confessed my childishness, and rebellion; and stopped asking.

And something wonderful happened: I had peace. I had joy.

I had not had them when I was asking for reasons. But I did now.

That experience showed me that God is Very Personal.

That He “put up with” me for a while is amazing.

Yet when He said this was not to be anymore, He showed me something more amazing: He was to be trusted….how much do we really do that?

For HIs peace in the everyday trials, and His joy is of so much more value than the reasons I was trusting in.

To hear God is Trustworthy is one thing; to experience it is another.

The Lord wants all His children to experience all He has for us: His love, His peace (and it does pass understanding…keeping our hearts and minds), His joy.

He calls us to a life open to and receptive to Him.

Revelation 3:20 “Behold I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come into him, and will sup with him, and he with Me.”

The “door” that we open is the door of our lives. Open to Him and His fellowship.

The ground of our Heart
Luke 8:5 “A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.”

Today we are going to talk about the ground of our hearts. All ground is not the same.
Some, is prepared ground: cultivated, ready for the seed and growth.
Some is hard, for it has been traveled on. The feet of many have walked over it, so it is hard and unable to receive the seed, without a lot of work.

Which ground are we?
Let us consider the Lord’s parable:

Luke 8:5 “A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.”

Here is one of the hard ground hearers. They have been beside the field, but are not part of it. There has been no making the ground ready for the Word. When the word of God comes in the seed, the ground does not receive it. The Word sits on top of the heart.
Luke 8:11-12 “Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God.
Those by the wayside are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.”

In other words, the heart hears the word, but pays no attention to the serious warnings about sin , or the Gospel of good news.
The devil is very glad for these people. He has no trouble taking the word from their hearts, and making it disappear in their memories. They have had a life where everything that has happen to them, makes them hard against the world, people, circumstances. Nothing will make them yield. They are defiant against all, though they may appear very smooth. These are the people who hear the Word, but nothing changes, because the Word of God can not sink into their hearts so they could believe, and be saved.

Luke 8:6 “And some fell upon rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture.”
This is the ground that has stones in it. Since it is part of the field, it gets seed, and it springs up! But then the roots come against the stones and become unable to grow. They soon die.

Luke 8:13 “They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation, fall away.”
This ground is the hearts of those who, having heard of the Gospel of Salvation, are overjoyed! Their minds are understanding the Word, and all it’s promises, and are ready to go forward in the Christian Life. Or so they think.
Until there are problems, and temptations.(These are things which say, “You want me. I am really great, greater than what God is giving you). And as Christians we have the same problems and temptations, as everyone else. The difference is in the presence of the Holy Spirit within us for guidance; and the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) encouraging us through the difficulties.

But when the decisions to stand with God come, the Stoney ground hearers, give up. Their minds had received it, making their hearts joyful. But now it was time, for the hearts affection for Christ Jesus, to hold fast. But there was no real affection for Christ; only joy at the promises the Word gave, for themselves.

Luke 8:7 “And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it.”
Here is the ground which is cultivated, but not all the weeds and thorns were out of it, when it was. They are there, though not seen, when the seed is sown. When the seed springs up, so do the thorns.

Luke 8:14 “And that which fell among thorns are they, which when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with the cares, and riches, and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.”
These are the hearts which have hidden resentments, lusts or worries. They are ready to receive an answer for their problems. So when the Word of God comes, promising a NEW LIFE, they jump at it.
They are so anxious to get started with this life, that they “go forth”, eager to tell others of a change in life.
But then, their hidden resentments, or lusts, or worries come to the front, again; and they wonder why they are not different?
The truth is they have never received Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior. They have received the word about the new life–yes, but not the person of the Savior. And when you receive Christ, His Holy Spirit comes to live and empower us .
Our old life, or flesh is to be subjected to Christ.

Galatians 5:16-17, 24 “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other; so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.”

Therefore the old life choked out the Word, and they never truly had that new life promised: in Christ Jesus.

Luke 8:8 “And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bear fruit one hundred fold. And when he had said these things he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.”
The ground which is good ground, bears fruit. It too, had been prepared by cultivation, but the difference being: fruit.
And the reason for the difference is:

Luke 8:15 “And that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.”

An honest heart.

