I
love when I sit down to look something up in the Scripture of how
many places God points it out to me. It's like going on a reading
journey! But, it does make it hard to just write one page of
thoughts. I started out looking up the Scriptures my husband listed
for the daily devotion today...Matthew 24:45-51 and Titus 2:11-14.
Both passages were talking about how we should be living as we wait
for Christ's return. So, then that got me to thinking about
conversations we have had lately about sin and how we view sin. Then
I start looking at the Scriptures that are listed in the notes in my
Bible for those passages and then think of passages I know and look
those up and then one thing leads to another and I have all these
thoughts going.
One
verse that I have liked since Paul and I were dating is I Corinthians
6:9-11... “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit
the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor
idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor
thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners
will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you.
But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you
were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the
Spirit of our God.” I started looking at the context of these
verses and then ended up going back to I Corinthians 5. As I was
reading through chapter 5 and looking at the notes in my Bible I
noticed that verse 11 notes said that “Eating together is a key
part of fellowship and closeness with others. The Corinthians were
not to have fellowship with those who claimed to be Christians but
whose lives were dominated by sin.” Later in the notes for 6:9 it
says “Tragically, Christians sometimes deceive themselves into
thinking that God does not require them to live righteously.” So,
Paul then makes a list of people that will not inherit the kingdom of
God because they are not living righteously. Paul is talking to
Christians here who should be living righteously, but instead they
are living like the world. But, Paul tells us “such were some of
you”. I love that phrase because it is really saying “and such
were you, Pauletta”. BUT, you have been WASHED (spiritually
cleansed), SANCTIFIED (set apart as God's people), and JUSTIFIED
(declared righteous by God because of Christ's work on the cross)!!
All of these things are in past tense. They have already been done!
Paul pointed this verse out to me when we were dating to remind me
that even though during a season of my life I had chosen not to live
righteously that God had done these things for me. I have the choice
to live righteously for Him or to live as the world would live.
I
have heard before “When you go _______________ or do
_________________ (you fill in the blank), you need to pretend Jesus
is right there with you in person. Would that be somewhere or
something He would want to be involved in?” As a Christian God is
with me at all times so I need to think about what I'm doing and
where I'm going and if it would bring glory to Him.
I
Peter 1:13-19 says “Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be
sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought
to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not
conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but
as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,
because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” And if you call
on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's
work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in
fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things,
like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition
from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a
lamb without blemish and without spot.” We are to live our lives
holy because our God is holy.
I
pray that if you are reading this and you have not accepted the free
gift of salvation that God has offered us through His Son, then I
hope you will do that today. If you are not living righteously I pray
you will make the decision today to make things right with God and
choose to live in a way that will glorify God. I also pray that if
you know someone that is not living in a righteous way that you will
pray for them. When they are ready I pray they will come to you to
keep them accountable and help them along their way.
For
you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in
your spirit, which are God's.
I
Corinthians 6:20
