Glory – Page 4 – Praying Pint

28.x. “For all the nations of the world seek after these things”

Philippians 4:19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

2 Samuel 22:7   “In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I called. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry came to his ears.

Micah 7:7  But as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.

Deuteronomy 8:3-4   And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.

Psalms 112:5-9   It is well with the man who deals generously and lends; who conducts his affairs with justice.  For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever.  He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.  His heart is steady; he will not be afraid, until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.  He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever; his horn is exalted in honor.

Luke 12:30-33  For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them.  Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.

1 Timothy 6:17   As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.

What we want and what we need are two separate thoughts. What we want can turn us toward what we need, or it can keep us away from what we need. If we want (desire, hope for, set one’s heart on, long for, crave, cry out for) redemption, salvation, forgiveness, understanding, wisdom, and knowledge of God’s mercy, grace, and love in Jesus Christ, our want is in line with what we need. It is in this ever-growing and continually growing want that our need is fulfilled. Our lives become a light in the darkness. Our thoughts, words, and actions repeatedly honor and glorify Jesus Christ.

If however, we want (desire, hope for, set one’s heart on, long for, crave, cry out for) things of this world our wants will not give us what we need. These wants will lead us down paths of loneliness, selfishness, self-reliance, self-worth, proud, greedy, fear, anger, coveting, anxiousness, and confusion. We end up chasing after and wanting satisfaction and find neither.

I think we get confused on wants and needs. The world will try to tell us what we need and if we acquire what it offers we will find our needs fulfilled. It is a lie. What this world has to offer will never fill the void in our hearts and minds that only God can fill. Can you imagine what our lives would be like if we would truly wanted to honor and glorify Jesus Christ in all we think, say, and do?

28.m. “An example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity”

Philippians 3:17 Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

1 Timothy 4:12   Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

1 Peter 5:3    not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.

Romans 16:17    I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them.

While it is wrong to put our trust in any man, it is hypocritical for any Christian to say, “Do as I say, not as I do.” We are not sinless or are we perfect examples, but we can be good examples. This is where many fall short. They think they are defeated, not perfect, and because of this, they hide their faith, hope, and love. The hardest and easiest person to forgive is ourselves. When we sin or fall back into a sinful act we can deny it and shrug it off and in doing so we grieve the Holy Spirit. We can also confess it and move on in faith that God has forgiven it. We can learn from it and what it is that has triggered us to so easily fall into this sin. We might see that we have neglected time in His Word, or become complacent in seeking and desiring His Will in our lives. We might see that at that moment just before committing to that sin we heard a quiet whisper from the Holy Spirit and we intentionally chose to close our heart and mind to its warning and leading. So we either shrug it off and say “I am weak” and carry this thought around in defeat day after day until we forget about it. We don’t realize that the weight of these unconfessed burdens robs us of our witness and victory in Christ. We no longer see ourselves as a person to imitate. In fact, we may go so far as to just blend in both with the world and our Christian brothers/sisters so that no one can call us out as being a hypocrite. Satan will use every defeat to beat you into a lukewarm non-committed intimidated unrecognized Christian, when we should be confessing, trusting, relying on, obeying, and living victoriously in Jesus Christ. Are we sinless? No. Are we perfect? No. Should we allow this to keep us from being a living example of what it means to rely on, trust in, believing in, hoping in, following after, and obeying Jesus Christ? No. If we start living every moment of every day with an earnest desire to honor and glorify Jesus Christ our lives will be an example of victorious living in the power of the Holy Spirit with acts of love, grace, mercy, joy, hope, faith, purity, generosity, kindness, forgiveness, patience, endurance, and courage and thereby an example to be imitated.

28.j. “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?”

Philippians 3:7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith

Proverbs 13:8   The ransom of a man’s life is his wealth, but a poor man hears no threat.

Matthew 16:26  For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?

Luke 14:33  So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.

Romans 8:18   For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

We are continuously tempted to put our trust in ourselves, money, health, possessions, savings, etc… It is as if we are trusting in these things to give us peace of mind, hope for the future, and worry-free lives. There are always going to be temptations to want to rely on, trust in, and cling to what we have, what we want, what we acquire, and other things of this world more than Jesus Christ. It is in Him we find a peace that passes all understanding. Peace the world has to offer is temporal, foundationally weak, and robs us of true peace. Chasing after these false promises of peace keeps the busyness of life very active in our lives. Every day a new current of false promises blows in promising just one more rung on the ladder to climb. To what end? Are we any closer to Christ? Do our possessions and bank accounts bring us to a deeper relationship with Christ? Are we happier? Are we deeply satisfied? Are we content? At the end of the day are have we found purpose, satisfaction, contentment, and meaning for our lives? Prosperity and ease of life offer peace but over and over again it leads people away from Christ and they neglect God’s Word and become complacent in their desire to know more and more of God’s grace, mercy, and love. Their spiritual growth does not exist. It is a very slippery slope away from God when we give in to the temptations of this world to put our trust in ourselves, money, health, possessions, savings, etc…

