The Warrior Who Saves

The reason that Hollywood movies need heroes is because deep down inside we all know that we need a savior.

Someone who knows our need
Someone who knows where we are
Someone who can even get us out of the trouble we have caused ourselves

No hero can do that for everyone person. That would take super-human knowledge, super-human perception, and super-human strength.

We need God.

God is the Warrior Who Saves. He fights for us, overcoming the enemies of doubt, guilt, sin, and selfishness in our lives. He revealed Himself to us by coming to earth in the form of a man, Jesus of Nazareth. He lived a perfect life, died for our sins on a cross, and victoriously rose from the dead. Jesus proved that He is who He claimed to be – God. He is the Warrior Who Saves.

Here these words from the prophet Zephaniah. Notice the words in this verse that describes who God is. Reflect on His greatness. Trust in Him. Follow Him.

Zephaniah 3:17 (HCSB)
¹⁷ Yahweh your God is among you, a warrior who saves. He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will bring you quietness with His love. He will delight in you with shouts of joy.”

Notice these things about the Lord:

He is among you
He is the Warrior Who Saves
He rejoices over you with gladness
He will bring you quietness (peace)
He responds to you in love
He delights in you
He cheers for you with shouts of joy

When our children were infants, one of the things we would love to do was hold them and rock them. Often I would sing to my kids. It was a wonderful joy to have them look up at me with little eyes of wonder. In Zephaniah 3:17, at the end of the verse, the Bible says that God delights in us with shouts of joy. It’s a picture that can be understood in a couple of ways. One is the picture of a warrior who rejoices with a shout of joy over his people who have been delivered from their enemy. The other picture is of a parent who is singing over his children as he holds them in His arms, protecting them and caring for them and keeping them close. Both pictures remind me of how amazing God is.

He is the Tender Warrior Who Saves.

 

You’re a New Person

When God saves you, He changes you. He changes you from the inside out. You become a brand new person. No longer are you the focus of your life – God now is the focus. You realize that His way is the best way. He empowers you to live life His way – the best way – and to have the guarantee of eternal life with Him. It’s a pretty amazing reality.

How should that affect your life?

Because you’re a new person, set your mind on eternal things. It is so normal to focus on temporary, earthly things. It takes spiritual focus to set your mind on eternal things. Jesus was physically raised from the dead. You have been spiritually raised from the dead.

Since you are spiritually alive, focus your mind on eternal things. For example, instead of just thinking about what groceries to buy at the supermarket, why not focus on having a conversation with the check-out clerk to find out how to pray for her? Another example: instead of complaining about your noisy neighbors, how about get to know them and invite them to church with you?

Set your mind on eternal things.

Colossians 3:1-4 (HCSB)
¹ So if you have been raised with the Messiah, seek what is above, where the Messiah is, seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your minds on what is above, not on what is on the earth. ³ For you have died, and your life is hidden with the Messiah in God. ⁴ When the Messiah, who is your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.

Because you’re a new person, put to death what is worldly in you. When Jesus saved you, He forgave you of all your sin. But our present reality is that sin is constantly battling against us, trying to keep us from living an abundant, holy, Christ-honoring life. You used to walk in sinful ways before God changed your life through Christ. Now, you don’t have to walk in those ways. You are a new person. Don’t believe the lie that says that you can’t overcome sinful behavior. The Bible says that God will give you the desire and the power to overcome all temptations that come your way.

It takes conscious effort to put these worldly ways to death. Read the following verses. If some of these sinful behaviors are a struggle for you, take time to pray to the Lord, ask Him to help you put the worldly ways to death in your life, and take steps to keep them out of your life. Memorize Scripture to help you battle these worldly behaviors.

Colossians 3:5-9 (HCSB)
⁵ Therefore, put to death what belongs to your worldly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry. ⁶ Because of these, God’s wrath comes on the disobedient, ⁷ and you once walked in these things when you were living in them. ⁸ But now you must also put away all the following: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and filthy language from your mouth. ⁹ Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old self with its practices…

Because you’re a new person, let God renew you daily, becoming more and more like Christ. Each day, and several times throughout the day, pause from your routine and focus your heart and mind on Christ and His Word. Your ultimate goal is for Him to transform your thinking so that over time your thoughts are ALWAYS the thoughts wants you to have. Let Him renew your mind.

He want to renew you into the image of your Creator. The goal is holiness and Christlikeness in every way. One of the things that the Colossians struggled with was racial prejudice. They needed to realize that they were all equal in the sight of God, no matter their ethnicity, social background, or any other factor. Because Christ is all goodness and perfection, and He is in all believers, He unites us through Christ. This is part of being a new person in Christ.

Colossians 3:9-11 (HCSB)
⁹ Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old self with its practices ¹⁰ and have put on the new self. You are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of your Creator. ¹¹ In Christ there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all.

Put these truths into action. In light of the teaching of Colossians 3:1-11, what changes do you need to make?

• Set your mind on eternal things
• Put to death what is worldly in you
• Let God renew you daily, becoming more and more like Christ

Once I was talking with a friend who had recently become a Christian. He was wondering about whether or not particular words were acceptable for him to use now that he was a follower of Christ. The words in question were not words that took the Lord’s name in vain (which he knew were wrong to say), but words of a crude nature, the kind you might be tempted to say when you hit your thumb with a hammer. When I showed him from God’s Word that those words were sinful (see Colossians 3:8 above), he immediately said, “OK, I won’t say those words any more.” Praise God for a man living a life of faith and obedience, in line with God’s Word.

Will you respond in faith and obedience to what God has called you to do? What changes do you need to make? Make them today.

 

Valuable

A popular show on television right now features a pawn shop, and shows how folks bring in various items to try to sell them to the pawn shop owners. Some funny conversations occur back and forth as they negotiate on a price, trying to determine the value of the items.