We are what we are by circumstances, birth, place, and the people around us, who have shaped us.
But when the Word of God comes, and we receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, then all that we are, comes under the rule of Christ. We are to get honest about our past hates, likes, loves, and circumstances; giving all these things to Christ.
And in honesty, we are to do what He wants us to do. Seek to yield to the peace of the Holy Spirit, the patience, and long-suffering for others, that He wants us to do.
The “keeping” of the Word, is holding on to Him in love. And what He has given us by His Spirit, and in His Word, and believing He will see to us.
We bring forth the fruit of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-23). And that helps us grow and bring forth more fruit…the fruit of a Christian, which is another Christian.

Which ground are we? Jesus said, He that has ears to hear, let him hear.

 

 

The Potter, and the Clay

Jeremiah 18:5-6 “Then the word of the Lord came to me saying,
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.”

Paul says the same thing in:
Romans 9:20-21 “Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?
Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor?”

This is not our bodies; yes, they are all different, but God is speaking of molding our souls. God has used every experience of our lives to shape our souls.
Our souls are that which makes us unique. They are a gift from God that no other creature has.
Genesis 2:7 “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”

The soul is the apartment of self-consciousness. It is where our personality is. There, our individual character is formed, and rules our thought life, our emotions, our will, our conscience, and our social interactions.

When we are born again, we are given the blessed privilege of having the Holy Spirit come and dwell with us, for Christ said He would not leave us comfort less, He would come unto us.
John 14:16-18 “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 cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him, for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.”

As Christians, Paul is saying that as God’s “clay”, we need to accept what we are, how we are, and, even, where we are, and then be reconciled to Him
in them.

How much of our discontent lies in this.
God wants to make us a vessel unto honor, and has given us His Spirit to enable and mold us:
2 Timothy 2:20-21 “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 to 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.”

To move forward with God, you must be in your place before Him. To know that He is there with us, because He loves us.
So many people say, “God knows best”; yet doubt every time trouble comes. They are anxious, burdened, and worried. (Haven’t we all experienced this doubt?)

But we are called to “possess our souls”.
Luke 21:19 “In your patience, possess ye your souls.”

We are to gain, by subjection to the Holy Spirit, real power over our affections:(Proverbs 4:23 “Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.” Proverbs 23:26 “My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.”)
Our thoughts:
(1 Peter 1:13 “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;”)
And wills:
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.”
For it is by the power of the Holy Spirit that we possess our souls.

To Yield to the Holy Spirit is true freedom; for it places Him first.
It is His Will you want, and by that will, you are enabled to bring your soul under subjection to Him and yourself.
There is always trouble here, in this world; but as you yield to the Holy Spirit, the influence of the trouble is less, and less. His power to help, strengthen, and encourage is more and more.

He is the Potter, we are the clay.
Yielding to Him we have liberty, and begin to have the fruit of the Spirit working in us and through us.
Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith.
Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”

Let us yield; or give in; or submit; or surrender; all terms which mean that for us, Christ will choose.

 

 

 

The Path of the Just

Proverbs 4:18 “But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.”

When the sun first begins to break the sky begins to be light. Then the sun comes up, and in the east, the light comes streaming.
But there are shadows, for the light shows all that stands in the way of complete light.

Song of Solomon 4:6 “Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense.”

Until the day break, and the shadows flee away. When the shadows are gone, then there is nothing between us and the Son of God, our Light source.

Our Lord, here, is inviting us to come with Him further into the Light of His love, so even the shadows “flee” away.

Now shadows are not the thing itself, but the impress of it. But it is in darkness.

What this means is that the sin itself has been taken care of:
1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

But the influence of the sin or the resentment because of the consequences of the sin are still there. These are the shadows.
They are darkness, but not the substance of sin.

Many people are confused about this.
They think that if the sin is confessed, and they know they are forgiven; then all the other emotions concerning the sin, are gone to.

Suppose you have a habit of lying: you have hurt your family, people at work, etc. by your habit.
Then you are given real light about this, and you confess it. (Perhaps you say, why would we need light about lying. Surely everyone knows it’s wrong. Maybe they know in a general sense, but the offense of lying when it lays upon YOUR heart, is an eye opener.
Then it is not just “wrong, because God says so”; but then it is wrong, because you have placed the value of your family, friends, and co-workers in contempt. You have spit upon them, in order to cover yourself up.)