28.f. “What sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness”

Philippians 1:27 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ,

Colossians 1:10    so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;

2 Peter 3:11  Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness,

1 Thessalonians 2:11-12   For you know how, like a father with his children,  we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

Walking in a manner worthy of God totally depends on how we know, understand, and see God. If we see Him as absent and far away, or if our understanding of Him is nothing more than a concept, we fail in our knowledge of Him. If we see Him as far away (not present) we will allow sinful thoughts, spoken words, and actions into our daily lives. If all we understand of Him is conceptually (theoretically) then we have no mature knowledge, faith, hope, trust, or reliance. When we see, understand, and grow in our knowledge of God omniscient – all-knowing, God omnipresent – present everywhere, God omnipotent – all-powerful, we will start to understand why Jesus, Paul, David, Peter, James, Job, Abraham, Moses, Elijah. Elisha, etc…… keep reminding over and over again who God is and why it is important to walk in a manner worthy of Him. How this life-walk manifests its self in our lives is a direct reflection of our maturity, understanding, and knowledge of Him. It is sad to say many Christian’s walks paints a very shallow understanding and knowledge of Him. The words they speak and the actions of their lives reflect much closer to a person who does not give God a passing thought than a child of God. Meditate on His Word, read it, study it, write down your thoughts with a desire and seeking that God will and does open up the eyes to our hearts and minds of Him.

27.j. “I will strengthen you, I will help you”

Ephesians 3:16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being,

Psalms 28:8   The LORD is the strength of his people; he is the saving refuge of his anointed.

Psalms 138:3   On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased.

2 Timothy 4:17    But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me,

Isaiah 41:10     fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Ephesians 6:10    Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.

The Lord is my strength, I will strengthen you, my strength of soul, strengthened with power, all speak of leaning on, accepting, and allowing God’s Strength in our lives. If you have ever raised children or been around young children and you have seen them struggling with something, you offer or try to help and they say No I can do this myself, or I want to do this by myself. Even as adults we have all offered to help someone with a problem and they turn you down or flat out reject the offer of help. If we are honest, I think we all have done this. Sometimes we just need to work through the problem, find the solution, and get on the other side of it. But do we? We may know the person who wants to help us routinely takes shortcuts and their workmanship is not quite the same as ours. We may know that they will hold it over our heads if we allow them to help. We may know they will tell others of our lack of ability in an area they helped us in. We may just have a bit of pride in us that says, “I can do this”, “I know how”, “I got it”, “I am smart enough”, “I am wise enough”, “I am strong enough”, “I am………”. Whatever the reason we seem to turn away help. Don’t get me wrong, there are times when we should turn from someone’s help.

Do you ever think about how many times we reject God’s power, strength, might, wisdom, knowledge, love, peace, grace, mercy, refuge, fortress, shelter, shepherd, savior, redeemer, Heavenly Father,………? He not only is willing and able, He also promises to be all of these in our lives. Year by year, month by month, week by week, day, hour by hour, minute by minute, second by second, He offers us all of these and we turn away, stiffen our necks, harden our hearts, deafen our ears, and close our hearts and minds to His continued offers. Why is this? I fear it is because we do not live for God. By this I mean where we do not develop hunger and thirst for His Word, desire and seek His continued presence, have no want to understand and know more of Him, and do not know want it means to honor and glorify Him in all we say think and do. The shallowness of our commitments toward all of this most certainly will keep us from knowing about His grace, mercy, love, and promises. We will not see our need for help and thereby we won’t ask for it. We can start by intentionally choosing to live to honor and glorify Him in all we say and do. We can start by thinking less about self, self-interests, and the busyness of life. We can start by repenting from our shallowness. We can start right now.

26.y. “And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord”

Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.

Acts 13:48    And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.

2 Thessalonians 2:13-14    But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the first fruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.  To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

James 2:5    Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?

Matthew 25:34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

2 Timothy 2:19    But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”

John 15:16   You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.