On Mother’s Day 2012, Pastor Kevin shared a message with our church family about how valuable God’s Word says that we are to the Lord. (And he had some great help from his wife Darla, I should add!) Here are my notes from the message:

1. God knows you inside and out. 

Psalm 139:1-6 (HCSB)
¹ Lord, You have searched me and known me.
² You know when I sit down and when I stand up; You understand my thoughts from far away.
³ You observe my travels and my rest; You are aware of all my ways.
⁴ Before a word is on my tongue, You know all about it, Lord.
⁵ You have encircled me; You have placed Your hand on me.
⁶ This extraordinary knowledge is beyond me. It is lofty; I am unable to reach it.

2. What you do does not go unnoticed. God sees it all. 

Psalm 139:2-3 (HCSB)
² You know when I sit down and when I stand up; You understand my thoughts from far away.
³ You observe my travels and my rest; You are aware of all my ways.

3. You are never alone. 

Psalm 139:7-12 (HCSB)
⁷ Where can I go to escape Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence?
⁸ If I go up to heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there.
⁹ If I live at the eastern horizon or settle at the western limits,
¹⁰ even there Your hand will lead me; Your right hand will hold on to me.
¹¹ If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me, and the light around me will be night”—
¹² even the darkness is not dark to You. The night shines like the day; darkness and light are alike to You.

4. You are valuable because of who you are, not because of the roles you play or the things you have done. You are valuable because you are created by God. 

Psalm 139:13-14 (HCSB)
¹³ For it was You who created my inward parts; You knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I will praise You because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, and I know this very well.

So just how valuable are you to God? Much more valuable than silver or gold. And He gave you a gift that is worth much, much more than silver or gold. You are so valuable to God that He gave His most prized gift to redeem you. He paid the price for your salvation through the gift of His Son Jesus, who died on the cross for your sins and rose from the dead as the death-defeating, hell-overcoming, life-giving, eternal, living Lord.

Jesus is the only one who can forgive sins. He gives eternal hope. Put your faith in Him. Give Him the glory and praise He deserves. Surrender your life to Him.

1 Peter 1:18-21 (HCSB)
¹⁸ For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from the fathers, not with perishable things like silver or gold, ¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish. ²⁰ He was chosen before the foundation of the world but was revealed at the end of the times for you ²¹ who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

Jesus is the Most Valuable One!

 

Beware of…

The truths of God’s Word are profound. They are intended to show you how to avoid error, to know the truth, and to live a life of authentic faith in Christ. Dig deep into the Scriptures. Meditate on them. Respond to them with faith and obedience.

#1 – Beware of empty philosophies.

Notice in these verses that you can test whether or not a philosophy is empty by what that philosophy teaches about Jesus.

Colossians 2:4-15 (HCSB)
⁴ I am saying this so that no one will deceive you with persuasive arguments. ⁵ For I may be absent in body, but I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see how well ordered you are and the strength of your faith in Christ.

⁶ Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in Him, ⁷ rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, overflowing with gratitude.

⁸ Be careful that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit based on human tradition, based on the elemental forces of the world, and not based on Christ. ⁹ For the entire fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily in Christ, ¹⁰ and you have been filled by Him, who is the head over every ruler and authority. ¹¹ You were also circumcised in Him with a circumcision not done with hands, by putting off the body of flesh, in the circumcision of the Messiah. ¹² Having been buried with Him in baptism, you were also raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. ¹³ And when you were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive with Him and forgave us all our trespasses. ¹⁴ He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it out of the way by nailing it to the cross. ¹⁵ He disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; He triumphed over them by Him.

There are a lot of philosophies in the world. Make sure you are not being deceived by empty philosophies. Some tempt you to worship the elemental forces of the world like earth, wind, water, and fire. Others tempt you to worship the elemental forces of humanistic thinking. Don’t be deceived. Beware of empty philosophies. Trust in Christ instead. He is not empty. He is the fullness of God.

#2 – Beware of religious legalism.

Some people try to impose their religious convictions on you in a legalistic way: what foods to eat, what to do on particular holy days, what to do on the Sabbath day, and more.

Colossians 2:16-17 (HCSB)
¹⁶ Therefore, don’t let anyone judge you in regard to food and drink or in the matter of a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day. ¹⁷ These are a shadow of what was to come; the substance is the Messiah.

Verse seventeen reminds us that Jesus the Messiah is the substance. The other things are shadows pointing to Him. Some people focus on the shadows but they miss the substance. Don’t do that. Avoid religious legalism. Focus on Christ.

#3 – Beware of man-made disciplines.

Spiritual disciplines such as prayer, fasting, silence, simplicity and study can be helpful as we exercise our faith. However, if someone takes these disciplines to the extreme believing that the disciplines themselves are the answer, that person is mistaken and misdirected.

Colossians 2:18-23 (HCSB)
¹⁸ Let no one disqualify you, insisting on ascetic practices and the worship of angels, claiming access to a visionary realm and inflated without cause by his unspiritual mind. ¹⁹ He doesn’t hold on to the head, from whom the whole body, nourished and held together by its ligaments and tendons, develops with growth from God.

²⁰ If you died with the Messiah to the elemental forces of this world, why do you live as if you still belonged to the world? Why do you submit to regulations: ²¹ “Don’t handle, don’t taste, don’t touch”? ²² All these ⌊regulations⌋ refer to what is destroyed by being used up; they are commands and doctrines of men. ²³ Although these have a reputation of wisdom by promoting ascetic practices, humility, and severe treatment of the body, they are not of any value in curbing self-indulgence.

These verses do not tell us to avoid disciplines. They do tell us to beware of man-made disciplines. Such disciplines may even promise to curb self-indulgence but they do not. Christ is the one who grows each person spiritually (v19), not man-made disciplines. Focus on Christ. Follow Him.

And beware of empty philosophies, religious legalism, and man-made disciplines.

