Skip to main content

Tuesday.. This really matters and here's why.


Tuesday... This really matters and here's why.

Paul in his letter to the Philippian church in 1:10 (NLT) says, "For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until Christ's return." 

Now that may seem like an impossible situation in the day in which we live. I mean, all of the temptations that are around us are constantly before us striking right at our purity and blameless way of living. But it really matters to God so it must mean that we can and must do it. 

He goes on, (vs. 11), "May you always" not just every once in a while, but "May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation - the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ - for this will bring much glory and praise to God."

Listen, living a pure and blameless life in the world that we live in must mean that God is great and He will get the glory for us living that way because living without Him makes it impossible. No self will can do it. No great determination can do it. Only living a life filled with the fruit of your salvation which comes from a relationship with God through His Son can do it.

The Amplified Bible says (vs. 9-11), "And this I pray, that your love may abound more and more [displaying itself in greater depth] in real knowledge and in practical insight, so you may learn to recognize and treasure what is excellent [identifying the best, and distinguishing moral differences], and that you may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ [actually living lives that lead others away from sin]; filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God [so that His glory may be both revealed and recognized].

That's why Jesus came to this earth to die for our sins. It is to show the world that He can and will and has made a total difference in our lives. There is no way with all of the temptations around us that we can live a pure and blameless life without Him. And if we do then His glory will be both revealed and recognized. The MESSAGE Paraphrase says, "making Jesus Christ attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God."

And that is why this really matters. Yes, yes! #todaysbeginning


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Friday... Yes, we need them. We really do

Psalm 8:3-4 (NLT), "When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers - the moon and the stars you set in place - what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?" Friday... Yes, we need them. We really do. No, not the fact that I can go out my front door and look out at night at the marvels of the sky. I can do that and it is amazing and it takes my breath away each time I see it. Yes, that is a fact but the reality of who did that and the wisdom and the faith that I have to believe that and to marvel that the one who did that cares about me makes such a difference in how I live my life. Yes, God really does. That is so wonderful for us to believe. And that is why faith and wisdom are so important. Now whatever belief you have at how that marvel happened must also be believed through faith. And the sad thing to me is that more and more people have been taught that there is no God and therefore he did not have a h...

Monday... Three ifs and two thens. They go together!

Monday... Three ifs and two thens. They go together! They really do. And this is what caught my attention this morning as I was reading Proverbs 2. Verse 1 (NRSVUE) says, "My child, if you accept my words and treasure my commands within you." Verse 3 (NIV), "Indeed i f you call  out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, Verse 4, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, Verse 5, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God." And verses 9-11, " Then you will understand what is right and just and fair - every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you." There will always be some effort we must do, some ifs for the thens to be realized in our lives. So many of us want to understand without the ifs. But the thens are so worth, so very worth the effort. Verses 5-6 in the Ampli...

Wednesday... Our unless can turn into useless.

Wednesday... Our unless can turn into useless.  It really can. I have found that unless I give the correct email of my wife then I can't get what I wanted. I put an extra i in her email and I have been working for 5 days to get it changed. Unless has been useless. The writer of Psalm 94 uses this word and shows how important it is. Verses 17-19 (NLT) says, "Unless the Lord had helped me, I would have soon settled in the silence of the grave. I cried out, 'I'm slipping!' but your unfailing love, O Lord, supported me. When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer." "Unless the Lord had helped me." So many people go on and on and on striving to live their life on their own but they keep slipping and doubting and living without hope and cheer. Yes the Lord has such unfailing love for us, he really does but unless we have a relationship with him and we turn to him and ask him for help then the unless turns in to useless because h...