But even though you have confessed your sin, and asked God to cleanse you from the desire and habit of lying; the reason for it is still there to face everyday.
These are the shadows, the image of the sin, though not the sin.
The trouble with Shadows is that the influence of our Adversary, the Devil can be felt through them.

But how do we deal with shadows?
First, it is the work of the Spirit of God within you to show you what needs to be dealt with, and what needs to be put away with past things.
Philippians 3:13-14 “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which 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.”

This requires us to be in subjection to the Holy Spirit, for He asks you to be obedient to the Light He gives in these matters.

The mountain of myrrh: myrrh symbolizes death in the scriptures. And it is a mountain of myrrh, we are invited to come to, because it takes a great deal of denying self to set these things right.
It is a hill of Frankincense, because it takes very little of the Power of God to deal with these things, once we have denied ourself.

A child of the Light, confesses the fault, and the attitude; when the Holy Spirit shows it. They have the “good and honest heart”; it is “good” only because it is honest.
Luke 8:15 “But that on the good ground are they which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.”

A child of the darkness says, “Oh, I can explain that away; I did that because of them, or that circumstance; it was a small thing, anyway. It was not like the really bad things I used to do. It is really their fault.”

Be a child of the Light, and when the Holy Spirit convicts you of wrong; confess it, and God will deal with what is wrong.

These shadows that remain, are shadows only; but they are there and the influence of the the Adversary can be felt through them.
They are there because of the choices we have made, true; but we can also make choices which remove them, by coming more into the Light.

Shadows do not exist in light
Proverbs 4:18 “But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.”

We are to go to the high noon of Light with Christ Jesus. Most do not; choosing, instead to stay in the shadowy existence of the fear of the truth.
But don’t.
God’s Light shows truth, yes, and when we see the reasons of our actions, it gives us the ability to deal with what is really behind the: “why we did what we did”.

Let’s face it, we all have REASONS we act the way we do. But have you dealt with the reasons? Or just the actions?

True Light; the Light of Life, deals with both. It frees you from both the sin and the reason of the sin.
And gives you joy.
John 16:24 “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: Ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.”

Joy is one of the grandest attributes of God, himself.
Joy is not dependent upon the people or events around me.(That is happiness, which has to do with how things or people treat us.)
Joy springs from the presence of God in my life, for He is the abundant power of good, and peace.

Enthusiasm and deep delight is seen in the one who receives God’s joy.
There is direction in their lives; and purpose, even in the little things. For they are enjoying the Presence of God everywhere.

In this, we know the purifying of the Holy Spirit, assuring me that I am right with God.
I am made right with others,
And, importantly, I know that I all is well between me and myself. (How many things come from the disappointment we have about ourselves? How many times have we hated what we have done, but refused to look at it? How many times have we hidden our hurt behind a phony face of ridicule?)
These all can be brought out into the Light; AND PUT BEHIND US. WE CAN BE FREE FROM THEM.

The Joy of the Lord can become a force in my life.
It is a great light, illuminating the whole of my being; dispelling the darkness, and despair that dominates so often. He has it for us, in His Light.
The shadows do flee away in the Light of the Lord.

 

 

 

 

 

 

An Open Face.

An “open face” in Scripture is an honest one.

How many times God asks us to get honest with Him. To come to Him “as we are”, and not in hypocrisy, or pretending.
Honesty to God is of primary importance.
(It is only the “good and honest” heart in Luke 8:15, that bears fruit, and is blessed.)

2 Corinthians 3:18 “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

The Lord showed me this verse once: I was standing in front of a mirror (glass), and looking at my reflection, I saw the Lord’s face superimposed upon it. So that when I saw myself, I also saw Him.

This is what this verse means. As we get honest with the Lord about ourselves, our attitudes, and our thoughts; The Spirit of God changes the inclination of these desires, and we “are changed, into the same image”.
This is to have the characteristics of Christ in you. Worked in you by the Holy Spirit, as you get honest with Him.

This is often not as easy as it seems. We think we are generally honest people, but the Scriptures tell us, and experience shows us that we are dishonest.