_______________

Author’s note: I am grateful to Warren Weirsbe for the three-part outline for this passage of Scripture. The outline I learned from him. The paragraphs are original with me. All praise goes to the Lord.  

 

The Two Ways

There are two ways to go. Which way will go you?

Legendary New York Yankees baseball player and “philosopher” Yogi Berra once said, “When you get to a fork in the road, take it.” What is funny for Yogi to say, however, doesn’t help us very much. We must choose carefully which way we will go.

In Psalm 1, the Bible teaches that there are two ways: the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked. Let me ask you three questions to help you think about which road you are traveling.

Who are you following??

Are you following the crowd, or are you following Christ? You will never be satisfied, truly happy, or content by following the crowd.

Psalm 1:1-2 (HCSB)
¹ How happy is the man who does not follow the advice of the wicked or take the path of sinners or join a group of mockers! ² Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction, and he meditates on it day and night.

It is very tempting to follow the advice of the wicked, to take the path of the sinners or to join a group of mockers. But that way is not the right way. That way is not the best way. That way seems right, but in the end it leads to destruction (Prov. 14:12).

Jesus calls you to walk in His way. He says, “Follow me” (Mt 4:19). His way is the way of blessing, the way to true happiness (v1). The way of Christ is…

• the way of peace
• the way of forgiveness
• the way of love
• the way of holiness
• the way of strength
• the way of humility
• the way of serving
• the way of truth
• the way of hope
• the way of life

To follow Jesus’ way, you don’t just follow a plan or a path, you follow a Person. You follow Jesus Himself. You come to know Him faith. Then, you learn from Him by reading the Bible and letting the Holy Spirit guide you.

As Psalm 1 says, delight yourself in His instruction. Take time every day to read His Word, think about it throughout the day, and let His Word transform your life. Follow Him.

What are you doing??

What is your life producing? A person who is following Christ will produce the fruit of the Spirit in their life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. You will focus your life on the important stuff of relationships, helping others, making an eternal difference in the lives of others, and worshiping God.

Psalm 1:3-4 (HCSB)
³ He is like a tree planted beside streams of water that bears its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. ⁴ The wicked are not like this; instead, they are like chaff that the wind blows away.

The way of the wicked, by contrast, are like the hollow chaff, blown away by the wind. This is a vivid picture of those who pursue earthly pleasures, possessions or accomplishments. Ultimately, those things will leave a person hollow. Empty. Those things will not last for eternity.

So, what are you doing? Is your life producing fruit that will last? Hear the words of Jesus:

Matthew 7:13-20 (HCSB)
¹³ “Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. ¹⁴ How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it. ¹⁵ “Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravaging wolves. ¹⁶ You’ll recognize them by their fruit. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree can’t produce bad fruit; neither can a bad tree produce good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ So you’ll recognize them by their fruit.”

Where are you going??

That path you are on… where is it taking you? Is it the road leading to heaven, where you will be with the Lord and His people – the community of the righteous – for all of eternity? Is it keeping you close to the community of the righteous even on earth? Or is it a road that will not stand up in the judgment, a path that will lead to eternal ruin?

Psalm 1:5-6 (HCSB)
⁵ Therefore the wicked will not survive the judgment, and sinners will not be in the community of the righteous. ⁶ For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to ruin.

Take these verses as an encouragement if you are following Christ. For the person who is following Jesus, you will be in the community of the righteous with the Lord forever. And He watches over you every step of the way, from here to eternity.

But if you are on the path of the wicked – if you do not know Jesus as Lord and Savior – realize that the path of the wicked will lead to eternal ruin in hell, separated from the Lord forever. If you are headed that way, I beg you to turn away from your sin and trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Response

If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, then take Psalm 1 as a reminder to you that it is never wise to follow the wrong path, and it is ALWAYS best to follow the way of Christ. Keep following Jesus.

If you do not know Jesus as Lord and Savior of your life, then turn away from your sin, trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior, and begin to follow Him. If you do that (or if you have questions about it) contact me. I’d love to talk to you about this most important decision you will ever make.

 

Christ in You, the Hope of Glory

I believe there is hope, because I believe in God. The Bible teaches – and I know by life transformation – that when Christ is in you, you have hope. You have hope of future glory in heaven. And this glorious hope in you transforms your life starting the moment you trust in Christ as Lord and Savior.

This hope is not hope in the sense of “I hope so.” This hope is confident hope, in the sense of “I know so.” Biblical hope is confident hope. I believe there is hope because I believe in God.

suffering

When you know that Christ is in you, even if you suffer you don’t despair. You find hope in the midst of your suffering. God in His sovereignty allows us to go through periods of suffering. Sometimes the suffering is because of our sin. Sometimes the suffering is because of our faithfulness to God. Always the suffering is intended to draw your closer to Christ and for God to be glorified through your endurance, through your confident hope in Christ.

The apostle Paul endured suffering because of his faithfulness to God. He was imprisoned for sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. He could have remained silent and not faced the persecutions that he found throughout the first-century anti-Christian, pagan Roman society. But his love for people compelled him to share the hope that he found in Christ with people in cities everywhere he traveled. He even cared about the eternal souls of those whom he had never met, like the Colossians. He knew that his sufferings were a necessary part of being a servant of Christ, a vital part of the Colossians being able to hear the good news of Jesus. Are you willing to suffer, if necessary, so that others can come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior?

Colossians 1:24-25 (HCSB)
²⁴ Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I am completing in my flesh what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for His body, that is, the church. ²⁵ I have become its servant, according to God’s administration that was given to me for you, to make God’s message fully known,

 mystery

Everyone loves a good mystery. The excitement of a mystery comes when the mystery is solved, when the mysterious is revealed.

The mystery that was revealed by God in Jesus was this: the glorious hope of Christ-living-in-you is available to everyone! Jesus did not come just to be the Savior for one ethnicity of people. He came to be the Savior and Lord of all who would believe in Him. The mystery is not hidden, it is revealed: Christ in you, the hope of glory!

