Solomon shows we fall short

Last eve's bible study was on 1 Kings 11 (click the title above).
We learned that God had given Solomon a wise heart - at S's request. A thinking, willing, feeling centre... but as his years numbered and he became older, bit by bit, it was his heart that let him down. He had not only the Pharoe's daughter as a wife - but hundreds of others, who worshipped foreign Gods - and they persuaded Solomon to do the same. You will see 'hearts'mentioned in this first section - five times! Mark 7 - 21-23 says out of the heart comes 'evil from within'.. When we get older in our years, can't we just coast a little in life? - Haven't we learned things from our youth - can't we pass the batton? No old age brings even more challenges that we have ever faced! (This was a main point of our video from Dale Ralph Davies at Keswick last year). We face loss of health, spouse, cancer and death... Older people need ministry of God's people - They need prayer and care. Solomon turned away his heart - then his heart turned away from the Lord.... And Solomon had encountered God twice - in Chapter 3 of Kings 1 4-15 and Chapter 8 1-9 - when God said to Solomon: "Be faithful." This point is that all along God new what Solomon was going to do... and even this priviledged relationship, the intimate experience with God didn't guarantee the pure devotional relationship to God.
So what can we rely on? Well, in God's plan, He was setting the scene for the world - that through David (Solomon's father), - through David's line, would come a King, Jesus, who would be an atonement for ALL. God had this royal person in His sights, PLUS an atoning place - Jerusalem that was to come years later.. Jesus would fulfill the prophesies and overcome death and be the perfect sacrificial lamb. This is the anchor of our faith. Man has and had no power to overcome God's plan. God's promises remain! Jesus is waiting for you. He wants none to perish, but He also says that the gate is narrow and not all will find salvation. You WILL find it IF you look with all your heart, soul, body, mind - everything because Jesus is a jelous God and wants all of you. And He offers you santification for your sins. Don't listen to your feelings - and think - oh this is scary! - that is only a distraction - Satan saying beware, but don't listen to this! Repent, to the Lord, God, and know Him. Keep him close - because there's a lion that prowls.... Keep to his word (the bible), Keep praying - ceaselessly.

And you will experience joy like you never have before - and that experience will give you strength to go on and shelter under his wing, and bare the lighter yoke that the Lord offers.

"Watch you therefore, and pray, always that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." - Luke 21 v. 36.
There is nothing to fear when the Lord is here.

The Lie Evolution

This title is acutally a title of a book by Ken Ham. We MUST think about evolution and not just accept it. Think deeper and question it. I find this topic surfacing in my mind once again.
If evolution has taken place our museums should be full of skeletons of countless 'transitional' forms. This is so obvious, and simple, yet it is NEVER a question that gets asked. We are so soon to accept a few mens views. Over one hundred years of intense searching only a small number of transitional candidates are touted as proof of evolution. If evolution has really taken place, where are the transitional forms? And why does the fossil record actually show all species first appearing fully formed, with most nearly identical to current instances of the species?
Even in the last few years I have noticed the BBC saying "Here is a scientist who has found a very rare fossil and this may be the 'missing link' and yet, none has been.. Don't you find it odd?
The idea - and this is all that it is, the 'theory' of evolution, proports that things develop by an (unguided) series of small changes, caused by mutations, which are "selected" for, keeping the "better" changes" over a very long period of time. How could the ability to reproduce evolve, without the ability to reproduce? Can you even imagine a theoretical scenario which would allow this to happen? And why would evolution produce two sexes, many times over? Asexual reproduction would seem to be more likely and efficient! I have taken some ideas from the Creation Science website - click on the title and be conused - if you are a believer in evolution! See also http://www.drdino.com/letting-god-create-your-day.php

Forgiveness

So, we read about Forgiveness today: If you follow the link about Peter Robinson and his wife, this is a sad affair, but nevertheless an example to all of us that teaches us about repentance and forgiveness. for we are all guilty of sin and can ONLY be redeemed by sincere repentance before Jesus. Pastor James McConnell is absolutely sound in his words to the press here. Doesn't it stir you, the reader, here, to think about your own sin. Veteran gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell has described Iris Robinson as a "hypocrite" for having an affair. But can't Peter see that he, himself needs to repent of his own sin. Yes, me too! And grace is undeserved and scandulous - don't you like that? And do you, can you understand? And Jesus promises to help us, by His Holy Spirit to keep us on a road away from temptation, if we follow Him daily.

the pastor concludes to the press (follow link on title above)"We can only but pray for them and pray for them with great compassion as we would do for any sinner no matter what sin they have committed.

The Beauty of Holiness by Sylvia Britton

Dear friend Sylvia - you wrote this and I just had to copy ALL and paste today. May we all strive with God's will and His spirit within us for Holiness. And may we understand the true meaning of Holiness and why we are Christ followers in the first place. God Bless you this New DAY, the first on this year 2010. Sylvia writes:

“Holiness, not happiness, is the chief end of man.” Oswald Chambers

“No attribute of God is more dreadful to sinners than His holiness.“ Mathew Henry

“…but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:15-16

What is holiness? You probably already have some definition in mind. Definitions of holiness run the whole gamut from the hermit in a hair shirt, hidden in a remote cave, to a skirt wearing, bun capped dour woman, to those who refuse to apologize for wrongs because they don’t believe they are capable of sin all the way to legalism where there is a long list of things we must not wear, eat, drink, watch or touch. None of these things really defines true holiness.

Holiness is such a deep and multifaceted topic that I don’t anticipate being able to give it justice in a devotional. So for now, I hope to whet your appetite for more on the topic of holiness. I do heartily recommend that you begin a Bible study on holiness. The book The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges and the writings of A.W. Pink are good resources for further reading and contemplation.

