September 23, 2015 BE
2 Corinthians 13:11: “Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.”
1 Corinthians 15:58: “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain.”
Is it really that simple? Just “be”? Yes…in a very real sense it is that simple. It is liberating to realize that we can simply choose to “be” whatever it is that God wants us to be. Of course, we should know by now that it takes God at work in us-His power- to be what the scriptures instruct us to be. The idea of simply “being” is a reality because of the finished work of Christ on the cross and His resurrection. Because the writhers of the New Testament understood what it meant to be made new-to be transformed-they could without hesitation give the concise, simple instruction to “be.” Man’s nature, and the mindset of believers who do not understand their identity, may have difficulty with such a simple command to “be.” Left to himself, man’s thought process tends to complicate-whatever-including the gospel. One problem for us is that we tend to be distracted by what we see in the natural and we base our emotions and out thoughts on our circumstances We do live in the present and we have to deal with the daily affairs, but we also can live in a realm above the natural where God is our source and the One who sets the platform of our lives. Only by understanding that God has made us new and that He has equipped us, can we experience abundant life no matter the circumstances. It must be said that “abundant” life does not indicate a life without trials and problems-but it does mean that in the midst of adversity we can experience His life and we can rise above the circumstances we face. Rejoice. A command? Yes. Be made complete. A command? Yes. Be comforted. A command? Yes. Be like-minded and live in peace. A command? Yes. Be steadfast, immovable. A command? Yes. Always abounding in the work of the Lord. A command? Yes. In many cases, our emotions may be in conflict with the action we should take; but once we do obey, the right emotions will follow. Again, all of what is said here in no way minimizes the power of the gospel that is required for us to obey the commands of scripture. If we are to find joy in obeying His commands, then we must walk and live by the Spirit of God that lives in us. When we obey His life-giving commands, we have the promise that “the God of love and peace shall be with us.” We take a giant step forward when we make the choice to put into practice the teachings and the commands of scripture regardless of how we may feel or what our circumstances may be. May we have a heart to hear and obey all that the Lord has spoken through the scriptures and all that He speaks to us in a personal way.
Psalms 70:4: “Let all who seek Thee rejoice and be glad in Thee; and let those who love Thy salvation say continually, ‘Let God be magnified’.”
John 15:14: “You are My friends, if you do what I command you.”
John 14:15: “If you love Me, you will obey what I command.”
Luke 11:28: “He replied, ‘Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it’.”
James 1:5: “But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it-he will be blessed in what he does.”
Blessings,
Buddy
2 Corinthians 13:11: “Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.”
1 Corinthians 15:58: “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain.”
Is it really that simple? Just “be”? Yes…in a very real sense it is that simple. It is liberating to realize that we can simply choose to “be” whatever it is that God wants us to be. Of course, we should know by now that it takes God at work in us-His power- to be what the scriptures instruct us to be. The idea of simply “being” is a reality because of the finished work of Christ on the cross and His resurrection. Because the writhers of the New Testament understood what it meant to be made new-to be transformed-they could without hesitation give the concise, simple instruction to “be.” Man’s nature, and the mindset of believers who do not understand their identity, may have difficulty with such a simple command to “be.” Left to himself, man’s thought process tends to complicate-whatever-including the gospel. One problem for us is that we tend to be distracted by what we see in the natural and we base our emotions and out thoughts on our circumstances We do live in the present and we have to deal with the daily affairs, but we also can live in a realm above the natural where God is our source and the One who sets the platform of our lives. Only by understanding that God has made us new and that He has equipped us, can we experience abundant life no matter the circumstances. It must be said that “abundant” life does not indicate a life without trials and problems-but it does mean that in the midst of adversity we can experience His life and we can rise above the circumstances we face. Rejoice. A command? Yes. Be made complete. A command? Yes. Be comforted. A command? Yes. Be like-minded and live in peace. A command? Yes. Be steadfast, immovable. A command? Yes. Always abounding in the work of the Lord. A command? Yes. In many cases, our emotions may be in conflict with the action we should take; but once we do obey, the right emotions will follow. Again, all of what is said here in no way minimizes the power of the gospel that is required for us to obey the commands of scripture. If we are to find joy in obeying His commands, then we must walk and live by the Spirit of God that lives in us. When we obey His life-giving commands, we have the promise that “the God of love and peace shall be with us.” We take a giant step forward when we make the choice to put into practice the teachings and the commands of scripture regardless of how we may feel or what our circumstances may be. May we have a heart to hear and obey all that the Lord has spoken through the scriptures and all that He speaks to us in a personal way.
Psalms 70:4: “Let all who seek Thee rejoice and be glad in Thee; and let those who love Thy salvation say continually, ‘Let God be magnified’.”
John 15:14: “You are My friends, if you do what I command you.”
John 14:15: “If you love Me, you will obey what I command.”
Luke 11:28: “He replied, ‘Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it’.”
James 1:5: “But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it-he will be blessed in what he does.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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