Colossians 1:26-27 (HCSB)
²⁶ the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to His saints. ²⁷ God wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

For too many people, life is a mystery. They can’t figure it out. They can’t find hope. They can’t find peace. They need the mystery revealed. They need hope. They need hope of glory. They need Christ.

Who will you reveal the mystery to? Do you care enough about your family, your friends, your neighbors, and others — even people you haven’t even met — to dedicate your life to revealing this mystery to them? Simply share with them the good news that Jesus offers them hope. He wants to transform their lives. He wants to live in them, to be their hope of glory.

purpose

Before his life was transformed by Jesus Christ, Paul was a persecutor of Christians. At that time in his life, his profession was tracking down Christ-followers, putting them in jail, and sometimes putting them to death. But when he had a personal encounter with Jesus Christ, his life was changed forever. His life had new purpose. His life was changed from the inside out. He knew firsthand that when Christ is in you, you have hope of glory.

His purpose in life became telling others that they too could have new life, that Jesus was still at work in the world through the person of the Holy Spirit, drawing people to faith in Christ. His purpose included teaching them the truths of the Bible so that they could become mature followers of Christ.

Colossians 1:28-2:2 (HCSB)
²⁸ We proclaim Him, warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. ²⁹ I labor for this, striving with His strength that works powerfully in me. ¹ For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you, for those in Laodicea, and for all who have not seen me in person. ² I want their hearts to be encouraged and joined together in love, so that they may have all the riches of assured understanding and have the knowledge of God’s mystery—Christ.

If you have Christ in you – the hope of glory – then you will also want others to have this glorious hope in them. You will see that no matter what your vocation is – educator, engineer, laborer, homemaker, etc, etc – your life purpose is to make disciples, to help others become mature believers, knowing the spiritual riches that are found in Christ. The mystery is revealed – Christ!

All you fulfilling your God-given purpose?

treasure

If you think everyone loves a good mystery, everyone loves a great treasure even more. This world may promise you treasures of gold, or treasures of fame, or a host of other treasures that will one day fade away, rust, or be destroyed. But if your treasure is Christ, you have eternal treasure. Treasure that is in you even if your worldly wealth is taken away, even if your health fails you, even if your friends desert you. 

Colossians 2:3 (HCSB)
³ All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Him.

Treasure Christ. Treasure Him. Don’t seek the treasures of the world. Seek Him. Cherish Him. Know that what the Bible says is true – Christ in you, the hope of glory!

 

Jesus Is…

Our faith in God is placed firmly on the person of Jesus Christ.

In the first chapter of Colossians, we read a hymn declaring who Jesus is. As we think deeply about this passage of Scripture and the truths that are declared, we find strength to endure difficulties, we find purpose and beauty in our existence, and we find hope for the future.

1. Jesus is God-in-the-flesh. 

Have you every wondered what God would be like if you met Him in person? What would He enjoy doing? Where would He go? What would He say? You don’t have to wonder. Jesus was God-in-the-flesh.

Colossians 1:15 (HCSB)
¹⁵ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

God is invisible so we cannot see Him. But He loves us too much to stay hidden from us. He came to earth in the form of His Son, Jesus. This should inspire us to read the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John with eyes wide open to learn about Him, to follow His example, to love Him.

2. Jesus is Preeminent (first in rank) over all creation.

Colossians 1:15 (HCSB) 
¹⁵ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

Jesus has eternally existed as the Second Person of the Trinity, the eternal Son of God. He is above all created beings, over all creation. In the original language, the word translated “firstborn” can mean either “first in order” or “first in rank.” Because we know that Jesus is the Creator of all things (see below), He obviously cannot be one of the created beings. The meaning of this phrase is clear, then. We acknowledge that He is Preeminent, He is First. We should put Him as first place in our lives in everything, and worship Him alone.

3. Jesus is our Creator. 

Colossians 1:16 (HCSB)
¹⁶ For everything was created by Him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities— all things have been created through Him and for Him.

John 1:1-3 (HCSB)
¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ All things were created through Him, and apart from Him not one thing was created that has been created.

John 1:10-14 (HCSB)
¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world was created through Him, yet the world did not recognize Him. ¹¹ He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him. ¹² But to all who did receive Him, He gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in His name, ¹³ who were born, not of blood, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God. ¹⁴ The Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We observed His glory, the glory as the One and Only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Because He is your Creator, you can be at peace with how He has made you. You are fearfully and wonderfully made (see Psalm 139). He has great plans for your life. Trust Him. Look to Him. Follow Him. Let Him continue to make you into the person He wants you to be.

4. Jesus is our Sustainer. 

Life can be extremely difficult and painful at times. We live in a fallen world. We experience problems, heartaches, disappointments, and loss. Where can you go for help? Go to Jesus. He will sustain you.

Colossians 1:17 (HCSB)
¹⁷ He is before all things, and by Him all things hold together.

Jesus holds all things together. I know sometimes it may seem that life is out of control. But it is not. Jesus is literally and spiritually holding all things together. If He can hold the universe together, He can sustain you.

The book of Job chapters 38 and 39 are two of the greatest chapters in all the Bible declaring that God is the sovereign, all-powerful, ever-present sustainer of creation, of the universe, and of our lives.Click HERE to read those chapters. Good stuff!

5. Jesus is the Head of the church. 

Colossians 1:18 (HCSB)
¹⁸ He is also the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He might come to have first place in everything.

When a church has questions, look to Jesus for answers. When a church needs guidance, look to Jesus for direction. When a church needs wisdom, look to the one who knows everything. Jesus is the head of the church, and that applies to each local church and to all of the Christians throughout the world. He is the head, not any person, group or denomination. Jesus is the head of the church.

6. Jesus is the Firstborn from the dead. 

Colossians 1:18 (HCSB)
¹⁸ He is also the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He might come to have first place in everything.