In its purest form, holiness is complete moral purity. This is something that no human being has achieved or can ever achieve. So why do we continue to search after it? We continue to search because though God has made us righteous in Christ, He calls us to righteousness in our character. God has set the desire for holiness in the hearts of all His people. “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness” Isaiah 61:10.

The journey to personal holiness begins with a right view of God’s holiness.

God’s holiness is perfect. And our holy God is so holy that He is not even tempted to sin, nor will He ever tempt us to sin (James 1:13). God hates sin. Every time we sin either in word, thought or deed, we are doing something that God hates. (Psalm 119:104; Habakkuk 1:13)

Our God is a three-times holy God. So holy that Holy cannot adequately describe Him. Scripture uses the phrase “Holy, Holy, Holy” to describe God (Revelation 4:8; Isaiah 6:3). Until we begin to understand the holiness of God, we will falter in our growth toward holiness. The only way to understand His holiness is to grow closer to Him through reading His Word and prayer.

The journey to holiness continues with a right view of sin and a right view of God. One of the biggest roadblocks to living a holy life is our refusal to take sin seriously. In our minds we have divided sin into categories of serious sin and not-so-serious sin. We sometimes think of sins as “mistakes” instead of ascribing to those mistakes the moral weight they deserve in God’s eyes. We do this as if calling those sins mistakes they are not so bad and God will not judge them to be sinful. God does not categorize sin in that way. All sin separates us from fellowship with God. God hates all sin, not just some sin.

The holiness that we are called to, is what Jerry Bridges calls a “joint venture” between God and ourselves. Unlike the holiness He gives us that makes us fit for His salvation, it is not something that He will bestow on us without our effort.

There are two kinds of holiness; that which God gives and that which God calls us to. That holiness to which we are called is as dependent on our effort as anything we will ever do in life. God provides us with the impetus to live a holy life, the strength to live it and the arsenal to defeat sin in our lives, which includes the presence of His Holy Spirit.

So far we have established in this short devotional that;
·Holiness is perfect moral purity
·Sin is when we fall short of perfect moral purity in any way
·God is perfectly holy
·God hates sin
·God requires holiness in our character and daily lives.
·When we sin, God hates that sin
·There are two types of holiness; that which God gives us at salvation and that which He calls us to in our daily living.

Finally, the journey to holiness includes the daily living out of the life of Christ.

We are no longer slaves to sin, it no longer reigns in us, and we can defeat it. According to Jerry Bridges, God gives us the potential to resist sin; the responsibility for resisting though is up to us. There is no such thing though as instant holiness. Holiness is a continual journey, a constant battle and, as Jay Adams says. “It is by willing, prayerful and persistent obedience to the requirements of the Scriptures that godly patterns are developed and come to be apart of us.”

Have you stopped to wonder about why God saved you in the first place? So that you could have a great life? A place in heaven? There is a reason:

“God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before Him.” Ephesians 1:4 .

We were saved to be holy. Dear sisters, it is time for us to lay aside all those sins that beset us, to get serious about serving God and realize that our time here is but a moment, a blink, in eternity. To realize that God requires us to live holy lives and that He Himself will work with us to lead us into a holy life.

Holiness should concern us deeply and holy living should be foremost on our minds every day. It should disturb us and at the same time encourage us to obedience to read:
“Make every effort to ….. be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” Hebrews 12:14.

A.W. Pink describes the true faith in God through Christ as “…a faith which purifieth the heart.” (Titus 1:1) one which grieves over all impurity (Acts 15:9) and one which produces an unquestioning obedience (Heb. 11:8). Is your faith leading you in that direction?

The journey to holiness consists of a pattern of living life;
· Hearing the Word taught (Jeremiah 3:15) Go to church, listen to sermons and learn in Sunday School.
· Reading the Bible (Deuteronomy 17:19) You are blessed to live in a culture where the Bible is available to everyone. Read it daily, prayerfully.
· Studying scripture (Proverbs 2:1-5) A good study doesn’t have to be costly. Use your Sunday School material or ask your church’s pastor or Sunday School director for suggestions.
· Memorizing the Word (Psalm 119:11) Challenge yourself to memorize God’s Word. We sometimes forget that memorization isn’t only for children.

I would add one more thing to Dr. Pink’s list. Prayer and relationship with God. You cannot help but be changed if you are daily in His presence.

Ask the Lord to open your heart to His Word and His Truth that Holy Living is not optional for the Christian. Ask Him to show you the things in your life that are keeping you from living out the holy life a Christian is meant to live. What is keeping you from living a holy life?
Here are some scripture references to get you started on the journey to finding out more about holiness:

Ephesians 4:30
2 Timothy 2:21
1 John 1:6
Psalm 119:104
1 John 5:3
James 1:22
Galatians 5:16
Philippians 2:12

As a friend of mine commented, holiness is more about being than doing. My hope is that the women reading this will be encouraged and challenged to find out more about holiness and how to be holy. My fervent prayer is each one reading will begin to talk to God about holiness and ask Him to open His Word regarding personal holiness.

Remember that the journey to holiness only ends in heaven in the presence of God when we are changed into His likeness, but that His will for us is to continually strive toward holiness and remain faithful in our walk with Him.

Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. Psalm 29:2"

Thank you Sylvia! So this isn't just for women, but men. I pray the "holiness to which we are called is as dependent on our effort as anything we will ever do in life." - that this will be my and your 2010 manifesto as a Christian and any person willing to repent of all their sin and turn toward the true God for their salvation in Christ, to become a new person, shedding all their self each day to be renewed by his spirit. Amen