July 9, 2022 MARCHING ORDERS
1 Thessalonians 4:1, 5:15-21 “Finally, then brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that, as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you may excel still more. For you know what commandments we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.” “See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all men. Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances. But examine yourselves carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil. Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
The Christian life is a call to action on our part. God reached down to man, and through the sacrifice of His Son, He opened the door for man to be saved and joined to Himself; God initiated our great salvation; we can take no credit for being born again as new creations. However, our part is to embrace and respond to the work of God in our lives. You could rightly say that the word of God, the bible, is the book that introduces us to God, and a book that instructs us how we are to conduct ourselves in life on this earth. The word of God is not the wisdom of the world, but the wisdom of God; most, if not all of the teachings and instructions found in God’s word are in opposition to the wisdom of the world. The passage above is just one of many passages that gives specific instruction; but understand that only by the work of the Holy Spirit in us can we live out the instructions of God’s word. We also must understand that when we discover our new identity as new creations in Christ with new minds, new spirits, and new hearts, walking in, and keeping God’s word becomes our pleasure and our desire. From the verses above, we see that we have received instructions as to how we ought to walk and please God. Paul prayed that God would completely sanctify the believers he was writing to. To sanctify means to set apart for service, to be made holy. There is no room for being luke-warm when it comes to living out the gospel; we must see that God is our life and everything we do is to flow out of our relationship with our Father. His words are life. Let us not be guilty of reading God’s word and not living out His commands that lead to life. To keep the ways of God, His commands, is to experience life indeed; His commands are not burdensome. Another blessing of walking in God’s word is that it eliminates doubt and uncertainty about how we are to live; and by following His word, we have peace and hope. May we thank God that He has revealed Himself to us and has given us clear instructions on how we are to live.
1 John 2:5 “But whoever keeps His word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in Him.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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