This began with Adam and Eve. Their sin separated them from God; so much so that they knew they were naked before Him.
So they sewed fig leaves together, and tried to cover their fault.
Then they tried to hide themselves, among the trees of the garden.
And lastly they blamed their sin, not on their own choice, but someone else.(Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed “the serpent”.). They refused to come to God in honesty, confessing their sin; but tried to cover and lie about it. (Genesis 3:7-13)

We are their descendants. We are all born with sinful natures, and we are generally dishonest with ourselves (the Bible calls it being “deceitful”), as well as with others.

Thankfully, God has made a way for us to have victory here. For without honestly coming to God, you are not coming. (The “pretend you” may be coming, the “excusing you” may be coming; but you are not)

Jeremiah 17:9-10 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.”

If you are going to get honest with God, by the help of the Holy Spirit; He rewards you accordingly. He will give you what the honest heart seeks: His Power and Presence in our lives.
Remember the “open face” being changed into His image, or character.

As Christians, we have the Holy Spirit within us, and He will:
John 16:13 “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 will guide us into all truth. He will teach us the things of Christ, changing us, into His image, as His face was superimposed on mine. I will still be there, but He will be seen as well, in my everyday life.

Ephesians 4:13-15 “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect (complete) man unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ:
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:”

This is something you acquire, as you yield to the Lord.
We begin to see that we have been covering up our attitude to this, and our anger for that; and turn to Him for the victory over these things only He can give.

We are us. The things that have happened to us, have happened. THEY can not be changed.
But we can. God gives us His life, instead of anger, resentment, lust, and lying.

Will we with “open face” be changed from glory to glory (one characteristic of Christ, to another)?

If you are born again, you have the Holy Spirit within you, ready to guide you into all truth; Will you have it?
For surely God will reward your yielding, many times over, in fellowship with Him.

Are we enjoying a love relationship with The Lord Jesus?

Song of Solomon 1:2 “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine.”

You can only kiss one person on the mouth at a time. This shows the personal relationship we should want, and have with our Lord Jesus.
Have you found His love so? Some have, and wanted more of the same sweetness of life, only this relationship can give.

Revelation 2:4 “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.”
Our first love should be the Lord Jesus Christ, who loved us and saved us from our sin.

These are two opposites. Which do you fit in to?

When we are in love with Jesus, we want to spend time with Him.
We come, not just with a list of wants (for us, or others); but to spend time in fellowship with the One who “loved me and gave Himself for me”(Galatians 2:20).

Ephesians 5:2 “And walk in love, as Christ also loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor.”
This fellowship is strengthening, comforting, and most of all fulfilling.
This is that abundant life Jesus told of:
John 10:10 “The thief cometh not but to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

The word love is used more in 1 John, in the New Testament; than any other book; so we will see about this relationship there:

First, our love relationship brings joy to our lives:
1 John 1:3-4 “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.”

To have fellowship with the Father and Jesus Christ brings joy. “Fellowship” in the Greek means the social relationship between close friends; and husband and wife.
In fellowship with Jesus, we spiritually lean our head upon His chest, and tell Him everything. He, in turn, uplifts us by the Arm of His strength; and gives us courage, the courage only the friend of Jesus can have.

Second, our love relationship helps us be obedient:
1 John 2:5 “But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.”
(Jesus said this to John years earlier: John 14:21 “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.”)
Obedience is absolutely necessary for our Christian walk; but it is not only a duty, when the love of Jesus calls us: It is a privilege.

Third, our love relationship purifies us from the world’s influence.
1 John 3:1-3 “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, (in God’s sight), and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: (we are not what we ought to be): but we know that , when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.”

Pure is to be consecrated; or blameless. One speaks of our setting ourselves aside for God’s use. The other speaks of our attitude, of living peaceably with all men, and not rendering evil for evil.
Romans 12:17-18 “Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceable with all men.”
Jesus said in His Sermon on the Mount, that “the pure in heart shall see God.” This means now. We shall “see” Him in every moment of our lives, He shall be there with us in a personal way.

Fourth, our love relationship keeps us from fear:
1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.”
Our love of God, and our knowledge of His love for us, brings with it such peace and joy, that we are unafraid of coming before Him with any confession, any petition, any need of help.
We know He will not only hear us, but desires to help us with all we ask.

What is love?
1 John 4:9-10 “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
Herein is love, not that we love God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
1 John 4:19 “We love him, because he first loved us.”