Jesus is alive. He was crucified and buried, but on the third day He came back to life! Since Jesus conquered death, hell and the grave, you have nothing to fear if you have put your trust in Him. His resurrection from the dead guarantees your eternal life with the Lord in heaven. This is truly good news to all who believe!

7. Jesus is the Fullness of God. 

He is the image of the invisible God (v15). Jesus is fully God!

Colossians 1:19 (HCSB)
¹⁹ For God was pleased ⌊to have⌋ all His fullness dwell in Him,

8. Jesus is the One who can Reconcile us to God. 

Colossians 1:20-23 (HCSB)
²⁰ and through Him to reconcile everything to Himself by making peace through the blood of His cross— whether things on earth or things in heaven. ²¹ Once you were alienated and hostile in your minds because of your evil actions. ²² But now He has reconciled you by His physical body through His death, to present you holy, faultless, and blameless before Him— ²³ if indeed you remain grounded and steadfast in the faith and are not shifted away from the hope of the gospel that you heard. ⌊This gospel⌋ has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and I, Paul, have become a servant of it.

Reconciling is all about setting things back right, the way that they should be. In order. Restored. At peace. Jesus is the only One who can reconcile a person back to God. His blood poured out on the cross was the payment for sin. Praise God that Jesus makes us holy, faultless and blameless before God. A person who has been reconciled to God will continue with a steadfast hope in Christ.

RESPONSE

Take a moment to review the eight (8) aspects of Jesus that are discussed in this post. Which of them is most meaningful to you right now? Take a moment to pray, thanking Jesus for being who He is in your life. Take a moment just to thank Him for who He is.

 

What Are You Praying For?

When you pray for others, what do you pray? Let Colossians chapter 1 help guide your prayers. First, let’s see who sent this important letter to the church in Colossae.

Colossians 1:1-2 (HCSB)
¹ Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, and Timothy our brother: ² To the saints in Christ at Colossae, who are faithful brothers. Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

Paul, who by the will of God was sent out to start churches and teach people the way of following Christ, was in a tough spot. He had been placed in prison for proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ throughout the Roman Empire.

What did he do? He didn’t sulk or complain. He prayed. And he wrote letters to churches to tell people that he was praying for them.

His letters encouraged them and his prayers strengthened them, and through his praying and his writing he taught them how to follow Christ. We can learn a lot from him. Along with Timothy, Paul’s first words to the Christians in Colossae were grace and peace.

we always thank God when we pray for you

Colossians 1:3-8 (HCSB)
³ We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, ⁴ for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints ⁵ because of the hope reserved for you in heaven. You have already heard about this hope in the message of truth, the gospel ⁶ that has come to you. It is bearing fruit and growing all over the world, just as it has among you since the day you heard it and recognized God’s grace in the truth. ⁷ You learned this from Epaphras, our dearly loved fellow slave. He is a faithful servant of the Messiah on your behalf, ⁸ and he has told us about your love in the Spirit.

Notice three things that Paul and Timothy thanked God for concerning the Colossian church family.

“we thank God for your faith in Christ Jesus” (v4)

Take a moment to thank God for the faith of some Christ-followers that you know. Maybe these are friends who live locally. Maybe they are people you have met across the nation or around the world. Pray for them. Thank God for their faith in Jesus Christ.

“we thank God for your love for the saints” (vv4,8)

Take a moment to thank God for the love you have seen displayed through other believers. Christlike love compels people to care for those in need, to help those who are hurting, to share encouraging words with those who are discouraged, and much more. Let their Christlike love inspire you to show love to others.

“we thank God for your hope reserved in heaven for you” (vv5-7)

When you know that your eternal home is heaven, you live life differently. You have confidence to endure any circumstance that life throws your way. You also believe that God can bring hope to others through Christ. The Colossian church had been started by Epaphras (v7). He had done a good job of teaching them to follow Christ. They had heard the truth of the gospel (v5) and had received God’s grace (v6). The gospel was bearing fruit as people all over the world were receiving God’s grace (v6). Paul and Timothy were thanking God for the hope that they heard about in the Christians in in Colossae. Their hope in Christ was contagious!

we haven’t stopped praying for you

Colossians 1:9-14 (HCSB)
⁹ For this reason also, since the day we heard this, we haven’t stopped praying for you. We are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, ¹⁰ so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing ⌊to Him⌋, bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God. ¹¹ May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience, with joy ¹² giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light. ¹³ He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son He loves. ¹⁴ We have redemption, the forgiveness of sins, in Him.

“we pray that you be filled with the knowledge of God’s will” (v9)

As you pray for others, pray that they seek God’s will. As they seek His will, God will give them wisdom and spiritual understanding (v9). He will reveal His will to them as they study the Bible, listen to Him in prayer, carefully consider the meaning of circumstances of life, and hear Him speak through other believers. Pray that they be absolutely filled with knowing what God’s will is. Then, pray that they follow His will.

“we pray that you walk worthy of the LORD” (v10)

The goal of every believer is to walk in the way of Christ, to emulate Him in everything we think, say and do. The way we treat people, the way we do our work, the way we spend our time – the way we do everything! – should show the world that we are followers of Jesus. Our lives should bear spiritual fruit, pointing people toward Christ and impacting the lives of others the way Jesus did when He was on the earth. This is a life that is fully pleasing to Him (v10).

“we pray that you be strengthened by His power” (vv11-14)

Paul knew firsthand the importance of God’s power at work in his life, to endure difficult times and even spiritual persecution. He prayed that his friends in Colossae would know God’s mighty power at work in their own lives so that they could have endurance, patience and joy (v11). Paul knew that God had rescued them from the domain of darkness (v13) and brought them into the light of Christ (vv12-13). God had changed their lives! And the same power that had changed their lives would sustain them through the trials of life. Since Christ had paid the penalty for their sins and given them forgiveness, He would empower them to live a transformed life. We should pray the same for our friends.

your prayer response

Take a moment to look back over the statements that summarize how Paul was praying for his friends, the Colossians. Think of a few of your friends. Take time right now to pray for them, following Paul’s example. Then, send your friends a message via email, text or social networking, telling them that you just prayed for them. God will use you to make their day!

