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Musings on Faith #60 Take a Walk With Jesus ... | |
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I was in Church at The Foundry, in Bessemer, last Thursday night, and the Spirit of the Lord was, indeed, powerfully present in that place! The preacher was preaching on failure, and he used the story of Peter’s failing Christ just before the crucifixion. In doing so, he referred to several Scriptures in Matthew and Luke, among them Matthew 26:41, "All of you must keep awake (give strict attention, be cautious and active) and watch and pray, that you may not come into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak (The Everyday Life Bible)". I have underlined that last sentence because as the preacher read this passage, God spoke to me in a way that He never has before concerning this particular passage. What He revealed to me is that although I know that my heart, my spirit, and my soul belong to Him, my body and my mind remain wayward and sometimes willful and rebellious. This is at the core of why even Christians continue to fail God, in greater or lesser degrees, according to the closeness of their daily walk with Him. As Dr. Charles Stanley says, even we who are His continue to sin, because we are human.
Paul spoke to this very point, concerning the body and the mind, in Romans 12:1-2: "I appeal to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, |
(Continued)
consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world (this age) [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God . . . (The Everyday Life Bible)". In Peter’s case, the Lord Jesus Christ predicted Peter’s betrayal through denial, yet when He arose on the third day, He told the women at the tomb to go tell the disciples "and Peter". Christ made His love and forgiveness crystal clear when He named Peter individually! He continues to do so to this very day, for all of us who follow Him. We who call Jesus ‘Christ’ and ‘Savior’, and who have surrendered ourselves to Him in heart, soul and spirit, must nevertheless constantly engage in an ongoing dedication of our bodies and renewal of our minds, so that we may fully experience the "good and acceptable and perfect will of God" for our lives. A daily walk with Jesus, talking to Him in prayer, and listening to Him through His Word and His Holy Spirit, will bring us immeasurable Joy! Yours in Christ, Tom Woodard |
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