Ears to Hear

 

Good Morning,

 

    As we continue on the trail of "holiness', we must remember what it means to be obedient.  Obedient means to perform or behave as directed, often without question or attempt at independent decision; to act or react in conformity with God's Word; to fit ones conduct to perform as directed.  Now what if we just did what God commanded us to do in His Word, without questioning Him?  What a wonderful world it would be!  Yet, most of us do this, we attempt to get God to line up with our decided ways of doing things.  Let's say we change our behavior and conduct.  That is exactly what Romans 12:2 is saying, "…., but be transformed (CHANGED) by the entire renewal of your mind [by ITS NEW IDEALS & ITS NEW ATTITUDE], so that you may prove for yourselves, what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].  Alrighty then, we must change our behavior!  The beginning is renewing entirely how we think and act (remember God's ways or behavior is higher than ours).  Behavior is our conduct; manner of living or conversation; the manner or ways in which a person conducts or acts or responds; to conduct oneself in a proper, correct or obedient manner.  God's Word is our plumb line for the correct and proper way for us to live and conduct our day to day, people to people; circumstance to circumstance living.

    We are now a new creation, a new breed of people, the God class.  We are to imitate our Father in our conduct and develop a God-like character.  Ephesians 5:1, says "Therefore be imitators of God [Copy Him and Follow His Example], as well-beloved children [imitate their father]."  That is pretty clear, we have His 'DNA', so we can imitate Him.  He has given us the best instruction manual to follow.  Let's skip down and read some more of the manual, (I promise you that we will come back and read the rest); Ephesians 5:8-9; "For once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of Light [LEAD THE LIVES OF THOSE NATIVE-BORN TO THE LIGHT].  For the fruit (the effect, the product) of the Light or the Spirit [consists] in every form of kindly goodness, uprightness of heart, and trueness of life."  I know that we all have our struggles to overcome, but if only we could learn to truly stay in His presence.  Our vision of who we really are would increase.  We are to live our lives as natives, those familiar to the Light.  This world should be alien to us, not the Kingdom of our Father.  We are natives to being and doing right!!!  It would be wise for us to practice this as we have practiced our old behavior patterns.  Day after day, circumstance after circumstance, people after people, we practiced our old behaviors, until we were skilled in them.  Quick-tempered, long-lasting bitterness and unforgiveness, excellent accountants of the wrongs done to us, liars, etc. etc.  Now it is time to practice the walk of children of Light.  "And try to learn [in your experience] what is pleasing to the Lord [LET YOUR LIVES BE CONSTANT PROOFS of what is most acceptable to Him]." (Ephes.5:10)  God is calling His children to a higher walk, it is one of mature sons.  In other words, grow up and begin to look like Daddy, in our behavior.  "And having been set free from sin, you have become the servants of righteousness (of conformity to the divine will in thought, purpose, and action)."  Conform means to be jointly connected; similar to (God); fashioned like unto (God); adapt; to bring into harmony or agreement; to comply and agree with God's will.  "I am speaking in familiar human terms because of your natural limitations.  For as you yielded your bodily members and faculties as servants to impurity and ever increasing lawlessness, so now yield your bodily members and faculties, once for all as servants to righteousness (right being and doing) which leads to holiness." (Romans 6:18-19)  Okay, my dear brothers and sisters, there is no way around this, we must yield to the working of Holy Spirit and let Him lead us to the 'change' in us, to holiness. Yield is to stand beside; to aid, to assist, to hand over or offer to; to give up possession of'; to relinquish or surrender control of.  We have held onto the old behaviors and conducts to long, it is now time to surrender and relinquish control over to God and renew or change how we think, and become similar to our Father in our conduct.  Let's hand over to Him all of those old defiled ways of acting and doing wrong, then Holy Spirit will assist and aid us, the servants of righteousness and lead us into holiness.

Ephesian 5: 8,9 

Love,

 

Pastor D.