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May you hear the voice of God speak to you through His word of promise, as we continue to meditate upon it, that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, mind renewed, and your life transformed- But, those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. [Psalms 34:10] It is by receiving the gift of salvation, to be saved, that His goodness becomes your life’s experience. And you are being saved, as your mind is renewed by the word of God, thinking rightly, by the grace or the measure of faith given to you, not thinking of yourself more highly than you ought, or more lowly than you ought, but with sober judgment. It is to think according to your call, the function or position in which He has placed you, and according to the One who has called you to your function. [Romans 12:2,3]
Knowing Him is eternal life:
It is the truth that many are oblivious of, as they blissfully carry on with life, unaware of the true meaning of life, as God has designed it to be, a life that even in bereavement gives hope. It is why, knowledge of the Holy One is understanding, the scripture declares. And you can live a joyful Christian life, appreciating the One who has called you, knowing that you have been crucified with Christ, and the life you now live in the body, you live by faith in the Son of God, who loved you and gave Himself for you. [Galatians 2:20] He is a God who is love, and is holy. And the One who has called you is faithful. [1 Thessalonians 5:24]
How can your thinking be like Him?
Be perfect, even as your Heavenly Father is perfect. [Matthew 5:48] It was the Lord’s teaching on the sermon on the mount. And the epistle of Paul to the Romans, goes on to say – For those whom God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. [Romans 8:29] Sinless perfection is not what the Lord is talking about here, But it is about moving towards perfection by salvation, and requires therefore a right understanding concerning it.
Christ has set you free-
1. Saved from the penalty of sin:
The penalty of sin is death, and God has saved you from it, when you receive His gift of salvation. When you are absent here, you are present with the Lord, is what physical death is now, for every Christian.
2. Being saved from the power of sin:
Though the struggle with sin is still there, you now have the power to overcome it, for the law of the Spirit of Life, has set you free from the law of sin and death. [Romans 8:2] With a right understanding of the truth of God , you will know and experience that though the sin nature may remain, it does not have to reign in you anymore, for He who is you is greater than He that is in the world. [1 John 4:4]
Fighting the good fight –
Do not be conformed to the pattern of the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, it is written in the scriptures. [Romans 12:2] And His grace teaches you to overcome temptation that is sin, that begins in your mind, by renewing your mind, as His thoughts become yours. He alters the pattern of your thinking to be in line with His word, and in the process, giving you the power to overcome sin, as you depend upon Him, His wisdom, strength, His grace. It is when you think you can handle it yourself, trusting in your own strength, that you end up in the hand of the devil. Whether it is a small ripple or a huge storm that you encounter, you need to depend upon His grace, to say ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me’, in order to overcome sin.
3. Will be saved from the presence of sin:
Thus, you are saved by grace, and growing in grace, moving on in grace, you reach heaven, where even the presence of sin is not there, and it is only the presence of God. It is the confidence that you need to have. And until then, He is with you, in this sinful, fallen world, giving you strength to work in rest, as you trust in Him, until one day, you stand face to face with Him, to hear Him say, ‘Come, enter into your Master’s rest’.
Perfect, complete, excellent:
Complete, or excellent , moving towards it more and more, is what the Lord’s calls you and I to be in our earthly journey progressing towards heavenly perfection. It is a maturity that involves –
a] Godliness in your mind – It is why the word of God bids you to guard your heart with all vigilance, giving also the reason for out of it flow all the issues of life. [Proverbs 4:23]
b] Godliness in your character – It is in a process, steadily becoming more and more conformed to the image of Christ – the Lord who was able to say about the Heavenly Father being perfect, to add to it, and I and the Father are one. [John 10:30]
c] Godliness in your conduct – It is in short wholeness. The strength and power in the word of God that comes to you in your situation becomes your experience, even as you hear it with understanding and submit to it, in obedience. In the beginning was the word. And it became flesh, in the womb of Mary, at the moment when she surrendered to the will of God, His word that came to her through the Angel. ‘I am the Lord’s servant; be it unto me, according to your word’, was her obedient response, in willing submission, that led to her becoming an instrument in the hand of God, that the Savior may be born. [Luke 2:38] It is as you obey the word of God in your life, that you move on from childishness to maturity, that is to be perfect.
The approach of the Father:
He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. Be perfect therefore, as your Heavenly Father is perfect. [Matthew 5:45,48] He is a loving Father who is generous, displaying His maturity practically, and bids you to be so, by forgiving unconditionally, even as He has done, and to love your enemies. He never asks you to do what He has not done for you already.
Moving on to maturity:
Even through the cruel shame of death on the Cross, He has saved you and I, who were at one time in darkness. It was all about His amazing grace, and in its sufficiency, you and I can find our rest, as we trust in Him to do His wonderful work of grace in us, that we too may be generous, moving on to maturity. Abba Father, Let me be, yours and yours alone; never let my heart grow cold; never let me go, and may Your good and perfect will, be evermore my own. And by Thy continued work of grace in my heart and mind, may I be transformed to be, more and more like Thee, in maturity and fullness of Christ, our Lord. In the Name of Christ Jesus Amen.
