Devotional 010909

Dear brothers and sisters,
Good morning. It is great to be back to my 'sunny' office and enjoy a quiet moment to be with the Lord. Last weekend was filled with fun and celebration; wedding, baptism, birthday party, installation, teaching of God’s words and working on the video project etc. I see God’s grace in every single one of these events. As a matter of fact, if we look seriously into each one of the celebrative event in life, you will conclude that it was all because of God’s grace. Without His grace, we cease to exist not to mention any accomplishment on earth. Amen?

"Be holy, because I am holy" (1 Peter 1:16). Continually restate to yourself what the purpose of your life is. The destined end of man is not happiness, nor health, but holiness. Nowadays we have far too many attraction, we are degenerate with them; right, good, noble attractions which will yet have their fulfillment, but in the meantime God has to weaken them. The one thing that matters is whether a man will accept the God Who will make him holy. At all costs a man must be rightly related to God.

Do I believe I need to be holy? Do I believe God can come into me and make me holy? If by your preaching you convince me that I am unholy, I resent your preaching. The preaching of the gospel awakens an intense resentment because it must reveal that I am unholy; but it also awakens an intense craving. God has one destined end for mankind, and that is holiness. His one aim is the production of saints. God is not an eternal blessing-machine for men; He did not come to save men out of pity: He came to save men because He had created them to be holy. The Atonement means that God can put me back into perfect union with Himself, without a shadow between, through the Death of Jesus Christ.

Never tolerate through sympathy with yourself or with others any practice that is not in keeping with a holy God. Holiness means unblemished walking with the feet, unblemished talking with the tongue, and unblemished thinking with the mind - every detail of the life under the scrutiny of God. Holiness is not only what God gives me, but what I manifest that God has given me.

Holiness is what I need because this is the kind of life God intended for me to live. God created us according to His own image or nature, and He is holy, therefore He definitely expects us to be Holy. Holiness is to wholeheartedly pursue the plan and purpose of God for our lives. When we focus fully on discovering God’s plan for our lives, the worldly temptations will become dim and weak. On a contrary, when we focus our energy on avoiding or resisting worldly temptations, our awareness of God’s plan for our live will become dime and weak. Therefore, the main challenge can be summarized in the Greatest Commandment that Jesus had in mind, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:30). To our Lord Jesus Christ, consume ALL to love God is the core value of Christian living or the main purpose of our existence as His children. If we pursue life toward this goal, our lives are already on the path of righteousness, or journey in the light, or road of perfection.

Let’s encourage each other to aim at this kind of living in wherever God puts you on earth. Let our lives reflect the beauty of God’s holiness, especially in our relationship with others.

Love you according to His holiness,
Lawrence