Bitter or Better?

You've heard it said, "What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger".  What about these difficult and many times tragic situations that we continually endure?  What is it doing to our hearts?  What is it doing to your heart?  Is life making you bitter or better?  The thing about this life is this-it's not easy and it is never going to be.  We are born, we live, and we die, with all manner of hardships, tragedy, sorrow, illness, and loss.  We are mistaken if we think that our lives are harder than everyone else's.  Life is hard, period.  This is not paradise.  But the good news is that we are on our way home and along the way, hopefully, we will learn a few things about God and how to be like Him.  We have a choice, to become bitter or better...

How do we avoid becoming bitter?  "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God."  Colossians 3:1-3 (NIV)  Set your hearts and minds on the things above.   Die to your self.   Let your life be hidden with Christ in God.  Take your eyes off of yourself and place them firmly and deliberately on the King of Glory, daily!

In 1 Peter Chapter 1:3-25,  we are given a "living" hope.  We could also call that "hope" for living.

Born Again to a Living Hope

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.  Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.  Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories.  It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.

Called to Be Holy

Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy, in all your conduct, since it is written,"You shall be holy, for I am holy." And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,  since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for  "All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass.  The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever."

And this word is the good news that was preached to you.  (ESV)

We must keep these things in mind:

1.     We are born again to a "living" hope.
2.     We are tested and the result should be praise and glory and honor at
        the revelation of Jesus Christ.
3.     We should not serve ourselves but others.
4.     We should be prepared for action setting our hope fully on the grace
        that will be given to us.
5.     We should be obedient being conformed to His holiness.
6.     Our conduct should be as those ransomed by the precious blood of
        Christ.
7.     Our faith and hope are only in God.
8.     We should purify our souls by our obedience to the truth.
9.     We should love one another earnestly from a pure heart.
10.   We have been born again of the imperishable, through the living,
        abiding Word of God.

If we set our hope and minds on these things, we will be prepared when difficult times come.  Some people ask, "How can you be so calm in the midst of these things?"  The answer is this, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusteth in Thee."  Isaiah 26:3 (KJV)

So the choice is yours today, bitter or better?

Dear Lord,  Thank you for the precious blood of your Son who offered us the grace which we can set our hope and minds on.  Please let us conduct ourselves as those ransomed by that precious blood.

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Holy Living

Colossians 3

Rules for Holy Living

 ¹Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. ²Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. ³For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. ⁴When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.  ⁵Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. ⁶Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. ⁷You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. ⁸But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. ⁹Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices ¹⁰and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. ¹¹Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
 ¹²Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
 ¹⁵Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. ¹⁷And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Rules for Christian Households

 ¹⁸Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.  ¹⁹Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.
 ²⁰Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.
 ²¹Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.
 ²²Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. ²³Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, ²⁴since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. ²⁵Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism. (NIV)

 Dear Lord,  Thank you that you show us how to live.  Make us humble, kind, gentle, patient, and compassionate. Let us put to death our earthly natures.  And let us do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

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Is Holiness Your Destiny?

I know!  Most of us are just trying to get through the day!  Holiness is not really at the forefront of our minds.  We need to get the lunches packed, the kids off to school, the laundry done, the house cleaned, the grocery shopping done and meals planned, and then many of us go off to our other job.  You know!  The one that makes money....  We are so exhausted at the end of any given day that we can barely drag ourselves to bed let alone, pray, read, meditate, spend time with the Lord of holiness.  And then this came in my email today:

Malachi 3:3 says: "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."      

 This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God...

One of the women offered to find out about the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible study.

That week the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver.      

As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest so as to burn away all the impurities.  

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says:  "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver."

She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time.  

The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know  when the silver is fully refined?"

He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it." 

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.  

Pass this on right now. This very moment someone needs to know that God is watching over them.

And, whatever they're going through, they'll be a better person in the end.

 "Life is a coin. You can spend it anyway you wish, but you can only spend it once." (Author Unknown)

I don't know who wrote this but only that it has been passed along via email and now I am passing it on to you.  You see, holiness is your destiny (not holier than thouness!) and whatever way God chooses, He will make you into His image but He will not hold you in the fire a minute longer than is necessary.  Let's be a shining reflection of His glorious face!  Let's not be someone who condemns and looks down on others who do not yet know Him.  Let's be the flame that draws others to the light that shines in the darkness by the power of His love.  We don't have to do this under our own power (impossible!); we have His power which works within us as it says in Colossians 1:28-29, "We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ.  For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me."  (NASB) And, "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."  Ephesians 3:19-21 (NIV)

"Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord."  Hebrews 12:14 (NIV)

"So roll up your sleeves, put your mind in gear, be totally ready to receive the gift that's coming when Jesus arrives. Don't lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn't know any better then; you do now. As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God's life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, "I am holy; you be holy."  1 Peter 1:13-16 (The Message)

"Continually restate what the purpose of your life is.  The destined end of man is not happiness, nor health, but holiness...The one thing that matters is whether a man will accept the God who will make him holy."  Oswald Chambers

Dear Lord,  Make us holy even as You are holy.  Refine us in Your holy fire so that we might be shining reflections of Your lovingkindness, Your holiness, Your faithfulness.  Let us accept You and let You make us holy.  Help us to not let our busyness distract us from our purpose in this life:  holiness.

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See also: http://ordinarylife-extraordinarygod.blogspot.com/2010/06/purified.html