“We are not sitting here, and groaning, and crying, and fretting, and worrying, and questioning our own salvation. He has blessed us; and therefore we will bless him. If you think little of what God has done for you, you will do very little for him; but if you have a great notion of his great mercy to you, you will be greatly grateful to your gracious God.” (Spurgeon)

“Our thanks are due to God for all temporal blessings; they are more than we deserve. But our thanks ought to go to God in thunders of hallelujahs for spiritual blessings. A new heart is better than a new coat. To feed on Christ is better than to have the best earthly food. To be an heir of God is better than being the heir of the greatest nobleman. To have God for our portion is blessed, infinitely more blessed than to own broad acres of land. God hath blessed us with spiritual blessings. These are the rarest, the richest, the most enduring of all blessings; they are priceless in value.” (Spurgeon)

If we have no appreciation for spiritual blessing, then we live at the level of animals. Animals live only to eat, sleep, entertain themselves, and to reproduce. We are made in the image of God and He has something much higher for us, yet many choose to live at the level of animals. (Guzik) Believers are chosen by God, and they are chosen before they have done anything or have been anything for God. The great light of this truth casts some shadows; namely, in trying to reconcile human responsibility with divine sovereignty. Yet the purpose of light is not to cast shadows but to guide our steps. The light of God’s selection gives us assurance to the permanence of His plan and His love towards us. The reasons for God’s choosing are not inconsistent, impulsive, or random. Though they are past our finding out, we know that they are altogether wise and good, but the reasons are all in Him, not in us. His choosing is according to the good pleasure of His will. We are chosen not only for salvation, but also for holiness. Any understanding of God’s sovereign choosing that diminishes our personal responsibility for personal holiness and sanctification falls far short of the whole counsel of God.

We should not think for a single second we will not be held accountable for how we cherish and honor and glorify Jesus Christ in all we say, think, and do. We have been chosen to be children of God. We should be living our lives so that Jesus Christ is proclaimed and honored and glorified. What kind of child is it that spends no time with their father, who does not listen to their father, who does not obey their father, who does not seek and desire the wisdom of their father?

26.d. “For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own”

Galatians 1:6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

Mark 6:6     And he marveled because of their unbelief. And he went about among the villages teaching.

Psalms 106:13    But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel.

Isaiah 29:13     And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,

Jeremiah 2:12-13     Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the LORD,  for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.

Romans 10:3   For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.

1 Peter 1:15     but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,

2 Peter 1:3    His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,

Someone brought this false gospel to the Galatians. False gospels don’t just happen. People bring them, and the people who bring them may be sincere and have a lot of charisma. It is not as though these deceivers make are proclaiming a new or different Savior. They twist the Gospel and its pure message into something different and that seems true.

The gospel offends our sinful nature of self-pride. It tells us we need a savior, and that we cannot save ourselves. It gives no credit to us at all for our salvation. The gospel offends our sinful nature of self-wisdom. It saves us by something many consider foolish. Third, the gospel offends our sinful self-knowledge. It tells us to believe something which goes against scientific knowledge and personal experience.

There is so much more to being a Christian than knowing about God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Knowing about something does not mean you believe in it, you just know about it. There is a big difference. When the gospel of Jesus Christ is watered down and diluted to the point where you can think that by doing something other than believing in, trusting on, clinging to, and relying on Jesus Christ alone, you are ignorant of the righteousness of God, and will seek to establish their own, not submitting to God’s righteousness.

26.b. “I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food.”

Galatians 1:1 Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— and all the brothers who are with me, To the churches of Galatia: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

John 4:34    Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.

John 5:30     “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.

Romans 8:27   And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

Ephesians 1:11    In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,

John 6:38    For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.

Psalms 40:8     I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.”

Psalms 119:92   If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.

Job 23:12   I have not departed from the commandment of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food.

“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever.” –“because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.” – “according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will.” – “I delight to do your will”

What is the will of God? Do we search scripture to understand, in part, the will of God? Do we blindly live our lives without giving thought to what God’s will is for our lives? Many books have been written to help us understand the will of God for our lives. Here are a few “The will of God”, What the will of God really means”, “Experiencing God, knowing and doing the will of God”, “Decision making and the will of God”, “What the bible says about how to know God’s will”, “How you can know the will of God”, “Discovering His will for your life”, “Understanding and pursuing the will of God,” “How to know the will of God”, “Walking in the will of God”, “The will of God”, “You can know the will of God”, “Finding God’s will for you”, “How do I know God’s will”, “Discovering God’s will”, “The secret to knowing God’s will for your life”, “Can I know God’s will”, “The will of God”, “Finding God’s will”, etc…………… These books have been mostly written in an attempt to explain and point to understanding the Will of God. I am sure there are many good points and thoughts in these books. Some of them will be similar and some will be one-offs.

