Our pastor has asked each church member to read through a devotional book he’s provided to help us begin to focus our thinking and praying as we seek God for real revival. While reading today, I find I am convicted about personal holiness and about being a faithful ambassador for Christ.
We read 1 Peter 2:9-10 today: “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.” Here, we learn who we are, those of us who trust in Jesus as the way, truth and life, the only way to the Father; we are a chosen people set apart, holy, unto God, so that we may proclaim the praises of Jesus Christ.
Then in 1 Peter 2:11-17, we see what being holy, set apart, means for us today as we go about the business of living in this world but being of His kingdom:
“Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.
Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men- as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.”
I’ve noticed these days that there is a growing emphasis among evangelicals, especially, on our freedom and liberty. And what seems to be happening is that in expressing liberty, there seems to be a downward slide in personal holiness. What I mean is, we're starting to see a lot of people who claim to be Christian, but use questionable language and allow themselves to look so much like the world that there is no difference at all. The problem is, this really makes for a cheap understanding of the grace we’ve been given. Peter says in the passage we just read above that we are to live as free, but not to use that liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. My liberty does not mean I’m free to live as worldly and vice-ridden as I please. What it means is that I am no longer a bondservant to sin, but now I have the freedom to live a holy life before God. Someone who does not belong to Christ is in bondage to sin. That is his lot. He cannot live holy, even if in some way he can do good deeds now and then, he cannot be holy, for even his so-called goodness is marred by his fallen nature. He doesn’t desire to honor God, even his seemingly good deeds are done for some other reason. But, for those of us who have been freed from the bondage to sin by faith in Jesus, we are now bondservants of God. If I am God’s bondservant, my life will begin to display holiness, for my Master is holy. I have been bought with a price, and now I am free to seek His glory and to seek to honor Him, whereas before I was born again I only ever sought my own glory. So, what I am convicted to pray about today is that God would show me the areas of my life where I am still seeking my own glory and my own way, in other words, that He would show me where I am not living as someone who is a bondservant of the Most High God.
We also looked today at another passage: 2 Corinthians 5:17-21
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
We are to live holy lives to bring glory to God. In bringing Him glory, we are to also be living holy lives so that we may act as ambassadors to the world around us for our Lord. An ambassador represents the One who has sent him or her. How I act will cause others to form an opinion about my Lord, who I represent. We are to bring the message that God has offered them reconciliation to Himself through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. He became sin for us so we could be reconciled, made right, with God. Wow. I’m convicted here to pray that God would show me the love of Christ that I would be a faithful ambassador to implore others to be reconciled to God. That is quite a message. And as I share that message, I must do so in a way that will bring honor to Jesus, by living a life that shows respect for His holiness. I do pray today, that these truths would grip my heart and I would learn to be less focused on me and completely focused on Him, and that I would become obedient to live holy and speak forth as an ambassador for my blessed Lord as He places opportunities before me.
No comments:
Post a Comment