Monday, October 23, 2023

          As seasons change, we often make changes too.  We speak of spring cleaning.  Cold weather brings a way of life that differs from the warmer months.  Summer often ushers in vacation time.  The holidays near the end of the year often lead to travel, house guests and a festive time.  We decorate our homes and add some special things while maybe removing the things we display the other ten or eleven months.  When it comes to life and faith, we are often called by the teachings of the Bible to remove some things while adding others.  We always look to remove sin and we seek to add righteousness.  Saving faith itself is when we remove ourselves from the throne and allow Christ to be Lord and King.  Saving faith means we have given up on everything but Christ and Christ alone.  Indeed, someone has said that faith is an acronym where each letter stands for a word...forsaking all I trust Him.  The “Him” we trust is Jesus.  And we forsake everything else.  Saving faith is removing everything we think should be added to salvation and trust in Christ alone.
            In his own words, Peter spoke about this fine balance and practice of taking away some things and adding others to our faith.  He wrote, “Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good” (1 Peter 2:1-3).  The word “therefore” in the Bible often signifies that something important is about to follow.  It could be a powerful truth, a shift in life or a conclusion that we are to draw.  So, by using this word, Peter is grabbing our attention and telling us to listen up to what follows.  There are some words that we need to hear.  We should be prepared for something important to follow whenever we read the word “therefore.” 
            First, Peter wrote that we are to “rid” ourselves of all kinds of malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander.  Those five words depict behaviors and mindsets that are not good in any way.  There is nothing great to gain from thinking or behaving in those ways.  They serve no purpose for a follower of Christ.  They drive a wedge between the Lord and us and between other people and us.  When we practice such things there is a subtle belief that penetrates our thinking.  It comes from the enemy.  That subtle belief is the idea that God is not enough or what God has given to us or chosen for us is not enough.  We are lacking something and primarily what we lack can be found in and from others.  So, we gravitate toward comparisons, envy, competition and wanting to be like someone else.  And we often try to acquire these things at great toll and cost. 
           Satan foisted this life upon Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.  He suggested to them that they should disregard God’s prohibition about eating the forbidden fruit.  He convinced them to believe that God was holding off or holding back on them.  They simply needed to take what their eyes saw.  Even today, the enemy can mislead us into thinking that contentment and fulfillment come from gaining what someone else has.  The enemy often persuades us into thinking that we deserve these things and should begin a conquest for them. 
            Second, Peter commanded us to add some better or greater things to our lives.  We are to crave the pure spiritual milk of truth that God has for us.  We are to enjoy the fruit and food that God alone offers our spirits and lives.  God knows us better than anyone else and He alone knows what we most need in life.  So, we turn to Him and embrace Him.  We seek what he has for us and find our contentment in those things.  Joy can often be described as seeking God and His will and resting securely in Him and what He has for us.    
            Third, Peter said we are to grow up in “our salvation.”  Coming to saving faith in Jesus is a big step—a huge one.  No other steps really matter until we take this one first.  But after that step, we continue to walk, to move ahead and to journey with the Lord.  Just as a newborn baby grows up (and way too fast most parents would say!), we are to grow in our faith.  We are not to remain spiritual infants or infantile.  We want to become more like Jesus every day in every way.  That is a tall order, right?  But God makes that possible.  And all things are always possible with God. 
            Fourth, Peter says to taste and see that the Lord is good. Always good.  And good all the time.  If we believe that God is good, we can trust that he will do good things.  He will meet our needs.  He will provide. He will defend us and protect us.  And we are forever His.  The goodness of God does not depend or rest upon public opinion, a majority vote or the whims of you or me.  God is good.  And the more we pursue Him and desire Him the more that He reveals that goodness to us. 
            As we move toward the days of Thanksgiving and Christmas, we can take time to embrace God and to express our deepest and sincerest thanks for who He is and all that He has done for us.  As wonderful as His blessings and provisions are in this world, they are even better in the world to come.  As Paul triumphantly said, “for me to live is Christ but to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).  Yes, indeed!  Ask God to prune away some of the lesser things that might have come into your life—actions, attitudes and approaches that do not honor Him.  Ask God to add to your life and to multiply the things that He desires for you—faith, trust, graciousness, goodness and surrender.  Have a great Monday!  Remember you can worship any time at YouTube.com/FirstBaptistKannapolis.