Know, Be, Do

The writings of Paul in your New Testament are rich and carry some of the most interesting  information about and for the believer. I am going to suggest you read the first chapter of Paul's letter to the Ephesians to prepare yourself for today's blog.  Even if you are familiar with this chapter, it would be best if you read the chapter before continuing.

Most of the modern versions of the Bible divide the chapter into three paragraphs.  Here are some informative statements from paragraph 1: We are blessed in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. We are chosen to be holy and blameless. The spiritual adoption makes us children of the Father. We are redeemed by the blood of Jesus. He has forgiven our sins. God's grace has been lavished upon us, along with wisdom and understanding. He makes known to us the mystery of his will.  All this to bring about the unity of all things in Christ.  That's all in paragraph 1, from which I get the idea these are things we are to "know."

In paragraph 2, Paul switches gears a bit, but continues about things happening in our relationship with God, through Jesus. We are chosen in Christ. He's working out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will.  All this so we can be for praise of his glory.  The key word in this paragraph is "be."

Then paragraph 3 is a prayer Paul is praying for us:  Your faith in the Lord and your love for God's people bring Paul to pray a prayer of thanksgiving.  In this prayer, Paul prays that God will give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, as you continue to know God better. Now look at verses 18-21: ¹⁸ I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, ¹⁹ and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength ²⁰ he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, ²¹ far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.  Paul is actually praying that we, through God's power, can come to utilize that same power as a "doer" of God's will. 

So, knowing, being, and doing.  Three paragraphs with distinct and important themes.  But note their order, which is to be our order.  We cannot be the people God wants us to be, until we know God and what he wants us to know. Further, we cannot do the things of God without being the people God wants us to be.  Read Paul's prayer again and again.  Claim its promises for your life.

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Looking for Love

1 Corinthians 13 New International Version (NIV)

 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

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An Undivided Heart

Any reader of scripture will catch on quickly to a recurring problem between God and his people. God is faithful and just throughout all times, yet his people have the tendency to forget God and go after idols. Their sin is called idolatry and it meets with God's judgment over and over again. The idols might be in the form of a golden calf or a false God, but God has decreed the He alone is God.

In the Old Testament book of Ezekiel, there is an abundance of seemingly strange language of visions, being "lifted up by the Spirit," and events that are difficult to understand.  A lot of this is happening during a time when God's chosen people are openly devoted to idolatry.  The Bible chapter of Ezekiel 11 carries a topical title in my Bible that says, "God's Sure Judgment on Jerusalem."  The people which God had chosen as his own, were allowing other things to come between them and God.

The first part of Ezekiel 11 paints a dismal picture.  God is extending his judgment on them by driving them out of the city. Further, battles will be brought against them and they will be delivered into the hands of foreigners.  The sad summation of God's judgment is seen in Ezekiel 11:11-12:

"I will execute judgment on you at the borders of Israel.  And you will know that I am the Lord, for you have not followed my decrees or kept my laws but have conformed to the standards of the nations around you.”

Even in our lives today, God sees and knows when we place other things before him.  Just as his heart was saddened with those mentioned in Ezekiel 11, he is saddened today when we allow our lives to be motivated by worldly things rather than God's goodness and love. Or sometimes, perhaps we want to have the world AND the things of God. But we know better than that. We cannot serve God and the world's riches.

I'm glad this isn't the end of the story. Ezekiel 11 continues under the topical title of the second half of the chapter, "The Promise of Israel's Return."  God promises to gather his people from the nations and bring them back to the land of Israel again.  He says they will return to Israel and remove all its vile images and detestable idols.  Look at verses 19 and 20:

"I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God."

That's what God wants with us, too. To give us an undivided heart and a new spirit.  You see, the heart that is divided between God and anything else, is an idolatrous heart.  The problem for Israel and for us, is heart trouble, but God is a fantastic spiritual cardiologist.  When we turn to him in love and trust and obedience, he blesses us with a new heart and leads us back to him. 

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The Veil is Removed

¹³ We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. ¹⁴ But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. ¹⁵ Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. ¹⁶ But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. ¹⁷ Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. ¹⁸ And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.    2 Corinthians 3:13-18

Please do not forget verse 17.  It is vital for us to know and understand its truth.   "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."  What does the passage say to you?  If we are to be the people of God, redeemed by the blood of Christ, forgiven of sin, possessors of the Spirit of God living in us,  what is all this freedom about?

When Jesus was describing his mission in coming to the earth, one of the things he read aloud, from the Old Testament prophecy, was he would bring freedom to the prisoners.  Of course the reading is speaking of those who are prisoners or enslaved to sin.  Jesus' mission included his mission of rescuing us from those sins which hold us captive, and bringing us freedom.

Can you imagine the feeling of a literal prisoner which has been incarcerated for a long time.  When he finally experiences freedom it is as if he is breathing new air. enjoying life anew, as he lives in the liberty which now surrounds him.

So I ask each of you, as you consider your life which is devoted to God, where is the Spirit of God for you?  Don't forget the verse where we started, that teaches us about real freedom.  "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."