 

The Gospel in Leviticus, Part 5: Feasts

Everyone loves a good feast. Festivals and feasts bring people together, giving us a reason to pause from everyday life to remember the things that are most important.

Passover. The Feast of Unleavened Bread. The Feast of Firstfruits.

Three very important feasts in the Bible. Each of these feasts had significant meaning to the children of Israel. For centuries they celebrated these feasts, remembering how God delivered their ancestors out of slavery in Egypt, and how He provided for all of their needs. But these feasts point to something more. Someone more.

They point to Jesus.

Jesus is the center point of each of these feasts. Or, to say it another way, these three feasts are shadows of Christ, pointing people to Him.

PASSOVER

The children of Israel had been in slavery in Egypt for hundreds of years. God was about to deliver them from their bondage and set them free. Through His servants Moses and Aaron, the LORD had demonstrated His power to the Pharaoh by sending nine plagues upon the land. Each of these plagues showed the LORD’s sovereignty over the false gods of the Egyptians.

Ten Plagues

• 1st Plague – the Nile river was turned to blood (an Egyptian god was Hapi, the god of the Nile)
• 2nd Plague – the plague of frogs (an Egyptian god was Heket, the god of fertility and water, who had the head of a frog)
• 3rd Plague – lice from the dust (an Egyptian god was Geb, the god of the earth)
• 4th Plague – the plague of flies (an Egyptian god was Khepri, the creator God who they believed controlled the movement of the sun, who had the head of a fly)
• 5th Plague – death of cattle/livestock (an Egyptian god was Hathor, the goddess of love and protection, who had the head of a cow)
• 6th Plague – ashes turned to boils and sores (an Egyptian god was Isis, the god of medicine and peace)
• 7th Plague – hail in the form of fire (an Egyptian god was Nut, the goddess of the sky)
• 8th Plague – locusts from the sky (an Egyptian god was Seth, the god of storms and disorder)
• 9th Plague – plague of darkness (an Egyptian god was Ra, the sun god)

After nine plagues, Pharaoh still refused to let the Israelites go. Several times he said they could leave, then when the plague subsided he changed his mind. God was steadfast in His demonstration of His power and love. Through these plagues, the LORD wanted to teach the children of Israel that, “I am the LORD your God” (Exodus 6:7). He also wanted to teach the Egyptians that “I am the LORD” (Exodus 7:5).

The 10th plague was about to come. And everyone in Egypt including the Pharaoh would be wailing over this plague. It struck right at the heart of the Pharaoh, who was perceived to be a god by the Egyptians. They perceived him as the ultimate power in Egypt. Nothing could come against him, they believed.

With the 10th plague — the death of the firstborn of every household (man and beast) in Egypt — the LORD demonstrated His sovereignty over all, even above the mighty Pharaoh. When the death angel came to Pharaoh’s house and to all of the houses not covered by the blood of the Passover lamb, the Egyptians were so shocked and grieved that they sent the children of Israel away in a hurry.

The Passover Meal

God instructed Moses on how the first Passover meal should take place. And each year thereafter the children of Israel were to celebrate the Passover with a feast to remember their deliverance from bondage.

Leviticus 23:4-5 (HCSB) 
⁴ “These are the Lord’s appointed times, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their appointed times. ⁵ The Passover to the Lord comes in the first month, at twilight on the fourteenth day of the month.

Exodus 12:1-8 (HCSB) 
¹ The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt: ² “This month is to be the beginning of months for you; it is the first month of your year. ³ Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month they must each select an animal of the flock according to ⌊their⌋ fathers’ households, one animal per household. ⁴ If the household is too small for a ⌊whole⌋ animal, that person and the neighbor nearest his house are to select one based on the combined number of people; you should apportion the animal according to what each person will eat. ⁵ You must have an unblemished animal, a year-old male; you may take it from either the sheep or the goats. ⁶ You are to keep it until the fourteenth day of this month; then the whole assembly of the community of Israel will slaughter the animals at twilight. ⁷ They must take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses where they eat them. ⁸ They are to eat the meat that night; they should eat it, roasted over the fire along with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.

Exodus 12:46 (HCSB) 
⁴⁶ It is to be eaten in one house. You may not take any of the meat outside the house, and you may not break any of its bones.

Exodus 12:11 (HCSB) 
¹¹ Here is how you must eat it: you must be dressed for travel, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. You are to eat it in a hurry; it is the Lord’s Passover.

Exodus 12:22 (HCSB) 
²² …None of you may go out the door of his house until morning.

Exodus 12:12-14 (HCSB) 
¹² “I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night and strike every firstborn ⌊male⌋ in the land of Egypt, both man and beast. I am Yahweh; I will execute judgments against all the gods of Egypt. ¹³ The blood on the houses where you are staying will be a distinguishing mark for you; when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No plague will be among you to destroy ⌊you⌋ when I strike the land of Egypt. ¹⁴ “This day is to be a memorial for you, and you must celebrate it as a festival to the Lord. You are to celebrate it throughout your generations as a permanent statute.

Notice some of the particulars about the Passover meal:

• Take a lamb on the 10th day, keep it until the 14th day (Lev 12:1-3)
• A male without blemish (Lev 12:5)
• Kill it at the appointed time (Lev 12:6)
• Do not break any of its bones (Lev 12:46)
• Apply the blood to the doorposts and lintel of your house (Lev 12:7)
• Eat the lamb, the unleavened bread and bitter herbs (Lev 12:8)
• Eat, dressed for travel (Lev 12:11)
• Stay inside your house until morning (Lev 12:22)
• The LORD says, “I will execute judgment…. When I see the blood I will pass over you.” (Lev 12:12-13)

The people’s obedience to follow these instructions was outward evidence that they trusted in the LORD, believing that what He said was true. Instead of obeying, they could have said, “This is ridiculous. Let’s sacrifice an old, crippled animal.” Or, “This is a waste of my time. I’m going to bed.” Or even, “Let’s go party outside and see what happens.” If they would have done anything other than obey, God would not have passed over them.

