Hebrews 12:14 NIV – …Be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.
There is much discussion in our world about love, it is also a much studied and taught subject within the church. If you will, that which gave birth to God’s love is his holiness.
We know that those who are in Christ Jesus have no condemnation – Romans 8:1 NIV. Therefore our text before us is not designed for condemnation. But it is a statement that demands our attention – Are we holy? This question concerns all conditions of men. The rich and the poor; the educated and uneducated; the parent and the child.
I ask this question because if there is no holiness or Christ-likeness, what is Christianity? We are not only to have the knowledge of Christ and the name of Christ, but we are to have the character of Christ.
J. C. Ryle – Holiness – “How shall we ever be at home and happy in heaven, if we die unholy? Death works no change. The grave makes no alteration. Each will rise again with the same character in which he breathed his last. Where will our place be if we are strangers to holiness now?”
Romans 12:1 NIV – Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.
2 Corinthians 5:17,18 NIV – Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God…
Author unknown – “Holiness is something in a man or a woman that can be seen, known, marked and felt by all around them. It is light; if it exists, it will show itself. It is salt; if it exists, its flavor will be experienced. It is a precious perfume; if it exists, its presence cannot be hid.”
Philippians 2:3-5; 4:8 NIV – Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.
One of our greatest allies that the Lord Jesus the Christ has given us is our attitude. The winning combination is the Lord and our attitude.
Our attitude deals with our interpersonal relationships. Attitude is about how we think and feel, which determines how we respond to each other.
Can you read minds? Perhaps you have never thought about it. But the truth is we do it everyday. How? We do it automatically through attitude appraisals.
You don’t need any words to say “I like you” or “I despise you,” or “I think you’re important” or “unimportant.” Attitudes reflect our thinking and reveal who we really are at the moment.
The Magic of Thinking Big – page 139 – “Ever notice how seldom children complain about the weather? They take hot weather in stride until the negative news corps educate them to be conscious of unpleasant temperatures… Complaining about the weather makes you more miserable and it spreads misery to others.
Broadcast good news about how you feel at every possible opportunity. Give encouragement and compliments at every opportunity. Be helpful and practice relieveing worriers. Make this test a part of your regular day – Does that person honestly feel better because he or she has talked with me?
You will enjoy your journey and your soul will be refreshed in the midst of any opportunity.
Everything that does not come from faith is sin Romans 14:23 NIV
Now that is quite a concerning statement. When I was growing up, my family did not go to church or have any discussions about God or faith. So when I was a young man, I began wondering about all of this, seeing that on our money we say – In God we Trust.
The Word of God says that we are saved by grace through faith. I discovered that faith can see and hear. Faith can see Jesus on the cross and hear him say it is finished. Faith appropriates the blessings and redemption that is in Jesus the Christ. Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. Hebrews 11:2 NLT
Grace is the river and faith is the channel along which grace flows to refresh our souls. Our Lord has designed that righteousnes, peace and joy in the kingdom of God flow from the river of grace through faith into and through our lives. So faith opens the door to that life, which is called eternal – the result – Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God… 1 Corinthians 5:17,18 NIV