Love is Agape. And it is the fruit of the Holy Spirit within us.(Galatians 5:22). He works that love within our hearts and lives, as we yield ourselves to Him.
God’s love for us sent His only begotten Son to die for us.
Our love to God will lead us in the paths of righteousness, forsaking the world, and self, for His companionship.

 

Disciples–Learners, and Friends.
Matthew 11:28-30 “Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Come and learn of Him.
If we are born again, we know how to “Come”…for we did come to Him for Salvation.
To learn of Him is to stop thinking we already know…and to hear what He is saying.
A good example is the feeding of the five thousand.
The story is in all four gospels:
Matthew 14:15-21. (Verse 16) “But Jesus said unto them (His disciples), They need not depart; give ye them to eat.”

Mark 6:35-44. (Verse 37) “He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat?”

Luke 9:12-17. (Verse 13) “But he said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they said, We have no more but five loaves and two fishes; except we should go and buy meat for all this people.”

John 6:5-13. (Verse 5-6) “When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?
And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.”

In all the accounts, Jesus is healing and teaching the multitudes which followed Him into the desert place. He has compassion on them. For He sees them as sheep, not having a shepherd.
He has let the time pass, because He wants to teach His disciples a lesson.
First: In themselves they can do nothing. “Give ye them to eat.” Showed them that they couldn’t.
Second: If they give what He has blessed, and given them; there is enough and to spare. “Bring them (the loaves and fishes) hither to me….and looking up to heaven, he blessed and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat, and were filled:…”(Matthew 14:18-20)

Lessons from our Lord includes everything. From prayer (Luke 11:1-13), to strife among brethren (Matthew 18:15-17, John 13:34-35), to faith (Matthew 15:30-31, 17:20), and forgiveness (Matthew 1 9:21-35).
We are learners of Jesus:
Ephesians 4:20 “But ye have not so learned Christ;
If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:”

All this comes down to; learning to walk with Him:
Amos 3:3 ” Can two walk together, except they be agreed?”
As we lose our self-life, we must come to many agreements with Him. This is the learning process.
There must be an Absolute Surrender to Christ; For He must Reign. This is where we decide, once and for all, that we will follow Christ; wherever He leads.
But it is only by many deliberate acts of the will, that we make Him Lord of our lives, practically.
For it is only through our wills that we submit to His Lordship.
In each instance of obedience, our minds and hearts move the will to decide for Christ. This is another agreement made and another part of ourselves given to Christ to rule.

Friends:
John 15:15 “Henceforth I call ye not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his Lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.”
These disciples had traveled a long way with Christ, and had determined to go on with Him, although He was hated by the Pharisees.

There is an old saying: “A wise man is he  that keeps his friendships in constant repair”
And this is as true with Christ, as well as our other friends.

A man with God can be a majority of One in any situation.
Look at John, the disciple:
When Jesus’s time was come, He went to the garden of Gethsemane to pray.(John 18:1)
The eleven were with Him, but three of the eleven were closest to Him…Peter, James and John. When Judas and the band of soldiers which were to arrest Him, came; they all fled. Jesus had asked that His disciples be let go:
John 18:8 “Jesus answered, I have told you that I am he: if therefore ye seek me, let these go their way:”

Mark 14:48-52 “And Jesus answered and said unto them, Are ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and with staves to take me?
I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and ye took me not: but the Scriptures must be fulfilled.
And they all forsook him, and fled.
And there followed him a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body; and the young men laid hold on him:
And he left the linen cloth and fled from them naked.”
This young man, I believe was John….but look what he did right after that.

John 18:15 “And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple: that disciple was known unto the high priest, and went in with Jesus into the palace of the high priest.”
Here he was allowed to go into the place of judgement….the high priest knew him. This could have been life threatening. But he went into the palace to be with Jesus.

And after they led Jesus away to Pilate? And to Golgotha? John was there also. None other disciple, but he was.
John 19:25-27 “Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.
When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!
Then saith he to his disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.”
John was a young man; who had fled to save his life….but came back to follow Jesus, not only to find out what would happen to him, But to stand with Him, both in the place of judgement and death.

Friends. We, too, can be friends with Christ.
We can stand with Him, not that we won’t fail, but that we will seek Him and stand with Him, after we have.
A wise man is he that keeps his friendships in constant repair.