Faith – Page 4 – Praying Pint

31.q. “For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek Him”

Matthew 7:7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

Psalms 10:17   O LORD, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear

Jeremiah 33:3  Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.

Psalms 50:15    and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”

Jeremiah 29:12-13    Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.

  You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

Psalms 86:5   For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.

Isaiah 55:6-7   “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near;  let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Psalms 69:32  When the humble see it they will be glad; you who seek God, let your hearts revive.

Amos 5:4   For thus says the LORD to the house of Israel: “Seek me and live;

Proverbs 8:17     I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.

Hebrews 11:6   And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Revelation 3:17-18   For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.

Yet the image of knocking also implies that there is a door that can be opened. “His doors are meant to open: they were made on purpose for entrance, and so the blessed gospel of God is made on purpose for you to enter into life and peace. It would be of no use to knock at a wall, but you may wisely knock at a door, for it is arranged for opening.” (Spurgeon)

One would think knocking on the door implies that there is someone on the other side of it. Why would a person knock on the door if no one was expected to be there to answer it? How many, though, come and knock with no expectation, but rather to see if anyone is home. Their knock is empty, soundless, and void of belief, trust, faith, and reliance on Jesus Christ. Their knock is not with any expectation, by faith, that Jesus Christ is, out of grace, mercy, and love, waiting for their knock. No, the knock by this person is not in humble surrender to Jesus Christ with a humble believing heart that believes God’s Word; “Knock and it will be opened to you”.

We are invited to a door that leads to the Creator of all there is, All-Powerful, All-knowing Almighty God. Coming to and knocking on this door should be reverent of who is on the other side. How many times do we knock on this door with a heart that is nothing more than an expectant demand? Shouldn’t our knock be humble? Shouldn’t our knock be reverent? Shouldn’t we know we are on holy ground while standing before this door? Are we to stand there with puffed-out chests demanding to be let in and our requests heard? Let it never be so. Let us come before this door with awe, humbleness, belief, trust, and reliance in He who is more than able to do more than we ask and much more than we can imagine. Let us examine our hearts before knocking. Let our knock be pure of heart, mind, and soul, and then there will be honor and glory to whom all honor and glory belong.

31.p. “O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you”

Micah 6:8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Deuteronomy 10:12-13   “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul,  and to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD, which I am commanding you today for your good?

Hosea 6:6   For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

Hosea 12:6   “So you, by the help of your God, return, hold fast to love and justice, and wait continually for your God.”

Zephaniah 2:3    Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, who do his just commands; seek righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the LORD.

Proverbs 21:3   To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.

Isaiah 1:16-19    Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil,  learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.  “Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.  If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land;

2 Peter 1:5-8   For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge,  and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness,  and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.  For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Psalms 73:28    But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, that I may tell of all your works.

The want to do good needs a foundation. It needs to be based on something firm, lasting, and true. “Doing Good” needs definition. Where are we to find this foundation and definition? What are we to base “good” and “doing good” on? This all depends on where you look and where you are seeking answers from. Worldly good has some benefit but this secular good has little to no eternal foundation. If doing good is for the benefit of another this is good but what is the reason behind the act of goodness? Was it because you feel good after doing it? Was it done because of empathy? Was it a combination of both? Was it done so it could be seen by others and thereby you receive some sort of recognition? The foundation upon which good acts are done is more important. If I do good acts of kindness what is the reason and purpose behind the intentional choice to do them?

The foundation of all good acts should be grounded in the desire to obey and honor and glorify Jesus Christ. It is when this foundation is present in the heart, soul, and mind that the good we do will be for something heavenly and lasting. There is so much to say about being able to discern the leading and being willing led by the Holy Spirit in acts of goodness, but the foundation of all our thoughts, speech, and acts needs to be from a humble and pure heart that believes, trusts, relies, obeys, and follows God’s Word for the honor and glory of Jesus Christ.

31.m. “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

Matthew 6:25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Philippians 4:6   do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

1 Peter 5:7    casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Luke 12:5    But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!

We are to be concerned with the right things; the ultimate issues of life – and we then leave the management (and the worry) over material things with our heavenly Father.