Do we have that freedom?  Do we live in that freedom?  Do we thrive in that freedom?   I am convinced we cannot experience real freedom, like that described in our text, unless we are aware of and listening to the Spirit of the Lord inside us.

In the lengthy section of scripture above, there is talk about the veil, and minds being made dull.  The real blessing for us is in the words, "Only in Christ, the veil is taken away. "  Also, "Whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away." 

We are the evidence that the mission of Jesus was accomplished, when we are the living testimony of the freedom we have experienced.  Because God's grace and love are extended in our direction, the chains are broken, the suffering of being bound by sin is gone, and we are set free!

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An Example From Jesus

Are you comfortable with your Christian life?  I have to answer that I am more than comfortable with God and his love and provision for me.  I am happy when his grace is greater than my wildest expectations.  I am honored that Jesus gave his life as a sacrifice for my sins. I want Jesus to belong to me and I want to belong to him.

That may all sound nice, but consider this verse:  "To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps."  1 Peter 2:21

The God who loves you wants us to know this because Jesus has certainly suffered for us.  Now Peter is telling us Jesus left us an example, that we should follow in his steps.  Christians are to expect some suffering. If we are going to follow in his steps, suffering will be a part of following him.

When you accepted God's call on your life and became a disciple of Jesus Christ, it was more than a following of the blessings associated with wearing Jesus' name.  According to scripture that following is not only associated with the forgiveness of our sins and the promise of eternity, it also means we follow the example of Jesus in regard to suffering.

Paul said in Philippians 1:29,  "For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him."

But Jesus said, "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me."  Matthew 5:11

Does it change your commitment to the Lord, when you learn that suffering will be involved?  It shouldn't.  In fact, when we think of all that God has done and continues to do for us through Jesus Christ, and when we think of our bodies becoming the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, and we think of the glorious blessings of eternity, any suffering we are called upon to experience, is an honor.

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Theologians Everyone?

Do you consider yourself a theologian?  Is that a task for every Christian as they reach out to others with the message of truth?  How would you describe your theology?

There are some who know enough of what they believe and practice, they will gladly enter discussions on their theology.  Others may hear the word theology and immediately determine such discussions will become so deep and difficult to understand, theological talks become a turn-off.  In reality, theology is the study of God. And we can always use a little more God-study. 

I wish to share with you some information about every Christian being a theologian which I read today from another devotional blog by Jared C. Wilson.  He makes three important points:

1. Theological study of God is commanded.  It stands to reason, the God of heaven who created us, sustains us and desires relationship with us, will want to know everything there is to know about him.  Mr. Wilson refers to scripture, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind”  Matthew 22:37.   Certainly, involving our minds in response to the command to love God will require what we are calling "God-study."

2.  The theological study of God is vital to salvation.  This is not to say intellectual knowledge merits salvation, but the close connection of learning more and more about God with our pursuit of being obedient to God's commands brings vitality of theological study.

3.  The study of God authenticates and fuels worship.  The difference between knowing about God and knowing God is actually experienced in our worship.  Further it is in worship that we grow closer to God and closer to one another.  In worship our God-study finds its fruition as we know God is present with us.

What could be better than learning about God and growing in our knowledge of him?  Even more,  our personal theological studies lead us to the assurance of his abiding presence.  God is always ready  to show us more.

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Unlimited!

"And God? Compassionate!
    Forgave the sin! Didn’t destroy!
Over and over he reined in his anger,
    restrained his considerable wrath.
He knew what they were made of;
    he knew there wasn’t much to them,
How often in the desert they had spurned him,
    tried his patience in those wilderness years.
Time and again they pushed him to the limit,
    provoked Israel’s Holy God."
                                                  Psalm 78:38-41  The Message

This part of Psalm 78 gives us a special glimpse into the character of our God.  It's describing a time when God's own people were apparently disobedient, uncaring, weak, and in every imagination of the description, away from God.  These were a people he loved and for which he had provided guidance and direction for generations. Yet, they spurned him and tried his patience. Those last two lines in the scripture above speak volumes.  "Time and again they pushed him to the limit, provoked Israel's Holy God."

When I read that part about pushing him to the limit, my thoughts led me to ask, "Have I ever pushed God to the limit?"  Having pondered on that thought for a while, I then reflected on my blunders and my mistakes and actually shivered at the thought of God reaching his limits with me!  It gives me a better picture of how much pushing his limits is a dangerous way of life.

I rushed back up to the first part of this section of verses......(I like them better.)  The part that tells me God is compassionate,  He forgives the sin and doesn't destroy us, and he restrains his considerable wrath.  Yes.....those are the verses which are more pleasant to read.

Those verses in the middle are also quite revealing.  The people of God were known by God.  He knew there wasn't much to them because they had spurned him often and tried his patience during the wilderness years.  It describes how they, and yes, we, push God to the limits in dealing with his people.

We are blessed to have a Heavenly Father that continues to love us.  He longs for the restoration of those who have spurned his love and grace.  When we incline ourselves to get back in relationship with him through obedience and a new direction, we realize he is compassionate and forgiving, and those qualities of God are unlimited.

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