God

Ephesians 1:4  Even as He 
chose us in Him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and 
blameless before him. 
5 In love He predestined us 
for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the
 purpose of his will.
       
       

God has a divine purpose and plan.

God knows all the pathways taken by all mankind

God is directing all things  and He has a specific end.

God's plans are all in place.  They were in place before the foundation of  the world.

Nothing in all history, past, present and in the future is out of God's control.

Romans 11:36  

For from him (God)and through him (God) and to 

him (God) are all things. To him  (God) be glory forever. 

Amen.

Our Secular and Sacred lives are one

Colossians  1:16-17  For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities - all things were created through him and for him.  17  And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.   

Note the words:  How    - Created
                          Where  - in heaven
                                        on earth 
                           Who    - by HIM, (Jesus Christ) through HIM. in HIM
                           What   - All things  
                           Why    - for HIM               
                           When  - Genesis chapter 1  In the beginning

We do not have a secular life and a spiritual life separate from each other.  The LORD God Almighty, (through his Son Jesus Christ) is in all things, from beginning to the end (Revelation 1:8)

It is therefore important for us to understand everything about us, and in all of creation,  is known to our LORD and creator and it is ALL important to him.  

We sometimes think when things come our way that hurt and destroy even, it is because God doesn't care or is not able to protect us.  This is because we, as finite beings, do not have all knowledge and understanding.  But God is there and does care and will deal with all things appropriately in His divine time.  

We are called to love and trust Him.     

Not afraid

                             

Effective Love

In our world today it seems many who claim to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ feel it doesn't matter that the LORD of Heaven and Earth calls us to righteousness, living before him according to his ways.

Instead, we to often feel free to break His laws to accommodate our choices, according to our man stated rights. Many  believe God loves us weather we follow his laws and precepts or not. That when our choices are in direct opposition to what He set forth in creation as His plans and purposes it is just old fashioned and not really how God has made us to live, cuz look, I feel this way and if it were not right and it is what I want to do I would not feel this way.

As I read the chapter below I saw anew God's viewpoint about our walk with Him. What loving Him and accepting Him as LORD of our lives means. I cannot say it better than it has been said. We need to walk in His way as His children. Our love is shown in obedience. 

1 John 3;1-10, 18, 23-24    English Standard Version  (I love KJV as I see it as more powerful in expression but  this version is more readable to any who have not grown up on KJV )

3 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.2 Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.     3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 

5 You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.

6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous.

8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. 10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.  Love One Another

18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
23 And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. 24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God,  and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.

Called to be the dwelling place of the Most High God.

I Peter 2: 4-5, 9:  4. As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 

 Christ is described as "a living stone".   What are some characteristics of a real stone?   It has density,   weight, it cannot easily be broken unless by a greater power, it has substance.   Those are characteristics which could describe Christ:  substance, power, cannot be broken as there is no greater power above him,  true strength.  

In the very next verse it says we like "living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house". It is the same designation given to Christ  "living stones".    Why? For what purpose?

Ephesians 1: 22 -23  (ESV) says:  And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church,  which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. 

This states that we are his body.   I Peter states we are are living stones, and that Christ is the living stone. So where Christ is living and resident, his life is indwelling us, making us living stones.  

But the gift of His life in us is not to provide us with special things like houses, unlimited access to money and no problems.   His gift isn't our ticket to all our human heart desires.   

It is a gift of life at the price of Christ's life. At the price of His taking upon himself the sins of the whole world, to pay the price we could not ever pay.  Have you considered just how great that price is?  But He paid that price and with His blood, could become the means of us having life.   Only though Him can we have salvation.

And after his death, Hebrews tells us death could not retain a hold on him because he had no handles for sin to hang onto and destroy life. As a man without sin, life flipped death off and Jesus was made alive in resurrection.    

But on top of making our life secure in Him, He then indwells us, giving us the tools for life.  Moreover, to  be a holy priesthood. That our lives can be a spiritual sacrifice acceptable to God because we are indwelt by His Son Jesus Christ.

Additionally as His Body, of which He Christ Jesus, is head we are called to be ones who allow His Glory to be seen in the world.  

As a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation we are, as it were a new United State of Jesus Christ.    Why? That by our lives we may proclaim we are citizens of His nation.   Our lives can proclaim our allegiance is to Him and His Lordship and by serving him as priests,  can call others to citizenship in this eternal kingdom.  

All this can be done because the Living Son of God indwells and enables us.   But we have to chose to walk in obedience and faith for others to see the LORD in us.

The Glory!

Hebrews 1:2-3 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the Glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.

Jesus is the radiance of the glory of God. Therefore, the church, the body of Christ, fills the church with his radiance. Our purpose, as the body of Christ is to live our lives so His radiance of glory may be seen by the world.

We need to stop focusing on the negatives of /in the world around us - this does NOT show forth the Glory of God resident within us. We need to deliberately focus on the great Glory of God and allow our lives to be a vehicle for His Glory to show forth Christ Jesus  - to manifest His GLORY!.