“You cannot say that Jesus Christ ever troubled about what he should eat, or what he should drink; his food and his water consisted in doing his Father’s will.” (Spurgeon)

We are to be concerned with the right things; the ultimate issues of life – and we then leave the management (and the worry) over material things with our heavenly Father. Do not worry about tomorrow: If you must worry, worry only about the things of today. Most of our worry is over things that we have absolutely no control over anyway and is therefore foolish as well as harmful. Jesus reminds us of the importance of living for the present day. It isn’t wrong to remember the past or plan for the future; to some degree both of those are good. Yet it is easy to become too focused on either the past or the future and to let the day and its own trouble be ignored. God wants us to remember the past, plan for the future, but live in the present and not to be anxious.

What causes us to become worried, anxious, fearful, troubled, disturbed, nervous, tense, and afraid? Is our focus on things we have no control over and our lack of faith in God having control over them? Belief, trust, and reliance in the omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, all-powerful, all-knowing, and ever-present one and only God will consume the anxiousness, worry, and fear in your life and fill you with love, peace, hope, faith, strength, joy, and courage, to face any challenge today may bring. We have a choice. We can take our eyes off of Jesus Christ and try to face the trials of the day in our own self-reliant way knowing we are not truly capable. When we choose to face whatever trial or trouble that comes our way in our own power, wisdom, and strength there will be anxiousness, worry, fear, etc….

Turn your eyes to Jesus, look full into His wonderful face and the things of this world will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.

31. “So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.”

Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Romans 3:31    Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.

Luke 16:17     But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void.

Galatians 3:17-24    This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void.  For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.  Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary.  Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one.  Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law.  But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.  Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed.  So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.

Jesus here began a discussion of the law and wanted to make it clear that He did not oppose what God gave Israel in what we call the Old Testament. He did not come to destroy the word of God, but to free it from the way the Pharisees and Scribes had wrongly interpreted it. Jesus wanted to make it clear that He had authority apart from the Law of Moses, but not in contradiction to it. Jesus added nothing to the law except one thing that no man had ever added to the law: perfect obedience. This is certainly one way Jesus came to fulfill the law. Even though He often challenged man’s interpretations of the law, Jesus never broke the law of God. Faith was never to be separated from the law but somehow man had changed faith into works apart from faith. The more laws they could follow without breaking the more righteous they felt they were. It is as if they were defining what it meant to be righteous by following in obedience to many of the man instituted obligations and rules. The purpose behind obedience is not for obtaining righteousness but a person’s life committed to that which honors and glorifies Jesus Christ. Don’t lose sight of this. Too often people try to do good to outweigh what they have done wrong. There is nothing wrong with doing good, but there is an absolute wrong when the good is an attempt to make oneself right before God. Only faith, trust, hope, and reliance on Jesus Christ will right the wrongs in our life.

30.v. “I urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,”

Matthew 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Psalms 120:6  Too long have I had my dwelling among those who hate peace.

Romans 12:18    If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

James 3:16-18   For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.  But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.  And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

Romans 14:19    So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.

Hebrews 12:14   Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

2 Timothy 2:22-24   So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.  Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels.  And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil,

Galatians 5:22   But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

James 1:19-20    Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;

Ephesians 4:1    I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,

“The verse which precedes it speaks of the blessedness of ‘the pure in heart, for they shall see God.’ It is well that we should understand this. We are to be ‘first pure, then peaceable.’ Our peaceableness is never to be a compact with sin, or an alliance with that which is evil. We must set our faces like flints against everything which is contrary to God and his holiness. That being in our souls a settled matter, we can go on to peaceableness towards men.” (Spurgeon)

We commonly think of this peacemaking work as being the job of one person who stands between two fighting parties. This may be one way this is fulfilled; but one can also end a conflict and be a peacemaker when they are party to a conflict; when they are the offended or the offender. (Guzik)

We will always have the opportunity to offer peace. It can be an encouragement to be peaceful to someone who has been offended, hurt, chided, etc….. and is not at peace about it. Our encouragement might be to help them see it from another view. It might be to just let them know we understand and encourage them to be peaceable in their situation for the honor and glory of Jesus Christ. Last year I watched unrestrained riots, looting, and destruction. Those in the leadership of these cities, in the guise of trying to bring peace, tried to defend allowing these actions to go unchecked or stopped. This by all means is not being a peacemaker. It is weakness and cowardly. This same mindset would allow a person to be raped if the offender seemed to have a reason for their offense. Utter foolish thinking and leadership. Being a peacemaker may mean we will have to jump in and restrain during an offense. Protecting the weak or outnumbered or overpowered is also being a peacemaker.

