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Gleanings From The Word

Category: sanctification

  • Goose Feathers and maturity in Christ

    Goose Feathers and maturity in Christ

    Canada goose wings spread wide

    I stood and watched the two goose feathers dancing on the lake  in the breeze. One was curved like a “c” and floated on the rounded part of its back. The other was shaped like an upside-down “u” and floated on the uprights.

    Each danced differently along the surface of the water. The “c”-shaped feather swirled, while the “u”-shaped feather walked and skipped along the surface. Eventually, they touched, joined together, and danced with a new rhythm. When the two joined, they rolled and tumbled across the surface.

    As I watched them, a goose landed nearby. The wake of its landing hit the feathers, and they quickly sank into the lake.

    The feathers were light and had no problem standing up to the gentle breeze along the water. When the waves picked up, they could not stay afloat any longer.

    The same thing can happen to believers. We can be deceived and easily sunk when we do not know the truth of God’s Word.

    He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.  Ephesians 4:10-16 NIV

    God has given each of us a calling and a ministry. Part and parcel of attaining that calling, and completing that ministry, is growing up in the faith. If we remain infants we can be blown around, confused and eventually even loose heart. We will not lose our salvation if that happens, but we miss out on much of the blessing and purpose that God has designed and planned for us.

    Floating close to the feathers was a stick. It stayed the course while the feathers danced around. It stayed the course when the goose landed. I suspect that even if the goose had landed on the stick, it would simply have popped back up and stayed the course once more.

    As mature Christians, we can exhibit all the joy and freedom of the dancing feathers, but still stay the course like the floating stick. We have the best of both worlds.

    Until next time, may you grow ever more like Christ.

    Be blessed

    Hallelu Yah / Praise God 

    Kevin

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  • Who is a saint?

    Who is a saint?

    The canopy of trees over the trail reminded me of an archway of branches praising Jesus as He entered Jerusalem. The praise didnt last long

    The canopy of trees over the trail reminded me of an archway.  Each leaned in a bit to cover the trail.

    As I walked the trail, I thought of the arches of palms and willows waved over Jesus as He entered the city of Jerusalem in the days before His crucifixion. The crowds adored Him, worshipped Him, and boldly proclaimed His name.

    As we know, that adoration didn’t last very long. Many of those same people were likely in the crowd that a few days later cried out to Pontius Pilate, “Crucify Him!” He went from hero to zero in the space of a few days.

    People are fickle. If you don’t believe that, look at most sports fans. As long as the team is winning, it is the greatest. Start to lose, however, and watch the crowds get the scent of blood. 

    Watch politicians and actors move in and out of favor as the crowd sees fit. Today’s great is tomorrow’s has been. Yesterday’s loser is today’s winner.

    The line between hero and zero is thin. 

    There is a case where that doesn’t apply. You see, without Jesus, we’re all going to lose. We have sinned, and we’re kept apart from God. With Him, even the worst of sinners can become a saint for eternity. 

    Let’s clarify that last sentence: saint is a word often misunderstood in Christian circles. A saint is any believer in Jesus Christ. The tradition of elevating specific individuals to “sainthood” has no biblical foundation.

    If you know Jesus, you’re a saint. We’re made right with God and reconciled to Him because of His sacrifice. The Father sees us through the righteousness of the Son and declares us set apart, holy.

    For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood, not his own, or then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. Hebrews 9:24-28

    Fortunately, unlike us, He’s not fickle. He’s steadfast and will stick by us for all eternity. Once we’re under the blood, we’re there to stay. That’s a good thing.

    Until next time, rejoice. God is good!

    Be blessed

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