“THERE IS TRUE HONOUR AND PLEASURE IN OBEDIENCE WHEN YOU DEAL AND NOT COPE WITH GOD!”

Ephesians 1:16-17
[16] Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers.
[17] That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:

Isn’t it strange when you ask believers to peruse the truth of their relationship and walk with Yeshua? Many look and observe but move on believing that isn’t for me? “Believers,” “it is each one of us daily.” Take an honest look so you can apply an answer; you can’t fix what is out of sorts if you don’t acknowledge it’s amiss. The question then, what is the basis for what is wrong? What is the root cause for followers of Christ to believe they don’t need correction in their walk?

Truth is what sets you free from the enemies’ snares of Coping with God and replacing it with Dealing with God, where you’re facing reality, instead of creating it in your mind via rationalizations and then justifying it and your actions, instead of taking responsibility, being accountable and repentant. Rather than rationalizing and justifying.

God has laid up spiritual blessings for us in his Son, the Lord Jesus but requires us to draw them out and fetch them in by prayer.

Even the best Christians need to be prayed for: and while we hear of the welfare of Christian friends, we should pray for them. Even true believers want heavenly wisdom.

Is not the best of us unwilling to come under God’s yoke, though there is no other way to find rest for the soul? For a bit of pleasure, do we not often part with our peace? And if we dispute less and pray more with and for each other, we should see daily increasingly what the hope of our calling is and the riches of the Divine glory in this inheritance.

It is desirable to feel the mighty power of Divine grace, beginning and carrying on the work of faith in our souls. But it is difficult to bring a soul to believe fully in Christ, venture its all, and the hope of eternal life, upon his righteousness. Nothing less than Almighty power will work this in us.

Here is signified that it is Christ the Saviour. Who supplies all the necessities of those who trust in him? And gives them all blessings in the most prosperous abundance. And by being partakers of Christ himself, we come to be filled with the fulness of grace and glory in him. How then do those forget themselves who seek righteousness out of him! This teaches us to come to Christ. And did we know what we are called to, and what we might find in him? Indeed, should we be suitors to him?

When feeling our weakness and the power of our enemies, we most perceive the greatness of that mighty power, which affects the believer’s conversion and is engaged to perfect his salvation. Indeed this will constrain us by love to live to our Redeemer’s glory.

Leviticus 11:44
[44] For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

Levitical law seems to have been intended.

1. As a test of the people’s obedience, as Adam was forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge; and to teach them self-denial, and the government of their appetites

2. To keep the Israelites distinct from other nations. Many also of these forbidden animals were objects of superstition and idolatry to the heathen

3. The people were taught to make distinctions between the holy and unholy in their companions and intimate connections

4. The law forbade the eating of the unclean beasts and the touching of them. Those who would be kept from any sin must be careful to avoid all temptations or coming near it. The exceptions are minute, and all were designed to call forth constant care and exactness in their obedience and teach us to obey.

While we enjoy our Christian liberty and are free from such burdensome observances, we must be careful not to abuse our freedom. For the Lord hath redeemed and called his people, that they may be holy, even as he is holy. We must come out and be separate from the world; we must leave the company of the ungodly and all needless connections with those who are dead in sin; we must be zealous of good works devoted to followers of God and companions of his people.

My thoughts turn to those who cope with God. What rationalizations have and will produce to justify remaining connected to the world its pleasures, luxuries, and comforts mistakenly, as did the Israelite slaves coming out of “Egypt” held in their minds and offended God?

Deuteronomy 10:17-18
[17] For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward:
[18] He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, giving him food and raiment.

Here we are taught our duty to God in our principles and practices. We must fear the Lord our God. We must love him and delight in communion with him. We must walk in how he has appointed us to walk. We must serve him with all our heart and soul.

What we do in his service, we must do cheerfully and with goodwill. We must keep his commandments. There is true honour and pleasure in obedience. We must give honour to God, and to him, we must cleave, as one we love and delight in, trust in, and from whom we have great expectations.

Romans 2:11-13
[11] For there is no respect of persons with God.
[12] For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law.
[13] (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.

The Jews thought themselves holy people, entitled to their privileges by right, while they were unthankful, rebellious, and unrighteous. But all who act thus, of every nation, age, and description, must be reminded that the judgment of God will be according to their real character. The case is so plain that we may appeal to the sinner’s own thoughts. In every willful sin, there is contempt for the goodness of God.

And though the branches of man’s disobedience are very various, all spring from the same root. But in true repentance, there must be hatred of former sinfulness, from a change wrought in the state of the mind, which disposes it to choose the good and to refuse the evil. It shows also a sense of inward wretchedness. Such is the great change wrought in repentance, it is conversion, and is needed by every human being. The ruin of sinners is their walking after a hard and impenitent heart. Their sinful doings are expressed by the strong words, “treasuring up wrath” In the description of the just man, notice the full demand of the law. It demands that the motives shall be pure and rejects all actions from earthly ambition or ends. In the description of the unrighteous, the contention is held forth as the principle of all evil. The human will is in a state of enmity against God. Even Gentiles, who had not the written law, had that within, which directed them what to do by the light of nature. Conscience is a witness, and first or last will bear witness.

Again please remember this is just a humble servant doing the bidding of Yeshua (Jesus). I pray for a safe journey forward. A walk-in God’s love and peace, and may the “SHARING OF YOUR LIGHT” in the Den of wolves be fruitful, remember, He is always with you if you hold His love in your heart forever.   

Robert