Glory to God
It’s the spirit of the living God that gives us life. For in Him we live, and move, and have our being. He’s the breath in our lungs and the reason we draw breath. Therefore, May the words of our mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable unto thee, O Lord our strength and our redeemer. He has sanctified us, set us apart for his purpose, that we should be to the praise of the glory of His grace who has made us acceptable in the beloved.
John Chapter 1 is the foundational doctrine of who Jesus Christ is as God’s only begotten son. The light which enlightened the whole world came into the world but the world didn’t know him. Before the arrival of God’s prophet John the Baptist, there had been 400 years of silence since God’s last prophet Malachi. Despite the prolonged darkness, It takes only an instant to turn on the light. John the Baptist came as a precursor of the light of the world, Jesus Christ himself. Those who are born of God according to the seed of the Word of God have received the light to perceive truth from a spiritual perspective. The truth is Jesus Christ…the Word of God made flesh to declare the glory of the Father. Those who are born again of the spirt of God know the truth, for Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life.
God saves to the uttermost…in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for the ungodly. Not because we were deserving but because of his loving kindness and tender mercy. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. Jesus Christ came not to condemn the world, but so that the world through him might be saved.
The love of God is a committed love. This agape love is the highest form of love. According to John 3, those who rejected Christ loved the world. They were so committed to love the world and their sin that they could not commit to love the Lord God Jehovah. God the righteous Judge will judge their sin. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
God doesn’t condemn the heathen to death for their sin. They condemn themselves by rejecting the savior from sin, God’s plan of salvation… the Lord Jesus Christ.
Matthew 6 says, treasure not treasures upon the earth. But rather, treasures treasures in heaven. If you live for glory and treasures upon the earth, you will have temporary rewards, but they’re fleeting…here today and gone tomorrow. If you treasure the praise of men and rewards for worldly accomplishments, the reward is in this earth and not in heaven. The love of this world and the praise of men will choke out the desire for treasures in heaven. “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” The things that are highly esteemed among men are an abomination to God. The lusts of the flesh are anything that takes our desire over our desire to love and serve God. Lusts are an abomination because they take our hearts away from the one true God. According to Deuteronomy, God himself gave us the ability to attain wealth. It’s not in our power but in His alone. Jeremiah says, “Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.”… For the Lord God alone is worthy of glory and praise.
According to Matthew 6, the beatitudes are the blessed attitudes. These attitudes define our relationship with our Heavenly Father and with his son, our Lord Jesus Christ. The sermon on the mount is foundational for keeping our hearts right to receive all of Jesus’ teachings.
God is the one who has made us acceptable in the beloved through the righteous payment of His son, our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who was without sin was made the perfect sacrifice for sin on our behalf that we may be made the righteousness of God in Him. Therefore in the words of the old Hymn, Rise up O men of God.
Have done with lesser things,
Give heart and soul and mind and strength to serve the King of Kings.
For He alone is worthy of praise, honor and glory!
May we ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace, Your brother in Christ, Michael