The Proper Time

I Timothy 6:13-16 - "I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which He will bring about at the proper time — He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen."

Sanctification is the touchstone of salvation, because without it no man will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14). That is the paramount reason to keep ourselves unstained by the world. Jesus is returning for a bride without spot or blemish, beloved. He is waiting for a spouse that has prepared herself appropriately (Revelation 19:7).

The next time someone asks when the Lord is coming for His bride, tell them you know the exact time of His return. Paul tells us when the time is "proper" He will return, and not a moment before. May we continue to seek His face and His heart so we might be those who are the chosen – pure and undefiled when He does appear.

Protecting the Mind

Psalm 140:7 - “O God the Lord, the strength of my salvation, You have covered my head in the day of battle."

The psalmist was well aware when he wrote this regarding the vulnerability of the head in battle. Jesus also understood this truth when he stated in the Lord's Prayer that we should pray "not to be led into temptation, but to be delivered from evil" (Matthew 6:13). The battle is fought in the mind and that is where it will be won or lost. Our heart will inevitably be the keeper of whatever spoils we win or lose for the Kingdom of God.

Are we winning the battle today? Have we surrendered our thoughts and affections to things above and not to the things of the earth? Paul tell us "whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things" (Philippians 4:8). However, we must make sure we are asking the Lord for His help, otherwise it becomes merely trying to create "mind over matter." Conversely, if we mind the things of God, what truly matters will manifest and grant us the victory, without exception.

Living For No Other Than Jesus!

Philippians 1:21 - "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain."

For Paul, life outside of Christ had ceased to exist. Every breath, every movement of his day was an orchestrated love affair with the Man, Christ Jesus. This is the story of any Christian since this beloved apostle who exudes Christ -- the death of self and the life of Jesus that escapes from every pore and corpuscle of the human frame.

Paul was not saying something clever when he announced to the Corinthians that he died daily (I Corinthians 15:31). It was his love statement that he was so committed to his Lover that he dared not do anything that would offend.

If we desire our walk with Christ to become a romance, then we must first acknowledge it is not. Then, we must ask Jesus to draw near and obey His slightest desire. Then, we will know the life Paul speaks of regarding the Savior.

Radiating God's Light

Luke 11:36 - "If therefore your whole body is full of light, with no dark part in it, it will be wholly illumined, as when the lamp illumines you with its rays.”

Living a transparent life can seem daunting. It means not allowing any compromise whatsoever in our hearts to the Lord. Even as rays of light are linear by nature, it is our nature without God to create crooked pockets of darkness within where light cannot reach through linear penetration.

We must make the crooked ways straight in order for His light to invade every area of our lives. We do this through confession and surrender. May we all allow God's light to shine its rays into those dark recesses, allowing us the honor to radiate His nature to a dark world.

Genuine Kindness

Ephesians 4:32 - "Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you."

Kindness and forgiveness come from the heart of God. They are God-given and not merely actions that can be acted upon from man's heart with impunity. They are granted from hearts that are endued with God's Spirit. Those not born again of God and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, can often times behave kindly and forgiving. However, it is impossible for these to come from the root of love unless they are drawing from God Himself. Anything less than this is a counterfeit. Remember, Satan can never create, but he always mimics.

Solomon tells us what is desirable in a man is kindness (Proverbs 19:22). True kindness can only come from God and the forgiveness that comes from it. We should be wary of those who act kind to us and yet do not know the Savior. Remember, Jesus did not entrust Himself to men because He knew their hearts (John 2:24-25). Mankind’s kindness is only a copy of the original and may turn on us at the opportune time.

Man’s Foolish Wisdom

I Corinthians 1:27 - "But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong."

Shame might be defined as "the painful feeling arising from the consciousness of something dishonorable, improper, or ridiculous done by oneself or another." Shame is often meant to bring forth pain which may ultimately result in change. However, God's wisdom is often hid from those who pride themselves in the strength of their knowledge.

Often, Christian apologetics will not include any other evidence then that of the Holy Spirit working to confound the wisdom of this world in those hostile to the Gospel. Often, it is not our job to debate or refute, but to allow God to reverse what the supposed wise of this world have erroneously believed. Arguments may work to a point, but then God through His Spirit must bring a person to their senses.

Foremost in Sin and Grace

I Timothy 1:15 - "It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all."

Paul was not exaggerating when he claimed to be the foremost of sinners. To the degree of his revelation of sin came the incredible understanding of the grace of God and what it cost the Almighty to restore us. Some might believe Paul spoke in hyperbole in an attempt to convince others of his sincerity. However, those who knew Paul saw him as a living epistle – one who was a blasphemer and a persecutor of the church transformed by God's grace.

Similarly, John Newton understood God's amazing grace. This ex-slaver penned the words of this famous hymn and understood the depth of depravity from which he was saved. He knew it was only by God's "Amazing Grace" that he was once "lost then found, was blind but now I see."

Do we love much because we understand God's great love for us? May we all continue to ask God for revelation of His great love and grace which saved wretched sinners the likes of us!