At the end of the day, what is important: having a desire for God’s will, seeking God’s will, and believing, trusting, following, and obeying His will. Know this – we can not expect to begin to understand God’s will if we are neglectful and complacent or if our eyes are on the worldly rather than the heavenly, and if our fleshly heart is not surrendered. Seeking, desiring, and wanting to do the will of God should not be seen as a one and done event, but rather, an intentional daily continual choice – a way of life – wanting to be and willing to be lead by the Holy Spirit of God for the glory and honor of Jesus Christ.

25.x. “The LORD detests all the proud of heart.”

2 Corinthians 12:5 I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses— though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth; but I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me. So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Chronicles 26:16   But when he was strong, he grew proud, to his destruction. For he was unfaithful to the LORD his God

2 Chronicles 32:25-26    But Hezekiah did not make return according to the benefit done to him, for his heart was proud. Therefore wrath came upon him

Daniel 5:20    But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly, he was brought down from his kingly throne, and his glory was taken from him.

Judges 2:3   So now I say, I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become thorns in your sides,

Job 2:7   So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.

Luke 13:16    And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?”

Do you ever wonder what turns the heart and soul of a person, proud? What is it that flips a switch in us and makes us think highly of what we have accomplished? We read of Paul who was given a thorn in the flesh and we know that it was given to him, by God, through Satan. The purpose was to keep in from not becoming proud. A proud heart will put self in front of God, think more highly of themselves than they ought, and look at others as less than they are. We are not immune to pride. It can attack us when we least expect it. It can start with simple enough thoughts of accomplishment but then on our own or with a nudge from Satan can turn into more. It is something I did. It is something I can do better than you. It is something reflecting my talent and superiority. It is something I can afford and you can’t. It is something your children have succeeded in. It can be in your intellect, strength, physical appearance. We are not immune to this. So how does a person fall for the bait of pride? When we are lax in studying His Word. When we are living in the presence of this world and not in the presence of God. We live to please ourselves more than God. When we honor and glorify ourselves rather than God. When we are consumed with worldly desires and wants over things of God. Yes, it will happen when we put anything number 1 and God somewhere else down in the list of priorities.

Do we think that any of our abilities came about by the sheer will of our mind or strength? Do we think it is of our doing? Our physical strength, mental intellect, and other abilities all come from God. Some will use these abilities to do some of the most vicious and hardhearted crimes against mankind. We know scripture tells us of times when bad things were done by people to Christians and God used it for good. We seem to have the ability to use our abilities that were given to us for good and what should be used for the single purpose of honoring and glorifying Jesus Christ into or for something bad and contrary to that very purpose. Our ability to think, do, speak, reason, understand, etc…. were all given to us, by God, and how we use them is freely given to us as well. Feed your heart, mind, and soul with God’s Word and pray for the ability to discern the temptation of pride.

Paul, once he understood and knew why God had “given” him this thorn in the flesh he was happy to bear it. He knew it was to keep him from becoming proud. Paul also knew this “Proverbs 11:2 “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” Proverbs 16:5 “The LORD detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.” Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” We all ought to be so set against being proud that we seek God continually to expose it so that we can live to give Him “ALL” honor and glory.

25.c. “My soul longs for your salvation; I hope in your word.”

2 Corinthians 4:16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

Psalms 73:26    My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Isaiah 40:29    He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.

Psalms 119:81   My soul longs for your salvation; I hope in your word.

Psalms 27:13    I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living!

Job 19:26-27   And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God,  whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!

Isaiah 40:31    but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Psalms 119:71    It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes.

Psalms 119:67    Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word.

Psalms 73:24    You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory.

Having hope and faith in God, and trusting in, relying on, and clinging to Jesus Christ, opens our heart, mind, and soul to eternity. It is not as though we understand it but we are certain of it. We know without a shadow of a doubt that we will be raised from death to life and forever be with Him in His glory. In this understanding, we can rejoice through our flesh is fading away. Can you imagine what it will be like to be in the presence of God and see Him face to face? Standing in the presence of the creator of all there is, the One who knows all of your past and future thoughts and intents, the One who sent His Son to die for you and to redeem you, the one who forgave you of all your sins and has separated them as far as the east is from the west, the One who has taken your blood-red sin-stained soul and washed it white as snow, the One who loved you and made know the mystery of salvation, the One who will raise you up and forevermore you will be with Him in eternity.

We ought to live in light of this and humbly and obediently doing that which honors and glorifies Him alone.