Discernment is critical. When you hear what is proclaimed through social media and other media news outlets on their take on what brings peace, rest assured they are basing it on false worldly ideas that run contrary to Scripture. Peace is never obtained by divisiveness. What they are proclaiming may make worldly sense and may even sound like it could be right. This is why it is critical to have God’s Word in your life, written on your heart, mind, and soul. How else will you be able to discern worldly from godly? When there is no acknowledgment of God, Jesus Christ, and Scripture, people will do what seems right in their own eyes. Be a workman of God who is able to rightly divide the Word of Truth from worldly passions and ideas from what is right and wrong. Peacemakers must be rooted firmly in Jesus Christ, and continually learn more and more understanding and knowledge from God’s Word, with a desire to learn and apply it. Discernment will not come to those who are not seeking it.

30.o. “We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul”

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

1 Peter 1:7   so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Psalms 42:11   Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.

Hebrews 6:12    so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Hebrews 6:18 we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul

There is so much misunderstanding in the Christian world today about what faith is. Most people think faith is believing that God will do what they want Him to do. They think, “If I can just believe intently enough, then I will get that promotion, or God will heal my sickness, or He will save my marriage.” “Faith extends beyond what we learn from our senses, and the author is saying that it has its reasons. Its tests are not those of the senses, which yield uncertainty.” Faith has its reasons. The Bible doesn’t recommend a “blind leap” of faith. But the reasons can’t be measured in a laboratory; they have to be understood spiritually. Faith does not contradict reason, though it may go beyond reason. One may objectively prove the Bible is the most unique book ever published and has impacted society more than any other book. But only faith can prove that the Bible is the Word of God. Therefore, this is a belief beyond reason but not in contradiction to reason or against reason. Faith is not a bare belief or intellectual understanding. It is a willingness to trust in, to rely on, and to cling to. By faith we can wait on God for His perfect purpose in our lives. By faith we can surrender our requests before God and allow His will to be done. By faith we have assurance that God is in control and He exceeds our imagination in power, might, love, knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. By faith we should want what God wants. By faith we have reason for hope. By faith we live so that all we say, think, and do honors and glorifies Jesus Christ. Surely God is able to do more than we ask and much more than we can imagine. By faith we find a peace and rest that passes all understanding.

29. w. “Faith was completed by his works”

Matthew 1:20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

Genesis 6:22     Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.

Genesis 22:2-3   So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.

Exodus 40:16    This Moses did; according to all that the LORD commanded him, so he did.

John 15:14   You are my friends if you do what I command you.

Hebrews 11:7-8   By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.  By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.

Hebrews 11:24-31   By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter,  choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.  He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.  By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible.  By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them.  By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned.  By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days.  By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.

James 2:21-26    Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar?  You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works;

Joseph had made up his mind to divorce Mary in a just way, quietly. Do you wonder how hard it was for Joseph to fall asleep that night? He made up his mind, and I have to think it was a disappointing time for Him. He did not go to bed mad or angered but rather wanted to do what was right and God-honoring. Then when his mind was made up an angel of the Lord appears to him in a dream and says, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.” When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him.

Joseph had a heart, mind, and soul wanting to do what was right before God. It does not say He pondered over this visitation in a dream and what was said. He made the decision to obey immediately. He was immediately obedient. Do you ever wonder how many times the Holy Spirit is speaking into our lives each day and we are not listening or even wanting to hear those quiet whispers of leading? If our hearts and minds are not being consumed with things of God and desiring to do what honors and glorifies Jesus Christ, then those quiet whispers of leading from the Holy Spirit will not be heard and obedience will not happen and our lives will be void of the hope and joy that comes from obedience and trusting in Jesus Christ.

29.l. “Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things”

Colossians 3:1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Psalms 16:11   You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Psalms 73:25-26     Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.  My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Hebrews 11:13-16     These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.  For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland.

Psalms 119:36-37   Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain!  Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways.

1 Chronicles 22:19     Now set your mind and heart to seek the LORD your God.

Romans 8:5    For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.