And consider this. If an Egyptian would have trusted in the LORD and followed the prescribed procedures, would the LORD have saved his family? Yes! That person’s faith would have been honored by the LORD, who would have extended to Him grace and mercy.

Set free!

Exodus 12:29-38 (HCSB) 
²⁹ Now at midnight the Lord struck every firstborn ⌊male⌋ in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the prisoner who was in the dungeon, and every firstborn of the livestock. ³⁰ During the night Pharaoh got up, he along with all his officials and all the Egyptians, and there was a loud wailing throughout Egypt because there wasn’t a house without someone dead. ³¹ He summoned Moses and Aaron during the night and said, “Get up, leave my people, both you and the Israelites, and go, worship Yahweh as you have asked. ³² Take even your flocks and your herds as you asked and leave, and also bless me.”

³³ Now the Egyptians pressured the people in order to send them quickly out of the country, for they said, “We’re all going to die!” ³⁴ So the people took their dough before it was leavened, with their kneading bowls wrapped up in their clothes on their shoulders. ³⁵ The Israelites acted on Moses’ word and asked the Egyptians for silver and gold jewelry and for clothing. ³⁶ And the Lord gave the people such favor in the Egyptians’ sight that they gave them what they requested. In this way they plundered the Egyptians. ³⁷ The Israelites traveled from Rameses to Succoth, about 600,000 soldiers on foot, besides their families. ³⁸ An ethnically diverse crowd also went up with them, along with a huge number of livestock, both flocks and herds.

FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD

The Feast of Unleavened Bread was a seven-day feast. It began on the 15th day of the first month, on the same night that the Passover meal was eaten. This feast included a sacred assembly on the first day, when the people should come together and do no daily work. Then they had a week of special offerings and special meals with unleavened bread. followed by another sacred assembly on the 7th day of the festival.

The reason for eating unleavened bread is that it reminded them of how their ancestors left Egypt. They left in a hurry. Their bread did not have yeast in it. The yeast was a representation of sin (Jesus spoke of this during His ministry). They left in a hurry, and they left the slavery to sin behind in Egypt.

Leviticus 23:6-8 (HCSB) 
⁶ The Festival of Unleavened Bread to the Lord is on the fifteenth day of the same month. For seven days you must eat unleavened bread. ⁷ On the first day you are to hold a sacred assembly; you are not to do any daily work. ⁸ You are to present a fire offering to the Lord for seven days. On the seventh day there will be a sacred assembly; you must not do any daily work.”

Throughout the centuries, because the Passover meal and the Feast of Unleavened Bread took place on consecutive days over an eight-day span of time, the entire week became known as Passover Week. This is reflected in references to the Passover in the Gospels. Understanding this can clear up confusion about the timing of events and references to the Passover during the last week of Jesus’ life as He headed to the cross.

FEAST OF FIRSTFRUITS

On the first day after the Sabbath of Passover Week (Sunday), the children of Israel were to bring the first sheaf (a large bundle of the harvest of their land) to the priest as an offering to the LORD. And then the people would have a special meal on that day. By bringing this offering, they were bringing the LORD their firstfruits, their best. They were indicating their worship of the LORD, their dependence on Him for provision, and their confidence that more would be harvested. Others would certainly follow these firstfruits.

Leviticus 23:9-14 (HCSB) 
⁹ The Lord spoke to Moses: ¹⁰ “Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When you enter the land I am giving you and reap its harvest, you are to bring the first sheaf of your harvest to the priest. ¹¹ He will wave the sheaf before the Lord so that you may be accepted; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath.
¹² On the day you wave the sheaf, you are to offer a year-old male lamb without blemish as a burnt offering to the Lord. ¹³ Its grain offering is to be four quarts of fine flour mixed with oil as a fire offering to the Lord, a pleasing aroma, and its drink offering will be one quart of wine. ¹⁴ You must not eat bread, roasted grain, or ⌊any⌋ new grain until this very day, and until you have brought the offering to your God. This is to be a permanent statute throughout your generations wherever you live.

JESUS 

The Last Supper

Jesus came riding into Jerusalem on a donkey on the 10th day of the first month, ready to be examined by the people (see John 12:12). They examined Him for four days to see that He was an unblemished male (not stained by sin). On the 14th day, Jesus celebrated the Passover meal with His disciples. He gave the meal new meaning. The unleavened bread, Jesus said, represents His body that is about to be broken for humanity. The cup represents His blood, which is about to be poured out as an atoning sacrifice for our sin.

Luke 22:7-20 (HCSB) 
⁷ Then the Day of Unleavened Bread came when the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. ⁸ Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover meal for us, so we can eat it.” ⁹ “Where do You want us to prepare it?” they asked Him. ¹⁰ “Listen,” He said to them, “when you’ve entered the city, a man carrying a water jug will meet you. Follow him into the house he enters. ¹¹ Tell the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher asks you, “Where is the guest room where I can eat the Passover with My disciples?”’ ¹² Then he will show you a large, furnished room upstairs. Make the preparations there.” ¹³ So they went and found it just as He had told them, and they prepared the Passover.

¹⁴ When the hour came, He reclined at the table, and the apostles with Him. ¹⁵ Then He said to them, “I have fervently desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. ¹⁶ For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” ¹⁷ Then He took a cup, and after giving thanks, He said, “Take this and share it among yourselves. ¹⁸ For I tell you, from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” ¹⁹ And He took bread, gave thanks, broke it, gave it to them, and said, “This is My body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.” ²⁰ In the same way He also took the cup after supper and said, “This cup is the new covenant ⌊established by⌋ My blood; it is shed for you.

