Thursday, November 15, 2018

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2018


"Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many." (Hebrews 12:14,15)

"As water reflects a face,/ so a man's heart reflects a man." (Proverbs 27:19)


These verses from Hebrews explain, in part, why churches may struggle. Ultimately, each individual coming to the body has responsibility unto the others to seek God wholeheartedly, to live in purity, and to show grace. These ethics not only strengthen our personal relationship with God, but also for others in their relationship with God.

Our Western culture generally considers the individual to have precedence over the group. Our Constitution and its interpretation stresses the principle of "voluntary association." We are grateful for the freedom of speech that this right avails.

As followers of Christ, we immediately become part of His body while remaining present in this world. Living in holiness allows our practice and testimony to line up for a watching world. In addition, purity before God strengthens our connection with Him: "Blessed are the pure in heart,/ for they will see God." (Matthew 5:8) Due to human reality, holiness will not translate into perfection; after all, we remain fallible in our humanness, drawing us closer to God. Yet, holiness involves yieldedness and surrender to God's plan as superior to our own and His Spirit as our strength and guide. Living outside of this channel leads to disappointment and upset hearts and minds. May we seek this yieldedness today!

Furthermore, the writer of Hebrews urges us to settle accounts with others, not allowing bitter roots to grow. These bitter roots emerge after a period of unforgiveness. This unforgiveness saps our energy, drawing us away from God and causing us to dwell on the hurt we've encountered. Often, this pain will result in legitimate grievances; in no way should we diminish this reality. Still, we have the freedom to choose forgiveness or unforgiveness, and we only have the strength to forgive because of the forgiveness from sin that Christ has won for us on the Cross. Because of this vertical forgiveness, horizontal forgiveness is not only possible, but entirely consistent with our status as grace-bought believers.

May God bring us into this place of yieldedness and sensitivity to seek Him fully and to forgive others freely. It will allow our hearts to experience real freedom, joy, and love. And God will be glorified and real to us!


Lord God, thank You for seeking us out through sending Your Son to this earth. Pour into us a hunger and thirst after You. Help us to live in purity and to extend forgiveness to others. Give us victory this day, that our hearts and minds might be "white as snow." Thank You for anchoring our freedom in Christ by the completed work of the Cross. In Jesus's Name, amen.


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