1 John 2:15   Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

Luke 12:15    And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

“The believer is to ‘seek the things… above.’ The word ‘seek’ marks aspiration, desire, and passion… In order to seek these things the mind must be set on them.” (Morgan) What is it that captures or tries to capture our minds and ultimately our hearts? A seemingly harmless endeavor turns into a heart and mind-consuming desire and soon it replaces or interferes with devotion, submission, worship, obedience, reliance, and glory to Jesus Christ. Scripture tells us to be steadfast, anchored, and heaven-focused all of the time. It does not specify this for specific days or seasons, it is expected that in a man of God it is all the time, and yet, we find ourselves being consumed by things that are not heavenly or Jesus Christ-honoring. How does this happen? The shallowness of personal commitment to spiritual, heavenly, and things of God will always leave a void in a person’s heart, mind, and soul. This void is filled with something, it is not left void. Worldly and fleshly wants, desires, and temptations abound, and in the absence of desire and seeking of spiritual, heavenly, and Godly things in a person’s life will be consumed by the worldly and fleshly. Far too many think believing in Jesus Christ is nothing more than an insurance policy to keep from going to Hell and their lives are neither committed or their hearts desire focused on things above. Examine yourself and see. Is your hearts desire for spiritual, heavenly, and Godly things?

29.i. “Let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ”

Colossians 2:6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.

Isaiah 2:5    O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the LORD.

John 14:6  Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Galatians 2:20  I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Ephesians 5:1-2   Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.   And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Philippians 1:27  Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,

1 John 2:6   whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him: This is a wonderful rule for Christian living. We cannot perfect in the flesh what was begun in the Spirit; therefore just as you received Jesus, walk in Him in the same way. The simple things of the Christian life provide continual and reliable spiritual fuel for growth. We always have to be reminded of the things we have been taught. So walk in Him, rooted and built up: Paul used a curious combination of metaphors. As Christians, we walk, but we are also rooted, and we are also built up. The metaphors are somewhat mixed, but the message is clear: be established and keep growing.

What keeps us from growing and being established? Fleshly and worldly things will hinder our growth and erode our foundation. Are we truly satisfied with a single grape worth of fruit and a shallow foundation unable to build upon? Day after day we are continually exposed to worldly and fleshly things. They are all around us and coming at us all of the time. It can be from those we choose to be around, what we choose to watch and read, or what we choose to think about and allow our minds to dwell on. How are we to discern that which is true, right, holy, and beneficial from that which is meaningless, worthless, tempting, deceitful, and false? Being committed to be in the presence of God at all times with a heart and mind deep desire to, in all things, honor and glorify Jesus Christ is the fertile soil and rock-solid foundation that gives us discernment and understanding for that which is right, true, holy, and beneficial. Water your roots and dig deep into your foundation through daily reading and studying God’s Word.

29.f. ” See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit”

Colossians 2:2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments.

Romans 11:33    Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

2 Timothy 3:15-17   and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.  All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,  that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

1 Corinthians 2:6-7   Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away.  But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory.

Matthew 10:26   “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.

Ephesians 3:9    and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things,

Colossians 2:8   See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.

2 Thessalonians 2:9-11 The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders,  and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.  Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false,

For Paul, real riches were found in the believer’s full assurance. Many lack full assurance about the character of God and are unconvinced that He is really good and loving. Others lack full assurance of their salvation and wonder if their Christian life is for real. Great freedom and confidence comes when we come to this full assurance. “You will only find all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge in Jesus. He has them all.” It’s not wrong to seek after wisdom and knowledge; but we must seek it all in Jesus. Real wisdom is not hidden in secret books, but deposited in Jesus Christ so that all can access it. When Paul describes the truth of God with words like riches and treasures, he reminds us that God’s truth is precious and worthy of sacrificial seeking. (Guzik)

It might sound simple, but deceivers are deceivers. They won’t announce their false doctrine as false doctrine, and it will often be similar enough to the truth to be dangerous. Combining The Word of God with worldly knowledge and wisdom will never end well. Dilution of God’s Word will never lead us into deeper understanding, knowledge, and wisdom. On the contrary, it will confuse, weaken, and leave us unsatisfied. We never obtain complete wisdom, knowledge, and understanding but we certainly will grow and mature in it for our entire lives. Line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little, we will mature if we are diligent in our intentional choice to humbly seek, surrender, obey, follow, trust, and rely on and in Jesus Christ, the mystery of God to man.