The Lord’s Supper

So when we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, we stand in awe of Jesus’ death for us on the cross. We see a picture of people being set free from bondage in Egypt, but we see beyond that to see the One whose body was broken for us, whose blood was shed for us. We remember what Jesus did for us. We see that Jesus is the perfect Passover Lamb. Look back over the list above from the Passover meal, and you will see shadows of Christ!

The Lamb of God became our atoning sacrifice. God looks at His blood and passes over us. Jesus’ blood covers over our sin. Jesus, the perfect/unleavened One, became the perfect sacrifice for our sin. He sets us free from sin so that we will live a life of holiness and faithfulness to God as we follow Him.

1 Corinthians 5:7-8 (HCSB) 
⁷ Clean out the old yeast so that you may be a new batch. You are indeed unleavened, for Christ our Passover has been sacrificed. ⁸ Therefore, let us observe the feast, not with old yeast or with the yeast of malice and evil but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

After Jesus died, He was buried in a tomb. But the story doesn’t end there. On the third day, Jesus rose from the dead! Jesus is alive! He is the firstfruits of the resurrection. And because He is the firstfruits, we are guaranteed that others will come after Him. That is our guarantee of eternal life, for those who have trusted in Jesus for eternal life!

1 Corinthians 15:20 (HCSB) 
²⁰ But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

RESPONSE

So how do you respond to this teaching about feasts? Don’t let it just become knowledge. May it drive you deep into the Scriptures to understand the fullness of God’s truths to us. May it drive you straight to the cross to understand the fullness of the sacrifice of Christ for your sin. May it drive you to a daily walk of holiness and faithfulness to Christ. May it drive you to others who need to be delivered from slavery to sin. Jesus can set them free. Share this good news with them!

 

The Gospel in Leviticus, Part 4: Holiness

The most incredible life you can imagine is a life of holiness. Holiness is moral purity and devotion to God. It is relating to other people in ways that always please God. The Hebrew word for holy is qadosh, meaning “pure, devoted.” The Greek word for holy is hagios, meaning “pure, blameless, consecrated.”

God’s call to us to live a life of holiness is impossible without the help of Christ within us. We don’t try to live a life of holiness to prove our worth to God or to earn our salvation. We don’t live a life of holiness so that we can look down in judgment on others. We live a life of holiness because we want to fully experience abundant life in Christ.

PURSUE HOLINESS

As Christ-followers, our desire is to live a life of perfect holiness. On earth, we will never reach this goal. However, this should be our focus, our aim, believing that God will grow us in holiness from the moment of our salvation throughout the rest of our life. And then in heaven we will know and experience holiness in perfection.

With Christ within you, you can live a life of holiness for the next minute. Focus on honoring Christ with the immediate task at hand: the next thought you think, the next word you speak, the next action you take. Then, continue to walk in holiness. Walk with Christ, follow His way. As Jesus says, “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). When you mess up, confess it to God, hear His words of forgiveness, then reset your life on holiness once again.

Pursue holiness.

Romans 12:1-2 (HCSB)
¹ Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. ² Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

HOLINESS IN LEVITICUS

In the book of Leviticus, God instructs us to live to a life of holiness because He is holy. Our holiness will follow His example, derived from His very nature.

Leviticus 19:1-2 (HCSB)
¹ The Lord spoke to Moses: ² “Speak to the entire Israelite community and tell them: Be holy because I, Yahweh your God, am holy.

God instructs us to be holy because He has set us apart from the people of the nations that do not know Him. We are His people.

 Leviticus 20:26 (HCSB)
²⁶ You are to be holy to Me because I, Yahweh, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be Mine.

God instructs us to live holy lives in our worship of Him. When we don’t live a life of holiness in the way we worship God, we profane His name. And this has to do with the way we worship Him every day, not just at worship services. The example of priests making burnt offerings to God in holiness is seen in Leviticus 21:6.

Leviticus 21:6 (HCSB)
⁶ They are to be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God. For they present the fire offerings to Yahweh, the food of their God, and they must be holy.

THREE PRINCIPLES FOR HOLINESS

As you read the instructions for holy living in Leviticus, keep these three principles in mind. Each of the instructions for holiness will fall into one these three categories. Notice the three principles, and an example of each principle found in Leviticus 19.

1. Pursue holiness in your worship of God. 

Leviticus 19:4 (HCSB)
⁴ Do not turn to idols or make cast images of gods for yourselves; I am Yahweh your God.

2. Pursue holiness in your personal life.

Leviticus 19:31 (HCSB)
³¹ “Do not turn to mediums or consult spiritists, or you will be defiled by them; I am Yahweh your God.

3. Pursue holiness in the way you treat others. 

Leviticus 19:17-18 (HCSB)
¹⁷ “You must not harbor hatred against your brother. Rebuke your neighbor directly, and you will not incur guilt because of him. ¹⁸ Do not take revenge or bear a grudge against members of your community, but love your neighbor as yourself; I am Yahweh.

TO DECLARE HIS PRAISES TO OTHERS

Living a life of holiness points people to God’s love and salvation. When we live a life of holiness, with an attitude of humility, we will have opportunities to point people to Christ. They will see that we have been changed from darkness to light, from spiritual death to spiritual life, by Jesus our Savior.

1 Peter 2:9 (HCSB)
⁹ But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

A CHALLENGE

Read Leviticus chapters 19, 20 and 21. For each place that God instructs us in regards to holiness in these chapters, determine what the principle it is that God is teaching us. Some are obvious. Some may require a little study. If you need help, go to mystudybible.com. As you study these chapters in Leviticus, ask God to empower to live your life in accordance with His Word, a life of holiness and Christlikeness. Everything that God asks you to do, He will empower you to do.

The best life you can ever imagine.